Himawari Reads

Hello! This is my pinned post so you can learn about my blog a bit. **If you're interested in ME, you can click here for my About Me page :)

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What is this blog's content focused on?

My blog mainly focuses on thoughtful, truthful reviews of my experiences and opinions while reading. My reviews are a bit blunt, sarcastic, entertaining, and hopefully, helpful!

What genres of books do you read/like?

I enjoy a variety of themes/genres while reading! The vast majority of my books have some sort of fantasy element, and they always include romance. I can go for "dark romance" or "green flags", or anything in between. I enjoy M4F, M4M, as well as "why choose", poly-type situations.

What themes/genres do you NOT like?

I tend to stay away from sci-fi, it just doesn't tend to hold my interest. As for themes, I do not enjoy the following tropes: cheating, love triangles, pregnancy. Other than that, I will pretty much read anything!

Would you read a book for me and tell me your thoughts? Or can I suggest/recommend a book?

THE SHORT & QUICK

Synopsis: Kiram Kir-Zaki has a brilliant mind and rare talent for building machines. He's been invited to attend a prestigious academy in the heart of Cadeleon, a land that has fought against, subjugated, and hated Kiram's people, the Haldiim. Where the Haldiim are a sexually liberated, matriarchal group, the Cadeleon are staunchly religious, eschewing femininity and homosexuality. Kiram finds himself rooming with the one man at the academy that everyone equally fears and admires, Javier Tornesal, the owner of the White Hell. As Kiram learns more about Cadeleon society and politics, meanwhile fighting against rising sexual tension with his closeted roommate, he stumbles upon a plot to harm everything he's grown to love and has him questioning his loyalties.

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My Overall Rating: 5.6/7 (or 4/5)

Series? Yes

Volumes: 2 (duo part of larger 6 book series)

Tropes: forbidden romance, star crossed lovers

TWs: bigotry/racism, homophobia, religious trauma, cheating (kind of)

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Book Pros: intricate worldbuilding, dynamic flawed characters. Sexual tension is crazy, chemistry is crazyyy. Political intrigue without being too hard to understand. Switchy couple.

Book Cons: plot pacing is slow at times, overly descriptive. Ending of 2nd book was rushed. Felt a tad unsatisfied. There is kind of a hetero cheating scene, which in other reviews, a lot of people hated so... fair warning 😅

Quotes:

Kiram kept his eyes closed, fearing his resolve would collapse if he looked into Javier’s eyes. Then he’d kiss his mouth. He’d run his hands over his chest and down to his thighs. His body ached just thinking of the mistakes that he longed to make.

“So, now I’m truly bent,” Javier murmured.

“But not broken.” Kiram searched Javier’s distant expression for a sign of what their passion had cost him.

“No.” Javier released a slow breath and then offered Kiram a tired smile. “Not broken. Satisfied.”

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IN-DEPTH REVIEW

CHARACTERS (6)

There were a lot of characters in these books, and yet I remember each of them so clearly. They were all wonderfully unique and most were likeable even with their flaws. There were a few characters that I felt didn't add much to the story, but turns out they star in the other books in the series. However, I felt that they were honestly...kind of not very nice 😅 so I'm not particularly inspired to learn more about them or read their stories. BUT!! The main characters are very well written and are absolutely the highlight of the books. The books are both written through Kiram's POV but the author does a fantastic job of describing the changes in Javier's character and I didn't feel I was missing anything by not getting his POV.

WRITING & PROSE (6)

Writing style was pretty good. Nothing overly flowery or too bland. Excellent descriptions that truly made me able to imagine the scenes. Sometimes I have a hard time picturing people and places in my head based on written words alone, but I never had that issue in these books and was fully immersed thanks to the excellent writing. Although at times the descriptions were on the excessive side...

STORY & PACING (4)

So this is where these books struggled in my opinion. There were stretches of pages where the author took time to describe, almost to excess, very mundane activities. They added nothing to the plot or characters. It felt like the plot came to a grinding halt. I found myself glazing over large sections of text and missed nothing story-wise. I appreciate good imagery, but sometimes I don't need to know about how the butcher down the street does his business.

Also, the end of the second book...I don't want to give anything away, but it ended in a way that left me unsatisfied honestly! It ended so fast to the point it felt rushed, or like there should have been more to the story, but instead it just...ends.

WORLDBUILDING (6)

Absolutely the highlight of the books!! The world Hale has created is so alive! Cadeleon is based loosely off of historical Spanish culture and the Haldiim are loosely based on historical Arab culture. If you're a lore lover, you will love these books. The intertwining of religion and machinery and mysticism and Spanish nobles is just a totally wild ride and I loved everything about it. It has been a very long time since I've read about a fictional world that I felt like I have been to this place. Fantastic job from the author.

INTRIGUE & ENGAGEMENT (6)

There are several aspects to this book that keep you hooked at different moments. Whether it's the relationship between the main couple, the politics of Cadeleon, or the mystery surrounding the curse of the White Hell, I found these books incredibly hard to put down. Aside from the occasional pacing issue, I blasted through these, eager to get to the next moment.

THE SHORT & QUICK

Synopsis: Leovander Loveage is a failure of a scriver. He can't get spells more advanced than things like changing someone's hair color to work out properly. He wants nothing to do with his family's legacy and just wants to hide away with his inheritance. Standing in his way is having to make nice with someone like Sebastian Grimm, a talented caster who wants nothing to do with the nonsense Leo has to offer. But when a forbidden spell gets cast unknowingly, Grimm is forced to join Leo on a journey to break the curse.

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My Overall Rating: 4.6/7 (or 3.3/5)

Series? Yes

Volumes: 1 (will be a trilogy)

Tropes: enemies to lovers, stuck together

TWs: minor alcohol abuse

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Book Pros: magic system felt fresh and interesting. main character is relatable, likeable, and well-developed. plot twist surprised me. cliffhanger isn't painful, but leaves you ready for more!

Book Cons: beginning of book struggles to hook you. love interest isn't as likeable as MC. worldbuilding is thin. felt chemistry was lacking.

Quotes:

"Even here, in this place of monsters, I was the thing that Grimm couldn’t quite trust."

"Must you conduct yourself in a way that entices people to stab you in your sleep? I, the person who’s sharing a tent with you, will be quite peeved if we’re murdered simply because you couldn’t be polite.”

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IN-DEPTH REVIEW

CHARACTERS (5)

Leo, our main character, whose POV we're in for the entirety of the book, is by far the most likeable character. Another likeable character comes along in the later parts of the book, but I was struck by how...plain the love interest is. I found Grimm to be unremarkable. Other than grumpy, he didn't have much of a personality. I didn't have any particular affection or hatred for him. In fact, at times, I found his reactions to certain happenings to be wildly bland. Leo on the other hand is vibrant and whimsical. The reader can share his frustrations and genuinely root for him.

WRITING & PROSE (4)

I didn't the writing was anything awe-inspiring or unique, but it wasn't bad by any means! It suited the character who's story was being told. There were attempts at humor that I felt often times fell a tad flat, with a few exceptions.

STORY & PACING (5)

At first, I did have a hard time getting into this book. It didn't hook me right away. It may have had something to do with this book's similarity to a book I just read (rival wizards, enemies to lovers, and even one of the character names was the same lol). BUT! Once they enter the forest, I was totally invested and the plot only got better and better from there. This is planned to be a trilogy, but I didn't feel that there was a painful cliffhanger at the end. More like just a promise of more to come.

WORLDBUILDING (3)

I felt that, in general, the world-building held a lot of untapped potential. The dynamic between "scriver" and "caster" was super interesting! But author didn't go into detail about relationship between the two. I felt like I kept being thrown brief glimpses of the inner workings of the world, but nothing that provided enough detail for me to be overly impressed or immersed. Since this is gearing up to be a trilogy, I will hope that the author will explain things in more detail! There was a lot to be intrigued by, but my curiosities were left unsatisfied.

INTRIGUE & ENGAGEMENT (6)

Hi all! I've been struggling to properly rate books lately, and my friend sent me this breakdown she found/uses. Going forward, I'll be formatting my reviews around this system. I think it'll give better insight into ratings and allow more nuance.

The final overall rating out of 7 will be an average of all the sections Please feel free to use this system in your own book reviewing life!

CHARACTERS How strong and compelling were the characters?

7 - Outstanding: Exceptionally written characters that felt vivid and unforgettable.

6 - Great: Strong characterization with meaningful development. 

5 - Good: Solid, likable, and effective. 

4 - Adequate: Fine, but unremarkable. 

3 - Flawed: Inconsistent, shallow, or underdeveloped. 

2 - Poor: Frustrating or poorly handled. 

1 - Terrible: Actively damaged the story.

WRITING & PROSE How effective was the writing itself?

7 - Outstanding: Beautiful, confident, or distinctive prose. 

6 - Great: Strong, polished writing that enhanced immersion. 

5 - Good: Clear and readable with some standout moments. 

4 - Adequate: Functional but plain. 

3 - Flawed: Awkward phrasing or uneven quality. 

2 - Poor: Distracting or difficult to read. 

1 - Terrible: Actively unpleasant or incoherent.

STORY & PACING How well did the book handle its narrative progression?

7 - Outstanding: Excellent storytelling with strong payoff. 

6 - Great: Well-structured and engaging throughout. 

5 - Good: Solid narrative that moved things forward. 

4 - Adequate: Fine, but not memorable. 

3 - Flawed: Uneven pacing or weak focus. 

2 - Poor: Disjointed or unsatisfying. 

1 - Terrible: Narrative failure.

WORLDBUILDING How rich and engaging was the setting and lore?

7 - Outstanding: Deep, immersive, and memorable worldbuilding. 

6 - Great: Well-developed and consistently engaging. 

5 - Good: Clear and interesting. 

4 - Adequate: Functional backdrop. 

3 - Flawed: Thin or inconsistently presented. 

2 - Poor: Confusing or unconvincing. 

1 - Terrible: Broke immersion completely.

INTRIGUE & ENGAGEMENT How compelling was this book to keep reading?

7 - Outstanding: Impossible to put down. 

6 - Great: Strong hook and sustained interest. 

5 - Good: Generally engaging. 

4 - Adequate: Neutral engagement. 

3 - Flawed: Lost momentum. 

2 - Poor: Felt like a chore. 

THE SHORT & QUICK

Synopsis: Stavros and Daniel are bad men who do bad things, an assassin for hire and a crime family kingpin. There was one good thing in Daniel's life, but Stavros took that away from him. Daniel sets about getting his revenge by capturing Stavros and making him pay in blood every single day. As the torture continues, so do feelings, eventually leading to a tumultuous and feral sexual relationship between the two. Thus begins a cat and mouse game with high stakes and involving all the wrong people.

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My Rating: No Rating 😅 Series? Yes Volumes: 2 Tropes: enemies to lovers

TWs: violence, blood/blood play, knife play, choking, torture, water sports, gun play

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Book Pros: writing in beginning is TWISTED and it's so GOOD. switch couple. couple in their 40s (could be neg). chemistry is off the fkn charts. consent is key.

Book Cons: loses plot halfway through the book. must suspend disbelief in many aspects of plot. couple in their 40s (could be pos). more sex than plot at points.

Quotes: “You like it when I bleed.” Even to his ears, his words were shakier than normal. Faint. “You do it so well.” Daniel’s sounded weirdly proud, like he approved of the rivulets soaking Stavros’ hip and the tiny puddle congealing next to them.

“Feelings aren’t something you run from...You bring them with you wherever you go.”

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IN-DEPTH REVIEW

Hoo boy...I have a lot to say about this book, and also nothing at all to say about this book lol this was a WILD ride. First let me note that if you intend on reading this book, you must suspend pretty much any and all disbelief. It will be MUCH more enjoyable if you don't question what happens. I will try my best to explain without giving too much away. This review is going to be structured a tad differently, and I'm going to discuss the book in 3 parts.

PART 1: beginning of the book When I first starting reading this book, I was sure this was going to be a 4.5 if not 5 star read for me, I'm being serious. Now you may ask, how did you go from that to "no rating"? We'll get to that, we will. But what initially drew me in was the writing in the beginning. I thought the depiction of the torture and the twisted desires they felt for each other was SO well written. The author totally nailed the fine line between this is fucked up and this is so wrong it's right. I'm not into 90% of the TWs mentioned, but it was so well-written, it had me second guessing myself. The tension, the slow twisting of their feelings...UGH. I'm telling yall, it was tasty. Honestly, if this interests you, read the beginning and then put the book down lol. Because the good vibes do not continue.

PART 2: middle of the book Now this part of the book is where the rating started to die. The tension and high stakes vibe of the beginning disintegrated and became more of just two men not able to communicate in any way other than copious amounts of sex and running away from each other. Daniel changes his mind about things 500 times and at first it's understandable, but then it got annoying. There were some moments I loved in this part, but it felt more like the author didn't know how to go beyond the beginning and was floundering for word counts. The other thing that becomes apparent in the middle of this book is that you have to just say "okay" to the lack of realism and move on. There are no straight people in this book. Everyone is some version of gay, even the side characters, which are characters from author's other books. I have this issue in other books, and I in no way claim to be a criminal underground expert, but from what I know of men in general, it's just incredibly unrealistic to me how accepting everyone is of queer people in this book. PART 3: end of the book And as we wind down to the end, the rating was buried. I thought everything was good and settled and then there's ANOTHER plot twist. I was just over it by this point...lol After so much wishy washy-ness, I was tired of inconsistencies and the constant pace changes. Again, I was just struck with how the author seemed to lack a clear plan. Because there is something that carries through the whole book, and when it's finally revealed, you think, okay, it's over now. But then something else happens! UGH.

THE SHORT & QUICK

Synopsis: Sebastion and Elethior (Thio) are two diametrically opposed graduate students at a magical college in Philadelphia. They are in rival departments, and they are gunning for the same grant money, both with something to prove to their families. Much to their chagrin, they're forced to share the grant. Being in close quarters every day riles them up until their emotions explode in delicious ways.

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My Rating: 3/5

Series? Yes

Volumes: 1 (book 2 will be different couple)

Tropes: enemies to lovers, trauma bonds

TWs: mentions of minor abuse (physical/mental), military/war mentioned

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Book Pros: legit enemies, Sebastian has 1000 valid reasons for hating Thio. Hate sex is hot, good chemistry, SWITCH COUPLE!! Progression of relationship felt natural and enjoyable.

Book Cons: dialogue is sometimes cheesy/corny, often felt author was going for funny, but didn't quite land. Author mentions book is for dnd lovers but I didn't get that vibe at all. Magic seemed overly convenient at times.

Quotes:

"My hackles go up. They were already up. They go up higher. I’m wearing an Elizabethan neck ruff of hackles."

"He’s always doing that, adapting to me like a chameleon, and I should feel guilty for how often he slips into that role. But right now, I’m choking, and he’s turning into air for me."

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IN-DEPTH REVIEW

This is my first book of the new year!! And my first book back after not feeling like reading at all due to mental and physical health issues. But I'm on the mend and was eager to get back into reading once again. This book wasn't spectacular, but it was good enough to get my book bug back.

Let's start with the positives.......

The highlight of the book for me is the description and handling of a true trauma bond relationship. 100% platonic yet affectionate friendship between Sebastian and his best friend, Orok. They went through the same incredibly horrific experience together and became inseparable ever since. As the book progresses, so does the knowledge that they can't stay attached at the hip forever and it's both sad and inspiring to see them try to forge their own separate paths for the first time.

And in a similar vein, I think the author was very adept at writing Thio and Sebastian's changing relationship. From sporadic hate sex, to hookup, to burgeoning feelings, to lovers. Their attraction to each other stayed the same, but what they needed from each other didn't. Thio especially was always ready to mold himself to suit Sebastian's needs, but it didn't feel self-sacrificing. I liked that their relationship unfolded in phases of telling each other more about their lives.

On the other side of things.......

Now I fully admit that I am a bitter, grudge-holding kind of woman, so this book really kind of left me feeling unsatisfied in some ways. Sebastian suffered terribly in his childhood, and in the end, I felt there was next to zero accountability for some parties. I don't want to spoil plot points too much, but I felt like the big bad awful things that Sebastian experienced were ultimately "cured" and "forgiven". The author gets into some seriously traumatic shit and at the end of the book, it just seems like he walks it all off. Having Thio by his side is obviously a boon, but given what the author says he went through, I don't know...Couldn't see myself moving past that with any kind of quickness.

This was genuinely my biggest pet peeve. Things just felt unbalanced. The things the author describes are so heavy and dark, they don't match the cheery cover or lightheartedness that prevails throughout the book. I realize I'm expecting a lot from a book described as a rom-com, but I was honestly shocked at the insanity of what this character went through and how easily he seemed to just get past it by the end.

If you were stranded on a deserted island, which books would you take with you to keep you company? 🤔 Also will accept 3 series to make it slightly easier

THE SHORT & QUICK

Synopsis: Yadriel wants nothing more than to be accepted by his family and community as the brujo he knows he's born to be. But his traditionalist father, despite awkwardly accepting the fact that Yads is trans, won't allow him to ask Lady Death for her blessings. Yadriel decides to take matters into his own hands, and in the process, accidentally summons the ghost of recently deceased Julian. A spunky short-fuse, Julian injects new life into Yadriel's life (despite being dead). Together they navigate the puzzles of life, death, strained familial relations, and each other's opposite personalities. All while trying to solve a mystery that wracked Yadriel's home.

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My Rating: 4/5 Series? Yes Volumes: 1 (book 2 out 9/1/26) Tropes: acceptance, ghosts, mysticism TWs: deadnaming, transphobia, mentions of domestic violence

---------------------------------------- Book Pros: great trans, gay/queer rep. great mix of Hispanic and brujx culture, was educational and entertaining. personalities of main characters felt separate and very likeable. struggles were very real and believable. genuinely rooted for characters. plot twist was unexpected. Book Cons: middle of book was lacking in excitement, bit slow. sometimes author took too much time to explain details of ceremonies. some important things happened very quickly, while less important things took too long. Quotes: “Queer folks are like wolves,” Julian told him. “We travel in packs.”

"Julian was achingly beautiful, but in the way a thunderstorm was beautiful—wild, rough, electric. And bound to leave devastation in his wake."

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IN-DEPTH REVIEW

Going to preface this review by saying that as a working adult, I don't think I was the ideal target audience for this book. It was definitely written for a younger audience. But! I still found a lot of enjoyment in it!

Let's start with the positives....... It's a shame, but this was my first time reading a book with a trans MC, especially one written by a trans author. I greatly appreciated the authenticity of Yadriel's experiences and inner dialogue. In fact, the golden star of this book is the rawness of it. It's for YA audiences, but it doesn't hold its punches when it comes to talking about the characters' struggles. The book only focused on Yadriel, and would have enjoyed getting more of Julian's POV, but the author did a good job of showing Julian's personality and relationships with his friends and family. I'm a sucker for an underdog becoming OP-type story, and this book satisfied that for me. Yadriel is denied by his community from stepping to his birthright due to him being trans. But Yadriel comes through and becomes the hero of the story. It's a bit cliche, but it was written in a way that you were genuinely rooting for the cliche to be true. Also, the plot twist actually did take me by surprise and that's not always easy to achieve. The end of the book was truly the best part of the story, honestly. It was action packed and everything about it made me happy.

On the other side of things....... The middle of this book unfortunately dragged on. It was a lot of focus on Julian and Yadriel and Maritza doing things together, and that was fine, but it felt like the big issue that started the book was totally forgotten in the meantime. It wasn't exactly unimportant stuff, it added a lot of depth to both Yadriel and Julian's characters, but it just wasn't incredibly interesting. And in a similar vein, I felt that a lot of time was taken to explain various aspects of brujx culture/traditions/etc and those sections were dry. Like, on one hand, that sort of info is interesting to me, but I didn't set out to learn a hundred things about brujx. The info just kept coming and seemed like it took too long to explain certain things. I ended up glancing over chunks of text, because it just didn't seem that the level of detail we got was necessary.

you don't know me at all, but that's not that important. my name is jay, i'm 35, and i'm here because you seem to love reading, just like me! soooooo i'm inviting you to our bookworm community forum for adults. the link is here: https://freeliteracy.jcink.net

there is absolutely NO pressure for you to join, or for you to post this publicly. hell, you can even blatantly ignore me. that's fine.

i simply want to talk to more people about books, and if it takes messaging individuals, than i'll do that!

anyway, i sincerely hope you have a good day, and thank you for your time!

💙📚

jay