It feels like five star ratings are few and far between at the moment so I’m excited to get this series going again and look back at previous five star reads. I’ve had a couple of five star books in 2025 so far but I won’t be talking about those in this series for quite some time. My list of books to talk about isn’t particularly extensive but I do have enough to post this series once a month now!
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
When I started reading this book I really didn’t expect to be giving it a five star rating. I enjoyed the Caraval series, but I didn’t think the second or third book was as strong as the first. So imagine how happy I was when I fell in love with this book. Fell in love with Evangeline and Jacks to be more precise. When reading Legendary I was almost rooting for Jacks and Tella but as soon as I met Evangeline that went out the window. The angst is just too good. Plus I was more than happy to be back in this world.
I’m still yet to continue this series (I have a problem with finishing things quickly because I never want them to end) but I’m determined to at least read the second book at some point this year.
Synopsis: How far would you go for happily ever after?
For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings… until she learns that the love of her life will marry another.
Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic but wicked Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing.
But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game—and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged. He has plans for Evangeline, plans that will either end in the greatest happily ever after or the most exquisite tragedy…
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Everyone agrees that this is the best book and film in the series right? I wouldn’t normally include a book I read when I was younger without re-reading it first, but I’m more than confident with my five star rating of this book. I would love to re-read the whole series at some point, I’d prefer to do so on my Kindle though as I only have the special editions (which do not photograph well). I don’t even particularly like these covers anymore but the spines do look good on my bookshelf.
The Games in this book are my favourite out of the three we’ve now witnessed. I love the clock theme and the whole production is so much larger. Don’t get me wrong the first games are intense as, the first time you read it, you don’t realise just how crazy the whole situation is. But this book has Finnick. He’s an instant five star rating if you ask me. Also, the development of Peeta and Katniss’s relationship in this book will always be special to me.
Synopsis: Sparks are igniting.
Flames are spreading.
And the Capitol wants revenge.
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol—a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.
Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest that she’s afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she’s not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol’s cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can’t prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.
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Like this post? Why not read this one too: Audiobook Review: Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton