🏀I was so excited for this book because of how much I loved the previous books in this series. So while it wasn't my favourite, I still had a great time reading it.

🐘I didn't find myself incredibly invested in the romance. I didn't feel the charicters connection all that strongly, and their feelings for each other felt a bit forced. I thought the whole 'practice relationship' aspect felt a bit....off. I did enjoy the way their romance was written, though, if that makes sense? Like, I enjoyed how it was chill, not overdramatic or over obsessed with each other or anythring. And I love how Kelly writes quiet, vulnerable moments that are full of feeling. I think that's one of the things I love best about Kelly's books.

✏️As well as the way Kelly always puts a large focus on the emotionally difficult things the charicters are going through in their lives. I could really relate and sympathise with the characters in this book because of that. I loved the way it was written. So while I didn't care as much about the romance, I still felt connected to the charicters, and their arcs.

🍴Also, a sapphic book where the characters actually use the word "lesbian"!!!! I also appreciated how Julie had never had sex before but her being a virgin wasn't fetishised or made a big deal of. In fact, the term "virgin" was never even used!

🏀It did feel a bit...old for me. I think it's a better fit for melenials, perhaps. I didn't get the references or the humour.

🐘It was easy to read, quick and entertaining, which was perfect for when I was preparing for my prelims and needed something to relax with.

✏️And I LOVED seeing the characters from the previous books, and what stage their lives and relationships are at now. Some things with them aren't perfect, and I really enjoyed that, it felt comforting. I'm really happy with the parts of them we got to see.

🏀I would recommend if you want an easy sapphic romance with a focus on sport and the charicters emotional struggles.

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Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly

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hopeful lighthearted

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

☀️I read this book on holiday and had the most best time ever.
💞I loved the charicters and their development.
🍳I thought the cooking show setting was so much fun.
🌻Would recommend if you want a sweet sapphic romance, with some more emotional bits sprinkled in.

An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson

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3.0

🦇This book was a bit of a disappointment for me because of how much I loved Gibsons previous book. This one didn't live up to my expectations unfortunately.

🌹I love the concept of this book, but the execution leaves something to be desired. The themes seemed underdeveloped,
I didn't love the charicters, and there was barely any plot to even be interested in. The scraps of plot that we did get felt underdeveloped and rushed. It had so much potential but none of it was used to its full extent.

🖤I did like the dynamic of their relationships.
I liked how Carmilla and Laura work as a couple, and especially how the kinkyer aspects of their interests come together. Although, that was also something I wanted more of, I did enjoy how their feelings towards dom/sub dynamics were explored on an individual level,

"I was, I knew full well, a creature composed of strange desires. They'd always been with me, these hungers."
"Love and pain grew in a thorny Grove inside me, impossible to disentangle from one another."

But I wanted to see more how they worked with these feelings during sex together.

🥀The toxic relationship between Carmilla and De Lafontaine was written well, and I enjoyed the way that theme was explored. Along with Laura coming into that toxic mix as well.

" 'Don't you think it's wrong though? What she does to her students?'
'Right and wrong don't exist, Laura. They're fairy tales made up by priests and parents. There is only art and ugliness, and I'm willing to suffer and indignity for the sake of art. Even at the hands of Mrs D.' "

⚰️The theme of religion and how that mixes with BDSM and vampirism could have been realy interesting, but that also didn't get the level of development I wanted it to. It was just kind of a background thing, which is odd seeing as how big of a role religion is supposed to play in Laura's life.

🍷I wouldn't normally read a retelling of a classic I love, but I needn't have worried because this book barely has anything in common with Carmilla. The only similarities are the charicters names and the presence of vampires. Its a retelling of Carmilla in the same way The Love Hypothesis is a retelling of Star Wars: it felt like fanfic.
So what was the point of writing a retelling of a book when you aren't going to add anything or say anything or have anything in common with the original??

ALSO MAGDELENAIS HERE OMG!!!! I loved seeing her in this story and inteacting with this cast of charicters!!

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The Vampyre; A Tale by John William Polidori

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dark mysterious fast-paced

3.0

❤️🖤🩶❤️🖤🩶

🥀I love reading classic vampire story's. I find it interesting to see where the many characteristics of modern vampires have been pulled from. This one was, for that reason, very interesting to me.
I liked the description of the vampyre having "Dead grey eye(s)". And that the vampyre seemed unable to percieve the objects around him. He has the classic Vampiric charm, meaning everyone wants to invite him into their houses. The vampire/vampyre lore in this book wasn't extensive, but it was interesting.
Lord Ruthven isn't as well known as Count Dracula or Carmilla, but he is definitely deserving of his place among them, especially seeing as he came first.
✨️The plot was lacking. It was very predictable, but that's to be expected. I think it would have benefited from being a bit longer, so the plot points could have been better developed and explored.
🫀I feel like all classic vampire/vampyre story's are inherently romantic and homoerotic, which I love.
🙄Of course, this book was incredibly misogynistic, that's to be expected given the time period it was written in.
⚰️I would recommend this short story if you want to read about one of the original vamps.

❤️🖤🩶❤️🖤🩶

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Timekeeper by Tara Sim

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2.5

💫This book was alright, nothing amazing, but it was fun.
🩷I would have loved this book when I was a preteen just starting to get into reading. And that's why I read it, because I was in the mood for some nostalgic YA fantasy, which is exactly what I got :)
🕑My favourite part of this book is the magic system. I thought all the clock magic was so creative and unique.
🕰I did not enjoy the romance because Colton seemed far too childish and ignorant of human relationships to be in a relationship. It just felt...weird.
🤷‍♀️everything else was alright.
⏳️I do want to read the next book in this series because I'm interested in where the story will go next, but with how many series I'm in the middle of, God knows when that will actually happen!

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Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

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5.0

🩷💛💜🩵🩷💛💜🩵

💫🌟✨️This book made me forget that I was reading✨️🌟💫

👽This book is soooo good and sooo enjoyable!! I never wanted to put it down and was always excited to pick it back up.
The plot is fast, twisty and action packed. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. At some points I was even yelling at the book because of all the emotions it made me feel.

🚀The themes were written and explored so well!! Especially those of radicalisation, reproductive rights, colonialism, and queerness. And how the society you are apart of can effect your view on all of the above, and your own place in the world.

🗡And the charicters were incredibly well developed and written!! I love Kyr, she's so flawed and unlikeable and well writen. She is such a great and interesting main charicter. Yiso and Clio are my other favourite charicters, of course. Yiso's friendship with Kyr was so sweet!

🌍The worldbuilding was interesting, I'm new to sci-fi but I didn't struggle at all with it. This world is the perfect setting to explore these themes in.

🪐The writing sometimes got on my nerves, some times there was too much telling instead of showing, such as :"'with the old one gone, that technology is-' he closed his fist, like crushing something out of existence." Or: "'wow, how deep.' Avi said with heavy sarcasm." The telling is unnecessary in these sentences, we can figure it out on our own.
Or sentences like this: "Ursa would have told her to be less judgmental, but Ursa's opinion had stopped mattering when Ursa left." How many times do you need to say Ursa?????

💫But overall, the writing didn't take away too much enjoyment for me. So while this book has flaws, I still gave it 5 stars because of how much it emotionally impacted me, and how good the story telling was.

🌌I would definitely recommend this book if you like action packed sci-fi with a focus on important, heavy themes, and flawed main charicters.

🩷💛💜🩵🩷💛💜🩵

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charleyyyyy's reviews 78 reviews

charleyyyyy's reviews
78 reviews