Twisted Love (Twisted, #1) by Ana Huang Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I am making my way through my TBR thanks to Libby now that I finally got another library card, and I am taking full advantage of it. For nearly two years I have been telling myself that I would read this book, and the hold I placed was available about an hour after I placed it. This is advertised as a dark romance, but I did not get that impression at all -- in my experience, I was expecting something more intense, but what I was presented with was a new adult romance scattered with a few clichés. The writing is truly something else -- using the term "itty bitty titty committee" in when writing a book in 2021 should be punishable by jail time.

This...surely cannot be the man y'all have been THIRSTING over?? Alex Volkov sounds insane immediately with his introduction -- he is somehow a boy genius and at the ripe age of twenty-six, he has more money and more business ideas than he knows what to do with. Despite his savvy business skills, I cannot believe that this man is a serious person, and the chapters in his perspective continue to prove my point that he is as feral as they come. Ironically enough, his vibes in the beginning of the story are very much giving Christian Grey from Temu, but at least Christian was a billionaire... At one point he literally stated "biological reactions can be mastered," and I had to take a lap around the room. The things that came out of this man's mouth had me genuinely reflecting on my life choices.

On the other hand, Ava Chen, to me, has never done anything wrong in her life ever, and anyone who even looks at her in the wrong direction is unhinged. Her older brother, Josh, is Alex's best friend, and when Josh heads off for a year of volunteer work, Ava is suddenly next door neighbors with Alex, much to her displeasure. With Ava comes a lot of mystery and a traumatic backstory that is slowly uncovered as the story progresses, and the chapters in her perspective were really interesting and enjoyable. This girl seemed to not catch a break nearly the entire book, and I was just rooting for her to have a happy moment at literally any point.

I saw a lot of people marketing this as a dark romance, but taking into account every dark romance book I have read, this did not even come close to that genre. Sure, there were elements of darker themes, mostly dealing with Alex and Ava's respective pasts, but I would not go as far to say that the overall theme of the book could be considered a dark romance. Unconventional and complicated, sure, but definitely not true dark romance. It was a story of two traumatized people dancing around their feelings for one another for nearly four hundred pages. There were these instances where Alex would suddenly want to make it very apparent that he was into BDSM but then it would not be mentioned for another eighty pages -- it could have been incorporated better into his characterization.

There are some things that Alex did that I would never have forgiven him for, but since this is a work of fiction, everything works out in the end. I do think that Ava and Alex brought out the best of each other, and their relationship allowed each of them to grow in ways that were necessary for the both of them to flourish in their relationship and in their personal lives. I wish Alex was shown to have a larger support system like Ava had, and when he mentioned how lonely he was basically all of the time, it really showed how his isolated life affected him.

Approaching the two-thirds mark is where this book becomes absolutely insane, and I felt as though I was getting whiplash by the amount of information that was revealed, and the events that were taking place. The beginning of the book is relatively mild, so the transition into more of a action-based story threw me for a loop. The final third of the book has you bouncing around with time jumps and so much happens in such a short amount of time. That being said, I low-key had an absolute blast reading this insane book, it certainly was not what I expected, but I had fun and that is what counts at the end of the day.

I had some mixed feelings about this book, going back and forth on how I felt about the overall story, but I think that if you are looking for an entry-level new adult romance with a dash of spice, Twisted Love could be the book for you. The spice scenes are certainly explicit and often enough that once a relationship forms, it takes up a decent amount of page space.

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My Fault (Culpables, #1) by Mercedes Ron Review

This is a spoiler-free review! My Fault (Culpa Mía) is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

After watching Culpa Mía about fifty times in the past year, and with the impending release of Culpa Tuya in December 2024, I knew I had to finally crack this book open. I am an absolute sucker for a forbidden romance trope, especially when they hare each other from the beginning. This book was honestly a blast to read and I ate it up in no time -- the author gives readers a dual perspective with Nick and Noah's chapters, which provides much needed inner thoughts from our leads.

When Noah's mother marries a wealthy man and moves them from Canada to California, Noah is in for a shock when she is finally introduced to her new stepbrother, Nick. Both are not thrilled to be in each other's lives, and with Nick's hush-hush activities, it was only a matter of time before Noah was throne into a world he kept hidden from everyone.

Noah has experienced some serious trauma as a child, and it continues to follow her as she is uprooted and thrown into a new life. As she tries to navigate the new wealth at her fingertips, she is distracted by Nick's presence and taunting, letting her stubbornness get the better of her at every turn. For the first time in his life, Nick is met with someone that does not take his orders and speaks to him freely, causing tension in their home and in Nick's personal life. Everywhere he turns, Noah appears, and despite his intense efforts to kept her away from his less than legal activities, she is there to stay.

As Nick and Noah navigate their combined lives, they find more than step-sibling tension between them, leading them down a complicated and forbidden path as they attempt to make sense of these new feelings. Noah is learning the ins and outs of Nick's personal life, and when his actions leave her fearing a repeat of her past, she pushes herself to stay away from him as he continues to pursue her.

I loved the incorporation of the side characters, and really enjoyed how the author gave both leads support from these characters -- especially with Jenna for Noah, and Lion for Nick. It was refreshing to see side characters be utilized to help the leads on their own journeys, rather be there simply to push them together. The more antagonistic side characters were threatening and certainly served their purpose in wreaking havoc on Nick and Noah's lives, even more so when these characters were using Nick or Noah against the other.

The story moves pretty quickly and paces well, and considering the characters are constantly on the move, it suits the story well. I am sure there were some things lost in the Spanish to English translation, but the writing, especially being originally published on Wattpad, kept me hooked. The ending felt a little slow, but with the POV changes every chapter, it was enough to have readers push through to see the end result. If you are coming from watching Culpa Mia right into reading the book, I will say there are some changes that in my opinion do not take anything major from the story, and are made to consolidate the source material into a single film. 

I will definitely be seeing this series through, and will hopefully have time to read Your Fault (Culpa Tuya) before the movie releases later this year. For fans of After by Anna Todd and Through My Window by Ariana Godoy (I have only seen the Netflix movies for Through My Window, but I will make my way to the books soon!), this young adult forbidden romance is right up your alley.

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The Inheritance Games (The Inheritance Games, #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

I fully walked into this book with the idea that it was essentially Knives Out but with young adults, and I seemed to have been a bit off the mark. I must have somehow missed the part that this book takes place in Texas, because imagine my surprise when everyone was suddenly speaking with Texan accents -- for the entire book, I was picturing everyone in cowboy hats, no matter how much I tried to picture them as they were actually described. Imagine literally inheriting billions of dollars out of the blue, and the requirement is that you have to live in a mansion with four hot brothers... Avery needed a little reality check because she should have been jumping up and down.

Every single old Hawthorne family member was out here bullying a seventeen-year-old girl they had known for about forty-eight hours... embarrassing! Yes, I understand that they were weary of her being named as basically the sole inheritor of the fortune, but the way they jumped to conclusions of elder abuse was wild. The author seemed to love reminding readers that Libby has blue hair, and apparently it is such a major piece of information because it is mentioned almost every other chapter... we get it.

I will admit, Avery with Grayson and Jameson was very much giving Katherine "It's okay to love them both, I did" Pierce and I have to respect her game on that front. Both Grayson and Jameson were such interesting characters, and the mystery behind both of them certainly had me invested on what their next moves would be, and how Avery would handle her attraction to both of them. Jameson's little nickname for Avery had me giggling and kicking my feet, it was cute and snarky. On the other side of the coin, Drake was literally the opposite of these boys, and was giving me an aneurism every single time he showed up. Libby needed to get a restraining order against him, and yet barely seemed concerned that he was actually like an obsessed stalker.

Why was Avery so incredibly impressed when the girls doing her hair did two french braids? I honestly was so confused because it is such a common hairstyle, and considering that this book was published in 2019, it was even more popular, especially pinned to her head in the style depicted. A lot of the commentary in this book was a little dated, and I much prefer authors that try to avoid locking a specific time period's outfits, styles, etc. into a book.

The mystery and intrigue throughout the book definitely kept me interested, but the riddles/puzzles/clues felt a little lackluster compared to what they could have been. They were easy to solve and left me feeling as though anyone in the book could have put two and two together, and did not need Avery to solve them. Chapters moved quickly enough that the story moved at a decent pace in order to keep the reader locked in, but some went on for much longer than necessary. Tobias Hawthorne really decided to leave nearly every single one of his family members with more trauma the second he died, and while some members needed a reality check, others were put through the ringer more than they deserved.

I have to say I stand teetering on the edge deciding my overall feelings for this first installment. This was a really interesting idea to put to paper, but the execution fell off for the middle portion, leaving me wanting more to be on the line for the characters. A lot of the reveals were a touch predictable and made me feel as though there was not as much to lose as it was made out to be. Whenever I decide to continue on with this series, I hope the other brothers because more fleshed out and are more involved in the plot along with Grayson and Jameson.

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Glass Sword (Red Queen, #2) by Victoria Aveyard Review

This review contains mild spoilers for Red Queen - please read with caution. You can read my review of Queen Song on Goodreads now!

It has been years since I read Red Queen, and I was somewhat hesitant to dive back into the series with so much time having passed, and the only major detail I could remember from the book was regarding Maven's little character arc that left Mare shocked. And to be completely honest, Maven was serving this entire book, he was funny and brandish despite being the villain, and provided an interesting perspective from Mare when it came to personal development. His iconic "No, I don't think so," line lives in my head rent free, and I have to hand it to him, it gagged everyone. I may not condone some of his actions, but I certainly can appreciate his flare for the dramatics.

I personally felt as though Mare was making herself seem a little too important throughout the book - yes, she is the lightening girl -- the Red Queen -- but she seemed to place herself above the common folk too often more my liking. Understanding that she is a seventeen-year-old girl who was thrust into an insane and unexpected circumstance, I can let it slide, since other characters tend to hold her higher than the masses. That being said, a lot of characters seemed to place an enormous amount of blame on Mare for things that were in no way her fault, or for events occurring that were inevitable the second Maven showed his true intentions.

The world-building was still a tad so-so for me, and I kept having to remind myself that this was a dystopia-fantasy world. At times it felt as though the world was medieval, and then you would be reminded that they have security cameras, guns, and jets. I wish it was more concise on the setting, but that may fall on me for not brushing up on the world before going back in. Cal was probably one of my favorite characters in this book - he was sassy, put people in their place when it was needed, and provided an internal conflict to Mare as she navigated a world in which the crown was now against her.

Shade's role in this book left me underwhelmed at times - his presence was endearing and provided hope for Mare, but I was not attached his development as the story unfolded. While he was not a major side character, his being was constantly on Mare's mind, so we received a lot of internal thoughts about his relationship with Mare and how he would aid in their cause. Kilorn had me stressed tenfold with any scene he was in, and I constantly had a feeling that he would not be the person we thought him to be.

The rest of the side characters were entertaining when they needed to be, and provided enough filler in between action scenes or emotional scenes that the story moved at a decent pace. It certainly picked up towards the end of the book, and definitely had me tuned in to see what would become of all these characters.

Glass Sword continues Mare's journey as she fights for a world without blood discrimination and to find reasoning behind the biggest betrayal by her closest friend. I have a feeling that I will return to this series in the future to see it to the end, but it may take another eight years for me to move on to the third installment.

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Legendary (Caraval, #2) by Stephanie Garber Review

This is a spoiler-free review! You can read my review of Caraval on my blog, here.

It has been eight years since I read the ARC of Caraval, and I thought now was as good a time as any to finally keep pushing through this series and see it to the end. To be completely honest, I literally forgot who every single character was which the exception of maybe three people -- but my memory continues to serve me and everything started to fall back into place once I was a few chapters into this second installment.

Dante was an absolute rizz master throughout this book, and I was honestly surprised about just how great he was with his words to Tella and how he was able to take control of any scene he was in. There were a few times that I was not pleased with how he was acting, but since everything is a game during Caraval, I was letting it slide. Scarlett's scarce appearances and mentions throughout this book were essentially operating as reminders that she still existed, and were truly there for me to remember how ridiculous she acted in the first book. I was hoping to see some more character growth on her part, but she was present so infrequently in this book, it was hard to expect anything more from her.

Any instance in which Jacks showed up on the page, I was immediately locked in until the moment he exited. With his affinity for apples, I found myself constantly chanting "applejacks, applejacks, applejacks" every single time he showed up in this story. Tella's interactions with him were some of my favorite scenes in the entire book, and he is such an engaging character that pulls the reader in. I found myself constantly comparing his scenes with Dante's scenes, and to be completely truthful, Dante was really starting to get on my nerves the more the story progressed.

I fear that I would end up unknowingly join the Church of Legend without realizing it, because every time that Tella would mention something from his backstory or we would learn more about him, I was honestly on the edge of my seat. I really enjoyed the obstacles that Tella encountered throughout her run through Caraval, and considering the multiple plots that plagued her as she fought to uncover the truth laid right in front of her the entire time. The side characters were interesting and benefitted the story's true nature, and made Tella's journey even more memorable.

Scarlett's brief appearances continued to prove to me that Tella is the superior sister in the sense that she is able to more maturely handle tough situations. She may not be the brightest bulb in the bunch but she has hustle and I have to respect it. The big twists were a little predictable in my opinion, but the author does a great job incorporating the storylines together in order to bring that big finale all together and set up the final book.

For readers looking for fantasy with a hint of romance, and for fans of Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody, Stephanie Garber brings this series to life as Tella works to solve secrets kept and to unveil Legend's true name in order to save her fate.

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My Life with the Walter Boys (My Life with the Walter Boys, #1) by Ali Novak Review

This is a spoiler-free review! My Life with the Walter Boys is now available to stream on Netflix.

To be completely honest, I watched the Netflix adaptation prior to reading this book, and when I found out that the author is officially writing a sequel, I knew I had to jump on this book before season two or the sequel were available. After Jackie's parents and sister tragically pass away in a car accident, she is forced to move in with her mother's friend and her literal soccer team of boys on a farm. True to my nature, I automatically started rooting for the older, more mysterious brother that is essentially a Conrad Fisher variant living in Colorado. I will always support the older brother in literally any scenario, especially when they are introduced in what is essentially a slow-motion realization.

When Jackie discovers the exact details of her new life -- living with twelve boys -- she is understandably shocked and has a rough introduction to the family. Many of the boys do not give her the warmest welcome, and some are downright wild in their treatment of her, especially Isaac, who is borderline sexually harassing her for a decent portion of the book. If I was her, I would literally lock myself in my room if I had to move from New York to Colorado. The number of twins in this family is absolute insanity -- there is not one, not two, but three sets of twins in this family and I was left just as confused as Jackie when learning everyone's names.

I cannot truly believe Jackie does not own a pair of jeans... surely there was a pair she needed for something... at least a themed party. There are fifteen people in this house now that Jackie has arrived, and yet this entire sports team of a family seems to only have two bathrooms, which is absolutely diabolical -- please build more bathrooms! Jackie does not catch a single break for almost the entire book as this gang of boys literally commit war crimes against her from the second she steps foot on their property. She lost her entire family in one second and they cannot even give her time to settle in before they are torturing her on a daily basis.

Cole... the boy who can do no wrong in my eyes. He is brooding, he is older, and he is absolutely the correct choice for Jackie, no matter how many people insist that Alex is the boy she should choose. Much like Jeremiah from The Summer I Turned Pretty, Alex throws tantrums like no tomorrow when he does not get his way, and is clearly jealous that Cole attracts a lot of attention from everyone, but especially from Jackie. There is quite literally a point in the book where Jackie compares Alex to a puppy... take that as you will.

This book was honestly a blast to read -- as a young adult romance, it keeps the reader entertained while still touching on more serious topics without allowing them to overtake the narrative. I have been in a bit of a reading slump, and this book truly had me getting back into the groove of things with its wholesome story and a fun love triangle. All of the characters acted their ages and the author did not make literal high schoolers act like mature thirty-year-olds, which was refreshing because you expect teenagers to act like teenagers. One thing that did tend to get to me was the fake cursing the brothers would do -- aka "What the fudge" and other childish replacements -- considering multiple characters do not censor themselves.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the Netflix adaptation was pretty spot on with the plot and events that occurred in the book when translating it to the screen -- there are obviously some differences and not everything is able to fit in, but the essence of the story is definitely present in the show. Some scenes in the book that I loved did not make the cut in the show, and I can only hope that in season two, they revisit some of these scenes and work them into the plot.

If you are looking for a quick romance read that is a mix of much-loved classic cliches and self discovery, My Life with the Walter Boys is just the book for you. For fans of Float by Kate Marchant, readers will be thrown into a story that is more than romance.

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The Witch Collector (Witch Walker, #1) by Charissa Weaks Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

Yet another free iBook that has proven itself to me... love a good fantasy read, and the dynamic between Raina and Alexus was exactly what I was looking for in my next read. The premise reminded me a lot of The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh in the sense of an unexpected bond. I absolutely loved the use of sign language throughout this book, and the author did a great job incorporating Raina's use of signs and her perspective in communicating with others who do not know the language.

A decent amount of this book spends its time with Raina and Alexus riding throughout the forest and hiding away from attackers, while building upon their relationship as they began to get to know one another. There were times where this began to make the story seem to lag, but I was personally so invested in their dynamic that I was able to push through and read through those sections relatively quickly.

The magic and lore in this series seems very interesting -- I only wish that the author spent more time diving into the background of it in order to expand upon its importance. Raina would touch upon the basics as she expanded her abilities, but I felt as though we could have been provided with more information. Especially considering that we really do not start learning about the specifics until we are well into the story -- at least at the halfway mark. That being said, the integration of gods, magic, and tales grabbed my attention and kept me inclined to see this story through.

Side characters provided important discoveries and developments as Raina and Alexus became more acquainted with each other. Nephele, Raina's older sister, was a major plot device for her initial distain of the Witch Collector we grew to love, and the Prince of the East had a similar aura comparable to The Darkling from The Grishaverse by Leigh Bardugo. The other side characters played some important roles, but I found myself wanting more of the romance in those instances. I definitely believe they added a lot to the story, but they were not drawing my attention as much I had hoped.

As far as world-building goes, this first installment certainly sets up the relationships and introduced readers to the lore of the land. My hope would be that the second book dives much deeper into the magic, as this book did a great job diving into the background of the gods and their intricate involvement with each other. I can see the potential that this series has, and I look forward to continuing on with Alexus and Raina's story.

I would recommend this series to those looking to fill the void that Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor has left, and to readers searching for a gateway entrance to the fantasy genre.

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