Happy Place by Emily Henry Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews of Book Lovers and Funny Story on my blog, now!

I will admit, going into this book, I had heard rumbling this was not as "good" as Henry's other books. While I have only read two others, I wanted to remain hopeful and go into Harriet and Wyn's story with an open mind, and the premise of this novel did intrigue me. However, it is riddled with miscommunication that made me want to pull my hair out - they are adults in their thirties and cannot be honest with each other, it was maddening! Harriet and Wyn must navigate a weekend with friends while pretending to still be engaged, and honestly, they start to test each other on just how far they will go to keep up the rouse while trying to ignore their feelings. This would have been cute if it was based on college students or even a few years post-grad, but considering they are all late twenties / early thirties, it became painful.

Sabrina's character is overwhelming annoying to the point where every single time that she would basically force her friends to do everything she wanted, I wanted everyone to blow up on her. I understand that she was trying to be nostalgic one last time, but she became someone that everyone just seemed to make snide remarks about and how they did not want to do everything she was forcing them to do. You can see how the other characters entertain her plans, but the enthusiasm dwindles as the story goes on, and characters begin to become resentful. Even Parth seemed to just take everything without a fuss and considering he is her partner, you would like he would be the one person that would have been able to be honest with her.

The tension between Wyn and Harriet is so obvious, yet it was surprising that not a single one of their friends would have noticed this if they really were as close as it was presented. Obviously, friends can grow apart after college and pursuing different careers, but it just felt like they were all entwined in college and grad school, and this would have been something everyone would have noticed. Harriet and Wyn also seemed to have different goals in life and personalities, and while their meet-cute and eventual relationship progression was charming at first, I spent the entire book wondering how they were even together for so long before it all crashed down. I could not connect with any of these characters simply because they did not have any growth or development that warranted me to even become interested in their outcomes.

I found the lack of communication in this book to loom over the entire plot so much so that I could barely enjoy the few good parts of the story. You could see Cleo and Kimmy on edge and how much it started to affect the group, and with Wyn and Harriet's relationship ruse to keep everyone happy and not disrupt the week, I am surprised no one else seemed to catch on after the first day. Considering how much I enjoyed Henry's two other novels, I have to say this was a bit of a let down, and not only because I bought the hardback for $27 like three summers ago when it was published before I read anything of hers - what was I thinking!? 

If they ever made this one into a movie, I may consider revisiting it, but I can without a doubt say that you could not pay me enough money to read this book again. It will now be living on my shelf amongst the other literary fiction and contemporary romances with very bright, neon covers. If you are fine with the miscommunication trope and in the mood for a quick read, then maybe Happy Place can become your next happy place. I can only hope others can get more out of this book than I did.

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Hamlet & Juliet (The Star Crossed, #1) by Clare Edge ARC Review

This is a spoiler-free review! The version I am reading is an ARC - any changes made for the final publication are not reflected in this review. Hamlet & Juliet will be available to purchase on January 5, 2027. Content warnings are available on the author's website, here.

I would first like to thank NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review. The concept of this book really drew me in - I loved my fair share of Shakespeare in high school, and while I have not been as great recently in making my way through his works, this was a nice way to revisit his plays in a new and enticing way. The fantasy aspect had certainly been one of the major components that pulled me in - since I have been on a fantasy kick, this immediately caught my eye. The author was able to incorporate a decent amount of Hamlet into her tale, and while not many details from Romeo & Juliet were transferred over into Juliet and Hamlet's story, the essence and background of the play was still there.

The aspect of having Juliet's lips and fingernails be black after she came back to life was a great decision - it allows for a physical and constant reminder to not only Juliet, but to the reader, that she has been through quite an unimaginable ordeal. She continues to carry the loss of Romeo with her throughout this story, both literally and figuratively. Readers have to watch her basically suffer in silence for a duration of this book until she is able to share her sufferings with Hamlet in a most unexpected way.

Hamlet's character has been affected by Death in a different way than Juliet - his father has passed and now his ghost torments Hamlet at every turn. With rumors of the Miracle of Verona surrounding Juliet as she and her mother arrive to his estate, he soon seeks out her in an attempt to put an end to these hauntings once and for all. As Juliet and Hamlet become more entangled in each other's sufferings, more things grow afoot in Denmark and Hamlet's story takes precedence over Juliet's in order to drive the plot forward. 

Once you are past the halfway mark, the pacing begins to pick up - and to be quite honest, it was moving a little too fast for my liking at some points. Incorporating aspects from Hamlet is certainly a daunting task, but for readers who have not read the play, I could see this being an issue. Luckily I read it in high school and remembered all of the key players so I was able to keep the momentum going without feeling lost about what to lock in as an important factor. There are more than enough supporting characters in Edge's first installment where they are able to uplift Hamlet and Juliet while having their own storylines that pushed the main one to its climax.

I had fun reading this creative retelling of two influential plays and appreciated the liberties the author took to make it her own while keeping the heart of the plays within the pages. I would have loved to see more character growth from Juliet's side - while growth was present, it was not on the same level as Hamlet's, which made the storytelling a bit uneven in my eyes. If you are looking for a fun new way to experience Shakespeare and enjoy fantasy, this upcoming duology could be right up your alley.

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Wrath of the Dragons (Fear the Flames, #2) by Olivia Rose Darling Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of Fear the Flames on my blog, now!

Now that House of the Dragon is back up and running every Sunday, I knew I was in need of a dragon-fix sooner rather than later in between episodes, and luckily enough I had this bad boy sitting on my shelf waiting to be opened. I had such a blast reading the first installment, Fear the Flames, and knew that this follow-up would leave me feeling the same way. 

Elowen and Cayden's relationship has so much thought put into it and the development throughout this book built upon their already pretty solid dynamic. They can be snarky with one another while also taking into consideration the other's feelings, whereas many other couples in different series have a major communication problem. Now, that does not mean they are immune to the occasional argument or defiance against a decided plan, but more often than not, they are doing it to protect the other.

Finnian and Elowen's sibling bond is so precious and I honestly spent the majority of the book worried something horrendous was going to happen to Finnian at any given moment. While he seemed to be on the backburner during this book, readers are still able to see his relationship with Elowen and how strongly their relationship is - they are alwasy looking out for one another and willing to go all the way when it comes to taking risks in order to keep the other safe. Elowen's original group and Cayden's original group combination is still endearing to me - neither group holds back from speaking what is on their mind and proposing different solutions.

The side characters in this installment definitely held more ground compared to when they were first introduced. The stakes are higher and new relationships have been formed - we see these characters take on larger roles while Elowen and Cayden still remain at the forefront. I did enjoy how the author would give us glimpses into the lives of these characters, and while we did only seem to scratch the service when it came to a few of them, it was nice to have a little break from the more intense plot and escape for a bit.

While I understand Elowen was kept away from her dragons for so long, it did feel slightly overdone every time she would go on a little internal monologue about them. We as readers totally understand that she has a bond with them and has missed out on so much due to being apart, but it started to feel repetitive and somewhat diminished how invested I was in their survival. That being said, I did enjoy how the dragons have been given their own personalities and qualities - instead of being five of the same dragons, they are distinguishable amongst one another. However, the incorporation of more magical elements in this book definitely made up for what the dragons were lacking, and with an ending like this, I can only sit on the edge of my seat until the third installment is released.

I read this book in two big sittings and one final one hundred page sprint - you can certainly tackle it fairly quickly if you set aside the time for it. I do wish the dragons had larger roles - not as much as the ones in Fourth Wing seem to have - but they could have been incorporated into the story more beyond just the battle scenes. It would have been nice to see more of Elowen's bond with them as these big moments were led up to. This series definitely gives off a vibe of being a blend of A Game of Thrones and Throne of Glass - and maybe just a touch of Fourth Wing only in regards to the dragons. If you are looking into getting into high fantasy but weary of how intense it may be, this is a great series to push you towards the more complex fantasy worlds.

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Sweet Venom (Vipers, #2) by Rina Kent Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of Beautiful Venom on my blog, now! Content warnings include references to mental illness, depression, suicidal ideation, and emotional abuse, including parental neglect and child abuse. It includes graphic violence, murder, torture, stalking, attempted child sexual abuse, the death of a family member, and mentions of multiple abortions and drug use/overdose involving non-main characters. Specific kinks in this book include consensual non-consent (CNC) and somnophilia.

I was a little weary going into this second installment, as I did not love Beautiful Venom and was worried that a recounting of the same timeline from different perspectives would be a drag, however I was pleasantly surprised that the author somewhat flew through the events of the first book fairly quickly and then dived into a "new" events. This was definitely a better direction than what I was expecting and I found myself enjoying Violet and Jude's story more than Dahlia and Kane's journey - there was just something about them that I could not click with.

Comparing Jude to Kane, I would dare say that I liked him more - there was just something about the way that he was written and the way that he interacted with others in this book that made his character more alluring. The same goes for Violet - compared to Dahlia, she was a breath of fresh air and actually had some common sense. While she definitely had her moments of me wanting to put my hands through the pages and shake some sense into her, the majority of the time she was pretty level-headed. Jude felt more unhinged than Kane and I honestly embraced it more than I expected. He was much less focused on this whacky secret society compared to Kane, and while Jude did have his little kill list, at least he had an actual reason to be on this crusade.

Considering Kane and Jude share the same friends, I echo my sentiment from my Beautiful Venom review and have to say the comedic relief that they provide certainly keep the reader entertained. Preston grew on me exponentially throughout this book, and considering he is taking the lead in the third installment, I can only imagine what nonsense the boy will get into with his story at the forefront. The story itself in this book was more intriguing than the first installment - there was more nuance to what Violet and Jude had to go through and discover, and it made the story feel like there were actual risks and consequences, unlike in Beautiful Venom where it felt like Dahlia and Kane were just running in circles around each other.

I wish Kent would abandon the text chain conversations in her books - the dialogue does not seem to flow with the overall writing style and often times the conversations make the characters seem five years younger and extremely immature. To be honest, the majority of her male leads or side characters are immature, so I should not have been too surprised that it continues in the majority of her books. She could truly improve upon her work if she abandons the notion that the male characters are these "silly goofy" boys when at the same time, they are killing people or terrorizing towns and college campuses. It honestly just makes them look really ridiculous and takes the reader out of the bubble that they are supposed to be running everything around them.

This was juicier than I expected, but with Rina Kent, I truly can never tell if I am going to eat up her books or feel slightly unsatisfied. Her MM books are definitely her strong suit, and if she one day decides to create more depth for her other characters, I can see it really taking off. For now, I continue to manage my expectations before diving into her works, but fans of dark romance will certainly be reaching for her on the shelf.

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The ​Missing of Clairdelune (The Mirror Visitor Quartet, #2) by Christelle Dabos Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of A Winter's Promise on my blog, now!

I am currently on a TBR roll and this book has been staring at me from across my living room in my apartment for years, and with the fantasy kick that has taken over me, I knew I needed to knock this one out before I lost my steam. And with the common theme of me continuing on with series years after I read the prior book, I knew I would have to jog my memory with the events of A Winter's Promise. The quick reminder that our leading lady, Ophelia, is constantly being a pushover in my eyes - while she does work towards uncovering a number of mysteries, she seems to allow others to order her around up until the very end of the book. 

It became quite a hassle to power through her inner monologue and lack of ability to stand up for herself at opportune times. When she did finally gather the courage and stopped taking the all the pushback from everyone and their mother - especially from her mother - it was towards the end of the book, but I admired that she grew a backbone and put some things into motion after about five hundred pages. It was kind of a shock to me when I realized that Ophelia is twenty-one years old in this book - obviously she has to be of age in order to be engaged, but her character reads so immature and juvenile compared to other twenty-one year old main characters.

Thorn's characterization in this book felt sidelined until the last 150 pages or so - I was halfway through the book and it felt as though his character was being hidden away from the readers. Sure, build up the mystery about the enigma that is Ophelia's fiancé, but he was so absent that at points, I would forget who he was, which is a major issue considering he is quite literally the male lead. Once we did get to see him in a more shelled-out view, he quickly became a very interesting character and definitely grabbed my attention more than Ophelia ever had during these first two books.

Ophelia's family is just as annoying as I remembered them - sure, her siblings are not nearly as bad, just a lot to handle - but my word, her mother is on another stratosphere when it comes to being overbearing. Even through postcards and letters, you could feel her energy through the page and it was not an enjoyable experience. When it came to other side characters, there were few times where I felt like their presence did not push the story further. Overall, the side characters just simply were not doing enough in the story to make me care about their development, aside from two or three that had more prominent roles in Ophelia's journey. I wanted to be able to form connections with these characters, but rather felt like an observer more than anything else by the end of the book.

Plot-wise, this book still moved just as slow as the first installment, with maybe being at touch faster after going beyond the halfway point. I wanted to be drawn into the story, but rather felt like I was dragging myself through some chapters after numerous chapters of Ophelia complaining or not fighting back. There was one time where I literally could not keep my eyes open when trying to read this book before going to sleep because the book was literally sending me into REM sleep within ten pages of me picking it up. I would only hope that the author has picked up the pace in the next installments, and with the cliffhanger she left us on, there is certainly promise heading in that direction.

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The Heart of Betrayal (The Remnant Chronicles, #2) by Mary E. Pearson Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

Eleven years later and I have finally returned to continue on with this series, and I can honestly say I wish I picked up this second installment sooner! I have had the entire trilogy sitting on my bookshelf since high school and since I have been tackling my physical TBR pile like a madwoman, I knew this was just the book to keep the ball rolling. I have been in a fantasy kick as well, and I had a gut feeling that this book would somehow win me over from the mafia romance trance I have been in for the better part of 2025 and beginning of 2026. It definitely took me a second to reorient myself back into this world and remember what exactly transpired in The Kiss of Deception, but once I got a few chapters in, everything came back to me. While the beginning did feel a little slow to start, I want to blame it mostly on me waking up at four o'clock in the morning the day I first cracked this book open.

Lia - the princess of many names - has gone through horrors unimaginable after the events of the first installment, and now must navigate a new and dangerous game in order to try to save herself and her people, all while in the middle of romantic affections from Rafe and Kaden. The two men represent such different sides of her and her beliefs, and as she is constantly thrown between the two in order to survive and manipulate the Komizar, she must make a decision that will not only be the right one for herself, but for the future of her people as well. 

Kaden's attachment to Lia makes sense for everything that they have been through, but I found myself watching a one-sided attachment from Kaden's side. Sure, they had some chemistry, but it felt like Lia would only comply with some of Kaden's wishes because she just wanted to make everything they have gone through worth it and make it out alive. Rafe, on the other hand, has that natural energy and connection with Lia that I found myself rooting for. There was a very short period where the dark romance / forbidden romance lover in me came to the surface and thought that Lia and the Komizar may actually be an interesting pairing. However, that was quickly washed away some chapters later.

Side characters definitely helped propel this story forward - even with the perspectives of Rafe, Lia, and Kaden, the readers needed that additional aspect to get the full picture. These characters are truly put through it all, and unfortunately the brutality of the Komizar's reign looms over their shoulders, some more than others. I enjoyed seeing the other friendships that Lia formed as she got deeper into planning a way out that would have the best outcome not only for herself, but for those she cared about along the way. You can truly tell that she cares for others and her constant attempt to ensure safety for the most amount of people is prominent in her characterization throughout the book.

After a bit of a slow start, this book moved quickly and had me locked in when I was able to get a chance to sit down and really lock into the story. Especially with the ending Pearson left us with, I look forward to seeing the conclusion of the series along with the fates that lay ahead for Rafe, Lia, and Kaden. If you are looking for a more mature romantasy series that still hovers before reaching high fantasy, this series could be just the thing you are looking for.

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Black Wings Beating (Skybound, #1) by Alex London ARC Review

This is a spoiler-free review! The version I am reading is an ARC - any changes made for the final publication are not reflected in this review. Black Wings Beating is available to purchase as of September 25, 2018.

My ARC pile is starting to fear me as I tear through the quite literal tower of books in my apartment in an attempt to de-clutter and finally crack them open. This young adult fantasy definitely feels more mature than most - we see a number of instances where the male lead, Brysen, basically goes through The Horrors with the way his father treated him, along with the serious consequences of the world and environment he lives in. The female lead, Brysen's sister, Kylee, seemingly has the better end of the stick compared to her brother, and with her more natural calling to falconry and forming bonds with the birds despite her will to be free of it altogether, we see her destiny become more bright than Brysen's current state. While Brysen seemingly has a knack for impulsivity and leading with his emotions, Kylee is more reserved and level-headed - as they are close to finally paying off the debts their father left their family behind, they must be strategic.

The flashback scenes with the abuse that Brysen suffered at the hands of his father was sickening - to see such atrocity being inflicted on a boy for making small mistakes, or even in some instances, some major mistakes, was nauseating. Kylee certainly tried her best to remove Brysen from the path of pain, but she could only do so much when he was not in her line of sight. It seemed the second he was not in her direct view, there was always something that was going amiss.

While war looms over their lives, Kylee and Brysen find themselves on a hunt for the Ghost Eagle, they are confronted with their own personal interests and conflicts. As Brysen's quest is motivated by the boy he adores from the village and the glory that would come with capturing the Ghost Eagle, Kylee is determined to preserve her brother's future and leave her past behind for once and for all. I found Brysen to be so incredibly annoying - so much so that I had to push myself to finish the second half of this book before I threw it off the skydeck at my apartment building. He never seems to take anyone else's fate into consideration and is clearly solely motivated by glory rather than seeing the bigger picture. The fact that Kylee basically has to manipulate events in order for him to be remotely successful should tell you everything about their characters.

Kylee, on the other hand, seems to be the only person in this village with working brain cells, which is very concerning considering a war is literally crawling up the mountain at this point. She is reasonable and while on occasion a touch erratic, sees the bigger picture and only wants the best outcome for her brother that does not leave them drowning in more debt than they started with and him, well, still breathing. She had much more to tackle in this book - with all of the obstacles she had to overcome in addition to basically having to watch and babysit Brysen as he "attempted" to catch the Ghost Eagle - it was surprising that Brysen still thought Kylee was not on his side.

The pacing of this book threw me off - at times it moved at what seemed like a glacial pace while other chapters felt like I was being whipped around and could get a glance of what was happening before perspectives shifted or we were somewhere else. I was hoping that the maturity of this series would allow the story to be more complex, but considering curse words were replaced with made-up curses, I should not have been surprised. The ending did not have the build up that I was expecting and while the "betrayal" was significant for a character in particular, I saw it from a mile away. Maybe one day I could return to this series, but for now I am content with leaving the story here.

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