Book Review: "Fall of Ruin and Wrath" by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: Fall of Ruin and Wrath

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: "Awakening" #1

Genre: Adult Fantasy Romance

Page Length: 432 pages

Publication Date: September 12, 2023

Rating: 4 // 5 stars

Goodreads

I've been reading Jennifer L. Armentrout books for over eight years now and after all this time, I can count on the fact that I'll enjoy her books. Some I love more than others, some I enjoy and then forget about, and some I become absolutely obsessed with. This was everything I expected out of a JLA adult fantasy romance and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. However, it also wasn't anything particularly revolutionary for the genre so it also didn't blow me out of the water despite my enjoyment. 

There's romantic fantasy, fantasy romance, and then fantasy romance. This book is about as far as you can get in fantasy romance and still have a plot. The whole dynamic in the book is based off of pleasure, physical attraction, sex, etc. It's very normalized in the world but it is also the basis for the developing romance in the book. If you don't like smut in books or if you like more plot over romance or more of the soft romance over the smut, this book is not for you. 

I will say, this felt a lot more developed than her other high fantasy series, From Blood and Ash. I have to imagine that the better writing and development are down to the fact that this one is traditionally published so likely went through stricter editing than that one. Now, I love what I've read of the FBAA series so far, but it's definitely not an objectively great series by any means. But I think readers who didn't like FBAA because of the editing and world building would enjoy this one more as it is a bit better in terms of actual writing. 

The plot outside of the romance was interesting, though minimal. Most of the book seemed to be spent on the romance or the main character contemplating the romance. But the actual plot regarding the kingdom politics was intriguing and I'm interested to see how it develops in the next book. The ending was also quite explosive and I'm eager to see how the events of the end influence the story in the next. However, I think what intrigues me most outside of the romance is the magic system. Our main character has really unique magic and I think it presents a lot of opportunities to drive the plot in various ways.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was quick, addicting, and steamy. However, it's nothing particularly new or revolutionary for the fantasy romance genre and I do think we could have used more time getting to know the characters instead of more smut. I'm looking forward to the next one and can add this to the list of JLA books that are a hit for me. 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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June 2021 Wrap-Up

Another month, another wrap-up! I can't believe we're already halfway through 2021 and I've read hardly any books compared to usual. I read a total of four books this month, which is better than I did in May. I also read quite a few long books that had been on my TBR for a while. Another bonus is that I loved everything I read! Hopefully, I'll be able to get even more read in July but we'll see if that actually happens. 

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1. 

Title: Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey

Author: Ngozi Ukazu

Rating: 5 // 5 stars

-reread-

2.

Title: From Blood and Ash

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars

Review

3. 

Title: A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars

Review TK

4. 

Title: The Crown of Gilded Bones

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars 

Review TK

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May 2021 Wrap-Up

May 2021 Book Haul

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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November 2020 Wrap-Up

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well on this sunny December afternoon. Today I'm bringing you my wrap-up for the month of November! Now, November was a pretty good reading month. Do I wish I could have read a little bit more? Yes. However, I enjoyed every single book I read this month and had some new favorites added to my list! I also have a solid TBR lined up for December based off of what I read this month, so I'm hopeful that December will also be a good reading month for me. For now, though, let's dive into my November! 

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1. Title: The Inheritance Games

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Rating: 4 // 5 stars

Review

2. Title: Hate

Author: Tate James

Rating: 4 // 5 stars

Series Review

3. Title: Liar

Author: Tate James

Rating: 4 // 5 stars

Series Review

4. Title: Fake

Author: Tate James

Rating: 4 // 5 stars

Series Review

5. Title: Kate

Author: Tate James
Rating: 3.25 // 5 stars

Series Review

6. Title: Half-Blood

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Rating: 4 // 5 stars

Review

7. Title: Daimon

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Rating: 4 // 5 stars

8. Title: Pure

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Rating: 4 // 5 stars

Review

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October 2020 Wrap-Up

October 2020 Book Haul

Unboxing: Fairyloot's "Blood & Honey" Collector's Edition Box

Book Review: "The Inheritance Games" by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Series Review: "Madison Kate" by Tate James

Book Review: "Pure" by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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October 2020 Book Haul

Hello everyone! Today I'm here with my book haul for the past month of October! I got a total of nine physical books, which I think is a pretty good number. Some of these I've already read whereas others are on my immediate TBR for this year and I'm really excited about them all! So, without further ado, here are the books I hauled in October!

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The first book I picked up was a copy of Dear Justyce by Nic Stone. This is the sequel/companion to Dear Martin which I read over the summer. I am so intrigued to see how this book goes and to educate myself a bit. I actually have gotten a few books by Nic Stone over the past few months and I'm intrigued to read them all. I feel like Dear Martin hit me right in the feels so I very much expect Dear Justyce as well as Nic's other books to do the same! 

The next book I got was a copy of Ghosts of the Shadow Market by Cassandra Clare and a plethora of co-authors. This was the last book in the Shadowhunters world that I had to get (until the next one releases, that is!) and I'm quite excited. This is a collection of novellas and short stories set in the world following a bunch of different characters. I'm planning on doing a Shadowhunters read-through all the way from the beginning soon and I'm glad to have finally added this to my collection.

Up next I got my preorder for Lightbringer by Claire Legrand. This is the third and final book in the Empirium Trilogy and I am so excited. This was one of the books in my top five most anticipated for this year and I'm so excited for it to finally be out. The ending of the second book blew me away and destroyed me so I am beyond excited to finally see how this final book plays out. I am also incredibly terrified to see what is going to happen. 

The next book I picked up was the signed Owlcrate edition of Incendiary by Zoraida Córdova. This is one of my favorite books of the year and I was just browsing on Instagram when I saw this gorgeous edition and realized that I didn't have a finished copy yet. I was so lucky and found this on ebay for less than list price! I am so excited to one day have a gorgeous collection of different editions for this series since it really is superb!

Up next I got my preorder of The Brightest Night by Jennifer L. Armentrout which actually came signed! I have to say, I wasn't a huge fan of the new covers when they were announced but in person it's actually quite pretty. This is the third book in the Origin series which is the spin-off to the Lux series (one of my favorites). I plan on waiting for the final book to release and then binging them all but I, of course, had to get my hands on this signed first edition! 

The next book was kindly sent to me by Wunderkind PR and that is The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. This is a book that was pitched to me as Cinderella meets One of Us is Lying and  Knives Out and I, of course, was immediately intrigued. I actually just finished this book late last night and loved it so make sure to stay tuned for my full, non-spoiler review this upcoming weekend where I'll gush about how good this book was! 

Then I finally got my Fairyloot edition of Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin. I was so lucky that my box was one of the first shipped and arrived before I left my mom's house because this box was so amazing! I will also have a full unboxing of this box coming this Friday. This specific edition had sprayed edges, artwork on the back of the dust jacket, and was signed so that it all matched the Serpent & Dove edition from last year that I got. 

The next book I got was actually an advanced reader's copy of Lightbringer by Claire Legrand. I was so lucky to find this in a trade because this was probably my most sought after ARC for this year. I'm so excited that my Empirium Trilogy collection is virtually complete and that I have the ARCs for all of the books. This is one of my favorite trilogy and I knew that this was an ARC I would trade almost anything to get my hands on. I was so lucky that someone was finally trading it after months of searching!

The last book that I got this month was my Barnes & Noble edition of Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco. This is the first book in Kerri's new series and you can find my spoiler-free review here. The B&N edition had a different cover and behind the scenes content at the back so I knew that I had to snag a copy before they sold out as I loved this book!

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Those are all of the books I got this month! Did you get any exciting books in October? Let me know in the comments down below! 

Thanks for reading!

 

Lauren

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July 2020 Wrap-Up

Hello everyone! I can't believe another month has passed already. This year has simultaneously felt like the slowest and fastest year. July was an alright month for me. I was very stressed and there were some sad moments but I also read a good number of books and finalized some plans that were making me anxious. Overall, I hope August will be a better month!

I read a total of 13 books in July. Some of them were a bit longer whereas others were novellas. I largely credit this number to the Reading Rush Readathon, during which I read all of these books except the first four. I aim to read the same number or more in August, but we shall see if that happens! Without further ado, let's jump right in!

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BOOKS READ
1.
Title: The Crow Rider
Author: Kalyn Josephson
Rating: 4 // 5 stars
Review

2. 

Title: Renegades
Author: Marissa Meyer
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Review

3.
Title: Archenemies
Author: Marissa Meyer
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Review

4.
Title: Supernova
Author: Marissa Meyer
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Review

5.
Title: Burn
Author: Maya Banks
Rating: 3 // 5 stars

6.
Title: Meeting Sang: Silas
Author: C.L. Stone
Rating: 3 // 5 stars

7.
Title: Meeting Sang: Nathan
Author: C.L. Stone
Rating: 4 // 5 stars

8.
Title: Meeting Sang: Gabriel
Author: C.L. Stone
Rating: 4 // 5 stars

9.
Title: Curse of the Night Witch
Author: Alex Aster
Rating: 4 // 5 stars
Review

10.
Title: The Prince 
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars
Series Review

11.
Title: The King
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Series Review

12.
Title: The Queen
Author: Jennifer L Armentrout
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Series Review

13.
Title: Breaking Dawn
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Review

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BLOG POSTS

June 2020 Wrap-Up
June 2020 Book Haul
Book Review: "The Crow Rider" by Kalyn Josephson
Unboxing: Dreamy & Co's "Welcome to Crescent City" Box
Book Review: "Renegades" by Marissa Meyer
Book Review: "Archenemies" by Marissa Meyer
Book Review: "Supernova" by Marissa Meyer
Reading Rush TBR
Book Review: "Curse of the Night Witch" by Alex Aster
Book Review: The Summer King Novellas by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Book Review: "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

To get more awesome posts like this post, click the follow button to the right!

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Book Review: The Summer King Novellas by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Titles: The Prince, The King, & The Queen

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: "A Wicked Trilogy" #3.5, #3.6, #3.7

Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance

Overall Page Length: 536 pages

Final Publication Date: July 14, 2020

Individual Ratings: 4.5 // 5 stars ~ 5 // 5 stars ~ 5 // 5 stars

Overall Rating: 5 // 5 stars

Goodreads

I wanted to wait until all three novellas had come out before reading them so even though I finished the main books in A Wicked Trilogy last summer, I didn't read these novellas right away. I'm really glad that I did it this way because I would have been so shook by the cliffhangers and this way I didn't have to wait. 

A Wicked Trilogy is one of my favorite series written by Jennifer and I was so excited to be back in this world with these characters. I especially was interested in seeing how the world and characters were progressing after the events of the final book. 

These novellas follow a side character from the original trilogy but still features most of the main characters from that one. I absolutely loved getting to know more about Brighton and Caden and being able to read their story. I was sucked in almost immediately as I do most times I read a book by Jennifer and couldn't stop until I finished. I was addicted to the romance, the angst, the storyline. These characters were pretty well fleshed out and getting to see their character and relationship development over the course of the three novellas was wonderful.

I also have to mention one of my favorite characters...Tink! He played a huge role in the original books and I was so glad to see him play a big role in these novellas. I loved getting to see him again and I honestly would love to see a novella about him and where his story is going. 

The overall plot was rife with tension and the stakes were high. I was honestly getting into the third novella and unsure how everything was going to get resolved and if there would be a happy ending. Also, just the entirety of the second novella was so angsty and heartbreaking. I honestly loved how it played with my heart.

I think there's a lot of potential for future novellas or works in this world, whether following these characters, the original trilogy main characters, or other side characters that haven't yet had a big focus on them. However, I think that the ending was satisfying. I just always want more with this world and series since I love it so much. 

Overall, I absolutely loved these novellas and I'm so glad that I read them during Reading Rush. They were such a fun revisit to the world of A Wicked Trilogy and I honestly am really wanting to reread the original trilogy now. I highly recommend these novellas, but only after you've read the original trilogy because they do contain major spoilers! 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

To get more awesome posts like this post, click the follow button to the right!

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Reading Rush TBR

Hello everyone! Today I am super excited because it's the start of Reading Rush! Reading Rush is a 7-day long readathon that starts today and ends on Sunday. There are different challenges for what to read and there's a bunch of fun activities that will go on throughout the week. But, without further ado, here's my to-be-read pile!

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Challenge 1: Read a book with a cover that matches the color of your birthstone.

I was born in August so my birthstone is the peridot which is a bright green color. It was actually quite difficult to find a book for this, so I decided to go with three short novellas instead of a full novel. I've chosen Meeting Sang: Gabriel, Meeting Sang: Nathan, and Meeting Sang: Silas by C.L. Stone. 

  

These are three novellas taking place from different character POVs during the first book in the Ghost Bird series. I've read the first two but haven't gotten to these three yet. I think they'll be short, quick reads and I'll hopefully gain some character insights through them. 

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Challenge 2: Read a book that starts with the word "The."

For this challenge, I decided to go with The Prince and The King by Jennifer L. Armentrout. These are two of the novellas following the Wicked trilogy and I've been eagerly awaiting the release of the final novella before I read these. They're both under 200 pages so I think it will be easy to fulfill this challenge.

 

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Challenge 3: Read a book that inspired a movie you've already seen. 

This might be cheating since I've already read this book, but I chose Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. This is the final book in the Twilight Saga and I've been rereading the series in preparation for Midnight Sun's release in August. It's been many years since I've actually read this but it was always my favorite in the series so I hope that this will also be a quick read.

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Challenge 4: Read the first book you touch. 

The first book from my monthly TBR that I touched was Burn by Maya Banks. This is the third and final book in the Breathless Trilogy which is a trilogy of companion romance novels following different main couples. I read the first two each in one sitting and I'm surprised that it actually took me so long to finally get around to reading this one. 

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Challenge 5: Read a book completely outside of your house

For this challenge, I'm going with The Queen by Jennifer L Armentrout. This is the final novella in the Wicked trilogy that I mentioned in Challenge 2. This is also relatively short and I think that on the day where the weather is nice that I can get outside and read this easily. Although, I may also take one of the novellas from challenge 1 to fulfill this challenge since they're shorter. Either way, I will be reading this during the readathon no matter what. 

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Challenge 6: Read a book in a genre that you've always wanted to read more of. 

I've chosen nonfiction for this challenge and I actually have two picks for this. The first that I want to read is Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge. This is a nonfiction book about systematic racism and how it impacts all areas of life with a specific reference to the UK. As someone who wants to move to the UK in a couple years, I think it's very important that I'm knowledgable about how structural racism is similar and different to America.

 

The second is Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi. I don't see myself finishing this book this week since it's a super long, dense history book but I would like to make some significant progress. I read a couple chapters last night and already feel as if I've learned more about racial history than in my entire public school education. I can tell that this is going to be an invaluable resource for me and I do want to continue reading it this week even if I can't finish it before the readathon is over. 

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Challenge 7: Read a book that takes place on a different continent than where you live. 

I've chosen two books for this challenge as well. It may be slightly cheating in that I've chosen fantasy books but, to be fair, they don't take place on my continent. The first of these is Curse of the Night Witch by Alex Aster. It's a middle-grade fantasy that came out a month ago and I meant to review before then.

 

The second is The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska. This is a YA fantasy that sounds so good. This one comes out in August and I'd also like to have my review up before then. This is actually also the book that I am starting this readathon with today.

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Are you going to be participating in the Reading Rush? Let me know in the comments below! I am super excited to be participating in this readathon for the first time and I can only hope that I'm going to be motivated to actually complete the challenges!

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

To get more awesome posts like this post, click the follow button to the right!

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