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Urban Fantasy

    Chick LitContemporary RomanceNew AdultReviewsSpeculative FictionUrban Fantasy

    When Gracie Met The Grump

    written by Dísir
    When Gracie Met The GrumpWhen Gracie Met the Grump by Mariana Zapata
    Published by Mariana Zapata on 16th September 2022
    Pages: 570
    Buy on Amazon
    Goodreads
    two-half-stars

    Of all the things that could have landed in her yard… it had to be him.
    For most people, finding a half-naked superbeing in their yard might be a dream come true.

    Unfortunately for Gracie Castro, it’s the exact opposite.

    Especially when he’s grouchy, rude, and shows no signs of leaving anytime soon.
    But when a hero of mankind needs you, you do what you have to.
    Even if it compromises everything you know.

    And totally changes your life.

    ‘When Gracie met the Grump’ felt almost like a Thor-retelling (the very first movie), with several tweaks in between—except that you’ve got a heroine trying to keep her neck above water at all costs, and a superhero whose words are so scarce and whose attitude is so stinky that you start to wonder at the congruity of the pairing.

    Mariana Zapata’s take on there-are-aliens-livine-amongst-us-in-plain-sight is a fun but long, long one—and they’re people who loom to far above humanity it seems, with their wealth, limitless power and their ancestry on a different planet. I would have loved to know more about that particular aspect of her world-building, but came off rather disappointed when it becomes background knowledge that’s used as a cursory explanation for the superhero family that Gracie finds herself inserted in. Why is there such a super-power that exists? How did that come about? Why are some more powerful than others?

    Too many questions, too few answers found.

    Gracie is quite the stereotypical Zapata-heroine here: fluttery, with a tendency toward cringey verbal diarrhoea, often overthinking and over-apologising, and too self-aware of her own gutless responses at times while actually remaining as dense as she wilfully can be. Written solely in her POV, we often get that same, narrow perspective of things around her, of her rambling thoughts and through her ‘denseness’; as a result, there’s this very distant image of the superhero Alex for the reader—who remains mysterious, grumpy (and mean), saying very little throughout until it all comes right out in the last 5 percent of the book…also quite par for the course for a Zapata-hero, come to think of it.

    It’s a story that started out great for me but eventually flat-lined because of the merry-go-round repetition, the lack of a proper forward-momentum and the odd, bewildering use of juvenile language that just seemed out of character for both Alex/Gracie when these moments pop up. They talk at each other (more Gracie than Alex), but their conversations don’t necessarily pierce through the thick fog of Gracie’s ramblings and wandering, anxious thoughts and by the end of it, I wasn’t entirely convinced of their attraction or deep connection to each other because of this. In all, a rather disappointing read but maybe I’d expected entirely too much here.

    two-half-stars
    When Gracie Met The Grump was last modified: September 21st, 2022 by Dísir
    29th September 2022 0 comment
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  • FantasyReviewsSpeculative FictionSyfySyfy RomanceUrban Fantasy

    Storm Echo by Nalini Singh

    by Dísir 22nd August 2022

    Storm Echo by Nalini Singh Series: Psy-Changeling Trinity, #6, #6 Published by Berkley on 9th August 2022 Pages: 384 Buy on Amazon Goodreads Silence has fallen. The Psy are free…

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  • Advanced Reader CopyContemporary RomanceFantasyNetgalleyReviewsRomantic SuspenseSpeculative FictionUrban Fantasy

    True Wolf by Paige Tyler

    by Dísir 5th January 2022

    True Wolf by Paige Tyler Series: STAT #3 Published by Sourcebooks on 22nd March 2022 Pages: 312 Buy on Amazon Goodreads Nuclear weapons have been stolen from the Air Force,…

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  • FantasyMagic/ParanormalNew AdultReviewsUrban FantasyYoung Adult

    The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

    by Dísir 17th December 2021

    The Queen of Nothing by Anne Brauner, Holly Black Series: The Folk of the Air, #3, #3 on 19th November 2019 Pages: 300 Buy on Amazon Goodreads Power is much…

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  • Advanced Reader CopyContemporary RomanceMagic/ParanormalMilitary/ParamilitaryNetgalleyReviewsRomantic SuspenseSpeculative FictionUrban Fantasy

    Undercover Wolf by Paige Tyler

    by Dísir 27th April 2021

    Undercover Wolf by Paige Tyler Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca on 25th May 2021 Pages: 352 Buy on Amazon Goodreads An unexpected partnership leads two wolves to reconsider everything they know……

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  • Advanced Reader CopyFantasyNetgalleyReviewsSpeculative FictionUrban Fantasy

    Last Guard by Nalini Singh

    by Dísir 22nd April 2021

    Last Guard by Nalini Singh Series: Psy-Changeling Trinity #5 Published by Berkley on 20th July 2021 Pages: 384 Buy on Amazon Goodreads Termed merciless by some, and a robotic sociopath…

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  • Magic/ParanormalReviewsSpeculative FictionUrban Fantasy

    Spells by Kristen Proby

    by Dísir 25th November 2020

    Spells by Kristen Proby Series: Bayou Magic, #2 Published by Ampersand Publishing, Ampersand Publishing, Inc. on 27th October 2020 Pages: 192 Buy on Amazon Goodreads As a powerful hedgewitch and…

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