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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Part of Your World by Liz Braswell 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. Part of Your World is available to purchase as of September 4, 2018.

I loved Braswell's The Nine Lives of Chloe King series and was obsessed with the television (RIP ABC Family and not getting a second season renewal), and with this ARC sitting on my shelf for years, it was finally the time to see what other genres she could tackle. If you are a regular follower of my reviews, you may notice the current theme of me trying to tackle all of the old ARCs that have been haunting me and begging me to read them. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this retelling / reimagining of The Little Mermaid, with the top being that I simply did not love the number of perspectives we were given in this book.

While I understand that there are a number of key players in the original story and in Braswell's reimagining, the pacing felt clunky at times when we were being thrown from one perspective to another, especially when it was for a character that did not seem to have a lot of actual impact on the plot of the book. Sure, the seagull was able to deliver important information to other characters, but was it necessary that she get numerous chapters in her perspective? There were times in other chapters where the perspectives were for multiple characters, which was not my cup of tea.

Eric's characterization definitely played off of his character in the animation, but it also took it a step further and gave us Ursula's perspective on how idiotic or "mad" he was, when he simply was a creative type rather than a rule follower. He is definitely the most care-free character of the bunch, which does give the book an element of innocence as the others work towards the common goal of saving King Triton. Ariel's characterization shows her maturity after all the time that has past since Ursula got her way - she is more reserved, no longer the free spirit we have seen in the cartoon. I did appreciate the way she was developed throughout the story, especially that she did not waiver on her feelings even after the major plot points were overcome.

A lot of the side characters felt unnecessary or just there to serve a purpose to provide nostalgia towards what we all know, but I felt as though they really did not add enough to the story to warrant their own perspectives at times. If the author rather chose to incorporate their efforts in aiding Ariel and Eric on their journeys as side commentary in Eric and Ariel's own chapters, then we might have been able to avoid the jumps making the pacing become choppy.

The plot and reimagining as a whole is a unique concept that could have benefited from some more structured plot development along with recentering how the side characters come into play in support for our leading characters. I probably will not read any of the other Twisted Tales reimaginings in the future solely because I am not typically drawn towards the genre. I wish I was able to get into this book like I was am to get into Braswell's The Nine Lives of Chloe King, but perhaps I am simply not the target audience.

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Electric Idol (Dark Olympus, #2) by Katee Robert Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my reviews of Stone Heart and Neon Gods on my blog, now!

I feel like I am purposefully putting myself in situations where I expect to have my expectations changed and yet I am constantly disappointed again and again. The concept of these books are great, but the execution just simply is not there and often feels as though they are marketed as dark romances, there really is no "dark" aspect to them - they would be better marketed as erotic romances. Eros and Psyche's unintentional relationship spurs from necessity over anything else, and while I am truly a sucker for a marriage of convenience trope, this felt lackluster in both romance and in general plot development. There were a few moments where I thought it was going to turn around and be an improvement to Neon Gods, but unfortunately it never made it that far.

Psyche as a character is definitely endearing and you want to root for her as the reader - she is kind and just wants to move through life without thinking too much about what other people think about her. She has an aura surrounding her that makes those around her not harness any ill-will, but that soon changes once her mother sets her eyes on making an arrangement for Psyche that she wants no business with. Desperate to dodge a potential suitor, Psyche finds herself in the warpath of one of the Thirteen who does not hold back.

The spicy scenes were just mediocre at best - there was not anything in there that I have not seen before, and to be perfectly honest, I have read young adult romances that have been raunchier than what this book contains. Once again, I was looking for an improvement to the previous installment, and was let down more than I anticipated. Considering this book has "Unspeakably hot" as the tagline on the cover, you would have thought it was have blown me away. Honestly, the scenes were few and far in between with the plot taking the main focus over spice - in some scenarios, I would have welcomed that, but in this case, I wanted to be left speechless. Instead, I was left speechless at the fact that I wasted time reading this book.

Eros' characterization would be the highlight of this book - he is a "bad boy player" that is now thrust into a marriage of convenience of his own doing. He suddenly cannot do the one thing he has always done - killing - and thinks that a marriage to Psyche will shield her from Aphrodite's wrath. I wish he was more of a mystery in the beginning of the book - it felt too obvious that he would fall for Psyche in a matter of weeks which ruined the illusion that he would become this reformed bad boy killer to a lover man.

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Neon Gods (Dark Olympus, #1) by Katee Robert Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of Stone Heart on my blog, now!

In an attempt to continue on with series that I have not seen through, Neon Gods finally had me intrigued enough to crack it open. I honestly do not know what I was expecting, especially since I was well aware these are interconnected stand alones, but good lord why does it feel like this series literally makes no sense. The world-building should be much more concise, considering you do not need to read the prequel novella in order to read the series. I just cannot seem to be fine with hearing Greek gods talk about trust funds, jobs, and the mortal world. I still find it odd that people can "become" one of the Thirteen and that they are just not set in stone like the original mythology calls for.

Persephone, girl... I need you to LOCK IN and fight back against your mother. The woman set you up with a known wife killer and you do not seem to be nearly as angry as any rational person would be. Totally understandable response to high tail it out of that situation because your life definitely depended on it, but perhaps you should be more vocal about your displeasure towards her. I am glad that her sisters sided with her and did not try to make her see that marriage through. She spends nearly the entire book just going on and on regarding how she just needs to make it to her next birthday so she can get her trust fund and leave... like girl I think you have much bigger problems than just leaving home to deal with.

Hades is broody and moody and honestly a more refreshing take on him than what I have seen in other retellings. He is honestly the most rational of everyone in this book and actually thinks about his actions before doing anything, which is more than what I can say for the rest of the characters. However, it still feels as though the author was holding back on expanding on who he was as a character. Sure, we get his background in bits and pieces throughout the book, but there was never a point where I felt as though I knew his character in its entirety. I would have loved to see some more fleshed out chapters focusing on him rather than reading about Persephone begging him for a thousand sexual favors at every waking moment.

This is some of the worst dialogue I have ever read. I literally wish I could wash my eyes out after reading the nonsense that Persephone would say to Hades. You are an adult, please, for the love of god, speak like one!! The writing honestly feels juvenile, which is strange considering the subject matter is anything but so. Do not even get me started on the smut... it was below average and read like a bad nightmare. The author attempts to dive into a BDSM aspect but falls so incredibly flat it becomes unbearable at times. I totally understand that this series is just "dark romance with Greek mythology" but I fear it does not even resemble the structure of a dark romance novel.

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Fruit of the Dead by Rachel Lyon Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I was in desperate need of a lit fic to push me out of my romance-induced binge, and what better way to do a 180 and throw myself into a modern day Persephone and Demeter retelling. As a sucker for anything involving Greek mythology and a girl in her twenties who is drawn to literary fiction like a moth to a flame, this book has been on my TBR for a hot minute. When camp counselor Cory catches the eye of pharmaceutical mogul Rolo, a single father of one of her campers, she is whisked away to a private island to be his private nanny. As she continues to butt heads with her mother, the book switches perspectives between the mother daughter duo as they embark on separate journeys and explores varying degrees of consumerism, desire, and control.

It is so intriguing - and often disorienting - to see Cory slowly succumb to the draw of Rolo's charm and enticing nature as she becomes more integrated into the luxurious island. As her time there progresses and her use of Rolo's pharmaceuticals steadily increases, Cory begins to question the intentions of her charming host while convincing herself that she remains in control of her decisions and actions. Surrounded by Rolo's workers and influenced by their clique-like behavior, Cory seemingly begins to want to repair her relationship with her mother with the simple step of reaching out to her.

Cory's mother, Emer, is an ambitious head of an agricultural NGO and desperate to locate her teenage daughter that has seemingly disappeared from her camp counselor job into thin air. As she attempts to contact her, she is bombarded with questions regarding the status of rice growth and inquiries on how much longer investors will have to wait. Torn between her business and her child, Emer's life is disrupted as she abandons all and embarks on a search for Cory, no matter the cost to her reputation.

It was incredibly intriguing to see Rolo's characterization develop as Cory spent more time on the island and taking Fruit of the Dead - he becomes more alluring while also showing increasing signs of agitation and sporadic decision making. When he first appears to Cory, he is showcased as a god-like man with incredible draw, and yet we see this persona slip and form into a controlling man with tunnel vision. Cory's presence on the island continues to influence her own decision making and she becomes part of Rolo and his children's lives. Those around Rolo, including a mildly disgruntled ex-wife, seem to send warning signals to Cory every chance they get, but with infatuation blinding her and Fruit of the Dead muddling her mind, she stuck in island set on keeping her unaware of her surrounding.

Lyon does an impeccable job at incorporating myth and modern together. Her writing style abandons quotation marks in conversation - not one of my favorite stylistic choices, but I do say it worked well as it causes confusion for both the reader and the characters. Your brain begins to feel muddled and you are going back to past paragraphs to confirm you did not miss anything. Readers are left spiraling down the rabbit hole along with Cory as she is entangled in some serious fixation with a life of luxury with Rolo. I had a great time reading this disorienting exploration of capitalistic greed, carnal desire, and familial bonds - as a lover of Greek mythology, Lyon hits the nail on the head with this vivid retelling.

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The Bourbon Bride (Southern Gods, #1) by Adrian R. Hale Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I have returned to my never-ending pile of Stuff Your Kindle Day downloads... It is very much a Hades and Persephone retelling and I am always a sucker for those. After having her debut in society, Paige's family attempt to throw her into the arms of a man who hurt her in the past. As she scrambles to find a solution to save her from this fate, her mind turns to Hayes, the man she met the very night of her debut. Paige and Hayes each have their own motivations for pursuing on another, and after a chance encounter that sets off their own schemes, their relationship takes a number of turns.

Paige's mother is truly the worst in every capacity, and anytime she popped up, I was begging for her to go away. She is certainly a thorn in Paige's side, and that thorn definitely gets stuck into Hayes's side as the book goes on. I do wish there were more side characters to be friends for Paige - she was pretty alone through the entire book besides the first few chapters. Hayes had his brothers make a number of appearances and their presence was able to humanize him and give him development outside of his relationship with Paige.

I really enjoyed the side plot of Garrison and his past with Paige - it was intense, and the author was able to weave it into the story without overpowering the main plot. It was great to see a female lead stand up for herself consistently and not have to have others speak for her. Especially considering what he put her through, it was important to see Paige be the one to tackle her own feelings and show Garrison that he was not going to get what he wanted from her. Plus, it gave us protective Hayes, which was certainly a plus to see throughout the book.

The spice in this book was present but not overpowering, and with Paige's lack of experience, it made sense that things did not get too out of hand. There was still plot to the story once it was introduced, and the author kept the balance fairly well without sacrificing the story's other side plots. Regarding the pacing of their relationship, I was hoping to see more slow-burn action, and while that was present for the first half of the book, it went from zero to one hundred fairly quickly. The miscommunication trope... oh how I loathe you... accompanied by the sudden betrayal right in the last few chapters, Paige and Hayes quickly went from the perfect relationship to being at odds. 

That cliffhanger!! I actually screamed when I turned the page only to discover the book was over. I had a lot of fun reading this book and it absolutely flies by if you have the chance to sit down and power through the story. Considering I was truly stunned by the abrupt ending, I will be finding myself seeing this series through to the next installment.

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Hooked (Never After, #1) by Emily McIntire Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

Imagine you wrote Peter Pan and this is what they do to your IP once it enters public domain. This book has been on my TBR for what felt like forever, and with its resurgence on TikTok, I finally decided to give in... little did I know what I was in for. Hook is not a serious person at all because what do you mean you have been filled with an intense rage since you were 11-years-old? I am sure they mentioned his actual age somewhere in this book, but I literally cannot remember what the age gap was - Wendy is twenty-years-old and he speaks like he has been on this planet for eighty years, but is probably just in his mid-twenties.

It was very much giving Hardin Scott using Tessa in After with the vibes Hook's intentions were with Wendy - she is incredibly naive and kept sheltered by her father, but her friends are constantly trying to get her out of her shell. That being said, Maria is so incredibly annoying and a horrible friend. I can understand the resentment that the guy she had her eye on was interested in her friend -- Wendy -- instead of her, but my word it is not something to get hung up over, especially because she never spoke to him before.

Hook's inner monologue had me bursting at the seems... he is so... not an adult. I completely understand pulling directly from the source material, but his "dark side" being combined with characters that had the most ridiculous names made me not take him seriously. He also seems to have zero common sense while at the same time is able to hatch out these elaborate plans. The man is afraid of clocks, for crying out loud. And we are supposed to believe he is running around town killing people? Sure.

Wendy... this girl essentially is a victim of Stockholm Syndrome. He literally snatches her up and locks her in a basement and she is over here yanking on chains trying to free herself, all while thinking "It's because he cares!" Well yeah, cares about revenge. Even with James falling for her as they spend more time together and he learns more about her, I still could not see their chemistry unless it was a spicy scene. I will not victim blame this girl because I do not even know what I would do if put in the same situation -- probably make fun of James -- but that is besides the point.

The side characters are not interesting at all, and even Wendy's super powerful father is basically a deadbeat dad. The plot's pacing felt inconsistent and characters were just popping up out of thin air instead of becoming gradually intertwined in the story. To be quite honest, the best chapters of this book were literally the spicy scenes, because any other chapter was just information dumps and James realizing that he actually has the detective skills of a rock. His perspective chapters are full of his trauma dumping, re: afraid of clocks, and basically gaining a third brain cell.

Maybe if I read this book years ago like I first wanted to, I might have enjoyed it a little more. This just did not hit the spot like I thought it would, and felt entirely underwhelming by the end - so much so, that I do not think I would consider continuing on with this retelling series unless I truly ran out of books to read. The premise had a lot of promise, and in the beginning it felt like it was headed somewhere, but then abandoned the true "dark" part of "dark romance" and just quickly wrapped up without making me feel as though there was something on the line for the characters. I had multiple friends text me and ask why I was reading this... and to that I say... I wish I knew.

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Moonlit Thorns (Midnight Manor, #1) by P. Rayne Review

This review contains mild spoilers for Moonlit Thorns - no major plot points are revealed!

I love a dark romance Beauty and the Beast retelling, and I have to say that I had the time of my life reading this book. An older, billionaire romance with a bunch of spice is right up my alley, and even though I have read my fair share of these type of retellings, it never gets old. When Anabelle's father passes away and her family's estate is slipping through their fingers, she finds herself employed and housed at a manor occupied by the Voss billionaire brothers. Asher Voss, the 36-year-old billionaire with a cold side has somehow ended up with Anabelle at his fingertips, and her curiosity is about to lead her down a path she may not be ready for.

Anabelle's ex-boyfriend literally coming up to her and telling -- not asking -- her that they are going to get married actually had me laughing out loud. This man is living in the land of delusion, and I was glad to see that she did not put up with it one bit. That being said, she traded him in for a 36-year-old man that is set on tormenting a 22-year-old girl for giggles and because he was low-key bored, which I have to say, not Asher's best moment. I fear Anabelle has a curse on her, because she somehow finds herself in danger or in trouble nearly ever chapter.

The entire contract agreement that Asher presents to Anabelle is literally so insane - taking her phone for a year, only paying her minimum wage, and only letting her leave on Saturday nights - at least she had the good sense to read over every page before signing it. She basically becomes an indentured servant to Asher, and he does not even give her a decent uniform - he has her wearing what I can only picture as clogs, for crying out loud.

Dual POV in romance books are my gold standard, and I was so glad to see that this was held up -- it is always so fun to watch the perspective change when the female lead thinks the male lead hates her, and then we see that he is utterly obsessed with her. I was cackling when he put in one of her AirPods and started listening to her audiobook because girl, same. Watching Anabelle literally walk into danger was infuriating at times - I wanted to reach into the book and shake her to warn her about the red flags she was ignoring.

Asher's' brothers are giving off major bad vibes when they are first introduced - maybe not all of them, but the breakfast scene had my skin crawling a bit, and I was glad Asher stepped in. Preston, and even the sheriff that Anabelle used to date, are certainly no better, and yet you become glad that Asher is there so at least someone is trying to protect her, even if he does have ulterior motives. Not entirely sure why Anabelle is suddenly okay with basically becoming Asher's sex bot in his house when she clearly has stronger feelings towards him. Like girl, he is paying you minimum wage and now instead of his maid, you are his secretary/assistant - I need you to stand up.

Anabelle is thrown into a pretty horrible situation, and someone literally pulls the line "Maybe she consented?" Boy, she was drugged and unconscious, let us use our big brain cells and think logically - she obviously did not. She honestly has to deal with a lot in this book, and this is far from the first time that she is found in a dangerous situation. As the story goes on, we reach more "action" scenes towards the end, and it reminded me so much of plot points from Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James.

I had a blast reading this book - I was literally doing laps around my room at every chapter, and the story moves at a great pace to keep you completely enthralled with the characters. I do wish Anabelle stuck up for herself more often, and that Asher could tone it down a bit when he treated her rudely in the beginning, but overall it was a fun read and I will definitely be returning to this series.

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A Touch of Darkness (Hades x Persephone Saga, #1) by Scarlett St. Clair Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

A little over three years later and I finally decided to succumb to this book. I love a Hades and Persephone retelling, and I was excited to see how the author would take the myth and turn it into her own in the modern world. I was pleased that there were no pop culture references, because they are definitely one of my major pet peeves in modern retellings. The author was able to create original references for the world that played into the mythology side of the retelling, and created a world within itself.

Persephone is basically undercover as a typical mortal journalist, as she is unable to create growth -- every flower she touches tends to die. After entering an exclusive club, she finds herself making a deal with Hades himself, and enters a contract that would result in her staying with him forever, unless she is able to create life in the Underworld. Personally if I was her, and had a history of turning flowers to dust, I would have tried a little harder to change the bet, but alas she really did not have the room to argue.

The beginning of this book took me a minute to get into, I don't know if I just was not in the right mindset to dive into this as much as I wanted, but it eventually picked up and I was able to get into the groove of things. I did find myself begging Persephone to use some common sense and that big brain of hers a decent amount of times -- she was constantly thinking of doing the right thing, which is a definite pro for her, but she was skipping steps and not thinking of more than one possibility when carrying out her plans. She certainly was irritating on occasion, which was pushing her further away from my enjoyable lead list.

Hades is essentially an unbothered king and I have to respect that - Persephone tended to go on and on about certain matters, and my man was truly only focused on life being created in the Underworld. He clearly had a big picture in mind, and when Persephone went on her tangents, you could tell he would be on his last thread of patience. The longer they were together, you could see his agitation turn into something more of appreciation, and it was nice to see the character development he exhibited. Unfortunately for Persephone, I did not care about her career in journalism one bit - she should have had her eye on the prize (Hades) and maybe worked a little harder to keep her articles in check. She was becoming little miss Gossip Girl of the Underworld at one point like girl... stay mysterious!

Now, Hades and Persephone's relationship low-key had me doing cartwheels across the room. "You will worship me, and I won't even have to order you," was absolute insanity, and had me pausing to think about what I had gotten myself into. Yes, this quote is mentioned in the Goodreads summary, but in the context it was in the book was truly an experience. She started abandoning her morals and I was routing for her the entire time. The smut was pretty solid, but I do think the reviews on TikTok were overselling it just a bit, but it definitely picks up in the second half of the book.

I loved the bonus chapters at the end of the book, and having a POV from Hades really tied the book together in my opinion. I love when books are dual perspectives, and wish this book would have given us more insight on Hades and how he was feeling as he and Persephone grew closer. This was a fun read and while at times the pacing could have improved, the plot did move relatively quickly for being a decent sized book, and the side characters definitely added the definition that was needed to make the story more well-rounded.

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Stone Heart (Dark Olympus, #0.5) by Katee Robert Review

This is a spoiler-free review! Stone Heart is currently available for free on Kindle.

I have been meaning to get into the Dark Olympus series for years now, and since I am such a big fan of mythology retellings, I thought this would be a great novella to help me out of a reading slump and keep up with my reading goal. Medusa is working for Athena as essentially a human tool to take care of business, but the lines of her work begin to blur when she is tasked with getting rid of Calypso. The premise of the story is intriguing, but I was definitely hesitant to see how it would play out in such a short number of pages.

Reading this was basically a test to see how I would feel about Katee Robert's writing style, and while this was a short glimpse into her retellings, I found myself able to read quickly through this story without feeling like the plot was dragging. The pacing was faired pretty well given that this novella clocks in at just over one hundred pages, and it did not extremely rushed putting Medusa and Calypso together.

The side characters made their quick appearances and then disappeared for the remainder of the story with the exception of a mention here and a quick phone call there. I did not care for Athena -- she is on the more severe in her relationship with Medusa considering their mentioned past, and it just did not seem to flow well with how their dynamic was set up by the author. Maybe this was my fault for going in with assumptions, but I was under the impression that this series leaned more towards the dark romance or spicier side of reading, and I did not get any of that from this novella.

Robert's retelling had a lot to work with in terms of mythology, but seemed to fall a little flat when it came to incorporating unique aspects to the story. Medusa seemed to be very insecure, and it was hindering the reading experience in the sense that she was not developing at a rate that would project the story forward within the restricted number of pages. It really started to feel as though she was never going to make a breakthrough until we got to the very end of the novella, and even then I have my doubts that she makes any more progress after the story was over.

Their story is definitely skating the lines of insta-love, which is not my favorite trope, but I tend to throw away that bias when it comes to romantasy books. However, it really did feel out of the blue with Medusa, and took all of five pages before she was playing with the idea that she was in love with Calypso. If this novella was about fifty pages longer, it would have been great to see some more character development in Medusa or Calypso, but what was given to them fit their characterizations well. It was nice to see a little sneak peak into Neon Gods, and I may decide to return to this series later on.

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