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Title: The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love Author: India Holton Genre: Fantasy Subgenre(s): Romantasy, Romance, Historical Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: This book was equal parts charming and funny. I thoroughly enjoyed India Holton's writing and following Beth and Devon's hilarious antics through Europe in search of a mythical bird. If I had to describe this book in the most obscure way, I would say: Imagine if Sheldon and his girlfriend from The Big Bang Theory were academic rivals who are forced to reluctantly work together to catch a mythical bird Pokemon (think Lugia) for a contest, while Team Rocket (their ex-mentors) tried to foil their plans and capture the bird for themselves.

Spice: Some steamy tension but mostly fade to black. Tropes: ♡ Academia ♡ Rivals to Lovers ♡ One Bed ♡ Contest ♡ He falls first ♡ Mystery ♡ Forced Proximity

Synopsis (with spoilers): Beth is an Ornithologist who must capture a magical bird (the Caladrius) for a contest, in order to ensure she gets tenure at work. While traveling with her mentor, Hippolyta, she is accidentally left behind. Forced to work with her academic rival, Devon, they embark on a journey to find its hiding place. Along the way, they realize they're in competition with a lot of other Ornithologists, especially ones who don't hesitate to play dirty. They also realize that magical birds are being let loose on the public and wrecking havoc. While they manage to secure some of the birds, they are chased by a reporter and other agents from the Ornithologist's Society to alter the outcome of the contest. The Society's goal is to increase recruitment, and they believe a love story between Beth and Devon will capture the public's interest. It works and Beth and Devon are practically celebrities everywhere they go. Eventually, they realize that the contest is rigged and they trace the bird to Professor Gladstone's house, where he is keeping the bird caged. They are able to secure the bird while revealing to the public that the contest is rigged, but the bird is ill because it cannot release its magic while caged. They present the bird to the Society but the Society's plans for the bird are also sus, so Beth refuses to hand the bird over. Meanwhile, the bird releases its magic, dissolves the cage, and flies away, leaving behind a trail of magic that affects the crowd. Devon proposes to Beth and she says yes.

This book was gifted to me by Berkley Pub but all opinions are my own.

[lisabythebook]

Title: The Ritual Author: Shantel Tessier Genre: Dark Romance Subgenre(s): suspense Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: If you are looking for a book that is pure smut with a tiny sliver of plot, this is it. I came into this not knowing much about it except that it was dark and people on Booktok really like it. I listened to this on audiobook and the narrators did great. I just felt like it was like 300 pages too long? By 50%, I was like ?? and then there were TWO epilogues? I had to increase the audio speed to 1.5x and sometimes even 2x to get through it. Don't get me wrong, it delivers what it promises, but I don't think I will continue the series.

Synopsis (with major spoilers): Blakely is forced to attend Barrington University, which is home to a secret society of men who do bad things for power. At the start of the novel, Ryat, one of the lords in training and Matt, Blakely's boyfriend, is sent on a LORDS mission to assassinate a high profile man. After they get the job done, Matt pushes his luck and tries to rape the man's wife, and ends up killing her in a chase. Ryat refuses this disclose what happened and covers for Matt instead. Matt is put on probation. The LORDS have a ritual, where they each choose a woman during senior year as a prize for remaining celibate during college and thus staying loyal to the LORDS. Matt had planned to keep Blake as his, but Blake's father forces Ryat to choose her instead. As punishment, Matt has to choose another - Ashley. Blakely is persuaded by her best friend Sarah (and secretly by Ryat) to attend the ritual party, where Sarah is paired with Gunner. Blake gives into Ryat and they do it (a lot.) In fact, 99% of the book is them doing bedroom activities and elsewhere. Blake is a virgin because Matt refused to sleep with her during his celibacy, and since the LORDS was kept a secret from her, she felt he just didn't want to do it with her. It is revealed that Matt and Blake's mothers arranged for them to be married so it would save Matt's family from bankruptcy. However, Ryat foils that plan when he marries Blake in a secret rushed wedding. It is also revealed that Blake's mother is not her real mother and that the woman (Leanne) who Matt killed at the beginning was. Matt and Blake's stepmother kidnap her and try to steal her baby, after they learn she's pregnant. Ryat had previously placed a tracker on her so he finds her before Matt can rape her. They kill Matt's father, Matt and the stepmother, and it is revealed that Blake's mother, Leanne is still alive. She faked her death because she had put a hit on her own "husband" because he was her assignment. An assignment that took her away from her family, even though she was technically married to Blake's father. She wanted the assignment to be over and knew that Matt and Ryat were coming. In the end, Ryatt and Blake have two twin boys and a daughter. Blake doesn't want her sons to join the LORDS but one of them is adamant about joining.

[lisabythebook]

Title: A Dawn of Onyx Author: Kate Golden Genre: NA Fantasy Subgenre(s): Romantasy, Romance Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

Short Synopsis: Arwen Valondale finds herself a prisoner of the Onyx Kingdom, after trading her life for her brother's. In order to ensure her family is able to flee the Amber Kingdom, a kingdom in which Onyx has waged war against, she offers up her mysterious healing powers to heal Onyx soldiers. Surrounded by woods and the terrifying creatures in them, and catching the attention of the ruthless Onyx King, Arwen must navigate the treacherous kingdom and find a way to reunite with her family.

Review: (minor spoilers in the tropes) This book isn't perfect but it is the perfect distraction and a fun ride. All the tropes you'd want in a Romantasy are present here, including but not limited to: sharing one horse, "who did this to you," enemies to lovers, touch her and die, chosen one, royalty, captive, and hidden identities. While I ate this book up, I wish it had more diversity.

[lisabythebook]

The Writing Retreat

Title: The Writing Retreat Author: Julia Bartz Genre: Thriller Subgenre(s): Sapphic Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Short Synopsis: A failing Writer is given the opportunity of a lifetime to attend a writing retreat hosted by her writing idol. The retreat comes with a few caveats, one being she has to stay in the isolated mansion for one month with her ex-bestfriend, now nemesis.

Review: I couldn’t put this one down and managed to finish it in just two sittings. At first, I wasn’t sure if this was a DNF because I found the main character, Alex, highly unlikeable, whiny, and childish. But I believe that her character fits within the story and her motivations.

While I was able to predict a portion of the twist, it was still a wild ride getting there. I appreciated the fact that the resolution wasn’t just an evil villain speech that revealed everything that turns into a quick resolution at the end. The Author really made the characters work to get there. I felt the antagonist was quite complex and found it difficult to completely hate her, which I felt played into the fact that she was good at manipulating those around her — even the reader.

There were some parts early on in the book that felt cringy and forced, but all in all a fun and fast paced read. TY to Atria for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

** MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW **

[lisabythebook]

A Dreadful Splendor

Title: A Dreadful Splendor Author: BR Myers Genre: Gothic Mystery Subgenre(s): Historical Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: One of my favorite reads of the year. It was everything I wanted in a chilling gothic mystery set in a haunted victorian mansion on the cliffside, on the sea.

A bride is killed on the eve of her wedding. A fake spiritualist is hired to lure the killer out. But she soon discovers she cannot trust anyone in the estate, and they shouldn’t trust her either.

(Spoiler free) I really enjoyed the haunting atmosphere and following Jenny, the spiritualist, on this journey. She was a well thought out protagonist with an unfortunate backstory — but it helped us understand her decisions. I was also really drawn in by the chemistry and romance between Jenny and her love interest.

This book is reminiscent of old fashioned gothic romance thrillers of the 60’s, and it was a fun read. However, I was able to guess the biggest plot twist at 1/3 of the book. It was still fun to discover who was responsible and the motive though! I also felt the resolution was rushed and generally don’t like when the villain just spells the entire story out for us and the MC.

While Jenny was given a lot of depth as a character, the other side characters that played some major roles in the plot, as well as the antagonist didn’t feel fleshed out. Their motives at the end didn’t really feel convincing.

I still think it is a strong 4.75 or 5 stars because I loved the gothic and mystery elements so much! I had a great time reading this one!

*** MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW ***

Full Summary: Guinevere (aka Jenny) is a fake Spiritualist who learned all her tricks from her mother. She is conducting a seance for a wealthy family, intent on running off with their jewels when she is apprehended by the Constable.

She is about to be sentenced to death because she was implicated in her mother's death before the book began. A lawyer overhears her case at the local jail. He is there representing his client who believes his fiance was murdered. In jail, Jenny expects to be bailed out by Miss Crane, the woman who owns the brothel she is staying in. Previously, Jenny's mother had a deal with Miss Crane that allowed her to stay without having to be "one of the girls." She still owed rent though. Jenny had saved up some money to run away but the woman had found the money and told her she was SOL. The lawyer, Mr. Lockhart, bails her out in exchange for Jenny to hold a seance at their estate, where she will convince the owner, Mr. Pemberton that his fiance, Lady Audra is at peace.

The chapters are interspersed with diary entries from Lady Audra. We learn that she can't inherit the estate from her father upon his death because she is a woman. Her father finds Mr. Pemberton who has somewhat of a distant bloodline, to marry Lady Audra and inherit the estate from her. At first, Lady Audra and William, whose father was a blacksmith and passed away, share intimate moments and William is in love with Audra. Audra's father allows William to stay in the manor after his death, according to his will.

Lady Audra realizes that Pemberton is only marrying her out of obligation and doesn't love her. She finds love in the doctor, who is also Pemberton's best friend.

Meanwhile, Pemberton is determined to find Audra's killer because he feels guilty for having ignored her most of the time. He tells Jenny he knows she's a fake and threatens to call the Constable if she doesn't try to use her seance to lure the killer out. They choose to hold the seance in the library.

Jenny meets Flora who is a maid at the manor. She believes Flora is in love with the stable boy but in reality, Flora is coaxed into a scheme by William who manipulates her. Lady Audra was supposed to be locked in her room on the eve of her wedding, with the head of the house lady posted at her door. Somehow, she ends up supposedly jumping off the cliff, with her body being found later. Jenny discovers that the manor has secret passageways that only Lady Audra knew about. She used it to get outside. When Jenny walked through the secret door in her wardrobe and ending up in the library, she discovers William telling Flora to poison her and that he is the rightful heir to the manor. William was actually the son of Audra's father before he married Audra's mother. He was sent away because Audra's grandfather did not approve his marriage to a commoner. The blacksmith that was raising him wanted a lot of money and was killed by Audra's father to keep him quiet.

Jenny also finds Audra's diary and finds out that she was pregnant and planned to run away with the doctor. When it came time for the seance, everything goes wrong and the ghost of Audra appears and points her finger at Pemberton. William is also poisoned and dies. Jenny follows Audra through the secret passage and is bonked on the head when she arrives down below, in the cellars.

It is revealed that Audra thought the doctor didn't show any sign of sadness at her death (although he was just holding it in to cover up the affair) and when she jumped, the tide had been high enough to save her. She crawled into the secret cellar and Lockhart helped her. If Pemberton and William don't inherit the manor, then it goes to Lockhart, and Lockhart assured Audra that the plan would be to re-hire new staff and in a few years bring her back as a niece. Audra believes the manor was meant for her and she could never come back as someone else. Lockhart tries to kill Jenny but Audra stops him, and ends up killing him. Audra tries to convince Jenny to drown in the water with her, as sisters, destined to haunt the halls of the estate forever. Audra is killed when Pemberton and the stable boy come down to rescue to Jenny.

Jenny also discovers that the Constable from earlier was in cohoots with Miss Crane and had framed Jenny for the murder of her mother. Jenny and her mother were arguing because Jenny had walked in on her mother selling her body to keep a room at the brothel and she was disgusted by her mother. Her mother falls off the stairs and Miss Crane secretly stops her from breathing to kill her. Miss Crane had always wanted Jenny to be one of the girls at the brothel. Miss Crane bribed the constable to point the finger at Jenny but it is all revealed at the end and Miss Crane is put on trial for several murders. She also finds a letter that her mother had sent to her grandmother and Miss Crane hid and never sent.

Jenny and Pemberton fall in love and Jenny reunites with her family in France.

[lisabythebook]

House of Hunger

Title: House of Hunger Author: Alexis Henderson Genre: Horror Subgenre(s): Dark Fantasy, Gothic, LGBTQ+ Rating: 3.75

“Hunger makes monsters of the kindest souls. And to be quite honest . . . I’ve never been particularly kind.”

Review: Fans of A Dowry of Blood may like this book. It features a similar gothic atmosphere but while ADoB is a lyrical saga written as a letter to the reader, HoH is a slow burning gothic mystery with hints of Horror. Both are in their own ways, a sapphic retelling of Dracula's brides.

House of Hunger follows Marion who signs up to be a blood maid, out of a desperation to escape poverty. For the people in the North, being a blood maid is akin to "marrying" into the House. Marion finds herself in the House of Hunger -- the original house of the first "vampire." There, she discovers that Lisavet, the Countess, has 4 other blood maids to slake her hunger as Lisavet's bloodline suffers from a sickness that makes her thirst for blood insatiable. Marion is thrust into a dangerous world of blood, hunger, and deadly secrets.

The first 70% of the book is slow. I felt as if nothing really happened until well into the book. But by the last quarter, the action went into overdrive and I found myself panic reading to get to the finale. While I don't think the ending was rushed, I felt the Author took too much time in the first half building a haunting atmosphere and less time building up to the climax.

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Hide

Title: Hide Author: Kiersten White Genre: YA Thriller Subgenre(s): Paranormal, Horror Rating: ⭑⭑⭑.75

There were a few instances early on that made me wonder if this book was a DNF. I think Kiersten White's writing style takes a bit getting use to. I had the same thought with her Camelot series. There were far too many characters to keep track of in the beginning, and Mack didn't make that strong of a main character. In fact, I think Ava should've been the MC.

I felt the plot twist was a little unoriginal but the second half of the book was exciting enough to keep my interest. The sapphic relationship was cute but underdeveloped. Though, I did like the commentary it was trying to make about the rich and the rise of social media/influencers.

The ending was very abrupt and I would've appreciated a little more of a resolution.

⭒⭒⭒ MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW ⭒⭒⭒ Please do not read if you don't want the entire plot spoiled.

Synopsis: Mack is living at a homeless shelter when the Director of the shelter encourages her to apply for a Hide and Seek competition where the winner will win a large amount of money. When she arrives, she is bussed into an abandoned amusement park along with 13 other players. They are all young adults from all walks of life. The woman, Linda, who runs the competition is cheery, greets them, and explains the rules. She also provides them with food. At dawn, all the players have 30 minutes to hide in the park. Two players are taken out each day by seekers and the game goes on for 7 days. When it gets dark / when a spotlight signs from base camp, they are safe to return to camp to sleep, eat, and use the bathroom.

As the players start to get taken out of the game, they realize that something is amiss. Mack also meets 2 Avas (Pretty Ava and her Ava). Her Ava is ex-military and also has a physical disability with her leg. She is at first untrusting of everyone and apprehensive about Ava, who continues to stick by her.

We find out from Jaden that Mack's family is well known -- Mack's dad killed his entire family including her mother and sister, and himself. Mack was able to hide and not be found -- but it was because she stole her little sister's hiding spot. Her sister had shown it to her a few weeks prior. There wasn't enough room for both of them. The pretty Ava teams up with Jaden. The two of them purposely follows a player one day and sabotages her hiding spot, causing her to be found. One of the other players finds out that the park is a maze and he tags arrows on the trees with his spray paint.

After some suspicious things happen, we find out that Linda's family and the town has made a deal with a monster in the park. Several families, including her grandparents sacrificed themselves to the monster so that their offspring will become successful and wealthy. In order to appease the monster, they locked it away in a park, and have to feed it 14 people every 7 years. However, the sacrifices have to be blood related, so they find distant relatives to trick into the park.

They also build electric fences around the perimeter and have guard towers erected. The guards are told to shoot anyone who tries to escape.

LeGrand is a timid character whose father is the leader of a cult. He wants to ultimately save his sister from the cult. LeGrand, Mack, Ava and Brandon team up. Brandon is a lonely but nice guy. They decide to hide together, while pretty Ava and Jaden stick together. Jaden betrays Ava and hides in a one person spot while she is stuck out in the open with no time to hide. Mack and her Ava also form a romantic connection.

Pretty Ava is chased by the monster, while the other group witnesses it from their hiding spot. Mack's Ava pops out and chases Pretty Ava to help her but Mack's Ava can't see the monster like the others can. She witnesses pretty Ava get eaten by an invisible monster and then group thinks both Avas are dead.

Mack, Brandon and LeGrand go find Jaden to stop him once and for all. Brandon and Jaden fight it out and Brandon takes both of them out by jumping off the hiding spot. Brandon is killed instantly but Jaden is still alive. The group runs while Jaden is eaten by the monster. Ava meanwhile is alive and manages to kill a guard from the guard tower.

The group reunites with Mack's Ava and they end up at Linda's house, where they find her diary. They find out the truth while Linda comes home. They have Linda tied up and she explains that the monster will only eat relatives who are still alive, so they need more sacrifices to replace Brandon who died, and Mack's Ava, who cannot see the monster because she is not blood related.

Mack convinces Linda that she will go back into the park if Linda promises to save LeGrand's sister from the cult, and to give the prize money to Mack's Ava. Linda agrees but plans to kill Ava afterwards.

After Linda drops the group back at the park, she goes home to sleep. But the guards alert her to the group having a gun. It turns out that Mack had never planned on being a sacrifice. She stole Linda's gun from the house and enacted a plan. LeGrand distracts the guards while Ava drags a generator to the guard tower, and Mack lures the monster to the edge of the park with her blood. Linda comes in to stop them, but she is shot by LeGrand. They detonate the generator explosive but miss the monster.

Linda states that they detonated too early. But Mack informs her that they didn't plan on killing the monster -- just opening the gates for it to escape. The group then hops in Linda's car and leaves.

[lisabythebook]

 Arch-Conspirator

Title:  Arch-Conspirator Author: Veronica Roth Genre: Dystopian Subgenre(s): Sci Fi, Greek Tragedy Retelling Rating: ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

"I asked my father, once, why he chose to curse us before we were born. Because to be born as my siblings and I were was to be doomed from the start." Review: There is so much to unpack here. For the length of this book, Roth was able to touch on so much. The book is a retelling of Antigone, a Greek tragedy that I am personally not familiar with. You don’t need to know the play to understand the story. We’re brought right into a dystopian world, where Antigone’s parents have been murdered in a riot orchestrated by her uncle and she and her siblings are subsequently forced to live with him.

Throughout the book, you learn little details about the world — think Gattaca meets Handmaid’s Tale. The planet is mostly uninhabitable save for the small piece of land that Antigone's tyrant uncle controls. Women are only protected for their wombs and genetics works differently here. Roth is able to squeeze in themes of oppression, genetic modification, cloning and the existence of souls all into under 150 pages.

Overall a quick and fun sci fi read!

Ps. It’s pronounced “an-tig-guh-nee” 😅

[lisabythebook]

Divine Rivals

Title: Divine Rivals Author: Rebecca Ross Genre: YA Romance Subgenre(s): Fantasy, Historical Rating: ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

Review: The logline is a tad misleading. This is first and foremost an epic rivals to lovers Romance, set during a magical war between Gods. There is a brief mention of the lore and history of the war but the magical elements aren't really the focus and the war is a catalyst for Iris and Roman's Romance.

While I went in expecting this to be more of an Epic Fantasy with a side of Romance, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this more. Iris is a strong lead and the banter between her and Roman was both hilarious and endearing. The book had a lot of cute and strong moments for a story that is set in the backdrop of a war. Even if you aren't a Fantasy fan, Romance lovers will definitely enjoy this book.

⭒⭒⭒ MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD ⭒⭒⭒

Full Synopsis: I am mainly writing this because there is a good chance I will completely forget the plot before the sequel comes out (Yes, unfortunately, this ends on a cliff hanger.) Please AVOID reading any further if you don't want the entire plot spoiled.

Iris and Roman are two journalists competing for a columnist position at their town's more prestigious newspaper. While both talented, Iris is a shoo-in for the position, except her home life hinders her. Her older brother has left to fight in the war - a war between two Gods who have recently awoken.

Dacre was a God who lived underground - similar to Hades, while Enva was a sky God. Bored one day, Dacre was enamored by Enva's musical talents / beauty and basically forced her into going underground with him. One day, Enva realized that if she sung lullabies, she could put Dacre and his subjects into a slumber. She used this as an opportunity to escape. She went back and played her lullabies for so long that they believe it put Dacre and all the other Gods into a long slumber. It was believed that Enva was also asleep and that all the Gods were defeated by humans but Iris suspects Enva had been awake the whole time. Iris' brother goes to fight on Enva's side.

Iris' mother is an alcoholic and lost her job after Forest left to fight in the war. She is accidentally killed one day. One night, Iris decides to type a letter to Forest on her grandmother's old typewriter. Little does she know, when she places it in the wardrobe, it is sent to Roman. Iris loses the Columnist position to Roman due to her grief over her mother's death and decides to sign up to be a war correspondent with a competing paper. She wants a chance to look for Forest as he never wrote to her like promised. Roman and Iris had been communicating via their magical typewriters, which belonged to their grandmothers and were specially made with magical abilities to be able to communicate with the other typewriter. Roman doesn't tell Iris who he is and instead goes by his middle name, Carver. Iris tells him she is leaving and he realizes she is headed towards war. Roman also finds out he is betrothed to a girl whose family builds bombs/weapons for Dacre. His family owns the railroads.

In the new town, Iris meets a woman (Marisol) who owns a B&B and another war correspondent (Attie) from her hometown. Marisol's wife (Keegan) is also fighting in the war. Marisol warns them that there are 3 alarms, one during the day that means flying Eithrals would drop bombs on any moving thing below; one at night which meant the hounds were out; and one that meant they had to evac because the town before theirs was being overtaken.

Roman ditches the job and his family and arrives in Avalon Bluff as an eithral alarm was going off and Iris saves him. They volunteer to go to the front lines to observe and report. However, Iris almost gets killed and Roman saves her but his leg gets badly damaged. Iris loses her mother's locket in the chaos. Roman reveals to Iris that he is Carver and they reconcile and Roman proposes. That same day, the evac alarm goes off and Iris gets word that her brother is still alive and fighting close by. She decides to stay with Marisol, Attie, and Keegan. Roman stays with her. That night, the gang plans a wedding for Roman and Iris and they get married.

The next morning, the town is attacked with tear gas and everyone gets separated. Attie and Iris were supposed to bring Roman and Marisol to a lorry and drive Marisol to her family near Oath (Iris' hometown). Iris sees Attie and Marisol headed towards the lorry while she is pulled by who she thinks is Roman in a gas mask. She is dragged away from the lorry and she realizes that it isn't Roman, but her brother, Forest. She sees Roman struggling behind her in the gas cloud but can't get to him.

Forest drags her away to safety. She finds out Forest has the locket she dropped when Dacre's forces were advancing on them at the front lines and realized he was fighting for Dacre. Apparently when he was mortally wounded fighting for Enva, Dacre healed him but forces him to fight for his side. He was pulled out of it when he saw the locket on the ground and knew Iris was fighting nearby. When they went back to look for Roman, Forest noticed a circle on the grass where they left him and knew that Dacre had taken Roman underground. Iris and Forest make it back to Oath/their home, while Dacre finds Roman and chooses to revive him. He does not set fire to Avalon because he has plans for it