This was such a beautiful story with some tragedy, sadness and darkness.
Sai is a sweet 25-year-old man who runs a teahouse and cares for his sick mothThis was such a beautiful story with some tragedy, sadness and darkness.
Sai is a sweet 25-year-old man who runs a teahouse and cares for his sick mother. He also runs a side business as a matchmaker to help others find their Fated One because he was born with the rare ability to see the red threads of fate. Despite his ability to help others find their Fated Ones, Sai had always been terrified of finding his own Fated One because unlike everyone else's threads, which are bright red, his is grey...
One day, Sai comes across a pair of dragon scales, which he uses to cure his mother's symptoms. He's immediately apprehended by the Emperor for the possession of these scales and tasked to hunt down the dragon and bring it back to the Emporer. And so, Sai sets out to find the dragon while also sensing that he's getting closer to his own Fated One.
Although the story was predictable and worldbuilding was told in a very simple format (and leaves a lot to the imagination), the prose was lovely, I really connected with the characters and their journeys, and I loved that Sai's sweet personality and oftentimes fun interactions were balanced with dark events (TW: self-harm, torture, gore, a lot of deaths, etc.). I found the story to be incredibly moving and reminded me of stories and historical C-dramas that I grew up on.
I have minor complaints with the pacing and worldbuilding (view spoiler)[(particularly the fact that there's an ongoing war/conflict that is only mentioned in passing, and how quickly Sai was able to find his Fated One, Jyn) (hide spoiler)] but I love Sai so much, most of the stars in my review are dedicated to him. He's so lovable and optimistic. If you like Lazlo Strange from Strange the Dreamer, you'll adore Sai.
**I received a physical ARC from the publisher for review consideration, but all opinions are my own.**
________________________________ If you like the following, then you might enjoy The Last Dragon of the East or vice-versa:
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This was like the Muslim version of On the Come Up in which a Muslim-American teen expresses her anger, frustration, betrayal, humiliation, a3.5/5
This was like the Muslim version of On the Come Up in which a Muslim-American teen expresses her anger, frustration, betrayal, humiliation, and dehumanizing experience with racism and discrimination via poetry.
Nida is a poet who was illegally frisked at a political rally (in which the cops tore her hijab off). After this traumatizing event, she turned to her poetry and wrote about the experience, never imagining that someone would enter it into a national poetry competition without her permission. Her angry poetic letter to the senatorial candidate who OK'd the illegal frisking went viral and made national headlines, upturning Nida's quiet life and making her the target of a media frenzy, a lawsuit, and even more racism and hate from those who try to paint her as a terrorist.
What I liked: This messaging and emotions in this book was strong. This book was an emotional journey and reminded me of the same emotions I felt while reading The Hate U Give. There's a lot of anger and feelings of hopelessness emanating from the chapters that were heartbreaking, moving and eye-opening.
I'm not Muslim, but as a reader, I felt that this book captured the sense of fear of living in America as a Muslim post 9/11, the frustrating lack of ability to exercise religious freedom in "the land of the free", the feelings of hopelessness from being part of a two-party political system in which your only options are to vote for the lesser evil, and the horrifying way "free speech" can be twisted to paint an even bigger target on the backs of Muslim poets.
What I didn't like: Unfortunately, I typically don't enjoy magical realism and this was no exception. Although I understand why it was included and the symbolism behind it, I did not particularly enjoy that aspect of this book.
Some of the poetry was good, but I found most of it to be only OK - perhaps it would be better to experience this via audiobook format.
Finally, I wish Nida had a better support system, or a stronger relationship with another character to help her through her experience. She essentially alienates everyone around her and pushes them all away. Although the people around her still came out to support her in the end, the growth between their relationships were lacking and could have been developed further (particularly between Nida and her sister, with Jawad, Mamou, her mom, etc.).
TL;DR - This is a very important book that puts into perspective what it's like to be a hijab-wearing Muslim teenager in USA post 9/11.
What an incredibly engaging thriller that took me by surprise with every twist!
Known to the Victim was such an exciting mystery-thriller set in C4.5/5
What an incredibly engaging thriller that took me by surprise with every twist!
Known to the Victim was such an exciting mystery-thriller set in Canada about Amy Gibson, who, after the murder of her mother, starts a successful podcast on detecting warning signs and red flags of being in a controlling and potentially dangerous relationship. Afterall, most crimes against women are committed by their sexual partners, as evidenced by the murder of Amy's mother at the hands of a jilted lover.
As Amy was grieving for the loss of her mother, she reconnected with her long lost half-brother, Oliver who helped her get back on her feet. 8 years later, Amy is thriving - she has her podcast, is working on her PhD, and she has a great relationship with the only family that she has left (her brother).
But when her brother was suddenly being accused of having murdered his late wife and for assaulting his current girlfriend, Amy starts questioning everything that she knew about her brother. She is certain that her brother is innocent and would never be capable of harming these women but blindly supporting her brother would make her a hypocrite and would go against everything that she's been preaching in her podcast.
And so, with the help of a private investigator, Dean Castillo, Amy starts investigating the matter herself.
This book had so many unexpected and wild twists that left me shocked and thoroughly entertained. Although this wasn't a thriller romance, I couldn't help but keep rooting for Amy and Castillo to get together - I loved their grumpy vs sunshine dynamic and wouldn't have minded if this book took a more romantic turn.
Audiobook Comments: The audiobook narration by AJ Bridel was great. I listened to the audiobook at x1.45 speed. _______________________________ If you like the following, then you might enjoy Known to the Victim or vice-versa:
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I picked up this book from the library because I was looking for easy German books to help me practice the language.
This book was originally translatI picked up this book from the library because I was looking for easy German books to help me practice the language.
This book was originally translated from French, with the original title of "Deux garçons et un secret", which literally translates to "Two boys and a secret", whereas the German title "Zwei Jungs und eine Hochzeit" literally translates to "Two boys and a wedding". Both titles perfectly describes this book, although I find the differences in translation rather interesting.
The book, as you might guess from the title(s), is about two boys/best friends who decide to get married and starts planning a nice playground wedding with their friends. It's a really cute story and brings back memories of when I played pretend marriage in kindergarten (which, admittedly, didn't turn out very well because the groom and his friends decided to turn our wedding into a hostage situation with imaginary guns... that was the last time I ever tried getting married).
Also, I'm not going to attempt to write a German review (my vocabulary is still fairly limited, and I still struggle with the grammar) but I did find this book easy enough to read and understand. It was easy enough to guess most of the vocabulary based on the well-illustrated and cute drawings. I also had to reach out for my dictionary a few times and learned some new vocabulary like "Geheimnis"/secret, "runzelt die Stirn"/frown (or quite literally "crease the forehead"), and "vorurteil"/prejudice....more
They say the five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. In the case of Jessica Waite, I'd argue that she experiencThey say the five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. In the case of Jessica Waite, I'd argue that she experienced six stages of grief: denial, betrayal, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
Imagine this - you're grieving the death of your husband and soulmate who died of a sudden heart attack. While going through his things, you find out that he's been cheating on you for the past few years and has been hiding a completely different side of himself from you during your entire relationship. This is exactly what happened to Jessica, whose husband, Sean, passed away unexpectedly while away on a business trip.
How does a devastated spouse forgive a dead one?
While mourning the death of Sean, Jessica unearths evidence of his affairs, debts, and pornography addiction - things that Jessica had no clue about before his passing. Shocked by the number of secrets her husband had kept from her, Jessica struggles to grieve for Sean as she starts questioning all the memories she had of him and all the red flags that she had missed when he was still alive.
This memoir recounts Jessica's journey of moving past her feelings of betrayal while grieving for Sean.
The first half of the memoir explores various emotions that Waite experienced - the shock from finding out about her husband's death; the panic of how she'll tell her son and raise him without Sean; the stress of telling Sean's family, planning a funeral, figuring out the family finances and waiting for the life insurance money to come in; recounting the happy memories of their marriage where Sean seemed like a real green flag; remembering the darker moments of their marriage, where it seemed clear that Sean needed psychiatric help or therapy; recalling all the red flag moments where, in hindsight, it seemed clear that Sean was hiding something and was being unfaithful; and finally, the anger from feeling betrayed and being left with cleaning up Sean's mess.
The second half of the memoir focuses on Jessica's spiritual journey towards finding closure for Sean's death and betrayal, as well as figuring out life as a widow.
This was an interesting memoir and I appreciated that it highlighted both the pretty and ugly sides of Jessica and Sean's marriage and the complexities that come with the process of grieving. No relationship is perfect and Jessica and Sean's marriage was no exception - they had their ups and downs, especially since it seemed like Sean suffered from bipolar disorder. This book also offers fascinating insights into the author's complicated feelings towards Sean as she reconciles her feelings of love, grief and betrayal.
I enjoyed the first half of the book and wanted to grab my popcorn as I read the juicy drama of Jessica's widowed life. The second half of the book wasn't as exciting but it details Jessica's healing process (and all the different methods that she's tried - some with success, and others that were complete failures). I thought this was still an important journey to share as it effectively highlights that everyone's path to healing looks different.
*All quotes are taken from an Advanced Readers Copy and may change before the release of the final copy.*
**I received a physical ARC from the publisher for review consideration, but all opinions are my own.**
_____________________________ If you like the following, then you might also enjoy The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards or vice-versa:
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This was a suspenseful and creepy YA mystery/horror novel about the secrets that Sunny Behre's family is hiding.
Sunny (aptly named for her sunny3.5/5
This was a suspenseful and creepy YA mystery/horror novel about the secrets that Sunny Behre's family is hiding.
Sunny (aptly named for her sunny disposition) comes from a wealthy Black family who owns a private school in Toronto and several properties including a cattle ranch a few hours north of the City. By all accounts, the Behre family appears to be perfect. That is, until the youngest, Dom, was accused of murdering his girlfriend. The facade of perfect family starts to crumble and when Sunny's mom died unexpectedly leaving behind a note to "take care of Dom", Sunny becomes determine to lead the family, honor her mom's work, and learn the family secrets that her mom should have left behind for her (but seemed to have gone missing). Determined to fulfill her mom's wishes, Sunny does everything she can to protect Dom, even when she stumbled upon Dom with a dead body.
Sunny was a very well fleshed out characters and it was interesting to read about her relationships with her boyfriend, friends, siblings, and parents, particularly since she puts on a different persona around everyone. The family drama in this book was also complex and layered and I enjoyed reading about it tremendously. The only parts where I took issue with were the sections about the Milk Man cult which was more gross than creepy, was lacking in details, and didn't feel as well developed as the other parts of the story.
I don't typically enjoy reading horror (particularly gore) but the descriptions in this book weren't very graphic so it was tolerable for me. Although there was one part that made me feel a bit queasy (view spoiler)[ - the drinking of spoiled bloody milk *bleurghhhh*. (hide spoiler)]
A Fate Inked in Blood follows Freya, who spent her entire life dreaming of becoming a warrior but was forced to hide her powers. That is until one day, when Snorri, the jarl of her region, discovered that she possessed the magic of Hlin, the shield maiden. It's been prophesized that the shield maiden "would unite the people of Skaland beneath the rule of the one who controlled her fate." And so, upon discovering her magic, the jarl orders her to marry him while holding her family hostage in an effort to control her fate and fulfil the prophecy of becoming the ruler of Skyland.
But with the shield maiden no longer in hiding, jarls from all over are desperate to either kidnap Freya and seek power for themselves, or kill her to prevent Snorri from ruling over them. So Bjorn, Snorri's firstborn son and a powerful warrior blessed with Tyr's powers, is tasked to stay with Freya at all times and protect her from danger. [image]
The chemistry with Bjorn is undeniable though, not to mention forbidden and dangerous.
I was another man's wife. Not just any man's, but his father's.
It also doesn't help that Bjorn is hot (of course) and has a way with words.
"It is hard to keep one's wits when faced with a woman as beautiful as the sight of shore to a man who has been lost at sea."
I love the banter between Bjorn and Freya and their chemistry was immediately off the charts right from the first chapter (this book starts off at a pretty fast pace!) [image]
This book was action-packed with a good amount of politicking and violent battles that made the story more interesting as it forced Freya to second-guess her dreams of becoming a warrior - she was constantly having internal battles over whether or not the battles she fought were helping or endangering her people. [image]
I found several aspects of the story predictable (the reveal at the end was unsurprising) but overall, really enjoyed the journey and the action. I have a few theories about what will happen in the next volume and I can't wait to find out if my predictions are accurate.
A cute but very slow-moving middle-grade fantasy comic book about a mermaid, a firebird, and a witch who want to see the world but somehow find themseA cute but very slow-moving middle-grade fantasy comic book about a mermaid, a firebird, and a witch who want to see the world but somehow find themselves wrapped up in some sort of prophecy.
The illustrations were adorable but I was disappointed to find that this wasn't a standalone comic (and is planned as a duology). I have nothing against duologies, but there wasn't enough momentum built into the plot and characters for me to be curious about the second book. I wish more time was spent on developing the characters and their relationships (perhaps by having them explore a bit more and share more fun and intimate moments). ...more
This was a depressing but very well-written memoir about sisterhood and losing a sister. It didn't shy away from the bad and ugly parts of loving and This was a depressing but very well-written memoir about sisterhood and losing a sister. It didn't shy away from the bad and ugly parts of loving and being there for your family. In fact, this book is full of anger, frustration, love, grief, and pain. It's a raw and vulnerable memoir that made me feel all of these emotions.
It is such a special sort of pain, to love someone you don't like very much.
The author, Kelly S. Thompson, has always had a rocky relationship with her older sister Meghan. To be fair, Meghan has been through a lot - survived cancer as a child, went through drug addiction as a teen, was a recovering addict as an adult, was in an abusive marriage, and then was diagnosed with cancer again. Every time you think things can't get worse for the Thompson family, it gets worse. A lot worse. This barely scratches the surface.
PCOS is nothing, considering your husband is in a war zone and your sister has cancer and a newborn and your mom has MS and your dad is a prostate cancer survivor and this is fucking nothing.
I really admire how both the author and her sister showed such strength and courage in handling some of the most difficult situations that life threw at them.
Overall, this was such a heartbreaking story and the author did a great job navigating through a range of complex emotions and traumatic life events. This memoir and Thompson's story of sisterhood covered a range of topics including learning to reconnect and forgiving her sister, dealing with her sister's abusive relationship, and struggling with the emotional toll it takes to become a caregiver for a family member.
Although I don't have a sister, I found Thompson's writing to be very moving. There were parts that I found relatable as well - In particular, the details provided about caring for her sister when she was sick reminded me so much of when my family took turns caring for both my grandpas (who both passed from cancer).
This was a great ending to the Themis Files trilogy.
First of all, as with the previous books, the audiobook was incredible. The full-cast narration aThis was a great ending to the Themis Files trilogy.
First of all, as with the previous books, the audiobook was incredible. The full-cast narration and the audiobook production were top-notch. I'm of the opinion that this book should only be consumed in audiobook format. I'm fully convinced that this is the best audiobook series of all time.
With that being said, I didn't love the story of this volume as much as the previous one. Only Human takes place 10 years after Waking Gods, and a lot has changed in that 10 years (view spoiler)[Vincent, Rose, and Eva end up living in another planet and learning about alien culture and politics! Meanwhile, the Earth has turned into a warzone (hide spoiler)]. It's quite interesting to see how everyone coped with the aftermath of what happened in Waking Gods.
The title of this book is apt - this book explores what it means to be human and leaves readers with a lot to think about. This volume has even more philosophical ponderings and social commentary than the previous books. It was still fun and fast-paced but also less action-packed which left me slightly disappointed.
_____________________________ My average rating for this series: 4.33/5 Check out my reviews for this series: Book 1: Sleeping Giants (4/5) Book 2: Waking Gods (5/5) Book 3: Only Human (4/5) _________________________________ If you like the following, then you may also like this series, and vice-versa:
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I enjoyed the artwork/illustrations and I appreciate (to a certain extent) the very realistic portrayal of how pre-teens react to the darkness of adulI enjoyed the artwork/illustrations and I appreciate (to a certain extent) the very realistic portrayal of how pre-teens react to the darkness of adulthood.
This was a slice-of-life story about a summer spent by Lake Huron where the main character Rose and her friend Windy observe the messy lives of the older teenagers and adults around them.
It's a slow and rather depressing story. I wish there was more of a plot and resolution.
my mind my body and i all live in one place but if feels like we are three completely different people
- disconnected
This book is divided into four sectio
my mind my body and i all live in one place but if feels like we are three completely different people
- disconnected
This book is divided into four sections - Mind (mainly poems about depression), Heart (mainly poems about toxic relationships), Rest (poems about self-worth), and Awake (inspirational poems). The majority of the poems touch upon topics of mental health, sexual assault, abusive relationships, trauma, racism, and feminism.
I found numerous poems in this collection to be rather moving. Quite a few resonated with me but as with any poetry collection, there were also quite a few poems that I didn't care for.
Overall though, I quite enjoyed this latest collection of Rupi Kaur's poetry.
**I received a free copy of this book from the publisher as part of a giveaway. All opinions are my own.**
This was as believable as Riverdale (which is to say, not believable at all) but it was just as addicting.
I love psychological thrillers and this This was as believable as Riverdale (which is to say, not believable at all) but it was just as addicting.
I love psychological thrillers and this is probably the first YA psychological thriller that I've read and I devoured it.
It's probably best if you go into this book blind but at a high-level, it's a book about a dark secret that the town has been keeping and that Blythe and her group of tight-knit friends are keen on uncovering in order to help their friend. For slightly more in-depth synopsis: (view spoiler)[the story starts with Blythe's friend, Gabrielle, having a mental breakdown and being sent to the principal's office. When Blythe stays behind after school to check on Gabrielle, she finds Gabrielle standing over their principal's dead body, covered in blood. The next day, no one seems to remember the incident and life seems to go on as if nothing happened - except for the fact that Blythe keeps getting random memory flashes of the murder. Is she hallucinating, going crazy, or is something else going on? (hide spoiler)]
I really liked the characters, particularly Blythe and Turner and their unlikely friendship and unflappable loyalty towards one another. [image]
I will say that I've previously read Armstrong's Darkness Rising trilogy and I found that a lot of parallels can be drawn between that trilogy - such as the characters' personalities, relationship dynamics, and the parents' involvement in keeping (pretty crazy) secrets from their children.
_____________________ If you like the following, then you'll likely enjoy Someone is Always Watching or vice-versa:
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This book bothered me from the get-go when Peter walks into a restaurant to audition for a band and proceeds with the audition without warming up. I mThis book bothered me from the get-go when Peter walks into a restaurant to audition for a band and proceeds with the audition without warming up. I made that mistake once, and the audition went terribly. Well, it's no wonder he didn't get the part! You can't go into an audition (for any instrument) without first warming up the instrument or your chops - he probably came off sounding really flat, playing into a cold trumpet.
The book doesn't really get any better from there. We follow the lives of two siblings - Peter and Stasi, who both seem to be experiencing some sort of mid-life crisis as they wander through life aimlessly searching for purpose and meaning. There's no plot as the 'story' focuses on the two characters' sad, mundane, and boring lives. There wasn't any real conclusion to the 'story' either.
"Maybe memories are like clouds. Some, lighter, float high above; others are darker, weighing hea
3.75/5
5/5 for the illustrations 3.5/5 for the story
"Maybe memories are like clouds. Some, lighter, float high above; others are darker, weighing heavily on our shoulders for a long time, until the day we're finally ready to let them fly away.
That day will come. It's just a question of the winds."
Who Owns the Clouds? is a hauntingly poetic picture book about the fuzzy childhood memories of war.
I'm honestly more impressed by the illustrations than I am of of the writing. I absolutely loved the artwork by Gérard Dubois. The art is primarily in monochromatic gray with the occasional splash of colour (red or light blue). The art style looks a lot like printmaking (almost like linocut) which gives it a very appropriate vintage and moody quality that really complements the book's theme and captures the eeriness of war (from a child's perspective). [image] ...more
This audiobook had me laughing out loud on numerous occasions. It was wild, entertaining, unpredictable, and so much fun.
Simi and her best frien4.5/5
This audiobook had me laughing out loud on numerous occasions. It was wild, entertaining, unpredictable, and so much fun.
Simi and her best friend Chloe are the definition of ride or die. If one of them gets into trouble, the other will drop everything to rescue their friend, no questions asked. So when Chloe gets catfished and framed for the theft of a multimillion-dollar necklace, Simi does everything she can to get her friend out of the mess. Even if it means partnering up with a thief to form an unlikely crew, infiltrate a wedding, and plan a heist to steal the necklace back and clear Chloe's name.
The story was chaotic and over-the-top but in the best way possible. It was fast-paced, full of quirky and likable characters, and the dialogue was hilarious.
There was a bit of a love triangle, which I didn't really hate. Personally, I'm on team Detective Garcia. [image] ______________________ If you like the following, then you'll enjoy To Have and to Heist or vice-versa:
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4.5/5
This audiobook had me laughing out loud on numerous occasions. It was wild, entertaining, unpredictable, and so much fun.
Simi and her best friend Chloe are the definition of ride or die. If one of them gets into trouble, the other will drop everything to rescue their friend, no questions asked. So when Chloe gets catfished and framed for the theft of a multimillion-dollar necklace, Simi does everything she can to get her friend out of the mess. Even if it means partnering up with a thief to form an unlikely crew, infiltrate a wedding, and plan a heist to steal the necklace back and clear Chloe's name.
The story was chaotic and over-the-top but in the best way possible. It was fast-paced, full of quirky and likable characters, and the dialogue was hilarious.
There was a bit of a love triangle, which I didn't really hate. Personally, I'm on team Detective Garcia. [image] ______________________ If you like the following, then you'll enjoy To Have and to Heist or vice-versa:
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Imagine going to an anger management session and having to write a forgiveness list - so you write a list of all the people you hate or that you 3.5/5
Imagine going to an anger management session and having to write a forgiveness list - so you write a list of all the people you hate or that you find annoying, only to find out later that terrible things are happening to the people on the list. [image]
Well, that's exactly what happened to Frankie. Frankie has anger issues. And it's no wonder either - she's gone through a lot in life, and there are several people to blame for her shitty life. So she writes them down on a list. Everyone from her high school bully to her perpetually disappointed dad is on the list. She even writes her own name down because there's so much to be angry about at the world and at herself. But when her journal with the list goes missing and people on her list are mysteriously getting into dangerous "accidents", Frankie is worried that the police might suspect her, or worse - that she might be the next victim.
Though a tad predictable with an ending that I didn't love, this was still a fun mystery/psychological thriller that I enjoyed.
The audiobook was well narrated, and I listened to it at x1.2 speed....more
This was a decent standalone comic that was like a cross between Harry Potter and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. I liked the artwork for the most part (sThis was a decent standalone comic that was like a cross between Harry Potter and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. I liked the artwork for the most part (some of the facial expressions looked odd to me at certain angles though, and the stiffness of the pointed hats were strange as well), the colours and pacing was great but the story was simple and unoriginal and the characters lacked depth and were also quite unmemorable....more
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