This Deadly Touch by Aimee Donnellan

This Deadly Touch by Aimee Donnellan

My Rating: ★★★

I received a copy from the author through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Tia grew up in a convent thanks to the rare condition she was born with that kills people with necrosis magic if she has skin to skin contact with them. The convent is all she’s ever known, but a letter from someone intent on curing her was just too good to pass up. One easy escape from the convent later, Tia and her potential savior, Asha, embark on an adventure in hopes to cure her of the condition that’s actually an ancient curse placed on multiple bloodlines.

This is such a cute feel good romance following Tia and Asha through their rotating perspectives. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but this book might’ve been a little too fluffy because the stakes were almost always non-existent. Every time they came up against something or someone that could put them through the wringer, it was immediately solved or turned out to not have been an issue.

That said, I really did enjoy this book for the most part. I really enjoyed following Tia and Asha as they slowly fall in love and introduce Tia to the world she’s never been allowed to see before. It’s a light read, but if you’re not used to books that are at this level of fluffy, it’s possible that it’s not the right book for you. For me, it felt like we weren’t going anywhere for a while just because everything went too smoothly and some of the plot points were random at times. Plus, the ending left me feeling like a portion of the story was missing.

However, I liked the book and liked the characters. It was just too fluffy for me, especially when I didn’t expect it to be anywhere near as light and fluffy as it turned out to be. The romance plot was amazing once it got rolling, but I wish the rest of the story was a little more focused and that the curse itself had a bigger plot point.

Hotel Limbo (Hotel Limbo Book 1) by Ben Harel

Hotel Limbo (Hotel Limbo Book 1) by Ben Harel

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Top Shelf Productions in exchange for an honest review.

When Bellboy, aka BB, wakes up in the middle of nowhere, he has no idea where he is or how he got there. All he knows is that a huge cat is giving him a ride and the people he just met are all wearing masks. When BB arrives at Hotel Limbo, he’s surprised to learn that not only is he dead, but he’s also the newest employee at the hotel. Armed with a vague job description, BB quickly sets out to help the dead folks staying at the hotel even if nothing makes sense… including his job!

We follow BB as he begins his new job in purgatory because he has the bad luck of dying and being saddled with a job. The story is told through the beautiful artwork of 28 artists, all named in the opening of the book and in the order of the chapters they illustrated. I wasn’t sure what to expect with 28 artists, but I can confirm that it was an amazing idea because it really added an extra touch of mystery to the story!

I really enjoyed meeting all of the characters and slowly piecing together that something much bigger is going on. I also like how each chapter focuses on a different character, and I think that having a new art style for each chapter was genius. It really helped tell the story and truly bring it to life. I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here as well as seeing if the artists will be returning to bring the second book to life.

The Healer and the Warlord (Ballan Desert #0.5) by S.C. Grayson

The Healer and the Warlord by S.C. Grayson

My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op in exchange for an honest review.

As the extremely sheltered daughter of the Lord of Clan Padra, Alyx has been itching to escape her father and all of her restrictions. Her life is turned upside down when she’s abducted by Kelvar, the warlord of Clan Katal, and discovers she has more freedom than she ever did with her parents. What’s even stranger is that she’s feeling drawn to her captor, but is there a romance brewing or is she really as soft and naive as her family has always said?

In this surprisingly action packed novella, we follow Alyx and Kelvar through their rotating perspectives as they begin their journey as captive and captor. I really liked both characters and enjoyed following them both. I also really liked that the pair seemed to be on equal footing after a bit vs Alyx truly being a captive for long.

I was shocked at how much world building was able to fit into the story without it feeling overwhelming or out of place given this is a novella. Plus, we’ve got everything from an overbearing family, rough upbringings, friendship (and lack thereof), and romance packed neatly in this book that’s less than 130 pages and it doesn’t feel rushed or otherwise squished in. It made me excited to check out the rest of the series, though this book can be read as a stand alone!

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this. I’m hoping I like the next group of protagonists since I don’t think we’ll be following Alyx or Kelvar after this, but I have faith in the story since I had a lot of fun reading this. I wouldn’t say this was super steamy as that was saved for nearly the end, but I do like that it was a bit of a slow burn that’s built on trust and communication.

The Brightness Between Us (The Darkness Outside Us #2) by Eliot Schrefer

The Brightness Between Us by Eliot Schrefer

My Rating: ★★★

It’s been 17-years since Ambrose and Kodiak crash landed on Minerva. Life as the only humans on Minerva hasn’t been without its hiccups, but they’ve happily raised a family together. However, their family is about to go through a number of new hurdles, including ones they never could’ve predicted. In the distant past, the original Ambrose and Kodiak wake up and learn they’ve been manipulated and lied to. Will these two find their way to each other, and will they manage to get their own unedited messages to their clones?

While I loved the first book, I did think it could’ve worked as a standalone with an open ending. I still think that, but I did really enjoy reading this! I love that we got rotating narrators this time around as well, so we follow Owl and Yarrow in the present, and Ambrose and Kodiak in the past. I especially love that we finally got to see things from Kodiak’s perspective! I enjoyed getting to know the new characters as well as finally meeting the original Ambrose and Kodiak and learning about what happened to them.

That said, I’m glad we didn’t get many Yarrow chapters because I found them to be a chore to read at times. I’m just disappointed by the lack of depth despite seeing and experiencing part of his story through his own eyes. I wish that Yarrow’s story took an entirely different path, especially because there were other ways to create drama on Minerva whether or not it was impacted by long dead people back on Earth. It just felt like an abandoned mental health plot once we started to see the whole picture.

All in all, I enjoyed the book, but I can’t see the story going further than this. I really liked getting multiple POVs this time around, and I liked that we bounce between the past and present. I’m looking forward to checking out the author’s other works since, overall, I really enjoyed this series.

The Darkness Outside Us (The Darkness Outside Us #1) by Eliot Schrefer

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

My Rating: ★★★★

When Ambrose Cusk wakes up on the Coordinated Endeavor, he has no idea what’s going on. He’s disoriented and appears to have a head injury because he doesn’t remember the launch. Ambrose also doesn’t remember that there’s someone else on board: Kodiak Celius. Whatever they don’t remember doesn’t matter, right? Their mission is to make it to Saturn’s moon, Titan, and save Ambrose’s sister… but something is odd. Ambrose and Kodiak have nothing but time to figure out what’s going on, and including what mission control never informed them about.

I can confirm that I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I started this, but I also wouldn’t have it any other way. In fact, I think this is one of those books that you need to go in completely blind about the real plot. I picked up on a lot right away, but getting those confirmations was a wild ride. It also gets pretty bleak once we get past the halfway point, and that’s when things really get moving.

All in all, this was an excellent read. My only complaint is that we only follow Ambrose’s perspective, and I think it would’ve been even better if we also followed Kodiak. Whenever Kodiak is open, we still never know him anywhere near as well as we get to know Ambrose. It would’ve been nice to switch perspectives every time we got to the next part. I also think that this could’ve worked as a stand alone that leaves us with an open ending, but am I going to check out the next book ASAP? Yes!

The Dark Lord's Guide to Dating (Guides to Villainy and Love #1) by Tiffany Hunt

 

The Dark Lord's Guide to Dating by Tiffany Hunt

My Rating: ★★

I received a copy from Scarlett Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Dark Lord Kazimir Blackrose is in need of a wife, but not just anyone will do… they need to be from a heroic bloodline! After a long discussion about his options, he decides to abduct Lady Arabella Evenfall and make her the Dark Lady. The problem? She’s not the docile woman he was expecting to snatch and is a force of nature all on her own! Now they’ve struck a deal so they both get what they want out of this marriage. Now Kazimir is struggling with being attracted to Arabella while she tries to avoid catching feelings for her villainous husband!

Early on, this book was a delight to read. It was so funny and kept poking fun at itself that I was having a great time. Somewhere around the 30% point, the story started to drag. I wasn’t ready to give up, so I kept reading until I got to the halfway point. I've finally given up because now I’m just bored and it’s become a chore to read this.

I think this book had a lot of promise, but the execution fell flat. We needed better world building, supporting characters that are more than a name that pops in and out of the story, and less story fluffing. Plus, we still barely know Kazimir halfway through the book even though he’s one of the two leads. I really wanted to love this. It started out great, but it just didn’t work out for me.

The Pickled City: A Biography of New York Pickles by Paul van Ravestein, Monique Mulder, Sandor Ellix Katz (Foreword)

 

The Pickled City: A Biography of New York Pickles by Paul van Ravestein, Monique Mulder, Sandor Ellix Katz (Foreword)

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Chronicle Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re a fan of pickles and interested in learning about pickles and their history in New York, then this is a good book for you! Inside, you will find so much interesting information about pickles along with other pickled foods in New York and around the world. There’s so much history covered, which not only covers food, but the communities and different cultures involved.

I learned so much while reading this, and the passages of a few chapters along with the photographs reminded me of stories my grandpa used to tell. He loved telling stories about him and his brother vs one particular man and the pickle barrel that sat right outside his shop to bring people in. It was fun remembering family stories while reading this.

All in all, this was a fascinating read. It was interesting learning about how some big brand names like Heinz, Vlasic, etc. began, especially while knowing how big and well-known they are now. It may seem like this book is only about pickled food, but there’s so much more to it. Even if it’s not something you’d normally be interested in, I think it’d be worth checking out because of how well-researched and informative it is.

All I Wanted Was Sushi But I Got Abducted By Aliens Instead (Bubble Babes #1) by Petra Palerno

All I Wanted Was Sushi But I Got Abducted By Aliens Instead by Petra Palerno

My Rating: ★★★★

All Opal wanted was to inhale her sushi after work. Instead, she got abducted by aliens and woke up on a whole other side of the galaxy. Just as she’s about to start her new life as a dancer of sorts, she discovers that some things never change no matter what planet you’re on: traffic! As luck would have it, the prince of Sontafrul 6 is stuck only one vehicle over, and he’s just realized she’s his fated mate. Can’t a girl just get her sushi?!

If you’re looking for a fun trashy book, then you might’ve just found your next read! This was the most ridiculous book I’ve picked up in a while, and I mean that in a good way. I picked this up because it sounded like some good trashy fun, and I’m always down for that! That said, there are some serious and bleak plot lines in between all of the humor that makes up this book, so make sure to check the trigger warnings before picking this up.

We follow Opal and Prince Ke’ain through their rotating perspectives, but this is ultimately Opal’s story.  She and Ke’ain were such cool characters to follow. They’re funny and caring, so it was easy to get behind them. Plus, some of the other characters seemed pretty interesting even though we only saw most of them in brief spurts. I’m looking forward to seeing them again in future books, especially since I’m pretty sure several of them will be getting their own stories.

Honestly, this was one wild read. So much stuff happened that it doesn’t even matter that a lot of worldbuilding occurs at random and on the fly. It just works! I wasn’t expecting a masterpiece, but I was expecting something that would be hilarious and enjoyable to read and that is exactly what I got. I’m definitely going to check out the next book!

Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsai

 

Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsai

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Wednesday Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kang Siying is a family oriented ganshi priestess who just wants to get her dad better medical care before it’s too late. It’s why she took a well paying job that would require her to travel from Sian to Wen despite their political strain to guide the body of a dead soldier home. She quickly learns why her client offered so much money: the dead soldier is actually the second prince of Sian, Prince Meng Renshu! Plus, the very dead prince didn’t reanimate when she performed the ritual; he came back to life! Now she finds herself playing exorcist so that Ren can absorb the qi from the purified spirits and finish binding his spirit to his body before he dies again. 

I absolutely loved reading this. We follow Siying from the moment she arrives to look for the deceased soldier she’s being paid to reanimate and guide home for proper burial. From the moment Ren comes back to life, we’re taken on a wild ride where everything that could go wrong does go wrong. Plus, there’s a bit of mystery not only about Ren’s death, but also the spirits they purify along the way.

The worldbuilding is incredible, the characters are interesting to follow, and the romance is a very cute slow burn. I really enjoyed following them and learning about their lives and the lives of the spirits they purify. I also really enjoyed getting to know the different people they meet and work with along the way. The strain between Sian and Wen was felt throughout the entire novel, so if political strain and possible war is not something you want to read about, you might want to skip this. That said, I found this to be an absolutely amazing read. I was sucked into the story right away and now I’m looking forward to seeing what Tesia Tsai publishes in the future.

The Failure at God School, Vol. 2 by Modomu Akagawara (Artist), Natsu Hyuuga (Original Story), SEIKAISHA (Character Design)

The Failure at God School, Vol. 2 by Modomu Akagawara (Artist), Natsu Hyuuga (Original Story), SEIKAISHA (Character Design)

My Rating: ★★★★★

Now that Nagi is at god school, she’s determined to find out what her ability is… but first, she has to make it through a 3-day survival camp with her classmates! Tempers are flaring, magic is flying, and everyone is being forced to work together to complete every task and collect their stamps. Nagi is determined to help her team in any way she can, becoming closer to even the crabbiest among them along the way.

I loved the first volume, so of course I had to pick this up! We picked up right where we left off, which had Nagi stumbling upon a very confused and drained Tsukuyomi. One of the things that I like about this series is that there’s a pretty good balance between being funny, serious, and sad. I think there will be some major backstory coming for a few more characters in the future, and I have no doubt that it will be executed just as well as we did back in the first volume.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this. The artwork is stunning, it’s heartwarming, and the story is excellent. I’m looking forward to seeing Nagi discover what her abilities are, especially given how much she’d love to be able to reopen her family’s shrine. I also love seeing how the characters are being fleshed out along with seeing everyone’s friendships grow. I’m looking forward to picking up the next volume in February.

Zomromcom (Supernatural Entanglements #1) by Olivia Dade

 

Zomromcom by Olivia Dade

My Rating: ★★★

Edie Brandstrup is just living her life as best as she can inside the Containment Zone when everything goes awry. Unfortunately for her, a pack of zombies living underground have somehow escaped, and now she has to save her hot neighbor, Bro Chad, from them with a burrito! It turns out that Bro Chad is not really a Chad, nor is he human. There’s also something weird going on, and Edie is determined to make sure the zombie breach is fully reported even if her hot and snooty vampire neighbor insists on accompanying her!

My first read of the new year was a good one! We follow Edie from the moment she decides that she wants to save her neighbor with an ill-formed plan involving a burrito. As the title states, this is a romantic comedy, and it truly feels like we’re watching a romcom movie in some of the best ways possible. It’s absolutely hilarious while being serious and thoughtful at times. I had an absolute blast reading this.

Unfortunately, there was a lack of world building all around. We’re occasionally fed bits and pieces that not even the general human public knows from Max from time to time, but otherwise, we’re mostly left in the dark on the supernatural front as well. I think it’s a fun book, but I also think that the lack of world building does ultimately hurt the story.

All in all, I had a great time reading this. I wanted to start the new year with something fast paced and hilarious, and that is exactly what this was. Unfortunately, there is a lack of world building, and I do think it fizzles out at the very end, but I don’t regret picking this up.