Mini Reviews 2019 | Part 2- Unfinished Series

Today’s Mini Reviews are for all the Unfinished Series I read in 2019. Unfinished, meaning either I have not read the entire series, or the author has not finished writing the series.

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

This series was so hyped, and I went into it with high expectations, and got absolutely nothing in return. I DNF’d this first book at 30%. Usually by 30% you have some sort of plot going on, but at this point in the story every chapter was a different POV, and all I knew about each character was how much money they made, what their favorite brands and designers were, and how many affairs they had have or were having. It was IMHO a waste of time.

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

I have personally decided that this author just isn’t for me. This is the second book in ‘The Kiss Quotient’ series. I did not like The Kiss Quotient very much, but was told that this one was better, and different than the first. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. This book definitely showed promise as far as plot, but I had a lot of issues with this book including, unrealistic plot and situations (over-the-top), I didn’t feel the MC’s had chemistry at all, I felt there was overt sexualization going on of the female MC, and there were a lot of sexual scenes that I felt took away from the overall story. Unfortunately I did finish this one, though I don’t recommend.

Aurora Rising by Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufman

You can find my review on this one here. I am highly anticipating the next book in this series that comes out in May.

The Beholder by Anna Bright

I really enjoyed this debut novel from Anna Bright. I expected this to be similar to The Selection, and it was in certain ways, but not how I was expecting! The first 100 pages or so to me seemed pretty info-dumpy which wasn’t my favorite, and the world-building all happened in those first 100 pages, and it let me a bit confused. I wasn’t sure what century the story was supposed to take place, and the fictional countries and histories were a bit much to understand without a map in the front of the book. Other than those two things, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the romance, and thought I had figured out the ending to the story, but it truly took me by surprise and I loved that. I am looking forward to the sequel ‘The Boundless’ that comes out this June.

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

I had a really hard time with this book, and I was torn by my rating almost the entire time. I ended up on 3 STARS. The entire book is mostly focused on these ‘paper girls’ who are chosen to basically serve as the King’s concubines. I liked the characters, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the descriptive sexual assault scenes. I most likely won’t pick up the other books in the series.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

I loved this book! It was in my opinion a very well-written and original retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Harper, our female MC has cerebral palsy, which made for a unique twist to the story. Prince Rhen and his guard Grey were great characters and I really fell in love with Grey. I just got the sequel in the mail, and look forward to reading it soon!

Echoes of War by Cheryl Campbell

I did write a review on this post-apocalyptic/dystopian/sci-fi and you can find it here.

Love on Lexington Avenue by Lauren Layne

I really enjoyed this romantic comedy! This was the second book in this 3 part series, and you can find my review here. I will be reading and reviewing book 3 soon, and plan on also reading the first. These books can be read as standalones.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

This book series could not have been recommended to me more. I heard about, and still hear about them constantly. I finally read Throne of Glass and it was.. okay. I think I might have fallen into the hype-trap, though I have been told that they get significantly better after the 3rd book. I will probably give a few more books in this series a try, but if i’m still not LOVING them then I probably won’t finish. There are 7 books + some novellas/prequels in this series.

American Royals by Katharine McGee

I really enjoyed this series beginner! This is about the American royal family. Yup, in this version of history, the people offered General George Washington a crown. This is about his descendants who sit on the throne, and the oldest daughter Beatrice as she becomes closer to becoming America’s first Queen. I am looking forward to the second book (no release date at this time).

The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker

I truly enjoy a good K.A. Tucker romance novel, and this one was no exception. This book follows Calla Fletcher as she learns that her estranged father Wren, who lives in Alaska, is dying. Calla takes a trip back to where she was born, for a chance to connect with her father. Along the way she meets an obnoxious and burly pilot named Jonah who pushes her buttons and disapproves of her. I loved the familial relationships explored in this book, and the romance was a really well done enemies-to-lovers (one of my favorite tropes). I am looking forward to it’s sequel ‘Wild at Heart’ that is coming out on March 3rd.

The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh

I liked this Historical Fantasy about vampires in New Orleans. at times the french words lost me, but most of them were explained or translated. This was a unique read for me and I highly enjoyed it. Looking forward to it’s sequel ‘The Damned’ coming out this June.

Gravemaidens by Kelly Coon

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. You may love this book, but it just didn’t resonate with me when I read it. It is your typical commercial ya fantasy novel, cute but predictable romance, family drama, a touch of mystery. There were a few disturbing scenes, so this was also a little bit dark. It was well-written, but just missed the mark. I found myself feeling bored reading it.

Sisters of Shadow and Light by Sara B. Larson

One of my favorite reads of 2019. You can find my review of this delightful YA Fantasy here.

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

This book had me all sorts of confused and I STRUGGLED so hard to read this book. It literally took me from November 20th to December 12th to read! AH! So long. I did finish however, and I pushed through because the publisher sent me the 2nd book in the series to read and review. Hopefully the second book is better than the first. Fingers crossed.

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

I enjoyed this one, but it wasn’t my absolute favorite. I again had to read this because I was sent it’s sequel for review. This one only took me a few days to read, but it did also have me quite confused at certain parts. This is dark fiction, and i’m not sure that I would classify it as YA as the publisher does. It contains a lot of magic and mystery which were intriguing, but the ending left me unsatisfied, and so i’m hoping that is resolved in the next book.