Kingdom of the Cursed (Kingdom of the Wicked #2) by Kerri Maniscalco

September 5, 2021September 3, 2021 meltotheanyAside2 Comments

ARC provided by the publisher

“And there is nothing more dangerous than love, is there? People fight for it. They die for it. They commit acts of war and treason and all manner of sin in its name.”

Whew, what a rollercoaster again! Kingdom of the Cursed picks up immediately after the events of Kingdom of the Wicked, and with Emilia trying to pick up the falling pieces of her life. Her main priority is to still avenge her sister and discover who was killing witches in her Italian town, but this time she is looking for clues in the land of actual heck, where she is promised to one of the seven demon rulers, and not the one she already has feelings for. Yet, Wrath escorts her back to his personal heck kingdom, and Emilia soon realizes there is much more she has to be in search of if she ever really wants to live a normal life again.

I feel like talking about my thoughts on this series is just so difficult. Let me start out by saying that this was the most easily consumable book I’ve read all year, and there wasn’t a moment I wasn’t thinking about it while not reading. The atmosphere, setting, and entire vibe is perfect, especially for the autumn time! The main character and her quests for vengeance and for her own discovery really is phenomenal. The writing is lush and descriptive and feels like its own sort of magical teleportation. And the story itself feels enthralling at every turn, and plot points are constantly being set up to leave the reader anticipating that next page, while also begging for the next book.

“When the demon responsible for Vittoria’s death finally felt the flames of my fury, I’d hopefully have burned this House of Sin to ash.”

But there was just a horrible chapter that really dampened my entire reading experience and it really breaks my heart because this is one of those situations where I truly believe if publishing houses would just hire beta readers who review critically, this could have been such an easy chapter to fix. I actually believe that if chapter 17 did not happen, this could have been a five star book for me and you could have seen me holding it up as a new profile picture in 2022. But that scene just 1.) made me wanna throw up and 2.) made it so hard to root for the romance after, even though the author constantly tries to make an excuse for the behavior, but it honestly just makes it feel even worse. Also, I wouldn’t make excuses for anything that happened in that chapter, but once I finished the book I realized that the “training session” was so unnecessary, at least in this book, and again it just ruined my reading enjoyment.

For the sake of the rest of this review, I’m just going to ignore this chapter. But in my review of Kingdom of the Wicked, I said how this series is the first series in so many years to remind me of those fantasy series I read when I was younger and truly could not put the books down, and I would look forward to their next installments being released months and months in advance, while trying to devour to story when it hit my kindle at midnight!

And this story was extra reminiscent of those feelings because this second book takes a very large jump in the adult or new adult fantasy genre. This book is very steamy, and Emilia and Wrath have very sexy thoughts on the brain 24/7. This author also makes full use of this series being about demons inspired off the seven deadly sins, and this story uses very public displays to showcase this. (I do scream at Emilia not knowing about oral sex though, especially when she claims to have read such naughty romance books in her past though!)

Overall, again, this is just a hard one for me to review and rate. I will for sure read book three and see how it all wraps up, because I am actually unhingedly invested in everything, especially with how this second book closes! I really loved all the new developments with Emilia’s powers and with all the witches and the history of witches, actually. I loved a lot of the side characters we were introduced to too, and maybe one demon prince will actually pull a Rhysand, which would be insane but I’d really welcome it at this point. I also want to see all of the different lands and castles of hell, too, because so far every exploration has felt magical and so exciting! I do apologize for this review being all over the place; middle books are always a bit more difficult for me to review, especially ones where I am trying to pretend an entire chapter didn’t happen. I’m going to be very curious what everyone thinks of this book once it releases!

“Not all stories end happily, Emilia”

Trigger + Content Warnings: a lot of blood descriptions + depictions, grief, gore, violence, mention of loss of a loved one, brief mention of the topic of rape, drugging, a lot of sexual themes and scenes, and a full warning that chapter 17 has very questionable physical consent involving mind control powers using magical compulsion – truly full dubcon vibes but sex does not ultimately happen, but it is just a very uncomfortable scene that actually made me nauseous, so please use caution while reading.

Buddy read with Maëlys & Lea! ❤

From Blood and Ash (Blood And Ash, #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

January 25, 2021January 22, 2021 meltotheanyAside8 Comments

“From this moment until the last moment, I am yours.”

At the end of 2020, I kept seeing this book all over book social media and it was being loved by such a vast range of bookish friends. And then it was the goodreads choice awards 2020 best romance winner! Up until this point, I had never really read anything by Jennifer L. Armentrout, but my curiosity was so very peaked! Then once I entered 2021, I still felt like I could not escape the hype of this series! Finally, I read a few reviews by friends and found out that this was a fantasy series,, with a paranormal romance, and that information, in addition to it feeling like higher powers were at work to get me to read this, made me finally give it a try. And one I read that first chapter I knew I couldn’t put this down.

From Blood and Ash introduces us to Poppy, who is a chosen maiden for the gods. She is not meant to be touched, to be looked at, or to experience anything that is not considered god-like. She is quickly approaching her nineteenth birthday and soon she will leave to the capitol and have her Ascension, where she will prove that she is worthy of the gods and will help protect her entire kingdom from a curse carried by those who are unworthy of the gods. Yet, there is another kingdom living in hiding, who will do anything to make sure Poppy isn’t able to make her Ascension and change anything. (I am trying to be kind of vague here, because I truly did not know before going in, or expect in my wildest dreams, the paranormal aspects of this book, and I believe it did heighten my reading experience!)

But Poppy has so many secrets, including her own kind of powers that are manifesting stronger and stronger to help read and sooth people’s emotions. And there is also the secret of what happened to Poppy’s family, that left her and her brother the only ones alive to carry out the will of the gods, while Poppy is also forced to carry so many scars, both physical and emotional, from that night.. And there are secrets in the palace where she is currently living with the Duke and Duchess and a lot of abuse going on behind closed doors that are only meant to protect her. But the weight of grief and expectations are getting too heavy for Poppy to bear, so at the start of this first book she decides to sneak away from the palace for one night where she can maybe experience things without being expected to be a pure vessel for only the god’s consumption. And when Poppy ends up at a tavern, and in a private room, with Hawke, a very young but very skilled guard, she gets a taste of what she has been missing and what she may want for herself, unapologetically.

“You’re a perfectly normal girl. What is expected of you is what’s bad”

I do think grief and abuse are a constant theme in this story, and we get to see how those two words can present themselves in so many different ways. Different fear tactics are constantly in play, both in this kingdom and in Poppy’s life, to keep people in check and to keep them abiding to a corrupt system. Serving evil can easily be masked by saying it is serving the gods. Ultimately, this is a swoon-worthy and angst-inducing paranormal romance story, but there are a few layers here that I hope people are looking and listening very closely to while reading!

“You deserve so much more than what awaits you”

This book has really good discussions about what it means to be a young person discovering your wants and needs, while also slowly growing into the person you want to be and how hard that can be to separate from expectations already placed on you. This book is very sex positive, and consent is always at the forefront. I am also just going to type this with my full chest and then pretend I didn’t but, for me and my body and my personal experiences, I thought that the building of orgasms (and just some body reactions in general) in this book were very realistic and very well done. But anyways, I loved seeing Poppy reclaim so many things, and this romance is the first one in what felt like years that I am trying completely head of heels in love with and rooting for. But, please allow me this one small mini drag for those of you who have read this book:

Overall, this book truly blew me and my expectations away and it was very much the perfect book for the perfect time in my reading life. I laughed, I smiled, I swooned, I cried, I gasped, this book truly made me feel so much and it was just an amazing journey throughout. I feel like the twists were very well done and laid, I feel like the romance was filled with yearning and angst on every page, and I was constantly left wanting more and more. And the last line of this book? Yeah, I will be picking up A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire immediately. This was a joy to read from cover to cover.

Content and Trigger Warnings: death, gore, talk of loss of a child, talk of kidnapping, talk of death of children, mention of loss of a child in past, loss of a loved one, mention of suicide, assault, physical abuse, blood depictions, mention of rape, anxiety depictions, self-harm to get blood, and general war themes.

The Savior (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #17) by J.R. Ward

June 16, 2019 meltotheanyAside10 Comments

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“Grief is a cold stream you acclimate to.”

Friends, we are seventeen books into this series, there is barely anything I can possibly say that isn’t spoilery! But I will say that I have been reading this series since I was very young, and I look forward to a new BDB book every single year, and the Savior was no exception!

The basic premise of this series is that in the Black Dagger Brotherhood we follow a bunch of powerful vampires, that are in an elite group that protects humans, vampires, angels, and a bunch of other paranormal entities, and they all live in this big mansion, and they all are one big family that’s just saving the world. And, because we are seventeen books in, each book focuses on a new member (or soon to be or maybe one day possibly becoming a member), while an older member (who has already had their own book) has a side storyline going on as well!

This book focuses primarily on Murhder, who has been talked about and hinted at for so very many books leading up to this one. He was kicked out of the BDB back in the day, and in this book we get to see why and what happened after he left. Sadly, it was very much based on miscommunication, and I didn’t love it very much.

The other star of this book is Sarah, who I actually really did like. I won’t lie, the instalove was real in this romance, but I still just really enjoyed it for some reason. Plus, Sarah, who is a scientist, trying to get to the bottom of a mysterious coverup that happened many years ago, was fascinating, and I loved the mystery and watching it unfold.

And the side storyline going on is about John Matthew, who is (sadly) my least favorite brother. And Xhex, who is Jon Matthews partner, is also one of my least favorite characters, and I hated how she didn’t speak up in this book and let someone else take the blame for something. Like, it felt really bad, and it really ensured their place as my least favorite couple in this world. Also, the bandage that was placed on the situation for the easiest fix ever? Felt horrible.

Overall, I just feel like this wasn’t as strong of a book. Like, almost to the point that you could completely take out this book and it wouldn’t impact the storyline whatsoever, which is never a good feeling. I am very excited for book eighteen, but this one wasn’t even close to being one of my favorite books. Also, that romantic haircut? Lord, please, no, never. I know this review is really vague, and I’m sorry for that, but if you’re looking for a PNR romance, filled with alpha vampires, a lot of romance, and a lot of sex, I totally think you should give this series a try! Also, I am hoping we get more of my favorite fallen angel in the next one, because the world deserves more Lassiter, and I also hope to see more of my favorite literary cat.

Content and Trigger Warnings for medical experimentation on humans/vampires, torture, captivity, abuse, talk of loss of a loved one, talk of cancer, talk of thoughts of suicide, use of language like “females” and “males” being the norm, and war themes.

Buddy read with my best friend Paloma! ❤

1.) Dark Lover ★★★★★
2.) Lover Eternal ★★★★★
3.) Lover Awakened ★★★★★
4.) Lover Revealed ★★★★★
5.) Lover Unbound ★★★★★
6.) Lover Enshrined ★★★★
7.) Lover Avenged ★★★
8.) Lover Mine ★★★★
9.) Lover Unleashed ★★★
10.) Lover Reborn ★★★★
11.) Lover at Last ★★★★★
12.) The King ★★★★★
13.) The Shadows ★★★★★
14.) The Beast ★★★★
15.) The Chosen ★★★★
16.) The Thief ★★★★

Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows, #1) by Kim Harrison

February 7, 2019February 5, 2019 meltotheanyAside7 Comments

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“Making a spell is easy. It’s trusting you did it right that’s hard.”

*McCree from Overwatch voice* Dead Witch Walking is just a product of its time and it just reads like an early 2000s PNR/UF story. I guarantee if I read this back when I was in love with the Fever series, the Kate Daniels series, and the Riley Jenson Guardian series, then I would have enjoyed this way more than I did. Sadly, we are in 2019, and the true fact is that this didn’t age well, in my opinion. But I still had a lot of fun reading this one!

This is a story about a witch named Rachel who works as a bounty hunter for a pretty slimy boss. But while on a mission, she and a coworker find a Leprechaun who grants them three wishes, and one of Rachel’s wishes is to quit her job, but the coworker, Ivy, leaves with her and this bit of the bargain really upsets her boss. Like, upsets her boss so much that she now has a hit mark on her.

Ivy, Rachel, and Jinx (Rachel’s Pixie sidekick) all flee to an abandoned church, where Rachel and Ivy soon find out that Rachel’s blood is causing quite the reaction with vampires. And we get to see all the spells that Rachel is able to brew up, and she brews up some really cool things so that she can protect herself and try to uncover why her ex-boss wants to seek vengeance on her so badly.

My biggest complaint is how Ivy was handled in this book. Like, I don’t want to get that deep into this, but Ivy is a Asian vampire who isn’t doing things that most vampires in this world do. But she is really enthralled by Rachel’s blood and, in turn, Rachel kind of finds it a bit hard to resist Ivy, too, at least at the start. Like, if Rachel and Ivy would have gotten together, I obviously would have been ecstatic, and I actually thought the story was going in that direction, but the narrative quickly shifted to be all about how Rachel would get Ivy to not be attracted to her, while she admired every guy that enters the story. And the scenes were getting more and more uncomfortable with Ivy from Rachel’s perspective, and I just really started hated it so very much. This is without a doubt the reason it was hard for me to ever enjoy this book, honestly. Also, who the fuck would not want to be with Ivy? Like, how unbelievable.

My favorite part of this book was how an angel virus made this world almost apocalyptic, where humans are for sure not in control, and all the paranormal entities are not in hiding because they were immune to it and now are for sure the major population. I just thought that was such a cool spin, and really added to this world and made it something special.

Overall, I really did think this was a fun read, just a product of its time with some of the offensive lingo and the strange queerbaiting. But I would totally continue on because I am really curious to see where this story goes next. Also, I loved the setting of the abandoned church so much. Oh, and if it wasn’t obvious, I sort of completely fell in love with Ivy!

Content and trigger warnings for many conversations that treated food very weirdly and triggering, murder, death, animal abuse, animal fighting rings, and assault.

Buddy read with Julie from Pages and Pens! ❤

High Voltage (Fever, #10) by Karen Marie Moning

January 18, 2019January 6, 2019 meltotheanyAside9 Comments

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1.) Darkfever ★★★★
*.) The Alpha Alternative: JZB Sex Scene ★
2.) Bloodfever ★★★
3.) Faefever ★★★
4.) Dreamfever ★★★
5.) Shadowfever ★★★★★
*.) Fever Moon: The Fear Dorcha ★★★★★
6.) Iced ★★★★
7.) Burned ★
8.) Feverborn ★
9.) Feversong ★★★★

“The gods and Fae are going to war again…”

High Voltage was the last book I completed in 2018! And, Lord, did it really end the year off on a low note! I had so much faith after Feversong! But it just seems like KMM cannot write a book that stars Dani without it feeling… skeezy.

I was so uncomfortable over so many parts of the Jacob and Renesmee storyline that was going on in this installment. Like, I actually thought I was happy shipping Dani and Ryoden together after everything in Feversong, but I finished this book and felt like I needed to take a shower.

Darkfever is such a special book to me, and it always will be, because it was the first “sexy-time” Fae book I ever read, and high school Melanie became addicted to these characters and world so damn quickly! But, it’s been ten years and I need to learn to let go, because this was a damn train wreck and it wasn’t even a train wreck that was enjoyable to see happen. I actually felt like I had to be on the train, because I am literally in pain, friends.

Basically, in this tenth installment (of a series that should have only been five books long), Mac is still missing after the events of Feversong. Dani is patrolling the streets of Dublin, protecting the city she loves, while also still battling the trauma that she experienced as a child. She also has her trusty new sidekick, Shazam, while she is trying to figure out why parts of her body are turning black after she stabbed a Hunter so long ago.

But pretty much nothing happens in this book. It is so ungodly *wink* boring, that I had to bribe myself to pick it up all through the month of December. Inner angsty monologue, after inner antsy monologue. Dani and Ryoden’s actions were childish and ignorant throughout the entirety of this story. It actually made me anti-ship them, which I guess is a feat in itself.

And once we get to the end of the book and get actual answers about what is happening to Dani? Like, I want whatever KMM is sipping because this story is truly out of this world, and not in a good way. I just can’t. I truly can’t, friends. This Fae series, with my favorite romance of all-time, has turned into something so damn convoluted that I am at a loss of words just trying to review it.

Overall, I’m going to take a hard pass on whatever the fuck comes next, because I love myself. I’m just going to live in my little imaginary Barrons Books & Baubles with Mac and Barrons and pretend I never read High Voltage!

Content and trigger warnings for child abuse, captivity, loss of a loved one, grief depictions, talk of suicide, fatphobic comments, attempted rape, sexual assault, a nasty comment about bipolarism, and some weird age gap romance themes that I don’t want to think about.

Magic Triumphs (Kate Daniels, #10) by Ilona Andrews

September 23, 2018September 7, 2018 meltotheanyAside3 Comments

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ARC provided by Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review.

1.) Magic Bites ★★★★
2.) Magic Burns ★★★★
3.) Magic Strikes ★★★★★
4.) Magic Bleeds ★★★★★
5.) Magic Slays ★★★★★
6.) Magic Rises ★★★★
7.) Magic Breaks ★★★★
8.) Magic Shifts ★★★★
8.5) Magic Stars ★★★★
9.) Magic Binds ★★★

“I hold gods prisoner, tormenting them for my pleasure. I bring war and terror. I am Neig, the Undying. I am legend. All who know me bow to me.”

Friends, I promise you, no one wanted to love this book more than me. I have been reading this series for what feels like close to a decade. And this will always be a series that I will cherish and keep close to my heart forever. But sadly, this final book just fell a little flat for me.

For those of you who do not know what this series is about, this is a ten book urban and paranormal romance series about a mercenary named Kate Daniels who will do anything to keep Atlanta safe. This Atlanta feels very much post-apocalyptic, and magic waves come and go along with paranormal creatures that sometimes choose to do bad things. Kate is human, but she has teamed up with the animal shifters, the vampires, the witches, and more to help defend Atlanta from everything that is seeking to destroy it.

And in Magic Triumphs something that is much bigger, and much worse, than anything Kate and her friends have ever encountered before, is trying to take over not only Atlanta, but the entire world.

“For the first time in my life I wished magic had never come.”

This review will not have spoilers for Magic Triumphs but it will briefly talk about things that have happened throughout the other nine novels leading up to this final conclusion. So, please use caution while reading this review if you are not caught up with Magic Binds!

I will also give a caveat and say that I did not read Iron and Magic this June, upon release. I just couldn’t fit it in my TBR, because this summer has been so busy for me with work. But I have always loved Hugh d’Ambray, and plan to pick it up one day. I will tell people that you should for sure read Iron and Magic first, because I was spoiled to something rather large at the end of this book, but it didn’t make it so I couldn’t understand or appreciate what was going on.

Though sadly, I feel like nothing really happened in Magic Triumphs until Hugh showed up at the ~70% mark. The previous ~200 pages? It honestly felt like a constant pattern of someone threatening Kate’s child, Kate getting upset, Kate killing whatever the threat is. Rinse and repeat for infinity, apparently. The “real action” literally was just jam packed quickly into the end, and even though I enjoyed it, I just wanted so much more at that point. And not in the good way of wanting so much more.

And yes, one of my favorite parts of this book was finally seeing Kate and Curran start to build their well-deserved happily ever after. And seeing Kate fully step into the role of motherhood, even though she has done a wonderful job transitioning thanks to Julie. Conlan is the cutest baby to ever be written in literature, and I was always giggling way too hard at the things he did or feeling completely and utterly heart warmed at the things he did.

“Conlan Dilmun Lennart squirmed on my chest and cried. There was no better sound in the world.”

I will say that I loved the epilogue. I think it is easily the strongest point of this book, ironically enough, and I feel like Ilona Andrews is really setting up for something that is going to be really amazing. Oh, and I truly believe that Roland is one of the best villains of all-time, too! He is the most morally grey character I believe in all of literature.

And I will always say that this series was probably the first love letter to found families that I’ve ever read. I truly believe that Kate’s found family and her realizing that she is deserving and worthy of unconditional love will always be the forefront of this story for me. And I feel like Magic Triumphs really showcases that beautifully.

Overall, I’m sad to see this come to and end. But maybe it is for the best, considering I didn’t feel the same magic that I felt earlier in this series. I will also say that I completely recommend any and everything that Ilona Andrews has created. I have loved this series, the Edge Series, and the Innkeeper Chronicles more than I have words for. This wife and husband writing duo really are the queen and king and PNR, and I can’t wait to see what they will have me fall in love with next!

The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

Content and trigger warnings for murder, death, mass killing, violence, gore, torture, self-harm, talk of past rape, talk of suicide, and war themes.

When Sinners Kneel (Blackest Gold World, #1) by R. Scarlett

March 16, 2018March 17, 2018 meltotheanyAside3 Comments

ARC provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2FijQQE
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2FfKm0P
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2oTp6Df
Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2oTv2fy

“I wanted to be safe.
I wanted to be strong.
I wanted to be loved.”

R. Scarlett has the best covers in PNR, the best titles in PNR, and with this book she proves she also has the best demons in PNR. I love this world, these characters, and each of their stories. Finally reading about Beau Knight , and seeing what went on behind the scenes during To Crown A Beast, was nothing short of amazing. This was a phenomenal standalone.

But it is important to take note that this book, even though it is on its own, will spoil the ending of Molly and Tensley’s story in The Blackest Gold series. And I completely recommended all four books, because the ending is so rewarding. Seriously, this is one of my favorite PNR series, and easily my favorite PNR that surrounds demons

In this world, demons are looked down upon for having feelings. And it’s especially hard for Beau Knight, since he had to learn this lesson the hard way, even having it ingrained in him from birth. Tensley and Beau are brothers who have grown up only knowing the harsh world of the Scorpios, who rule the demons in Manhattan and a lot of the rest of New York, but Beau lost it all when he lost his heart many years ago. Because of this, Beau has never been willing to let anyone get close to him again.

The ultimate sin in this world is to fall in love, and it’s even worse to fall in love with a human, who is considered lesser, and it’s absolutely unheard of to have a child out of wedlock. But there are also higher-ranking demons and lesser-ranking demons, too. And Alexandra, is a very low ranking souleater, who Tensley saved when she was eleven-years-old. And even though she is now eighteen, she has had a harder life than most. She is living on the streets, suffering from PTSD from the events that took place in a The Blackest Gold series, looking for her friend that went missing, and the only way she can think to cope with it all is to learn to fight and to learn to defend herself.

And what better place than the underground fighting ring. You know, the one that Beau is known for being the king of. But they both soon realize that there is a huge mystery surrounding The Pit and the person who runs in. Seriously, I loved the mystery and twists in this book. And seeing parallel events from the end of the original series made for such an amazing reading experience.

“The Pit was my hell, my heaven, my saving grace, and it was where I became addicted to her…”

Also, I don’t want to give too much away, but another aspect that I really loved that we never get to see any rep for is that Lex is living on the streets. She is a homeless, young girl, with no family. This is heavily talked about and shown unapologetically, and I just really appreciated it and it took the story to another level for me. Especially since the only other homeless character I even can think of is from a Rick Riordan book.

This is such an amazing standalone set in a The Blackest Gold world. Plus, it has everything; romance, steamy sex, mystery, political intrigue, demon hierarchies, thrilling suspense, amazing grey and flawed characters. There is a lot to love from this world and from this author. If you guys love the paranormal romance genre, you have to give these a try, especially this book. I promise, you won’t be disappointed.

Trigger/Content Warnings: physical abuse, drug and other substance abuse, kidnapping, being captured, torture, attempted rape, death, loss of a loved one, loss of a child.