Category: Five-Stars

So, I’m writing this review and my review of The Cruel Prince by Holly Black at the same time because I read them right after each other, so if you haven’t read that review, it should be posted by now. Go check it out, as well as the holiday recap I wrote and posted as well (hopefully). Anyway, back to this review after that little reminder. I’m here today to talk about my experience reading the BookTok acclaimed, internet sensation Icebreaker by Hannah Grace. Y’all. I have been waiting, hoping, praying for this moment, so let’s get down to business.

We all know that Icebreaker had its IT girl moment on BookTok last year, and its sequel, Wildfire, also did well this year. The third book in the series, Daydream, is coming next year in June, and I bet y’all can tell by how I did my research that I’m currently obsessed with this series and plan to read both Wildire and Daydream, when it drops. That’s how down-bad Ms. Grace has me. I read Icebreaker in 1.5 days (I freaking devoured that book) and had so much fun reliving the good ole days when I could spend a whole day in bed, kicking my feet over fictional men.

A quick recap for my besties who forget or haven’t read Icebreaker yet, the book takes place on another college campus in the US, giving me very much Off-Campus vibes, because I loved that main series. Icebreaker gave a lot of Hannah and Garrett vibes, mainly because Garrett and Nathan, who’s the MMC in Icebreaker, are both captains on their hockey teams. Nathan and Anastasia, who’s a figure skater, are the main duo in Icebreaker, and it follows them as an incident with the hockey team’s ice rink means the team and the figure skaters are going to have to share a rink for the fall semester. This means Anastasia and Nathan will be seeing more of each other, especially as Anastasia warms to Nathan’s charm, the other wonderful guys on the team, and her best friend starts dating Nate’s best friend. All in all, this book’s plot was super fun and fluffy, which is why I loved it just like I loved The Deal with Hannah and Garrett. The vibes and plotline were super similar, but the slight changes made me love Icebreak slightly more.

Anastasia was a tough character, but I did like her and when it got to about page 400 and something and something awful happened to her, I was super angry, just like I was with Hannah and her assault. I never expected it because I always fall in love with the guys (I heart Nathan Hawkins), but the girls in these hockey romances are also super lovable and pull my heartstrings with how devasting their stories are. I loved Anastasia because of that and how tough her goals were, but I also loved Nathan so so much because he was super supportive and always looking out for Anastasia, even when that manifested in a way he needed to change. The way they both make each other better is the kind of relationship we should all be aspiring to from these books—it’s just, chef’s kiss. (Sidenote: The only part of the book that gave me an ick was that Anastasia’s name was shortened to Stassie or Stas, and I think it’s supposed to be pronounced like Stacy, but why? Like, why would you take this ethereal, gorgeous name and shorten it to STACY? For what, Hannah Grace?) (Sidenote Pt. 2: I had a theory spring upon me about midway through when I connected two dots that did not connect in the end at all and thought that Anastasia’s coach, Aubrey, was actually her birth mother, as she had stopped skating because she was pregnant and Anastasia’s adopted. I thought I was on to something, but it never surfaced as true, so…Hannah Grace, please take my theory!)

Like I said before, I read this book super quickly and right after The Cruel Prince, so I could help compare them a little bit when writing their reviews because they’re so different. They kind of encompass the range I love to read; one of them is a hockey romance full of hardcore smut and fluff and all my favorite little things, and the other is a hardcore fantasy full of great worldbuilding, little smut, and lots of attention to detail in regards to plot and story. These two books I loved, probably Icebreaker more, but I think it’s a great mark of a reader that has a wide range of books that they enjoy. Now I just need to get into dark romances! I’m so ready, please recommend!

Genre: fiction, romance (hockey)

Age: 15/16+

Rating: 10/10

*Screaming-crying-throwing up!!!!!* I finished this book last night and can’t stop thinking about it and this review. I was so excited to start this book, and we’ll get into whether or not it lived up to my expectations, but reading it was also such an experience. I had so many “screaming into my pillow” moments, and then for the last 15% or so of the book, I filmed my reactions to the end of the book and the whole series. This wasn’t just the final story of the final friend in the girlfriend group; it was the end of the whole series and a “goodbye” to all these characters—fresh tears, agh!!!

Yeah, it was tough and sad to say goodbye to Ava, Alex, Bridget, Rhys, Jules, Josh, Stella, and Christian, but I had such a great experience and they will live on in my memories as an awesome series. Also, this book was a great closer, as I was still wrapped up in the personal stories of Christian and Stella, but I felt like I wasn’t going to miss what their lives were after the series ended. I knew already the dynamic they had, and their characters weren’t as unpredictable as, say Alex or Jules and Josh.

Also, I nearly cried at the end when we got soft scenes of them all grown up and married (not Josh and Jules though—they literally take forever!) and with their kids. I want Ana Huang to write another series with the Twisted second generation because I need to know the hawties those kids will be. That sounds so twisted (pun INTENDED), but I just mean I want more books with these characters and their dynamics.

Anyway, I completely did not give a book review, so let’s do that quickly. As I mentioned earlier, Twisted Lies follows the last friend in the friend group, Stella, and a guy we met a few books earlier as he has a connection to Rhys, Christian. Reading about Stella was an interesting experience because I’ve kind of been wondering the whole series what her POV would be like. She seems very innocent and calm, but she struggles a lot with anxiety. Similar to Ava, it seems the most sunshine-y of the friends deal with the most pain. Similarly, I have been fricking waiting for his book, because I loved the tidbits of him we got in Twisted Games and Twisted Hate, so I was soooo excited for his POV. Let me tell ya, he did not disappoint.

I love the full character arc of Christian we get, as well as the opening up on Stella throughout the story. You’d think that Christian would be the one who needed to let down his barriers, but it was actually Stella who had bottled all her problems and worries where no one could see them. She just needed to rely on someone a little bit more, and our man Christian had some heart wrenchingly soft moments of comforting and protecting her. He himself had a wonderful full-180º change, as he was a cold and calculating person before becoming obsessed with Stella.

I’m so obsessed and in love with this book, I can’t even give it a full review, but I don’t think that’s necessary, because it is the last book in a series, so if you’re as invested in the Twisted series as I was, you’ll already be getting the book without my synopsis of the story. Yeah, in general, I absolutely loved it, but now I’m a bit brain-dead because I don’t know what to read next! Stay tuned while I figure it out!

Genre: romance, fiction, dark romance, Y/A

Age: 15+

Rating: 10/10

Okay, this has been a long time coming (reference intended), but I really wanted to catch you guys up on my committed relationship with the Twisted Series by Ana Huang. I bet you can tell by checking my current reads page, but I’ve become so absorbed by this series, that I just didn’t find the time to update which book I was on. So, now I’m on the final book in the series—no surprise there—and I need to tell you guys all about this series!

My review of Twisted Love confirmed that I was totally whipped by the series and the characters, and I would absolutely continue with the series, but so much more has come to light as I tore through the next two books in the series, Twisted Games and Twisted Hate. I think reading romance books is actually educational in a way because it helps me discover the kind of relationship I deserve and will settle for. It makes me look at the world, specifically the relationships in the real world, around me differently; I realize how crappy most relationships are in the real world compared to those in books. This realization often makes me grateful that I read and am obsessed with romance books, but it also helps to remind me what I aim for in future relationships—if he doesn’t do all the things that book boys do, I don’t want him.

After that blurb on yet another reason I read romance books, I’ll get into the actual book I’m reviewing: Twisted Games by Ana Huang, the second book in the Twisted Series. I fricking loved this book. So good. I’ll obviously get into my rankings of all the books in the series once I’ve read all of them, but I think I’m biased towards Twisted Love and Twisted Games because they were the first ones. But, so far, I think I loved this book just as much as I loved Twisted Love, but for entirely different reasons.

First of all, the tropes in both books are entirely different. While Twisted Love was a sunshine-grumpy, brother’s best friend romance, Twisted Games is an enemies-to-friends-lovers, bodyguard romance. I don’t have much experience with bodyguard romances, but boy do I want to after this book. I freaking loved the balance and the comforting feeling of being in love with something, so attuned to them, and also being in charge of protecting them. That just—agh, it touches my soul in a way I didn’t even know! Yeah, I’m a novel bodyguard romance enthusiast, so comment (even though you guys never do) on this review of recommendations for that trope. Okay, back to the book.

So, Twisted Games follows one of the other friends in Ava’s friend group, and I fricking love those girls, but I am absolutely obsessed with Bridget. I was so excited for this book because it followed her POV, as well as that of her hot, older bodyguard, Rhys. Also, can we just take a moment to take note of how all the reader girls are already down for the count when a book guy is named Rhys—thanks, let’s continue. We follow Bridget, who is the Princess of Eldorra, through a more in-depth look at her life and past, and let me tell you, this girl is an absolute angel that we need to protect at all costs. Also, Rhys is a total cutie that we must also protect like our lives depend on it, okay? They just both need to be loved so much. Agh, I love them!

Anyway, Rhys becomes Bridget’s bodyguard when her previous one goes on paternity leave, and they’re enemies at first, but begin to warm up to each other over time. They’re very physically attracted to each other, and over the years there are a few close calls where the words “I want you” hang heavy in the air, but they stay away from crossing that line. Until, Bridget’s brother, who is the crown prince of Eldorra, steps down from his position so that he can marry a woman he’s in love with who isn’t of noble birth. Suddenly, Bridget’s next in line to the throne, and her grandfather, the king of Eldorra, isn’t in the best health. It becomes impossible, rather than improper, for Bridget and Rhys to be together, and yet they do hook up and begin to fall for each other. They eventually find a way to be together and get married, after Bridget becomes queen of Eldorra.

It’s a beautiful modern fairytale, but it also has really intense smut. I think I talked about this in my review of Twisted Love, but I’ll say it again: I’m not the biggest fan of smut, something Ms. Huang and I don’t agree upon. I swear, Twisted Games is the most tame one in the series, I think (haven’t read Twisted Lies yet!), and yet the smut is so *bad*, I have to put my Kindle down sometimes. I love Bridget and Rhys, but smut is not the end-all-be-all for me—I think I really like fluff a bit more. Don’t get me wrong, I love romance books, so I am obviously not aversive to smut, it’s just not the parts of books I look forward to—I love Confessions of Love more.

I fricking loved this book ’cause it just hit my soul at the right time. I was traveling for most of the time I was reading it, so I think I loved it more than I wouldn’t if we were because it gave me a private haven when I needed to escape. There are sometimes those books that we think of more fondly than we would have originally rated them because they connect in some way to a good part of our lives. For me, Twisted Games did that; I would just curl up with it in a crowded, noisy public place, and forget about the world—until I got to a steamy scene and became all too hyperaware of where I was. But, all in all, this book owns a certain small part of my heart and it will keep paying rent for as long as I love it like I do right now.

Genre: fiction, bodyguard romance, enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, romance

Age: 15+

Rating: 10/10

Oh my golly, lord-and-savior, divine intervention, holy magistrate, goodness gracious! I feel like I say this every single time I read a book I’ve been dying to read for the first, but I have been WAITING for this one! I read ACOTAR for the first time months ago—I think I read the first book in December—but it has been living in my mind rent-not-needed-I-will-be-paying-you-sir ever since. I don’t even want it to leave at this point; the ships give me sustenance and the banter makes me die inside.

Anyway, it’s beside the point to say Ms. Maas holds the key to my soul, I definitely have a bit of a story to tell about reading this final book in the series (so far). I finished ACOFAS a while ago and have even gotten around to re-reading all of the books again. But, even though I bought all of them at the bookstore before we left civilization to cross the ocean, the bookstore didn’t have A Court of Silver Flames! Noooooo! On top of that, I was near certain I wasn’t going to finish all of them before we got someplace with a good enough bookstore to buy ACOSF. Never make the mistake of underestimating the power of addiction, my friends. I swear, it took me record time to burn through those books and then I was left with an itch I could scratch in the form of ACOSF.

The worst part was that I could’ve just ordered it on Kindle and read it just to get that desire satisfied, but I don’t love Kindle reading. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Kindles in general and have used them happily for the better part of my life. But, for me, once I bought real paperback books, there was no going back. There’s just something about the physical feeling of a book that I loooove.

So, yes, my stupid laziness convinced me to not bother looking for ACOSF while I had the chance in Cape Town and my stupid pride wouldn’t allow me to buy it on Kindle in an inferior form than I wanted it in. Also, for those who understand the meaning of bookshelf beauty, I wanted the physical copy of ACOSF to put on my bookshelf next to the rest of my ACOTAR series to give me an endorphin boost whenever I looked at it. If you get it, you get it.

Eventually, my sister (there seems to be a theme here) gave in to her temptations and ordered ACOSF on Kindle. I was annoyed when she did it, but also slightly glad because then I could finally read it while not compromising my standards—though that bookshelf remains sadly incomplete. Either way, I was just super excited that I could finally read ACOSF and dove right in.

First of all, I’d like to give a general review that comes to mind: shield your eyes, children. I will definitely be giving a higher than usual age rating for this book, certainly older than the rest of ACOTAR, because…wow. I don’t know how many times I had to just put the Kindle—:(—down and clean my eyes. Everyone was literally so h0rny all the freaking time! And, I mean that’s saying something because this is ACOTAR we’re talking about—come on.

Anyway, there was definitely a spice increase I should mention, and other than that, I absolutely loved the rest of the plot. I know that there are people who aren’t Nessian shippers—I personally think they should be removed from the planet—but I would like to say that I have been a Nessian shipper from Day 1. From the very first time Cassian and Nesta met in ACOMAF I was like, “Oh yeah, this is gonna be good!” Although Feysand remains 100% my OTP and LOML, Nessian has been in the back of my mind forever and has just gotten better in ACOSF.

I would also like to give a quick mention of a new ship that has surfaced that I will defend until my dying breath: Gwynriel. I absolutely love Gwyn, I didn’t know how much I needed a Gwyn in my actual life until she appeared in this book, and I would walk over hot coals to give this woman (excuse me, female) a hug. Combined with the love I feel for Azriel, I was gobbling up the Gwynriel crumbs that are sprinkled throughout the book. That has been the new occupier of my mind at the moment: how ready I am for Gwynriel to surface fully. Azrelain can go die in a pit, sorry not sorry.

The thing I love about the book is the insight into Nesta that we get. I loved Feyre and I love her story, but I’ve also been eyeing Nesta and wondering what her deal was since the beginning. It’s so easy to see her as the nasty, mean older sister, but I think any reader can recognize the inner turmoil going on within that head. I for one was super excited when I realized the whole book would be focusing on Cassian and Nesta with a particular inside look into Nesta’s character. I don’t know, I guess there’s something about the ferocious, backtalking female MC for—it’s just my fave.

This book checked so many boxes for me that have been churning away in the back of my mind since finishing ACOFAS and being left on a teetering cliffhanger for the future of Nessian. More Cassian and Nesta representation, hinting at more deep dives, hopefully, into more Inner Circle characters (pls, pls, pls, Azriel, SJM, pls)? Check. More focus on Nesta and seeing a representation of PTSD, self-destructive tendencies, and bottling up of pain? Check. So much smut from Nessian it was putting Feysand to shame? Check. Not my total top favorite of the series, especially because more books are coming, but it felts so great to dive back into the world of ACOTAR fresh.

Genre: adult fantasy, romance

Age: honestly? 100+ realistically? 16+

Rating: 10/10

So, I think it’s pretty obvi that I’m in love with this series by now, and I think it’s so cute to look back on my posts of ACOTAR and the first few books that are full of my skepticism of the series. Even though that was barely more than a month ago, my opinion on this series has changed so much, especially where my ranking of the books falls.

I know that the main reason for books in general is the plot, but I would like to contest this with my one piece of evidence: romantic fantasy. This is a genre I am entirely making up because it is the one I belong to. It’s essentially people who love both romance and fantasy books, especially if you combine the two. I don’t think people who read romantic fantasy read it because of the plot or factual accuracy. In fact, if you look at the majority of the (made-up) genre, there are a ton of plot holes (nice intended, huh?) and questionable choices. I can’t count how many times I’ve read something questionable in a romantic fantasy book and 100% agreed with it, but wouldn’t have stood for it IRL. And, by questionable, I mean lines said by a character or comments from the author that would not have flown very well in the actual world; slightly misogynistic or toxic things I would be quick to call out in the real world but find myself sighing and getting heart-eyes when I see them in romantic fantasy books.

The point I’m trying to make is that romantic fantasy books can get away with, or, more accurately, are praised for, a lot of things other genres aren’t. I think this is because romantic fantasy readers have a couple of screws loose, but I don’t want to get into that discussion. The thing I want to focus on is that one of those screws loose in my own brain was discovered while reading this book.

If you’ve read this book, you’ll know that it has virtually no plot. If ACOMAF wasn’t already, like, six years long, the 200 pages of A Court of Frost and Starlight would have probably been added on to the end of it. But, although that reason for the book’s existence is plausible, I think SJM made this book its own thing for a very specific reason…for all the screws-loose-romantic-fantasy-readers like me to die over, of course!

Question: Have you ever fangirled/boyed/othered so hard over something/one that anything it/they do(es) is cute to you? That would be a “yes” over here, and specifically over ACOTAR.

As I said, my opinion of the series has changed over time and pages, but the biggest thing that has developed is my undying and extremely unreasonable fandom love for the series and characters. I think romantic fantasy readers like myself have a few screws loose because we absolutely adore scenes in books that are devoted to our favorite ships or friend groups. For me, good ship material of Feysand trumps any plot or worldbuilding of Prythian any day. Period.

Romantic fantasy readers love to throw their books across the room when the guy everyone hates (echem, Tamlin) enters the room, giggle uncontrollably when characters start catching feelings or laugh their asses off over a dad joke from our comfort characters. All of these are things I do regularly when reading but were definitely in high amounts while reading ACOFAS. The book is just SJM making hella good fanfiction for all the Feysand, Azlain, and (debatably) Nessian shippers. I loved the book because I am a supporter of all of these ships, and I stand by it when I say that this is probably the best book in the series. I think that’s proof enough that a screw’s loose, right? Someone send help!

Genre: adult fantasy, romance

Age: 15+

Rating: 10/10

Ok, so after the emotional rollercoaster of As Good, As Dead, I wanted to head right back into ACOTAR, which I had been unceremoniously interrupted from by my sister. I had already read ACOTAR and ACOMAF, but I had only gotten about a hundred pages into A Court of Wings and Ruin before it was quite literally ripped out of my hands.

So, I headed back to finish GGGTM while my sister tore—ick—through ACOTAR. She’s since finished the series and has already gone through a few other books on my bookshelf. I’m going to have to be careful going forward to make sure she doesn’t damage them any further and doesn’t read any of my favorites.

Anyway, I picked ACOWAR up again and I loved getting lost in its seven hundred and some pages. I love a good, long book that has a plot line I can just lose myself. It’s always so unsatisfying when you invested in a book and then it just ends. So, I loved the length of the book and I got to feel super immersed in the story. I think ACOMAF is my favorite, but I do love the other books so far (I’m currently on A Court of Frost and Starlight).

ACOWAR picks up exactly where the others leave, with Feyre in Tamlin’s talons (quite literally) and Rhys and the inner circle back in the Night Court. They eventually are reunited and I get a lot of material of my favorite couple and friend groups all in Velaris. I loved all the growth that happens, as well as the rise of one of my all-time, hands-down, glasses-raised favorite ships: Nessian. I. Love. NESSIAN. And I love the material we get of them in ACOWAR. Although they’re still at the enemies stage of the enemies-to-lovers, I think the majority of them together will be enemies. I’m honestly not complaining, as I love their banter and rivalry. But I fell off my chair hard when that scene with the king happened. I was basically speechless and I had to silently and internally scream when that happened.

Anyway, I loved the book and the extra material on all the ships and friend circles. I swear, these books make me smile, laugh, cry, and question my existence all at the same time. And, I’ve almost thrown one of them across the room, though I make a rule not to do that unless it’s a soft surface.

Genre: adult fantasy, romance

Age: 16+

Rating: 10/10