Erica Paulk

not for me

Reviewed: 05-14-24

Alrighty then. This is a tough review because it wasn't bad but it didn’t reach my expectations either. First off this is not a book. Obviously. But for some reason, I still assumed there would be thoughts and world-building, maybe some first-person perspective.

Even so, Impact Winter has an amazing full cast. The background noise and voices made it sound like they were in the room with me. I constantly looked over my shoulder. Yet here is the crux. It was exactly like watching a movie with your eyes closed. You miss all the bright colors and fullness of the inner monologs. It was a shell of a story and I couldn't get invested.

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No smut here, move along lol

Reviewed: 08-14-23

A quick and easy summer read. Yet nothing stood out so a bit forgettable. Yet most the time with these cute little romances I don't expect to be blown away so no hard feelings. The Unhoneymooners and The Hating Game were mentioned in the summary and that immediately let me know that this will not be as good. Also, be aware the audiobook narrated by Inés del Castillo was muffled even though it was a revision of the first.

We start with misunderstandings and past hurts that keep the characters from being happy. I did love the adventure of the cruise though. The post office was my favorite and I had to immediately add it to my bucket list. Still, it was too perfect. Everything they saw together was one of a kind and breathtaking and everyday perfection like the author was trying to sell this fictional cruise line.

Henley was an okay character. She threw a little too many pity parties I think I actually liked her sister more. Graeme was bland and it wasn't clear why he even liked Henley. And not to mention the side characters had no depth at all. Yet in the end, it was cozy, adventurous, and predictable in a way we hope it to be.

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My nerves can't handle this but it's so good.

Reviewed: 08-06-23

Again a steady and successful book. I'm getting nervous. How does this guy do it and will the last book hold up? I think so. Peirce is a machine.

This book was hella stressful. Sometimes it seemed like the author did anything he could to not let Darrow go home. But all necessary I assure you. And the gang is back together again. Omg nostalgia was nipping at my heels the entire time. This is how it always should have been. The book started to feel like home coming full circle.

Darrow repeatedly proves his leadership making me so proud to follow him. Hail Reaper! I had my worries at times but he admits his faults and always holds true. I just hope he gets a chance to enjoy what he has fought so hard for. I am also interested in how he will keep history from repeating itself in the end. Clang Clang Clang! Confess!

Lysander has been holding back. We get a lot of his character arc here. He takes some turns I was sure he would never take. Cassius ugh I wish he could have looked beyond his hate in the beginning but he is growing wiser now. Still never letting go of that unabashed charm. Sevro, well we can talk about him no spoilers here. He goes to a dark place. Fear of losing others will do that to you.

All of these characters are so complex. You follow them for so long in this fictional setting that they start becoming real. They change. The one character who has always shown strength starts to weaken, another who was stubborn to the truth accepts it. The characters start to question if they are wanted for who they really are. They are becoming real to me and the loss is heartbreaking.

Peirce definitely ripped out my heart here. Life isn't fair. I need curl up in a ball now and cry so go away.



Quotes:

'Honour is the first casualty.'

'You are tiny, you will get hurt.' -Volga
'Then protect me from the giants and I'll protect you from the wolves' -Lyria

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In a fight without technology Golds rule

Reviewed: 08-06-23

This series has kept a steady pace in the high-octane writing style and the author's ability to spit them out every year. Just the mere fact of that astounds me. I also just learned that he wrote the first book in two months. My jaw hit the floor. I don't want to be rude but is Pierce Brown human and also not his future self who is already successful?

The audiobook is the way to go with Tim Gerald Reynolds taking the lead. Still, with six books out, there is always a possibility of change and in true fashion two of the other narrators were replaced from Iron Gold and the next book is just Reynolds, so heads up. I dislike inconsistencies with audiobooks but this one wasn't terrible enough to ruin the experience.

Lyria was not my favorite character maybe because she didn’t have much of a purpose. Well she finally steps up to the plate. I started to enjoy Lyria's story and smiled to see how far she had come. But all that aside Victra was the prize. It was honestly like watching a wrathful God. When matched with lower colors without heavy weapons the difference was staggering. To see how her brain pushed aside her weariness and loss to slaughter was almost mechanical. She was everything a Gold was engineered to be. I didn't get enough. I wanted a whole book of Victra and I'm not even sure I wanted it thru her eyes. To see her from a low Red was truly like witnessing a God.

Darrow is now on Mercury trying for this one last push to turn the tide. Still he is making many decisions I am not sure I can agree with but also I am not in his position. Darrow tries his best but without Mustang looking over his shoulder it is hard to know what is right. My favorite thing about this book was the sense of nostalgia. A moment in which technology is off the table and colors rule. With all the shields and weapons we forget the might of the Gold. They tear thru the low colors like tissue paper. The fights were very intense the story never lags and I could never be sure of where it was going. Just perfect.

There was maybe one too many monologs but I have to truly reach to complain about this series. Rereads are absolutely necessary. This is whole worlds full of complex beings. It gets better every time.



Quotes:

'I am the walking death. Whoa to those who cross my shadow.'

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perfect everything blood d@mn perfect

Reviewed: 07-19-23

2nd reread.

Bloody d@mn good first book. It took a little while to get into because there is so much world-building, character development, and politics. I honestly loved it better my second and third time reading. And after writing down thirty notes I was able to keep up, learn all the characters and get a feel for the world and the different tiers of the hierarchy. It's a very complex story but absolutely worth getting to know.

The comradery of the characters drew me in completely. Darrow has slowly become an honorable and bold leader. I just wanted to crawl in the book and follow him to the very gates of hell. *HOWL* But he is also human. While he is amazing at things he is not always the best and he does not always do whats right. It was humbling watching him adjust to this new world. Oh boy I could not stop laughing at the brotherhood they all shared and sadly I felt left out. These friendships are built and built upon making my love for them grow. I just hope to earn my own wolf cloak one day.

Not only is the main character unforgettable, his comrades are too. Virginia was a perfect match in every way. Strong ,wicked smart, and caring. Sevro good grief what an idiot. I love him so much. Mischievous, a jerk, and downright disgusting. I wouldn't change a thing. He is so small and not worth your notice until he is at your throat. Tactus you..... ugh. I hate-love you so much. And how could anyone forget PAX AU TELEMANUS!

Ever since this story, I have been looking for more like it........How did I think I could find another book even remotely close to this? Three re-reads later and the battles still give me chills and thrills. You forget that these are teenagers. They age so quickly but understandably so. We get to grow with Darrow, learn with him, and become proud pack members. Cry when he is hurt laugh when he is happy. I still gasp everytime I read. This series is perfection itself. I just want to be in house Mars so bad *cry*.

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WWI type setting with magic and pure perfection

Reviewed: 07-19-23

Caution: cliffhanger ahead.

This is that author. The one where whatever she writes I will buy without even looking into it. What can I say, Rebecca Ross can write an achingly sweet romance like no ones business. Her style is so subtle yet engaging. Atmospheric and downright real.

So let's move on to the characters. Iris and Roman, two rivals with talent to spare. There was an instant connection felt. I cannot stress enough how beautiful this writing is. It's one thing to write a story but it is another to make that story feel like it's not just beginning but has always been. Oh yes the characters ha. Told from two pov's Iris is a strong-willed girl. Easily relatable and interesting to follow. Roman on the other-hand seems like your typical rich snob but there is so much more underneath.

This was blushingly sweet. Strangers exchanging letters. Writing what they can't say out loud. Sadly though the world is in the throws of war. I got very vivid World War I vibes. And the atmosphere was masterfully done. I'm not sure how but even without every little description I was building a perfect picture in my mind.

We are walking through a grey world following two sparks of life. I felt as Iris did. That good things never last and that bad was around every corner. Any moment their light could be snuffed out. So they burned all the brighter. Love is more highly felt at the end of the world. With Ross's books, I'm always left with wanting more and I thrill at the feeling. This story was pure magic.

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just leads to nowhere

Reviewed: 05-13-23

Definitely started off with an aura of Red Rising and The Name of the Wind. Two of my favorite books. So I was in it to win it. I guess you probably know where this is going. That is extremely high stakes to claim. The narration was well done. Samuel Roukin had a great voice. This whole book started on the right foot but it could not seem to break the surface. Hour after hour of listening was a plot build-up that never went anywhere. I was not more knowledgeable at the end than I was near the beginning.

Sad really. It had a lot of potential. Rich vast history. Sci-fi with a Roman atmosphere. The world-building was a bit lacking but the protagonist had gumption. Still, there was a slow built up to absolutely nothing. I can't stress that enough. Twenty-six hours to what is seemingly going to be a cliffhanger and even that was a letdown. Instead, it was Twenty-six hours of Hadrian getting a beatdown.

This was somewhat well written just not from the perspective of the reader. We were promised a Sun Eater what we got was a contradictory doormat. For someone so interested in alien life he isn't very nice to them. You watch Hadrian sympathize with the aliens and feel deep down that he is their salvation yet he does nothing. I could identify with him and the secondary characters were mostly one-dimensional.

This read too much like other famous books but without the payoff. Still, in retrospect the build-up was so great I feel like the rest of the series could be spectacular although I'm too upset with the time I lost to care to read book 2. So I will be cutting the journey short here.

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missed the mark big time

Reviewed: 10-28-22

Ouch so close. While reading Kingdom of the Wicked I felt something missing. Now, after reading reviews, I figured out what that was. World building. The story takes place in Italy. What peroid? Who knows. There was so much description of food and Emelia's dresses that the story suffered greatly from it. The author had focused on the main character to the point where the rest of the world blurred away.

My number one complaint is when an author proceeds to tell the reader what to think instead of showing them. A book can become a different experience for each person but when you all are told the same thing over and over again the knowledge is not gained it is forced. "Wrath is always there for me. Wrath saved me. Wrath Wrath Wrath." Repeat repeat. The story becomes mostly filler and the plot goes nowhere.

The concept of the story was so much fun. Witches and the sons of the devil, the seven deadly sins. Also I was listening to the audiobook and loved the Italian accent. I was all in from the beginning. But then the food and the romance book talk became very much cliché. And it was strange how the world was discribed thru dialog. Emelia would be in the middle of a break thru or a rush to go out the door but then we would get a five minute description of her dress she was putting on.

Wrath did not live up to his namesake. He was mostly very calm and reasonable and obviously nice to the 10th power. For a son of the devil I just expected a lot more from him. I don't know possibly a bit of anger or of him being an unreasonable prince of Hell. Emelia on the other hand was always angry like a sulking teenager. Her wrath just didn't feel genuine though with all the empty threats she liked making.

Still after all this complaining I'm doing I did listened to the story eagerly. I was interested as to what would happen next. I rolled my eyes at the clichés and kept right on going. The romance was slow burn just like I like. The atmosphere was dark and perfect for the season. Marisa Calin's narration was just about perfect. Anf it had been so long since I read a good romance I was sure this would be it. But when I got to the end of the book and the author had held so much back that I would have to read book two, to satisfy my curiosity I decided to give up. In the end I wasn't given enough to care for what happened next.

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great if you love novellas

Reviewed: 10-27-22

This will be a terribly biased review. Why? Because short stories leave a lot to be desired for me. I enjoyed layers of backstory and time to understand my characters. Still Zachary Quinto did a marvelous job bring this story to life. Listening to the method made me want to look up more of his narrations. And as for the author, honestly the characters already felt well established from chapter one which is not an easy feat.

The dramatization was well done and drew me into the story. Again though it was very short and I could not get a grasp on things. But this also means the story never lagged. For those people who do enjoy novellas this is definitely worth it. As for me I will always seek the drawn out versions.

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You will love this always question?

Reviewed: 04-26-22

It took me longer than I would have thought to sit down and write this review. Why? Honestly because I was obsessed and I didn't want to move on. This was a masterpiece. So much so I could barely pick up another book for two weeks afterward. Unfortunately I missed out on reading The Martian before watching the movie. I didn't realized till later on that it was a book but now after reading Project Hail Mary I am convinced I should give it and all other of Andy Weir books a try, regardless.

The Narrator Ray Potter did an outstanding job. He sounded a lot like Tom Hanks and I though him perfect for the role. This story snagged me from the start. Ryland was hilarious and smart but overall just had a odd outlook on life that I enjoyed immensely. Always getting excited about little things that I couldn't barely grasp the concept of but yet I was still just as excited right along with him. Like an infectious smile. I can't even begin to comprehend the brain power it took to write this book but I enjoyed the heck out of it all the same.

The story contained deep complex characters, a trip to save the world, first contact, and a coming terms to your lot in life that was hard to bare. I got attached to quickly and held on to these characters so tightly I was afraid of losing them. The plot twist was heartbreaking. Ryland, fundamentally a good person, even so, fear can change someone so deeply. Also after meeting Rocky I am convinced we will be forever friends. I felt like I lost apart of myself to him. And leaving this story left a hole in my heart. I cried at the mere thought.

There where so many jaw dropping discoveries and Rylands gift for naming things just made me grin like a loon. There is honestly too much to say about this story and not enough words to do it in. I am in love. I want to read it again. To make everyone else share in the life I lived while immersed. To forget and experience it with fresh eyes a new. It rallied my sense of adventure, my love for space, my interests in unknown cultures. And I will never forget the most epic ending of all time. You will love this always question?

'Humans spent thousands of years looking up at the stars and wondering what was out there. You guys never saw stars at all but you still worked out space travel.'

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