marirene's reviews
789 reviews

Greenteeth by Molly O'Neill

4.0

This is an adventure cozy fantasy with some darkness. I listened to this rather than read this so it’s possible the physical book may have had trigger warnings built in, but the audiobook did not. If not, I’d suggest that if you’re sensitive to child abandonment/death, animal death, injury, misuse of religious power, you may want  to take that into consideration. The story includes found family, Arthurian Legends, some fae interactions, and a traipse through England, Wales, and Scotland. Parts of the story dragged a bit, but not enough to make you stop reading. It’s not a terribly long book. It was interesting reading a story from a Jenny Greenteeth’s point of view, but I didn’t feel particularly connected to her or any real emotional connection to what was going on. The ending felt a bit rushed. It was an interesting adventure but overall I struggle to figure out if there was any real overarching message intended with it. 

Bred by the Dragon by Lyonne Riley

3.0

Bred by the Wolfman by Lyonne Riley

4.0

If you have any sensitivities, read the trigger warnings. There were tropes in here I don’t normally like. There were things both main characters did that I didn’t love, but that made them ultimately less predictable and feel more real. There were several points in the plot that made me think, man I know what genre this is, but if one thing were different here, this would be a horror book, easy :D Somehow, all this worked into a rom com style monster romance that was well done. 

Glint by Raven Kennedy

5.0

The plot twists in this did not surprise me as a reader of lots of romantasy. The emotional and mental growth the main character went through and the commentary the story provided on how easy it is to stay with a manipulative abuser and how very hard it is to realize the truth of your situation was so very well done. I’m curious where the rest of this series will go. 

Slip Into Me by Clover Holloway

4.0

I really wasn’t expecting as much buildup and background and character development from this short little tale as I got. I kind of made me want to know more about the characters and the town and set-up. I’m looking forward to more shifter/monster type stories from this author. 

Gotten By The Gator by Lizzie Strong

3.0

A fun premise with some cute moments. It was a bit too insta-lusty for my tastes, but then again it’s super short, so I should’ve expected that :D

Storm of Blood and Shadow by Rebecca F. Kenney

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.0

You COULD read this as a standalone, but it benefits from reading it in the order in the series. On the surface this is a dragon shifter series, but really it’s so much more. The lengths to which the princes go to save the future for their people and the choices that they have to make are just heartbreaking and very well-written. Book 3 specifically, has a beautiful romance woven-in with complex characters going through things individually and as a new couple. This series is likely to be a five star one as a whole for me. 

For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten

dark slow-paced

4.0

This had all the dark goth fairytale vibes with a touch of Eldritch horror. The setting felt reminiscent of One Dark Window, but it was a different story. The cover gives Little Red Riding Hood vibes, but the story is definitely a darker Beauty and the Beast retelling. I’m curious where this will go in the second book. The series has 5 star potential to me. 

Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland

3.0

I read (and finished) this book for a podcast and would probably have DNFed it if it wasn’t for that. I am glad I finished it though. 

I did not like the blatant repetitive violent sexism throughout this book. I understand it was the world the author chose to write in and I understand I think I’ve just reached my saturation point at the whole “you’re strong/smart for a girl, I guess” idea which is not fully the author’s fault. Also why are all the young women here referred to as girls but the young men are men?!???

I did not like the choppiness and awkwardness of some of the sentence structure/prose, the long internal monologues while characters are literally (in my head) standing there staring at each other, and the whiplash inducing jerks from character to character with all the POVs. This brings me to what I did like. 

I liked the backstories and motivations of the characters and wished I could delve deeper into them. They made me feel for them. Even the characters I STRONGLY dislike made me feel something.  

I like the overarching plot. There’s alot going on and I think this would make for an interesting limited run tv series, especially if it means we get to trash some of the super sexist internal monologues :D

I’m likely to read the sequel to see where it goes. 

A Soul to Revive by Opal Reyne

5.0

Opal Reyne performed her usual magic and used a spicy monster romance to delve into deep human emotions. From survivor’s guilt to grief to infertility to questionable self-worth, this chonky read digs in.