A lot happened in this volume. It feels like the climax of the College arc is coming to an end.
Chise being reckless again, but this time it seems that one of her curses made that choice for her.
I really hope that Philomina's grandmother gets what she deserves. She's a monster.

Bound to the Shadow Prince by Ruby Dixon

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adventurous slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I received this book from NetGalley for review

I went into this book with zero exceptions, I’ve heard of Ruby Dixion before. But I didn’t think to look up who that was before requesting this book. Ice Planet Barbarians, so this book is technically part of the omega-verse. Would’ve liked to know that before hand.

That being said, this book was fine. I did skim over the copious amount of smut scenes, since this type of “intimate” scene isn’t my cup of tea. But I liked the banter between the characters before they started having sex. It was amusing and realistic. But the sex scenes, as the book neared the end, often happened at such odd times in my opinion (Shortly after the FMC was almost SA’d for example). It just felt out of place.

The world-building was pretty weak at times. The magic was very glossed over, to the point where I’d prefer zero explanation over the flimsy descriptions that were given. The dynamic of being locked in a tower for years, didn’t make sense to me. They were given more supplies, during that time, but other than that, there are no windows and the door is bricked shut… It’s not very clear why exactly they had to be locked in complete darkness either. My suspension of disbelief was broken even more by the fact that they would’ve run out of air, even with the slight breeze under the door. It just didn’t make sense to me. Why couldn’t they have one of those windows that you can’t even stick your arm through. Or why they couldn’t have lights. I also didn’t understand why the country the FMC was from wasn’t a Matriarchal society, especially if the women born from their bloodline are supposed to be important. It was just another trope this book had that I’m tired of seeing. Sexism for the sake of sexism.

The characters were, meh. I didn’t care for any of them. There was an attempt to make them multi-dimensional, but it just came across as them being inconsistent. I also saw the twist to Candra’s “cursed blood” a mile away. Something else that bothered me throughout the book is the over use of the swear “dragon shite” It was the only swear used… and it got old fast.

Ultimately, the two main problems with this book are 1) it is way too long, and 2) there’s too many twists. The final 10% was just bonkers, where another 10+ twists happen in a very short span. The conclusion also came abruptly compared to the rest of the book, where things moved so fast they felt glossed over.

This book was both gratuitous in sex and violence, and also very silly.

Content Warnings

The Apothecary Diaries, Volume 1 by Itsuki Nanao, Nekokurage, Natsu Hyuuga

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funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

As I wait for season 2 of the anime, I decided to read the manga.
I love these characters so much. MaoMao is hilarious, and her interaction and reaction to Jinshi is also funny.

Dream a Little Dream of Me by Akira Varma

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emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I received this book from NetGalley for review.

I picked up this book because of the synopsis. I felt like this book was too long, but also too short. Some things felt rushed, while other things felt glossed over.

I also don't really know how to feel about the characters because I don't feel like I really got to know either Cupid and Dream. Chris and Zoya, the two estranged soulmates, are the ones that I got to know the best, but I still feel like there are gaps in their history. Which might be part of the point, since they were more a plot devise than characters.

The narrative sometimes switched perspective between Cupid and Dream mid-paragraph. And that sometimes threw me off. It made the narrative inconsistent. I was more interested in Dream and Cupid, but they weren't as front and center as I would've liked. The author's note mentioned that there's another book, or a sequel of sorts that's going to focus more on Dream. And I like that idea, since this book did start with Dream talking about how his power struggles, something that I felt got pushed so far to the background that I started to forget that was what started the bet.

Boss Bride Days, Volume 7 by Narumi Hasegaki

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funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

While I do enjoy the silliness of this series, I would like more plot to happen beyond Sakura being a mess. I'd like more moments of the boys trying to win her over. I'd also like to start seeing more of Sakura being sure of herself. She has her moments but it's not very consistent.

I feel like there could have been more attempted tender moments with each of the brothers in this volume, but alas, they had a sinister plot to uncover.

I totally saw it coming with that kid Sakura knew from school showing up on the cruise. It was too convientant him being there.

Boss Bride Days, Vol. 6 by Narumi Hasegaki

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really do like Sakura as a character. She is very unsure of her self in the most bizarre times, but really steps up to the plate when things get dicey.
I also like that she finally spent some time with Shusuke. It felt like the last few volumes he was pushed into the background.

Boss Bride Days, Vol. 5 by Narumi Hasegaki

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Sakura really pushes these boys. I like that while she's being pushed out of her comfort zone, she's pushing the boys out of theirs.

Boss Bride Days Vol. 4 by Narumi Hasegaki

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

There was more "plot" in this book than silly shenanigans. (not that I don't like the silly shenanigans)
Sakura is coming out of her shell a bit more.
I think it's cute when characters like Reo (the ultra "tough guy" type) get vulnerable with the FMC. I don't like it in real-life, but in fiction it works.

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marie_thereadingotter's reviews 1174 reviews

marie_thereadingotter's reviews
1174 reviews