User Profile

I love it when small recaps start at the beginning of a book with:

"In the Off Chance That Asshole Memnon Screws with My Memory Again"


Because you know the lead female is about to kick the butt of the male lead all while offering us a small recap of the first book. Also, bonus points for the sarcasm added to it. Seriously, our girl called him a "tit-sucking whoremonger." She was ready to throw hands at our male lead, but I am certain he would enjoy it wayyyy too much from her.

And speaking of our male lead, he deserved to grovel at her feet. He should be continuously groveling at her feet. I understand his position because he was made to believe the circumstances from his own experiences without knowing her side and now that he had it - he was remorseful for his treatment of her and I am glad to see that. Honestly, I prefer him as a morally dark grey color. While he may have been painted the villain in the first book, I don't see him as such anymore. I see more as this darker grey character neither hero nor villain but stuck in between because of his desire (and love?) of Selene.

I love how things are heating up, not only in the love department for Memnon and Selene but in general. We have a story filled with mystery and a past that doesn't seem to be just in the past but mixes into the present storyline. This series has become one of my favorites and I cannot wait to see what Ms. Thalassa brings to the next book.

"We are like the stars. Eternal."


Yes, yes you are, Memnon, both you and Selene. I cannot wait to see you both in the next book. it cannot come fast enough for me.

*Disclaimer: Thank you so much to Netgalley, Ms. Thalassa, and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for allowing me to read the ARC. The review was given has been on my own and I am not paid for it.

Twelve-year-old Perseus "Percy" Jackson knew he was different from other kids. For most of his life, he had struggled in school. His ADHD and dyslexia made it impossible for him to learn anything. One day, his boarding school decided to take a tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This was meant to be an ordinary field trip filled with boring droning over history but an incident with a fellow student draws the attention of a teacher named Mrs. Dodds. The woman changes and charges after Percy only to have him defeated.

Percy knows that something is going on and his concerns are addressed when he hears Grover and Mr. Brunner discussing him. Even more, he sees three old ladies knitting while on his way home. Then, a trip with his mother takes a turn for the worst placing Percy on the doorsteps of a camp for children like he is and to a teacher he has met previously.

But Percy is not given a chance to process this change when he learns that the Gods are fighting. Zues' thunderbolt is missing and his arrival signals a belief that Percy's father may be the guilty one. With a demand for the bolt to be returned by the Summer Solstice, Percy has no choice but to clear his father's name and find the bolt before it leads to a war.

I remember reading this book a long time ago. My niece had to do a book report in school and this was the novel she had chosen to do. Unfortunately, my niece had a strong dislike for reading and my Mom asked me for help..asked me to spend an evening reading it.

And I don't regret it. I loved this book from the first page to the last page. The chapter titles are hilarious and I love that we see things from Percy's perspective. Here is a young boy who has lived his life shielded away from the knowledge of a world he should have known about and should have been a part of. I understand his mother's reasoning for keeping him from it - she thought she could protect him but realized that this world had already started creeping into her son's life.

Unfortunately, the world belonging to his father has come knocking on his door (or, if you will, bulldozed) and forced him into taking a quest that would not only clear his father's name but lift any suspicion that had fallen upon his shoulders. We see other mythological creatures as we set out on the quest and we get to see a deep bonding friendship begin to form with Annabeth, Grover, and Percy.

This series is fun and I think this would be a great book to begin any middle schooler with especially if you are looking to introduce your child into mythology without having to discuss the whole incest. LOL

Riordan's incorporation of mythology into his books has been a successful and beloved aspect of his storytelling. He combines ancient myths with modern settings and relatable characters, making these stories appealing and accessible to readers of all ages.

This book has been all over BookTok since I first discovered the app over a year and a half ago. Many reviewers say this book has the best presentation of vampires. Now, I have read many books, both fantasy and bodice rippers with the vampire theme prominent in their main characters, but here we have a human female as our main lead. A young woman named Oraya filled with rage toward the vampires because they had killed her family long ago. She would have probably even died that night if it had not been for a vampire king named Vincent who ends up taking her in as his adopted daughter.

The King did not know then that his greatest love would be his ruination - nor that either would come in the form of a tiny, helpless child

Vampires are normally known for their arrogance and maybe Vincent did believe himself untouchable or that the child he raised, trained, and saw as his own was too weak of a human to do anything against him. But we never know anything he is thinking, what he is doing, or much about him except what we get from our main female lead.

Oraya is human in her world. A world where humans are treated as nothing more than blood banks and cattle for the vampires. When she was twelve, she was almost killed until she was found by Vincent. He saved her and took her to his home. I loved the chemistry they had. You could see he loved her in his way. He taught her to survive his world and even saw her as his own. So, when she enters the Kejari tournaments she is pitted against other vampires in a set of brutal games in which she will have to survive to win.

It is here we meet Raihn, who offers Oraya an alliance and a nicer place to stay that would offer her far more protection than the greenhouse she was at. I enjoyed that their romance was slow and the chemistry between them burned deeper than the tournament itself. I was happy to see that was not something instant but that the romance was slow and steady offering up steamy moments between them whenever they were together.

I love fantasy romance novels with vampires at its core. The Serpent and the Wings offers an intriguing and refreshing take on the classic vampire love story. The novel is full of thrilling action, steamy romance, and intricate world-building that will keep readers hooked from beginning to end. The author does a fantastic job of balancing the fantasy elements with the romance, creating a captivating story that will keep readers wanting more.

4.8/5

When I saw reviews stating this book had a "Howl's Moving Castle" vibe, I excitedly awaited the book's release. I have always been a fan of the whimsical and magical world created by Diana Wynne Jones in "Howl's Moving Castle," and I was eager to see how this new book would capture that enchanting feeling.

Liske hails from a small farming village named Stodola. On the day of the festival of Kupala Night, she leaves her village behind determined to find a flower said to grant a wish. You see, Liske carries within her magic. Magic is forbidden and Liske knows that the Church frowns upon such things. Plus Liske has come to see her magic as a burden and thus needs to be rid of it. Unfortunately, Liske meets the Leszy, who offers to help her with the condition she stays with him for a year.

But while there seemed to be inspiration from "Howl's Moving Castle", it also had the originality that set it far apart from the magical world of Howl, Sophie, and their whimsical journey. This book held its uniqueness with its characters and the storyline, steeping it from Slavic mythology. The characters and storyline draw you into the pages of the book, hold you captivated, and keep you hooked until the end.

This book was not a disappointment. Rather, it was the complete opposite. Even now, I still find myself going back to parts of the novel that I rather enjoyed. With a mixture of "Howl's Moving Castle", Beauty and the Beast, and Hades and Persephone, this book can stand on its whimsical charm and magical storyline. I would highly recommend this fantasy romance to anyone who is looking for a way to begin their journey into the fantasy romance genre. Its Slavic mythology will entice you to divulge within its pages and keep you glued to beautiful characters, a whimsical world, and a fantasy storyline you will enjoy.

I had been promising myself that I would read this series but I always kept putting it off. Mostly, this was due to the fact I had read A Throne of Glass a long time ago and found the female lead not readily to my liking. I had always promised myself that I would eventually give it another try but first, I wanted to read A Court of Thorn and Roses. I had been hearing a lot of mixed reviews but my friends have mostly been the ones telling me that the series was much better once you started reading it.

I won't lie when I have been told that the series is a mixture of Hades and Persephone with Beauty and the Beast. I have always been a sucker for these and I had placed this series on my TBR. Now that I had time, I decided this would be the series for December. The final books that would end my 2023 reading year.

But now having read the series, I am a bit torn about where to rank it. While the story felt slow - too slow for that matter, it did have its moments. But again, the female lead is what drove me insane. I don't what it is about Maas's female leads but they end up being extremely annoying. I don't feel she improves much. I don't want to give too much away, but I found her decisions and actions frustrating at times. However, there were also moments where she showed strength and resilience, which I appreciated.

On the other hand, the world-building in this series was phenomenal. Maas has created a rich and vivid world, filled with different courts and creatures. I was completely immersed in this fantastical world and loved learning about the various realms and their politics.

The romance in this series felt slow. For one thing, I am glad that this was not some insta-love with both declaring how much they were made for each other, blah blah blah but it was taken slowly allowing the characters to see each other's flaws and strengths but at the same time I also felt that it was at a crawl. It could be frustrating at times and at other times it felt right.

Final Thought:

Despite its flaws, I did enjoy reading the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. The rich world-building and captivating romance kept me engaged despite some of the frustrations with the main character. I would still recommend giving it a try, especially if you enjoy fantasy and romantic elements.

4.35/5

Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters follows the adventures of Percy Jackson and his two friends, Annabeth and Grover, after the events of Book One. Percy has returned to his mother's home has started a brand new school and has met a new friend named Tyson, but Percy has been dreaming of Grover being chased down a set of stores by a much larger creature and Camp Half-Blood is suffering from numerous attacks by some mysterious enemy bent on poisoning the tree that protect the outer edges of the camp.

Percy must save the tree and sets out on a quest to find the legendary Golden Fleece, a mythological artifact with healing properties that could save Thalia, Zeus' daughter, and save Grover from the dreaded Cyclops Polyphemus. Navigating the Bermuda Triangle and trying to keep themselves alive won't be easy but Percy knows the fate of the camp rests upon their shoulders.

Throughout the journey, Percy's loyalty and friendship are tested, and he also learns more about his abilities and destiny as a demigod. He must make difficult choices and face dangerous adversaries to complete the quest and save the camp.

Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters explores themes of bravery, heroism, friendship, and the power of destiny. It is a thrilling adventure filled with humor, action, and references to Greek mythology. The book has gained popularity for its engaging storytelling and relatable characters, particularly for its target audience of young adult readers.