So I enjoyed The Love Hypothesis, but wasn’t really into Love on the Brain, and it’s been a *long* time since I’ve read a vampire or werewolf book, but this was so fun! Definitely my favorite Ali Hazelwood book so far. Misery’s voice totally pops—both light and relatable, and I found the dynamics of this world to be super interesting. I also really liked Lowe’s character and enjoyed watching them grow together. Overall, just a light, fun read (with werewolf-flavored steam, so beware) that I would definitely recommend to romance fans, and I’m totally hoping for a sequel!
Since these audiobook books were bundled together (along with book 3), I’ve combined the reviews into one post.
Book One’s Review:
This was a cozy mystery with all your usual flavors of paranormal in a magical library.
What I liked: – The premise. I mean, who wouldn’t love to find out you’re a witch and go live in a magical library? – Easy read, very short, and super chill vibes.
What I didn’t like: – The tension and character depth just weren’t there for me. Though they’re dealing with a murder, everyone seems to take it rather in stride, and I didn’t feel like we really cracked the surface of most of the characters.
So no quite for me, however, if you like your mysteries with MAXIMUM cozy, this might be for you!
Book Two’s Review:
I read this one because the first three audiobooks were bundled together. I could probably copy and paste my review for the first book for this one. Super cozy mystery. Quick easy read. But not quite enough tension or character development for me. However, book 1 and book 2 are so consistent in formula and tone, I definitely think if you enjoyed the first book, you would enjoy the second. As for me, I think I’m going to stop myself here since these aren’t super up my alley.
⭐⭐⭐¼
Me trying to figure out what genre is going to get me out of this reading slump.
Kiss Me Deadly builds a really interesting contemporary-adjacent world in which vampires, necromancers, ghosts, and other paranormal events feel like the norm. The characters are voicy and there’s lots of action as we follow the disappearance of a child vampire, but while I liked the characters, the enemies to lovers dynamic between Nathaniel and Seraphina didn’t really pop for me. But, if you’re into urban paranormal with a side of slowburn romance, I’d definitely recommend checking this one out!
What the Knocker-Upper Woke Up combines the darkness of both the modern era and times past into an atmospheric paranormal. The story starts in Victorian-era London as it follows a few characters who stumble upon the darkness awaiting in a derelict mental asylum. Fast forward to present day, and the evil of the place continues to cause trouble for the characters of the present.
The writing style here is both rich and evocative in describing the creepiness of the Sideways and its inhabitants. Tess and the other characters are likable and easy to root for, but I did feel like this one was a bit slower to develop. (However, as I usually prefer breakneck pace, I think this is definitely a personal preference. 😂) The ending was unexpected though, and I thought it perfectly wrapped up this spooky paranormal. Recommended for fans of unique, well-written YA paranormal.
⭐⭐⭐⭐½
As a fellow not-morning person, being woken up at an ungodly hour is probably my villain origin story too. Just sayin.
There was so much I liked about this book! It’s set in Amity Falls, a small-town of ambiguous timeline or country, though I would roughly call it 1800s pioneer-like, that has a history of monsters in the woods.
If you have ever seen M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village – it feels a LOT like that. People start seeing things in the woods, and disturbing things start to crop up (mutated animals, blighted crops, unexplained occurrences.)
And then of course the main character, Ellery, also starts to fall for a handsome young man that is new to the town (although I will say the romance is very light). The writing is beautiful as the tension steadily rises throughout, putting the slow in slow burn.
But for all that build up, I have to say, I thought we stumbled a little at the end, and the ending was neither was explosive nor as satisfying as I was hoping. Also, Sam just about drove me mad. Still, I liked Ellery and Whittaker, and I’ve now put another one of Erin A. Craig’s on my TBR, so I’d totally recommend for anyone looking for slow-build, creepy paranormal.
⭐⭐⭐⭐¼
Thumbs up for this one! Definitely enjoyed the read!
I heard great things about this one through the Twitterverse, and when I saw it pitched for my little free library contest, I knew I had it grab it. It totally did not disappoint!
Everlong is a whimsical paranormal that follows Lily as she walks to “her bench” every night to write. There, she runs into sweet Sam, and they strike up an easy friendship. From there, things get a little more complicated for the pair as they come to learn more about each other.
The writing is beautiful, and the relationship that grows between the two feels incredibly natural. If you like friends-to-lovers, this story gets it exactly right. It is sweet, and poignant, and though we are in the mysterious world of paranormal, this story uses it to cast a light on the human side of it.
After the things I’d heard about this book, I was braced for the end, but honestly I found it a wonderful, poignant end to a great love story. (No tissues required over here, but if you’re a crier you might want to be armed in case.)
This story hits right in the feels, capturing our humanity in a little jar of whimsical paranormal. I’m so glad I picked this one up and can’t wait to share it with our little free library. Highly recommended to anyone who wants paranormal romance that goes beyond the surface.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I love adding wonderful books to our little free library!
Okay, continuing my Darynda Jones marathon. I *loved* the first two books of the Sunshine series, I thought the first two books of her Charley Davidson series were okay, so I picked up Betwixt.
This story follows Defiance as she comes in to a rather large inheritance in the town of Salem with lots of paranormal fun involved.
Once again, the author’s strengths shine here with lots of voice, an interesting world and setting, and lots of banter. But… once again the romance veered into insta-love territory that fell a little flat for me (Although I like Roan more than I like Reyes from Charley Davidson).
To add to that, about 70% of this book is someone telling the MC to do something: watch this video, do this other thing, we don’t have a lot of time and you’re in GRAVE danger – to which the MC finds some way to put off said thing she needs to do, OR she keeps getting interrupted by someone knocking on the door. Seriously, someone interrupts her by knocking on the door probably about 10 times! It was driving me insane!
I didn’t think the MC was quite as likeable as Charley or Sunshine, and some of the plotline (mainly not being able to afford the house) seemed a little contrived. And there’s a cliffhanger, which I’m not super a fan of. Overall, while I think the sequel has potential (there was a lot of set-up in this one) I don’t think I’ll be picking it up. However, the writing voice is fun, so if you’re into quirky paranormal, I still recommend you might try it from the library… although I think I’d point you to the author’s other series first.
This was definitely an unexpected read! Neha’s Mother follows a single father as horrific, paranormal things start to occur in and around his young daughter. This book does NOT hesitate to jump right into the demonic, creepy possessed child thing right from the start. And from there, the demonic possessions continue at a pretty intense rate. This book definitely nailed the tension and gore-filled terror of the demonic onslaught, and I loved that it didn’t pull punches in intensity or pace.
While the writing flowed really smoothly, I did have a hard time connecting with the characters. The story fluidly jumps from one to the other, including some lengthy flashbacks, but I didn’t feel like any of them, particularly the MC, were really likeable, and the MC’s complex relationship with Lakshmy was a little tough for me to follow.
This books is definitely rated R for violence/murder, gore, sex, and extensive profanity, and I’d also throw in a trigger warning for references to kidnapping, prostitution, and pedophilia. I’m not sure this book was really for me, but if you’re interested in dark, gory horror that leans heavily on the demonic and spiritual, then you might want to give it a look!
Thanks so much to Hellbound Books for the free ARC!
⭐⭐⭐
And… if my toddler scuttles onto the top of fridge in the middle of the night, chanting and head tilting at unnatural angles, you can bet I’d be googling E.X.O.R.C.I.S.T
Hayley Reese Chow 