Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Title: A Curse So Dark and Lonely
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Series: Cursebreakers 1/3
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4 stars

When I first read the synopsis, I was in love. Another Beauty and the Beast retelling that appeared mirrored it closely? Count me in! Once I finally got my hands on it, I immediately started it. There were plenty of things that I enjoyed about this book, but there were also plenty of things that I did not enjoy about this book. Everything that I point out is only my opinion though, you might think differently and that's totally okay!

I really enjoyed Harper's character, she felt very "real". Some reviewers have mentioned that she cries a lot or almost cries and it annoyed them, I actually felt the opposite about this. Everyone reacts to things differently, some people are more sensitive than others. I personally am much more sensitive and I felt like I would have acted the same way Harper did in many scenarios. 

Something I did not like about Harper's character was her disability. Now I know that she has a very low case of Cerebral Palsy, but I felt like it wasn't portrayed accurately. Everyone with CP is affected differently, my younger brother has it and is much worse than Harper, but I felt like Harper's CP was just little sprinkles of information here and there to make her a different and diverse character. I'm all for diverse YA characters, especially those that are not represented enough (like those with disabilities), but I felt like things weren't explained enough such as her numerous surgeries - we never find out what they were for and if they helped at all. 

Many reviewers also pointed out that they often skimmed some of the paragraphs, I found myself doing this too. I felt like a lot of things were over detailed and somewhat dull, I understand worldbuilding, but I don't typically find myself skipping things because it's so slow. The entire book felt like a rollercoaster, one second I was on the verge of not finishing it and then the next second it was so intense that I was gobbling up the pages. 

So with all the negative things (and one positive thing) that I've pointed out, why on Earth did I give it 4 stars? It gets better. When I think back on the entire reading experience, I did enjoy parts of it. I felt like the build-up to the climax was much slower than other books, but it was enjoyable. Overall, the last 75-100 pages are the best and make the whole experience worth it. If you have doubts about this book, but you are still interested in it, I recommend that you read it.

Review: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Title: Stalking Jack the Ripper
Author: Kerri Maniscalco
Series: Stalking Jack the Ripper 1/4
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5 stars

I know, I'm late to the party - I always am when it comes to amazing fandoms, but, here I am.

I typically don't enjoy things that are classified as horror or thriller, I get creeped out way too easily. I picked up SJTR simply because I wanted to expand my horizons and see what all the buzz was about (if I'm being honest, I came across some Capturing the Devil special boxes coming out soon and thought I should try the series). Kerri Maniscalco's writing style instantly drew me in. Everything was detailed just right, I felt like I was slicing open the bodies. 

The thriller/mystery/horror level is perfect (at least to me, it does live up to its standards). It was very obvious that a lot of research and effort was put into writing this masterpiece. I enjoyed every twist and turn that the book took, every gory detail, but most of all I enjoyed Thomas Cresswell. His arrogance, his flirting, pretty much just his personality in general. Audrey Rose was also a great main character: she was smart, brave, and determined. I greatly enjoyed thinking of something I'd say or wondering if something would happen and then Audrey Rose would say what was on my mind - it was almost like she was my spokesperson. 

To be completely honest I cannot think of a single thing I disliked about this book. Before I wrote this review, I thought for a really long time about that and I couldn't come up with anything. I highly recommend it to everyone. If you enjoy this type of genre, you'll enjoy this book. If you don't enjoy this book, you should try it anyway because I'm sure you'll love it.

Review: Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Title: Sorcery of Thorns
Author: Margaret Rogerson
Series: N/A, standalone
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5 stars

I was honestly hooked from the first page, I felt like I was instantly transported into a Great Library. This was a very fun read that went very quickly. This was my first Owlcrate read, I subscribed to the June 2019 box specifically because I thought the book sounded interesting. 

My only two issues with this book (they're honestly not that bad since I still gave it five stars) were: 
- Sometimes I had a hard time picturing things, yet the description provided a good amount of detail. I'm not completely sure if this is my own fault (it probably is) or if the description just didn't make total sense. 
- I felt like this should have been at least a duology. There was so much going on, which was great, but I would have loved to relish in it for another 400 pages. There were a few things I would have liked to learn more about, characters I would have loved to spend more time with (yes, I'm talking about Silas), and more of the world I would have loved to visit. 

Margaret Rogerson honestly pulled everything off so perfectly. Nothing at all felt forced, odd, or awkward. The slow-burn romance was top-notch, the characters were extremely lovable, and the fantasy was everything I wanted. The best part of all was the library setting, I previously never read a book that had so much to do with a library, but goodness it was fantastic. I hope to read more books like this in the future, or maybe if I'm lucky Margaret Rogerson will let us revisit in the future.

Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Throne of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass 1 of 6
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First Read Rating: 4 stars

Second Read Rating: 5 stars

I haven't written a review in a very long time, but I'm so passionate about this series that I felt obligated. I'd like to start out by pointing out that I have NEVER read a book twice in my entire life. I find it to be too boring since I already know what is going to happen. 

I first read Throne of Glass over two years ago. I had previously read the first two A Court of Thorns and Roses books and was itching for more from Maas. Everyone was ranting and raving about TOG, but all I had known was I had first picked it up to try it almost four years before when I was in high school. I didn't give it much of a chance before I gave up. Years later, I thought I'd give it a chance again, after all, I hadn't been too into fantasy back then.

My journey started out slow. I felt like very little was happening in the story, the plot was going to slow, and I ultimately felt like I was having trouble adapting to the world. I often felt confused about things. I barely made it through the book, but it was enjoyable to give it four stars. I decided I'd give up on this series for a long time. 

Fast forward two years later and I'm about to donate a ton of my books. I had four of the TOG books. I was struggling with whether to keep them or not. I ultimately decided to keep them. A few months later, I wasn't quite sure what to read, so I picked up Crown of Midnight after reading someone's review on it - claiming that if you were so-so on TOG, you'd be much happier with COM. I greatly enjoyed it. Then I moved onto The Assassin's Blade, the prequel novellas. After I finished that, I felt like I would understand TOG much better, so I decided to reread it. 

I cannot stress this enough, READ THE ASSASSIN'S BLADE FIRST. If you don't, you won't get the proper experience while reading TOG. During my reread, I noticed so many rich details that enhanced the experience - from small quotes to complete references from TAB. Things that were confusing the first time around were much clearer this time. I think that it's absolutely essential to read the prequel first. 

Now, many people say that the plot is too slow and barely anything happens in this book. I agree, but you must keep in mind that this is the first book to kick off the storyline in a six book series (eight if you count Tower of Dawn and The Assassin's Blade). Maas is attempting to give you little bits of the world, the characters, and her writing style. This is the type of read that you think nothing happens the whole time, but once you're done reading and you're reflecting, you realize that SO much happened. 

Additionally, people say they dislike Celaena's character as she doesn't come off as an assassin. Well my friends, I hate to say it again, but if you had read The Assassin's Blade, you would have had a better understanding of her character and therefore wouldn't have this opinion. 

Overall, this book is packed with action, fantasy, slight romance, and epic quotes that you'll be thinking about long past closing the book. I highly recommend that everyone gives this series a try, it may not be for everyone, but many will regret not trying it sooner.