Review: Total Shutdown by Ruth Stilling

Total Shutdown by Ruth Stilling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not gonna lie, the cover grabbed my attention and made me buy this book. Along with the blurb, but the cover is fantastic. 

And overall I enjoyed this book. It's a very quick read - finished it in one sitting. Collins is a feisty character who knows exactly what she wants and isn't (normally) afraid to tell anyone what's on her mind. Anyone that isn't Sawyer apparently. With him she's more on guard because she can tell things with him could get intense quickly and she's not ready for that. 

I also love her connection with Sawyer's son Ezra. 12 year olds are tricky to connect with and seeing her bond with him so quickly was great. Especially since Collins doesn't think she does well with kids. 

Sawyer stole the show for me. He's extremely intense and he fell first so hardcore for Collins. He knew what he wanted and could tell Collins felt the same even though she was hesitant. He didn't give up and was persistent with his communication with Collins. 

I did think the friend circle and the hockey world was a bit confusing. Im guessing because this is book 2 in a series and most would have met the rest of the characters it would click better, but as a new reader into this series with this book it was all a bit blurry and hard to keep up. 

Overall I thought it was a good story and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. 

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Review: Deathrider by Juliette Cross

Deathrider by Juliette Cross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book by far is my favorite in the series! I thought i loved Malina, but Anya has thrown herself into spot #1 and never left. I devoured this book and I'm quite sad it's already done. 

Anya is a fierce gladiator and seeing her use her magic was amazing. She has no fear and wields her magic with ease and familiarity. Her shadows haunt her daily but she's learned to accept the curse that comes with her magic. 

I love that she discovered that her sister was alive and made it her sole mission to find her after 4 years. She is fearless and so incredibly brave. Nothing was going to get in her way until she was reunited with her family. Seeing her develop feelings towards Alaric was so sweet since she had no clue what was happening, having never felt those feelings before. 

Alaric is fantastic. His secrets were pretty easily to figure out but i adored his fascination and commitment to Anya. Honestly the way he reacted at their first meeting, the reader knew he was done for. And Alaric was oh so happy to follow Anya to wherever she may lead him. 

The ending? The justice to Caesar? I legit cried because it was definitely the best choice to make. Actually this book had me crying a few times with all of the emotion that came bottling over with reunions and reliving past memories. 

I can't think of the last time I liked the LAST book the most, but it definitely happened here. I'm so glad I chose to reread book 1 and binge read through all 3 books to have everything fresh in my mind and be fully immersed into this world. I can't wait to add book 3 to the amazing edges on my shelves and see the trilogy in is entirety! 

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Review: Bloodsinger by Juliette Cross

Bloodsinger by Juliette Cross
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Finally got to dive into Lela's story! I really liked that she was paired with Trajan as I liked him a lot of Firebird. And I think Lela is definitely a fighter, once she embraced her magic. 

And for the most part I liked this book. Not nearly as much as book 1 though. This had a lot to do with the revolution and the politics which really bored me and had me start skimming more often than not. The connection between the characters wasnt nearly as strong as book 1 so that was a major part of why I felt blah about it. 

I'm glad I stuck through it to get to the end for the reveal about book 3 because I think I know the pairing and if so I'm really hoping that interaction will go off like fireworks! Very excited to see how this all ends. 

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Review: Firebird by Juliette Cross

Firebird by Juliette Cross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Very glad I decided to reread this first novel in preparation for diving into books 2 and 3. Still loved it and glad I get to revisit again. 

My review from March 2025:

I received this free eARC novel from Edelweiss. This is my honest review. 

I have been wanting to read this book for awhile now and I am so glad Edelweiss approved my request! 

I loved Malina. She has so much confidence and spunk. She knows she capable of taking care of herself because of her gift. But she also knows what she believes in and doesn't stray them. 

Julianus is intriguing. He knows his uncle is evil and has a long winded plan to overcome his rule. He's brutal and cunning. But the moment he lays eyes on Malina, he knows everything takes a back seat to his devotion to her. 

I love that this didn't end on a completely awful ending, yet more will be coming! It's refreshing to not be in agony when ending a book for once. 

I'm so glad I got to read this and can't wait for all of my special edition copies to get delivered!

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Review: Catching Feelings by Emily Charlotte

Catching Feelings by Emily Charlotte
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm a bit bummed I didn't love this more. Book one was great and I was great and i loved the characters and the tension and the friendimies vibes. 

But in this book Sabrina and Tyler are extremely similar to each other, and they are both people pleasers. Which unfortunately I am not a fan of so seeing them struggle to have normal conversations was hard for me. Plus Sabrina is wat too preppy for my personality. Then add in the secret relationship and I was pretty much realizing this book wasn't for me sadly. 

I still think I'm going to love this author, but this book definitely didn't vibe with my tastes. I'm so glad i read it and can tell this will be loved by most.

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Review: Kissed by the Gods by Caty Rogan

Kissed by the Gods by Caty Rogan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'm a bit conflicted by this book. I liked it but also... didn't? Not hated it but im indifferent to it? I'm finding it really hard to explain. The story and the world and the characters were all fine but I wasnt consumed by the book. I wanted to see what happened next but was also okay to dnf it. I'm not sure I've ever felt this way about a book before. 

This had the Fourth Wing vibes with the fighting and training and their crew of characters. But doesn't have the deep connections I get with FW. Leina is definitely a fighter and a likeable character but maybe she's not that relatable? I think she's distanced herself from everything after the incident at the wedding and then watching all of her family members for that she blocks herself from feeling emotions or allowing the reader to feel emotions? I mean, she DOES but in a dulled sort of way? 

And Ryot is just a mess. You can tell he's fighting his attraction for Leina right at the beginning and then the reveal at the end about who his family is? That's a giant betrayal to Leina. Their relationship is pretty much doomed.

So yeah... didn't love this book. Didn't hate it. I'm probably not going to continue reading it if I'm already feeling these sorts of ways with book 1. 

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Review: The Casanova Complex by Maren Moore

The Casanova Complex by Maren Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I absolutely devoured this book! I love Merritt and Bennet together. They are so feisty and complete opposites, but they just work for each other. I love how Bennett was literally speechless when he met Merritt and that was the whole vibe throughout the whole book. The guy falling first is one of my top tropes and Maren Moore did it so well. 

Merritt is such a tough chick. But she's so gooey inside too. Once you are in her circle of people she cares about, she will go to any lengths to make sure you feel seen and adored. I did think her overprotectiveness with Elliott was a bit much once i met him and discovered his age. He is definitely at an age where he can do things (some, not all of course) on his own and I think it was more of Merritt not wanting to let go of her control. I also felt like her two girl friends just disappeared in the middle of the story and didn't reappear or were mentioned again which was a bit odd to me. 

Bennett was great, though a bit too cocky to be honest. It was just an act for most of it but still got to be a bit much at times. But I loved that he kept up his grades because he wanted to and not just because of hockey. And him liking things clean and neat and hot annoyed that his roommates didn't feel the same? Loved. 

So glad we got Bennett's story and glad I got to read this novel! 

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