Let's Talk: "Pain" by Jaymin Eve & Jane Washington

Title: Pain

Authors: Jaymin Eve & Jane Washington

Series: "Curse of the Gods" #5

Genre: RH Fantasy

Page Length: 293 pages

Publication Date: November 14, 2018
Date Started: December 13, 2018

Date Finished: December 13, 2018

Rating: 5 // 5 stars

Goodreads

Book 1 Review

Book 2 Review

Book 3 Review

Book 4 Review

Book 4.5 Review

*This is a non-spoiler review for this book. I tried to keep it spoiler free for the entire series, but little things might have slipped through*

I thought this was a wonderful ending to the series. I've been in love with this series for so long and it's both amazing to have a complete story but also a bit heartbreaking to be saying goodbye to these characters. I absolutely adore these characters and this world. 

I do think that this book had a bit of a different feel than the others. The stakes were higher and, as a result, there was less clumsy humor in this book, but I still loved it. It felt a lot more serious and tense yet well fleshed out.

Just in terms of plot, this book felt so well done, especially when I compare it to a couple of the middle books (which I love, but sometimes got confused plot wise). Everything was easy to follow and seemed to flow in a good way. I do feel like everything wrapped up a bit too easily, though. I was expecting just a little bit more of a big final ending with [redacted character]. But overall I did think that it was a realistic sequence of events and ending.

And my favorite part about this book, like all the others, are the characters. I love love love Willa and the Abcurses. Seriously, they're some of my absolute favorite pairings. It was amazing to see Willa come into her own and her abilities and grow as a character and for the Abcurses to be super proud and curtail their protectiveness when she needed them to (wow, that was a lot of ands). I just love the different character dynamics and we stan a supportive relationship. Plus, the smut was pretty amazing and that's just something I didn't realize we were getting when I went into this series.

Overall, I loved this installment. I'm not sure if it was my favorite, but I thought it was an amazing book. It felt so much more intense and mature than the others while still maintaining the romance, cute scenes, and humor aspects. This series will definitely be going on my favorite series list and I just know I'll be rereading it over and over in the coming years. 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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Let's Talk: "Neutral" by Jaymin Eve & Jane Washington

Title: Neutral

Authors: Jaymin Eve & Jane Washington

Series: "Curse of the Gods" #4.5

Genre: RH Fantasy  

Page Length: 180 pages

Publication Date: September 30, 2018

Date Started: December 10, 2018

Date Finished: December 11, 2018

Rating: 4 // 5 stars

Goodreads

Book 1 Review

Book 2 Review

Book 3 Review

Book 4 Review

*Non-spoiler for this book, but may have small spoilers for previous books in this series* 

I really enjoyed this installment in one of my favorite series. When the announcement went out that the final book was being pushed back, I was a bit disappointed until I heard that it was because we were getting a novella from Emmy and Cyrus's points of views. We'd been seeing the two of them throughout previous books but never got a chance to see their POV. Additionally, their character interactions in the fourth book had me dying to know more about the status of their relationship/friendship/tolerance-ship. 

I think that this was definitely an important installment to help bridge the gap between book four and five. I know now, after reading this, that if I'd skipped this novella I would have been completely confused by the time I started the final book in the series. We had lot of important plot developments and reveals in this book that upped the stakes even higher for the final book. 

I loved seeing Emmy and Cyrus's relationship develop in this book and get a glimpse into their thought processes. In the previous books, we'd gotten to see a little bit about it from other people's views but it wasn't clear what exactly was going on. It was nice to have this clarification as to what exactly happens between them.

Did I like this book more than the others? No, it's probably my least favorite in the series simply because we had a lot less Willa. Willa is clumsy and has no filter and is utterly hilarious whereas Emmy, while a strong and amazing character herself, doesn't bring the comedic effect that I've found to be the thing I like most about this series. Plus, I still prefer the five Abcurses over a single Cyrus anyway. 

All in all, I enjoyed this book and I'm both excited and scared to dive into the final installment. 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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Follow my bookstagram here. New giveaway will be posted soon!

I am a "BookishTextDesign" Influencer! Use my code LAUREN10 for a discount off your bookmark purchases! Check out the shop here

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Top 5 Wednesday: Book Wish List

And we're back with another Top 5 Wednesday! It's now December and that means a whole new list of topics. This week's is Book Wish List and is all about the books or bookish items you have on your wish list! I have a lot of books I want to purchase but haven't been able to bring myself to get yet. I think I'll wait a while for my TBR to shrink and then my anticipation for these books will have grown even more. 

So, firstly, I want the new Hunger Games Anniversary Editions. These are so gorgeous and I don't own a set of the Hunger Games. I have the first one in French but I've never owned them and it's been years since I read the first one and skimmed the other two (the school was closing for summer and I needed to finish quickly to return them to the library).

Then I want Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman. I've heard fantastic things about this book, and the movie as well, and I have a few friends who rave about this story. I'm not going to go out and buy this first chance I get, but it is on the back burner for when I have an extra gift card.  

At number three, I decided to go with Renegades by Marissa Meyer. I've heard nothing but amazing things about this book and I loved Meyer's Lunar Chronicles so I have a feeling I'd enjoy this book! It's a science fiction and so many of my friends and bookstagram buddies rave about this book that I feel as if I should see what all the hype's about.

Then I want Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody. I've wanted this book since before it even came out and I haven't been able to snag a copy just yet. All I really know is that it's about mafia and casinos and it just sounds amazing. Plus, a lot of trusted bookstagram buddies absolutely love this book! 

And, lastly, I'm itching to get my hands on City of Brass when I have the time to read it. This is one of my bookstagram buddy's favorite books and I've had my eye on it for a few months now. All I know is it's a Middle-Eastern inspired fantasy set in 18th century Cairo, deals with magic, and just sounds amazing.

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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Follow my bookstagram here. New giveaway will be posted soon!

I am a "BookishTextDesign" Influencer! Use my code LAUREN10 for a discount off your bookmark purchases! Check out the shop here

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

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