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Steph

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Steph is Currently Reading

Steph is currently reading

The Thorn Queen Deluxe Limited Edition: A Victorian-Inspired Young Adult Romantasy Sequel (The Rose Bargain, 2)

by Sasha Peyton Smith (Goodreads Author)

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May 05, 2026 03:10PM

Steph is currently reading

Tales of a Deadly Devotion (Tales of a Monstrous Heart, #2)

by Jennifer Delaney (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: top-reads-2025, currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in August 2025

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Steph said: " Another absolute masterpiece from Jen. Loved it. Devoured it. Need book 3 like, NOW hahaha!

Tales of a Monstrous Heart was a top read of 2024 for me and I have been waiting for Tales of a Deadly Devotion with excitement akin to a kid on Christmas Eve. Another absolute masterpiece from Jen. Loved it. Devoured it. Need book 3 like, NOW hahaha!

Tales of a Monstrous Heart was a top read of 2024 for me and I have been waiting for Tales of a Deadly Devotion with excitement akin to a kid on Christmas Eve. We pick up right where we left off from the end of book 1, where the tension between the characters is super high given the events at the end of TOAMH.

TOADD sees the addition of Alma's POV which I adored. It means that we get more of her backstory and allows us more insight into the stunning world that Jen has created. Alma has always been a favourite character of mine and I loved seeing things from her perspective and gaining an understanding of what she went through prior to meeting Kat. My heart! Alma's story had me sobbing several times throughout - she's such an incredible character and you can see the direct impact that Kat's presence has had on her life. Their bond and unwavering love and friendship has forged a lifeline between them and I genuinely believe they are non-romantic soulmates.

Kat is still as fierce as ever despite everything that's happened, and she is such a breath of fresh air. We get to see the relationship between her and Emrys continue to develop and it just feels so natural, like the two are made for each other. She's still discovering more about her heritage and I love how Jen has created such a complex history between the fae and humans, and the web of politics that plays into this. I remember in the first book feeling so devastated for the fae at the loss and cruelty they have faced from the humans, but then with more revealed in this book, you realise that some of they fey are just as bad and judgemental of their own! The lines of morality become blurred and it's clear that there are villains on both sides, which Kat has to navigate and find her place within.

Thean, Gideon and William are absolutely brilliant as our side characters. Jen has created such a unique band of characters that just WORK. They all have such different personalities and motivations, but are thrown together by fate or because, if you're Thean, because they do what they want hahaha. Gideon's presence in this book really helps bring more of Emrys to light, in the same way that Thean does for Alma. I honestly just love all of them!

It wouldn't be Tales without a cliff-hanger / twisty ending would it?! Honestly, the ending had me SCREAMING and spamming Jen's DMs like my life depended on it. I cannot wait for the third and final book in the Tales trilogy, I can't wait to see the final arc of our beloved tales crew and how Jen wraps up this incredible series!!! ...more "

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(page 225 of 384)
— Feb 03, 2026 07:32AM

Dec 23, 2025 02:37AM · see review