King of Corium (Corium U. #1)
A school for criminals … as in … it teaches people how to be better criminals. What a brilliant concept for dark fiction. I was hooked from the start.
Highlights / tropes hit:
👑Dubc0n / non-c0n.
👑Büllies—entire university, staff included worth of büllies.
👑V!rg!n heroine.
👑Billionaires.
👑Criminals.
👑Fast-burn.
👑A very strong-willed FMC.
👑Lots of people to love to hate.
👑A mystery throughout.
👑Mortal enemies to lovers.
👑Hate-(uhm…”fluffing”).
👑Alternating first-person POVs.
👑Suspense, specifically at the end.
This book ends on a wicked cliffhanger—and it’s totally cool because the next 2 are available.
Could not put it down.
4 stars.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
*A bit of the ‘dirty talk’ could be cheesy at times. But mostly it was hot and well done.
*Loved when the heroine was found reading Pretty Little Savage! Fun shout-out to Lucy Smoke.
Audio:
👑Features dual narrators.
👑High-quality production, overall. No extraneous sounds, etc.
👑 Absolutely perfect performance—5 stars. 🦩
Drop Dead Queen (Corium U. Book 2)
This installment picks up right where book 1 left off, so it’s a bit of excitement for a while there. But then things are pretty much back to normal, with a somewhat new dynamic. Aspen’s situation is worse … despite a few things that should’ve made it better having come to light. I’m impressed with the author’s ability to do this and as a result, keep me just as interested for another installment. There’s clearly some skill here and I’ve now found myself wanting to explore her other reads.
“It took me until now to realize… I’m falling in love with my enemy.”
This one’s even darker than the first one—not at first but it definitely ends up that way. Heed the warning, if you’ve got tr!gg3rs, but personally, I found it all glorious. Like its predecessor, it ends on a vicious cliffhanger—thank goodness this is the complete trilogy.
Recommended read … at least for my fellow darklings. 😈 I don’t share sp0ilers, so I’ll just say: this is how criminals are made, I’m pretty sure. Enjoy!
Overall:
4 stars.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
*Slight continuity issue.
A good editing team/ astute beta readers could’ve helped with this.
We already saw Aspen reading ‘Pretty Little Savage’ by Lucy Smoke in book 1. But now, in book 2, when a friend brings her a copy of the same book, she goes on and on to the reader about how it’s “new” to her. I *love* the shout-out to Smoke in this manner, but it could’ve been done using a different title, so that they still had continuity.
Audio:
👑Features dual narrators.
👑High-quality production, overall. No extraneous sounds, etc.
There were some bits where the narrator sounded far away or under water. They were all brief, not a huge deal in the grand scheme.🦩
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Broken Kingdom (Corium U. #3)
When I say: BE READY WITH THIS ONE before you even start book 2, I am not kidding. Book 1 ended in a cliffie, but it was nothing like book 2’s, entirely different situation.
Anyway, I basically binged books 1 & 2 and had to move right into 3—this series apparently is like crack, at least for a dark reads lover like myself.
This one picks up a short time after book 2 ends … it’s pretty much right where it left off.
“I’m nothing more than a chess piece; a pawn on an endless board … when I should be queen.”
This one’s sort of frustrating, as Aspen’s trying to heal from so much … but still in some trouble, but doesn’t tell anyone about it. Which sorta seems like she’s setting herself up for more. The explanation is a bit weak … until it isn’t and it all makes perfect sense! Brilliantly executed! And this entire installment is shrouded in mystery, so that keeps it fun. I thought it’d end at this one, but I see there are 2 more books in this series. Definitely feel a need to read on and expect you will too.
Overall:
4 stars.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Audio:
Overall, excellent. I can’t say it’s a perfectly seamless production, there are a few minor instances, (all the female’s, if memory serves) where her voice changes quite a bit for a sentence or two … Overall, excellent quality. No extraneous sounds and both narrators perform beautifully. 4-star production. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️