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fantasy.betareader

My heart belongs to the worlds of Fantasy and the suspense of Mystery Thrillers. I'm happy to connect with fellow book enthusiasts who read the same genres as me.

202 points

0% overlap
Level 2
Reading...I Let You Go
My Taste
Elantris (Elantris, #1)
The Shadow of What Was Lost (The Licanius Trilogy, #1)
The Crimson Court (The Realm Reachers, #1)
Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)
The Fragile Threads of Power (Threads of Power, #1)

fantasy.betareader commented on a post

22h
  • The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1)
    Thoughts from 6%

    How can a book be so good in such few pages?

    6
    comments 8
    Reply
  • The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1)
    Thoughts from 6%

    How can a book be so good in such few pages?

    6
    comments 8
    Reply
  • Post from the None of This Is True forum

    1d
  • None of This Is True
    Major spoiler from Jewell?
    spoilers

    View spoiler

    1
    comments 0
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  • fantasy.betareader wrote a review...

    1d
  • The Wrong Daughter
    fantasy.betareader
    Jul 30, 2025
    4.0
    Enjoyment: 5.0Quality: 4.0Characters: 4.0Plot: 4.0
    😦
    😵
    🫢

    Some stories cling to us, and The Wrong Daughter by Dandy Smith might be one such tale. Set in a quiet town, where Caitlin Arden, overshadowed for eighteen years by her sister Olivia's kidnapping, this psychological thriller hurtles down the rabbit hole of buried secrets and guilt. The book builds slowly into a shattering end that left my heart in my mouth. It is a book about sisters, about the love that clings even when that, in turn, is a burning hurt. Smith's writing has a quiet intensity, and the pacing is cautious, occasionally staying too long on Caitlin's inner difficulties. But it shows her grief so well that it didn't bother me. The mix of Caitlin's present with a darker history, create a sense of dread that builds slowly, like the tension in What Lies Between Us. The core of the book is the beautiful and heartfelt examination of sisterhood. The relationship of Olivia and Caitlin, preserved in fine flashes of sunflower fields and shared laughter, hit me deeply, stirring memories of my own family moments. It’s raw, more gripping than the family ties in A Flicker in the Dark, which feel less central. Smith captures how sisters can reflect and contrast each other, their love a kind of magic that outlasts pain. That emotional pull carried me through, even when some twists, especially around Olivia, felt a bit too staged, almost too dramatic for the story’s truth. Compared to None of This Is True, which keeps its surprises more grounded, this novel sometimes leans too far into theatrics. Not only that, but I wished the supporting characters, like Caitlin’s friend Florence, had some depth. They felt like sketches next to Caitlin’s vivid grief. Not imperfect, but compelling and strong. If you love psychological thrillers with emotional weight, like All the Dangerous Things, but with a darker, more intimate edge, this will speak to you. This book is for those shaken to the core by the power of family, the sharp pang of loss, or the need to venture out into the darkness in the name of discovery.

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    comments 0
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  • fantasy.betareader commented on a post

    2d
  • The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1)
    Thoughts from 1% (page 6)

    I’m obviously not very far in yet lol but I can say that I like the writing!

    7
    comments 1
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  • Post from the I Let You Go forum

    5d
  • I Let You Go
    Thoughts from 16%

    I don't mean to sound rude, but the lady reading the audiobook is ruining this for me 🥴 she's so twangy, I'm considering DNFing the book...

    1
    comments 0
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  • fantasy.betareader commented on a post

    5d
  • Blood Over Bright Haven
    Thoughts from 47%

    I admire her drive to be the first female highmage, but her flaws, like her arrogance and blind spots, make her such a complex character. Anyone else torn about how they feel about her? I’m rooting for her but also want to shake her sometimes!

    6
    comments 2
    Reply
  • fantasy.betareader commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum

    1w
  • it can't just be me feeling this right? 👀🎧

    Like...are y'all also feeling paranoid listening to audiobooks these days and thinking they used AI? I had to stop listening to The Book of Love audiobook recently after my husband said "you know that's AI" right and I realized then that I'd had this creeping feeling already but ignored it.... IDK....anyone else feeling this? It's ruined the audiobook experience for me so that now I just listen to classics in that format

    8
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  • fantasy.betareader finished a book

    1w
    Blood Over Bright Haven

    Blood Over Bright Haven

    M.L. Wang

    1
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    Post from the Blood Over Bright Haven forum

    1w
  • Blood Over Bright Haven
    Thoughts from 82%

    Sciona’s decisions have Alba so mad, and I get why! The tension’s insaneeee. 🔥

    4
    comments 0
    Reply
  • Post from the Blood Over Bright Haven forum

    1w
  • Blood Over Bright Haven
    Thoughts from 47%

    I admire her drive to be the first female highmage, but her flaws, like her arrogance and blind spots, make her such a complex character. Anyone else torn about how they feel about her? I’m rooting for her but also want to shake her sometimes!

    6
    comments 2
    Reply
  • Post from the Blood Over Bright Haven forum

    1w
  • Blood Over Bright Haven
    Thoughts from 68%

    The way spells are crafted like coding on a typewriter is so unique and feels like a fresh take on magical academia. Does anyone else find themselves geeking out over how detailed and logical it is? I’m curious how it evolves in the last third of the book without giving too much away!

    2
    comments 0
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  • fantasy.betareader earned a badge

    1w
    Level 2

    Level 2

    100 points

    11
    4
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    fantasy.betareader commented on a post

    1w
  • Blood Over Bright Haven
    Thoughts from 54%
    spoilers

    View spoiler

    10
    comments 2
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  • fantasy.betareader commented on a post

    1w
  • Blood Over Bright Haven
    Cffergie
    Edited
    Thoughts from 63%

    I felt gross listening to this section

    7
    comments 3
    Reply