Written review coming soon…
I started OUABH immediately after finishing Finale, and I’m glad I did. I was not a huge fan of Jacks at the end of Finale, but I was very curious about what would happen to him. Where will he go, how will he cope, what hijinks will he get up to? I needed to know more. For a general timeline, the first 1/4 of OUABH overlaps the last 3/4 of Finale. In true Stephanie Garber fashion, OUABH sucked me right back into the wonderful world she created in Caraval. I thoroughly enjoyed being thrust back into that world […]
It’s over & I want more. Stephanie Garber is a master of descriptive writing. I was constantly blown away by how real everything was in my mind. I always had vivid pictures in my mind of how the fabric of the dresses felt, how the city of Valenda looked, & even how the character’s signature scents smelled. Reading one of her books is a fully immersive experience, & I LOVE IT. Finale was less magical game where you can’t tell the difference between illusion & reality, & more rounding out of the character’s storylines. Every single one of […]
The first book follows Scarlett as she plays the game & tries to save her sister, Tess. On the way she falls in love with Julian, learns who she is, what she wants, & what she’s capable of. This book follows Tess as she plays the game & tries to save their mother, Paloma. Dante helps her along the way & of course, they fall in love. Sounds like the first book, but trust me, it’s very different. And Dante. Oh Dante, you sexy, tattooed, secretive, morally grey, beefcake. Your conflicted, brooding & brilliant character arc made this […]
This was a “stay up until 4am because I couldn’t put it down” book. I absolutely loved it! Think Cirque du Soleil meets “The Night Circus” with a splash of “Alice in Wonderland”; but make it dark & a little twisted. UGH!!! So, so, so, so good! I didn’t know this series was a prequel to the “Once Upon a Broken Heart” series. I started to tuck into OUABH, and something made me stop 2 pages in & look online to see if I should read Caraval first. Everything I could find (while avoiding spoilers) said yes, read […]
While I loved this book equally as much as Divine Rivals, it was very different. The story was less Winnow/Kitt romance, & more Dacre/Enva war story. Roman & Iris spent much of the book apart. Roman acting as Dacre’s war correspondent; Iris trying to find him. Making contact through wardrobe letters, slowly reconnecting, gaining trust; trying to get Roman to remember. Roman falling in love with Iris all over again, regaining his memory & then ultimately having to stay apart so they could work together to end the war. The few precious moments they had together were electric, […]
I. Am. Not. Ok. I tried to make this book last. I knew the wait for book 3 would be torture. I finished it, and I was right. The wait for book 3 will be TORTURE. Xaden. Violet. Liam. Sawyer. Lilith. Sloan. Brennan. Mira. UGG!!! Also. JACK F*CKING BARLOW
This book. THIS BOOK!!!!! 15/10, highly recommend. The best book I’ve read in 2023. It’s ‘Six Feet Under’ meets ‘You’ve Got Mail’, set in a unique and immersive fantasy world. If you take one part zombie movie, one part enemies-to-lovers romance, one part mystery novel, one part fantasy, and a pinch of a western; shake them all up, and you’ll get the magic that is ‘The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy’. This book ripped my heart out, smashed it into a million pieces, and then put it back together again (better than before) in one fell swoop. All […]