mthombs's Reviews

I received an ARC copy of The House of Tanzanite by Onyx Damoure, and I’m genuinely thankful for the opportunity to read it early. There’s a lot to appreciate here—the characters are vibrant and memorable, the plot line has a strong foundation, and the world building is rich enough to pull you in from the start. Damoure clearly put care into crafting a unique setting and cast.

That said, the pacing kept this from being a higher‑rated read for me. There were stretches that felt slow and moments where the story seemed to rush forward too quickly, making it a bit harder to stay fully immersed. With a little tightening and smoothing, the flow of the narrative could match the strength of the characters and world.

Overall, it’s a solid story with great potential, and I’m grateful to have had the chance to read the ARC. I’m curious to see how the series or future works develop.

I received a free ARC of this book from PenPinery in exchange for an honest review.

The Divide had a lot of elements I usually love—dark fae politics, high stakes, and a true forbidden romance between Elowen and Levin. The premise where a fae queen bonding with a human literally costs her life sets up an awesome, high-tension conflict right from the start, and the dark atmosphere of Thornhaven was fun to sink into.

That being said, it landed right in the middle for me. While I liked the dynamic between the leads, the middle of the book slowed down quite a bit, and some of the political intrigue took a backseat. I wanted a little more dynamic tension given how high the stakes were supposed to be, but a lot of the plot progression felt a bit dragged out before picking back up for the ending.

If you love slow-burn dark fae romance with dual POVs and plenty of court drama, it’s definitely a decent start to a trilogy with a lot of potential, even if it didn't completely blow me away. A solid 3 stars for me!

I received an advanced copy of this book from Pen Pinery in exchange for an honest review, and I am left feeling pretty torn about it. Tell Me: Reign of Krovavy by Layla Cornell is a solid 3-star read for me. It is a very middle-of-the-road book that has an incredible amount of potential and is actually really well-written, but the execution just didn't totally hit the mark.

The setup is what initially hooked me. The story follows Talia, a widow who gets assigned to a brutal mountain soldier named Timur—known as "the Bloody One"—after a massive force invades and uses a cold, calculated AI system to pair people up. I absolutely loved Talia as a main character. She is smart, practical, and has a quiet strength that makes you root for her survival. The author does an amazing job setting the scene, too. The cold, harsh mountain environment feels incredibly real and atmospheric, and the writing style itself is beautiful and kept me turning the pages.

Where the book lost me a bit was the main relationship and the pacing. This is a very dark story, and Timur is incredibly cold and harsh. He doesn't really soften or change, which made it hard for me to feel any genuine connection between them, and it made the romance feel pretty one-sided. On top of that, the middle of the book felt like it was dragging a bit with the day-to-day survival stuff, only to end on a massive, abrupt cliffhanger just as the plot finally started moving.

Overall, it is a well-written book with a great concept, and the author clearly has a lot of talent. It just didn't quite come together perfectly for me. If you like really dark, gritty survival stories with zero sugar-coating, it is definitely worth giving a shot, but for me, it lands right in the middle.

I recently finished The Witch’s Broken Crown and found it to be a bit of a toss-up. On the positive side, Calla Robin does a fantastic job building a unique magical atmosphere, and the world-building details are genuinely immersive. I found myself really invested in the setting and the core mystery right from the start.

However, the pacing felt uneven to me. There were moments where the plot really gained momentum, only to hit a lull that made it difficult to maintain my interest. Additionally, while the characters have a lot of potential, I didn't feel like I fully connected with their motivations by the end of the story.

Overall, it’s a solid read if you are a fan of atmospheric fantasy and enjoy exploring new magical systems, even if the execution didn't quite hit the mark for me personally. I’m curious to see what the author writes next.

Note: This review was provided as part of an advanced copy received from Penpinery.