Whether you want to call this a heroic epic or courtly romance, this Arthurian story, which was written in the twelfth century, certain|| 2.0 stars ||
Whether you want to call this a heroic epic or courtly romance, this Arthurian story, which was written in the twelfth century, certainly gives some interesting insights into the literary styles of the Middle Ages. Of course, I can therefore respect this text for its historical value, and I do find some interest in reading it because of that, but overall I cannot say this was worth it. It might have taught me something about Medieval norms in writing and story-telling, but that does not mean it was enjoyable or fun to read. It was boring; plain and simple as that.
This whole novel was beyond repetitive and the same thing happened over and over again. I was shocked by how often I could be told that someone was “beautiful beyond compare” or “the most courageous knight who ever graced these lands”; it was a never-ending stream of silly blabbering. The battles between Erec and the other knights he encountered were all the same as well; the same scene was repeated over and over again. Additionally, the characters were all exact copies of each other too; everyone acted in the same manner and constantly repeated the same dialogue. Nobody stood out in any way.
Not to mention, I found the main character to be insanely annoying and stupid. Erec constantly made the most ridiculous decisions because of his over-inflated sense of ego and importance. Even worse, his wife, Enide, was constantly berated by him for simply warning him about danger ahead; he constantly said he hated her for daring to speak to him, and that she was to remain quiet without exception. This obviously pissed me off, and felt kind of random to me as well since the whole point of the text is supposed to be about how much he loves her. Like, how does that show any kind of love?? It was more like abuse.
Disclaimer: I read a translation by William W. Kibler, but I could not find his version on Goodreads, so I had to add someone else’s translation to my shelves....more
Another cautionary tale with an interesting message:
Remember that to use a thing is not to own it. And should you ever take a bride
|| 3.0 stars ||
Another cautionary tale with an interesting message:
Remember that to use a thing is not to own it. And should you ever take a bride, listen closely to her questions.
I think this was one of my least favourite short stories in the Grishaverse, only because I disliked all the characters and found them all to fall a bit flat.
Will you remain here with the father who tried to sell you, or the prince who hoped to buy you, or the man too weak to solve his riddles for himself? Or will you come with me and be bride to nothing but the shore?
The idea of the story was still really interesting, like all the others have been as well, but the execution didn’t grip me as much. I failed to really develop a connection with any of the characters, and therefore with the story as well.
Well then. This has to be the most useless, rambling nonsense I have encountered in quite a while. The narrators just go on and on abou|| 2.0 stars ||
Well then. This has to be the most useless, rambling nonsense I have encountered in quite a while. The narrators just go on and on about absolutely nothing in the most flowery and boring way imaginable. I genuinely felt like I was going out of my mind trying to discern any type of meaning or relevance to their never-ending stream of consciousness.
Also, there was genuinely no plot whatsoever. Seriously, this book did not have a single story to tell. The whole book only encompasses one single day, and jumps between characters a lot, yet fails to deliver an actual beginning or end to anyone’s story. There was merely one guy who actually got to have an end, and that’s only because he literally died.
The book also has never-ending descriptions about the most immaterial subjects, which, in all honesty, might possibly have been even worse for my enjoyment levels than the fact that this book had no actual content. This horrendous type of writing often made me drift off out of pure boredom, or sometimes even confusion, which made it impossible for me to ever get truly engaged or intrigued by anyone or anything in this book.
In general, this book and its writing style were another hated example of pretentious nothingness, only beloved by people who want to think they’re so smart and special for “liking” a book that is objectively boring and slightly incoherent....more
Oh, these books are genuinely so fun and entertaining! I can’t get enough of them! It’s not even that anything extremely interesting or|| 3.5 stars ||
Oh, these books are genuinely so fun and entertaining! I can’t get enough of them! It’s not even that anything extremely interesting or cool is happening here, but the writing is just so addictive. The way the narrator talks about everything and everyone kind of makes me feel like I’m constantly listening to a gossip session about all the characters, and for some reason, I find it insanely fun! Besides, there’s also a pretty intriguing mystery aspect to these books that isn’t too obvious and does keep my guessing!
At the moment, Aria is sort of the only character I truly like and respect. None of the other girls seem to have any self-confidence and they let everyone walk all over them. It’s pretty pathetic. In any case, I do still like Spencer and Hanna’s chapters, because, despite their insecurities, I find them interesting and fun to read. There’s something very compelling about their messiness. With Emily there is no such luck, though, since she genuinely bores me to death.
Spencer has a lot of potential, if only she’d stand up to her parents, while also recognizing what a useless waste of space Wren has always been. If she recognizes that, maybe there is still hope for her and Andrew! When it comes to her and Melissa, though, I’m not sure which of them is actually most in the wrong. They can both be brutal and cruel to each other, and I have no idea which of them actually started it. With Hanna, I really want her to stop caring about her dad so desperately, since he doesn’t deserve her consideration; if you haven’t visited your daughter in four years, you’ve lost the right to call yourself a parent. I also want her to stop mooning over Sean, since he’s clearly not interested! They’re obviously not a good fit, and besides, she deserves someone who will adore her completely. When it comes to Emily, I don’t know what it is, but something about her just puts me to sleep. I can’t really find it in me to be interested in any of her plotlines. I did like Maya and Toby, but I just don’t care about Emily. I feel like both of them (and the storylines they brought) were wasted on a character as boring as her. Now, of course, that leaves Aria, who was my absolute favourite. I was excitedly waiting for all of her chapters, constantly wishing the next one would be hers. It’s clear that Aria was the least messed up out of the four, and that all of her problems stemmed from her dad’s affair (who deserves to die, by the way) rather than her own insecurities, such as was the case with the other three girls. Aria knows who she is, she knows what she wants, and she’s not afraid to go out and get it. I actually thought her and Sean were pretty cute too, and they’d definitely be a better fit than him and Hanna. Even still, I think she can do better, since she’s so smart and beautiful and charming.
Gosh… The drama, the intrigue, the scandal, the tragedy! I loved it!
This book had me on the edge of my seat, clutching my proverbial pe|| 4.5 stars ||
Gosh… The drama, the intrigue, the scandal, the tragedy! I loved it!
This book had me on the edge of my seat, clutching my proverbial pearls, the whole way through!
I felt indignation and sympathy from beginning to end, but above all, a deep want to find out how everything would end for Lily. I never expected to become so deeply invested in this story, but I genuinely found myself caring.
It’s crazy to me that someone so vain, materialistic, and self-pitying, living a life so selfishly and uselessly, could still evoke such a passionate reaction out of me. Whereas I logically should have felt nothing but disdain or contempt towards Lily’s ideals and goals, I foolishly found myself wishing for her success, in whatever way she wanted to obtain it. I saw hints of kindness and selflessness in the smallest of gestures from her, and I continually made excuses for any of her faults, right along with all of her many blinded admirers. I even went as far as to feel hatred or spite towards those who did her wrong or passed judgement on her, even though I know I would have, personally, disliked her just as much as any of them if I had to deal with her in real life, perhaps even more. Such a funny yet intriguing contrast that all is, isn’t it? Makes you think about how much more lenient and forgiving we would be of people in our own lives if we took the time to understand their inner-world better…
The in-depth analysis of Lily’s character as well as the machinations of how she relentlessly operated in an artificial high-society, were more layered and intriguing than I could have figured. It was filled with criticisms as well as introspection on some interesting matters, but never went too far with them. With that I mean to say, the author never went ahead of herself by preaching or droning on about a particular subject or message, but instead always kept the focus on the story and the characters themselves.
Not to mention, the writing was absolutely exquisite; insightful without the usual pretentiousness attributed to that particular adjective, grippingly emotional to the point of true investment from the reader, and seamlessly flowing in a way that kept your attention throughout.
On a whole other note, though, I want to say that when it came to the romantic department of this book, I never quite understood Lily, and found her to be insanely foolish. Not only could she have saved herself from all her problems through marriage a million times over, but it was not merely her flightiness in this regard that bothered me. Mostly, it was her inability to see a good thing when it was right in front of her. I was always a big fan of Rosedale, and grew more and more fond of him as the book went on, while I simply didn’t care one bit for Selden. All Selden ever did was judge her by means of some pretentious moral superiority he claimed to possess, whereas Rosedale held her in immense admiration. He was a powerful, broody, rich, imposing man, seen as cut-throat by many, yet he had a soft spot only for her that made him willing to help her without any intent to give up. You cannot possibly convince me that, had this been a contemporary romance novel rather than a dramatic tragedy written over a hundred years ago, he would not have been the “love interest” instead of Selden. There would have simply been no way, since he was clearly the better choice.
Anyway, in conclusion, I think it’s safe to say that this book was oddly addictive as well as engaging, and that I couldn’t help but be engrossed entirely!...more
Does this book have an actual plot? No. No, it does not. This was pure character-building and nothing else. The full 750 pages are fill|| 3.5 stars ||
Does this book have an actual plot? No. No, it does not. This was pure character-building and nothing else. The full 750 pages are filled with training, training and more training. You’d think that would be incredibly dull, wouldn’t you? Well, somehow it wasn’t. Somehow I started to care deeply about Nesta and I was invested in seeing every single little step of her becoming stronger and happier. I liked watching her journey into becoming a warrior, but most of all, her healing journey into starting to love and accept herself for who she is.
“Forgiveness is not that easy.” “Forgiveness is something we also grant ourselves. And I can talk to you until these mountains crumble around us, but if you don’t wish to be forgiven, if you don’t want to stop feeling this way … it won’t happen.” He cupped her cheek, calluses scraping across her overheated skin. “You don’t need to become some impossible ideal. You don’t need to become sweet and simpering. You can give everyone that I Will Slay My Enemies look — which is my favorite look, by the way. You can keep that sharpness I like so much, that boldness and fearlessness. I don’t want you to ever lose those things, to cage yourself.” “But I still don’t know how to fix myself.” “There’s nothing broken to be fixed,” he said fiercely. “You are helping yourself. Healing the parts of you that hurt too much — and perhaps hurt others, too.”
When it came to the romance between Cassian and Nesta I’m having mixed feelings. It’s weird because I truly loved both of them individually, but I didn’t really love them that much together. I mean, I did love how patient and forgiving Cassian could be with her, especially when he kept reaching out, time and time again, and never stopped caring for her so deeply. However, I would have definitely preferred more emotional affection from them throughout the book instead of having all their interactions result in sex. There was simply way too much smut. The extreme amount of smut was the biggest difference from any other SJM books I have read, and it was not a good change for me.
I also know there are people who have complained about all the other side characters in this book and blame them for how they have supposedly treated Nesta badly, but I found almost all of them to be incredibly understandable in their actions. Furthermore, I actually think the development and forgiveness she found with some of them to be a really beautiful part of her journey.
Anyway, first of all, whoever is complaining about Feyre is actually insane, because she never did anything bad to Nesta, even though she would have been justified to do so after all Nesta said and did to her over the years. But no, Feyre always remained supportive and kind to her, despite Nesta pushing her away in a harsh and cold manner. I genuinely thought it was so nice to see Feyre never give up on her, which, in turn, made Nesta realise how grateful she is to have her as a sister and also how much she truly loves her. Seeing their sister bond heal after all that time was really lovely.
Stroking Feyre’s cold hand, Nesta spoke into the timeless, frozen room, “You loved me when no one else would. You never stopped. Even when I didn’t deserve it, you loved me, and fought for me, and …” Nesta looked at Feyre’s face, Death a breath away from claiming it. She didn’t stop the tears that ran down her cheeks as she squeezed Feyre’s slender hand tighter. “I love you, Feyre.” She had never said the words aloud. To anyone. “I love you,” Nesta whispered again. “I love you.”
There’s also not a single bad thing that could be said about Azriel. He never judged Nesta or tried to punish her in any way. Instead, he continually offered his silent support and allegiance while being surprisingly sweet and gentle to her. Mor, as well, never actually did anything bad to Nesta. She wasn't particularly warm or loving, but I don't think she needed to be. Now, Rhys was harsh, I agree, but he also never actually did anything bad to Nesta. He judged her, yes, but why shouldn’t he, based on her actions and attitude? Besides, his protectiveness and love for Feyre made any dislike he had towards Nesta completely valid for me; I would lash out as well towards those who hurt the ones I love, and he actually did that surprisingly little.
The only characters I genuinely had an issue with, though, were Amren and Elain. Amren was cruel and mean for no reason, and it actually pissed me off so much. Amren’s immense ego and narcissism were definitely bugging me here and for her to drop Nesta so quickly because of one little thing she said was just awful. With that, she showed that she is not someone who truly has your back or who you can count in. Meanwhile, Elain was even worse. She was ungrateful and truly had no justification for her disdain towards her sister. Elain is actually the only person in the world who has no right to blame Nesta for anything, yet she treated Nesta the worst. She had no right to be so mean and dismissive to her when Nesta had always done anything for her, always stood by her side and defended her, willing to give up everything for her. Thus, for Elain to now be so cold and unloving towards Nesta when Nesta finally needed her most is unforgivable. Elain should have been there for her; should have shown more patience and understanding towards someone who was always her number one supporter. It made Elain appear very unsympathetic, disloyal and compassionless. And it was actually kind of satisfying to see Nesta realise how flawed her sister was.
Nesta glanced up the stairs past Feyre. Elain had again opted to remain in her room when Nesta was present, which was just fine. Absolutely, utterly fine. Elain could make her own choices. And had chosen to thoroughly shut the door on Nesta. Even as she fully embraced Feyre and her world. Nesta’s chest tightened, but she refused to think of it, acknowledge it. Elain was like a dog, loyal to whatever master kept her fed and in comfort.
Also, I’m not sure if this is an unpopular opinion or not but I personally like the Valkyries more than the Inner Circle. Their friendship seemed a lot more genuine and less toxic to me. The Inner Circle always appeared to be bound through obligation and guilt more often than not, while the Valkyries truly bonded through common interests, shared experiences, love and genuine care. Gwyn and Emerie were the exact friends that Nesta deserved and needed, and Nesta was the best friend to them out of anyone in this whole series was to anyone.
Her friends regarded her curiously, and Nesta swallowed. “Let me make a wish for all of us,” she explained, gathering the three charms. A small gift — for the friends who had become like sisters. A chosen family. Like the one Feyre had found for herself. Nesta squeezed the charms in her palm, closing her eyes, and said: “I wish for us to have the courage to go out into the world when we are ready, but to always be able to find our way back to each other. No matter what.”
Also, it might sound insane but my favourite “character” in this whole book was the House of Wind! I swear, they were so supportive, precious and sweet! They were seriously the best kind of friend a girl can have <3 The only one who rivals the House’s spot for being my favourite would be Azriel. There’s something so insanely endearing and precious about him. He’s so broody and aloof, but also so sweet and gentle at the same time. His shy and thoughtful nature really made me love him so much. Oddly enough, I also really like Eris. There’s something so mysterious and interesting about him.
All in all, I think this was an engaging book despite the lack of plot and I think that’s solely due to Nesta being a complex and intriguing character all on her own.
I know many people aren’t too fond of this novella as they deem it too uneventful, but I actually really liked that about this. I appre|| 3.5 stars ||
I know many people aren’t too fond of this novella as they deem it too uneventful, but I actually really liked that about this. I appreciated the little insight into their daily lives; I feel like we got to know the characters and their relationships a bit better in a different way. It was nice. I enjoyed the fluff!
Although we did get to see more from all the characters here, the main focus was still Feyre, and I loved her as much as always. She’s so strong, gracious and selfless; I pretty much adore everything about her. Her relationship with Rhysand is also still as perfect as ever. And although their perfection has always been a little boring to me, I can’t say they aren’t lovely together.
“I love you,” he breathed. “More than life, more than my territory, more than my crown.”
This novella definitely made me like Elain a lot more; I wasn’t a fan of her at all previously, but I could finally see the gentle, warm and sweet heart that everyone keeps talking about when it comes to her. I still despise the potential idea of a romance between her and Lucien (they clearly have no chemistry and zero interest in each other), but I’m becoming a full-blown shipper of her and Azriel. I love the combination of her soft sunshiny attitude and his stoic brooding, especially since they both have a heart of gold. Moreover, I really loved the bonding we got to see between her and Feyre. I’ve always felt like Feyre has been severely mistreated, ignored and used by her sisters, so it was nice to see Elain show some long-overdue appreciation and love towards her.
It was then that I realized what the three different tiers had been painted to look like. On the top: flowers. In the middle: flames. And on the bottom, widest layer… stars. “I asked Nuala to do it in that order,” Elain said as the others gathered round. “Because you’re the foundation, the one who lifts us. You always have been.”
Opposingly, Nesta actually got on my nerves a little now. I really started to like her in the previous book, but she was insanely difficult and unnecessarily cruel to everyone here. To Elain, to Feyre, to Cassian… They all reached out, they all tried to be there for her, and yet she just continued to treat them like trash. It made me feel quite a bit angry on their behalf. I hope she will redeem herself again in her own book.
Lastly, I want to see more of Amren and Varian; they’re so strangely adorable together!?
Did I really just read a whole book about a guy falling in love at first sight with some beautiful girl he knows nothing about, becomin|| 2.5 stars ||
Did I really just read a whole book about a guy falling in love at first sight with some beautiful girl he knows nothing about, becoming completely (and creepily) obsessed with her, only for him to reluctantly realise that her normal-looking best friend actually has a quite charming personality, so he might just marry her instead? Wow, how romantic…
Honestly, I just felt bad for Lucy. Especially since she was such a kind girl. Gregory was a good guy too, albeit kind of an idiot, but I truly believed he did not deserve her if he wasn’t even going to appreciate her during most of the book. I’m not even kidding, this was what most of his (decidedly unflattering and passionless) inner monologue about her was like:
Lucy Abernathy would never inspire poetry, but she would make a very fine friend.
Or
She was Lucy, for heaven’s sake. She was quite wonderful, in quite a number of ways, but she wasn’t the sort men lost their heads over.
Also, I got so insanely annoyed over all of the ridiculous obsessing that every single person seemed to do over Lucy’s best friend, Hermione. There wasn’t a page that went by where I wasn’t reminded how beautiful she was or how many men were foolishly in love with her. I mean, I know it wasn’t really her fault, but I’d go crazy with a best friend like that. I don’t know how Lucy was able to stand it. Constantly being overlooked by everyone and permanently living in someone else’s shadow isn’t fun…
Anyway, last but not least, now that I have finished this entire series, I want to voice a general complaint I have had about almost all of the books (with this one certainly not being an exception): Why, on earth, does this author continually choose to make her heroines so unattractive? I know I’m not speaking for everyone, but I personally find it incredibly off-putting when the hero constantly remarks how plain or unremarkable the heroine looks, while she just goes on and on about how handsome he is… She doesn’t have to be the most beautiful person alive, but jeez, at least try to even the playing field a little! The way it was now, the couples’ dynamics always seemed super off with the hero having the upper-hand and the heroine always appearing more lucky to have him than the other way around. I prefer it to be more equal, and if not, I want it to be the heroine who is out of the hero’s league. That way, he will at least truly worship her completely, and not have him reluctantly admit he might enjoy her company well enough to marry her, while she’s been swooning after him like a lovesick fool from the beginning, which is exactly what happened in a lot of these books…
I know it’s a fairy tale, and should thus not be taken too seriously, but the pure and utter stupidity of Snow White really got on my n|| 2.0 stars ||
I know it’s a fairy tale, and should thus not be taken too seriously, but the pure and utter stupidity of Snow White really got on my nerves so badly. She genuinely had to have had less than a single brain cell, and her passivity and unwillingness to learn were truly astounding. I’m certain that if she didn’t have her pretty privilege, nobody would have even cared to save her either. Sure, the Queen wouldn’t have had a reason to go after her in the first place, but let’s ignore that for argument’s sake.
Oddly enough, I was actually looking forward to reading this original fairy tale (even though I was never a fan of Snow White’s story), but it was exceedingly disappointing to me due to its complete lack of intelligence and rationale. It’s hard for me to root for a character if they don’t even attempt to save themselves and honestly seem to do everything in their power to make the dumbest possible decisions.
Oh, and the fact that she eventually marries the guy who tried to take her dead corpse to his castle because she was just too damn pretty to never look at again was… disturbing, at best.
P.S. The version I read didn’t have any illustrations, so maybe those could have made this more enjoyable or charming....more
This was a lovely and undoubtedly sweet romance. It’s about a rare, exceedingly humble beauty and a scarred, disabled war-hero in a cla|| 3.0 stars ||
This was a lovely and undoubtedly sweet romance. It’s about a rare, exceedingly humble beauty and a scarred, disabled war-hero in a classic beauty and the beast retelling in true historical romance fashion.
Philly and Arthur are both exceedingly gentle people, and so all of their interactions were incredibly soft. They were both insanely selfless, and were always preoccupied with making the other person as happy as possible. Philly adored Arthur, and Arthur seemed to think Philly hung the moon and stars. Their love for each other felt very genuine, and I especially liked how enamored Arthur appeared with her. He was protective and possessive, of course, but above all, incredibly grateful for and astounded by his luck to have gotten to marry a woman so beautiful and kind as Philly.
By heaven, but she was beautiful. More than beautiful. She was radiant. Glowing.
Nonetheless, the romance’s overt and excessive sweetness was a little overdone for my tastes. I had reached the maximum of my tolerance towards sugary sweetness at at least the halfway point, and I was desperately waiting for a modicum of angst or drama or some sort of intensity to come along. Granted, there was some suspense with regards to a creepy villain threatening their happily ever after, but the relationship itself was steadfast and rock-solid. They were so… healthy and communicative, it was almost a bit boring. Even more, Philly’s selflessness, naivety, and overall perfection reached certain heights during this book that I just did not deem believable nor did I find it very enjoyable. I honestly felt like I was reading about a Disney Princess, which, in all fairness, was very cute and nice at first, but after a while became a bit repetitive, and dare I say, even slightly annoying. It made her seem like a flat, empty shell of a human being; not real and without true emotions. I wanted her to lash out at east once or otherwise show a hint of tension or genuine feeling, but that never happened. She remained the perfect Work of Art from beginning to end.
Thank you to my dear friend Dab for recommending this book to me!...more
I loved Hyacinth, but I hated that Gareth didn’t appreciate her whatsoever. I truly despised the fact that she fell first AND harder…
I|| 2.0 stars ||
I loved Hyacinth, but I hated that Gareth didn’t appreciate her whatsoever. I truly despised the fact that she fell first AND harder…
It’s extra unfortunate because Hyacinth was probably one of my favourite heroines in the series so far and she truly had a lot of personality, so her romance could have been so much better. It definitely feels a lot like wasted potential. I just wish that Gareth adored her for her wit, enthusiasm, intelligence, banter, sass, honesty, sarcasm and quirkiness, rather than just tolerated it… She deserved to be worshipped, and instead he acted like she was a nuisance he reluctantly enjoyed against his better judgement. I mean, imagine if this is how your future husband decides that he wants to marry you:
She was sometimes vexing, occasionally infuriating, but always entertaining. She would make a fine wife. Not for most men, but for him, and that was all that mattered.
The whole romance was made even worse by the fact that Gareth only pursued her because he had daddy issues and he wanted to proof to him that he could marry Hyacinth if he wanted to. It made me a little sick to my stomach. I also really disliked the plotline where he tried to seduce her so she’s be trapped into marrying him. It was not only unromantic and uncomfortable, but it also made his love for her seem very dirty rather than gentle. It made me feel so bad for Hyacinth, and made me dislike Gareth even more.
In conclusion, Hyacinth had a great personality on her own, but she completely lacked a backbone when it came to Gareth. He treated her pretty badly and she just took it. She never held him accountable and even ended up being the one fighting for him over and over again instead of the other way around. Yuck.
It seems to me that Elisabeth has actually been so lonely and unhappy over the years. Sure, she loved her pack and her children, but sh|| 4.0 stars ||
It seems to me that Elisabeth has actually been so lonely and unhappy over the years. Sure, she loved her pack and her children, but she was clearly missing something. I don’t think she ever felt truly whole.
“One day,” she whispers to it. “One day, my love. I will look upon your face, and all will be well.”
However, the loss, the grief and the guilt never brought her to her knees; she always continued to be strong, courageous and formidable. Nothing could bring her down completely.
This felt like a very flowery love letter to nature.
It tells the story of a child who is completely enamored by the wild life around h|| 2.5 stars ||
This felt like a very flowery love letter to nature.
It tells the story of a child who is completely enamored by the wild life around her, and who would give up a fortune to protect it. However, she later wonders if she made the right choice and if saving a bird was worth more than money and the chance at friendship with another human....more
A cute, fluffy, angst-free read that’ll make you smile more often than not! It took me a little while to get into this one, but once I || 3.0 stars ||
A cute, fluffy, angst-free read that’ll make you smile more often than not! It took me a little while to get into this one, but once I did, I really had a great time with it.
This is such a tragic story, but so beautifully written. It’s a story that many queer people used to live through in the past, which ma|| 3.5 stars ||
This is such a tragic story, but so beautifully written. It’s a story that many queer people used to live through in the past, which makes it all the more heartbreaking to read… There’s not much focus here on the build-up of their love connection, but instead it tells the story of how sad and lonely and angry and impossible their lives were because of that love....more
Pfew, wow, so much to unpack here… I’m not sure what to say, but this was certainly a depressing, shocking, emotional, powerful and int|| 4.0 stars ||
Pfew, wow, so much to unpack here… I’m not sure what to say, but this was certainly a depressing, shocking, emotional, powerful and intense story.
It tells the story of a woman of unknown origin who’s rejected by her husband when their baby turns out brown. He assumes she must have a Black heritage and therefore loses all love for her, which leaves her absolutely shattered to pieces. The end gives such a twist, though, that it puts the whole narrative on its head!...more
This tells the story of a group of children who live in a colony on Venus where the sun only comes out for an hour every seven years. A|| 2.0 stars ||
This tells the story of a group of children who live in a colony on Venus where the sun only comes out for an hour every seven years. All the children hate the constant rain and the lack of true warmth on their skin, but Margot is suffering most of all. She has grown sullen, ashy, quiet and sad; it’s like she has been slowly losing her life force, or perhaps even her very will to live. The other children tease her relentlessly and, worst of all, lock her in a closet when the sun is finally shining again after seven years. She misses that little hour of sunshine she so desperately needed…
All in all, I wasn’t very impressed with this story. It felt a little aimless, and although I’m sure some sort of meaning could be attributed to what I’ve just read, I didn’t really see it. To me, it seemed insubstantial and perhaps even a bit random....more
This story is about a woman who receives the news of her husband’s death in a rather… unexpected manner. Instead of grief, she feels in|| 3.0 stars ||
This story is about a woman who receives the news of her husband’s death in a rather… unexpected manner. Instead of grief, she feels intense joy, gratitude and relief for the freedom his death will now grant her. Not because she hated him or because she didn’t love him, but purely because, without a marriage, she felt she would finally be able to genuinely live life without being held back and without restrictions. She would be able to live life for herself.
This story clearly displayed the very sad reality of the stifling and oppressive nature that marriage used to have not so long ago, and also how very little autonomy and liberty a woman had when she was legally tied to a man.
Oh, but that ending? Such a twist! I definitely didn’t see it coming!...more
Oh, this was such a pleasant surprise! It wasn’t what I expected it to be at all, but that actually turned out to be good thing.
This w|| 3.5 stars ||
Oh, this was such a pleasant surprise! It wasn’t what I expected it to be at all, but that actually turned out to be good thing.
This was about a romance between a motorcycle club member and a tattoo-artist, but their relationship was super gentle and sweet. Of course, their interactions could also get rough when they fought, but their relationship was extremely soft and delicate under normal circumstances. It was oddly endearing.
“I want to be everything to you.”
I also really liked both of the main characters. They were both strong and independent, but also surprisingly vulnerable. Both of them managed to stood their ground when it came to their boundaries, yet they were willing to change for the other as much as possible.
I do want to give a quick warning that this book was pretty smutty, which, if you know my tastes at all, is not something I enjoy reading, but it was actually not so bothersome to me in this case. I think it’s because all of their intimate scenes held a lot of emotion and depth; it wasn’t just sex, it was them opening up to each other in the most vulnerable way. These scenes were always very gentle and meaningful, which took the crassness out of it for me.
P.S. I wish everyone in that motorcycle club had died a fiery and painful death, and it actually makes me sick to my stomach that they got away with everything they did.
'SEX & MAYHEM' UNIVERSE:
Hounds of Valhalla MC: 1. Road of No Return - 3.5 stars
Oh my god, this was so incredibly good! This book had me completely gripped from beginning to end. The writing was so engaging in a suc|| 4.5 stars ||
Oh my god, this was so incredibly good! This book had me completely gripped from beginning to end. The writing was so engaging in a succinct yet powerful way, and the characters were woven so perfectly into the story, I simply could not stop reading for even a second! The pacing was also done in the exact right way. The book never gave too many details that would make the story start to feel like it dragged, but instead it always managed to say exactly what needed to be said for the reader to understand what was going on, what it meant, and how it must feel for everyone involved. Overall, it was such strong writing and I instantly fell in love with it.
I am struggling to provide a summary of this book considering it tells so many little stories of many different characters. I hardly think it’s possible to choose one of these stories and point towards it saying: “This. This is what the book is about.” Moreover, so many of these stories were more subtle, never fully fleshed out or even acknowledged, that it would be very hard to describe them in my own words. So really, if I were to attempt a summary, I honestly wouldn’t know where to look or where to begin, and the end-result would be incomplete and wrong anyway.
That said, I do want to point out that this book genuinely made me feel so many emotions! I had very strong opinions on all of the characters, of all the things that happened in the past, present and future, but also of the social issues that were raised.
For example, I genuinely felt so much pain for the McCulloughs; I think what happened to them embodies the worst fears of any parent thinking about adopting or of those who have already adopted a child. To live with the fear that your child can be taken away like that… Just because someone thinks they have a claim on a child they abandoned due to some irrelevant blood-connection. It’s devastating and terrible and unjust. A parent is someone who takes care of their child, who nurses them, who loves them, who provides for them, who will never ever think of leaving them. Being a mother is more than giving birth to someone.
It came, over and over, down to this: What made someone a mother? Was it biology alone, or was it love?
Although I had intense feelings about them all, I think there was really only one character I truly felt an immense dislike towards, and I am willing to bet not many readers will think the same on this as me: The person I had a distinct distaste towards was Mia. Her ungrateful, fanciful and irresponsible attitude bothered me, but it was mostly her hypocrisy that made my skin crawl. First of all, I genuinely believe Mia was a bad mother. I don’t care how she tried to justify it, whether it was due to her “artistic spirit” or her young age, but she never ever did what was best for her daughter in those early years. She never chose to take care of her daughter properly, and instead continued to choose to live the life of a starving artist, as if she didn’t have a whole child depending on her! She dragged that child from place to place, never staying somewhere for more than a few months, never letting her daughter set up roots anywhere, forcing her to be forever lonely and homeless. And really, this would be enough reason for me to dislike Mia, but it was her superior attitude, despite her own many flaws, that distinctly bothered me. She acted like she was a great mother, a great person, this pinnacle of wisdom and goodness, when she was anything but. She was aimless, she was irresponsible, she was selfish, but, like I said earlier, she was also insanely hypocritical. She had a very strong opinion on the adoption case of the McCulloughs (her own actions even being the sole cause for why Linda and Mark now had to fight to keep their adopted child), and she argued this by saying that a child should be raised by her “real” mother and that the “real” mother deserved to raise her child, but she never, not even once, mentioned (to herself or anyone else) the very real fact that she stole her own child away from her father. Did she simply think this sentiment does not apply to fathers? Is she truly that unfair and cruel? Because it’s important to note that her daughter’s father desperately wanted to raise this child, but Mia just took her from him; she stole his child. And she never thought she did a single thing wrong. The hypocrisy! It baffled me.
And yet here was Mia, causing poor Linda such trauma, as if she hadn’t been through enough, as if Mia were any kind of example of how to mother. Dragging her fatherless child from place to place, scraping by on menial jobs, justifying it by insisting to herself — by insisting to everyone — she was making Art. Probing other people’s business with her grimy hands. Stirring up trouble. Heedlessly throwing sparks. Mrs. Richardson seethed, and deep inside her, the hot speck of fury that had been carefully banked within her burst into flame. Mia did whatever she wanted, Mrs. Richardson thought, and what would result? Heartbreak for her oldest friend. Chaos for everyone. You can’t just do what you want, she thought. Why should Mia get to, when no one else did?
Of course, I also had very strong opinions on all of the other characters and plot points; some positive, some not, and some… unsure, but I won’t bore anyone with going into details about all that. It doesn’t really matter what my own specific opinions were anyway, the only thing that really matters is that this is the type of book that invokes those strong emotions about its characters and its plots. I felt everything while reading this: indignation, sympathy, suspense, anxiousness, endearment, unsurety, pity, all of it… And isn’t that the best kind of book? A book that makes you feel intensely and makes you form strong opinions about its content? For me it is. And that’s why I loved this!...more
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