shellballenger's reviews
494 reviews

Type of read: Weekend/Lunchtime Read.

What made me pick it up: One of the TN R.E.A.D.S prompts for November was to read a book by an indigenous author. We're not going to talk about how I'm behind on my prompts. 😆

Overall rating: 'Empire of Wild' is freaking beautiful. I loved the way Dimaline wove the storyline with folklore and horror. I did feel like the ending was a bit abrupt, like all of a sudden, everything was resolved, but it also set it up to keep you wondering, which I think is one of the hallmarks of a good read. Overall, I enjoyed Dimaline's writing style and would look for more books from them in the future.

Reader's Note: 'Empire of Wild' includes themes of death, disappearance, suicidal ideation, alcohol use, sexual activity, religion, injury, and injury detail.

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: I stumbled across the Black Dagger Brotherhood in early 2024 with Darius (Book 0), and I got sucked into this crazy, cracked-out, sexy, throwback-feeling world of vampires fighting something more evil than themselves.

Overall rating: Holy bananas...just when I thought Ward couldn't pack more into one single book in the series, they did it again! 'Lover Mine' takes you on the crazy love story of Xhex and John Matthew, but tangled throughout we learn more about Lash, Tor, Darius, Payne, Layla, Quinn, Blalock and Murhder. I feel like I say it each time I review one of the Black Dagger Brotherhood books but Ward has created an amazing world and I absolutely love learning more and diving deeper into the characters. It's been an extremely long time since I was so invested in such a long series, but I'm happy I stumbled across this crazy vampire universe. If you're cautious of trigger warnings, I do think that 'Lover Mine' is one of the heavier books in the series so far. There's a lot in both John Matthew and Xhex's past that make it a minefield to share and put on the page.

I know I've said it before in previous reviews for this series, but I feel like I just have to say it with each book, this is just a good escape read. You don't have to think too much about it, you don't have to try and keep things straight (Ward does a great job dropping little reminders at the beginning of each book and throughout so you keep the characters and their traits straight), and you can just dive into a (slightly dated) world of sexy vampire warriors. I'm here for it.

Reader's Note: 'Lover Mine' includes themes of death, dying, consensual sexual activity, death of a parent, medical content, violence, kidnapping, torture, murder, sexual assault, mental illness, rape, and character recollections of physical and sexual abuse.

Type of read: Weekend Read

What made me pick it up: I found 'Daughters of the Occupation' in a Savannah, GA bookshop and was immediately interested. I've always enjoyed books based on true events, and more so if there's an entire section of the book dedicated to the author's research and study of the content.

Overall rating: 'Daughters of the Occupation' is a brilliant and realistic look at events in World War II Latvia and how those events impacted and carried on to the next generation. The story of Miriam and Sarah is beautiful and tragic, full of people quite literally just trying to do their best to survive and make the world a better place for their children and children's children. While the book is fiction based on true events, you can't help but feel utter disgust and gut-wrenching sadness within the pages. As a United States citizen reading this in January 2025, it was a blatant reminder of how much we have not grown as humans.

Reader's Note: 'Daughters of the Occupation' is a challenging read. Not from the construction standpoint but from the content standpoint. It's descriptive and raw, and there are definitely parts that some may find disturbing or triggering. This book includes themes of rape, death - adult and child, genocide, murder, war, violence, mass shootings, torture, religious bigotry, and antisemitism. 

Type of read: Lunch/Weekend/Commuter Read

What made me pick it up: Stephen King is a regular on my TBR and it's always been a goal of mine to read The Dark Tower series in completion.

Overall rating: I very much appreciate that each book in the series has had a bit of a recap at the beginning. It's nice to get the refresher and be in the right mindset as you dive back into the world of Roland. I will also always be thankful for the very clear section and chapter marks in King's books. 'Wizard and Glass' includes multiple POVs, and it can get tricky to keep everything straight, but if you think of it less as one big book and more like all the little stories that go into an adventure, it's helpful (at least it is for me). As far as the actual book content goes I absolutely LOVE that we are finally getting a closer look at the man who brings this entire ka'tet together. The fact that we get a whole section with Young Roland is perfection.

If you ever want the perfect example of why King is a master at his craft, it's 'Wizard and Glass.' Not only do you get what you would expect - gore, grit, otherworldly scenes and characters - but the way that King writes about Roland and Susan is absolute brilliance.

The way he tells their story of love perfectly illustrates the connection, the wanting and needing, the panic of being found out; everything hits you right in the gut.

So far, getting into 'The Dark Tower' series has been a slow burn for me. It's King, so I knew that it would be worth the wait, but 'Wizard and Glass' definitely helped to bring on the excitement, give a bit more of the needed backstory, and absolutely get me wanting more.

Reader's Note: If you're familiar with King's writing, 'Wizard and Glass' is very much in his normal vein of vulgarity, including death, gore, and sexual scenes. I read this as both a paperback and audio (to get some reading done at work and while working on some embroidery projects) and I would be completely remiss if I didn't mention how absolutely fabulous of a narrator Frank Muller is. They continually bring 'The Dark Tower' series to life in a way like none other.

Type of read: Commuter Read

What made me pick it up: Book Lover's United January book club pick.

Overall rating: I hate that I liked 'Variation' as much as I did. I feel like Yarros tried to pack too many things into one storyline

death of a sibling, overbearing parents, long lost love, deception, chasing dreams, hidden childbirth, adoption, mysterious requirements for closed adoptions, sibling sabotage, a military man with an overarching sense of duty...the list goes on and on.

and it could have been more concise if they paired it down a bit and focused on the actual content of the story and not all the extras. There was a point about halfway through where I was like 'ok, come on now, we all know what's going to happen, why are there like twenty more chapters.' Maybe I was trying to compare 'Variation' to other Yarros books *cough, Fourth Wing, cough* and make it fit into what I wanted it to be that made me just wish for a little bit more substance and a little less extra, unnecessary fluff. I will say, I didn't end up figuring out the ending exactly as it was written, but I was pretty darn close. I did appreciate the few little twists that showed up. Overall, I think I'm just mad that it reminded me so much of a Colleen Hoover book and that's why I have beef.

Reader's Note: 'Variation' includes themes of sex; intense athletic training environments including verbal and emotional abuse as tactics for success; death; dying; blood; adoption; and mental health discussions.

Type of read: Commuter Read

What made me pick it up: As a child of the 90s, I literally grew up with Harry Potter. I read the books, watched the movies, and diligently waited for my letter to arrive. Alas, it never did. *sigh*

Overall rating:  Before we get into the actual review, just a reminder that memoir/autobiography authors don't owe us shit, and what they choose to put on the page is their story, how they experienced it, and how they would like us to take in those experiences they had.

I think what I liked the most about 'Beyond the Wand' is how real Felton came across. Do I wish someone would have made them choose chapter titles and not use two for everything? Yes. Do I wish they didn't try to do all the different voices and just read as themselves? Yes. Am I thankful to have gotten a glimpse into the life of Felton. 100%. More than anything, it felt like Felton was writing 'Beyond the Wand' as a sort of cathartic release. Sharing stories and happenings that made them who they are, while also being reflective of times they maybe could have acted differently. I appreciate the realness of Felton in 'Beyond the Wand' but did feel that the majority of it was still just a tiiiiiiiiiiiissssshhhhh surface level. But again, we aren't owed anything, so I'm thankful for the glimpse. If you're a Harry Potter fan, and love rooting for your favorite Slytherin bad boy, 'Beyond the Wand' is a good read that doesn't ruin too much of the magic.

Reader's Note: 'Beyond the Wand' includes themes of drug and alcohol use, mentions of rehab, and discussions of mental health.

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: I stumbled across the Black Dagger Brotherhood in early 2024 with Darius (Book 0), and I got sucked into this crazy, cracked-out, sexy, throwback-feeling world of vampires fighting something more evil than themselves.

Overall rating: Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Rehvenge is the bad boy we all know we should avoid but he's really just the complete teddy bear. One of the things I like about Ward's writing is that they have the ability to make the characters very well-rounded - a little predictable, yes - but well-rounded. The majority of the time, the MMCs and FMCs are strong but sweet, badass but vulnerable; it really lends itself well to the complete behemoth of a storyline that is the Black Dagger Brotherhood. While 'Lover Avenged' focuses on Rehvenge and his relationship with Elhena, we also get to hear more about John, Wrath, Tohr, Xhex, and Lash. I really feel like although the books have a brother they focus on, at this point, the world has become so big, that there's always going to be something going on outside of our MMC, and I'm not mad about it. It keeps the book interesting and keeps me engaged. I do think I need to disclaimer - I finished 'Lover Avenged' in just over two days because my library loan was going to lapse and I got on a major cleaning/embroidery streak at home over the weekend. I'm not saying it wasn't that good, but I do think it's easy to judge something as a quick read when you don't have all the context. 😂 Don't be fooled; I literally listened to 'Lover Avenged' for about 10 hours a day over the weekend.

I know I've said it before in previous reviews for this series, but I feel like I just have to say it with each book, this is just a good escape read. You don't have to think too much about it, you don't have to try and keep things straight (Ward does a great job dropping little reminders at the beginning of each book and throughout so you keep the characters and their traits straight), and you can just dive into a (slightly dated) world of sexy vampire warriors. I'm here for it.

Reader's Note: 'Lover Avenged' includes themes of death, dying, consensual sexual activity, dubious consent sexual activity, death of a parent, medical content, violence, kidnapping, torture, murder, mental illness, incest (forced sexual activity between half brother/half sister), sexual assault, and character recollections of physical and sexual abuse.

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: BookTok made me do it.

Overall rating: If you're looking for a smutty book that's a fairly quick read and feels a little disjointed but still has a semblance of a storyline, 'Lights Out' is for you. I got about halfway through the book before I was like, ok, where the heck is this going to go? There is no substance. Then, in the last half

, where you meet the mob part of her family and go through that whole Brad scenario

, you get a bit more storyline and substance, but it seems a bit forced. I wish it would have somehow been introduced at the beginning of the book. I think it would have made everything flow a bit better, or at least make more sense long term. But let's be honest, I didn't read 'Lights Out' for the storyline. 😂 I wasn't a huge fan of the mommy/daddy vibes that the FMC and the MMC had throughout the book, especially when they brought the cat into it. But that's more personal preference. It's not the best smut I've read, but it's far from the worst, overall, not mad.

Also, Jacob Morgan could read me the back of a soup can and I'd be all ears.

Reader's Note: Allen does a wonderful job of putting all the trigger warnings right at the front of the book (appreciated), I'm going to copy what they had on their website so I don't leave anything out: sexually explicit discussion and scenes, alcohol consumption, mention of (off-page) rape, mention of past domestic abuse, memories of experienced child abuse, medical content, blood and gore (in a hospital setting), discussion of mental health, mention of serial killers and their crimes, limited description of a mass shooting, stalking, invasion of privacy, home invasion, hidden cameras, hacking, theft, mention of unintentional cannibalism (remembered), death, desecration of a body, car accident (remembered), description of violent death (remembered), death of a parent, breath play, knife play, gun play, fear play, primal play, and mask play.

Type of read: Weekend/Lunchtime Read.

What made me pick it up: One of the TN R.E.A.D.S prompts for December is to reread your favorite holiday story. I decided to go a bit rogue on this prompt and read a book that has similar vibes/settings as one of my favorite holiday stories (The Nutcracker).

Overall rating: There are a few minor sentence structure and grammatical mishaps that should have been caught in editing, but overall, it's a well-put-together book. There is a heavy vein of faith throughout 'Dancing Through It,' so if that isn't your vibe, this might not be the book for you. I'm glad that I took the TN R.E.A.D.S prompt for the month and twisted it into something that suited my tastes and interests. I'm always thankful when individuals share their stories, and Ringer's telling of her life and love for ballet was beautiful.

It's been a while since I've read a book based on the author's experiences, so I'll say it for those who are new here: Memoir/autobiography authors don't owe us shit and what they choose to put on the page is their story, how they experienced it, and how they would like us to take in those experiences they had.

Reader's Note: 'Dancing Through It' obviously is very focused on the author's personal struggle with their eating disorder, dancing, and how they work through to come out the other side. If you are not at a good place in your recovery, I highly recommend that you do not read this book yet. There were many descriptions, thought processes, and explanations of day-to-day activities that could be incredibly triggering. I'm 17 years into my recovery for EDNOS and it was still a hard read because so many of the things Ringer brings up were essential habits in my life for so long.

Type of read: Commuter Read.

What made me pick it up: I was scouring Spotify for an audiobook that I would be able to finish before I ran out of reading hours.

Overall rating: I have mixed feelings about 'The Asylum Confessions.' To start, it's absolutely not written as a bingeable read. The end of each chapter is the exact same, 'if you figured out who I am, you probably know where I'm drinking, come find me for more stories.' I know the premise of the book is that they are going through and talking with different patients and getting their stories, but the way that it's being presented is just horrible. What was a feeble attempt at conversational comes across as segmented, choppy, and repetitive. I'm not sure if these were all originally written as short stories and then put together into a larger publication, but I wish that there was some editing to make it all flow a lot better. The chapters don't have to be connected, but for pete's sake, don't write the same thing four times and expect it to keep my attention.

On top of all that, these are some of the most boring serial killers I've ever met in my life. Some of their stories had a few cringe moments, and there are definitely parts that make you think and react, but overall, 'The Asylum Confessions' is a try-hard that needed to try just a bit harder. I also hate it when the authors tell me how I'm supposed to feel (ex., books saying something is hard to read, or something would make me cringe, or anything along those lines) and don't just write it in a way that MAKES me feel like that. So maybe I'm not really mixed on my feelings...I'm disappointed with 'The Asylum Confessions' because I feel like it had such potential but it was just absolutely squandered. I wanted to like this one so badly!

Reader's Note:  'The Asylum Confessions' includes themes of cannibalism, medical content, BDSM, death, murder, rape, physical assault, sexual assault, pregnancy, stillbirth, child loss, and religious trauma.