Billie's Not So Secret Diary’s Comments (group member since Mar 03, 2022)

Billie's Not So Secret Diary’s comments from the NetGalley Addicts Support Group group.

Sherri wrote: "I joined them but with several hundred already waiting from Netflix, I haven't requested any with BookSirens."

Same.

Lilith by Nikki Marmery was a disappointment. I started to skim it at 16%.. The character was supposed to be a strong woman, but she was flat.

1 Star

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead I had to skim it to finish. It was telling not showing and I didn't care for the MC or his problems.

1 Star

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Month got busy, and I'm catching up on reviews... I finished Night of the Witch
by Sara Raasch, Beth Revis . It was an okay read, but it was slow and another retelling of the witch hunts, though it did have a little spin with the magic.

2 Stars

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Had to push my way through this one. What Became of Magic by Paige Crutcher was a slow read that even though they went here and then there, it still didn't go anywhere..

1 Star

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Pushed through The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft . If you like a slow cozy mystery without a lot of details and depth, this might be for you.

I think it needed more 'darkness' to the storyline.

2 Stars

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Vanishing Bodies by Moses Yuriyvich Mikheyev was another 1-star read for me. Skimmed a lot of it.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Welcome!

Sandymancer by David Edison sounded good... Yeah, I wish I'd DNF before page 50, but I pushed on hoping for the best... If I wasn't napping I was skimming.

1 Star

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Got The Mystery at Dunvegan Castle by T.L. Huchu finished last night. I love the idea of this story and the series, but there's slang in just about every sentence. Too much... Made it hard to follow along and also respect the MC.

2 Stars

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Together We Rot . The book cover is cool, the plot sounds interesting, but sadly it's underdeveloped. 100 more pages would have made a BIG difference!

2 Stars

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Paperwitches wrote: "Billie's Not So Secret Diary wrote: "Has anyone ever heard of BookSirens? I've looked into it, and they are supposed to be similar to NetGalley, so do any of you know if they are legit?"


Hey Bill..."

Sounds like a bonus! If only I could get caught up with NetGalley and my personal shelves! But you know, maybe I'll take a browse... lol

Just finished Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim and it was not disclosed in the blurb that it's a prequel, but luckily I didn't have any issues with the storyline or the characters, though it's a quick-read that's easily forgotten.

3 Stars

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Just finished Devoured: A Novel by Bryan Alaspa.

I liked it. It's a 'B' movie-type monster book with Godzilla, Jaws, and Reign of Fire tropes, among others, one I could see becoming a 'B' movie. It's an easy read, with some morbid (disturbing) deaths.

3 Stars

More character development and descriptions could have earned it another star.

Just finished the re-published, re-named book The Phoenix King by Aparna Verma . (Original title The Boy With Fire, looks like it was offered through NetGalley back in 2021).

Not awful, but not the fantasy the blurb hinted that it was. This is sci-fi. Dune/Star Wars desert land. It had a nice twist at the end, but it was a slow read and I didn't find myself wanting to sit down to read.

2 Stars

Paperwitches wrote: "My bookstagram - I always follow back https://www.instagram.com/paperwitchs/"

Following

Diana wrote: "I wouldn't worry about it. BookSirens may have an issue because it appears that the author received the reviews but I have posted low star reviews on Netgalley...but I explained why and wasn't nast..."
if a person explains why they didn't like a book, without spite, and also gives good points with the bad, those are the helpful reviews. And it's pretty cool that authors follow you!

And those who get angry for unfavorable reviews, it only shows what kind of person they just might be.

Welcome

Finished this collection of short stories, Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz: Stories of the Witch and the Puppet Sorcerer by Garth Nix

originally published in magazines(?), and they read like it...Not very impressed with them and this is also the first book(s) I've read by this author.

2 Stars

Hope wrote: "I will tell you this. If you review a book and you give it a rating of 2 stars and under, they will ask you not to publish it everywhere and to just leave it on BookSirens. I wasn't ok with that si..."

I just came across a comment on Instagram claiming that people should not post three-star or less reviews on the site, or social media except GR and Amazon. Sorry, but if I read a book to review it, I'm going to review it honestly and post it, that's the point of reviews.

(Though I'm a little afraid that publishers will stop giving me books through NetGalley because I'm not afraid to share my 3-star and less reviews all other the internet.)