Category Archives: book review

Book Review: The Unseelie Prince, by Kathryn Ann Kingsley

I received a copy of Kathryn Ann Kingsley‘s The Unseelie Prince in last month’s Supernatural Book Crate.the unseelie prince coverThe throne is Valroy’s for the taking…but first, he needs a queen.

As the son of the Morrigan and heir to the vacant Unseelie throne, Valroy itches to shed the mantle of prince and take his place as King. To his great regret one ancient tradition stands in his way, demanding he first take a bride. With all the members of the Unseelie court proving to be insufferable, what is a prince to do?

Steal a human, of course.

Abigail often wonders if the townsfolk aren’t right in calling her cursed. Abandoned by her husband and with no family to call her own, everything in her life hangs by a thread. Never did she except her downfall would come by taking pity on an old hermit. Abducted into the dangerous world of Tir n’Aill, Abigail is thrust into a terrifying maze that defies all logic. There, she finds herself at the mercy of an Unseelie prince with a strange offer—survive his maze and he’ll give her the solution to all her problems…

If she can live that long.my reviewI am 100% torn about how I feel about this book. On one hand, I love old-school fae who don’t conform to mortal norms and morals. They’re basically my favorite kind. And that’s Valroy in a nutshell. However, on the other hand, this is supposed to be a romance. And the romance aspect of this fell really flat for me.

Sure, I get anti-heroes. I understand dark romance. And I saw that Valroy’s attitudes were changing over the course of the book. But the fact remains that he legitimately didn’t care if she lived or died for the majority of the book. And that does not equal any sort of romance in my mind. So, for me, it was a fail on that front.

But there is the undeniable third hand in which I am curious to see where the story goes from here. So, I’m going to call this a middle-of-the-road read and hope that the romance strikes my fancy a little more in book two. the unseelie prince photo


Other Reviews:

The Unseelie Prince Book Review

https://hklovesbooks.co.uk/2022/03/02/february-2022-wrap-up/

 

heir of monsters banner

Book Review: Heir of Monsters, by G. Bailey

I received a copy of G. Bailey‘s Heir of Monsters as part of my September Supernatural Book Crate. Which, as an aside, I find it hilarious because there was a book called An Inheritance of Monsters in the August box. I’m sensing a theme…that’s not a complaint. I’m all about the monster romance lately.

heir of monsters

A monster has stalked me.
But now I’m hunting him.

My job is to hunt monsters and I’m damn good at it—until a monster breaks into my apartment in the middle of the night and kidnaps me.

Turns out he isn’t just a monster.

He’s the Wyern king.

Wyern’s, a race feared by everyone, are known to be stronger than the fae who rule my world, and no one has seen them in years. The king needs my help to track down his missing sister from within a city his race is banished from and I’m the best he can find.

Only, he isn’t the only one looking for monsters in Ethereal City.

The Fae Queen’s grandson is missing.

Working for fae, monster or not, is risky. Most end up dead and I have too much to lose to end up as one of them.

I’m going to find the missing royals and be careful about it, especially with my grumpy boss breathing down my neck and watching my every move.

The Wyern King is cruel, cold, and unbelievably beautiful for a male… and my new enemy.

my review

I thought this was a middle-of-the-road read. There wasn’t anything especially bad about it, but nothing wowed me either. I liked Calliophe a lot; the writing was readable, and the world seemed interesting. However, I was always a little vague on what made a monster a monster. I sensed this was more than just a non-human with scary features, but rather a going bad of some, turning them into monsters. But I’m not sure, and that’s the problem. Plus, the twist/villain was super predictable.

heir of monsters photoI also wasn’t particularly invested in the romance for most of the book. Emerson was just such a jerk for so very long, and when Calliophe suddenly ‘caught feelings,’ I was left wondering why. By the end, I at least accepted that they had feelings for one another. But I didn’t feel like, as a reader, I’d been party to them developing. And there is no spice, FYI. I saw this described as a slow burn, but there’s basically no romantic progression here.

So, as I said, middle-of-the-road (with a pretty steep cliffy at the end). I’d probably read the next book if it passed my feed. But I’m not racing out to buy it.


Other Reviews:

blood on my name banner

Book Review: Blood On My Name, by K. Elle Morrison

I picked up a freebie copy of K. Elle Morrison‘s Blood On My Name. I think I maybe saw it on TikTok originally. I happen to have downloaded it on my birthday. So, let’s call it a birthday present.

blood on my name cover
Mara has nowhere else to run when she summons the ancient demon Vepar to make a deal. He promises to rid her of the man hunting her down for a price: Her name.

Vepar keeps to his word and erases Mara from her abusive ex’s mind, but Vepar is back to retrieve her only a day later with his twin brother at his side.

Mara must find strength within herself to survive… and fight the growing lust for the dark, sexy demon holding her hostage.

Zepar has found his place on Earth collecting the souls of wealthy and desperate business executives. His wicked ways are interrupted when Vepar ropes him into helping conceal Mara from their holy brethren and a Prince of Hell. But he quickly sees something within Mara that’s worth tearing apart Heaven and Hell to save.


Just because I stumbled across it, so I decided to share it:

my review
Meh, there wasn’t really anything super wrong with this. It was slow, and I never felt particularly immersed in the plot. But it was fine. But there just wasn’t anything that stood out as more than fine either.

There were a roughly equal number of things I appreciated, and that annoyed me. I appreciated that Zepar wasn’t the ultra top dog, alpha a-hole. But I found the inclusion of BDSM references annoying and pedestrian, considering it wasn’t integrated into the plot at all. I liked the way Vepar was willing to step aside for his brother. But I also didn’t understand why he was so invested in the whole affair if he was so willing to step aside. I thought the Biblical lore was used interestingly, but also that the ending fell flat.

So, all in all, I’ll call this a middle-of-the-road read.

blood on my name


Other Reviews:

@katherineguild Blood on my Name by K Elle Morrison @K. Elle Morrison – Author #kellemorrisonauthor #booktok #bookreview #bookrecommendations #bloodonmyname ♬ original sound – katherineguild