A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

 

"Stars flickered around us, sweet darkness sweeping in. As if we were the only sounds in a galaxy."

Release Date: May 1, 2018

Genre: High fantasy, romance, fiction

Rating:

Summary:

A TIME TO HEAL

Feyre, Rhysand, and their friends still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly altered world beyond, recovering from the war that changed everything. But Winter Solstice is finally approaching, and, with it, the joy of a hard-earned reprieve.

Yet even the festive atmosphere can't keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, her concern for those dearest to her deepens. They have more wounds than she anticipated - scars that will have a far-reaching impact on the future of their court.

Bridging the events of A Court of Wings and Ruin with the later books in the series, A Court of Frost and Starlight explores the long-lasting effects of a devastating war and the fierce love between friends. 

Review:

A Court of Frost and Starlight - a comfy filler novella that wraps you up in a warm embrace while the snowstorm rages on outside the window. (I definitely had winter ambience videos playing in the background reading this to really set the mood and distract me from the 115 degree weather in Arizona). 

It felt *literally* impossible to pick up this book and continue reading, I'll be honest. I started reading it directly after A Court of Wings and Ruin but I had to stop. There was just such a marked difference from the masterpiece that was ACOWAR to then reading ACOFAS. I read a few palette cleanser books in-between then set back on my determined path. Taking that break was EXTREMELY HELPFUL. I was able to power through! I thought it was a very cute book...for a filler. There isn't much more to say about it. Simple, sweet, completed. Time to move on to A Court of Silver Flames! I am SO STOKED! 

Quotes:

"Stars flickered around us, sweet darkness sweeping in. As if we were the only souls in the galaxy."

"The weaver went on, "I have to create, or it was all for nothing. I have to create, or I will crumple up with despair and never leave my bed. I have to create because I have no other way of voicing this." Her hand rested on her heart, and my eyes burned. "It is hard," the weaver said, her stare never leaving mine, "and it hurts, but if I were to stop, if I were to let this loom or the spindle go silent..." She broke my gaze at last to look at her tapestry. "Then there would be no hope shining in the void."

"To the blessed darkness from which we are born, and to which we return."

"You were born on the longest night of the year." His fingers again stroked down my back. Lower. "You were meant to be at my side from the very beginning."

"I think my heart knew you were mine long before I ever realized it."

"I will never stop being grateful to have you in my life, either, Feyre darling. And no matter what lies ahead"--a small, joyous smile at that--"we will face it together. Enjoy every moment of it together."

"You look like an angry snowball."

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

 

"I'll say whatever I please. I'm not a lady, I'm a pirate!"

Release Date: February 28, 2017

Genre: Fantasy, fiction

Rating:

Summary:

There will be plenty of time for me to beat him soundly once I've gotten what I came for. 

Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map-the key to a legendary treasure trove-seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.

More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate, Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King. 

Review:

Ahoy there, me hearties! (Yes, pirate slang is 100% appropriate). Let me start by saying, this was SUCH a quick read. I literally read it in one day. I don't often read books in one sitting so that was surprising for me. It is a smaller book though with large font so it was also pretty easy to do. However, simply because I finished reading this book in one day, does not mean it was a glorious read. 

I truly wanted to like this book; I had heard wonderful things about it. Expectations vs reality though right? 

When I started writing this review, I would have given it 3 bunnies but after completing my review, I will say this book gets 2 out of 5 bunnies for me. 

I absolutely LOVE the concept of this book. I think the idea of it was phenomenal. The delivery fell flat and left a lot to be desired. 

I overall didn't mind Alosa, I did enjoy her ambition and her sass. I love the idea of her pirating an all-female ship. Feminism, always. I really enjoyed Enwen and Kearan's characters. I would have loved to spend more time really fleshing out her character, as well as Riden. I think these two characters have the potential for marked character development but only witnessed glimpses of that in this book. 

However, I do find it extremely distasteful and concerning that the main character is 17 years old. She is a child. I understand that this is set in a different time period but it shouldn't have been acceptable then and it is certainly not acceptable now. I felt that the book and the character were hypersexualized. It would have been so easy to age up this character; why leave her underage but then have such sexual tones and themes throughout this book? 

I adore sirens and mermaids; I think they have to be my ultimate favorite mythical creature. I do feel that the siren concept materialized out of thin air; it was very rushed and not thoroughly developed so it felt forced. The confusing story of her birth (being half-siren, half human), switching in and out of her siren powers, the siren powers themselves...they just felt very comical and unrealistic. 

Am I going to be scrambling to pick up the sequel to this book? No. 

Will I read the sequel down the road to continue the storyline? Possibly. 

Quotes:

"I'll say whatever I please. I'm not a lady, I'm a pirate!" 

"Lass, you've the face of an angel but the tongue of a snake." 

"I am me because I choose to be me. I am what I want. Some people say you have to find yourself. Not I. I believe we create ourselves to be what we want."

"Everyone has something dark in their past. I suppose it's our job to overcome it. And if we can't overcome it, then all we can do is make the most of it." 

"I value brilliant minds, honest souls, and those with long endurance. I forge relationships based on trust and mutual respect, not fear and control."

"Imagine that you traveled all over the world, looking for happiness, looking for thrills to pass the time. Imagine seeing everything there is to see and still not finding happiness. Well, that would give you a very bleak outlook on life, would it not?"

"Yes, we should all worship the stars. They are as useful as they are beautiful. Some never change position. They are constants in the sky. Without them, we would be lost." 

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

 

"I wish you could see yourself the way I see you." 

Release Date: September 14, 2021

Genre: Contemporary romance, fiction

Rating:

Summary: 

When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman's carefully calculated theories on love into chaos.

As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships - but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.

 That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor-and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. And when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding...six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope. 

Review:

I have finally finished reading The Love Hypothesis! I have been dying to read this ever since I finished reading Love on the Brain! I am 100% aware that I went out of order here but I don't want to hear it! No judgement! 

I know I distinctly remember saying in my previous book review post that it was a rare occurrence that I read a book with a fake dating trope...well, clearly, I lied. I've done it again, two books in a row. Who am I? This book delivered the fake dating trope tastefully. I didn't experience my normal rage when reading about the tangled web of lies.

While I do normally loathe the fake dating trope, one trope I will NEVER get tired of is grumpy x sunshine. This book literally is the embodiment of grumpy x sunshine. Adam is "antagonistic and unapproachable" at first but then becomes UTTERLY SWOONWORTHY. "I wish you could see yourself the way I see you." Such a sweetheart. I would adore a book a POV book with Adam pining after Olive for the past 3 years and throughout the timeline of The Love Hypothesis. That would be divine. ALSO, THAT BONUS CHAPTER Y'ALL?! That was scrumptious, finger-lickin' good. 

I also need more books with women in STEM. I am here for the strong, intelligent feminist icons. Anh is such a badass. "Carry yourself with the confidence of a mediocre white man." Yes, queen!

I had two complaints about this book 1) that the summary of the book was misleading. I felt that the summary that was written does not accurately describe the story. The story was obviously way better than the description. 2) The book is not long enough. This is always a complaint of mine for a spectacular book though. I never want the story to end!

I cannot decide if I prefer Love on the Brain or The Love Hypothesis more. I think both books are absolutely amazing. They were such wonderful reads that I didn't want them to end. I may have to do a dual book review with these two going head-to-head to see which one comes out on top! 

Quotes: 

"Carry yourself with the confidence of a mediocre white man."

"I wish you could see yourself the way I see you."

"You can fall in love: someone will catch you."

"I'm going to kill you," he gritted out, little more than a growl. "If you say another word about the woman I love, if you look at her, if you even think about her - I'm going to fucking kill you."

"This might be inappropriate but...Olive. You are really...You are extraordinary." 

Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

 

"Enemies-to-Lovers-it's our trope, Buxbaum."

TW: Death of a family member 

Release Date: May 4, 2021

Genre: Young adult fiction

Rating:

Summary:

Liz Buxbaum has always known that Wes Bennett was not boyfriend material. You would think that her next-door neighbor would be a prime candidate for her romantic comedy fantasies, but Wes has only proven himself to be a pain in the butt, ever since they were little. Wes was the kid who put a frog in her Barbie Dreamhouse, the monster who hid a lawn gnome's severed head in her little homemade neighborhood book exchange. 

Flash forward ten years from the Great Gnome Decapitation. It's Liz's senior year, a time meat to be rife with milestones perfect for any big screen, and she needs Wes's help. See, Liz's forever crush, Michael, has just moved back to town - and horribly, annoyingly - he's hitting it off with Wes. Meaning that if Liz wants Michael to finally notice her, and hopefully be her prom date, she needs Wes. He's her in.

But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz her magical prom moment, she's shocked to discover that she actually likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love - and rethink her own perception of what Happily Ev er After should really look like. 

Review:

This book ABSOLUTELY blew me away. It is, in fact, better than the movies. 

I connected with Liz instantaneously for our love of romantic comedies. Always waiting for the picture perfect "meet cute", that screen worthy moment. Also our affinity for dresses.

The references to different timeless rom coms throughout the book AND a curated playlist for the book? Absolutely obsessed. Lynn Painter knows how to win my heart.

Enemies-to-lovers is one of my all-time favorite tropes. This book showcases this trope so beautifully. Wes is absolutely swoon worthy. From the first mention of Wes Bennett, I was absolutely infatuated. Heart eyes all the way. Wes gives the PERFECT Mr. Darcy/Mark Darcy vibes.

Fake dating is one of my least favorite tropes. I have never been a fan. I do not like the deceit and the mess of lies. HOWEVER, this book was able to make me enjoy the fake dating trope. I didn't find myself getting horribly annoyed or frustrated as easily like when I read other books featuring this trope. Now, do not expect me to continue reading books with the fake dating trope! This is a rare occurrence! 

I finished this book so quickly, lightning fast. Now I am upset I didn't take more time with it. I think a re-read of this knockout is an absolute must!

Now excuse me while I listen to the book playlist on repeat. 

Quotes:

"Because of things like car accidents and lost loves, life and death and broken hearts, we should grab every moment and absolutely devour the good parts."

"My inheritance was the knowledge that love is always in the air, always a possibility, and always worth it."

"You look best when you're you."

"Be brave enough to go big."

"Sometimes we get so tied up in our idea of what we think we want that we miss out on the amazingness of what we could actually have."

"She's not you." "What?" "She. Isn't. You."

"She's pretty, but her face doesn't transform into sunlight when she talks about music.: He did that clench thing with his jaw and said, "She's funny, but not spit-out-your-drink-in-astonishment funny." It felt like my heart was going to explode as his eyes moved down to my lips under the glow of the buzzing streetlight. He moved his face a little closer to mine, looked into my eyes, and rumbled, "And when I see her, I don't feel like I have to talk to her or mess up her hair or do something - anything - to get her to swing that gaze on me."

"I fell in love with teasing you in the second grade, when I first discovered that I could turn your cheeks pink with just a word. Then I fell in love with you."

"Enemies-to-lovers-it's our trope, Buxbaum."