Nightweaver by. R.M. Gray | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Nightweaver (Nightweaver, #1)

Author: R.M. Gray

Format: hardcover (own)

Pages: 432

Publication Date: 3/4/25

Categories: Fantasy, Pirates, Young Adult, Romance

Six hundred years ago, Nightweavers, cursed beings with untamed power, claimed the continents for their own. The ocean was meant to be a safe haven for humanity, including seventeen-year-old Aster Oberon and her pirate family. But after Aster’s brother is killed in an epic battle at sea against Nightweavers, Aster and her family are thrust into a new life on land.

When a handsome Nightweaver named Will offers the Oberons protection and work at his opulent estate, Aster is suspicious. As the arrogant and entitled right hand to the wicked prince, Will is everything that she has been taught to hate. But as he shows empathy and kindness, Aster can’t ignore a blooming attraction. And even more, Will opens her eyes to a new There are monsters worse than Nightweavers, monsters who may be behind her brother’s death.

As Aster hunts the creatures responsible, dark secrets threaten to unravel everything she once believed about her family, herself, and her world.

Filled with elemental magic, forbidden romance, and breathtaking twists, this is a propulsive romantasy about an iron-willed heroine avenging her brother and discovering her destiny—perfect for fans of Powerless and Heartless Hunter.

Content Warning: death, violence, possession, death of pet, death of family members

+ The beginning of this book caught my attention fast because Aster and her family are pirates! And right away they are embroiled in a fight at sea – it’s violent, bloody and things don’t turn out the way Aster thought it would, dashing her hopes and dreams.

+ Aster is young and isn’t afraid to fight for her family. I love how resilient she is even through whatever she is going through physically and mentally. There are other characters in this story like Will and Captain Shade that make the story very interesting also. I also loved the side characters of her family and Will’s family members.

+ There is a lot of political intrigue going on and I thought the twists and turns were entertaining. There is a clear side of good versus evil but I wonder where that leaves Aster and her knew knowledge of what she is and her powers. It will be interesting to see where the story goes. I thought the world building was great.

+ The romance is not the focus of this book, but I thought Aster and Will’s growing attachment was sweet although he’s keeping a lot of secrets. It’s definitely a forbidden romance with will being a Nightweaver and Aster being a human but again, it will be interesting to see what happens in book two.

~ I wanted more piracy because the first chapter where the pirates are the focus is so fun! It’s been awhile since I read a pirate book and it was nice to have it in this story! I think there is a tiny bit of a lull (not enough to stop me from reading – took me 2 days to read this one) in the middle of the book because Aster and her family is on land and not at sea. Also Will is supposed to be helping her find the Sylk that killed her brother but through out the “helping” all they are doing is spending time together. There was no hunting the Sylk involved.

~ Please don’t be a love triangle – PLEASE because I like both guys. Which is the worst.

Final Thoughts:

I enjoyed this one a lot minus the few issues I had which doesn’t make me less eager for book two any less. I was entertained! It’s got pirates, magic, political intrigue, romance and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Deep End by. Ali Hazelwood | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: Deep End

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 464

Publication Date: 2/4/25

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult, BDSM, Sports Romance

A competitive diver and an ace swimmer jump into forbidden waters in this steamy college romance from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis.

Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A Junior at Stanford and a student-athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships—at least, that’s what she tells herself.

Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy, Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It’s how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus, with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.

So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water…

Content Warning: BDSM, sports injury, PTSD, mention of abusive parent

+ Scarlett is a competitive diver at Stanford and she’s trying to overcome PTSD from a sports injury but she has a mental block. I did like seeing the journey she makes overcoming her mental challenges as the story progresses. Lukas is a world-champion swimmer and it seems like he has it all, but he just broke up with his long-time girlfriend.

+ This book has kink and BDSM which is not usually my cup of tea, so beware – though I do say I was expecting some restraints or some props but they didn’t do anything like that. So maybe this is BDSM lite? 🤷🏻‍♀️. There’s a lot of rough sex and I was just like, ow, girl. I did like how they talked about it though, communicated about what would be okay and not okay before getting into it.

+ My favorite part of this story was the sports aspects of this story because it’s a world I don’t read a lot about but I love watching swimming and diving during the Olympics so that did fascinate me.

~ So…the romance. Lukas’ soon to be ex, or ex, Pen, who is Scarlett’s teammate and friend, suggests to Scarlett that she and and Lukas hook-up because they both like BDSM. It’s one of the factors of why Lukas and Pen’s relationship was not working out but I didn’t like how she basically got them together and then blames Scarlett later on for taking her man. It’s okay if it was an open relationship, but basically Lukas and Pen were over, yet…not? Because they let everyone believe they weren’t over and that was frustrating. I don’t mind a love triangle, but this was not it.

~ I get that Lukas’ personality is blunt, but for all the girls saying he was hot, he left ME feeling cold even with all the smutty scenes going on. That’s rare! I felt like their hook-up lacked emotion except from Scarlett who attached to that man so fast, even as she denied how she felt. She was always crying and he was always licking up her tears. I was turned off. I guess he’s not my type! 😅I liked them as characters, I thought her journey and growth was good and I even liked learning about Lukas and his upbringing – but for some really weird reason I can’t quite pinpoint, I didn’t love them together.

~ I got to 60% in and then put it down because it wasn’t over yet so it took me a few days to read. It’s a bit long at 464 pages, a good 350 would have been nice.

Final Thoughts:

There is a lot of smut, which is fine, but I wanted romance and I feel like I didn’t get enough of that. I didn’t like Pen always being in the middle of Lukas and Scarlett – it was irritating, but I also thought wow, these are some pretty mature young adults to be open and casual about sharing a guy. I did like Scarlett’s personal journal with her diving and PTSD, and the whole swim/diving world was refreshing to read about. Overall, not my favorite Ali Hazelwood book so far.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From this Author:

Check & Mate by. Ali Hazelwood | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bride by. Ali Hazelwood | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Love Hypothesis by. Ali Hazelwood | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Their Monstrous Hearts by. Yiğit Turhan | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Their Monstrous Hearts

Author: Yiğit Turhan

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 4/8/25

Publisher: MIRA

Categories: Mystery, Gothic, Contemporary, Horror

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to MIRA for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A haunting novel about the boundaries people will cross to keep their dreams alive.

A mysterious stranger shows up at Riccardo’s apartment with some news: his grandmother Perihan has died, and Riccardo has inherited her villa in Milan along with her famed butterfly collection.

The struggling writer is out of options. He’s hoping the change of scenery in Milan will inspire him, and maybe there will be some money to keep him afloat. But Perihan’s house isn’t as opulent as he remembers. The butterflies pinned in their glass cases seem more ominous than artful. Perihan’s group of mysterious old friends is constantly lurking. And there’s something wrong in the greenhouse.

As Riccardo explores the decrepit estate, he stumbles upon Perihan’s diary, which might hold the key to her mysterious death. Or at least give him the inspiration he needs to finish his manuscript.

But he might not survive long enough to write it.

Content Warning: body horror, death, murder, insect horror

+ I almost DNF’d this at 30% – it is so slow of a mystery and yet I was intrigued by Riccardo who is a struggling and poor writer who is on a tight deadline with no manuscript to show for it. His grandmother passes, and leaves him her home in Milan, Italy. With no money and too much stress, he goes thinking he can write while he is there but instead he finds a manuscript written by his grandmother, Perihan.

+ I did find Perihan’s manuscript interesting because of the time it’s written in the past and also she is from Turkey. Her life is hard from the start but it takes her to Milan where life really flourishes for her. I couldn’t tell at first if she was a good person or not. Riccardo is doing no writing but he is reading this manuscript and learning a lot about his grandmother’s life.

+ The horror and the twist comes at the end. It’s a crazy ending! But if you don’t like monstrous butterflies, stay away from this one.

~ Like I said above, this was almost a DNF. I didn’t though and skimmed until 70% into the book where everything starts picking up. I’m already not one who enjoys mystery books, and I struggled because this one is a slow one, but I just wanted something to happen in the first half with Riccardo either staring to right his book or some horror at the start. But this is a slow building horror story that ends with a bang.

Final Thoughts:

I don’t think I was the target audience for this book. For me, it was too slow for the first two-thirds of this book. I did find the characters and Perihan’s life very fascinating and the ending is wild. If you like slow building mystery and horror then you might enjoy this one.

I was on the Blog Tour so read a book excerpt here: https://pastmidnights.com/?p=31590

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Phantasma by. Kaylie Smith | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Phantasma (Wicked Games, #1)

Author: Kaylie Smith

Format: ebook (KU)

Pages: 497

Publication Date: 9/3/24

Categories: Dark Romance, Fantasy, Romantasy, Lite Horror, Gothic

Caraval meets Throne of the Fallen in this spicy dark romantasy where a necromancer needs help from a dangerous phantom to win a deadly competition, only to find their partnership puts her at risk of breaking the game’s most vital rule: don’t fall in love.

When Ophelia and her sister discovers their mother brutally murdered, there is no time to grieve: Ophelia has inherited both her powerful death-driven magic and enormous debt on their home. Circumstances go from dire to deadly, however, when Ophelia’s sister decides to pay off the loan by entering Phantasma—a competition where most contestants don’t make it out alive and the winner is granted a single wish.

The only way to save her sister is to compete. But Phantasma is a cursed manor, with twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, and filled with enticing demons and fatal temptations. Ophelia will need to face nine floors of challenges to win… if her fears don’t overtake her first.

When a charming, arrogant stranger claims he can protect and guide Ophelia, she knows she shouldn’t trust him. While Blackwell may not seem dangerous, appearances can be deceptive. But with her sister’s life on the line, Ophelia can’t afford to turn him away. She just needs to ignore the overwhelming, dark attraction drawing them closer and closer together.

Because in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart.

Content Warning: blood play, violence, horror

+ Not sure what I was expecting with this one but it has a necromancer, devils, and phantoms. It’s also set in New Orleans so I loved the vibes of this story a lot. It’s a melting pot of all things paranormal.

+ Ophelia lost her mom, and now she’s lost her sister too but she’s going to try and find her. Her sister has joined the game Phantasma. Phantasma is a game played in a house of horrors. The game has stages based on the 9 levels of hell (Dante’s Inferno anyone?). Ophelia joins but her sister is in another group separate from hers so they never run into each other. But Ophelia does run into a gorgeous phantom named, Blackwell. Anyway, each stage of the game has some horror to it, and Blackwell bargains with Ophelia to help her get through each stage if she helps him find what will set him free from the house. I did like the haunts for each stage, some were gruesome though, but it adds to the darkness of the story.

+ Ophelia and Blackwell’s relationship I thought was fun to see develop because she’s stressed out (she has OCD and is dealing with very intrusive thoughts) but he’s kind of playful and always teasing her. Of course the attraction gets heated between them, and things get spicy – there is even a scene that involves blood. But yes these two are hot for one another.

~ I did wish the stages had more tension and horror. The stakes didn’t feel high and Ophelia was cruising through them with Blackwell’s help.

~ I didn’t enjoy Blackwell having missing memories. And honestly, I enjoyed the spicy scenes but I also was thinking too much during them. I was like, wait he’s a phantom, can he…ohhhkay, he CAN…how is he doing that? 😅🤔 Yes he can have a corporeal body when he concentrates hard enough – no pun intended lol. Also maybe it was just me, but when Blackwell kept saying “You are the closest thing I will ever get to experiencing heaven.” That song by the GooGoo Dolls would pop up in my head “you’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be, and I don’t wanna go home right now” (it doesn’t help that I heard that song the same day I finished this book! lol)

~ The ending was kind of anticlimactic.

Final Thoughts:

This is definitely not on Caraval’s level but I still had a fun time reading it. I especially like the dark atmosphere and the creepy house that the game is being played in. Would have liked the ending to be a bit more dramatic maybe to fit the vibes. There’s a lot of spice between a phantom and a necromancer so I’d say overall this was entertaining. Will I read book two? Maybe, but not right away.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Design of Us by. Sajni Patel | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Design of Us

Author: Sajni Patel

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 7/16/24

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, STEM Romance

One impulsive lie leads to a weeklong adventure of fake dating for two bickering coworkers in this swoony destination wedding rom-com.

Sunshine incarnate Bhanu brings big UX energy to whatever she does, including going for the promotion where her only serious competition is her work nemesis, AKA Sunny, the grump with the Denzel voice. She expected to get a reprieve from him while visiting her family in Hawai’i, but the universe has other plans. When Bhanu runs into Sunny at the hotel and witnesses his ex criticizing him about being single, Bhanu does the first thing that comes to she impetuously claims to be Sunny’s girlfriend just to get some peace and quiet. Except Sunny is on island for a friend’s wedding and his ex has already texted the entire wedding party about this mysterious girlfriend.

Bhanu truly is the bane of Sunny’s existence. But the last thing he wants to do is cause tension during his friend’s wedding festivities, much less be the object of their pity. He has no choice except to play along, if only he and Bhanu can put aside their quarreling and act like a real couple.

Between Bhanu’s hilariously meddling family and Sunny’s ecstatic friends, the two are pushed closer together, even as stress mounts over the impending promotion.

They say what happens on island, stays on island. But as Sunny and Bhanu let their guards down, will either of them be able to resist this romantic getaway without crossing the line?

Content Warning: toxic ex

+ I admit this cover sucked me in because of the vibrant colors and then the story takes place in Hawai’i (the Big Island) and I’m on Oahu so I wanted to see how the author portrayed the Big Island.

+ Bhanu and Sunny are coworkers. She works in UX (user experience) and he’s a coder and I thought them being in this tech job that I don’t know a lot about was fascinating. Sunny’s ex thinks he’s a robot with no feelings, and always working. Bhanu is always working just like him, but she also has social anxiety. They do not get a long at work, but when they coincidentally find one another staying at the same island in Hawai’i – things get interesting.

+ I think the author did a great job portraying the Big Island. I have family that live there and sadly haven’t visited in years but the beauty, the humidity, the various landscapes, culture, and food is showcased really nicely in this story. She also even brings up the issue of tourism in our islands, where it is our main economy but how it takes it’s toll on the islands and the workers of the industry. My mom worked in a hotel so Bhanu’s sister working at a hotel was spot on.

+ The romance is a very slow burn. But I loved how they went from enemies to wild for each other mostly because of their personalities. Sunny, despite his name is grumpy and closed off. Bhanu is much more free-spirited but she also likes control and she has social anxiety – the two of them are workaholics and ambitious but also like to have space.

+ The themes of friendship and family was great.

~ Sunny’s ex, Sejal, is really awful, especially causing that kind of drama during their friend’s wedding. Not cool. But her making Sunny feel like he was not good enough irked me.

~ I wish this wasn’t a closed-door romance. It’s totally fine but they had so much tension, it would have been fun to have their sexy scenes detailed a bit more but that’s a personal request lol.

~ Also, I think the author mentions Sunny’s voice sounding like Denzel a little too many times! 😅 I was starting to picture Denzel Washington in Sunny’s role.

Final Thoughts:

This is a perfect romance to read by the pool or at the beach during a hot summer’s day. It’s got fun tropes like one room, one bed, destination wedding, fake dating, and co-workers. Overall, I enjoyed this one!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

My Sister’s Big Fat Indian Wedding by. Sajni Patel | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

All the Stars Align by. Gretchen Schreiber | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: All the Stars Align

Author: Gretchen Schreiber

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 4/1/25

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary, Disability Rep, Romance, Family, LGBT+, Semi-Magical

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Wednesday Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

All the Stars Align is the magical love story that is Taylor Swift’s Enchanted meets Cyrano, from the author of Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal.

All the women in Piper’s family know their true love at first sight, complete with butterflies, heart eyes, and a gut instinct. The kind of fated love that lasts forever. Piper grew up with her ancestors’ epic love stories repeated like fairy tales, and yearns for the day she’ll start her own. Already singled out in her family due to her physical disability, Piper collects a second strike against her when her parents announce their divorce, which convinces her family that she’s doomed.

When she finally finds her true love at a party, she’s more determined than ever to attain her love story and earn a spot in her family. But after completely botching their first meeting, she realizes that she’ll need help from her best friend Leo, who is sort of a love expert. The catch—he and Piper haven’t talked in six months, since he needed a “break” from their friendship.

To win over the love of her life and a place in her family, Piper must convince Leo to teach her his ways. And it’s all going as planned…until Leo confesses his own love for Piper. Now, she must decide which fate to follow.

Content Warning: divorced parents

+ This story is about a girl, who wants to fulfill receiving her Blessing. A Blessing is basically a soulmate – but in Piper’s family, all the women have had, even her mom, until the divorce happened. So what does that mean? I like how the story questions different types of love, relationships and fate versus choice. Piper’s parents loved one another, or still do, but they aren’t compatible and that wasn’t okay with Piper until she had to face some truths. Other types of love displayed are the love of parents with their child, the strained love of family, and the tumultuous love of the teenage years.

+ Piper is disabled and she blames herself for her parents’ divorce, which is sad. I did like the talk her mom had to have with her. Piper is so hell-bent on her plan to find her Blessing, be with that boy forever, and run her family’s business. She has a need to feel wanted by them instead of always feeling different from them. Piper has an amazing support system though – her parents and her best friends Leo and Diana really keep her protected.

+ Because Piper is trying her best to find this Blessing, she’s confused about how she feels about her best friend Leo, who she did have feelings for but they never said anything about it. And then she meets Forest, who supposedly is her Blessing – so things end up perfect right? Not really.

~ I had a bunch of issues with this story. The Blessings hint that something magical is tied to this family but it is so vague. Is it something truly magical or something they made up in their own family? It’s not clear. Piper’s focus on the Blessing did get tiresome. I understand why she clung to the hope of it, but it got repetitive. Hearing ‘the Blessing’ got tiresome too. Also, what kind of family pushes their own sister out because she got divorced? That was ridiculous! I’m glad Piper finally stood up for her mom.

~ Another thing that wasn’t clear – Piper’s disability. She mentions she’s disabled but it’s later in the book where Leo talks about her surgery. Eventually, she talks more about her arm but from the beginning it’s just not clear.

~ The back and forth with Leo was also not something I liked. Clearly they have feelings for each other but Piper’s belief in the Blessing and it not being Leo was frustrating. She does grow by the end and makes the right decision for her which is great, but the back and forth made me impatient. I guess it’s relatable because young love and all is so confusing, but I was frustrated for Leo.

Final Thoughts:

There are a lot of vague parts to this story especially when it came to the magic and Piper’s disability but I understand what the book is trying to do. I did like the themes about love and family in the story. Readers will find it relatable and it’s nice to have a disability rep as the main character. I think Piper’s relationship with her parents or how she feels about their divorce and what that meant about ‘the Blessing’ was my favorite part of this book. I like how Piper had to question fate versus choice. Overall, I got the message but the story itself fell a but flat for me.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Beg, Borrow, or Steal by. Sarah Adams | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Beg, Borrow, or Steal (When in Rome, #3)

Author: Sarah Adams

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 1/7/25

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Series

Two feuding second-grade teachers (and neighbors) find themselves teaming up in this rivals-to-lovers romance by the New York Times bestselling author of The Rule Book and Practice Makes Perfect.

Emily Walker hates having her carefully crafted world disrupted by anyone, most of all her legendary nemesis, Jack Bennett. He’s the opposite of the wonderful heroes she dreams up in her double life as a romance writer, which is why Emily was perfectly happy when Jack left Rome, Kentucky, mid-school year, with his fiancée. The last thing Emily saw coming was Jack’s return at the start of the summer after calling off the wedding and ending his relationship, but he’s here to stay—as her colleague and her neighbor.

Jackson Bennett is glad to be back, eager to renovate his house and work on the next mystery novel under his bestselling pen name. But when he realizes he’s now neighbors with the one woman who has always pushed his buttons, he discovers something he’s even more excited for—thwarting Emily and her petty plans to sabotage his return.

With their chemistry-fueled animosity at an all-time high, Emily accidentally sends an email to their school’s principal that could reveal her secret literary side hustle. She needs to steal back her manuscript, and Jack—she hates to admit—is just the man to help her. Surprisingly, Jack agrees. Will their unlikely alliance put an end to their rivalry? Or could it lead to a steamy plot twist they never saw coming?

Content Warning: narcissistic parent

I never read When in Rome, only Practice Makes Perfect and now this book:

+ I love the enemies to lovers between Emily and Jack! Their fighting and banter is so fun and the tension between them is great. Especially because this was kind of a slow burn, when they finally kiss it’s a moment.

+ Emily is the oldest sister and she’s portrayed perfectly. She likes control, she never cries – is never vulnerable because she had to be the strong one. And Jack is her opposite, he is more free spirited, riding his motorcycle and wearing necklaces his students have made him. I liked seeing them bring out the best in each other when they finally stopped fighting.

+ I love the bond Emily has with her family and I liked how the book explored Emily’s feeling of loneliness as she watches each of them have their own lives. I was rooting for her to accept what Jack was offering her: affection and friendship. And I liked seeing Jack trying to deal with his own trauma about having a narcissistic father. Together I thought they did pretty good navigating their personal issue and what they brought to their relationship.

~ I think there were some times I felt like Emily was so stubborn. I get that it was something she had to work through but at times I wanted to give her a talk lol.

Quotes From This Book:

“Life can be a little shit sometimes. But shit also makes fertilizer.”
Beg, Borrow, or Steal by. Sarah Adams

“Grow from your experience, don’t let them smother the light out of you.”
Beg, Borrow, or Steal by. Sarah Adams

Final Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book even better than the second book only because I love an enemies to lovers trope. Emily and Jack’s banter was so fun and I like how both of them had personal issues they had to deal with in order to be together. Sometimes Emily could be a bit stubborn but I love Emily’s family and friendship bonds. The small town vibes makes it a fun and comforting read. If you love this series, I think you’ll enjoy this one also.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

The Match by. Sarah Adams | Audiobook Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Practice Makes Perfect by. Sarah Adams | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Four Ruined Realms by. Mai Corland | Audiobook Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Four Ruined Realms (The Broken Blades, #2)

Author: Mai Corland

Narrator: Donald Chang, Greg Chun, Zion Jang, Sophie Oda, Jaine Ye, Roger Yeh

Format: audiobook (borrowed)

Pages: 432 / Audio Reading Time (approx.): 13 hours 31 minutes

Publication Date: 1/7/25

Categories: Fantasy, LGBT+, Series, Romance

The King of Yusan may be the greatest liar of them all.

His sister’s ring is in his sights, and he will do anything to get what he wants. Even manipulating the five blades to steal it…

Bonded by a common enemy, then divided by deceit, the blades must rely on their skills to pull off King Joon’s pursuit or risk his legendary wrath.

A foreign rule of law stands between them and Quilimar, the Queen of Khitan. Now they have one month to steal the powerful Golden Ring of the Dragon Lord. But that impossible task might be easier than trusting one another, even though their lives, their families, and the realms depend on it.

They can all agree on one thing: the king can’t win. But can they beat him at his own game?

Because for the blades, this time it’s not just personal, it’s revenge. Lies may have torn them apart, but now vengeance will bring them together.

Content Warning: violence, mentions of pleasure houses (prostitution)

+ This audiobook picks up after the first book. This crew of assassins have a mission to retrieve a certain ring. Tiyung is the only one not there with them, he is imprisoned and separated from Sora.

+ The narrators again do such a good job with each character and this is a big cast – there are 6 POVS. Sora was my favorite in book one but in this book I think everyone is even, but Mikail I don’t like and never did since book one only because he can be such a jerk. Sora becomes nicer in this one whereas in book one she felt like the coldest killer of them all but her motivations have definitely changed after the events that has happened. There is an interesting new character, Hannah.

+ Royo and Aeri is the only one with a growing romance this time, whereas in book one all three couples were having some sort of romance. But since Sora and Tiyung are separated and Euyn and Mikail have drama, it’s only Royo and Aeri who caved into their desires. But it’s very mild spice.

+~ The story moves really quick because of the short chapters and there is some action. I felt like it moved faster than book one but because I’m listening to it as an audiobook I also feel like I miss a lot of details.

~ For most of the book they are traveling to get to the location of the ring, so when they finally do, in the end, it’s full of action. So for me, the ending is really the best part.

Final Thoughts:

I think because I listened to book one and book two back to back I’ve been motivated to finish the series. The narrators do a great job as usual and the story moves quickly because of the different POVs and short chapters. Overall, I found the story entertaining and a solid sequel. I look forward to finishing the series when I get a copy of the audiobook for book three.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Five Broken Blades by. Mai Corland | Audiobook Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Lovely Dark and Deep by. Elisa A. Bonnin | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Lovely Dark and Deep

Author: Elisa A. Bonnin

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 3/25/25

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Categories: Dark Academia, Magic, LGBT+, Young Adult, Mystery, Contemporary Fantasy, Horror

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Feiwel & Friends for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

From author Elisa A. Bonnin comes Lovely Dark and Deep, a YA dark academia novel exploring magic, loneliness, and the power of found family.

Hidden off the coast of Washington, veiled in mist, there is an island that does not appear on any map. And on that island is Ellery West.

Ellery West has always been home for Faith. After an international move and a childhood spent adjusting to a new culture and a new language, the acclaimed school for magic feels like the only place she can be herself. That is, until Faith and another student walk into the forest, and only Faith walks out.

Marked with the red stripe across her uniform that designates all students deemed too dangerous to attend regular classes, Faith becomes a social pariah, an exile of Ellery West. But all she has to do is keep her head down for one more year to graduate, and she gets to keep her magic. Because when students fail out of Ellery West, they have their magic taken away. Forever. And Faith can’t let that happen.

Except terrifying things are still happening to students, and the dark magic that was unleashed in the forest still seems to be at work. To stop it, Faith and the other Red Stripes will have to work together, risking expulsion from the magical world altogether.

Content Warning: some horror

+ Ellery West is a boarding school for magic users and Faith has been there awhile, but something happened and she gets blamed for the death of her friend, Sydney. Now she’s back but she’s an outcast and lives with the other outcasts. They call themselves the Red Stripes and I did enjoy the found family that they created.

+ Faith is Filipino which is awesome (representation) and she’s going through some things with school and not wanting to disappoint her family again. She’s haunted by what happened in the forest that time she and Sydney went in but is someone now trying to send her a message? She’s having nightmares, and thinks someone is watching her. I love the diverse characters of the Red Stripes and how they welcome Faith as one of their own. They help her try to figure what is going on and has her back.

+ The setting of the school Ellery West is perfect for dark academia. There is a forest at the school where something is not right. The magic system is cool – students have magical powers with different affinities.

~ There are flashbacks in this story that didn’t always work for me. I kind of wish we got a book before this one that explored this friendship that Faith had with Sydney and what happened in the woods.

~ I wanted it darker. But that’s just my preference – I actually think young adult and teens are the perfect audience for this book.

Final Thoughts:

This story has magic, some light horror, mystery, diversity and a found family. For me I wanted it to be a bit darker and it might have been a bit too young for me but I think fans of YA Dark Academia will enjoy this one a lot. It is definitely more for teens and younger young adults.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A Desert of Bleeding Sand by. Lucia Damisa | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: A Desert of Bleeding Sand

Author: Lucia Damisa

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages:

Publication Date: 3/27/25

Publisher: Darkan Press Inc.

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Series

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Darkan Press Inc for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

“ A breathless rivals-to-lovers Romantasy that will captivate you from the very first page .”— USA Today Bestselling Author Stacy Reid. In a glittering Sahara Desert palace, many have come to die…

Zair, a reviled half-blood with magical powers, is determined to stop the traitors attacking her academy and kidnapping its students—especially as her beloved sister is targeted. Sent to the palace during the king’s coronation, her mission is unmask the culprits behind the disappearances. But when she crosses paths with Dathan, a rival spy from another academy, his hidden motives complicate everything.

As danger escalates and more students vanish, Zair and Dathan realize they must join forces to stop the looming threat. As they close in on the traitors, a shimmering attraction pulses between them, threatening to unravel their focus. In a palace where everyone covets power and night magic guards its halls, Zair must save her fellow students—and protect her heart from the one person she cannot afford to trust.

+ I was a beta reader for A Desert of Bleeding Sand and I was so excited to read this one!

+ I love a rivals to lovers romance and this one has a great start with Zair and Dathan being from rival academies. These two are from military academies so they are competitive and when they have to work together on a mission, the competitiveness comes out. I love their banter and watching their attraction grow. It’s a slow burn so we’ll see what happens in the next book.

+ I like a fantasy book that has themes of friendship and family because it’s so relatable to me. Zair is close to her family and is protective of them which is nice – I love their bond! Zair is half Esan, and she experiences prejudices against her but what I love about her is her strength! She’s a great, strong yet at times vulnerable young woman. Dathan is an interesting character also but he doesn’t have the coziest relationship with his family.

+ The story moves quickly which I love – it’s filled with lots of action and even some mystery. The world-building is great – we get to learn about the different kingdoms and the political intrigue kept me invested. I love the diversity of this world.

Final Thoughts:

I was so honored to be a beta reader for this book and honestly I was impressed with the arc copy. I enjoyed how balanced this story is plus I love a story with students in an academy and add to that it’s a rivals to lovers romance? I was hooked. The diverse world-building is so interesting, the action keeps the story moving and I was invested with the political intrigue. I can’t wait to see what happens in book two!