Author: Steph Caffrey

Stephanie R. Caffrey is a romantic suspense author living in the midwest

December 2022 Reads

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Cute, sweet romance. Highly recommended if you want something that is best described as a Hallmark movie in book form. I loved both romances in the book, and didn’t feel left out having not read the rest of the series.

4 Stars

I’ve read a lot of celebrity memoirs this year, and Mean Baby easily is the best. And I’m sure listening to Blair read her own story was a huge part of it. The book is emotional and deeply honest. Blair puts all her flaws on the table, and air all her laundry. She doesn’t hold back. The book almost feels as if it was written specifically for her son, Arthur, as a way to make sure her story is told and he has a piece of her when she is gone. Blair’s voice often breaks as she reads particularly trying reminiscences, and at one point she is full on crying as she reads. If you’re an empathetic crying, listen with tissues.

5 Stars

Cute for what it was, but I felt the plot was thing (even for a holiday romance). There didn’t seem to be any character development, and the romance just really didn’t rope me in.

3 Stars

Went into this one with low expectations and came out of it loving it! A princess from a made up country falling in love with a nobody from Brooklyn? Yes Please! The characters were rich, the humor was on point,and the story was tight. I loved everything about this book. It was just what I needed.

4 Stars

I had a lot of expectations for this book, and felt a little let down. The plot wasn’t as tight as I would have liked it to be. Started off sloppy, the middle was amazing, and the end was really disappointing. I felt if I was already expected to suspend my disbelief for most of the novel, the ending didn’t need to be rooted in reality. I wanted something more outlandish. Left the book feeling a bit, ‘meh’.

3 Stars

A sequel I loved possibly more than the first?? Rare, but true for this one. I loved the characters even more than in Princess, and the humor was ratcheted up even more. Plus, it was an enemies to lovers, which is easily my favorite romance trope.

4 Stars

Read for my Sci-Fi/Fantasy book club, I had a lot of high expectations for this book, as on paper it should be something I absolutely loved. However, it was more “cozy” than I would have liked. The first part of the book just felt like an instruction manual on how to start your own coffee shop, and it really didn’t feel like much happened in the rest of the book. I think if there were more plot, I would have liked it a lot more.

3 Stars

Fake Dating Holiday Romance PLUS a reality TV Show. This is the second holiday romance I’ve read by Maggie Knox, and I wasn’t disappointed. It was an easy read, and I couldn’t put it down, staying up much later than I intended while sick reading it. The characters and their problems felt real, and everything just seemed to flow.

4 Stars

Third Eldovia book of the year, and honestly the weakest of the three. I always pictured Mr. Benz as much older when I read the first two books, so to learn he was only thirty really threw me off a little. However, I liked seeing a new, softer side to him. I liked Cara, but felt she wasn’t quite as developed as the other New York based love interests in the other books, which is really what brought this one down a little lower than the rest. That being said, I really liked this book, and it made me smile, and laugh, and cry, like any good book should do.

4 Stars

Not my favorite Christmas book I’ve read this year. There was something about the way it was written I didn’t really like. I think a large part of it was the characters just weren’t great. Carmen, the main character, just felt whiney. And on top of that, the romance just felt shoehorned and not really developed at all. I think the book wouldn’t have been better if there wasn’t the romance, honestly.

3 Stars

Third year reading a Jenny Bayliss Christmas romance, third year loving it. Her books are so subtle, and calming, and her characters just so wonderfully written. I loved Nory and Isaac. Their romance just felt so smooth and natural. I also loved the overall arching theme of friendships and how they can grow and change over the decades.

4 Stars

Groundhog Day. Christmas. Romance. Yes, please, and can I have more of this? All the characters were great. There were a lot, but it didn’t feel like there were a lot. Each character was unique and had their moment to shine. Gwen and Nev’s romance felt fresh and sweet, and their chemistry was legit. There was nothing about this book I didn’t love.

4 Stars

November 2022 Reads

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Bruno’s back! And that basically made this book for me. Kamala also decided she’s in love with him. Now they just need to get together in the last book and I’ll be happy. I really liked how her friends covered for her while she had a crisis. There is absolutely nothing I don’t love about this series.

4 Stars

The last of the Wilson run of Ms. Marvel, and it didn’t disappoint. I felt this compilation was a lot of fun. I really loved all the growth the characters made, and I really liked how it was left open at the end.

4 Stars

I went into this book not really knowing what to expect, and I was pleasantly surprise. It was a beautiful story of Maori culture. I liked how Kahu’s story was told by someone else, really leant into the idea of her myth-like figure. I loved that the goal of the book centered around family. I really liked this book.

4 Stars

This book was absolutely nothing like I expected it to be, but in a good way. I think what I liked best about the book was it was scary, but the scariest parts, the parts that made me feel anxious, had nothing to do with the vampire. I don’t want to say much more about it, other than you should read it for yourself, and come back and discuss it with me.

4 Stars

This was a very atmospheric read. Young really transported you to Saiorse. I could almost feel the magic of the island to the point where this book compelled you to keep reading to find out what happened next. I will definitely be reading more from this author. (BOTM)

4 Stars

I really enjoyed listening to this book. I appreciated Perry’s openness to lay everything out about his addictions and fears. To explain his life as he sees it. It really made me respect him a lot more as a human being.

4 stars

Wow. What a beautifully written story. The characters just seemed to bleed off the page. Took me longer to read than I hoped since I kept stopping to read about witch trials. I also just added The Scarlet Letter to my 2023 TBR. (BOTM)

4 Stars

I loved listening to this book. I loved hearing about his family and his start in the business. I loved hearing about what it was like working on Harry Potter and his relationship with the cast and crew. I especially like his open honesty about his post-Potter struggles.

4 stars

I really liked this book. I felt it was wonderfully fun and filled with female empowerment. I loved the friendship between the four women. The concept was fun, and the book was mostly a nice, fun, light read. Exactly what I was looking for. (BOTM)

4 Stars

This book was really good. While I found Benny a little annoying at times. I had to remember I wasn’t the target audience. My 9 year old listened to some of the book with me, and is going to read it now that I’m finished.

I liked the character growth Benny showed through the book, and I loved watching him reconnect with his culture. There were tears in my eyes by the last chapter.

4 Stars

This was okay. I found the facts about Dickens and Prince interesting enough, but really didn’t buy the connection between the two.

3 Stars

This book was amazing. I loved how action backed it was for being tagged as historical fiction. I loved that I was able to learn about 18th Century Korean History, something I know absolutely nothing about. I felt the characters were really well developed and that slow burn romance? *chef’s kiss*

4 Stars

October 2022 Reads

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Couldn’t put this book down! I loved Gwyn and Wells so much. Their banter was everything I love in an enemies to lovers book. The plot was smooth and moved at the right pace. And those Baby Witches – they stole the show!

4 Stars

Even several days past finishing the book I still didn’t know how to feel about it. While I was honestly did not see the “twist” coming, I felt the book was a little disjointed and unsure what it wanted to be. Also, Ver was such a passive character it was really hard to root for her. (BOTM)

3 Stars

I really love family saga books. This one, about a family in Chicago dealing with events in 2016 and 2017 is no different. I loved all the POV characters but really identified with Jane. I found myself rooting for her happy ending. (BOTM)

4 Stars

Even though Liu is only thirty(ish) years old, his memoir is rich. I think it’s because he used 1/4 of the book to write about his parents. Reading about Liu’s difficult upbringing was challenging, but hearing about him taking ownership of his actions and reconciling with his parents was great. He is funny and it is an easy listen. My to be watch list has also grown.

5 Stars

I thought this book had a lot of potential, but i don’t feel it was executed as well as it could have been. The way it was written made what could have been a very interesting story feel very choppy and almost boring. I felt the book dragged a little bit. I did like a lot of the plot.

3 Stars

This is how you end a trilogy! After book 2 I worried about what they were going to do outside the Scholomance, but my worries were for naught. El trekking around the world, finding her purposed in life was just amazing. The stuff with Orion? Perfect! The ending? Perfect.

5 Stars

Literary fiction and poetry are not my genres, so consequently Toni Morrison is not an author for me, and this was not a book for me. The plot of the book was powerful and heartwrenching. The non linear storytelling and the poetry is really what lost me.

3 Stars

What. A. Story.

Thistlefoot isn’t merely a retelling of Baba Yaga. It’s the story of generational trauma and the power of memories. Bellatine and Isaac Yaga were powerful symbols of dealing with trauma that has been passed down for generations. Thistlefoot—I don’t want to give anything away about the house with chicken legs, but it is also powerful and heartbreaking.

This is easily one of the best books I’ve read this year, and I’m positive this book will be sticking with me for a long, long time. (BOTM)

5 Stars

Romeo and Juliet is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, so it stand I would enjoy a retelling. And this conclusion was so good. It kept the Romeo and Juliet elements, but it gave Roma and Juliette their own love story that I would argue was a million times better. The blood feud, the politics, and everything culminating to an epic conclusion made this easily one of my favorite duologies ever.

5 Stars

I really love these Tita Rosie’s Kitchen cozies. I love all the characters and I love getting to spend time with them. I love seeing the growth in the characters between books. I can’t wait to read the next one.

4 stars

September 2022 Reads

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Kamala is an Avenger! But she’s having a hard time balancing everything, which leads to some hilarious antics. The comics are really making me sad about Tony’s MCU fate because he and Kamala have great mentor/mentee chemistry.

4 Stars

Heart. Broken. I can’t believe what’s happened with Bruno. And Captain Marvel. I do love the relationship between Iron Man and Ms. Marvel. But I do feel for her. I can’t wait to see if Kamala is able to find balance in her life.

4 Stars

I love me a fake marriage turned real marriage trope, and this was no different. I devoured Holland and Calvin’s story. I laughed. I cried. I fell in love right alongside them. I just wish it were a little bit longer.

5 Stars

Loved all of the essays. I loved how Van Ness put his humor into the essays to add levity to the subject matter, which was very serious.

4 Stars

I love True Crime. This book was really good. I liked how she revealed details as she discovered them. I loved hearing all of the theories that have percolated over fifty years. I found the “legends” interesting, and I liked hearing about the cases they thought were connected. I felt the shock and disappointment of the results right along with the author.

4 Stars

First one without Bruno, and it felt a little weak. The problem felt very contrived, but I really liked a lot of the character building stuff.

4 Stars

Powerful look into the toll of being a super hero. Kamala is really learning the need to balance her life and take time for herself. That she can’t do everything alone. Also, Hydra really wants to control Jersey City!

4 Stars

At first I was skeptical about this book. Bonus prequels are rarely good. However, I loved this one. Knowing the outcomes of Darius and Ann’s lives did not hinder my emotional connection. Their love story was heartbreaking and beautiful. I also loved being reminded of what the Brotherhood and the Brothers were like before Beth and Wrath and before each Brother found his shellan (or hellren). It made me want to reread the series.

4 stars

The book started out a little slow, but as soon as the action picked up, I couldn’t put it down. I needed to know what was going on with Liv. While some things were a little predictable, the “who dunnit” was not. I really enjoyed this book.

4 Stars

The book was okay. I really didn’t care for the female main character so that really brought the book down. There were a lot of times I would just cringe. I liked the love interest, and I wish it was more about him. The third act break up felt forced and unnecessary.

3 Stars

I didn’t know I needed a retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in 1920s Shanghai, but I needed it. The book was so good at keeping you guessing about what exactly was happening. I loved Roma and Julliette’s will they/won’t they romance. I liked how different it was from the source material, but also loved the nods. And I especially loved the ending. (BOTM)

5 Stars

The book started a little slow, but as it continued, the exploits and mystery surrounding the Montoya family drew me in. I loved all the characters, but I especially loved Orquidea. I thought the villain, and the deeper meaning behind who it was, was especially brilliant. (BOTM)

4 Stars

August 2022 Reads

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I don’t even know where to start. The book started a bit slow, but that doesn’t even matter. The book is absolutely beautiful, and easily the best book I’ve read this year. It is FULL of video game stuff, but the story itself is just so beautiful. The book is about friendship between Sadie, Sam and Marx, and the way their relationship changes over nearly 30 years. Everything about this book is great. And heartbreaking. And just plain poetic. (BOTM)

5 Stars

Unexpected in a god way, History of Wild Places was a fast-paced thriller. While there were several aspects that I did not see, there were some big ones that I did. Though predicting some of the plot did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. (BOTM)

4 Stars

Quick middle grade read, but this is Gaiman and he can’t go wrong. I loved reading about Bod growing up in the Graveyard with the dark beginning I was worried about the end, and while it wasn’t tragic, it was a bit bittersweet.

4 Stars

Loki! Ms Marvel Kicking Butt! I’m loving watching Kamala come into her own as a superhero.

4 Stars

What a great book about being queer in a conservative environment. McQuiston really explored what it is like to be queer at a Christian School in the South. I thought it might be a bit Paper Towns but it wasn’t. I loved the characters and loved watching their journeys to discovering who they are.

4 Stars

Powerful memoir about the trauma and abuse McCurdy faced growing up at the hands of her mom. I’m really glad she had the courage to open up and share with the world everything her mom did her. I’ve already seen friends open up about the abuse they faced thanks to reading this book. Easily the best memoir I’ve read this year.

5 Stars

Beautifully written book about family and “home.” All Olivia wanted was a family, and when she goes to Gallant, despite her mom’s warning, she hopes to find just that. What follows is a story that is creepy, mysterious, touching, and heart wrenching. I closed the book with tears in my eyes.

4 Stars

Carol Danvers. The End of the World. The scene between Kamala and her mom. The Scene between Kamala and Bruno. THE ART. This volume was full of very powerful stuff. Made me cry a little bit.

4 stars

There were certainly aspects I liked – the post-virus. But there was a lot of unnecessary things, most pre-virus stuff, that I felt unnecessary. I wanted more details about life in the new world, less details about how to make a Bible.

3 Stars

This book was amazing. Barry and Helena’s love story is easily my favorite part, but I also loved this take on time travel and timelines. It was a very unique take on a well-used trope. I loved Helena – a strong, brilliant female character is always a win. I also loved Barry. I loved how chaotically it was written in part, to make it feel like you were the one being shifted through time. My first Blake Crouch, but definitely not my last. (BOTM)

5 Stars

Acquisition Announcement

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Today is an exciting day. I finally get to share news with you that I’ve been wanting to share for almost a year.

In September 2021, I signed a deal with Kindred Ink Press for them to publish my debut novel Mistaken Identity.

The whole thing is very exciting, and I honestly can’t believe that my dream of publishing a book is coming true.

I owe a huge debt of thanks to my agent, Dawn Dowdle, for all the hard work she put in to helping me ready my manuscript for submission, and for all the hard work of querying publishers.

Thank you to everyone who beta read my book along the way, you are rock stars!

You can read about my acquisition here.

July 2022 Reads

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Loving the show, I decided to give the comics a shot. Loved this first volume. Feel like I really need to read more since this was just establishing Kamala and the characters.

4 Stars

Emily Henry knows how to write a romance. This book was so good. Even almost a month later, I’m still thinking about this book. When Nora and Charlie bantered, I couldn’t keep a smile off my face. Their attraction was palpable and leapt off the page. The ending defied tropes and made me giddy. Everything about this book was perfection.

5 Stars

Touching memoir about a daughter and her grief over losing her mother to cancer. The story of her and her mother’s relationship was touching. I loved when she began talking about learning traditional Korean food as a way to feel closer to her mother after she died.

5 Stars

Was the tiger real? Were the stories real? These are questions I walked away from this book with. The book was heartbreakingly beautiful. The hope Lily had when trying to fix her grandma, the heartbreaking moment when everyone realizes there is nothing to be done, and the hope at the end with continuing with traditions all made this book remarkable.

4 Stars

Fun story about men who read romances to try and fix their relationships. It was funny and sexy and I rooted for Gavin and Thea the whole book.

4 Stars

Fun fake dating romance. Hilarious dialogue and the characters were great. Loved everyone in this book especially the side characters. Felt everyone got what they wanted in the end without having to compromise their character. Laughed out loud several times. (BOTM)

4 Stars

This book was so good. Daunis was such a great character. I loved her growth throughout the book. Her love for her community was astounding and really drove the plot. Her relationships felt organic. Very much felt the thriller vibe throughout. I was kind of hoping for a better, less realistic ending, but I still liked the one I got. (BOTM)

5 Stars

The book was pretty standard Rear Window trop for about 70% of the book, which made it feel tired and cliche. However, after the “twist” the last 30% of the book was edge of your seat. Overall the book was good, but nothing too memorable.

4 Stars

Okay, after a second volume, this book is really fun. I’m really enjoying the comics, even though they are completely different from the show. I really like Kamala and I like discovering her powers and her limitations. I’m really looking forward to reading the next volume.

4 Stars

June 2022 Reads

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Really cute story. Beginning to really see a trend in my reads…love cooking competition books. The love story between Dahlia and London felt really organic and well paced. I really enjoyed falling in love with their love story. (BOTM)

4 Stars

Book Club book for June. This book, while ridiculous, ended up being quite charming. I am a sucker for books where someone who didn’t want kids is forced into being a parent and falling in love with the kids. I fell in love with Bessie and Roland along with Lillian. The book ended the way I wanted, but it would have been better if there was an epilogue. (BOTM)

4 Stars

This was a lovely dual memoir. I was worried that it would just be a rehash from the podcast, but it wasn’t. It was funny, touching, and it made me tear up at times. It also made me want to rewatch the show. I highly recommend listening to it as audiobook.

5 Stars

A harrowing tale of a boy’s journey from Ghana to Spain, North to Paradise was beautifully told evan as Umar didn’t hold back on the details. I was doing fine until he told of how he met his adoptive mother, and then I started crying. Very good book.

5 Stars

A fun romantic adventure. The second chance romance was amazing, and throw in “there is only one bed (tent)” and you have magic. The treasure hunt was great and I loved the danger of it all. Leo and Lily were a great couple and I completely bought their love story.

4 Stars

Fun and quirky book about magic bread. What’s not to love? I loved Lois’ journey and her growing relationship with baking. I loved the emails with Beo about the history of the Mazg people. OVerall, if it had an epilogue, the book would have been perfect. (BOTM)

4 Stars

Not a good book. The characters were not well written. I could not get into the love story. The writing was clunky. And the celebrity encounters were weird. (BOTM)

2 Stars

A very slow-paced, but satisfactory book. I loved the women and their roles, and how each found a man, or not, to satisfy them. I loved the outcome of the book, and the examination of gender roles in post WWII London. (BOTM)

4 Stars

Enjoyable book about nature and the state of food production in the US. Yes, Offerman tended to go off on tangents- so many tangents-but I found myself liking this style, made it feel more conversational.

4 Stars

This book did not live up to the hype. It was “okay.” I felt the story dragged. I wouldn’t have chosen to read if it wasn’t picked for my book club. Kya and Tate were the only likeable characters in the book, and even then it couldn’t save the story for me.

3 Stars

I don’t know why I couldn’t get into it, but this book didn’t really resonate with me like I had hoped it would. It may have been how slow she told about the case, and how she made it more of a memoir. The case didn’t seem like the forefront of the book like I had expected it to. The book seemed to just drag on. I also felt it was weird to change names and not talk specifics about a case I easily found on Google. (BOTM)

3 stars

May 2022 Reads

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Wow. Cried my way through this entire book. the relationship between Greta and Conrad was so profound. The way they grew together throughout their week on the boat – I’m sorry, ship – was great. I think it was dealt with perfectly and realistically. The ending was so full of hope, it left me wanting more. (BOTM)

5 Stars

The book was okay. Nothing to get excited over. I felt the plot was really lacking due to pacing. Once everything was revealed, I wished Harris had done more with the OBC plot earlier in the book than where she expounded and revealed it. (BOTM)

3 Stars

I’m not an Outlander fan, but I’m a history fan, and I loved listening to this book. I don’t know much about Scottish history, so I found everything to be incredibly fascinating. I cried a few times and I laughed a lot.

4 Stars

Creative retelling or adaptation of Peter Pan. I enjoy these immensely, particularly when Pan is the villain. The book has all the trigger warnings, so be forewarned, and this book is probably one of the saddest I’ve read all year. However, there is also hope. My favorite thing was the way Michalski incorporated the Pan characters. I felt that there needed to be a few more details in the backstory, but overall I really enjoyed this book. (BOTM)

4 Stars

Not great. Not terrible. I feel like nothing really happed in the story. Found it hard to root for any of the characters, no one was likeable. the ending was very anti-climactic. Just left me with a general ‘meh’ feeling. (BOTM)

3 Stars

This book wasn’t what I expected – in a good way. I expected a book about a man dating three women at the same time, which wasn’t what I got. Instead, I got a book about mental health, grief and moving on. I loved every second of the book, even though it made me cry. A lot.

5 Stars

Hilarious. Oscar Wilde does it again. the play is witty and fast paced. I enjoyed it very much. Wilde’s sense of humor is timeless.

4 Stars

Edge of my seat, couldn’t stop reading. Loved the way Shepherd tld the story through multiple points of view. Never would have thought cartography could be so thrilling. The idea of this book was so unique it really kept it interesting. Loved Agloe and the whole idea of phantom towns. (BOTM)

5 Stars

I have always wanted to read this. For not liking poetry I really enjoyed it, especially the beginning and the end. Got a bit lost when Dante began listing his enemies in the middle.

4 Stars

Reminded me of Rebecca and Haunting of Hill House, except it was how I wanted Rebecca to be – spooky, dangerous, forbidden. I loved that Beatriz did something. She found Andres, the priest/witch who was too sexy for his own good. The book was engaging, atmospheric and it was impossible to put down. (BOTM)

4 Stars

While it had a few good twists, the book was merely okay. It was trying to do too much and there were so many characters I didn’t really find myself connecting with any of them. The book felt like it went halfway with a lot of the details and really left me wanting more. (BOTM)

3 Stars

This book was just as good as the first. I really enjoyed every second of it. I am really becoming a sucker for the trope of two people falling in love so I instantly fell in love with Stacey and Daniel’s story. I thought their story was sweet and realistic. Of course, I cried. I also want to go to the Ren Faire.

4 Stars

April 2022 Reads

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Powerful book. I honestly don’t even know how to describe what I read. The book is a great discussion on Race and what it means to be a Black man in America. That’s about all I can say without giving too much away.

5 Stars

A cute romance. Loved the setting and the premise. Rachel and Mason had a lot of chemistry right out of the gate. Really loved the slowburn aspect. Maisie was also a delight.

4 Stars

I wasn’t sure about this series after the first book, but I’m now hooked. It was a little slow and dragged a bit, but the last quarter was exciting and pushed the plot along. Loial is my favorite character.

4 Stars

Finishing this book (book 19 in the main series) only made me want next year’s book so much more. While this was Balz and Erika’s book, Lassiter was clearly the star. I loved this book so much, I couldn’t put it down. I love the world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

5 Stars

Great book with a cute premise. I don’t read a lot of clean, sweet romance so it felt like a lot was missing, mostly swoonworthy passion. But, Will and Savannah were cute together and the premise was clever.

4 Stars

Heartbreakingly romantic. What else could I expect from Josie Silver? Cleo’s growth into a strong, fierce woman, Mack’s growth into the man and father he wants to be — *chef’s kiss* Salvation was even a character all on its own. A slow, soft book that made me cry. Loved every second of it.

4 Stars

A beautiful story about Katy as she learns to find herself without her mother. Until she finds her mother 30 years in the past. A subtle time travel novel centered on a love between a mother and daughter. Could have done without the cheating storyline, it knocked a star off for me. (BOTM)

4 Stars

Powerful story about a time period I honestly didn’t know very much about. I loved the choice to tell the story of Romania’s Revolution through the eyes of teenage revolutionaries, it made the story so much more powerful and heartbreaking. (BOTM)

5 Stars

Loved. It. Fox and Hannah had the best chemistry. Their love story moved at the exact right speed. I devoured this book in one sitting.

5 Stars

This book was a little “meh” for me, which I’ve found with a lot of Reese Witherspoon books. Everything just felt “blah.” I didn’t care for the characters, they were okay, but I felt no emotional attachment to them and the plot just felt empty.

3 Stars

Everything about this book was amazing: The plot, the characters, the pacing. Finlay knows how to write a thriller and do it well. I could not put this book down. Kept me guessing the whole time. Loved it. Cried at the end.

5 Stars

Re-read this book almost one year later for book club. Still love this book, but my favorite essays have changed. It makes me wonder if my favorite essays have to do with where I am in my life at the moment when I read the book. Since this is not only my favorite John Green book, it is easily in my top 5 of all time, I can see myself re-reading this again in the coming years. I wonder which essays will be my favorite then? (BOTM)

5 Stars

A wonderful collection of vignettes. I loved Sophia and Grandmother and their relationship to each other and the island. The descriptions of the island were breathtaking.

I am firmly entrenched in this series. Honestly, this was my favorite of the books so far. I really loved the focus on the characters other than Rand in this book. I felt it was more of a character building book rather than a world building, and I’m glad we can finally focus on plot rather than explaining what everything is.

4 Stars