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| 1250183154
| 9781250183156
| 1250183154
| 3.55
| 2,274
| Aug 21, 2018
| Aug 21, 2018
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really liked it
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this was powerful. i may write a full review but i honestly don’t think i could do this justice tbh |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 22, 2018
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Aug 22, 2018
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Aug 03, 2018
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Hardcover
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| 1250189713
| 9781250189714
| 1250189713
| 3.57
| 1,867
| May 22, 2018
| May 22, 2018
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it was ok
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Trigger Warnings: biphobia, homophobia, transphobia, emotional manipulation, abuse, underage drinking, drug mentions I POSTED THIS REVIEW IN A MINI REV Trigger Warnings: biphobia, homophobia, transphobia, emotional manipulation, abuse, underage drinking, drug mentions I POSTED THIS REVIEW IN A MINI REVIEW COLLECTION ON MY BLOG The Brightsiders was another book I picked up on a whim. I didn’t expect a lot since I hadn’t enjoyed Queens of Geek. This book was one that I was definitely enjoying more than the author's debut. I was totally into the world and wanting to get to know the punk rock bad main characters more. It was also beautifully diverse, with almost no character that was straight. A teen rock band being plunged into fame was the kind of story I would have died to read when I was younger, especially since this one did show parental manipulation and substance abuse. However, the plot of The Brightsiders really fizzled out around the 40% mark. I became incredibly romance heavy that I don’t hate but I didn’t feel the connection between the characters. I’ve talked about this in other reviews but I don’t really like friends to lovers tropes, I feel that too much of the connection is made off page and makes me slightly frustrated because I want to love the couple. I would still recommend this book because it is very diverse and a very good look at sexuality and messy family dynamics. It just wasn’t for me. If you love a character driven book I recommend this book even more highly! I love plot, so that is mainly why this fell short for me I feel. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 06, 2018
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Jul 07, 2018
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Jul 05, 2018
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Hardcover
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| 1627799370
| 9781627799379
| 1627799370
| 4.12
| 15,308
| Dec 05, 2017
| Dec 05, 2017
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it was amazing
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Trigger Warnings: panic attack, grand mal seizure mentions FIND THIS REVIEW FOR FOOLISH HEARTS HERE. SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG TO SEE ALL MY REVIEWS FIRST I Trigger Warnings: panic attack, grand mal seizure mentions FIND THIS REVIEW FOR FOOLISH HEARTS HERE. SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG TO SEE ALL MY REVIEWS FIRST I went into Foolish Hearts with literally no expectations. I didn’t know what I was going to get from this book but I figured a YA contemporary was something that would help me pass the time until I worked out what I did want to read. I was so wrong. This book is a masterpiece. I read it incredibly quickly (two days, only because my mum was home from work and I was spending time with her). Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills is a book that grabbed me by the heartstrings and has managed to worm its way into my top ten books of 2018. I know I said that in my review for The Kiss Quotient but this June I am reading so many amazing books. This book was so damn fluffy that it made my heart squeeze on almost every page. Foolish Hearts is told from the perspective of Claudia, who attends an all-girls private school. This is meant to be a great year for her but things go wrong fast. Claudia finds herself on the wrong side of the meanest girl in school, Iris, and to her luck finds herself working with Iris on a paper. The paper goes terribly and to make up the grade the pair is required to audition for the school production that is being put on with the neighbouring all boys’ school. Due to this production, an unlikely friendship arises, an obsession with a boy band and a love story that still makes my heart skip a beat looking back on it. That isn’t all Foolish Hearts contains though. Oh, no, there is more! There is a healthy male friendship, realistic family relationships and a character who experiences grand mal seizures (more on this later). This book really had all my favourite elements included. I did have a few problems with this but honestly, most of them are personal and things that popped up during my experience reading Foolish Hearts. Now, enough of almost spoiling y’all time to get down to my favourite and least favourite things about Foolish Hearts. what I liked ✗ SWEET ROMANCE The romance in this book was one of the sweetest I have ever seen. The characters truly act their age and feel as if they are organically growing into this relationship. Nothing felt forced and it was all just honestly so darn sweet. Both Gideon and Claudia feel so authentic and watching them come together and fall for each other really did give me, a cynic, butterflies. ✗ GRAND MAL SEIZURE MENTION I’ve mentioned this in a few reviews but my mum experiences grand mal seizures due to a domestic violence relationship. It’s scary and epilepsy kills the same amount of people as breast cancer each year. The representation of this is pretty brief in the novel but I picked up on it early on and it meant so much to me that it was included. The book also makes sure to mention that he can’t drink as it can cause seizures – I recently learnt this from several doctors and a neurologist. I felt that the information that was included was well done. ✗ FAMILY DYNAMIC IS PERFECT I think I make it clear in most reviews that I do that I love seeing a tight knit family in a book. Foolish Hearts has exactly that. Claudia has an older brother and sister, as well as a brother-in-law. She relies on all three of them to support her, as does everyone else. Everyone fights but at the end of the day they would all do anything for each other, it is beyond clear in the way they communicate. Not only did Claudia have a great family dynamic but so did Gideon. He has a younger sister and as someone who has a younger sister, she is everything. She’s annoying but definitely has her big brothers back in a way that had me laughing so hard at my Kindle. ✗ FRIENDSHIPS ARE AUTHENTIC A lot of times in books friendships can feel underdeveloped. This wasn’t a problem in Foolish Hearts. Both Claudia and Gideon had their own friendships which were very well developed throughout the book. I want to speak about Gideon’s friendship with Noah. The boys have been friendships since birth basically and support each other so much. I don’t think this is a spoiler, but look away if you don’t want it, but Noah is actually the character who has grand mal seizures. Gideon tries to keep Noah safe no matter what and it was honestly so damn sweet and authentic. Some of the reactions and conversations were ones I have had with my own mother. Claudia doesn’t have as many friends. Her best friend Zoe not really being in the book. We get a real focus on Claudia and Iris’ friendship as it grows. Iris purely hated Claudia because she heard Iris’ girlfriend breaking up with her. However, that isn’t used for any drama throughout the novel. what I didn’t like ✗ THE BEGINNING KIND OF THREW ME OFF THE CHARACTERS At the beginning of the book, we meet Gideon and he’s basically flirting up a storm. I was pretty confused by this and was 100% expecting a love triangle to unfold before my very eyes in this book, between Claudia, Noah and Gideon. It was really a me problem since I saw something in the text that wasn’t there. ✗ I HATE SHAKESPEARE Again, this is a personal factor. The play that Claudia is working on is Midsummer’s Night Dream and I literally can’t stand Shakespeare. My eyes glazed over during the parts because I just can’t make myself care about it, especially since I finished high school. Overall, Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills doesn’t contain a lot of drama or an overarching message. I know this has some varying reviews but it truly was such a nice and comforting read. Gideon and Claudia were such delightful characters to read. I did find myself crying in some parts (particular Noah telling Claudia he has epilepsy). Foolish Hearts is a story that focuses on friendship and family at its core and I love it. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 10, 2018
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Jun 11, 2018
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Jun 09, 2018
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Hardcover
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| 1460710339
| 9781460710333
| B07B4MGDTM
| 4.11
| 12,096
| Jul 31, 2018
| Aug 01, 2018
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it was amazing
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Trigger Warnings: PTSD, anxiety, flashbacks, torture on children, mentions of terrorist acts, murder, experimentation on children HEAD OVER TO MY BLOG Trigger Warnings: PTSD, anxiety, flashbacks, torture on children, mentions of terrorist acts, murder, experimentation on children HEAD OVER TO MY BLOG TO SEE MY REVIEW FOR THE DARKEST LEGACY AND MORE I was a bit nervous going into The Darkest Legacy. I had read The Darkest Minds series two years ago when I was still new to the book community and loved it. However, I remembered almost nothing from it and over the years my reading tastes have changed quite a lot. It seemed I had nothing to worry about because this book was amazing. I was absolutely thrown back into the dystopian world I had grown to love in the original trilogy and given an even better lead character, Zu. This book basically had everything I love in an urban fantasy/dystopian/fantasy novel. It had snark, romance, and action. The endless action that had me gripping the book for dear life. Honestly, it was thrilling. It’s been a while since I read a book that wasn’t a romance and this was a good book to jump into. I also want to mention quickly here that this review may contain mild spoilers for the previous The Darkest Minds series. If you haven’t read them I would advise coming back after. With that, I would also recommend reading the original trilogy before trying to jump into this one. There is a lot of character development and references that will make a lot more sense. This continuation is definitely not a spinoff. The Darkest Legacy follows Zu, who we know well from The Darkest Minds. Zu is a yellow, which means that she can control electricity. However, since the events of In The Afterlight she is now working with government, along with Chubs and Vida. Liam and Ruby have been missing for years, has taken off due to their own free will. The Darkest Legacy by Alexandra Bracken starts off with a bang though. We are instantly thrown into a chaotic world and a series of events after Zu is blamed for a terrorist attack. Forming an uncomfortable alliance with Roman and Priyanka, Zu goes on a mission to save her name and find Ruby and Liam. There is just so much to this story and honestly, I don’t want to say too much on this plot because I feel it’s best to go in not expecting anything. There is secret keeping, murder, and a sweet romance that kind of makes you want to gush. Where do I even start with what I actually liked about The Darkest Legacy? Hell, I gave it five damn stars. I think my favourite thing was Roman and how he constantly got common English phrases wrong. It was amusing as heck and made me laugh so much. Roman is Russian and English is obviously not his mother tongue but he tries so hard. I just loved Roman actually. Fun fact: I am actually a quarter (I believe) Russian. So, I obviously love when characters in books are as well. However, Roman was a mixture of the biggest softy and badass. It was an interesting mixture but I loved how Alexandra Bracken merged the two together. Priyanka and Zu were also so fucking kickass. The pair of them were badass ins o many different ways that I am struggling to even draw an example. I loved the way the pair worked together and how the skills Vida had taught in the previous books were implemented through Zu. I absolutely love female characters in books and additionally, I am here for supportive female friendships. I am so happy to say The Darkest Legacy had that. Which is a major fuck yeah. I will end what I liked there because I don’t want to spoil anything My biggest problem with The Darkest Legacy was that one of the ‘evil’ characters is someone who likes females – I can’t specify sexuality because it is never discussed in full. I feel this will change with the sequel but I did find it a problem while reading at some points. I know a lot of people who do like females get annoyed when characters who also do are evil or killed so I just wanted to mention it. Again, I do think this will be an issue resolved in later books but for now, it was like eh. My only other complaint was that I was so involved in The Darkest Legacy that 569 pages weren’t enough story for me. I desperately was flipping the pages wanting more. Especially with where the book leaves off. I can’t believe that it’ll be a whole years wait before the sequel to this releases. At least The Darkest Minds movie will come out before then. Overall, Alexandra Bracken creates yet another spectacular dystopian world that I don’t want to live in. The story has all the key elements to keep you absolutely riveted and engaged. The writing style has only improved and the character development is spectacular. Not only that but the diversity is present in the story which makes it even better. Ultimately, The Darkest Legacy left me speechless. I loved the kickass characters and the sprinkling of romance throughout is barely enough to mention, which is how I love fantasy books to be. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 28, 2018
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Jul 29, 2018
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Jun 03, 2018
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Kindle Edition
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| 3.72
| 12,216
| Apr 21, 2018
| Apr 21, 2018
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really liked it
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CLICK HERE TO READ THE REVIEW IN ITS ORIGINAL FORMAT Have I made it clear yet that Talia Hibbert is one of my actual favourite authors? Not yet? Well, CLICK HERE TO READ THE REVIEW IN ITS ORIGINAL FORMAT Have I made it clear yet that Talia Hibbert is one of my actual favourite authors? Not yet? Well, have yet another review for one of her books. I was lucky enough to receive this book early because I had signed up for her VIP email list. I am so thankful I did because waiting the extra couple days for this book may have had me crying. In the email, Talia said that word of mouth is the best way to spread publicity for this book so here I am. WANNA BET? Is a story of best friends to lovers, something that happens over the course of seven years. We get flashbacks to the past to establish the relationship between the two characters, Jasmine and Rahul. There’s an additional bit of ‘its just sex’ and if y’all have ever read any book or watched any movie you know how that one goes down. The characters have banter and familiarity of each other that is slightly comforting. Don’t get me wrong though, like all of Talia’s other books this is not a fluffy book. This book has many layers of depth and many trigger warnings. I also want to mention WANNA BET? Is definitely not my favourite of Talia Hibbert’s work. I’ll get into this later, but it felt like was missing something for me in some ways. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this book a lot. Heck, I even gave it four stars – one of my friends even laughed at me when she saw I’d been rating this author’s books highly because my average rating is a three for every book. Anyway, my point is I do have a few dislikes for this book but it doesn’t take away that I read this book in a day and really loved it. L I K E S ✗ BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS I didn’t know whether to put this in likes or dislikes. I don’t mind a good best friend to lovers but I also always get a bit annoyed because I live for platonic f/m friendships. Now, don’t get me wrong, I know Rahul had been in love with Jasmine for the entirety of the seven years so it’s not as if this was some sudden infatuation that had grown. I just feel a bit strange about them, maybe it’s because my best friend is a guy and I truly can’t imagine us doing what Rahul and Jasmine did in this book! However, I think Talia Hibbert did write this well, so it goes in my likes. ✗ CONTENT WARNINGS AT BEGINNING Content/trigger warnings are so damn important. I definitely appreciate when authors take them seriously and put them in their own books. Talia Hibbert even puts them in the blurb of her books, I just think it’s important and it’s definitely something I love about these books. ✗ I CRIED I LAUGHED I SMILED I had so many damn emotions throughout this book it was a wild ride. It was like I couldn’t stop. At some points, I was doing all three and I couldn’t even explain why. The rawness of these books, from the past trauma to the humour of the characters in the present is wholly unique and deserves to get praise. The style of these books is like nothing I’ve ever read and I love it. ✗ SHOWS THE EFFECTS OF NEGLECT This is a big one for me. Obviously, neglect isn’t great for a person, especially when it involves abandonment and especially when it is done by one’s parent. It is incredibly unfortunate but it does happen to so many people and I feel that the representation of this is so important. Especially since it shows Jasmine actually getting help for this, never be afraid to ask for help if you need it. The fact that the after effects of this neglect are shown many years later is important, it’s not something one is simply able to get over. ✗ INTERACIAL COUPLE Again, not really a big thing I can talk about or even really speak on because I need to stay in my lane, but Jasmine is a black woman and Rahul is a Muslim. If you’d like some more rep, Jasmine also has fat rep and is bisexual/pansexual (never clarified but Rahul says something along the lines of ‘she liked to bring men home, but it’s not always men’). D I S L I K E S ✗ WISH IT DIVED MORE INTO CHARACTERS PAST This stands for both Rahul and Jasmine. I feel like because so much was going on in the present there was a struggle to naturally insert the characters past. It was a bit like ‘woah’ because I love the backstories of the characters. On top of that, most of the side characters just faded into the background despite saying ominous things that I felt would lead to something important in the plot. This mainly goes for Jasmine’s dad, I feel like there was a perfect set up for him to have a larger part in this book but it just fell flat. ✗ DISLIKE WHEN CONNECTIONS BETWEEN CHARACTERS ARE MADE IN THE PAST This is my biggest problem with the best friend to lovers plotlines, all the connections are made in the past and you don’t really get that new and exciting feeling of two characters meeting. I mean, flashbacks were included in this book but I kind of feel they took away from the present and made me think certain things were going to happen. ✗ MISCOMMUNICATION The big, big, big problem. I understand the miscommunication done in WANNA BET? Was done because of past trauma of the characters but I just feel that since they had been best friends for such a large amount of time all the messy miscommunication stuff could have been taken out. Apparently not, and it did frustrate me. Especially at the end of the book when I just wanted my big happy ending. I wasn’t here for any drama! Overall, definitely not my favourite Talia Hibbert book but it’s also not my least favourite. I still highly recommend it, especially if you love a forced proximity trope (I know I do). I also recommend this if you love soft heroes, because Talia Hibbert is the Queen of writing them, honestly. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 15, 2018
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Apr 15, 2018
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Apr 13, 2018
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Kindle Edition
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| 0062398903
| 9780062398901
| 0062398903
| 3.75
| 63,233
| Mar 01, 2016
| Mar 01, 2016
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liked it
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This was definitely more enjoyable on audiobook than reading it physically. Despite the fact that this book was quite dull, the character Jamie Watson
This was definitely more enjoyable on audiobook than reading it physically. Despite the fact that this book was quite dull, the character Jamie Watson is incredibly frustrating and the drug references (as well as a rape) are incredibly triggering, I did enjoy this. I will try to write a full review because I have quite an equal amount of things I enjoyed and disliked about this book. If I do write a review it won't be posted until November, purely because that is when posts on my blog are scheduled till. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 23, 2018
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Aug 28, 2018
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Apr 10, 2018
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Hardcover
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| 0451478231
| 9780451478238
| 0451478231
| 3.75
| 10,533
| May 08, 2018
| May 08, 2018
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it was ok
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Trigger Warnings: death, self-harm, murder, suicide, descriptions of the dead, depression, grief, one joke about PTSD that made me iffy THIS REVIEW OF Trigger Warnings: death, self-harm, murder, suicide, descriptions of the dead, depression, grief, one joke about PTSD that made me iffy THIS REVIEW OF UNDEAD GIRL GANG WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED HERE I, unfortunately, was incredibly excited for Undead Girl Gang. The cover is amazing and I was so excited by the premise of the main character being unlikeable – and she was, she was sarcastic and not a ‘typical’ MC. I really hate the fact that I had been excited about this one, I was incredibly let down by this one. Undead Girl Gang did not fulfil my expectations in any way. I am not sure I will even be able to put into words why I didn’t like Undead Girl Gang. What is Undead Girl Gang about? Lily Anderson weaves a tale of Mila Flores who lives in a small town and relies on her best friend Riley, who lives in a funeral home with her family. All is relatively well for the pair until one day Riley ends up dead just after two girls have supposedly committed a suicide pact in the small town. It is a tragedy for three young girls in such a short period of time and Mila is mourning the death of her friend. She is sure that Riley was murdered; Riley wouldn’t have been at the creek otherwise. Which means that Mila decides to dip into the dark side of Wicca. She decides she’s going to bring Riley back from the dead in order to get answers. She needs to know who killed Riley or else Mila won’t be able to rest. Accidentally though Mila rises the two other dead girls, girls that Mila and Riley hadn’t been friends with, girls that had actually bullied Riley despite being friends with her super cute brother. As the four girls now try to figure out who the murder is they will face problems, mainly the fact that three of them are meant to be dead. It sounds like such an amazing book, honestly. With magic, ‘zombie’ girl and a murder mystery. However, the mystery element is incredibly lacking. It is one of the most predictable books I have read to date and I was so disappointed. Maybe I’m just a crime expert or this book really was easy to guess, I don’t know. This isn’t me not saying to pick up this book. Anyway, I should get into what I didn’t like about this book and what I did like about Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson. L I K E S ✗ THE WORD FAT IS NOT SHIED AWAY FROM This is obviously really important and not my lane to talk about anything in terms of representation. I do believe it is own voices though? I’m not a 100% sure though. However, I did enjoy that the word fat wasn’t treated as a negative thing. Mila knows that she is fat and doesn’t want any other descriptor used when talking about her. Again, this is something I feel is super important as being fat is not a bad thing. ✗ UNLIKEABLE MC Mila was unlikeable. If you know me, you know that I love unlikeable characters. I really enjoyed the fact that she was sarcastic, bitchy and petty. Mila wasn’t afraid to share her opinions and she was definitely someone who not everyone would like. I like that so much, not that I liked Mila herself but I did enjoy the way Lily Anderson decided to write her character, especially her interactions with the other cast, it all felt so incredibly raw. D I S L I K E S ✗ PREDICTABLE AS HELL As soon as the murderer was introduced I knew. I called it straight away. I was sincerely hoping that I would not be right but unfortunately in this case I was. It was also one of the most boring people of the entire book as well. ✗ THE REASONING WAS RIDICULOUS The person is revealed, the reasoning is explained and I am rolling my eyes the entire time. It was some of the most boring reasoning ever. I just wanted more. Especially with who the author chose as the murderer. ✗ PACING ISSUES The book was slow. It needed to be faster. There is something that is sincerely lacking about a story in which drags the normal conversations of four teenage girls out for way too many pages. It made the story incredibly tedious to get through. I feel the ending should have been longer and the book shorter as a whole, it would have really fixed this particular issue in the book. ✗ SELF HARM IS NORMALISED Now, this is a weird thing to explain, I think. But, Mila is given a hair tie/rubber band by her sister to wear around her wrist and snap against her wrist when she is feeling numb. This is really uncomfortable and it never mentioned again. It wasn’t viewed as a bad thing and it really wasn’t addressed. Obviously, this is a self-harm symptom and it is really uncomfortable to see it in the text and not have it discussed in depth and shown that one needs to get help in these situations. Overall, I think this will be a great and enjoyable book for others but it just wasn’t for me. I definitely understand the importance of the fat representation and unlikeable characters but this plotline was not for me. I just wanted more, instead of a predictable story with two friends in which I didn’t feel a connection between. If you want a book about the importance of friendship this is for you, but if you want an exciting mystery element this is a hard pass, honestly. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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May 10, 2018
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May 10, 2018
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Apr 09, 2018
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Hardcover
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| 1481497340
| 9781481497343
| 1481497340
| 3.86
| 42,791
| Mar 06, 2018
| Mar 06, 2018
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it was ok
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READ MY REVIEW FOR THE WICKED DEEP ON MY BLOG. CLICK HERE I went through a few different stages while reading The Wicked Deep. My first stage was immen READ MY REVIEW FOR THE WICKED DEEP ON MY BLOG. CLICK HERE I went through a few different stages while reading The Wicked Deep. My first stage was immense interest, despite what I found to be mediocre writing I was super curious about the plot. Then the book hit a snag with the romance and I was suddenly guessing everything correctly, which led me to be incredibly bored. It makes this book incredibly difficult to talk about and it seems as if I’m the only one who hasn’t fallen for the hype. I just had some serious problems with some stuff at the end that I can’t get past, some of which made me feel a bit icky (for lack of better word). The Wicked Deep is about Penny Talbot who lives in the town of Sparrow. She cares for her mum, who has been struggling to cope since her dad went missing one summer and never returned. Nor was a body found. Her grief-stricken mother has simply stopped doing any, which has left Penny struggling to decide what to do in her future. That doesn’t matter though, because the town of Sparrow is about to have its yearly drowning season. Sparrow is an interesting one, the history of the town has basically meant it doomed itself. In the past, the town drowned three young women for courting married and single men. The town believed these women to be witches simply because no woman could attract that much female attention. The women are drowned in the ocean. However, Sparrow did not see the last of the Swan sisters that fateful day. For two centuries the Swan sisters have come back once a year for around a week, putting themselves in the bodies of the young girls of the town. It’s in these girls’ bodies that they drown the young boys of Sparrow, pulling them into the depths like the people of Sparrow did to them. They aren’t picky in what bodies they choose or who they drown but it all changes one summer when Hazel, the youngest of the Swan sisters, falls in love while in the body she has chosen. Honestly, it rubbed me the wrong way. Especially with events in the book – there’s a sex scene mentioned while Hazel is in the body of the girl she chose and he doesn’t know. It just felt wrong? I honestly don’t know if it is wrong, which is super naïve of me but I can’t find anything online so I apologise, I just wanted to mention it since the girl Hazel is inhabiting is not in control of her body. Anyway, whatever, there’s the plot. Probably the best plot description I’ve ever done. Ya girl is growing. Let’s jump into those pesky likes and dislikes. L I K E S ✗ THE PLOT OF DREAMS The storyline was interesting. Who doesn’t want to read about girls getting their revenge for centuries on a town? I know I do, which probably makes me a little twisted. I was just so excited for what I was going to read. It seemed too good to be true and unfortunately in this case it was. However, that doesn’t mean the storyline wasn’t interesting. It was going places, it really was, and it was one of the most twisted and intricate stories I’ve read. ✗ MORE PAST, LESS PRESENT If this book had been 100% the Swan sisters extracting their revenge on the town it would have been better, or, if it had simply focused on the past. The inclusion of Penny Talbot ruined the story for me, so I guess that makes sense as to why the backstory was my favourite part of this book. The backstory that focuses on the Swan sisters preferably, because you also get flashbacks throughout the book to continue building suspense and allowing you snippets of things that the characters don’t even know. ✗ WHY DID IT ALL FALL APART? For 50% I was basically glued to my kind and desperately wanting to get to the end of the book. Once the big ‘plot twist’ dropped I was ready to DNF and put my kindle down. It seems I hate myself though because I dragged myself through the end of the book. Don’t get me wrong, I really do get why people enjoy this book. It was a dark, gritty tale that focuses on witches. For some reason, I thought it was mermaids, but that’s my fault for not reading blurbs (as usual). D I S L I K E S ✗ ROMANCE IS A NO FROM ME I hated the romance. It makes my skin crawl at the idea of it. Why did no one think to take it out? Why is everything done for ‘love’? It’s literally so annoying and I wanted to rip my eyeballs out of my head while reading it. I haven’t mentioned him at all, but the love interest in Bo Carter. A mysterious stranger who comes to the town not knowing anything of the drowning secrets. He does harbour secrets though, as does literally everyone in the book. ✗ YAWN FEST FROM PREDICTABILITY I guessed it from about chapter two, and I was so disappointed when it turned out I was right. I wanted something different in this book to make it exciting, but it didn’t. I really can’t say much without giving away spoilers, hence the weird way I’ve phrased things in this review. It really isn’t a surprise though. Though, I am curious. If you’ve read this book were you surprised? ✗ MEH WRITING It was just bland, honestly. It lacked the magic I wanted from a book about witches and drama and murder. It was just pretty straightforward and nothing exciting. It read almost like every book I read before. On top of that, sometimes the dialogue was not how teenagers talk at all. ✗ STOP GIVING ME APOLOGIST ARCS FOR BAD PEOPLE Blah, I’d rather not. If you’ve drowned men for centuries you don’t suddenly get forgiven because one summer you’ve decided to change your mind for a guy. No thanks. I would have really preferred that the character remained one that didn’t get forgiven. She really didn’t deserve it so it doesn’t make any sense as to why at the end of the book I was meant to believe Hazel was the best thing since sliced bread. She’s not, by the way, nothing even comes close to sliced bread anyway. If you want to create morally grey characters please stick to them and stop trying to make me forgive them when they’re bad people. Overall, The Wicked Deep wasn’t a bad book despite all my complaining. I just wanted more and I think that is fair of me to say because the romance was a mess. A straight up mess. Plus apologist arcs aren’t necessary so please stop including them, bad people can just be bad people. I would still probably recommend this book since I gave it three stars for that first half but also I want to drown a copy of this book. What are your thoughts on The Wicked Deep? Have you read it? Are you going to read it? Tell me below, I’m super curious about your thoughts. ...more |
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1
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Apr 18, 2018
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Apr 19, 2018
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Mar 30, 2018
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Hardcover
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| 006208559X
| 9780062085597
| B07H56SK9J
| 4.46
| 531,975
| Feb 04, 2014
| Feb 04, 2014
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it was amazing
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CLICK HERE TO SEE MY REVIEW FOR IGNITE ME ON MY BLOG Sometimes you have to stick with a series to the end for it to be worth it. Shatter Me is this ser CLICK HERE TO SEE MY REVIEW FOR IGNITE ME ON MY BLOG Sometimes you have to stick with a series to the end for it to be worth it. Shatter Me is this series. Ignite Me was everything and more than what I wanted or expected. It was honestly such a shock, I can barely format the words I need to describe it. This series, and book, in particular, are the definition of character development. I’m aware I’ve said this in like every book for this series, but I just can’t not. It is so well done that I want to read everything this author has ever put in the world. I obviously had some problems but I really feel as if this book is deserving of the five stars I’ve given it. I mean, I’m so damn excited for the fourth book to come out in the next few days (possibly already out when this review goes live). Ignite Me is where shit gets real for Juliette. It’s where the climax happens and she takes charge. I honestly can’t say much about the plot without spoiling the entire book, so I’m going to try and keep this brief. She faces problems with romance; obviously, due to Adam being the turd he was always destined. The action in this book is fast paced (which, I’ll get into later in this review). There’s a lot of moments that left me with my jaw dropped, unable to believe what was happening. I was blown away, honestly. This is the conclusion to end all other conclusions. I really didn’t talk about the plot for Ignite Me at all. So, let’s just jump into a more descriptive list of my likes and dislikes of this book. If you’ve read this book, let me know your thoughts in the comments too! Did you enjoy this series? L I K E S ✗ KENJI IS MY FAVE Honestly, Keni is amazing. I’ve been meaning to talk about him in my other reviews but around my love for Warner and hate for Adam I kept forgetting #oops. However, I feel like he was really spotlighted in this book. He also had the best power in my opinion, the ability to go invisible is up there for me (I mean, Violet was my favourite in The Incredibles). He doesn’t hold back and is Juliette’s best friend. It is always enjoyable to see a platonic boy/girl friendship in fiction as well, especially where neither one is interested in the other romantically. I really hope we get more of his backstory in Restore Me because I am so interested. I’ve also been seeing theories that he will be queer and I am 100% into this possible storyline. ✗ WARNER SPITS SOME TRUTH A lot of this series has been people coddling Juliette. She hasn’t been forced to make decisions or known a lot of the information. Everyone seems to tiptoe around her in order to make her feel safe and unafraid. Which is all nice, but man does it feel like a weak main character in some parts. Warner thankfully saves the day in Ignite Me and spits some truth. He says things I’ve been thinking since the first book and it felt so good to see it on paper (well, screen, I read on my kindle). I also loved hearing that my theory was right. I love it. ✗ OK BUT REAL TALK THIS IS UP IN TOP TEN COVERS Not much to say on this, just how fucking gorgeous is this cover? Man, I finished this book and just stared at the cover for like twenty minutes it was so beautiful. What are some of your favourite covers? ✗ JULIETTE IS MY QUEEN Juliette reached the level of one of my ultimate favourite female characters to exist. I’m as shocked as you are. Considering it took me three reads of the first book to even get here I wasn’t expecting this at all. However, I am pleasantly surprised and not mad at all. Juliette hits all new levels in Ignite Me. She really comes into herself. She really makes decisions for herself and she really becomes the hero so many young adults need. Someone combating PTSD, anxiety and depression has the ability to be a hero and I feel like that’s important. She is honestly such a powerful young adult this series and I will not tolerate any slander against her. ✗ WARNER AND JULIETTE I don’t think this is a topic I have to say much on either. I feel as if this is an obvious one that would have a wink wink, nudge nudge attached to it. These two have hit my ultimate OTP lists and I am absolutely in love with the pair of them together. The chemistry and the love written on the page is so clear. No matter how creepy I still think some elements are, I can definitely swoon over this OTP. ✗ WARNER DEVELOPMENT This could also be viewed as lack of development. Warner both changes as a character and doesn’t. The changes happen through him revealing information about himself – which makes me think this story is very character driven, something I am not usually interested in – not him actively changing himself. He shares pieces of himself with Juliette and changes how we look at him, not actually changing how he thinks. Which, I think is a really interesting tactic that I appreciate the author using. It’s not one I see a lot in books. ✗ I LOVE THE POWERS This is kind of irrelevant but I love the fantasy element of powers being added, making it urban fantasy. It reminds me of The Darkest Minds which I love. Though in a similar way it kind of feels as if everyone in this book has powers as well. Would have been interesting if someone didn’t have powers. ✗ MENTAL HEALTH DEVELOPMENT This particular point is super important to me as someone who has a mental health issues. I’m really talking about this as what happens over the course of all the books too. There are so many issues represented throughout the text and it really does shock me. I feel as if the main three are what I presume Juliette suffers with – PTSD, anxiety and depression (as I mentioned before). I feel like seeing these in the text and with Juliette’s growth I really feel empowered. I have all three of these particular mental health diagnoses and I feel they were represented beautifully throughout the entirety of Shatter Me. The ascension from a quiet girl into someone who cannot be silenced is a journey I have taken myself and it’s not an easy one, which I feel like is well represented in this series. ✗ CANT WAIT FOR RESTORE ME I straight up can’t wait. Someone get this book in my hands now. I wish I had timed this more perfectly with the release, but I guess I just get more excited in the waiting period. D I S L I K E S ✗ ADAM IS A TURD PART THREE Honestly, no redemption arc for Adam, please. It is all I want in the world. Truly. I hate him so damn much and to see him suffer would be great. I love James, but Adam can be a turd elsewhere. I feel as if Ignite Me really solidified this as well. He just really switched and become one of those ‘nice guys’ who lose it when they’re rejected. It was just lowkey uncomfortable and had me thinking he was basically waving warning flags all over the place. Boo hoo, you didn’t get the girl. There’s a war going on you, dickhead, protect your brother and stop acting like someone ate the last tasteless blob in existence. ✗ IT IS ALL OVER SO FAST Within a few pages and chapters, all the action is over. I was left feeling like ‘what?’ It felt like there was so much build up and there should have been more. I understand it was to show how powerful Juliette had become but I really just wanted more from the final scenes but nope. It’s all over so fast and it is so damn easy. I really feel like there should have been more suspense. ✗ NOT ENOUGH GIRLS ARE THEY ALL DEAD I think the weird heading things I use says it all. There was a total of five females who had dialogue in this book – including Juliette. How ridiculous is that? There was like five men in the first chapter alone. I would love to see Juliette get a female best friend in Restore Me. Overall, this series sincerely deserves the hype it has received. I’m so glad I finally forced myself to push through because I am so thankfully shocked and happy to have been apart of this ride. The Shatter Me series is a heartbreaking series in which no one actually really dies. It is a complicated world in which grows over each book and has such a powerful message in the end. I never thought I’d say this but I recommend it. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 25, 2018
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Feb 25, 2018
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Feb 24, 2018
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Kindle Edition
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| 0062085530
| 9780062085535
| 0062085530
| 4.13
| 605,685
| Feb 05, 2013
| Feb 05, 2013
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really liked it
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MY UNRAVEL ME REVIEW IS ALSO HERE Unravel Me was 100 times better than Shatter Me. You know how sometimes a middle book can be a drag and you want to c MY UNRAVEL ME REVIEW IS ALSO HERE Unravel Me was 100 times better than Shatter Me. You know how sometimes a middle book can be a drag and you want to completely give up while reading it? Unravel Me is not that. It was exciting, it had developed, and it had Adam taking a backseat. This series contains action, love, and heartbreak. I have some issues; mainly with obsessive and borderline abusive behaviours from the male characters, but this series really improved within one book. I wish I had gotten to it a lot sooner. This particular book takes a look at Juliette learning her powers and growing stronger by herself. Obviously, in the last book, she relied on Adam a lot and I even wrote about it in my review because I hated it. This book, however, she really comes into herself. At Omega Point she learns how to socialize with others and really become a member of society, rather than secluding herself away from everyone in favour of Adam. Which, I think is important. The story has Warner come in, and basically fuck shit up, but I love Warner so I am okay with it. Throughout Unravel Me the overall message is power. Power within yourself and using your power and voice. Everything goes to shit numerous times in this book but man, did I love seeing Adam not get the girl. It filled me with a sick sense of joy and I am not ashamed of it. So, before I bitch about Adam too much I should probably just jump straight into what I did and didn’t like about this book. Considering I gave this book four stars and the first two, there are a lot of things I did enjoy. L I K E S ✗ JULIETTE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT I love a girl who can rely on herself and no man. Thank God this is what happens in Unravel Me. Juliette becomes a woman who can rely on herself, can trust herself and can develop as an individual in a free environment – something she has never had the opportunity to. I really feel like Juliette comes into her own throughout Unravel Me and if that doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what will. Her representation of anxiety and depression is so realistic and the stand out part of her character. I really can’t wait to see where her character goes in the final book of the trilogy (before Restore Me comes out). ✗ FEMALE CHARACTERS GET A LARGER ROLE It’s literally only two female characters, Sonya and Sara, but I will take what I can get. I mean seriously, I will take whatever small scraps I can get. This is a big thing in fiction anyway, I swear authors just refuse to put in supporting female characters and it is very hard to imagine a girl just surrounded by men being all good. Obviously Juliette remembers the world from before, especially since most of the shit happened while she was in isolation, and she didn’t have any friends so it makes sense why she attached herself to Adam (aka the first boy who called her pretty, or in this case could touch her). I just wish Sonya and Sara got more page time. ✗ LOVING THE VILLAIN LINE I feel like in books I typically always hate the villain storyline. I’m never curious about it, I just want the characters to kill the antagonist and be over with it. However, I find myself really curious about the world and villain in the Shatter Me series. It’s not so much that it’s complex; I just always find it interesting how corrupt governments get in dystopian (lmao basically the government we have currently). I just want to find out more about Anderson and what he is doing, what his ultimate goal was, and how he came to his position. I can’t help it. Hopefully all is revealed in Ignite Me. ✗ WORLD DEVELOPMENT This is a point I don’t have much to say on. I feel like Unravel Me had incredible world building that brought everything from the first book together. I found myself a little lost about the world in the first one, since Juliette is confused and doesn’t really understand, but in this book it really felt like the writing was more together and as if it put the world in concrete. ✗ WRITING REMAINS AMAZING You can fault the author on a lot of things but her writing oh my God, what a gift. At some parts I’m like what? But, it is all just so beautifully descriptive and highlights the mental health issues that she wants to include so well in my opinion. ✗ WARNER X JULIETTE HAS SO MUCH MORE CHEMISTRY The love triangle is falling and I’m the one governing the tank that is firing at it. I am so on board this ship. Fuck yes, give me this shit. I knew this couple was going to happen because I have been on the Internet and book community for a while and I am not mad. I also follow Whitney from WhittyNovels and that girl is always screaming about these two. I can understand why now. The chemistry between the two characters is so much more than the chemistry between Adam and Juliette. It feels like Warner actually understands Juliette whereas Adam has wanted Juliette for so long that he does not care who she is as a person. Which is pretty shitty, lets be real. I mean, Warner still gives me some weird vibes but I can vibe with it much more than Adam. Plus a love triangle ending is the reason for my happiness. D I S L I K E S ✗ ADAM CAN GTFO That’s it. Adam can exit stage left and I will be fine. No redemption arc. Let him burn. Someone shoot him. I have no idea, I just hate Adam. I can’t put it in many other words than that, weird ass possessive, jealous tool. I ain’t here for this toxic masculinity. ✗ STILL NEEDS MORE FEMALE CHARACTERS I beg. Give me more female women so it is not just one in the role. It kills me. Overall, I really didn’t hate that much. Trust me, I’m as shocked as you are. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. However, I will admit it is trash. Honestly, it is cheesy and definitely, a guilty pleasure read. I ranted about the book for like half an hour to a friend on the phone but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. Especially since so many things I hated in the first book have left. Hopefully Ignite me is perfect and has no Adam. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 22, 2018
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Feb 24, 2018
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Feb 22, 2018
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 1501165836
| 9781501165832
| 1501165836
| 3.77
| 79,888
| Dec 05, 2017
| Dec 05, 2017
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really liked it
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FIND MY ROOMIES REVIEW ON MY BLOG - THE FORMAT IS MUCH BETTER R E V I E W Roomies by Christina Lauren shocked me. I usually struggle with romances, with FIND MY ROOMIES REVIEW ON MY BLOG - THE FORMAT IS MUCH BETTER R E V I E W Roomies by Christina Lauren shocked me. I usually struggle with romances, with them being cliché and difficult to get through due to being predictable. I personally find dual POV romance books the most difficult to force myself through, which is neither here nor now. Roomies was the book I needed. It was short, it was sweet and it actually had a plotline that engaged me. I would put this book on the same level of The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. It has a similar slow burn, not as much humour but definitely easy to binge. The characters were easy to connect to and the main character struggled with someone I personally have – not allowing yourself to focus on you and always putting others before you. Roomies is the story of Holland. It’s a story of Holland coming into her own and truly becoming herself. Holland works for her uncle’s very successful musical theatre production while her uncles’ pay most of her rent. She has an MFA in creative writing but is yet to use it – the words not coming to her. She meets Calvin after watching him busk for six months on the train station, with some liquid courage she introduces herself and not even ten minutes later is pushed onto the tracks and breaks her arm. Returning to work she finds that the violinist has quit just weeks before a new lead is taking over, creating a stir. Holland offers up Calvin and his musical talents, he smashes out the audition and when asked if he wants the position he informs them that he has been living illegally in America for four years. A bit of a tricky situation. So, a sham marriage is conjured up between Calvin and Holland. Only feelings begin to grow and the situation between the pair goes sticky because nothing is ever easy in romance books. Roomies by Christina Lauren is a story about love, music, and passion. It’s a story about the importance of family and about realising some people are toxic in your life. I mean, let’s jump into expanding on what I liked and disliked about Roomies, I think I’ve babbled enough. L I K E S ✗ MUSICAL THEATRE INCLUSION SMASHED IT OUT OF THE PARK I’m not a big musical theatre person. I find some songs on certain tracks amazing and obviously I love both High School Musical and Hamilton, but I’m not interested completely. I have seen The Lion King in Sydney, though, if that counts? I did love the inclusion of this passion in Roomies. I find romance books, for me, that are set in offices tend to stay still with the characters never revealing their passions, which makes me feel as if there is a piece of glass between me and the characters. Seeing that passion, plus the passion for creative writing from Holland, was just beautiful. It’s what kept me reading and involved with the characters. ✗ BE YOUR OWN MAIN CHARACTER This is the message of the book. Be the main character of your story. Don’t keep pushing away what you’re feeling and your ambitions to help others. Don’t let yourself take the backseat in your own life and not live it. I’m very guilty of this, which made me connect to Holland even more. I realised while reading Roomies just how much I do do it. ✗ SLOW BURN RELATIONSHIP I love a slow burn relationship. Like shit, they hit me in my soul. I definitely prefer them than fast-paced romances that happen over the course of days. I love that Roomies took place over the period of months. The events, in the beginning, happened fast, but the relationship between the characters came much later in the book. It just gave me time to root for the relationship and fall just as in love as Holland with the gorgeous Irishman in this book. ✗ ACTUAL HUMOUR – NON OF THAT AWKWARD SHIT Another thing I typically struggle within books is that the humour makes me want to die. Not in a good way. It makes me squirm uncomfortably and really just want to exit stage left. Most of the time I skim those books or just flat out DNF because I can’t handle the jokes. Roomies had humour that actually made me laugh and smile at my kindle. I was actually enjoying it, which is rare. D I S L I K E S ✗ COMMUNICATION FIXES DRAMA, YOU IDIOTS Hello folks, I’d like to introduce you to communication. Ah yes, this simple thing called talking. It also continues with the fact that one should be truthful. Oh, how I love how couples withhold the truth and get into fights over it. Oh, the useless drama really makes me happy. The drama in this book made me want to slam my head against a wall because it wasn’t only communicating with each other, it was not communicating with others. It was just so infuriating and I got mad at the characters when it occurred because someone gives me a baseball bat to hit this daft love interest. ✗ UNSUPPORTIVE FRIENDSHIPS Now, this was one element of the story I also liked. The best friend is super unsupportive and she is the only other female character in the book, something I didn’t like. This character only cares about herself and if the drama isn’t on her it’s irrelevant. Which, sounds like a few people in my life. I like how the book showed it’s okay to get rid of people like that from your life but I wish there had been a larger friend group for Holland than just her family and this girl. I feel like Calvin had a friend group, that was established as quite large but Holland was just left floating aimlessly with no one. Which, is how life is sometimes, but still I need my supportive female friendships in books. Overall, Roomies was good. Really good. I can’t even really grasp how much I did enjoy this book. It’s a shock. If you’re in a bit of a funk, I highly recommend picking up this book because it is an instant pick me up. Also, if you're looking to buy any books over at Book Depository, feel free to use my affiliate link! I gain a small 5% commission at no extra cost to you. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 18, 2018
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Feb 19, 2018
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Feb 17, 2018
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Paperback
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| 1481480758
| 9781481480758
| B074ZPQ43N
| 3.72
| 4,412
| Mar 01, 2018
| Feb 06, 2018
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it was ok
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CLICK HERE FOR THIS REVIEW, WHICH IS ALSO ON MY BLOG R E V I E W The Last To let Go is obviously an important story. It captures abuse and how it affect CLICK HERE FOR THIS REVIEW, WHICH IS ALSO ON MY BLOG R E V I E W The Last To let Go is obviously an important story. It captures abuse and how it affects each family member, not just the ones being abused (in this case, the father was abusing the mother). However, the story was very lacking to me. I felt like I couldn’t get into this story. I expected so much more, especially more abuse to be featured. I really was hoping for a story that helped me continue dealing with mine…it didn’t. That would be because this story barely focused on the abuse element, despite it being the central plot. It overall felt very weak. From the execution to the writing and characters, I just really wasn’t able to fully appreciate this book for what it is. I guess the abuse books I’ve read lately are just destined to let me down. The Last To Let Go is from the perspective of Brooke, a girl who absolutely loves school so much she’s transferring to a new school for her junior and senior years in order to take better AP classes. Things start to go wrong though the summer before this when she comes home from her final exam to police and ambulances at her home. She thinks it’s finally happened. Her dad has finally killed her mum. However, the opposite has happened. Brooke’s mother has snapped and killed her father. His abuse and controlling nature being too much to take. This sends the family into a whirlwind, especially since the youngest sister was there to witness it all and won’t talk about it, the event too traumatic for her to even talk about. The Last To Let Go by Amber Smith really highlights how abuse affects each family member in a different way. However, it repeatedly drops the ball on the topic and lets it fade to the background with it leaving Brooke’s mind. As someone who hasn’t witnessed abuse in almost five years, I still am fearful of it and it’s on my mind everyday. This doesn’t take away from the fact The Last To Let Go is an important story about letting go. However, I just feel like, overall, the abuse could have been dropped from the narrative and the book simply focused on the tragic death of a parent. L I K E S ✗ AN IMPORTANT STORY A lot of people I’ve spoken to seem to think domestic violence is a big secret. That screaming matches don’t occur that alert everyone in a three-block radius of what’s happening. That sometimes the children are affected. Sometimes you’re the reason for the argument, or you’re being accused of it. Domestic violence in a household is intense. You can’t escape it as a child and all you can do is fear that someone will die, it may even be you or your siblings. This is speaking from experience. The Last To Let Get shows in small areas what it is like to be affected by this. I found it was more so obvious to the other siblings, not Brooke. Brooke seemed okay and not weighed down by what had happened, in my opinion. The abuse in her past affected some of her personality, which was clearly identifiable, but I really felt through her internal monologue she wasn’t as affected by what had happened. Basically, what I liked is that this story made it very obvious that the children in a parental domestic violence situation are affected and struggle with it. ✗ SHOWS MESSY FAMILY DYNAMICS The messy family dynamic is a big one. The Winters’ are a mess. They don’t get along and they don’t have a sibling relationship. Something I understand. I love when the family is included in a book, but as someone who isn’t close to their sister despite everything they’ve been through it was good to see it mimicked in text, to an extent. Family isn’t easy either; it never will be easy, especially after an event like this. There will be opposing views and a weird sense of relief, which is followed by guilt. I just wish that had been translated to text more. Everyone deals with traumatic events in different ways and in those events family isn’t whom you can always turn to. It was good to see that so well put in text. D I S L I K E S ✗ INCONSISTENT AND INCONSIDERATE MC I didn’t like Brooke. Her whole character was inconsistent and she was severely inconsiderate. Throughout the whole book, she only thought of herself. She barely spared a thought for anyone, not even her sister or her brother. It was all about her and what she wanted. She wanted to go live back in her house? So, she forced her brother to come back despite his terrible memories of it which resulted in him and his girlfriend breaking up. She forced her sister back into the place that she witnessed a traumatic event, no doubt forcing her to take backwards steps in her recovery. It was just so frustrating. Even at the end of the book, Brooke remained only caring about herself. I don’t mind a main character who only cares about herself, but in a book like this I really wanted a more empathic person and someone I would want to root for. This isn’t what I got with Brooke. ✗ CHOPPY WRITING The writing wasn’t there for me. It felt choppy. As if we’d get to one scene only to be ripped out and put in another. It was pretty frustrating when you’re already struggling to feel sympathy for the main character. I wanted to scream at times because a scene was beginning to be developed and we’d change. ✗ THE ROMANCE WASN’T THERE I adore f/f romances. I think there needs to be so many more, especially with the ration of m/m to f/f. However, I didn’t feel the romance in this book. It felt incredibly underdeveloped and as if the characters themselves weren’t involved in their own romances. A lot of drama comes from it and for the duration of most of it, Brooke isn’t even truthful or forthcoming with what’s happening in her life. It really felt as if a romance wasn’t needed in her life at the time it came. Maybe it’s just me though, but as I said it’s been five years since I’ve seen abuse and I can’t see myself in a relationship due to fear. ✗ THE ABUSE WASN’T FOCUSED ON AT ALL Now, this was very annoying. The literal message of the book was barely touched on. We get around four flashbacks to the past, which shows the abuse. We can feel sympathy for Brooke and her family. Brooke’s actions after these flashbacks don’t invoke sympathy though – and obviously, actions speak louder than words. It just felt like I was promised a book that dealt with abuse of a parent and I didn’t get that. I didn’t get the book I desperately wanted. If the abuse was taken out from this book it would still be a concise story that wouldn’t interest me. Overall, I just don’t have words for how The Last To let Go by Amber Smith made me feel. I am disappointed beyond words and expected too much. I think it’s time I take a step back from books that feature abuse and hopefully when I return I’ll find something worth my time. Also, if you're looking to buy any books over at Book Depository, feel free to use my affiliate link! I gain a small 5% commission at no extra cost to you. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 08, 2018
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Feb 09, 2018
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Feb 07, 2018
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||
| 0373212372
| 9780373212378
| 0373212372
| 3.92
| 6,873
| Jan 30, 2018
| Jan 30, 2018
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really liked it
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THIS REVIEW ALSO FEATURES ON MY BLOG Trigger Warnings: neglectful parents, drugs, alcohol, violence, abuse (parental & relationship), death of animal R THIS REVIEW ALSO FEATURES ON MY BLOG Trigger Warnings: neglectful parents, drugs, alcohol, violence, abuse (parental & relationship), death of animal R E V I E W I wasn’t expecting to actually enjoy Say You’ll Remember Me. I was a big fan of the authors works a couple of years ago but when I read her most recent novel last year I DNF’ed it. It just wasn’t sitting well with me. Say You’ll Remember Me has brought me back to Katie McGarry’s works. I absolutely loved it. It was such a nice surprise. I honestly recommend it for fans of The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson. It has a similar political parent feature throughout with the even better inclusion of dogs. If you know me, you know I love dogs. The book is told in two separate POV’s, Drix and Elle. It follows a similar prose of all Katie McGarry books where two ‘broken’ people come together in unlikely situations and have to fight to be together. It is honestly a cliché and not of the norm of the other books of Katie’s but it is enjoyable nonetheless. In this case, Elle is the daughter of a politician who is looking to raise their status so she has joined the campaign to help her mother her father. Drix is also helping in this campaign. However, he’s promoting something that is called the Second Chance Program which provides young adults with a plea deal in order for them to get out of jail earlier by following certain criteria. Drix takes the plea bargain after he is framed for a crime he was too high and drunk to commit. The plea basically means he needs to stand there and talk about how great the program is and that it does work – which, he truly does believe. However, problems occur when the truth starts coming out. Not just for Drix, but for Elle. Add in an adorable puppy named Thor and you have a book about family, drama and how some people come into your life for a reason. Say You’ll Remember Me was really enjoyable. There’s not much else I can say to stress this point that I won’t be discussing a bit later in this review. I did have some problems throughout, but that is typical. So, I guess, let’s jump into what I did and didn’t like about Say You’ll Remember Me by Katie McGarry. L I K E S ✗ DOG HAS THE BEST NAME I really had to mention this. I don’t know why. But, when the dog of the book is named I quite literally screamed. I mentioned before that Drix and Elle named the dog Thor. Which, just so happens to be the name of my own dog (a big Rottweiler x German Shepherd). I really formed an emotional attachment with this dog throughout the book. I really think it contributed to how much I enjoyed this book too – similarly to when there’s a book character with the name Amber. ✗ TWO UNLIKELY PEOPLE FIND EACH OTHER I’m a sucker for this storyline when it’s done right. Katie McGarry can do it right. I dislike her element in which the person ‘fixes’ the other person, or that love heals them. But, that doesn’t take away from what a slow burn romance she can write. It honestly has me itching since around 50% the characters still hadn’t kissed despite how many moments there were for the perfect moment. Both characters have such struggles though, but coming from rich and poor worlds it would have been unlikely for them to meet any other time. I just love when a chance occurrence rockets two characters into a happily ever after. I am a major cynic, but it really warms my heart. ✗ EXCELLENT WRITING This is what makes the whole book. Katie McGarry can write. There is such a relatable feeling to her writing when you fall into it. It’s easy to read and absolutely devour in one sitting, something I love. Having read her first book Pushing the Limits its really clear to see how she has grown over the years with her writing and just wow. ✗ CHARACTERS ARE AMAZING I don’t mean this in just terms of Drix and Elle. Drix’s family and Elle’s family are so well developed that you feel as if they’re people you actually know. From the controlling family to the family that you create that isn’t blood, it was really beautiful. Everyone is a little flawed, a little crass and definitely not perfect. No one is one represented in that way and I just loved it. It is honestly just so enjoyable to read characters that come to life in my mind. I really love side characters as well, I find they can either make or break the story and Katie McGarry crushed the side characters in Say You’ll Remember Me. D I S L I K E S ✗ WTF ARE THESE CLOTHES DESCRIPTIONS Honestly, what the fuck, Katie? I think I read ‘wallet chain’ like twelve times. I’m not sure how America works or what the latest styles are over there but being relatively poor over here in Australia I was very disturbed by a ‘wallet chain’. I think the only people I’ve ever actually seen with a wallet chain have been drug dealers. Maybe not even then. Honestly. The clothing descriptions felt very out-dated and irrelevant when they were brought up. I just am not here for the 80’s gangster style making a come back. No thank you. ✗ NO CLEAR ANSWERS There aren’t exactly any clear answers at the end of Say You’ll Remember Me. By this I mean it is fucking open-ended. I hope this means Katie is at least thinking about extending this into a series that features each of Drix’s family members. I would love that. But, my point is we never find out anything by the end of Say You’ll Remember Me. Relationships have been ruined and we are left unsure if they will ever be repaired. I just really hate finishing a contemporary and not having all the answer. I just want a nice epilogue that explains every loose end in the story. ✗ DISAPPEARING FRIEND ACT This point gets mentioned in quite a few of my reviews. Katie McGarry really highlighted this point with Elle. Drix has his friends that make up his family and two of his half-siblings. What we don’t get are Elle’s friends. They’re mentioned briefly, that Elle text them when one of the many scandals surrounding her were released. Other then that? Nothing. They don’t seem too concerned and Elle doesn’t think about them at all. I just wish we would get more girls with friends before a boy being included in the equation. I understand Elle bonds with Drix’s sister, but it’s not enough. Overall, I really loved Say You’ll Remember me. It was a passionate, fast and beautiful read. I can’t help but recommend it if you’re looking for a fluffy read with a tad more depth, possibly even a slight mystery. It has it’s triggers though (as mentioned at the beginning of this review), so make sure to check them out if you choose to read this! Also, if you're looking to buy any books over at Book Depository, feel free to use my affiliate link! I gain a small 5% commission at no extra cost to you. It would really help me out! ...more |
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1
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Feb 05, 2018
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Feb 05, 2018
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Feb 04, 2018
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Hardcover
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| 1250112680
| 9781250112682
| 1250112680
| 3.73
| 192,354
| Mar 06, 2018
| Mar 06, 2018
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it was ok
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DNF @ 70% what a disappointment idk if i’ll review tbh. it just got so slow and kinda boring tbh. at one stage the two characters became unidentifiable DNF @ 70% what a disappointment idk if i’ll review tbh. it just got so slow and kinda boring tbh. at one stage the two characters became unidentifiable. im giving it two stars because the beginning impressed me. ...more |
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1
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Mar 07, 2018
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Mar 09, 2018
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Jan 10, 2018
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Hardcover
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| 1250170974
| 9781250170972
| 1250170974
| 4.11
| 232,397
| Mar 06, 2018
| Mar 06, 2018
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it was amazing
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A MASTERPIECE. AMAZING. I NEED MORE. NEW FAVOURITE AUTHOR. FULL REVIEW TO COME. |
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1
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Mar 15, 2018
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Mar 16, 2018
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Dec 22, 2017
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Hardcover
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| 4.20
| 18,673
| Oct 20, 2017
| Oct 20, 2017
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it was amazing
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i couldn’t help myself. it was sitting on my shelf looking so sad and desperately wanting me to read it.
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1
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Dec 09, 2017
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Dec 09, 2017
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Dec 08, 2017
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Hardcover
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| 1781109745
| 9781781109748
| B076WS5MFV
| 3.96
| 406,143
| Mar 01, 2001
| Feb 01, 2018
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it was amazing
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My mum bought me this, The History of Magic and Prisoner of Azkaban as illustrated editions and I just can’t help myself. I loved reading about all th
My mum bought me this, The History of Magic and Prisoner of Azkaban as illustrated editions and I just can’t help myself. I loved reading about all the magical creatures and the illustrations. It’s just a must have for any Harry Potter lover and with the holidays right around the corner this would make a perfect gift.
...more
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Dec 08, 2017
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Dec 08, 2017
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Dec 07, 2017
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Kindle Edition
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| 3.89
| 5,045
| Aug 08, 2017
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really liked it
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Guys. This. Is. So. Fucking. Good. I actually have goosebumps. Oh my God. I was expecting something terrible from the low rating but nope. New favouri Guys. This. Is. So. Fucking. Good. I actually have goosebumps. Oh my God. I was expecting something terrible from the low rating but nope. New favourite. I just realised this wasn’t a series and now I’m so sad. Full review to come. ...more |
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Nov 26, 2017
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Nov 28, 2017
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Nov 26, 2017
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Hardcover
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| 1250147905
| 9781250147905
| 1250147905
| 3.56
| 97,248
| Jan 30, 2018
| Jan 30, 2018
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really liked it
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R E V I E W The Hazel Wood was a memorising book. I was unable to put it down and I was truly so involved with the plot that I was gasping almost every R E V I E W The Hazel Wood was a memorising book. I was unable to put it down and I was truly so involved with the plot that I was gasping almost every page. If you enjoyed Caraval (which, I hate but I can see how these two connect) or The Raven Boys I truly believe you will like The Hazel Wood. It has such a dark fairytale vibe to it that throws you into the world where nothing is truly what it seems. I went in with some pretty low expectations, I had been seeing some mixed reviews around the place and that always makes me a tad cautious. This book blew those low expectations right out of the park. I was so shocked by the writing, the mystical style and the fact that this was actually an urban fantasy. I was expecting a high fantasy, but nope. I absolutely love urban fantasies too, so this made me happy beyond words. Actually, my favourite thing was just the fairytales. I absolutely loved the writing style of the few that were included. They left me itching for more and re-reading the pages to try and find hidden messages that would be added to the plot. One of my favourite things about The Hazel Wood is how unlikeable the main character, Alice, is. She doesn’t give two shits if it doesn’t concern her or her mother. It doesn’t matter to her. It’s always just been Alice and her mum, something I related to considering my family is just my sister, mum and I. The pair have been running for years from bad luck. The bad luck follows them no matter how far they drive or how many houses they live in. They can’t get away. Until Alice’s grandma dies and her mother believes they can finally relax. Finally, escape the cursed fairytales she wrote about. Until Alice’s mother is kidnapped. Teaming up with the help of one of her classmates, Finch (hate that name, too many flashbacks to All The Bright Places), she goes on an adventure to find her. Along the way, she makes many discoveries that change her to the core. She never loses that sense of self though and remains quite unlikeable throughout the whole novel, with her anger and ability to isolate herself. I felt like she grew on me though, like a fungus of sorts. My only dislike is that we didn’t get a lot of the fairytales, which from the small snippets we did get I wanted more. However, looking at the Goodreads page I presume they’ll be getting released as a novella when book two in this series is released. Oh also, I hated the lack of parents. They’re only 17 and I mean, yes Alice’s mum has been kidnapped and yes, Finch’s parents don’t like him and he’s mind-blowingly rich. It just seemed like all the parents disappeared though and it was a little annoying because why is no one kicking these kids asses for missing school? Overall, I loved The Hazel Wood. It was such an interesting read that brought out the darkness involved in fairytales and really highlighted it. It even reminded me of Inkheart, a book I loved when I was younger. It was truly just magical. ...more |
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Jan 19, 2018
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Jan 20, 2018
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Nov 24, 2017
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Hardcover
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| 0062678108
| 9780062678102
| 0062678108
| 4.15
| 130,879
| Nov 14, 2017
| Nov 14, 2017
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it was amazing
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Thank you Harper Collins Australia for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. my review is on my blog, check it out! M I N I R E V I E W The Thank you Harper Collins Australia for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. my review is on my blog, check it out! M I N I R E V I E W The City of Brass was a book I was cautious of when I was requesting it. I was a bit nervous because it is so big. 520 pages, to be exact. I find that sometimes the longer the book the more bored I get throughout. However, this wasn’t the case at all. The City of Brass is an enchanting and alluring story that grips you from the very first page. Every single character has a layer of depth, I literally mean every single one to even the side characters who are only around for a few pages. From the very first page, you are sucked into a world of magic and Egypt. I say Egypt purely because I adored reading a book set in the environment. I think the only book I’ve read that has gone to Egpyt is the Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan. But, that’s off topic. You follow one of the main characters of The City of Brass, Nahri on her journey of discovery throughout this book. Learning her origins, what her past is and what is expected of her. It was honestly pretty heartbreaking at times to read. Though, I adored reading the main character who wasn’t perfect. Nahri has done what she has to survive and it might not be the most ethical but she has done it and she’s not ashamed. She was so damn strong in her own right and learning about her culture throughout the book was so interesting. The other perspective we get in this book is from Ali. A prince for his people but viewed as a religious fanatic. He’s basically the opposite to Nahri and it was incredibly interesting to read the dynamic between the pair. In the grand sense of it, neither character is meant to be viewed as a good character either. They have flaws that are very obvious in the text. The writing within The City of Brass was just spectacular as well. I’m honestly speechless since this is a debut. This book reads a lot better than some authors with many books published. The imagery is done so well and not at all overdone, coming from someone who usually gets frustrated with metaphors. The language use was just spectacular. I obviously can’t speak about the muslim representation throughout this book but the author is an own voices author, so I adored learning her persptive on her culture and how it incoperated into this book. I’m so excited to read more! It is a book full of betrayal, wishes and magic. It is complex and full of politics. At some stages, I didn’t understand what was happening but I never once cared majorly due to the absolute incredible cast of characters in this debut, own voices novel. The City of Brass is a must read. Put it on your December or January TBR’s, because I promise you won’t regret it. ...more |
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Dec 09, 2017
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Dec 10, 2017
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Nov 03, 2017
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Hardcover
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my rating |
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| 3.55
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really liked it
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Aug 22, 2018
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Aug 03, 2018
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| 3.57
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it was ok
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Jul 07, 2018
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Jul 05, 2018
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| 4.12
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it was amazing
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Jun 11, 2018
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Jun 09, 2018
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| 4.11
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it was amazing
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Jul 29, 2018
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Jun 03, 2018
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| 3.72
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really liked it
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Apr 15, 2018
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Apr 13, 2018
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| 3.75
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liked it
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Aug 28, 2018
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Apr 10, 2018
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| 3.75
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it was ok
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May 10, 2018
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Apr 09, 2018
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| 3.86
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it was ok
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Apr 19, 2018
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Mar 30, 2018
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| 4.46
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it was amazing
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Feb 25, 2018
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Feb 24, 2018
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| 4.13
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really liked it
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Feb 24, 2018
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Feb 22, 2018
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| 3.77
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really liked it
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Feb 19, 2018
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Feb 17, 2018
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| 3.72
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it was ok
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Feb 09, 2018
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Feb 07, 2018
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| 3.92
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really liked it
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Feb 05, 2018
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Feb 04, 2018
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| 3.73
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it was ok
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Mar 09, 2018
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Jan 10, 2018
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| 4.11
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it was amazing
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Mar 16, 2018
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Dec 22, 2017
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| 4.20
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it was amazing
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Dec 09, 2017
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Dec 08, 2017
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| 3.96
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it was amazing
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Dec 08, 2017
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Dec 07, 2017
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| 3.89
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really liked it
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Nov 28, 2017
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Nov 26, 2017
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| 3.56
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really liked it
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Jan 20, 2018
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Nov 24, 2017
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| 4.15
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it was amazing
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Dec 10, 2017
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Nov 03, 2017
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