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This was okay for me.

Reviewed: 04-10-20 Listener received this title free

This was just okay for me. I felt like the writing itself was good, but the story got really repetitive and the adults in the story were unnecessarily mean. I also think the conflict between the two MCs was not really resolved. After the whole book was dedicated to that conflict, they probably should have had more of a talk about where they went wrong. I was a little disappointed. There were spots where sections were repeated and the narrator wasn't a great fit.

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I enjoyed this.

Reviewed: 02-15-20

Well written, clean, contemporary romance. I never got bored and there was a happily ever after for everyone. Rachel was easily the best character. ♡

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Mixed Feelings

Reviewed: 02-15-20

On the one hand, this story is so compelling. The magic system, the romance, and the school project are excellent. When any of those topics are the focus, the story flies.

But the main plotline/mystery is so boring. It's mostly Rory looking through paperwork that has to do with characters we don't care about, who are related to other characters we don't care about. I know that this will eventually come together to some big event but man... I wish I could skip all those parts. It's not like I'll remember any of the 1000 names that we added to the Bad Guy list. I mean... should fantasy have this much paperwork? Is there a magical more interesting way to discover information?

The bullying is also somewhat stale and we already had a climax where Debra was being threatened... so it's sort of... been done? The mean girls in particular are afully one note.

The main 5 and two or three other characters are very well done and pull me through the series. But I'm reluctant to keep going based on the slow pace and main plotline. The fun stuff with Malcome was a 10/10 especially things that happened in the classroom.

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I'm torn.

Reviewed: 11-14-19 Listener received this title free

**3.5**

Since the rules of the magic have already been defined and the relationships between the characters are more developed, this was in some ways better than the first. But there are some serious shortcomings as well. For one, our female protagonist has only grown in magical ability and not in actual maturity or even emotionally. With the loss of her mentor, she ends this book almost exactly where she was at the end of book 1. Her goals haven't changed even though she's learned a whole lot. Her reasons for "taking down the academy" no longer seem valid and the way she skips from guy to guy shows how much her ego is engorged by her new position despite being "against" the system.
Also, there is so much needless detail that the whole story dragged, but I felt that in book one too. I'd say this one had less of a plot. It almost feels like this entire series could be told in one book if not for the endless description of boring action. For example when Rory searches the house for information. That part felt endless. Even the maze system... I thought, "oh god make it end." The relationship stuff is compelling, but I think the plot needs a lot more to make the story memorable. Like, how would you summarize this episode? Rory's mentor gets sick while she dates everyone, then he dies. ... Shrug. 9 hours to describe that. The magic is cool though.

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Fun Series

Reviewed: 05-29-19

I always struggle to get into these but I really ended up enjoying it. I wish Audry wasn't so negative and I wish the Christian themes were more subtle. The world building and writing are fantastic, the characters are wonderful. I've found myself very invested in this story and I'm excited for the next one. Logan kind of carried this book, especially with his actions on earth.

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What just happened?

Reviewed: 05-24-19

I'm pretty anti-religion, but what kept me going was the protagonist's disinterest in it. The writing was so good and the stakes so high, that I found myself a bit converted by the end. I even reached out to religious relatives to recommend this book. How can a story be so inventive and so believable at the same time? I... I think it's a masterpiece that will sit with me for a long time.

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So much to love

Reviewed: 04-30-19

I loved the pace and the mysterious story. Based on the negative reviews of this book, I knew I was going to love it. I generally disagree with the way the genre is heading and this story was a breath of fresh air.

I thought the descriptions were brief which I prefer. Enough to see what was happening and fill in the rest with my imagination. I particularly loved the way sexuality is handled in this book. So much said with so few mentions. Fantastic.

The characters were a little unlikable but I think that should be expected in a pirate story. Grace has a long way still to grow but I like the direction she's going in.

I like the darkness of the plot and where it's headed. So much to like about this story. And I almost forgot, lovely prose that is perfectly appropriate for the genre.

FYI, This was my first pirate novel.

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10 guys like me...

Reviewed: 03-23-19

Hmmm? So a shut in girl meets her neighbors. I just saved you 9 hours. That's honestly all that happened. The actual writing skill is good. It's detailed and descriptive.... but 10 guys like her and she likes all 10... and they all met... I don't care at all. Nothing important happened and it didn't feel like it's own story. I certainly won't be picking up the next one.

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Wait, what?

Reviewed: 06-29-18

After all that, it was predictable. I felt like the main secret was what the villain wanted with their hometown... but... it was a bit of a let down. It was 20 hours of entertainment though so... thanks. I liked the "big mistake, huge" line lol and Cinderella's story.

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An Ugly Fairytale

Reviewed: 05-15-18

It's a different kind of fairytale. Not beautiful not gruesome. Something new. I wasn't sure a man could really pull off a story about the friendship between two girls, but here I am at the end of the second book about to devour the third. I love these and they are absolutely worth reading.

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