hardtopleasereads is interested in reading...

Eye of Tyr
Gabrielle R Herd
hardtopleasereads commented on hardtopleasereads's review of Winnie-the-Pooh: The Graphic Novel
This is such a comforting little read, perfect for a bedtime story. It wraps around you like a warm blanket, making it ideal to wind down with at the end of the day.
The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and really bring the story to life. Theyāre eye-catching in a soft, gentle way, which makes this a great introduction for children who are new to Winnie-the-Pooh. It captures that same cozy, heartfelt feeling while making it more accessible and visually engaging.
Totally recommend.
hardtopleasereads TBR'd a book

Twig's Traveling Tomes
Gryffin Murphy
hardtopleasereads wrote a review...
This is such a comforting little read, perfect for a bedtime story. It wraps around you like a warm blanket, making it ideal to wind down with at the end of the day.
The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and really bring the story to life. Theyāre eye-catching in a soft, gentle way, which makes this a great introduction for children who are new to Winnie-the-Pooh. It captures that same cozy, heartfelt feeling while making it more accessible and visually engaging.
Totally recommend.
hardtopleasereads commented on jessybug's review of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO READ THIS BOOK?!
Ugh, talk about absolutely freaking ripping my heart out. I loved the complexities of the characters and the ways they felt so real. My heart aches for Addie and Henry, and, in many ways, even for Luc. The way Schwab captures humanity in these characters is breathtaking, and I am so honored to have read their story. I get the hype on this book now, and it is totally worth it.
I donāt tend to be a fantasy reader in the traditional sense, but I found this book to be extremely accessible and was gripped (slow reading speed not to be considered an indicator š š).
hardtopleasereads commented on hardtopleasereads's review of Daughter of No Worlds (The War of Lost Hearts, #1)
"Daughter of No Worlds" is a Mess of Tropes, Pacing Issues, and Cringe Dialogue. I went into Daughter of No Worlds with tempered expectations. I'd heard the hype, seen the pretty fan art, and figured: "Hey, maybe this will be a decent fantasy-romance escape". Big mistake.
The magic system? Half-baked. The worldbuilding? Generic to the point of parody. The stakes? Nonexistent. Every time the plot almost introduced conflict, it resolved itself a page later, usually because someone spontaneously became powerful enough to fix it or got a speech about how "love is the strongest magic of all."
Our oh-so-traumatized heroine feels less like a fleshed-out person and more like a Pinterest board of "Strong Female Lead" aesthetics. She oscillates between helpless and ultra-powerful in the most inconsistent ways, and any time she opens her mouth to deliver one of her pseudo-wise, overly earnest lines, I cringed so hard my soul tried to escape.
And then there's Max. Look, if youāre going to write a grumpy-sunshine dynamic, at least make the grump worth caring about. Instead, Max reads like a fanfic OC with a tragic backstory, conveniently infinite power, and the emotional depth of a damp napkin. Their romance had all the build-up of a Hallmark movie on fast-forward: āYou are broken, I am broken, letās trauma-bond and never communicate like real people again.ā
If you're looking for a fantasy romance with actual tension, character development, and prose that doesnāt sound like it was pulled from Wattpad in 2013, skip this one. Lifeās too short to read books that think "trauma = personality."
hardtopleasereads is interested in reading...

Wicked Nix
Lena Coakley
hardtopleasereads is interested in reading...

Smoke and Scar (Shattered Crown, #1)
Gretchen Powell Fox
Post from the A Treachery of Swans forum
After reading the first two chapters, I really need to rewatch Barbie of Swan Lake. I NEEEEED. I can't stop seeing Regnault as Rothbart and Odile as Odile. I wish Lila the unicorn was there too š
hardtopleasereads started reading...

A Treachery of Swans
A.B. Poranek
hardtopleasereads commented on bookhermit's update
bookhermit finished a book

Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle, #1)
Amie Kaufman
hardtopleasereads wrote a review...
Both characters are intentionally unlikeable, to the point where, by around 40%, I was genuinely hoping theyād just get a divorce and get it over with. Thereās no love between them, no respect, nothing to hold onto as a reader. Itās hard to stay invested in a story when you donāt care about a single person in it.
The whole marriage dynamic felt cold and exhausting rather than complex or compelling. And donāt even get me started on the anniversary gifts⦠they were honestly a joke. Iām sorry, but if my husband gave me a paper crane for our first anniversary, Iād be sad. Like⦠really sad. I get that it was supposed to be symbolic, but it just didnāt land emotionally at all.
The story relies too heavily on twists to make up for the lack of emotional depth and character development. As for the āthrillerā aspect, this book wasnāt scary. Not even a little.
āØļø 2.5 because of Bob and the eerie atmosphere in the first 25% of the book.
hardtopleasereads finished a book

Rock Paper Scissors
Alice Feeney
hardtopleasereads commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
hardtopleasereads commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
is there anyone who actually likes the movie better then the book? The only one i liked better was the summer i turned pretty. Otherwise i feel they always screw it up so muchhhh. Either poor casting or they take out key details or really hilarious parts. I still need to watch where the crawdads sing, the boy in the stripped pajamas, daisy jones and the six, and probably a lot more but i dont know if its worth my time.