I had heard mixed reviews prior reading this but nothing could have prepared me for the boredomfest that this book was. The characters are really one I had heard mixed reviews prior reading this but nothing could have prepared me for the boredomfest that this book was. The characters are really one dimensional, the plot is so predictable (except the last few chapters which is actually the only part that was good about this book; you know, (view spoiler)[Maven turning out to be a source of evil pretty much, hah! this puppy turned interesting for a good 8 seconds or so (hide spoiler)]).
The world was explained ok I guess, pacing wise that is, though woooo it was so similar to every other fantasy/dystopian book out there. It felt as though RQ is THG inspired fanfic (sort of) while trying to add X-men stuff in it and somehow fit into somewhere in the fantasy genre as well.
mmmmmm my fav character was Cal? Which is kinda surprising because he is probably the character people are annoyed with? Idk everyone is in the Maven fanbase (including 93% of my friends who have read this), but I didn't love either of them, so by favorite I actually mean the only character who didn't annoy the world out of me.
After the things that went down with the author last week, I'm actually glad that I didn't bother to pre-order Glass Sword since I thought "oh, but if I'm actually kinda intrigued about what happens next, maybe I should?" but i don't have to waste money since I really, really don't want to support a this kind of problematic author who is problematic irl (i've heard that she has been really rude to some of her fans at signings; which is obvi something you should do for sure since it's not like they're the people who support your dreams of writing ;)) and it turns out she's also problematic regarding her books since she reblogs and supports whitewashing and doesn't tell her readers that Mare (and apparently Cal*) is POC. If you're a part of the bookish side of tumblr you've probably seen lots of graphics and know that 99% of the edits have all the characters fancasted as, you guessed it, white! :)
Even if I would have given this book like 2 stars before for the ending parts, the author has angered a lot of us and, guess what, it's my review and I can rate this book however the hell I want. 1 star for you, Red Queen. You're welcome <3
*I did skim a good portion of the book about descriptions because I really didn't care about the world since it was really generic, so there may have been something in there about Cal's appearance other than describing his muscular body, handsome face and black hair; though it doesn't really matter if it was mentioned or hinted at once or twice ambiguously, because if the author really cared about diversity then they would explicitly say that to their fans and wouldn't reblog edits/fancasts who are white. That's actually enabling the readers to be oblivious and ignorant as well, so it's not helping anyone; but whatever helps the author sleep at night, I guess....more
Jellicoe Road is another winner from Marchetta! What a gorgeously written, emotionally exhausting, brilliantly constructed and effortlessly executed pJellicoe Road is another winner from Marchetta! What a gorgeously written, emotionally exhausting, brilliantly constructed and effortlessly executed piece of art this book is! I can't tell you much about this book without spoiling, but it's honestly something that everyone needs to experience themselves. Yes, the rumors are true: it takes quite a while to understand things but when you understand you're in it for the long haul! I knew that this "not understanding" part could be an issue, but I just tried to go with the flow and enjoy it as much as possible until the turning point. This book does NOT disappoint, let me tell you!
“A home to come back to every day of their lives. Where they would all belong or long to be. A place on the Jellicoe Road.”
This is foremost a book about characters AND THEY ARE ALL SO AMAZING! Quite frankly idk who I love more, because they're all so squishy and lovable and broken but you can't help but root for them and then you want them to all have the world and oh god I'm getting extra, aren't I? Alright. Um. Um. Ummmmmmm even though the book is mostly character-driven, plot doesn't lack one bit. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and there are so many twists and turns and there are OMFG kind of happenings and everything. There is quite a bit of fooling around (in every possible sense of this term) and I loved following all of these dorks during the Territory wars. The book itself has two narratives. One where our MC Taylor leads us through the "now part" and one another set of characters. But really! I can't tell you anything more, because oopsy daisy! I wouldn't want to spoil youuuu. So is it finally proper time to speak about my feels since I can't talk about anything else?
[image]
OK SO THE SHIPS??? I AM BROKEN IN PIECES BUT PUT TOGETHER ALL THE SAME. THIS BOOK IS SO AMAZING ON THE ROMANCE FRONT BUT DON'T LET MY SCREAMING FOOL YOU; JELLICOE IS PAIN! I DON'T REMEMBER WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME I CRIED SO MUCH WHEN IT WASN'T A KRISTA AND BECCA BOOK? MAYBE DURING FIXING DELILAH?? ANYHOW, THIS BOOK BROKE ME IN A THOUSAND TINY PIECES AND AFTER THE BOOK WAS DONE I WAS A SOBBING MESS. I TEXTED KATIE AND ERI THAT I COULDN'T STOP CRYING AND I JUST CRIED AND CRIED AND CRIED. THIS WHOLE BOOK IS SO EMOTIONAL [and quite honestly a tad bit fucked up] AND I'M GETTING SO EMO JUST THINKING ABOUT IT ;___________; THIS BOOK IS MAGIC AND YOU SHOULD ALL READ IT IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY. YOU. ARE. MISSING. OUT. KKKK.
[image]
This is the place where I apologize and bow down to Tanja and Rashika who have been pestering me for years to read this book. I was stubborn and resisted, because most of Aussie writers' books I've read haven't suited me that much. The books I've read all have this distinct style of writing where words and scenes are cropped and rushed. While Marchetta does have that in her prose, it's very minimal and I never really turn much attention to it, because her books do what very few books are able to: these books suck you in and consume my mind, heart and soul. As Lisa likes to say: READ THE MARCHETTA!
[Pssst! Thank you to Nick for gifting a gift card for my birthday last year with what I purchased this gem for my Kindle and massive thanks to Jasprit who gifted the paperback for my birthday this year; you're golden Jazzy! ;*]
Overall rating: 5.0 out of 5.0
*to view these graphics in HQ, visit my blog here....more
After the disaster that was the second book in this series, I still wanted to read the last book because this was not how these books would end, rightAfter the disaster that was the second book in this series, I still wanted to read the last book because this was not how these books would end, right? I'm grateful for Out of Breath and having read it, even though it wasn't a perfect book, to say the least.
I decided to ditch the audiobook for the last one since I was still so mad at the second book and Kate Rudd just isn't among my favorite narrators. (At least not for this series.) Plus, in the ebook I could skip a huge chunk of the part that didn't interest me at all. Thank goodness for that.
I searched Evan's name in the book after the prologue and the icky first chapter, so I pretty much started reading at ~40%. From there it slowly went uphill and I was glad to see Emma finally, after all these years, open up to the one person who needed it the most and who she needed to open up to the most too. It was great (and sometimes a bit painful) to see them be so honest with each other. I loved the chemistry they still have and the coupl-y scenes were all A+.
What I didn't like was... well, there are some things:
*(view spoiler)[Jonathan. I STILL DON'T GET WHAT THE FUCK EMMA HAS TO EVEN DO ANYTHING WITH HIM???? GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM THAT PIECE OF SHIT TRAINWRECK AND DON'T WASTE A SECOND THINKING ABOUT THAT GROSS GUY. uGH. AND TO TOP IT OFF I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE WENT TO VISIT HIM??? THAT SHE TEXTED HIM? JFC. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? I'm so happy this piece of shit got what he deserved. (hide spoiler)] *there was no actual plot; like 80% of the time Emma and Evan just talked and hung out either at the house or on the beach *why is Emma always in the need of saving? why does everyone always have to pull her together; why does everyone have to be there to help her stand; why is she always in a situation where she's near death? why can't she help herself? why can't love be the thing that makes her strong so she can save herself not a guy (or her bff) who always needs to save her? this is the one thing that really bothered me throughout the whole trilogy that she can never save herself on her own *the overuse of the word "hollered" because istg everyone, and I mean everyone, did this at least once in a chapter. It was on every freaking page and became highly annoying at one point.
... there was probably more, but I'm blanking right now.
What I did like though was that there's a great group of friends both around Emma and around Evan -- this gang had such great dynamics and it was really great to read about that. I also loved Sara and Jared. That boy is so crazy about her, hah. The ending was so predictable; not the epilogue but the final chapter. I was positive this would happen when this whole thing was brought up in the first place. It was nice to see that it did happen though and I'm glad it did. I also like how (view spoiler)[ Evan is the grown up in this relationship, wants to see a therapist and that he's determined to bring Emma with him. I don't personally believe that it's possible to overcome so many traumatic things and be okay without professional help, so I'm glad that she's at least considering this. I hope she gets the help she deserves and needs and that their life will be okay. (hide spoiler)]
At the end of the day, if I could somehow forget the awfulness that is the second book, this trilogy would for sure be one of my favorites, but unfortunately the shit that went down in the previous installment, heavily affected Out of Breath as well. I'm glad these novels show that abused, depressive and mentally ill people (because, let's face it, Emma is depressed and suffers from PTSD) deserve to get their happily ever after. I like that these books bring attention to these kind of problems, but I really, really wish some things had been hella different.
*for the lack of plot this book receives 3 stars, but starting from the place where I started this book, it made me smile a lot and I'm glad with the way things ended, so I'd say it was a fairly decent way to end a story....more
This was such an emotional rollercoaster. I love the attention it brings to physical and verbal abuse even though these were such hard parts to get thThis was such an emotional rollercoaster. I love the attention it brings to physical and verbal abuse even though these were such hard parts to get through. I really enjoyed the friendship parts and the shippy moments are majorly awesome. I can't wait to read more, and, in fact, i purchased the next book on audio right after I finished with this one because WHAT KIND OF CLIFFHANGER IS THAT????!!! i'm hoping for the best for Emma....more
WHY IS THIS SHIP MADE OF SO MUCH PAIN???????????? ;________; and boy is this ship hot sometimes *fans self* I legit had chills in some parts while lisWHY IS THIS SHIP MADE OF SO MUCH PAIN???????????? ;________; and boy is this ship hot sometimes *fans self* I legit had chills in some parts while listening.
I loved this book but at the same time there was so much that I didn't like? Plus it was entirely too long at some places. I hated the way women are pitted against each other :( I feel like the reader will always be on Emma's side, because we know and sympathize, but the other woman is almost always portrayed as the villain or the bad one because they're standing in the way of our favorites' HEA and always have a mean agenda to get things in their favor.
I thought the big, big bad was actually Travista so idk where (view spoiler)[Declan came out of? I mean, he was bad in first book and he's despicable, but I didn't think he was the big villain? Idk it always seemed like Travista was the true bad one but what do you say! (hide spoiler)]
Super duper eager to read something else by Ms. Waters someday <3...more
This is legit one of the most boring books I've ever read. The only reason I'm still here is for my favs Patrick and Rose who I SHIP SO MUCH IT HURTS This is legit one of the most boring books I've ever read. The only reason I'm still here is for my favs Patrick and Rose who I SHIP SO MUCH IT HURTS AND WHY WAS THERE SO LITTLE OF THEM SIGH.
The book starts with Maggie and Cooper having steamy scenes together and when they're not together creating steam on the pages for us, they're telling their friends how this person they're seeing is just a great casual hook up and nothing will come of it. NEVER. EVER. NOT IN A MILLION YEARS. (yea yeaaaa we get it bla bla). Oh, and pretty much 75% of the book takes place at Cooper's penthouse, Maggie's condo or Habits. I want to see more! Like how With a Twist had a ton of ballet things, how they went to the Opera. I want to see those things and get some actual world building. It's not like it shouldn't/doesn't exist in contemporary novels.
The writing didn't suit me either, if I'm being frank. I can't say I'm in any way moved by the 20 page swipes I had to do in order to skim a super long convo where the MC is telling allllllll the things about Cooper to her bff and her bff is fangirling over the guy. Please just give me a fucking break can we please move on to the actual plot? Oh, wait! There pretty much is none.
I can't believe that I read a scene where Maggie and Cooper went to have sex in a public restroom stall and West and Tricky went to relieve themselves and Cooper just kept on kissing her and after the guys left they were still horny enough to have sex. WHAT. THE. ACTUAL. F@CK??? It's so ridic I had to read it again to see if I understood correctly. (Did it not weird them out that his brother just peed in the same room? Jfc.)
I also don't really get WHY Cooper loves Maggie. I mean, yeah, they are kinda cute if you think about it and his puppy love for Maggie is semi adorable at times, but they're not really compatible in my eyes and I didn't really get the reason why Maggie was the girl of Cooper's dreams. Why her standing in a wedding dress, crying was the moment that changed his life?
Speaking of the called-off wedding, I had a feeling this is what had went down and had been hinted at in With a Twist, but it's hella annoying that I was actually looking forward to reading about this and all we got was a "tell" not "show". Cooper legit just told the reader what had happened but we got no chemistry, no actual convo, no feelings--nada.
Also, I find Maggie kinda selfish? She almost never asks/talks about anything else other than her love life and the world just revolves around her. What's more, lmao I get that Lily is gorgeous, but really we don't need to have this stated on every scene she's in. It's like Maggie has a crush on his brother's girlfriend. "her long legs", "her shiny hair", "she's so gorgeous" etc etc etc. And, last but not least, I get it that West and Lily are super happy and comfortable and in the "honeymoon stage" of their relationship, but honestly, if I had had to read one more time about how amazing life is and get West's philosophical love lectures to Connor and Patrick, I would have had to put my kindle down to avoid eyerolling because it was really starting to hurt my eyes.
There are some things I liked though and these are: *the core group of friends *the main girls being supportive of one another *PATRICK *ROSE *PATRICK AND ROSE
As much as I disliked this book, I like that there was so much less slutshaming and jealousy in this book than in With a Twist. I've read two very, very bad NA books this year and I'm still so angry at one of them that I haven't even reviewed it, but this one, as a whole, wasn't so bad compared to those books. It just wasn't my cup of tea this time though I can see a lot of people loving it.
I can't say that I'm not excited for the final companion, because I AM! I AM SO FREAKING EXCITED FOR ROSE AND TRICKY I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW EXCITED I AM. I love them, they're the only couple who gives me butterflies, makes me smile like a goof and whose emotions reflect on my face and in my heart. I can't wait to read about them and I sincerely hope that the douchesparkles and dicktwinkles and whatever other [not so] funny synonyms are left behind and we're going to have an actual story with actual plot and much more character growth than in Chaser.
Alright, so here's the thing. I'm a serial "I have to finish this book; what do you mean there's a DNF option????" kind of person. So here I am, at 18Alright, so here's the thing. I'm a serial "I have to finish this book; what do you mean there's a DNF option????" kind of person. So here I am, at 18%. I can tell you that I tried, but sometimes enough is enough.
So why did I dnf, you ask? Hmmmm... let's see, there were multiple reasons.
1. The icky plotline
I must admit, I was initially intrigued. I thought there would be lowkey dynamic of my favorite otp of all otps in the history of everrr (Coballoway from the Addicted series) but nope. I did like that Jade somewhat stood up to herself in some scenes, but really, she was still drooling all over this asshole of a love interest. The guy pretty much buys their relationship (which is non-existent still in the point I dnf-d at) and then claims he owns her? I thought in my head that perhaps he'd like.. idk.. pursue her in a decent manner, but oh, no! This guy is a fucking douche. Idk what I was thinking that this plotline could offer anything decent.
2. The perfect representation of slutshaming
Let me give you a few examples:
"I met Kelli a few days before school officially started, when we were moving into the dorms. We hit it off right away and I was so thankful since one of my biggest fears was that I would hate my roommate. We have a lot in common. We’re both sarcastic. We both like to study but aren’t fanatical about it. We’re both reasonably clean. But where we differ is our attitude toward guys. Kelli likes to keep them coming, one after the other. Not that she’s a slut or anything. Far from it. She just ends it with one and picks right up with another. Me? I take a long time to even find one that I click with. And once I find him, it takes me a while to come around. After I come around and I’m finally ready to say yeah, let’s do this, I like to settle in and consider him my somewhat boyfriend."
She's pretty much saying that a girl who has lots of sex is a slut, just not her roommate ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and then we have my fav where the heroine is a cinnamon roll too good, too pure for this world comapred to other girls:
"Ah, the perfect excuse to check out that shirt again. I love how much of her it exposes without being trashy."
Honestly, when will New Adult authors (not talking only about this book, but in general, because it happens in almost every other book I read in this genre) stop labeling girls who love sex or wear whatever the fuck they want (or don't want) as sluts? It's extremely frustrating and disturbing to see guys label girls like this, but even more so to see girls label each other like this. One night stands and short skirts or skin-tight clothes do NOT make anyone a slut. It's highly annoying that 90% of New Adult authors feature this sort of behaviour and line of thought in their work.
3. the gross love interest
The first chapter was actually not as bad, but the more I read, the more grossed out I became. Here's a passage with him and the girl protagonist in the early stages of the book (after he says that "not being trashy" line). [they're at a frat party and she twisted her ankle and he just carried her off to a bedroom to check her leg -- was this the part I was supposed to swoon at because no thanks]
" I cup the back of her head, thread my fingers in the silky soft waves of her hair. I’d love to wrap her hair around my fist and tug her head back right before I kiss her… “Proud of your man-whore status?” “I can’t help it if the ladies flock to me.” She rests her hand on my chest and gives me a gentle shove. “I’m not flocking to you.” “Even after all that talk about coming and with my hand up your skirt?” Jade looks down with a sharp gasp, dropping her hand to mine and shoving it out from beneath her skirt. “What are you doing?” “I thought it was obvious.” When she says nothing, only glares at me, I continue. “I was going to kiss you and hopefully get you off with my fingers.” Her mouth drops open. Instead of looking aroused, she looks… pissed. Vaguely horrified. “You’re disgusting.” I lean back. Move way, way back though I’m not getting off the bed. Not yet. I still have a chance. Or then again, maybe I don’t. "
Oh but wait... it gets better: the girl's POV starts the next chapter and she thinks this to herself:
" I almost fell for all of that. The charm, the seductive tone of his voice, the way he looked at me, the way he touched me. Somehow, without me being aware of it, he’d skimmed those too sure fingers up my leg and slipped them beneath my skirt. Nuzzled my face with his. Freaking talked about being inside of me and making me come all while I’d be begging and shouting his name. What a perv. Worse? I like his perverted side. A lot. "
This really grossed me out, because he is so fucking slimy and disgusting and literally the girl likes it? Okay, I can't argue with taste, to each their own, but I will never swoon over a scumbag who is trying to get his hands under a reluctant girl's skirt who he "won" in a game of poker. This guy is disgusting. He literally says that he owns her and she owes her everything when they just met like last night when he won a game of poker and claimed her as prize (how swoony this all is). Here's the direct quote at which the girl is truly [mentally] swooning over:
" “You owe me everything. All that you have. And don’t deny that you want to give it to me because I know you do,” he murmurs, his breath stirring my hair. God, his words… they do something to me. Has any guy spoken to me like this before? No. Not ever. "
.....
" “This isn’t over,” Shep calls but I don’t look back at him. He’ll find me. I know he will. We’ll run into each other again and he’ll demand I owe him something and ask for his payment in the form of sexual favors, which should totally piss me off yet somehow… doesn’t. "
lmao; is this book an actual joke or what? I'm clearly missing the punch line here. Also, he calls her Jade Bitch Face. Even still at the point where I DNF-d. What the fuck? I know she either called herself that way or said that she has a bitch face or something but how am I supposed to root for a guy who calls their love interest a Bitch Face in his head and to her face? I'm clearly not seeing the appeal here.
This above is just a small fraction of what pissed me off. I don't usually rate DNF books, but this is an exception I'm willing to make. I haven't read a book this bad for ages and this is a lesson learnt that sometimes I need to do homework and research on the character representation and all that, because this was so awful. 10/10 would not recommend.
Go read something good that actually praises women's sexuality regardless of whether they have a lot of experience or are inexperienced, guys who stand up fo all women, not just their own love interests; guys who are actual feminists and don't degrade other women in favor of their girls and what's more, they aren't slimebags to their love interests. Let me point you to some of my personal favorites: Addicted series by Krista and Becca Ritchie and On Dublin Street by Samantha Young. These are the two series that come to mind first, but there are a few more, so hit me up if you ever want some recs! ...more
I took my time reading this. I'm not exactly sure why, but at some point I just lost my interest. It's not that it's a bad book, but the plot, in my oI took my time reading this. I'm not exactly sure why, but at some point I just lost my interest. It's not that it's a bad book, but the plot, in my opinion, is dragging some. At least until it got to certain parts (~ halfway through). It looks like things are hella more intense now and I'm so pumped for that!
My fav character by far is Cleo. She's such a little fireball and I love her so much! I like Magnus's POVs too, but Lucia and Jonas are kinda meh. Lucia because I'm getting insta love vibes and I'm sorry but no thanks; Jonas because.. well.. ha. It's not that I don't like them per se, but I just find Cleo and Magnus more interesting as characters. I really, really love Lysandra though and I hope there's more of her in Gathering Darkness and future books (honestly, I think everyone will be dead by the time this series ends lol soooooo I'm not holding out much hope that she'll survive). The ships are all over the place and idk what's going down tbh. I ship Lysandra with Jonas, I don't ship Magneo (yet?) and I still haven't forgiven Magnus for that thing I really don't want to talk about. I'M STILL HURT OKAY. Bye.
Ok I'll go after I mention this: [proceed with caution; ship spoilers ahead] (view spoiler)[I don't get Jonas's obsession with Cleo and vice versa? Like one book ago you hated each other and now after a few random talks you're so into each other? And wtf where the hell did that kiss came from?????????? It's like Alarking (or however you spell it) where one moment nothing is going on, no signal whatsoever that a kiss is about to go down, no chemistry and then we have ourselves a kissing scene; ummmm ha, i'm sorry but it doesn't work that easily for me so I'm not bewitched by this ship. (hide spoiler)]
As a whole it was good and I liked the second half, but the first half dragged a bit too much.
I'm in such a huge everlasting reading slump, you guys. It's coming to a point where, yes, I've read a lot of great books this year, but I've also reaI'm in such a huge everlasting reading slump, you guys. It's coming to a point where, yes, I've read a lot of great books this year, but I've also read very few books--whether for lack of time, enthusiasm or simply not feeling most of the books that I've picked up and tried reading. Falling Kingdoms comes with great recommendations and, honestly, while not the best book of the year for me nor the most amazing fantasy novel I've ever read, this was HIGHLY addicting.
I really like the world Morgan has created. I wish there was a bit more of Paelsia, because Cleo and Magnus's POVs are the most common ones and hence we got to see the other two countries more (which I throughly enjoyed, by the way). I wish we had gotten a bit more of Jonas's and Lucia's POVs too, because I feel less attached to these characters than I do to Cleo and Magnus. I'm assuming we get more in the following books though, because this was pretty much the set-up book for all the following chaos, I feel.
I really enjoyed the plot. Except for one thing where THIS STUPID TRASH EMO PRINCE DID SOMETHING THAT MADE ME CRY (view spoiler)[yes, it was that scene which freaking made my ship being endgame impossible and I'm still very hurt because of it, excuse you; thanks Katie for listening to me crying and ranting over texts (hide spoiler)], I pretty much guessed the "shocking" stuff all beforehand. However, while predictable, it was highly addicting! I very much enjoyed the mythology/legend parts a lot too and am looking forward to learning more about the Watchers as well.
I really loved the parts with Cleo. All of them. She's such a spunk of fire and sunshine and determination and and and I love her character the most, for sure! I can't wait to see what happens next which is why Rebel Spring is staring at me, as we speak, and I'm going to jump back into this crazy world of blood, gore and ships. I hear there's ships. Lots of them. For everyone. Seeing as my main ship is done, I better find a new one!
This was okay. The story is great in the sense that it's not the bad boy & good girl story, but good guy & bad girl dynamics instead. Sort of. Every iThis was okay. The story is great in the sense that it's not the bad boy & good girl story, but good guy & bad girl dynamics instead. Sort of. Every is such a broken character and it was really hard to root for her at times due to the brokeness, because it made her do things that just didn't make any sense. I liked Beckett for the most part, but him calling Everly a pet as a endearment? Omg lol. The first time I read the word pet I think I blinked rapidly at least 5 times while thinking "is this some sort of a dark bdsm erotica novel or???" because it's just such a weird endearment and made me cringe a lot. He does explain why he uses it, but just.. nope. I also didn't like how his friend Ollie called girls birds? @.@
I did love the chemistry Every and Beckett had and this book was very sensual, not going to lie. The setting (Paris, for the most part), was well-written and, in general, the writing was gorgeous. Even if I wasn't exactly infatuated with the story at all times, the writing kept me going. The final third of the novel became so dramatic though that it was hard to not eyeroll and I wish that there had been more talks about Everly's past, because it was clearly traumatic for her. It would be for anyone. I just found all the roundabout ways to hint at it and then not really discuss it or have her talk to a therapist or .. anything, really, to just help us understand her more or for her to move on from this with more than just the help of romantic feelings for Beckett and some talks between the two. I must admit, I did skim a few chapters between London and the part where a big incident happened at some lake (?) so they may have talked about it during that period, but seeing as Beckett still had no clue about it a few pages later then probably not.
I liked parts of this and I definitely loved the writing so I'm, for sure, going to try something else by Rebecca Paula. If you want a darker story then this may just be for you!...more
I'd like to say that gorgeous covers don't allure me in, but they do! As soon as I read the blurb to match this beautiful piece of art, I knew I wanteI'd like to say that gorgeous covers don't allure me in, but they do! As soon as I read the blurb to match this beautiful piece of art, I knew I wanted to get my hands on it asap. This debut is a thrilling ride that's bound to capture the hearts of many readers. Lush with world building and a decent plot that's immersed with mythology, spiced with The Godfather's and Romeo & Juliet's influences, Assassin's Heart made for quite a thrilling read.
As you probably gathered from above, the world building is great! It's rich in all the places it needs to be, but it never feels as though it's told to us, but rather shown, which is a good thing. Ahiers' writing allows the world to be developed along with the plot so it never gets exhausting. The setting itself is very vividly described and really makes you feel like you're inside the story rather than being an outsider observing it all.
I quite enjoyed the plot as well. The beginning was very fast-paced and set the tone for the rest of the book. Everything that is mentioned in the blurb happens quickly and it's great, because you don't know what's coming next exactly; the plot really does keep you on the edge of your seat. Though, from a reader's point of view, of course I sympathized with Lea when the tragedy happened very early on, but it was hard to feel such grief, because I didn't know the characters all that well when all of it went down, hence it didn't hit me as hard as it hit her when she finally admitted to herself that this had happened.
There is romance in this book and it does have a focal point as you'd assume, seeing as the book is somewhat based on Romeo and Juliet's story. What I gathered from the blurb wasn't exactly what happened in the romance front though. You see, there are two love interests for Lea and as much as I liked the endgame and thought it was a better fit for Lea, I didn't find myself shipping it as much as perhaps expected? I didn't quite connect with the chemistry between him and the main character, which made me slightly frustrated when the typical romantic elements and plot points happened at the last 30% or so and the romance took over too much for my taste. I love the characters separately and the ship itself makes a lot of sense as well, so I do think a lot of people would enjoy this pairing together. Also, the ending is a bit too open for my liking, all things considered.
As a whole, Heart of Assassin is a promising debut by a talented author whose future books I'm more than excited to read! The setting, mythology and all the characters really do bring this story to life as one unit that, I'm sure, will appeal to a lot of readers. I hope there are many more books to come from Sarah Ahiers, because I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on them!
P.S. When I requested to read and review the story, I had an understanding that this would be a standalone in this particular setting, but turns out that there will be a companion novel and I'm actually really glad, because there is so much more of this world is left to be explored, and maybe the return of some characters we met here? Very excited to see where the author is taking it all next!
Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5.0
__________________
Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperTeen for an ARC. My thoughts are my own and in no way did this review copy affect my thoughts....more
This is another one that hurts to review, but not only because my friends loved this book and series, but also because I love this series. I pretty muThis is another one that hurts to review, but not only because my friends loved this book and series, but also because I love this series. I pretty much binged the entire series in two weeks and it was ah-mazing! I loved it so much. I liked this book a lot too, but it also made me realize how flawed these books are and that's never a good thing to happen in the final installment.
I had finished book 5 right before I picked this up and book 5 was my favorite, favorite book in this series. It's such an emotional, fast-paced, dark and mysterious story which I loved. However, with this book, I felt as though the characters were a little juvenile? Everyone was keeping secrets from everyone: the kids didn't talk to the parents who didn't talk to the kids and everything was just a mess. There were some highly predictable things that happened, a lot of convenient things that were even more convenient than in previous books and, honestly, a lot of stupid decisions as well.
(view spoiler)[First of all, why in the world did Cammie think it was Preston who wanted to talk to her? It never even crossed my mind that it would be Preston not his dad? @.@
Secondly, it's just so funny to me that these four girls and one guy are some sort of prodigies who can make everything okay and who can save the world when some of the kids' parents are titled as amazing spies and amazing agents and amazing everything; how come the parents weren't capable of doing anything except hide or do a few missions? Like???? How does that even make any sense?
Thirdly, the side characters are soooooooooo underdeveloped it actually hurts. One second Abby and Townsend are like strangers and the next they're all lovey dovey (in their sense, anyway). What about Rachel and Joe? One time they're just friends with a slight interest or layer of love between them and behind the scenes they got to be boyfriend and girlfriend and then suddenly it was a marriage proposal. Also, let alone that the sides are underdeveloped, Cammie and Zach just are a boyfriend and girlfriend, but there was no talks about how they actually became an official item. It's just.. understood. Ugh.
Finally, (though here are some more things), it felt like the girls hadn't really grown at all. Macey was throwing tantrums left and right, Bex was all murderous as always, Cammie is still the reckless girl she was back when and always acts without thinking. Of course, you can argue, that Cammie has grown a lot, and I think she has, too, but some things just brought back the Cammie-ness in the first half of the series and it was a bit disappointing =/ I mean.. I loved where they had gotten by the end of book five, but in this book they all seemed to have gone through some character regression or something. It was painful to watch how, under pressure, they just kept giving each other silent treatment or lashing out at one another. Aren't you supposed to be sisters and work as a team? I just wanted to shook some sense into them. (hide spoiler)]
I guess my semi-disappointment also has to do with the fact that I had binged 6 books in a pretty short amount of time so it got a little repetitive and predictable, but.. regardless, this series is so amazing and I loved every second spent on reading it! I guess it's time to start collecting them in physical form sometime and have these pretty spines decorate my shelves ✿◔◡◔✿
This series is a definite recommendation for every booknerd out there!...more
I am taken aback by how much I loved it. During this Gallagher Girls binge reading I have been updating some of myWHAT. THE. HELL. WAS. THIS. BOOK????
I am taken aback by how much I loved it. During this Gallagher Girls binge reading I have been updating some of my friends in group texts and I didn't have any time to update them during this book, because I was too busy crying over EVERYTHING.
The friendships, plot, characters, family dynamics--everything gets bigger and better and I JUST COULDN'T GET ENOUGH. It was amazing and I am very eager to get to the final book.
I did guess some things beforehand though: (view spoiler)[that the necklace was the key, that this song was maybe used for a hypnosis (especially after Catherine started humming it in the caves); I had guessed earlier in book 2 that Dr. Steve was the bad guy and lmao he truly showed his colours in this book. I MEAN??? NO ONE WHO LETS AND WANTS THEMSELVES TO BE CALLED DR. STEVE CAN BE DECENT, RIGHT? Also, I guessed about Preston's dad, because it was just to "convenient" (hide spoiler)] but idk all of these things didn't take away from the book, it was actually hella lot fun to get confirmation about some of my theories.
One more thing: WHY HAVEN'T THESE BOOKS BEEN MADE INTO MOVIES YET??????...more
This one is probably my least favorite. It took a lot of time to get to the good stuff, but the second half was so worth it! I was a bit bothered thatThis one is probably my least favorite. It took a lot of time to get to the good stuff, but the second half was so worth it! I was a bit bothered that there was so much mystery and questions, but nothing was really answered until halfway point, but as I said, the 2nd half was amazing and HOLY HELL WAS IT EXLPOSIVE <3 while it's my least fav, I still enjoyed it A LOT so 4 stars guaranteed? Aye, captain!...more
asdfghjkl; these books are so fun! I can't stop grinning and while this didn't get any tears out of me, I enjoyed it a lot! especially the parts whereasdfghjkl; these books are so fun! I can't stop grinning and while this didn't get any tears out of me, I enjoyed it a lot! especially the parts where a certain boy was involved (✿◠‿◠) I'm in such a reading groove with this series that I don't have that much time to update here while continuously laughing and turning the pages as soon as possible, but I'm already [almost] halfway done with book 3 and it's really good, too! ...more
Having skimmed a sample of this many years ago (and not being really into the US covers; i'm really happy that my kindle copy downloaded with the UK cHaving skimmed a sample of this many years ago (and not being really into the US covers; i'm really happy that my kindle copy downloaded with the UK covers. I wonder if this is a Europe thing?), this series didn't really appeal to me even though I knew a lot of people who were absolutely extatic when the final book released 3 years ago. Well, none of them were as persistent on pushing this on me as Eri because let me tell you this book series is her legacy through and through and I'm so glad she didn't give up and pushed this a ton on our group of friends because I really, really loved this one!
The writing is a little hard to get used to at first, but I got used to it eventually. (Mostly). It becomes enjoyable and I laughed quite a bit. The characters are great and I'm so excited to get to know them better. The spy stuff is hella fun (why aren't these books movies yet????) and so is the plot. I hope we get to see super mysterious spy stuff later on in this series (which I'm thinking is the case, because they're spies in training to be field agents someday) and if so i can't wait for it. My fav part is the friendships and Cammie & Rachel's mother-daughter relationship (I already cried twice over them; yeaaaa i was told that the first two are fluffy but THERE IS NOTHING FLUFFY ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO STOP THE TEARS OKAY; it's MOSTLY fluffy though (◡‿◡✿)).
A few notes: I wish that we had been shown a bit more of Macey's shift into this group of friends; Cammie's narrative claims that there are "girls of all shapes and sizes and skin color" but Bex is the only canon girl mentioned with darker skin color (where are girls of Asian, Latin, Arabian origin?) and all the girls that have a bit more description about them are described as very lean and pretty (except Cammie but her opinion on herself is highly biased). So this is one thing I hope either disappears in claims or is developed, because saying that there are girls like this, but no actual proof? Eh. Plus showing/telling & representation are different things altogether. There was something else I wanted to mention but I can't remember.. Probably irrelevant then.
Anyhoooow, I really liked this and I can't wait to read more *retreats into reading cave with book 2*...more
With a Twist is a fun change after all the emotional and darker stuff I have read lately. I really liked the premise of it and for the most part this With a Twist is a fun change after all the emotional and darker stuff I have read lately. I really liked the premise of it and for the most part this book delivered everything. I liked West a lot as a love interest. I also liked Lily throughout most of the novel. What's more, the ballet aspect was beautifully written and I could feel Lily's passion throughout the entire novel. The world was well-built as well. The friendships in this book were by far my favorite out of anything in With a Twist. This group of friends is hella awesome, let me tell you!
However, I'm really torn: do I rate it 4 stars or 3 stars, because I had some issues too and the biggest of them was slutshaming. Look, I get that jealousy is awful and it makes us say and think things we normally wouldn't, but ... what's more awful is when girls make rude comments about other girls. I highlighted a lot of passages where Lily and her friends used words such as skank, whorey etc. (view spoiler)[Even when Nadia used it about the girl Blane took into the bathroom with him, the girl is not to be shamed of a one night stand or whatever when HE is the one dating 3 girls at once. 10$ he didn't tell her that this was the case and, as far as I know, one night stands are not a crime and a girl is NOT a whore for having them! (hide spoiler)] When Lily described her sister's clubbing outfit as something like "short but not whorey" it put me off so bad, because in the next scene West is basically describing Lily's outfit as "short but classy" which was probably to show that Lily is a classy girl when she wears short skirts but not everyone is? That is wrong on so many levels which I won't get into in big detail, because it will turn into a lengthy essay otherwise. I'll just say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with wearing short skirts or dresses and a girl should never be called a slut, whore, skank or described skanky, whorey etc for it. (Though, to be clear, there are places where short skirts aren't perhaps the most appropriate attire like opera, board meetings and such.)
Another thing that bugged me was that, yes, West and Lily were best friends and, while I really loved the evolution of their relationship, I felt as though their relationship parts were a little rushed. When they finally got together, it was amazing! I loved those parts so much, however, it took so much time to get there that at one point I wasn't even sure if I cared all that much about it. I actually grew more fond of the side ships, especially Rose and Patrick. I'm eargely anticipating that novel (which I'm really hoping there will be one, because THAT NOVEL HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE ONE OF MY FAVORITE NEW ADULT NOVELS WHOA). I also love the other ship which I don't want to say out loud, because potential spoilers? Maybe? No? In any case, I loved that ship a lot too and Sil, Eri & Sue already had to hear about my crazy theories regarding that couple. Can't wait to see if they're correct or not ✿◕ ‿ ◕✿
Oh, and one more thing ha. This is a personal preference. I'm just not really into words like douchesparkle and whatever else were the words that the characters had in their vocabulary for women and men's intimate body parts. I know a lot of people aren't bothered by this and I can look away from this, because it's not a big issue, but eh. I'm not a fan of that.
I'm just so torn, because I really did like this novel, but it was slightly problematic and I didn't care as much as I perhaps should have? Hmmmm. Ok, fuck it! The side characters and friendships and the ending totally deserve a 4 stars, but since I had some attachment issues and due to some of the things above, I'll give it 3 stars. I'm really looking forward to the companion novels, because these side characters are the bomb dot com, and maybe (hopefully?) some bonus material with the cuteness of West and Lily as a couple....more
I'm still kicking myself for not having read this any sooner. In all honesty, I do have a good excuse: I was waiting for more books to be published inI'm still kicking myself for not having read this any sooner. In all honesty, I do have a good excuse: I was waiting for more books to be published in this series, because it was supposed to be a 5 book series at one point, but now that it's 3 and I own all of them? It was time to get down and dirty and dive into the unknown. Boy was I wowed with this one!
I feel kind of betrayed that no one told me it was this funny. It's a very, very dark world Ee has created, but it has so much humor in it that it somewhat evens out all the gore, horror and darkness. I loved Penryn and Raffe so much and their snarky comments towards each other were hilarious. I SHIP THIS A LOT OKAY??
I'm eager to know what happens next, but I can take this gore and horror (it may not be horror for everyone, but it is for moi) in very small doses. Some of the stuff that happened at the end of Angelfall was downright heartbreaking. Ok, lies. Most of it was heartbreaking and I'm still not over all of it tbh. Can't wait to learn more about this world, its characters and follow Penryn on this journey. I hear that World After is even better than Aneglfall which makes me super duper excited!...more
I loved Sarah Alderson’s New Adult debut Come Back to Me so incredibly much. It was one of my favorite reads from last year and helped me avoid a readI loved Sarah Alderson’s New Adult debut Come Back to Me so incredibly much. It was one of my favorite reads from last year and helped me avoid a reading slump after finishing the [then] newest installment of my favorite series and I think this speaks volume about how great of a writer Sarah is. When Sil told me that she has a new book coming out in this same series I immediately jumped at the chance to read it asap and I’m so happy I did, because this book was just what I needed at the moment.
"I don't think home is a place. I think it's a person. And when you find home, the place you feel the safest, the place you go for shelter and where you can fully be yourself, then you know you're in love, really in love, not just infatuated or head over heels in lust." (— taken from the ARC, 27%)
This Is One Moment, as Come Back to Me, deals with topics such as grief, depression, PTSD, how war affects people physically and mentally; it’s also a story about finding oneself, love and forgiveness. Didi is a great main character and I really enjoyed getting to know her. I also liked how Walker’s story was handled and his journey really, really touched me. I must say though that my favorite aspect of the novel was the showcasing of how differently people handle these traumatic situations. Even though I saw some things coming and even though a lot of things I wish hadn’t happened, especially something horrifying at the last third of the novel, these things are a reality and this kind of hopelessness and darkness is just.. saddening.
My favorite characters in this novel were probably Sanchez and Valentina who often brought comic relief. I found Walker and Didi’s chemistry off the charts and there was major swooning (and crying; duuh it’s me!) happening on my part. What keeps me from giving this book a full 4 star rating (even though I’m giving it 4 stars), is that I didn’t think the ending parts were that necessary to create a conflict? I think this is one of the easiest ways to do it and these sort of happenings have ruined so many books for me. I get Didi’s reaction, but I don’t get why Walker just couldn’t explain. Why is it always that the other person just doesn’t talk through/over/whatever but lets the protagonist vent and make their assumptions? After everything that had gone down beforehand, it was just frustrating and made the ending a bit rushed for me. However, as a whole this novel was great and I can’t wait to get myself a paperback copy of this to match the beautiful Come Back to Me on my shelf.
Overall rating: 3.8 out of 4.0
Thank you to Pan MacMillan and Netgalley for providing an ARC. My thoughts are my own and in no way did the review copy affect my opinion on the book....more
It's probably high time I reviewed this book. I had heard so much praise about I'll Meet You There and it was totally justified! I fell in love with tIt's probably high time I reviewed this book. I had heard so much praise about I'll Meet You There and it was totally justified! I fell in love with these broken characters, the gorgeous prose and more. I cried countless times and I have cried many times more when I've opened this book at random times to re-skim my favorite places. If there were any parts of me that weren't broken when reading this book, the author's note destroyed me completely.
[image]
This book is told through and authentic voice and I liked the way it touched upon topics such as teen pregnancy, poverty, graduating from high school and starting an independent life, depression, ptsd; I loved the way that there were two sides of the coin shown with Josh's story and a parallel that's only talked about later on with another character. I like that Josh's disability and ptsd was handled with care.
[image]
I would like to voice my opinion on some problematic things that taint this book though and it's mainly the reason why I can't give this book 6 stars. It's baffling that not one 4 or 5 star review I have read has mentioned this: I'll Meet You There is full of homophobic slurs! It's disturbing and awful how unapologetic this books is about it. Comments like "faggot" or "I'm not like that" when there's the slightest implication of something gay are really uncalled for. Also, masculinity so fragile that "I'm such a fucking p****" just had to be said; ugh. There was also some slutshaming. If these things hadn't been in this book, I would have given it 5 stars without a doubt, but I can't accept or ignore the homophobic slurs.
Overall rating: 4.0 out of 5.0
*if you want to see these graphics in HQ, visit my tumblr here....more
Siiri (Little Pieces of Imagination)
>
Books:
read-2015
(60)
Loading...
