After loving the first two books of this series, I have just been bubbling with excitement, ready to completely immerse myself into what surely must be the epic last book of this trilogy. There is no way A Vow So Bold and Deadly would let me down, right?

Sigh.

Diving into this book was like diving into... nothing. Because nothing happens in the first half (that's 200 pages!) of this book. When we left off at the end of book 2, it was clear that war is coming. So I expected to jump right into war, or conflict, or excitement. But instead, we are treated to scene after scene of preparing for war, talking about war, training for war, and petty squabbles about war.

We are also treated to Lia Mara's insufferable dithering in pretty much every scene. In the previous book, it wasn't as irritating because she was still growing and figuring out where she belongs. But the character growth I expected out of her never materialized in this book. She is still doubting herself and never standing up for what she believes in, instead allowing everyone to walk all over her. She is constantly hesitating and gasping and being startled. At one point, she almost cried when there was food in front of her. Ugh, how am I supposed to cheer for her as a leader when she doesn't even have the courage to eat?

In this book, all four main characters' stories converge, and we get to see it from each of their perspectives. I have been looking forward to this, but it left me a little confused. Often, I didn't really understand each character's reasoning for doing what they were doing. They all say they want peace, but then their actions would make the other side believe the opposite, which leads to unnecessary conflict.

Thankfully, the plot finally starts to coalesce around the halfway point. And once the action gets going, all the things I have loved about this series up to now emerges again. My girl Harper is as badass as ever, showing courage and strength in the face of overwhelming adversity. Our favorite villain is back in force, wrecking havoc and destruction in our characters' lives. And Rhen and Grey come face to face again, and their interactions are as wonderful and heartwarming as I remember.

Don't get me wrong, this wasn't a bad book. But it was the weakest of the trilogy simply because it didn't have enough meat to fill out its bones. There was so much unnecessary filler in the beginning, it completely bogged down the pacing. And since all the action and development was saved for the end, the rest of the book felt meandering and plodding.

Still, I enjoyed the way the conclusion wrapped everything up, and felt it sufficiently brought a terrific series to its end. I'm just walking away a little disappointed that the last book of the trilogy wasn't as superb as the earlier ones.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

My heartfelt thanks for the advance copy that was provided for my honest and unbiased review.

After how much I loved the first book in the series, I went into A Heart So Fierce and Broken with both excitement and caution. I know it's hard to follow up a thrilling first book with an even more so second book, especially when there are amped up expectations to take into account. But I needn't have worried, because I come away having thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I'll say right off the bat that this story is an unexpected follow up to the first. It doesn't so much extend it as it does a pivot away, both from the characters we loved as well as the storyline we were following. Going in, I was warned by many that this would be the case, so I had time to prepare myself. As a result, what I got was what I was expecting, which made the changes less startling and more palatable.

Being the middle book of a trilogy, there's a little bit of a slow down in terms of pacing. The urgency of book 1, in trying to break the curse, is gone. Instead, there is time devoted to setting up a different focus and in laying down the groundwork for what must be the big final conflict in book 3. Yet, the story still captivated me, and I was just as riveted with it as with the previous one.

What I loved about the first book is all still in the second. The characters are flawed, but also warm, kind, and courageous. We meet some new ones, and they are just as loveable as all the ones we already know. The love story is a slow burn that takes a while to come to fruition, but when it does, it feels rewarding. The conflicts and the disagreements still make sense, especially when taken in light of that most unexpected ending.

Speaking of the ending, what a setup for the next book! I am already anticipating starting the third book. I don't think I can wait very long, and can only pat myself on the back for having had the foresight to wait until all three books were out before starting this trilogy.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

Memory is such a fascinating thing. How do the mechanics of it work? How do we choose what we remember? What about all the things we forget? And what happens as we grow older and our memory starts to decline?

Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting tackles all of these questions and more. It's divided into three parts: How We Remember, What We Forget, and Improve or Impair. Part one goes through each of the different types of memory and how they are formed. Because I came into this book knowing a bit about memory creation, that part wasn't as new to me, but it was still useful to have all the information summed up in one place.

Parts two and three were the most interesting because they contain a lot of new information for me. There were so many thought-provoking tidbits in there. One is that every time you recall a memory, you are editing and rewriting over the original, such that once you've done this a few times, your current version of it may deviate quite a bit from what really happened. Another is that sleeping aids memory storage and clears out the plaque that eventually leads to dementia, so sleeping is essential for good memory health.

The book also spends some time talking about the differences between normal memory-retrieval glitches versus what happens with Alzheimer's. It is both straightforward in its presentation of what causes dementia and Alzheimer's, as well as comforting in its assessment of what patients with those diseases are still able to retain. And it offers many useful and practical suggestions on what you can do starting now to give you the best chance to stave off these ravaging diseases later in life.

Genova both holds a degree in neuroscience and is a fiction author (she wrote Still Alice), so she's the perfect person to present this information in a way that is accessible to the layman. She expertly weaves the technical scientific information with personal anecdotes to illustrate her points, adding enough heart and humor so that it doesn't become too dry.

If you're curious at all about how memory works, or you want information on how best to take care of yourself now to avoid memory diseases later in life, this is a worthwhile book to check out.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

My heartfelt thanks for the advance copy that was provided for my honest and unbiased review.

"We are all dealt a hand at birth. . . . The choices we face may not be the choices we want, but they are choices nonetheless."

I love me a good fairytale retelling. So when I first heard about this book back when it was released, I immediately started salivating. But the problem is that I have terrible book memory, so I try not to start a series until all the books are out. Fast-forward a few years of agonizing wait, and finally there's nothing stopping me anymore.

I always approach fairytale retellings with caution. After all, it must be no easy task to take on Beauty and the Beast, arguably one of the most well-known and beloved fairytales out there. Many have tried, with mixed results. But my concerns were completely unfounded. Brigid Kemmerer knocked it out of the park. She made this a unique story in its own right, while still staying true to the spirit of the original fairytale.

This story swept me away. It grabbed me from the very first moment, and I was instantly smitten. It has so much going for it. The curse is hopelessly cruel and dark. The characters are flawed, but nonetheless strong and courageous. They are deserving of our sympathy, and it was so much fun to cheer them on in their quest. And the worldbuilding feels natural and intuitive, seamlessly fitting into the real world. When our heroine crossed over into Emberfall, I felt like I did too.

The most important thing this story gets right is that its narrative and its conflicts make sense. This may seem like such an obvious thing, but more often than not, a lot of fantasy books fall short for me in that regard. This misstep then affects everything, making it hard to understand the characters and their subsequent actions. Here, everything comes together, and as a result, all the difficult choices that follow feel genuine and believable.

I also particularly enjoyed the love story in here. A lot of YA rushes through this part, making it feel superficial and instant. But this story really takes its time. The two main characters are both cautious, having been hurt and disappointed many times before. It's joyful and satisfying to see their partnership slowly develop before turning into something more.

What I love most about reading is you never know how a book might surprise you. I knew going into this that it would be fun and thrilling, even a little bit romantic. But it turned out to be so much more. Something in this magical story really spoke to me and brightened my day at exactly the moment when I needed it the most.

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!

You know where I draw the line when it comes to romances? At abuse and torture. Sigh.

When Leeds meets Layla, he knew immediately that she's the one. But soon into their relationship, Layla is attacked, leaving her with mental and physical scars. Leeds whisks her away to the place where they first met, in the hopes that that will bring them closer together. But soon, odd things start to happen. In trying to get to the bottom of it, Leeds grows close to Willow, a mysterious woman, and soon he's confused about where his loyalties really lie.

Whenever I see Colleen Hoover put out a book that crosses genres, I'm always salivating to get my hands on it. But it's not long into Layla before it becomes apparent that this story would be bogged down by a problematic narrative, and nothing can save it.

The story is told entirely from Leeds' perspective, and I have to say, he is the most despicable character I have ever come across. He is extremely self-centered and morally corrupt. What first starts out as manipulation of his girlfriend soon turns into gaslighting, which then becomes full-on physical restraint and emotional torture. Through it all, he justifies it by saying he can't stop himself and it's because he cares for Layla.

Honestly, the whole thing was so horrifying and hard to read, I had to take breaks after almost every paragraph. I definitely did not expect to be reading, in detail, one person emotionally torturing another person, all in the name of love.

But the crux of the issue is that Leeds isn't written as a villain. He's the main character of the love story, and we are supposed to sympathize with him and cheer him on. And when we get to the resolution, it obviously tries to justify what Leeds did. But that's problematic too because he did not actually know of these justifications when he committed his horrible acts.

I appreciate Hoover's attempts to cross genres, and find the mix of different ones in this story to be interesting and unique. But when it comes to execution, I'm honestly appalled by the results. To read it as it's written, with Leeds being the protagonist we should cheer for, is repugnant and beyond what I can tolerate, even in a story. Perhaps the moral here is that love justifies all, but if so, that is disturbing indeed.

Readaroo Rating: 1 star

Every once in a while, I come across a book that seems to be exactly what I would enjoy, but for some reason, I just don't connect with it. And unfortunately, Nothing to See Here falls squarely in that camp.

When Lillian's best friend from her school days calls on her for help, she immediately jumps at the chance. When she arrives at Madison's house, she learns that her friend wants her to take care of her two stepchildren, who have the unfortunate ability of bursting into flames whenever they're upset. What at first seems like an impossible task soon brightens Lillian's life, and she realizes that she and the children are exactly what each other needs.

On the surface, this is exactly one of those quirky, heartwarming, satirical books that should be loads of fun to read. The storyline with those fire children is unique, and Lillian is a main character you can cheer for. Both she and the children have been let down by life too many times, and to watch their journey of discovering each other is lovely.

And yet, this book fell a bit flat to me. The characters came across as one-dimensional, where each person was reduced to just the one thing they wanted. The humor and the cursing came across as more flippant than funny. And the resolution felt rushed and sappy.

So many other readers loved this, so I'm just going to chalk up my indifference to me being the wrong reader for this book.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars