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Genre: Fantasy, YA, Time Travel, Romance
Number of pages: 416
ISBN: 9780063024748

ASIN: 0063024748

Format: Hardcover, eBook (Kindle, Kobo, Nook), Audiobook (Audible, Kobo, B&N)
Publication date: August 19, 2025
Publisher: HarperTeen
Type: Novel, Series

Series: Trilogy

Previous books: Once a Villain (#1), Never a Hero (#2)

Thank you to HarperCollins and Edelweiss+ for giving me an e-ARC of Once a Villain by Vanessa Len. I receive no compensation whatsoever, and I write this review willingly.

This adventure all started when I read the first book of the Monsters trilogy: Only a Monster. I must say, it had the best world-building and time travel and angst I had seen in a long while. I became hooked. So much so I’d pre-ordered the second one, Never a Hero, with ALL the goodies (this included a gorgeous bookmark and a few postcards of a few scenes in the book), which I still cherish. Of course, I HAD to pre-order the last one, Once a Villain. But, little did I know that my enthusiastic request for an ARC on Edelweiss+ would be kindly granted by HarperCollins.

Here I am, reviewing the last volume of a trilogy that means so much to me, thanks to HarperCollins giving me the e-ARC of Once a Villain. I can’t thank them enough!

Once a Villain was the book I was most anticipating this whole year!!

Spoiler? It did NOT disappoint. At all. It succeeded my expectations (and trust me, they were high due to my love for this series expertly crafted by Vanessa Len).

How about jumping through book traveling with me to learn about all the ways this book (and trilogy) is really worth your time?

Here we go!

(I swear, you’ll wonder how you didn’t pick it up sooner!)

Blurb

The finale in the contemporary fantasy Only a Monster trilogy from Vanessa Len—which New York Times bestselling authors Holly Black, Chloe Gong, and Stephanie Garber called “delightful," "captivating,” and “unputdownable”—will take Joan into the darkest timeline in the monster world, as she fights to restore the world she remembers.

Joan has failed to stop Eleanor.

Now, Eleanor rules ruthlessly over a new London in which monsters live openly among humans, preying on them and subjugating them.

Only Joan, Aaron and Nick remember that there was once a better timeline. And now, wrenched between love and rivalry, they must negotiate their fractured pasts as they fight to survive the new world and fix the broken timeline.

But how will they defeat a whole world of monsters with power over time itself?

The sweeping love and high stakes of Divine Rivals meets the intricate worldbuilding and propulsive thrills of This Savage Song in this high-octane, cross-genre finale to the Only a Monster trilogy—where a breathless race against time is the only chance for Joan, Aaron, and Nick to restore the world they love.

The Positive Points

For starters, I really love that all this series is about a mismatched team pulled together due to circumstances. Plus, they all become friends, some warier than others, but the banter is fun and their friendship shows despite their intentions. They clearly care about one another and their team’s survival, although a few of them won’t admit this. It’s cute and much like a found family. It pleases me greatly and reminds me of the lovely Six of Crows gang by Leigh Bardugo (a high compliment on my part). Also, it’s worth noting how each character brings their own skills and thoughts, ideas, and opinions to the gang. Like, they’re ALL useful and interesting in so many different ways. They’re not just… filling up the space, which is usually the case in most stories.

Plus, Tom and Jamie?! DAWWWWW, they’re so freakin’ cute, I love and ship them so much. They remind me of Malec in Shadowhunters by Cassandra Clare, and there’s no gay couple I love more than Malec, so it’s a compliment right here. But wow, the heartache poor Jamie goes through (I love this character so much, he’s sweet, intelligent, caring, and poised)… and what about their marriage?! Ugh, anyways, I loved going on a roller-coaster ride with Tom and Jamie, they’re so sweet and loving.

On a another romantic note, the intensity of Nick and Joan’s love is something I love and crave, while the softness, kindness and loyalty of Aaron’s love is so beautiful I could cry.

I have to agree with Joan on a point: Nick is an excellent hero. (But so is Aaron; I always believed he was and could.) I hurt when something happened to Nick… because I might side with Aaron on their love triangle, I still really love Nick’s character. And Nick’s love, devotion, passion and intensity for Joan is unmistakable.

The fact the new horrible timeline and all the other timelines function as characters and worlds of their own. It’s amazing, impressive, and so immersive. It makes me giddy.

Also, this story took a dark turn and kept turning. It’s very good though, but yewwwww, it was nauseating at some point, yep, poor them.

Ah why not kill me again?! THAT’s when Aaron gets his chance?! Aaron is so achingly good and pained and sensible in this desperate situation. Why now, why why why?! Aaron deserves better. But now Aaron’s pain hurts me, so just kill me again yeah?! And wow, finally, for fuck’s sake she admits she’s got feelings for him. I’ve been waiting for three books. She’s not quick on that when it’s not Nick, is she? I know she tried to never think about difficult feelings, pushing it all down, but wow… Aaron really does get the shit end of her thoughts and feelings, right? Also, is she a player?! Because minutes ago she swore her life to Nick and kissed him, and then something really bad happens and she seeks solace with Aaron. And then, ONLY then, does she realize she loves him too and wants him right after that?! She sounds like a cheat to me or just a fucking player. I hated her for most of the book because of this. She does seem to play with Aaron… and I hate it. Gurl, give him to me! I’ll treat him well, like he deserves.

However, Aaron is the first to get a go at something important for her? Sounds about right. That’s redeemable for her. And iiiiiih, I bit my nail and squealed. Yes! Maybe my ship will sail! I spent most of the book being angry at Joan though, while hoping she wouldn’t just go back to Nick like “yeah, it was nice Aaron, but Nick’s back now, so ok bye?” It would have broken Aaron. And NO ONE hurts my baby!

I could ship Nick and Aaron in this new dark timeline, and I kept thinking that (and developing fanfic ideas of them together) while reading a specific chapter. I mean, they were close somehow, and Joan died as an infant there. And also the first word of the cipher is one of their names? Please, babe, we all know you’re in love. And OMG, my SURPRISE. I almost cried with tears of joy and iiiiiih cute feels. It’s beautiful and heart-wrenching. Heeeeeeeeeeeelp! This is glorious! My feels. I ship it. I can smell the fanfics!!! I already have two ideas for fanfics with that Nick and that Aaron, so, yep, I’m ready! All of this is pure gold, thank you very much, Miss Len!

A fun thing is I love that somehow, the dead Nick and Aaron in this dark timeline will help save our beloved gang via what’s left of them. Their messages, plan, etc. It’s awesome, like two timelines helping each other out. It’s brilliant. Plus, I love how neatly the author ties the first volume and timeline to this dark one in ways we hadn’t thought of and which seem so subtle or useless until they matter a lot. Like a certain accessory… What is fun about this series is that the information from the other books is well interwoven into the story. It’s not overwhelming, nor delivered through info dumps. And it’s so lovely to see how actions or details from past events and characters really come through and back in ingenious ways and uses in each sequel, and mostly the last one. There’s an impressive progression for the characters (all of them) as well as the events and possibilities.

Honestly, it’s really fun and satisfying to see Joan get more and more comfortable and at ease with her Grave power. A lovely arc progression. The need to feel the emotions to better control one’s power reminds me so much of a writer who needs to feel in order to write. It’s a crucial part. Power in the monster world and art are so similar. And feeling one’s emotions is at their center.

I love that there was some kind of arc with the Curia Monstrorum (the Monster Court) where we learned of them in the first book, got a glimpse of them. Then, the second volume was more involved with them, but still we couldn’t really see them. And in Once a Villain, THEN we see them. It felt satisfying, like a natural progression and curiosity of “when will we really get to see them and all their powers?” The title, Once a villain, is very fitting to a certain someone. Poor her, though. I understand her suffering and her deep love for her family and how she wanted to bring them back and protect them at all costs. I believe she is the child from the myths of the end of all times who tears into the void looking for their parents, dooming all of the timelines and people… She worked so hard to save her family that she is destroying the timeline, everything.

As for the villain herself, Eleanor is so powerful and so brilliant. She’s a genius strategist; a scary and intimidating villain. One who makes you believe Joan’s gang won’t win against her… It’s perfect. She’s an excellent villain. One of the best I’ve seen. Motivated by love, family, and ego, yet exceedingly cruel and ruthless and brilliant. Plus, I love Eleanor’s plan with Nick’s unpredictability. It adds even more substance to the timelines, and an element of surprise, like and that anything can happen at any moment with and around him.

It’s great that we get to see the Graves’ house. When we first saw it in this new, dark timeline, I hoooooped we’d get to go inside, or at least meet other Graves. Plus, I’m so glad Gran was in this volume too. She’s always been so awesome and kickass. I love her so much. I feared we wouldn’t see her again, but oh yes, we do, thank you! Annnnnd there’s a sweet Grave surprise, which is quite touching. Speaking of which, the “windows” part (you’ll see) just got me going awwwwwww so many times, my mom looked up at me quizzically from her phone. This scene is so touching and sweet. And omg, we do learn why Joan has always had the worst fadeouts ever out of the whole gang. So many explanations now, it feels rewarding as a reader. There are so many surprises, I love it!

A detail I’m so happy about is that this series has parents and grandparents and cousins… Like they matter, like they’re active parts of the story. So beautiful and so rare. Somehow, it’s always teenagers and, at rare moments or in rare series like Shadowhunters, it’s the parents too. But grandparents and other relatives? Fucking rare and I love to see it here. It’s utterly lacking in YA. Just like in movies and TV shows…

And awwwww yes, Aaron is me and I am Aaron. We’re always everyone’s second choice; I’ve been proved it, too. So, I feel him, deeply. His doubts, his jealousy, his low self-esteem of how much he matters to Joan… It’s so sad, yet relatable. And yet again Aaron is me and I am Aaron. I, too, believe I am a piece of shit. Sad truth. I felt for him so much throughout the whole series, but this book almost killed me with feels and emotions for him. I almost couldn’t stand it.

Honestly, the romantic development of this trio is really interesting. I won’t spoil it for you because it’s so worth it, and it satisfies me. It’s unusual, but great to see. And there’s no tearing apart between the two of them… I sided with my favorite (Aaron) all along, but you know what? I’m glad of this ending, of this resolution of their love triangle. I was ready to be mad, hurt, or whatever… (I honestly didn’t believe she would choose Aaron, because he DOES seem like a second choice to her, always beneath Nick…, but in a way, a big one, I was pleasantly surprised!) In the previous books, I had wondered sometimes whether this could happen, and I am so glad the author took that road for her main trio. I support! This endgame is the best Miss Len could ever have written for these beloved characters.

The paaaaaaain near the end, though. I screamed in silence with a hand over my mouth and tears in my eyes (I read the ending in bed at night). I knew he could save the whole world, but no please, no, not him! Not there in the void. No no no, there won’t be another version of him ever. Awwwwwwww, it’s making me nauseous, my feelings. No, why my favorite? Why why why? + Honestly, the emotional pain of what happens to my favorite is so paaaaainful, it’s similar to what I feel in real life when this happens to people I love. This fucking hurts. On a later side note (let’s call it this), the fucking RELIEF I felt. My heart just swelled and I squeezed my eyes shut, tears rolled down my cheeks, and I grimaced a smile. Thank you! The timeline reacted exactly as I thought it would, which is super duper appreciated on my part. And it was rather cute.

Speaking of the timeline itself, Joan did the right thing at the end with it. I hoped she would do exactly that. The good heart of my baby Joan didn’t fail—it never does, and I love her for it. 🙂

Also, the fact that Joan’s power awakened in its worst and most powerful iteration when a specific tragedy happened towards the end makes me really happy. She reacted most violently and heartbreakingly with him than in all the previous times where she used her powers involuntarily whenever she lost someone dear to her. Yes, I took a side, and that makes me pretty happy to see her react this way for him.

Look, this was the culmination of a FANTASTIC story. I devoured all of it. I had so many emotions and feelings (I still do, and always will). I loved the Monsters series SO MUCH so that it now stands beside my favorite series, which is Shadowhunters by Cassandra Clare (all of them). I mean it in a metaphorical way—no series could ever surpass Shadowhunters to me, I never even thought one would sit beside it in my heart, but here we are with the Monsters series by Vanessa Len. I talked to my people SO MUCH about it, and cared and loved and hoped and… felt deeply personal with these characters. I love that world. I love them. So, yeah, that’s how much that trilogy is amazing. Now, I’ve got two series I adore and which mean so much to me: Shadowhunters by Cassandra Clare and Monsters by Vanessa Len. This is NOT an easy feat. I’m very, veeeeeery picky with favorites. But Monsters just blew my mind, awed me, grabbed my heart, wrenched it, put it back, made it melt, and more. So, it’s won its spot fairly.

On top of that, this Monsters series is SO thrilling and emotionally loaded, and it has so much potential to explore other stories from both the monsters and humans’ point of views, along with historical events in that world, that I would take AT LEAST 15 books of this world! I NEVER say this about any series, except for Shadowhunters (and I’ve been lucky with that one, because Cassandra Clare DID explore a lot of stories within her Shadowhunter world); yet, this series by Vanessa Len deserves the same opportunity. I WANT to know what happened before, what happens next, what happens to that side character or another I haven’t met yet… Please, give me 15 more books of Monsters! Usually, I find most series end where they should, that there isn’t much potential for other stories within that world… But Monsters? Please, YES! I NEED MORE!

Speaking of ending, I love the very end of Once a Villain; it’s like it echoes the “true timeline” (the very first, the OG timeline), and it’s beautiful. Almost poetic.

Lastly, this book (and series) was filled with lovely and crucial themes: Hope, love, family, friends, fairness, sacrifices, grief, survival, despair, evil vs good isn’t black and white, courage, and coming into oneself. What more can you ask for?

The Negative Points

Surprisingly, there are negative points, but they are very few and do not impact my rating.

First, I noticed a big inconsistency: At some point, Jamie was out walking the dog, Frankie, but then he’s back without any notice or mention of his return, and he’s suddenly close to Joan and talking like he never left; he’s way too aware of the conversation going on for someone who was out a minute ago. We didn’t even know he’d been back.

Second, and this one is rather funny, it’s something that the author does in all three books… but in this one, she really went all in with “she released the breath she didn’t know she was holding”, with a variation for Nick at some point. I counted at least three occurrences throughout the book. I mean, it’s not bad, it’s just a tiny bit annoying and so tropey.

I thought it was still worth mentioning, although like I said, they don’t impact the rating.

In Conclusion

Overall, Once a Villain by Vanessa Len mesmerized me (the whole trilogy in fact!), and caught me so tight by my feels. For all the emotions, the awe, the thrills, the amazing world-building, the angst, and the perfect resolution, I give this fantastic book a rating of 5 stars out of 5. I would give it much more, but, well, I can’t go higher. So, a perfect rating it is for a much beloved adventure!

On a side note, I highly recommend reading the series from the beginning (you can start with Only a Monster, then go to Never a Hero, and finally Once a Villain). Otherwise, it could be confusing—very confusing. However, if you’re not too much into series, keep in mind it’s only three books, and it’s sooooo amazing, I urge you to read it!

If you want to learn more about the author, Vanessa Len, you can head over to her website. She also has an Instagram account. You can also follow her Author Page on Goodreads. Don't forget to add Once a Villain–and the whole trilogy while you're at it!–to your cart, your bookshelves, or your wishlist!

The Day I Left You by Caroline Bishop: A Book Review

Book Reviews February 18, 2025 Leave a comment

Caroline Bishop's Website

Genre: Historical fiction, Women's Fiction, Romance
Number of pages: 368
ISBN: 9781668047279

ASIN: B0CL5FNMF3

Format: eBook (Kindle), Paperback
Publication date: February 18, 2025
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Type: Novel (Standalone)

A BIG thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book! I receive no compensation whatsoever, and I write this review willingly.

The cover is so pretty and elegant, but I admit it was the title that got me. The Day I Left You, hmmmm, so intriguing, and clearly romantic. Curious, I went to read the blurb, and saw it was about an East German woman leaving her British husband abruptly in the time of the Berlin Wall and Cold War. Say no more! As a huge historical fiction lover, this sounded like my cup of tea! (yes, British… tea… I made a tiny pun, see?)

Honestly, it was my cup of tea!

And if you want to know more, it’s perfect because I’m here to spill the tea!

Just keep reading, loves!

Blurb

For readers of The Secrets We Kept and Jill Santopolo comes an epic love story about Greta and Henry, who by chance meet in 1982 East Berlin and find a love that’s meant to last a lifetime—until Greta vanishes.

I’m sorry. I can’t stay.

East Berlin, 1982. When Greta Schneider meets Henry Henderson, she is instantly smitten. An engineer on a work visa from Britain, Henry offers Greta a taste of the world beyond the Iron Curtain, a world that she yearns to explore as a translator once she finishes university. For Henry, Greta is simply perfect—bold and beautiful, her lively and inquisitive nature adding a vital spark to his everyday life.

But their time together is limited. Henry can’t stay once his visa expires, and Greta is forbidden from going beyond the Berlin Wall. It’s only been a few weeks, but they know how they feel about each other, so when Henry proposes, Greta accepts—and is given permission to start a new life with Henry in England. And for a time, everything is perfect. Until, one day, out of the blue, Greta walks out the door of their Oxford home, leaving a simple note behind.

Decades later, Henry still has unanswered questions. Greta loved him, and he loved her. They surmounted the odds to be together, and in his heart, he knows their marriage was happy. So why did she leave? How well did he really know his wife? When a young mother visits Henry’s antique restoration shop, she unknowingly brings with her a clue that sends Henry on a journey to find out what happened to the love of his life all those years ago.

Set against the backdrop of the Cold War, The Day I Left You is a gorgeous, spellbinding story about the nature of love, the memories we cling to, and the hurts we must leave behind to move forward.

The Positive Points

This book is heavy on love and how to go through grief and abandon, as well as how to find yourself and happiness again. It’s sweet. I had the impression this story is a quest for answers and love, and for love. It’s not a coming-of-age story, but it’s one of coming into your own person as you grow older and try to find answers and deal with grief. An interesting take that I rarely see.

The Day I Left You felt much like life. A tale of life, it felt while reading it. It was as though Greta and Henry were at a coffee shop with me, telling me their stories. I loved it!

Something fun is that I love how we see two different ages: when they are young in their twenties; and then in their sixties or so. It’s a real change from only twenty or forty years old in most adult novels. I love this! Also, I love that the present is told in third person, and that the past with Greta is more personal in first person, like we must feel her and understand her more deeply to make sense of her decisions and actions. For it to have the right effect on us, and it does, I can assure you that. And awwwwww, Part 2 really surprised me with a new and modern POV! I wondered if we’d get to see that aspect of the story, and we do! But no more, because no spoilers ;).

I felt like the surprises kept coming and it’s all so much more intricate and entangled than I saw at first. And much deeper, too. Wow! Plus, Greta’s reasons for leaving are totally understandable in her situation. I feel for her. And it shows all the ramifications of the Cold War, too…

This story fits the expression “all in due time” in several ways. I hope you’ll see for yourself. In the end, it was a very rewarding read. It resolves pretty nicely for both of them in very different but plausible ways.

What impresses me is that the structure of the book is so well done; everything makes sense and flows properly. All the chapters fit like building blocks put together correctly. The overall structure follows the internal structure—I mean that while the characters gradually deal with what’s happened between them and the Berlin Wall falling, the overall structure of the chapters and the different POVs reflect that perfectly! It’s a work of art so neatly weaved together, bravo!

My first impression was that the prologue is very gripping and intriguing. Why does Greta have to leave if she doesn’t want to? What’s in her past? It’s emotional too, although the use of the “you” POV for her lover surprised me, but it’s good—it’s more immersive in a way. It is personal, the prologue and the Greta’s chapters in the past. And not because the first person POV in Greta’s past, although it helps, but because of the way she describes her lover and her actions. There is a proximity, a certain closeness in the way she describes things. Like it shows she cares and loves.

Moreover, it’s really fun that we get to see both POVs. One in the past Greta, and now modern Henry. Wait until for a surprise modern POV later… It all adds a little something of enjoyment to the story.

I noticed some language tricks. For example, there are psychological tricks, like how telling a lie or anything in another language feels less committing. I love such details about the complexity of the human mind and heart! In addition to this linguistic aspect, I enjoy that some affectionate words are in German, and product names like wine or celebrations, as well as a few swear words and expressions are in German. I think it’s fun to come across these words and it helps with immersion in Greta’s world and memories. And as a polyglot, I always love to see languages sprinkled in stories.

Now, what about the characters? Honestly, I enjoyed my time with them! I’ll start with Henry because he’s the one I felt for the most. He is so romantic and cute in his feelings for Greta. A lovesick puppy; I want one like him! Henry is lovable and endearing because he thinks about others and injustices, and also, he is calm, intelligent. He is a kind and good soul, it’s lovely. I also find interesting that Henry is a furniture restorer. It’s very different and little heard of in stories.

Lucy Kenny! Ah, my favorite character of the story. I really like Lucy and her rambling and her energy. I really love Lucy Kenny, she reminds me of myself, haha! She’s so proactive, helpful, and kind. And most of all: she’s a real chatterbox with a lot of energy! Can you see that in my writing? I hope you can! Plus, I like that Henry and she develop a sort of friendship, it’s rather cute!

I also really like Ros, Lucy’s mother. She’s funny and down-to-earth and lively as well. I also enjoy her views and opinions on the children and her ex-husband who’s her best friend.

And Greta? I like her; however, sometimes she made me feel sour with her. She is intriguing and interesting, and her dreams and hopes are perfectly valid. Greta, I think, did the best she could with what she had to deal with, honestly. I can’t say any more—I don’t want to spoil the story for you! But know she had her reasons and tried her best in her situation.

As per the story, I love how Greta’s homesickness is tackled and described because it must really feel like that. And also, how everything is not perfect or necessarily greener in Britain than in the GDR (German Democratic Republic). It’s interesting to see that and natural for a young woman raised in East Berlin with the wall to see positives to her old life and be homesick while feeling lost and lonely in Britain and not liking everything like capitalism and always being short on money. The character also said that you’re as free in the West as your wallet allows, and it couldn’t be truer (unfortunately). She feels disconnected from life in Britain and in the West in general. Understandably so what with her background of different experiences under communism.

Henry and Greta both evolve as individuals. For Henry, it shows through his gradual openness with Lucy and her family and his realization that his repair work must not be perfect and still show some scratches and scuffles of life and love. He’s grown into his own after so long, poor guy. And Greta is finally confiding in someone and finding her own happy ending. I’m glad that in the end, Henry somehow gets a family he longed to have, albeit a bit differently than how he’d thought he’d have one. It’s funny that it’s through his search for Greta though, but I am glad. Henry deserves the peace and happiness, and a family of his own in a way. It’s cute. And he also needs a dear friend like Lucy.

I am rather pleased that the author, through Greta, explains how and why there is the Berlin Wall and how they got it with state socialism. It is very interesting and informative. And yes, she also explains what the Stasi are and their dangerous (if not deadly) surveillance. I had deducted it, but it’s good to have a better definition in Greta’s words.

I’m so into it. My emotions are gripped. It’s so poignant and I keep being outraged at what happened to Greta and the threats, and I keep telling my mom all about it in a flurry of emotions and indignation. It’s really good when I’m so gripped emotionally.

While I had an inkling of what Greta’d become, it became freakier as I kept reading! It was very gripping emotionally and felt like a whirlwind of intrigue and difficult choices. I am glad I got to read this book before publication-I had quite the adventure with it!

The Negative Points

The biggest point is that I found it so slow. For a book with such a huge question to answer (why did she leave so abruptly?), it’s really slow-paced, which makes it less thrilling than I thought it’d be (at least for the first half of the book). It’s still interesting, but it seems to take forever to receive a new “hint” at what might have happened. Ah, those hints trickled down every 4-5 chapters or so! They had me rolling my eyes a few times because they’re so few for a long while. (They’re exciting, but still!) After 50% of the book, it the pace picked up admirably and the intrigue took me in like a whirlwind, I’ve got to say!

Also, it annoys me that the person being left is always the one who suffers the most, huh? It shows in this book as well, I noticed… It’s not that I dislike Greta, it’s just unfair for Henry who’s been stuck on her since she left, and because of how she left. While Greta has her nomadic life and a new love… It makes me sour a bit towards Greta, oh well. However, towards the end, I understood more how it’s also been cruel and hard on her. It’s just she seems to move on so easily… But I guess she didn’t have much choice, did she? And that’s a problem: she never really did have a choice in the end.

Lastly, the necklace a certain Lucy wears from her mother is quite an intriguing and effective way to deepen and twist the plot a bit. It would have been more effective, however, if we’d known before that that Greta loved to make jewellery or at least more than implied. Because it’s a good moment, but it lacks a bit of the shocking effect as a reader.

In Conclusion

All in all, I give The Day I Left You a feelsy rating of 4 stars out of 5. Despite its slow start, I ended up loving the book and enjoying my time with the characters while learning more about the intricacies and ramifications of the Berlin Wall and the Cold War. Plus, if you enjoy slow-paced books, it’ll be a perfect read! I strongly recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in the Berlin Wall and the Cold War, as well as historical fiction lovers. To those who love their books with a good dose of intrigue, mystery, and surprises. Also, I recommend it to those who love a good book that gives you feels and grips your emotions tightly, and feels just like you were out for coffee with friends to hear their life stories.

If you want to learn more about the author, Caroline Bishop, you can visit her author website and follow her on her Goodreads Author account, as well as her Instagram account. Don't forget to add The Day I Left You to your wishlist, your cart, or your bookshelves!

Vilest Things (Flesh and False Gods #2) by Chloe Gong: A Book Review

Book Reviews December 28, 2024 Leave a comment

Chloe Gong's Website

Simon & Schuster's Author Page

Goodreads (Add it to your bookshelves!)

LibraryThing

StoryGraph

Fable

Genre: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Romance, Adult, Retelling
Number of pages: 372
ISBN: 9781668055014

ASIN:1668055015

Series: Flesh and False Gods (#2)

Format: Paperback, Hardcover, eBook (Kobo, Kindle, Nook), Audiobook (Audible, Kobo, B&N, CD)
Publication date: September 10, 2024
Publisher: Saga Press
Type: Book, Novel, Series, Sequel

*A HUGE thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada and Saga Press for a physical galley of this book! I get no compensation whatsoever, and I write this book review willingly.*

Fun fact: When I requested Vilest Things by Chloe Gong, all I knew was the blurb (which grabbed my interest right away!) and that it was a retelling of Antony and Cleopatra by Shakespeare. Honestly, I had not read the first book, Immortal Longings, but the description of Vilest Things captivated me so much I asked for it and I am fortunate enough to have been granted a physical galley of it! So, of course, I rushed and purchased a copy of Immortal Longings to know what happened prior to the second book. I was NOT disappointed, as it shows in my bookstagram review.

But what about Vilest Things?

Well, I was pleasantly surprised, and while it was different than the first book, it was nonetheless a great read!

Want to find out how so?

Just keep on reading, loves!

The Positive Points

The characterization in this book is excellent! Calla is not becoming a better person per se, but there is some character development to her. She is softer with orphans now and kids (who clearly remind her of when she used to be one), and she has a bit more trouble maneuvering the twin cities from a high standpoint since she reintegrated the royalty. It’s also interesting to note she admits to be at ease with some people while she would never admit this in the first book. She’s still not likeable person, yet she is as interesting as before, if not more as we discover more of her personality and past.

The angst is angstin’ so much in Vilest Things (even more so than in Immortal Longings, the first book)! There is such pressure on Calla and Anton, and between them, wow! The tension, ish! It’s chef’s kiss, so deliciously painful.

There is the truth. There is her pulsating heart, pulled bloody from her chest and harvested for the threads of deceit she wove into it herself. – Calla Tuoleimi (p. 57, Vilest Things)

The angst between Calla and Anton is strong in this story. And I love how it’s mostly Calla’s fault for it all, and that she admits it, at least to herself; this drives the story in Vilest Things, in my opinion.

Calla Tuoleimi has ruined him, so he’ll have to ruin everything in return. – Anton Makusa (Chapter 17, p. 177, Vilest Things)

As for Anton Makusa, this quote explains very well how heart-broken he feels, how vengeful, and how he altered his behaviour due to strong conflicting feelings. He loves her, and that’s part of the problem. So, he wants to take vengeance on Calla by ruining everything… except her, it seems. Because he’s a lovesick fool, and it’s so adorable AND angsty.

The main antagonist is a certain surprise someone from the ending of the first book: Otta Avia. Yes, that one… At least, to me, she seems like the villain throughout most of the book (of course, it doesn’t help that we’re mostly on Calla and Anton’s side as readers). When I learned something important about her though at the end of the book, my perspective wavered: she is the enemy, but for an excellent reason. She’s shrewd, and pulling the strings of everyone (yes, even Calla, and mostly Anton) like a master puppeteer. Otta is a little bitch, and she’s a pest, meddling in things she shouldn’t (or so we think) just for a grand plan of hers we don’t know anything about. Also, she loves to make trouble for Anton and Calla, and kind of puts herself between them sometimes, as well as against them. She’s also dangerous and well-versed in qi feats previously unknown to us as readers and to the other characters. In addition to that, or because of all these reasons most likely, she’s a very interesting character. I love to hate her, you see. It is clear Otta Avia’s got several aces up her sleeve… and so far, they’ve all blown my mind! Just who is she? 😉

On another note, I love that despite Anton having taken August’s place in his body, the author still uses Anton’s name in the descriptions. I’ve read books where the author uses the disguise’s name instead and it’s a bit silly because we KNOW who the character really is, and can sometimes be confusing. So, kudos!

Also, I’ve never read Antony & Cleopatra by Shakespeare (one of his rare works I haven’t read yet!), so I can’t talk much about the retelling aspect of the story. However, I am a big admirer of Cleopatra and what she did to save and help her kingdom. Thus, I noticed something: I love how the author cleverly weaved in Cleopatra’s story into the country of Talin in Vilest Things! It is both fascinating and entertaining, as well as it brings even more depth and intrigue to the story at hand. I can’t tell you how, it would be a spoiler. But remember this while reading the book: it’s about a great queen who was about to lose the war, and knew she had to do something about it.

This sequel really delves deeper into the question of identity. Who is Calla Tuoleimi? What happened to the real Calla, the child who was invaded by the Calla we know? Who is Anton Makusa, the guy who always jumps, never in his own body? Who does that make you when you jump and are not in your birth body anymore? What about it? The question is threaded throughout the book, and is strung tight with intensity, right up until the end for one of the biggest reveals I have EVER read (similar to the shock I had with Maven Calore in the Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard)!

Moreover, Vilest Things doesn’t read like an ARC. What I mean is that I focus on details and take notes for ARCs to write up my reviews, but with this book I read it like any other excellent book on my bookshelves! I picked it up and read through, it’s so intriguing and engrossing, a lot of times pleasantly forgetting to focus and take notes. So it did writing up this review a bit more difficult, haha, but the reading experience was fluid and so thrilling! It might have been slow in the beginning, but once things get in motion, omg, it’s exciting and pleasantly confusing the more you read because you learn things and connect the dots and it’s astonishing what is happening! Plus, some events occur that I was surprised by since it seems unbreakable rules in the first book. I won’t say which implicit rules, but it’s to do with the characters and their own limits. There were SO MANY surprises in Vilest Things! A captivating read that left me breathless, just like Immortal Longings! Now, when’s the third book coming out?!

The Negative Points

The story is slow compared to Immortal Longings. It takes a long while to truly become exciting and intriguing. It does, but it’s not the big fighting mess of the first book with threats and stakes around every corner. It’s more subtle, and more political. I like it, don’t get me wrong, but since I was expecting it to still be as thrilling with the fighting mess, I was surprised, so it needs to be mentioned. The intensity just shifted—it turned into severe angst between Anton and Calla, the return of Otta Avia, and Anton being the new King under the guise of August. So, like I said, it’s more subtle, yet it grows more intriguing and exciting as you read through the book.

A point that really bothered me is how Galipei, who clearly loves August romantically (I am sure, don’t tell me otherwise!), takes sooooo long to realise that August is in fact… Anton now, because Anton jumped into August. I understand there was no flash of light or anything they stand by as rules for jumping, but when you love someone, you notice how different and weird they sound as another, it seems to me… Yes, he does know something IS off with his August, but… it’s not enough. He doesn’t seem to be really taking action about it or truly trying to seek him out in private (I know he did try, but it’s only mentioned, we don’t see it). This annoyed me because Galipei is not an idiot, and he obviously loves August, so this should be obvious something is wrong with his love… But he acts just a bit different with August, more worried and more distant, as we see in his own chapters. However, he does plan things behind August’s back, which is interesting—but it never mentions that he knows it’s not August, it’s always as though he thinks something is off but nothing more. At last, a great thing is that Galipei now has his own chapters, yay!

In Conclusion

Overall, I give this gripping and exciting read with a bit of a slow start a solid rating of 4.5 stars out of 5! Vilest Things is an excellent sequel to Immortal Longings, and I can’t wait to read the third book! Please please please, will it be out soon?!

If you want to learn more about the author, Chloe Gong, you can visit her website, follow her on her Instagram account, her Goodreads Author Page, her Tumblr account as well as her Pinterest (you can view her boards for her books! <3). You can even listen to her series' playlists on her Spotify! Don't forget to add Vilest Things to your wishlist, your cart, or your bookshelves!

Treacherous Notion by Linnea March: Book Tour with Romance me with Books & Book Review

Blog Tours, Book Reviews March 14, 2023 Leave a comment

This will sound a tad bit weird, but I'm not one for rock star romance or anything of the sorts. However, the cover is striking, and the bit about best friend love caught my attention.

Having never read such a rock star romance, I figured it seemed like the perfect time to delve into the sub-genre! And I wasn't wrong. 🙂

As a Book Tour Stop for Romance me with Books, I'm pleased to present Treacherous Notion by Linnea March as well as my review of the book.

Keep reading, love!

Book Tour Page

Linnea March's Website

Now, what's so different about this book?

And what is this book about, anyway?

I'm so glad you asked!

Here's the blurb:

I must admit the tropes are awesome. A cinnamon roll hero? I'm in. A friends-to-lovers story? Perfect! Child free by choice? I support that. It's a wise and acceptable decision when both parties involved agree. If that is fine with them, I'm fine with it.

And now, a round of applause for:

THE BOOK REVIEW

* I received an e-ARC of this book and I write this review willingly, without any compensation whatsoever. Thank you to Linnea March and Romance me with Books! *

The humour in this book is amusing, light and quite realistic when you take in the rock star aspect. Like his little sister stumbling upon him shirtless in a magazine–i mean, the horror for a teenage girl, ha! It's hilarious!

Also, I love how Ilsa's decision to not have babies/children is described. It is honest, but very kind. It's not as if you cannot like said babies/children to not want to have them yourself. You can like them and still say no. That description is genuine and not mean, and I love it.

Plus, I love how Nathan thinks he isn't "jealous" or "protective" of Ilsa, but whenever other guys say things like "Ilsa is normal hot", that gets Nathan upset and defensive, which is both sweet and hilarious. He's cute too, how he loves and values their friendship… He truly is a cinnamon roll hero. He is lovely, and I wasn't disappointed!

The only negative point is minor: sometimes there are several repetitions of a word within two paragraphs here and there, and it's annoying. But it's nothing heavy.

All in all, the best part of this book (besides the romance, I mean, and the spicy scenes ;)) is how humane and well-developed the characters are. They have all these feelings and emotions and thoughts and righteousness and desires… it's amazing. Like we all wonder sometimes and all fight inner fights about different stuff; sometimes we want something but fight against it, anyhow–just like Ilsa and Nathan. I love their depth. That is truly the highest point of this book, which makes you care about them and you're cheering them on and going on this roller coaster ride of feels and expectations and twists and highs and lows. Very nice. I loved loving them? Yeah, that's what I wanna say. 🙂

Obviously, I will stay tuned for Linnea March's upcoming similar books (either rockstar or Hollywood-inspired romances) as I really enjoy her writing, and well, I might just have discovered a new pleasant sub-genre for me. 🙂

For all the fun I had reading this book, and all the squeals and gasps I uttered with these characters, I give it a rating of 5 stars out of 5. I highly recommend it to romance readers looking for a good time and a lot of sweet feelings, and a great depth of characters.