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| 1473677572
| 9781473677579
| 4.33
| 43
| Apr 28, 2020
| Apr 28, 2020
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really liked it
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Earlier last week, I did a promotion for Incendiary by Zoraida Cordova. I was so excited about this book that I decided to read it right there and
Earlier last week, I did a promotion for Incendiary by Zoraida Cordova. I was so excited about this book that I decided to read it right there and then even though the book comes out in April 2020. While I absolutely loved this book, I struggled with sharing my thoughts way too soon. However, looking at Goodreads, I can see a few folks have already read the book and since it was offered as a giveaway ARC at YallFest, some folks have already written their reviews. So, what's stopping me? But you know me, I need to break down this book and share with you not only the plot but the whole universe. Here's what goes down in Incendiary. In this world, there used to be a powerful group of people with abilities to mess with your mind. There are people who can create visions in your head, persuade you to do something you didn't want to do, read your lies, and steal your memories. However, these people were close to extinction by an opposing group who found these magics to be a source of evil. They were slaughtered to near extinction pushing those with magics into the dark as a new King works to get rid of all the magics in the world. Renata Convida is a young person who has the very rare ability to steal people's memories. As the ward of one of the Royal Justices, she used her power to create Hollows; humans who have been removed of all their memories creating a hollow shell. Their deaths are eminent after being hollowed out. Renata has hollowed over 100 people before she escaped the Justice and went to live with people like her. However, the others don't really trust her as her power to remove memories can happen with a single graze of her finger. Renata is willing to prove herself worthy to be with the other magics. When their leader's son and Renata's lover, Dez, is taken prisoner by the king and sentenced to death by public execution, Renata's friends aren't worried. They know Dez will easily escape death. But what Dez and the rest don't know is Renata's accidentally took Dez's memories on how to escape. After watching him die brutally at the hands of the prince, Renata vowed revenge in the only way she knew how; returning to the Justice she ran away from. While the justice believes Renata's return to be a good sign, Renata's working on the inside to find out about the King's plans to destroy all magic people. As she looks for these weapons within the castle walls, Ren finds a much bigger truth hidden inside the palace. When thinking about this, it reminds me a lot of Fireborne (which I read earlier this year). Both stories are about a group of people marginalized because of their abilities or because someone else came into power. This isn't me criticizing this trope because it's a big one and it happens often, but I love that more stories like this are popping up in the universe. When I first read the description of this book, someone mentioned that its beginnings remind you a lot of Game of Thrones. I'm here to confirm that yes, it has this Game of Thrones quality in the beginning but that's about where it ends. Come for the Game of Thrones, but stay for the departure from Game of Thrones. I'll admit I wasn't surprised at all by the twists, but that doesn't mean they were bad. In fact, the twists made me want to read more and find out why they're happening. Zoraida Cordova really knows how to write an intriguing novel filled with suspense and intrigue. I was definitely drawn in when the truths started coming up. Ren is also an extremely complex character. She doesn't remember parts of her childhood and has worked as a weapon for the King for most of her life. Every time she comes up with a plan, she runs into it without a second thought only to be captured. Her so-called friends are weary of her despite being on the same side. She has immense power, but hates what she has done with it (or forced to do with it). Honestly, she's a wreck of a human and you'll root for her like a mom rooting for her kid. She's not perfect, but you also don't care as long as she finds someone to trust and care for. The writing style is also breezy. It's not convoluted or overwrought with a lot of fancy language. There is a lot of world building in this story, but luckily you won't have to remember a host of character names or remember a lot of thematic pieces. It's high fantasy, but definitely a lot easier to read than most high fantasy. I absolutely loved this story. Filled with people of color and marginalized voices, it was definitely a departure from the other fantasy stories I've been reading lately and I'm here for that breath of fresh air. I will say there are lull moments while Ren scopes out the castle looking for clues on how the King is removing magic from folks like her, but aside from that this story is so solid. I received a copy of this book from Glasstown Entertainment for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author. ...more |
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none
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1
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Nov 26, 2019
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Nov 30, 2019
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Nov 26, 2019
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Hardcover
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| 9781910751541
| 3.99
| 2,208
| Oct 16, 2015
| Oct 16, 2015
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really liked it
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None
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none
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1
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Nov 20, 2019
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Nov 22, 2019
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Nov 20, 2019
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Kindle Edition
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| 9780316439169
| 4.09
| 209
| Oct 22, 2019
| Sep 17, 2019
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really liked it
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Really liked this one. It’s my first nonfiction about animation and definitely opened the doors for me to read more about tv, movies, and music. Wasn’
Really liked this one. It’s my first nonfiction about animation and definitely opened the doors for me to read more about tv, movies, and music. Wasn’t a fan of how the book slowed down after the 1950s, but really appreciated the glimpse into the world of Animation my friends all work in.
...more
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none
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1
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Nov 18, 2019
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Nov 23, 2019
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Nov 18, 2019
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Hardcover
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| B07L7RYYF7
| 3.93
| 10,301
| Sep 03, 2019
| Sep 03, 2019
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it was amazing
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Good Morrow, gentle fellows! I woke up this morning looking over my Goodreads when I noticed I didn't write a review for Well Met. How could I make
Good Morrow, gentle fellows! I woke up this morning looking over my Goodreads when I noticed I didn't write a review for Well Met. How could I make such an error? It probably was vacation brain taking over trying to pack and figure out what reads to take with me. But I'm back from vacation and I'm writing a review of Well Met because I absolutely loved it and I need to talk about it. Well Met is about young Emily who recently moved in with her big sister and niece after her sister broke her leg in a car accident. But when she escorted her niece to sign up for the Renaissance Faire, she didn't realize she'd be roped into it as well. With her skills bartending in the past, she's given the role of wench; not her favorite idea of spending weekends in the summer. As she settles into her role as a wench, she meets Simon, another cast member who's older brother helped create the Ren Faire experience in their little town. Simon is a little neurotic making sure the faire goes off without a hitch, booking the performers, planning the events, and trying to keep Emily in line with his family's original vision of the faire. It's obvious Emily can't stand Simon's behavior and Simon can't stand Emily's attitude, but when Simon and Emily partake in a handfasting ceremony on opening day, their relationship went from barely tolerable to something much bigger. And as the summer comes to a close, Emily needs to decide on her next journey and whether or not it'll include Simon. I've never been to a Ren Faire in my life. I've always wanted to go, but never had the friend group who wanted to make the journey out in the middle of the woods to eat smoked turkey legs and talk with an accent. I loved how the book portrays them, but I wish I had a frame of reference to really get a feel of the faire. However, from what the book entails, I think I would love a ren faire very much. Truth be told, I found this review extremely difficult to write because I loved the book so much. I loved how light and breezy this book was while also incorporating some heavier issue like grief, loss, heartache, and finding your own path. I loved the growth between Simon and Emily when they were together and even when they were apart. While there wasn't a lot of conflict, I love the internal conflict within all the characters. I couldn't stop envisioning Simon as Captain Hook from "Once Upon a Time." This is partly because he was a pirate in the faire and secondly because Emily's faire name was "Emma," which (if you watched the show) was Captain Hook's love interest. Emily's character was also my favorite. Her romantic past reminded me a lot of my own, so it fueled my interest in seeing where this story goes. I also loved the transition place she's in when she goes to help her sister. I'm a huge fan of new perspectives and having Emily move to this small town and discover what she's made to do with her life made me feel hopeful that one day I'll figure out the same. But also, I loved how much books are incorporated into the story. Simon's an English teacher and Emily works part-time at the bookstore (Read 'Em And Weep, which is the best bookstore name ever). If you're looking for something funny and light, this is definitely the book for you. You don't need to be a fan of Renaissance Faires, but it'll make you curious about them. And you'll definitely want to see where the next book will take you. ...more |
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none
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1
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Nov 10, 2019
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Nov 12, 2019
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Nov 10, 2019
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Kindle Edition
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| 0062200577
| 9780062200570
| 4.07
| 87,797
| Apr 30, 2013
| Apr 30, 2013
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it was amazing
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Phew, I don't think I've ever read something like this before. And I absolutely loved it. There was a little lag in the middle for a while there
Phew, I don't think I've ever read something like this before. And I absolutely loved it. There was a little lag in the middle for a while there (which is why I'm giving this a 4.5 more than all 5 stars), but it's brilliant writing, kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat the entire time. ...more |
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none
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1
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Nov 05, 2019
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Nov 09, 2019
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Nov 05, 2019
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Hardcover
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| 1984806092
| 9781984806093
| 4.06
| 3,729
| Nov 05, 2019
| Nov 05, 2019
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it was amazing
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4.5 Stars When I first picked up this book, I was excited about the premise. A bunch of dudes that put together a romance book club? I'm all about it. 4.5 Stars When I first picked up this book, I was excited about the premise. A bunch of dudes that put together a romance book club? I'm all about it. Gavin is the second basemen of the Nashville Legends and he just got the worst news of his life; his wife, Thea, wants a divorce. As his friends come to his seedy hotel room to help, they also bring up a little group they've put together; a secret book club where they read romances to help through their real-world relationships. So Gavin is given his first romance novel, asked to read it, and then apply the takeaways of the novel to his marriage. But Thea isn't willing to work on this marriage. After their shotgun wedding and raising two twin daughters, she's had enough of being married to a professional baseball player and all that means to their relationship. She's never wanted this life anyway, but she finds herself here and ready to move on. However, it isn't until both Gavin and Thea look deeper into themselves and the issues that strained their relationship that they're able to heal and move forward. Like I mentioned before, I was hooked on the idea of a bunch of bros putting together a romance book club. It means that the world is tilting! It means that the genre is getting the deserved spotlight! We're breaking down barriers! But as the story unfolded, I was a little uneasy with the idea that these dudes are using what romance books as "manuals" (LKA's word). It felt kind of reductive to think a romance novel is how you're going to solve your marriage or win back your lover. I mean, there was a scene where the boys suggest Gavin try to force Thea's backstory not only to gain wisdom on her, but also to make Thea vulnerable for Gavin to swoop in. It read very manipulative to me, but maybe that's just me. However, the way the information is shared, some of my uneasiness went away. I guess what the boys were trying to convey isn't necessarily manipulation, but understanding their relationships better through romances. The boys in the group were good to constantly remind the audience not to use the romances verbatim and that you can learn things about yourself through the book. I honestly think this could have been clearer especially because NO ONE WANTS A PERSON WHO GETS THEIR LINES FROM A ROMANCE NOVEL. I think my favorite part is the dynamic between Gavin and Thea. You can see where they're heads are at. Gavin is trying to fix what he thinks are the current issues while Thea is trying to envision the future. It's definitely an argument I've had before where I'm trying to convey my deep emotions about something and my husband is only focused on the current situation. This felt very real. Something that worried me was whether or not Lyssa Kay Adams would address the issues Thea was facing. While most of the book focuses on Gavin trying to win back Thea, I know for sure that relationships are a two-way street and it's never one person's fault for the decline of a marriage. There was a lot of conversation about Thea faking orgasms for their entire relationship. I mean, that reads as a red flag if your partner isn't sexually pleasing you and something I would personally address very early on in the relationship. It might be fun to peg all the issues on Gavin, but it doesn't make the relationship in this story feel real. It makes it feel one-sided where Gavin is really trying and Thea is just letting it happen. This goes double when the book is written in both perspectives. And throughout the novel, you can tell Thea has some issues she needed to face. This didn't come up until the very end of the book, so it felt a little too late, but at the same time I need to give props to LKA for addressing it. But despite my misgivings, the book delivered. To be honest, this is the kind of book I expect from a romance. Maybe my standard is a little high, but I loved the natural flow of this book. It felt like everything presented itself when it needed to without being forced. I loved the usage of a declining relationship rather than a new relationship. I even loved the inclusion of Gavin's stutter; like to show you physically he's not perfect. I loved how all the characters were relatable (even Mack) and I can't wait for the next one. One big question I always ask myself when I read about a group of dudes socializing is whether or not this actually happens. Nothing to do with Lyssa Kay Adams, but something that always runs through the back of my mind. Despite not knowing what guy groups actually talk about, I thought the dialogue was super clever and really funny. The scenes with all the guys were probably the most entertaining. I especially loved the scene where they were looking through some romance novels together and then quickly hid the evidence before Thea walked into the room. I hope that the second book will explore more of the romances the men read and how they use what they learn for themselves. To me, it still feels manipulative, but maybe we'll see tremendous growth from LKA's characters in the future especially when the second book is based around Mack; the lovable rake. I received a copy of this book from Berkley for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author. ...more |
Notes are private!
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none
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1
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Nov 03, 2019
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Nov 04, 2019
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Nov 03, 2019
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Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 0450040186
| 9780450040184
| 4.21
| 1,015,482
| Jan 28, 1977
| Jul 01, 1980
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really liked it
|
This was a doozy of a book. At first, when I was reading this one, I felt like I was torn between the book and the movie. Then, I took a breath and
This was a doozy of a book. At first, when I was reading this one, I felt like I was torn between the book and the movie. Then, I took a breath and told myself to get the movie out of my head. What I got was a book bordering dark fantasy and it filled my heart with joy. Jack Torrance is interviewing with the manager of the Overlook Hotel; a summer resort looking for a caretaker for the off-season. After being fired from his job as a professor, his good friend was able to offer this job to Jack allowing him and his family to live on the grounds of the Overlook Hotel. For Jack, this is his last chance. His wife hates him and considering divorce. He can't touch his son after accidentally breaking his arm. And all he has is his writing and the hotel. But as his family continue to stay at the hotel, strange things start to happen. Things start moving in the corner of your eye or something moves out of place. Voices start beaming into your head and a party is being thrown in the abandoned lobby. While Wendy and Danny can sense the strange happenings in the hotel, Jack can't help the influence. I really loved the psychology of these characters. Stephen King created these monster personalities for Jack, Wendy, and Danny to give you some idea of where their minds are when they enter the hotel. For Jack, this is a last hope he'll amount to anything with his writing career. For Wendy, this is for her to decide if being with Jack is still a viable choice because she wants to look out for Danny. For Danny, this is his time to discover the connection he has with the Spirit world. And with a hotel that's looking for shining people, you can most definitely see what was coming. I feel like the characters were so important to this book up to a point where Stephen King goes into lengthy detail about their lives. And while there were many plot-driven moments, I feel like this was such a character-driven story. There is tremendous growth with all of these characters either for good or for evil, but it's growth. For example, Danny is supposed to be five when these things are happening. That kid did not act like a 5-year-old. The techniques in this book were kind of unique too. There were passages where lines would be in parenthesis and italicized. While I was reading, I realized that these were the inner thoughts of these characters at the moment. The fun part of these was watching how these inner thoughts changed over the course of the book. But the big drawback of this book is Stephen King's writing. Good gouda, the man is long-winded. I've read other books by him (On Writing and Misery), but neither of those felt as long as this did. Perhaps it's because of his character-driven story that he felt the need to keep moving and molding these people. But it just kind of slowed things down for me and didn't leave me at the edge of my seat. Which brings me to the last thing I wanted to mention (which had no bearing on my rating or review). This book wasn't scary to me. I don't know what I was expecting, but every time I felt the suspense getting good, it was tamped down with some extraneous writing. I was right at the edge of my seat, but then deflated when the story switched over to another character or into an extensive writing passage about all of Jack's feelings. So every opportunity there was for blood and gore and running, I felt like I was interrupted to mention something else. It kept me from getting scared. Plus, I think I've read too many dark fantasies and other horror stories that this kind of pales in the horror department. Sorry, SK. I promise to be freaked out by the next one. ...more |
Notes are private!
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none
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1
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Oct 20, 2019
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Oct 22, 2019
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Oct 20, 2019
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Paperback
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| 0062890042
| 9780062890047
| 3.38
| 3,182
| Sep 24, 2019
| Sep 24, 2019
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liked it
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Do you ever look back at some of the authors you read as a kid and wonder what they're doing today? Well, I had that experience while reading No
Do you ever look back at some of the authors you read as a kid and wonder what they're doing today? Well, I had that experience while reading No Judgments. It's our October pick for my romance book club ( we couldn't find any Halloween romantic comedies) and a well picked one because not only did this book deliver a cute little romance story, but it really fell flat in many ways. The first thing I want to gripe about is the fact the summary doesn't match at all how this book played out. I'll share a little about how this book begins, but strongly wouldn't trust the book's jacket to explain what's happening. No Judgments follows young Bree who after trying her hand at law school in New York, decided to jump ship and head for the island of Little Bridge in the Florida Keys. Little Bridge is exactly everything she's looking for; an escape from her controlling mother, escape from the guy she was seeing and the life she was living for a job as a waitress. As a hurricane makes its way towards the Florida Keys, the island is asked for evacuate, but stubborn Bree doesn't want to head back to the mainland and honestly, back to her life. She decides to stay on the island hoping a couple of days hunkered down in her apartment with her cat Gary will be therapeutic. But when her boss decides that she must stay with them, she couldn't turn it down spending the hurricane with her boss's family and their super hot nephew, Drew. And as the hurricane made landfall, Drew and Bree start to get closer as they hide out from the biggest hurricane ever. To be honest, this book was okay. The first half of the book felt more like a lesson in how hurricanes worked. If you're from the East Coast of America, you know exactly how they work. There was a lot of preparation, a lot of hurricane talk, and a lot of Bree stubbornly trying not to stay with her boss during the hurricane. You get to know Drew a little bit better, but I honestly didn't understand their connection until the second half of the book. There's also a lot of food references, which I thought were cute. But then you looked at the recipes in the back of the book (they were provided!) and I kind of didn't think it was cute anymore. Apparently hurricane dip is sour cream, cream cheese, and bbq sauce and I don't think I can get behind that no matter how much they ate of it in the book. Then, Bree and Drew go off to find all the stranded house pets people left. I thought this was a beautiful way to see how Bree and Drew work together and how their relationship could blossom. I honestly wish this came earlier in the book and the hurricane was a lot shorter so that I can actually see why Bree and Drew are into each other. Sadly, this was like 100 pages from the end, which felt so sudden it really made me wish for more. Finally, a lot of what happened to Bree in New York and why she's not that friendly with her mother is explained in the second half of the book, which rushes to try and answer all the questions the reader may have before the book ended. Within fifty pages to the end, all is revealed and when I mean all, I mean EVERYTHING. The last few pages of the book were probably the most interesting in the entire story and I really wish that it was spread out to the whole story. I kind of feel like this book needed a better editor to work with Meg Cabot because there's a story there, but in a messy pile that needs to be better organized. I might have loved The Princess Diaries growing up, but her adult contemporary isn't really blowing me away. ...more |
Notes are private!
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none
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1
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Oct 16, 2019
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Oct 19, 2019
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Oct 16, 2019
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Paperback
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| 0062839055
| 9780062839053
| 3.68
| 3,767
| May 07, 2019
| May 07, 2019
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really liked it
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If you follow me on bookstagram, then you already know that I pre-judged this book as a meh story. I was so set to give it three stars and voice my
If you follow me on bookstagram, then you already know that I pre-judged this book as a meh story. I was so set to give it three stars and voice my strong opinions on the writing tearing Sonali Dev a new one in my review. How PREJUDICE of me because this book turned out to be one of my favorite stories and a nice way to get out of the 3-star book slump I've been feeling lately. Before I launch into this review, I do want to mention I read a few reviews where the readers dissect the medical stuff that takes place here. Not being a healthcare worker, I wasn't aware of those issues, but I thought I would share a couple of reviews that highlight them and share how problematic they are: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Also do want to mention that there are discussions of sexual assault, rape, and terminal illness. Pride and Prejudice and Other Flavors follows Trisha, a young neurosurgeon dedicating her life to helping blind people see again. She comes from a pretty prominent family of lawyers, doctors, and a brother who's running for Governor for the state of California. However, her past keeps her from living her present to its fullest potential. DJ is a chef born to cook, but comes from humble beginnings. His sister, Emma, is diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in her head wrapped around her optic nerves. Trisha will do everything in her power to save Emma's life and hopefully, her eyesight. When Trisha finally meets DJ for the first time, at an event thrown by her parents, she's already pegged him as just the hired help. DJ's already pegged Trisha as a snotty rich girl who never had to work a day in her life. However, their prejudice against each other is the start of a relationship neither of them see coming until the very end. Let's talk about some of the big ticket items that I loved about this book. First off, food descriptions. NOMS! I will always love a good food description and the usage of Indian food will keep you salivating while you read. Next, I loved the characters. I didn't think I would fall in love with the characters as much as I did, but they became so complex that even the secondary characters were really well written and made you want to know more about them. As I mentioned before, the biggest flaw for me was the writing style. I'm not a fan of overwritten sentences and repetitive info. I understood quite clearly that DJ came from nothing despite the hundred times I was told that he came from nothing (OH BTW, HE CAME FROM NOTHING). I think having the omniscient voice in this book made reading it a little bit tougher because it almost felt like the narrator knew even more than it was telling. Like it knew the name of a police officer before he's introduced and then you have to match up the fact that the person they're referring to was the police officer. It almost felt like Sonali Dev was holding herself back, trying not to write a romance novel so it's not until the end that Sonali Dev's writing felt comfortable and maybe it's because the ending felt like the ending of a romance novel. But aside from its flaws, I told myself I wouldn't DNF. I wanted to read this book for my book club discussion and so I told myself to keep reading. Just one more chapter and if this chapter sucked, then I'll put it down. But as I kept reading, the book kept getting better and better. Suddenly, I couldn't put down the book. I needed to know what happened to DJ and Trisha and their families. I think it was at the moment when Julia Wickham is finally introduced that made me stick around to see what happened to these characters. And I loved the characters so much. I even loved Julia Wickham! The reason why I loved them is because they were so complex. Sonali Dev can write a really great character even ones that you'll hate for the rest of your life and what I loved about her characters is that they're real. I feel like there's a big cop out for authors to have these complex characters who's problems all go away by the final page, but I loved that everyone here stayed true to who they were even after the book was done. Real people need a lot of time to change and Sonali Dev provides them that time. The last thing I want to talk about is the Pride and Prejudice retelling portion. When I was just starting this book, I guffawed at the fact this book didn't read at all like Pride and Prejudice. There's gender reversals (Trisha is Darcy and DJ is Elizabeth) and there was usage of the names, but I didn't see how it was a retelling. However, when you think about the characters and how they judged each other prematurely, how they were so stubborn about changing their minds about each other, and how they slowly learned that the other person is actually a good person all brought me back to Elizabeth and Darcy and their dynamic. It's not an exact retelling, but the pieces of Pride and Prejudice are so expertly interwoven that you would love this book if you've never read Pride and Prejudice before. ...more |
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none
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1
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Sep 23, 2019
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Sep 26, 2019
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Sep 23, 2019
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Paperback
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| B07PBPFW1J
| 3.55
| 4,410
| Oct 01, 2019
| Oct 01, 2019
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liked it
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I've had a love/hate relationship with Jasmine Guillory. I love her little stories, but I hate that they're not twisty and complicated like some of my
I've had a love/hate relationship with Jasmine Guillory. I love her little stories, but I hate that they're not twisty and complicated like some of my other favorite romances. Am I being a little bit too demanding when it comes to my romance books? Royal Holiday follows Maddie, the female MC in The Wedding Party, and her mother, Vivian, to London where Maddie will be dressing the Duchess of Sussex (y'all know who exactly that is) for a bunch of holiday parties and soirees. When Vivian first arrives, she's greeted with a cup of tea, a warm scone, and Malcolm, the Queen's private secretary who just so happens to be in town for some work and sipping a little tea as well. Immediately, these two start enjoying each other's company only to culminate to romance. But when it starts coming time to saying goodbye, will Vivian be able to go back to the States when her heart is in London? This was such a cute book. It's got romance and London and food and really made me want to go back to one of my favorite cities. I also loved how easy and mature the relationship between Vivian and Malcolm was. I felt like because the couple was older and have had some life experience, they knew exactly what they wanted so there wasn't a lot of conflict throughout the story. And as much as the story was cute and their relationship only fell prey to a few issues, I wanted more. I felt this way with Guillory's other book The Proposal. While the story was cute and I absolutely love the representation, I was expecting more. I'm always looking for that one big conflict that will make you wonder if it'll work out. I know that the major one (the fact that they live on opposite ends of the world) is a big one, but that seemed to resolve itself. It was definitely one of the issues of this book; everything just resolved itself. Any conflict they faced was an issue for half a minute before going back to being this sweet romance. I wanted more and have been looking for more with Jasmine Guillory's books. But that isn't to say this book isn't good. Guillory is still an exceptional author with a great writing style. I just hope that she's done writing these Wedding Date series books and will open up to writing something a little more challenging with a lot more heat and conflict in it. Overall, this is definitely a sweet romance to get you in the Holiday spirit and if you're a huge London fan, then there's really nothing to complain about. I received a copy of this book from Berkley and Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author. ...more |
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none
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1
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Sep 17, 2019
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Sep 20, 2019
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Sep 17, 2019
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Kindle Edition
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| 0921332629
| 9780921332626
| 3.92
| 13
| Sep 14, 2019
| Sep 14, 2019
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it was ok
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None
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Notes are private!
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none
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1
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Sep 13, 2019
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Sep 14, 2019
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Sep 13, 2019
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Paperback
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| 0062941208
| 9780062941206
| 4.03
| 4,136
| Nov 05, 2019
| Nov 05, 2019
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really liked it
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This was my first Talia Hibbert book. I know from my paranormal romance research that Talia Hibbert is more known for her steamy novels with hunky
This was my first Talia Hibbert book. I know from my paranormal romance research that Talia Hibbert is more known for her steamy novels with hunky bros on the cover. But the one thing that really drew me to Talia Hibbert is her effort to create diverse romance stories. Not only does she cover diverse characters, but she has inter-racial relationships which is where my real-life relationship falls into. So naturally, I gravitated towards Chloe Brown and what I received was an amazing romance between two complicated people who found each other. "Once upon a time, Chloe Brown died." is the first sentence you read when starting Get a Life, Chloe Brown. The good news is that she didn't die, but the experience of near death left her with chronic pain and fibromyalgia. Sadly, it also meant losing her boyfriend, losing her friends, and shutting herself inside because the pain was too much to manage. As a way to get her life back, Chloe made a list --her "get a life" list including things she wouldn't normally do, but will hopefully give her the life she once had again. As a way to get her family off her back, she moves into an apartment complex where she works as a web designer. Money isn't the most important thing to her as she comes from a wealthy family, but she loves the freedom to be on her own especially with her hot superintendent, Red, painting shirtless by his window every night. But Red can't really stand Chloe. He doesn't like her snooty attitude, her wealthy family, and the fact that she addresses him as Mr. Redford Morgan, so he avoids her as much as possible despite the fact he knows she watches him paint at night. After rescuing a stray cat from a tree together, Chloe and Red start an unlikely friendship that eventually turns to love. This one felt really centered around the relationship between Red and Chloe. It's an enemies-to-lovers story and despite there being some conflict throughout, it was only really enough to fuel the dynamics of their relationship. There are so many features of this story that I absolutely loved and the reason why I gave it such a high rating. While the story itself is quite charming and very focused on the relationship between Chloe and Red, Talia Hibbert also included chronic illness, mental health issues, abusive relationships, and don't forget diverse characters. Talia Hibbert expertly incorporates these themes without taking away from the story. I love the subtle nods to immigrants and being a person of color and how natural Chloe and Red learn about each other as the story moves on. It keeps the story flowing, but also makes the characters seem so much more real. I absolutely loved Chloe and Red. Both characters felt like real people with real issues. Honestly, the banter and play teasing between the two felt like the relationship my husband and I have. I also loved that Chloe came from a wealthy immigrant family in England. OMG yes! Bring me all the stereotype bashing you can because it fills me with joy. Chloe is also this amazingly quirky girl and what I absolutely loved about her character is that she's not the "ditzy" manic-pixie-dream-girl, but someone with real issues who need to manage pain on a daily basis. I also loved Red and the amount of growth he makes in this story. I love that he's an artist struggling with his self-confidence because it reminds me a lot of myself and the struggles I have with my own confidence. He's got that bad boy feel about him with his interest in art and his tattoos, but he's so far from it. He's like the perfect dude who does something really edgy and has his own problems, but also deeply cares. This book also made me cry. Yep, I shed tears which gives any book instant approval because books don't normally make me cry. I won't share with you when I did the tearing up (I don't want to spoil it), but let's just say that the emotions were so real. And I'm not done! The last thing I want to mention is the steam factor. Talia Hibbert is unafraid to share those steamy scenes in very deep detail. If you're wary about steamy scenes, just a warning that there are two very open-door moments that even left me blushing. The only thing I could harp on is the fact the story didn't really have a plot. While I thought maybe the list Chloe put together would be what they accomplish together, it came into play really late in the book and I almost thought it would be forgotten all together. However, it doesn't take away from the story itself. The story is still interesting despite not having a defined plot, but I do wish there was more adventure between the two of them. Overall, an amazing story and I'm now an instant fan of Talia Hibbert's. I can't wait for the second book in this series and I might check out her other hunky dude reads in the future. I received a copy of this book from Avon Books for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author. ...more |
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1
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Nov 18, 2019
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Nov 19, 2019
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Sep 03, 2019
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Paperback
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| 1476727651
| 9781476727653
| 4.12
| 161,193
| Sep 24, 2013
| Sep 24, 2013
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really liked it
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Am I turning into a Stephen King fan? Heck yes. Doctor Sleep is the sequel to The Shining and it honestly read like next level dark fantasy. I wanted Am I turning into a Stephen King fan? Heck yes. Doctor Sleep is the sequel to The Shining and it honestly read like next level dark fantasy. I wanted to say this right now because people might be worried this book is scary, but I'm here to reassure you it isn't. There are some gross scenes with some gross descriptions, but nothing that will scare the pants off you. TW: child abuse, child murders, and a lot of death and gore. The story follows Danny, the boy from The Shining, a girl named Abra, and a group of shiners called the True Knot. All three components are extremely important to the story and when they finally converge, it's a battle to the death. Danny, now Dan, is a drifter working in hospices and getting drunk as much as he can. He tells himself it keeps his shine from creeping in and making him think about his past. But when he finally reaches his lowest point, he makes his way to a tiny town in New Hampshire where he works as an orderly and helps those who are about to pass. The staff calls him Doctor Sleep because of his ability to help those who are at the edge of death make the final leap. Abra, is a young girl born with caul over her face and the same shine as Dan. Although she doesn't know who Dan is, she's somehow reached out to him as she grown with a sweet Hello and the enthusiasm to meet a friend who shares a similar shine. However, when Abra starts receiving messages from a boy who was brutally murdered, she starts investigating the people who did this to him. The group is called True Knot. They're a group of folks with shine that feed off the shine of others, specifically children. Specifically overly tortured children because that helps the steam taste sweeter. When Abra finds out about True Knot, True Knot finds out about Abra and because she shines so brightly, she becomes their latest target hoping to feed the group and sustain them for much longer than the others. I absolutely loved this story. I loved how the story starts with Danny and how his time in Overlook has done him some damage. Sometimes an author forgets that situations like the one Danny went through harms them and their mind and Stephen King did an excellent job sharing Dan's struggle with alcohol and drugs and eventually how he turns to AA and seeks help. It makes a character like Dan much more real than if he wasn't affected by what happened. I thought Abra was way smarter than her years. Her strength at times was kind of surprising especially coming from a 13-year-old girl who was only thinking about boy bands prior to the events taking place in the book. But I guess the shine doesn't let you stay a kid for too long especially when you have the ability to see ghosts. The True Knot were a formidable foe. They were darker than dark and their ability to murder innocent children without hesitation was so disturbing. However, I did like how Stephen King wrote this group and the issues they eventually faced as their time starts coming to an end. However, this book wasn't scary. I would say it's on par with a dark urban fantasy where the magic that one person has is being used against her. But it was brilliant and Stephen King definitely dives deeper into the Danny character and the way he works his brain. I think the only thing I didn't like was the ending. The final battle was hard to keep track of in my head, which I think is just me. But I also wonder if Stephen King has trouble with ending his stories. It feels like he can go on a yarn forever and only stop to take sips of water. ...more |
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1
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Oct 31, 2019
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Nov 03, 2019
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Sep 03, 2019
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Hardcover
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| 1250175739
| 9781250175731
| 4.23
| 8,571
| Oct 30, 2018
| Oct 30, 2018
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really liked it
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I read this series because a friend of mine suggested it to me and omg I can't believe it took me this long to read it because it literally blew me
I read this series because a friend of mine suggested it to me and omg I can't believe it took me this long to read it because it literally blew me away. Since this is a sci-fi/fantasy story, let's start with the world building. This takes place in modern day Earth, but the difference is that only a few years ago there was an alien invasion. The aliens, aka Luxen, came to Earth with the intent to take over. And while the invasion ended with thousands of lost lives, Earth tries to assimilate the few remaining Luxen into the rest of society with bracelets that hold back their alien powers. Evie is a young teenager who is just trying to live her life. She's got her little friend group, her mom, and her photography. But when Evie decides to go to Foretoken (a nightclub known for its Luxen population) with a friend, she comes across Luc, the owner of Foretoken and an exceptionally powerful being. Evie's presence in the nightclub sets off a chain of events revealing to Evie the truth behind the Luxen, Luc, and even herself. Maybe it's because it's been a while since I've read a sci-fi/fantasy novel set in modern day, but this was exactly what I needed. A little teen angst, a little romance, and a whole lot of alien stuff. I loved how quick the pace was getting right into the action within the first 50 pages. However, there was definitely a lull period in the middle where it felt like JLA was trying to set us up for the rest of the book. I found myself a little distracted during that point, but then as the ending approached I couldn't put the book down. I think it's because you know some big truth is going to be revealed, but the author takes their sweet time getting there. It's so frustrating to read, but I needed to get my patience in check and it was well worth it. I wasn't expecting this to be a romantic story, but there was definitely a love element and I loved it. Luc isn't the kind of alpha male that makes me want to punch a wall. In fact, he reminded me a little of Rhysand from A Court of Thorns and Roses, which I have no problems with because he's probably my favorite male trope in a fantasy series ever. I think the love story will definitely pick up in the next book. I will admit that it was a little obvious where the story was going, but that kind of stuff doesn't matter to me. What matters is what we do with that info and I think the next book is set up to explain it. Speaking of the next book and the world building, I thought it was expertly done here. Instead of having the back and forth between the past and the present, JLA explains it through the eyes of Evie. I love that because it doesn't waste time trying to explain to you all the nuances of the world. You learn as you go along with the MC and we all find out the truth. I also think JLA set up the second book with a lot of material to work with. There were a lot of unanswered questions at the end of this one and I can't wait to read the next book to find out the truth of it all. ...more |
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none
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1
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Sep 26, 2019
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Sep 29, 2019
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Sep 01, 2019
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Hardcover
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| B06X3VBJ21
| 4.57
| 19,176
| Sep 05, 2017
| Sep 05, 2017
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really liked it
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None
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1
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Aug 27, 2019
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Sep 2019
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Aug 27, 2019
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Kindle Edition
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| 1250175747
| 9781250175748
| 4.41
| 2,465
| Oct 08, 2019
| Oct 08, 2019
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it was amazing
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I have no idea how I'm going to write this review without giving too much away. But I'm dedicated to sharing with you all my thoughts so let's see how
I have no idea how I'm going to write this review without giving too much away. But I'm dedicated to sharing with you all my thoughts so let's see how this goes shall we? I picked up this book because of @thebiblioteque on Instagram is obsessed with Jennifer L Armentrout and I'm so thankful for bookstagrammers like her because she's not wrong with her obsession and these books are amazing. The Burning Shadow follows Evie right after The Darkest Star ends. As she's trying to get back to her normal life with the new knowledge she has about Luc, the Luxen, and herself, the news starts displaying strange incidents of people catching flu-like symptoms and dying not too long after that. The government suspects it to be a Luxen virus making people sick, scared, and hateful about the Luxen populations living on Earth. It doesn't help that one of Evie's friends, April, is leading the protests against Luxen at school. However, when Evie sees a sick classmate transform from teenager to bone-cracking, black-blood-dripping, and deadly-a-f, she reports the news to Luc who has no clue what's going on either. Thus begins the second book where Evie, Luc, and the others find out the bigger nature of the fight against the Luxen and Origins. Ok, I think I was able to describe the book without getting into too many details. Jennifer L Armentrout sets off running with this book so it's tough to describe it without giving too much away. Granted, there's a lot of nuances to Evie and Luc's story that are fleshed out in this book, but all of it would give away the plot and some of the twists and turns JLA loves to include in her books. This story gets bigger. The first book was about building the world and where everyone is in terms of the new Luxen. The conflict was more personal (I thought) relating back to Luc and Evie's past versus being a bigger fight for Luxen rights. And The Burning Shadow is now getting into the bigger picture of what's going on with these aliens. There's a lot of new information being shared in this book including what happened to Evie that we didn't discuss in the first book. The universe feels like it's expanding and really showing you this world JLA is trying to create. I loved it! I am also now a devotee to Jennifer L Armentrout. I want to check out her Lux series. I want to read her Dark Elements series. And I want to dive into the Harbinger series (I have the first book for that). She doesn't waste time with slow burns, which I like because the story just keeps moving. But she also doesn't skip on anything. There's still character growth and story development and giant ass conflicts. I even love the fact that her characters don't fall into many of the YA tropes we see in books nowadays. It's marketed to young people, but it read adult. I had to keep reminding myself that these were still teenagers. The last thing I do want to touch on which I feel like won't give away the story is that a lot of what she's writing here resembles a lot of what's going on today. In this book, we see what happened to the Luxen after the invasion and the pardon from the president. We see their conditions and how they live and it reminds me a lot of the conditions down at the American-Mexican border. I love that despite this being a story about aliens from another planet, it's also a story about the aliens from other countries and the level of care America is giving them. All I could think about is how much this reminds me of the kids in cages and ICE and the deportations going on right now. It makes me happy that this isn't just a frivolous YA novel and that there are real issues being discussed here. It brought a realness to the story and makes you care much more for the Luxen population within it. Overall, this is an amazing book and only the second in her series. After talking to my friends, I feel like there will be lots so I'll be here waiting for the next part of the story. I received a copy of this book from Tor.com for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author. ...more |
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1
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Sep 29, 2019
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Oct 03, 2019
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Aug 25, 2019
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Hardcover
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| 0525518215
| 9780525518211
| 4.16
| 1,141
| Oct 15, 2019
| Oct 15, 2019
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really liked it
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Dragons. Back when I was a kid, dragons were everywhere and it fatigued me. I didn't get the obsession with dragons back then. Now, with Daenerys
Dragons. Back when I was a kid, dragons were everywhere and it fatigued me. I didn't get the obsession with dragons back then. Now, with Daenerys Targaryen mothering dragons in Game of Thrones, Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, and Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, I can feel the flutter of dragon wings across the pages of my books. Fireborne definitely brings a unique perspective to the dragon story creating a world who's class system is determined by your closeness to them. Let's start with the setting. This is a world that has had a long lineage of people who tamed dragons. From there, they created a monarchy where those aligned with the dragons were the supreme rulers. The rest of the caste system obviously doesn't benefit from what the dragon people have, so they all struggled and suffered. That is, until the revolution happened. The revolution, led by Atreus, helped eradicate the old caste system, remove the monarchy, and created a process where you can test for your class position. Of course, the classes still existed but depending on your skills and intelligence, you can move on up. This system also created Guardians, average people who can test to protect Callipoli's citizens. The power to keep a dragon is moved from the ruling class to basically, it's police force. And that is where we find our main characters, Lee and Annie, as they test to see if they can be the best guardian, The First Protector; who will oversee Callipoli when Atreus steps down as its leader. Lee is a young guardian with a mysterious past. While no one knows much about him other than the time he spent at an orphanage, he's determined to be First Protector. Annie is also a young guardian who lost her family before the revolution. Growing up in the same orphanage with Lee, she was timid about everything including her training to become a guardian. But they helped each other overcome their hardships and made it to the semi-finals for First Protector. However, when Lee's secret is revealed to the reader, you also realize that it's a secret Annie's been protecting too. Lee is a member of the royal family said to have died during the revolution along with the rest of his family. But after years of hiding in captivity, Lee is so close to First Protector; a position that would have been bestowed on him if his family wasn't slain. He's also doing his best to cover his true identity while Annie struggles to prove herself. When word arrives that survivors of the revolution are looking to get their revenge and return the throne to Callipoli, Lee and Annie start to work in opposing position. Will Lee return to his kingdom? Will Annie report him before he does? What will happen to their friendship and what will happen to the people of Callipoli? I really loved the way Rosaria Munda approached the dragon story. Instead of it being a bonding story between a dragon and its keeper, it's more about the politics of this little country. It's about how one form of government can mean freedom and peace, but really looks like the same as everything else. I really loved here that she started with a world who's recovering from the monarchy. I love that you travel to the different cities within this world and see how it affects its citizens. I love how it changes a few things, but there are other things that never change at all. Lee and Annie were also very interesting characters. While Lee felt a little bit stronger in this story than Annie did, you can see how Lee struggles between knowing who he is and assimilating to the world that exists. It's obvious he wants to continue holding up the traditions of his family, but at the same time knows that his strength can benefit the current regime. Annie is completely the opposite, but I absolutely love her growth in just this first book alone. She starts off as this timid person who barely speaks up in class to turning into the guardian people need her to be. It was really nice to see this, but I really wish she had more involvement in the bigger story. I was also a huge fan of the dragons! The dragons here had their own personalities and that was really well shown. I love that there was a deeper connection between the dragon and the rider which made it kind of interesting to see how battles and duels played out. I hope that there's more dragon stuff in the rest of the series. Something I wasn't a huge fan of was the writing style. For all intents and purposes, it reads comfortably, but there were a few paragraphs that were a little overdone with the language or description. There were a few repetitive lines and info, but nothing too bad. It was something that made me pause and focus on the words than on the story, which isn't my favorite feeling in the world. But aside from that, this was a super action-packed first novel. The world is really well built and the characters are already showing signs of their personality throughout the story. Really solid start to a great fantasy series! I received a copy of this book from Penguin Teen for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author. ...more |
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1
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Oct 10, 2019
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Oct 12, 2019
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Aug 25, 2019
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Hardcover
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| 1250073022
| 9781250073020
| 4.31
| 34,643
| Aug 09, 2016
| Aug 09, 2016
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it was amazing
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Torn between 4 and 5 stars but damn, this book was epic!
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1
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Aug 18, 2019
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Aug 21, 2019
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Aug 18, 2019
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Hardcover
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| 1250073049
| 9781250073044
| 4.42
| 7,634
| Sep 03, 2019
| Sep 03, 2019
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really liked it
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Jay Kristoff is one of those authors I'd been curious about for a long time. My tsundoku ways collected all the books in his repertoire, but afforded
Jay Kristoff is one of those authors I'd been curious about for a long time. My tsundoku ways collected all the books in his repertoire, but afforded me none of the time to read it. So I read Nevernight and Godsgrave a few weeks back to prepare for Darkdawn. I decided to buddy read the final book and found it to be such a blessing to hear her thoughts on the final book juxtaposed to my own thoughts. I think we helped each other process our feelings on the last book. Some spoilers in this review, so please read with caution. TW: lots of blood. So much blood. Darkdawn takes place immediately after the end of Godsgrave. Mia has just taken her brother and meeting Mercurio and Ash after killing Cardinal Duomo and Senator Scaeva. Right off the bat, the story moves quickly. You get a lot of info in the first 100 pages that you assume the rest of the book will take off just as quickly. However, what I thought was a super quick start to the book turns out to be just the start and the next 400 pages were filled with a huge journey across the sea, across the desert, and across most of Itreya. For all intents and purposes, it was a great ride but I felt there was a huge lag in the story. It was almost like Jay Kristoff couldn't make up his mind on how he wanted the story to end. What I assumed would be a straightforward storyline turned out to be filled with twists and loops I didn't anticipate. It set me off a little, but when thinking about it in hindsight, my feelings for its pace are completely subjective and in truth, I think Jay Kristoff approached this book with a lot of heart being that it's the last book in the series. Also, I wasn't a fan of how Jay Kristoff approached certain parts of this book. When Mia finally retrieves the Crown of the Moon, it almost felt like an afterthought. I also thought it a little easy for Mia's antagonist to get his powers so easily. Both of these points I was really hoping for some more story, but I guess I have to just take it as it's written. I don't want to talk too much about the plot of the final book because there's a lot of surprises and I don't want to ruin that for anyone who hasn't read it yet. But despite its pace, the character growth in this book is tremendous. I loved how much Jonnen grows by the end of the book. I loved how much Mia goes from a heartless wench out to murder the people who killed her family to someone who had something to stand up for. It wasn't just a sociopath we were dealing with, but a person who dealt with a lot of bad things in her life and towards the end I like to think she saw a glimmer of happiness. I mean, it was a small glimmer. Let's not forget who wrote this book. I also loved the surprises. I think Jay Kristoff seriously has a gift for making you second guess yourself and keeping you on your toes because each truth being revealed was so surprising and different than what I imagined. But I think my favorite part of this whole series was the lore. Jay Kristoff did an amazing job building this world and I was so invested in finding out what happened to Cleo and the darkins and what Mia's special powers means to her. I was so excited to see Niah and Aa and Anais and how their stories incorporate to the bigger story with Mia. Seeing how this all unfolds in the final book was beautiful and so exciting. All the little poems and lines just finally click and make sense and when you see how all of it fits together, it's like a mosaic of magic I wasn't expecting to fall so in love with. In the end, I absolutely loved these books. I don't think they're the perfect fantasy series; I mean I have my fair share of critiques for all three of the books. But I absolutely loved the plot, the world, and the characters so much that I'll cherish this series and hype it up to anyone who wants to read something subversive. And with that, gentlefriends, I say... Never flinch Never fear And never ever forget. ...more |
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none
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1
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Sep 03, 2019
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Sep 08, 2019
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Aug 13, 2019
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Hardcover
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| 1250313198
| 9781250313195
| 4.28
| 6,189
| Sep 10, 2019
| Sep 10, 2019
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really liked it
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If you're a fan of Nevernight and experiencing a giant hole after finishing Darkdawn, then you'll need to pick this up and fill that gap with some
If you're a fan of Nevernight and experiencing a giant hole after finishing Darkdawn, then you'll need to pick this up and fill that gap with some more dark fantasy. The entire story read like you're watching an anime. It was like Soul Eater plus Tokyo Ghoul and Assassination Classroom and any other horror/humor anime there's out there. I absolutely ate it up with a giant freaking spoon! I love me some dark humor and some dark fantasy and this delivers both. The story follows Gideon Nav, a young orphan who's lived in the Ninth House for her entire life and she's had enough. After hundreds of attempted escapes, Gideon thought she was finally close to leaving the wretched planet and enlisting as a solider to the bigger planetary system. However, Harrow, a young necromancer and Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House has other plans for her. Instead of letting Gideon go, she decides to enlist her as a cavalier, basically the muscle for each necromancer house. Once Gideon is assigned cavalier primary, she and Harrow travel to the First House where they'll meet representatives of the other houses and start their training to become Lyctors; the most powerful necromancers in the world. Of course, the honor isn't just handed to them. There are tricks and twists within the First House all leading to this ultimate power. Ok, so that basically gives you some insight into how the book starts, but I won't be going into the story's details because it might be too spoiler-y. Gideon the Ninth was an 800-page novel cleverly disguised as a 400-page novel. This book is DENSE filled with heavy character development and massive action sequences. The story starts off sprinting and that's where I found it to be the most confusing and eventually became a running theme to this novel for me. Tamsyn Muir kept her cards very close to the chest being careful not to reveal too many secrets and surprises until the end. While I did scratched my head for a lot of the book, I also spent a good deal wanting to know more. I love books like this because there's so much missing that you know will eventually show up so you keep reading and the world reveals itself to you. The downside to this method is that you might get some impatient readers who can't wait until page 300 to get to the point. But as the story unfolds and more info is revealed, you start to see the twisted and demented world Tamsyn Muir invented here. What Tamsyn Muir packs into this book is enough for probably the entire series, but we're only dealing with the first book! Aside from issues with the writing style, the rest of the story is fantastic. I think what really sells this book is how many surprises it can give you and the characters themselves. Gideon is probably my favorite character ever just because she was so direct. She didn't know something, she asked. She got the gist of the situation, she started fighting. She had the weirdest things to say and to be honest, it felt like I was hearing myself speak. Harrow was also a great character and her dynamic relationship with Gideon felt like two sisters who've been fighting each other forever. It felt natural and I loved it. Overall, a brilliant story with some amazing characters and a very strong start to a new bold series. This isn't a scary book. There are horrors here, but nothing that will creep up on you and freak you out. But it is a dark fantasy with a lot of bones and blood and sinewy, so please be cautious if you're not into that. If you like fantasy stories that are wildly imaginative and action sequences where the fighters are ruthless, then you'll love this story. I can't wait to see the second installment! ...more |
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1
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Oct 13, 2019
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Oct 16, 2019
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Aug 13, 2019
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 038554121X
| 9780385541213
| 4.15
| 10,030
| Nov 05, 2019
| Nov 05, 2019
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really liked it
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Once upon a time there was a sea filled with endless possibilities, sweeping sagas, and stories; so many stories. But one day something happened to
Once upon a time there was a sea filled with endless possibilities, sweeping sagas, and stories; so many stories. But one day something happened to the sea leaving it stuck with stories but no endings. People thought this to be a scary change in the sea of possibility and decided to close the doors to its beautiful world. However, the sea is always trying to finish its stories. Then Zachary Ezra Rawlings showed up. The Starless Sea follows Zachary Ezra Rawlings. For all intents and purposes, he's your average grad student writing his thesis on video games and how they relate to stories. One day, he finds himself reading through the fiction section of his university library when he comes across a strange book called Sweet Sorrows. Curious to its contents, he checks the book out only to find one of the stories to be a memory of his when he was a kid; a moment where he encountered a painted door in the alleyway near his mother's fortune telling store. A moment where he wished he opened that door, but never did and then the next day, it was gone. He couldn't believe a book that looks older than him has a story about him in it. Keeping that in mind, he investigates further only to find himself at a posh literary party in Manhattan. From there, he dives deeper into a world filled with magic and fantasy revealing something much bigger than he imagined from a book. But Zachary isn't the only person who knows about the Starless Sea. There are others; those trying to protect the sea and others welcoming newcomers like Zachary to enter and create new stories. The protectors have been destroying doors like the one Zachary encountered as a kid. The others continue to paint them. But the real battle is not between those with varying belief systems. The real fight is with the sea itself. OMG I'm shook. I can already see how this book will be loved by many and disliked by others. It's not an easy book with a level of cerebral writing that will leave you scratching your head. But, if you give it a chance then it will reward you. This book is a combination of Alice in Wonderland and The Neverending Story and all the books where characters stumble down into these magical worlds beyond their average day. However, the difference in this story is that Zachary stumbles into his own story. If you're a fan of magical worlds and destiny, then this is the book for you. Erin Morgenstern's really outdone herself with this one creating a place more beautiful than The Night Circus. It's completely different from The Night Circus, but the world built is something I would have never imagined. With complex prose and tons of imagery, you will most definitely get lost in this world because I got lost in it. I will be honest that I was so confused by what was going on most of the time. At the halfway point, I almost considered DNF-ing the book because nothing had happened and nothing was explained. There's a lot of details still missing and some of the jumping between stories really made it difficult to keep track of what was going on. The detailed descriptions of some passages made the book much slower than it already was. You leave the book with more questions than you started with and that's never a good feeling. However, because I've read Erin Morgenstern's work before, I kept on reading because I knew there would be a bigger reason for everything she was handing us and there truly was. I'm so glad that I did because despite the ending not giving me all the answers, it was completely unimaginable and a level of fantasy I've never read before. If anything, you need to let go of everything you understand about a good story. You have to let Erin Morgenstern guide you. Put your hand in hers. Close your eyes and let her take you on this magical journey. Take it slowly. Read the pages and really read the words. You won't finish the book knowing everything happening, but there's enough there to have an understanding and she's built a world you just can't forget. And while I sat completely confused the entire time I was reading, I was so intrigued. I continued reading because I wanted to know what the Starless Sea was. I wanted to know where Sweet Sorrows came from and learn about Fate and Time. Like I said before, you'll finish this book with not a lot more info on what happened, but you get the idea and the idea is gorgeous. Seriously, it's the magic you wish you can see in the real world. It's that letter to Hogwarts finally making it to your door. It's being imbued with magic powers on your 16th birthday. It's everything I've ever dreamed of happening to me when I was a little kid (and tbh, as an adult); entering a world where the impossible is possible and magic is most definitely real and here to create your own story for you. I think in the end, the story is this: Magic is everywhere. Stories are everywhere. Once one story ends, another begins. You just have to be the type of person willing to see the seams of it in the reality of the world. I honestly feel like Erin Morgenstern's approach was to allow the reader to imagine the world and become a part of the story as well. One piece of advice? After you finish reading the book, reread the story from the beginning that Dorian tells Zachary. The one about Fate falling in love with Time. After you finish reading the book, the story makes much more sense. So is it worth the hype? Overall, a beautiful story but I can see a lot of people either DNFing the book or not liking it in the end. It's high concept for sure, but it'll leave you breathless at the end. Proceed with that in mind, but if I can encourage you, please read this whole book. This goes double if you love the world of magic that books brings to your life. I received a copy of this book from Doubleday for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author ...more |
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Oct 27, 2019
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Oct 29, 2019
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Aug 06, 2019
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Hardcover
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| 4.35
| 2,531
| Jun 04, 2019
| Jun 04, 2019
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it was amazing
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Since I can't speak to this book as well as someone who's lived this life, I'm sharing a few reviews I've read on Goodreads for you. I hope this helps
Since I can't speak to this book as well as someone who's lived this life, I'm sharing a few reviews I've read on Goodreads for you. I hope this helps bring more understanding, but I encourage everyone to read this book. It made me cry and made me think and really made me want to read whatever Abdi Nazemian publishes next. Book Reviews by Own Voices (pulled from Goodreads) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Where do I even begin? I started this book on Thursday and ended up spending almost my entire Friday reading it. I couldn't put it down and I just wanted to read more. The story is about three kids, Reza, Judy, and Art. Reza is a newly minted American by way of Toronto and Tehran. In Iran, being gay wasn't something people knew anything about. All Reza knew is that he liked boys. That's it. But the moment he steps off the plane in Toronto and sees the headlines, the first thing he sees is news about AIDS. He sees that it's affecting the gay communities. He ingrains in himself that being gay means getting AIDS and dying a horrible death. So when he first starts going to school and meets Judy and Art for the first time, he denies the emotions he feels for Art and dates Judy instead. Of course everything comes out. Judy finds out about Reza. Reza shares his real feelings for Art. Judy hates Art for betraying their friendship and dating someone she had feelings for. Then they make up and become friends again at the end of the novel. But to say that that is the gist of the novel wouldn't be doing it justice. The book is richly complex sharing the history of the LGBTQ community in New York City during the height of the AIDS crisis. It was absolutely brilliant. Abdi's writing is subtle and easy to read. It's a YA, so the book does carry its tropes but it doesn't get in the way of the powerful messages coming across. I absolutely love how Abdi chose to show you how AIDS affects his characters, side characters like Stephen and Jimmy were the faces of the epidemic and this book wouldn't have been good without them. Judy's uncle, Stephen, has AIDS. His partner died from the disease. His friends keep dying from the disease and slowly he'll find himself in that same position. Every piece of media I've exposed myself to regarding the AIDS era has moved me in some way. Mostly because watching the devastation of thousands of innocent people die from a terrible disease will make you question things. Things like "why didn't anyone do anything sooner?" "Why did we make it difficult for them?" "Why did they all have to die in such a painful and completely undeserved way?" But from everything I've watched or read be it RENT or Philadelphia or Paris is Burning or Angels in America, I also learned that people can transcend. Which is what I think about when I think of Uncle Stephen and his causes in this book. He was dying. He was watching his friends and loved ones die. He saw his partner die. Throughout it all, he demanded justice. He fought for what was right and if I could go back in time and be a bit older than I was at the time (I was 4), I would have fought too. He saw less of himself as a dying man, but as a dying man who will use every ounce of energy and breath in his body to fight for cheaper drugs, better testing, and more drugs. The story is also about sexual identity. Reza dates Judy to hide himself from everyone. He was so afraid of himself and somehow catching AIDS that he tried to push that deep down. That particular shame was probably the most interesting point in this novel especially as a YA book. I've read books Simon vs The Homo-sapiens Agenda and in that book, coming out almost feels magical. But this book felt real. Obviously, I can't talk to this subject because I'm cis-gendered female, but I hope people read Like a Love Story and can see a part of themselves and their own personal journeys within Reza and Art. But I think the most important thing this book is about is love. Love for yourself. Love for others. Love for people you may not fully understand but you accept them and love them for who they are. Love for Madonna! Love for your family. Love for the family you make. If you gather anything from this novel, it's that love is the key. As quoted in the book "hate is just fear in drag." I received a copy of this book from BookSparks for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author. ...more |
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Aug 2019
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Aug 02, 2019
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Aug 01, 2019
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| 0062691988
| 9780062691989
| 4.17
| 4,653
| Jul 30, 2019
| Jul 30, 2019
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really liked it
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While I didn't like this one as much as I loved Wicked and the Wallflower, I still loved it. It's the story about Hattie, a 29-year-old spinster who While I didn't like this one as much as I loved Wicked and the Wallflower, I still loved it. It's the story about Hattie, a 29-year-old spinster who has made it her mission to finally tie up the loose ends in her life and start the next year owning her own business with no husband tying her down. That is, until she meets Whit, a Barknuckle Bastard of Covent Garden, who's shipping business works outside the docks Hattie's family owns. But when Hattie goes to resolve one of her loose ends (her virginity), she finds Whit as the willing partner and they agree that he'll take her virginity if she can pay him back for some goods her brother lost. I'm a little biased when it comes to this series because I fell in love with it immediately. Reading the second book in the series, I'm happy to report that this book was so good until the very end. The action/adventure feeling with a group of folks who grow up in the streets meeting young people within the ton; I love it. It meets all my requirements for a good adventure and romance story. The best part was finding out more between Whit, Devil, and Ewan. This book dives a little bit into what the first one covered, but with detail. Whit is a chatty Cathy and had no problems divulging his sordid life and that brought a lot of color to the book. I think this book also sets up the final book (which I'm already putting on hold at my library). The only flaws I really saw were that the sex scenes were long. Like take your time, light some candles, drink some wine, and play around for a bit before the big show long. And I'm not against long sex scenes per se, but it felt like it took up a big portion of this book. I also noticed that Hattie didn't really do much to do the four things she planned: business, fortune, home, future. It almost seemed like the main concern she had was losing her virginity above everything else. She didn't hold up her end of the bargain either when it came to repaying Whit for his help in that department. Other than that, such a good and quick read. I somehow finished this book in two days and I'm surprised by that, but the conversations move quickly, not a lot else is explained within this world, and the balls they attended were fun! ...more |
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1
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Sep 11, 2019
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Sep 13, 2019
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Aug 01, 2019
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ebook
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| 1524738174
| 9781524738174
| 3.65
| 5,110
| Oct 08, 2019
| Oct 08, 2019
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liked it
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I'm a sucker for vampires. LOL, get my joke? No, but seriously. If it's got vampires in it, I'll probably read it, watch it, consume it. Vampires are
I'm a sucker for vampires. LOL, get my joke? No, but seriously. If it's got vampires in it, I'll probably read it, watch it, consume it. Vampires are literally my favorite mythical beings in literature. And there's been this sad void of vampires for a few years now. There was that period of time when Stephenie Meyer was writing those Twilight novels and there was a surge of vampire-related material, but nothing good has come out lately. So when Renee Ahdieh wrote a vampire novel, I was all over it. The Beautiful follows Celine Rousseau, a young seamstress who just made her way to New Orleans from Paris to escape her past and find herself a bright future. She lives in a convent with a few other girls when they meet "The Court of Lions," an underground group that runs gambling and drinking throughout the city. Its leader, Sebastien Saint Germaine, is a young dude whom everyone calls "The Phantom" because of the mysterious deaths behind his family. When Celine becomes friends with Sebastien and other members of the group, the first body is found only to be revealed as one of the girls Celine made her way to America with. As more mysterious deaths happen around Celine, the truth reveals to be a much more twisted story. I marked this one as a 3, but my feelings are more 3.5. I don't want to give it 4-stars wholeheartedly, but I also know this book wasn't terrible. It was good with a lot of potential for a great vampire series. Maybe it's because this was the first book in the series, but it felt a little messy without a sense of direction and the writing style felt too YA for me. I also agreed with a lot of the reviews my friends wrote. The pacing felt off and the first half of the book didn't really pull me into the story until the very first body was found. The book didn't really feel like it was set in the late 19th century either. There were a lot of descriptions on dresses and clothing, but dresses don't make a historical novel. Also, there was a lot of switching between languages. I think I clocked maybe four different languages used including Korean, French, Greek, and Spanish. While I'm a fan of diversity in writing and really loved seeing that in the faces of the characters, it was so hard to read dialogue when half of it is in French and all you have is what you learned in high school. The book's synopsis boasts three major parts to the story; a mystery shrouded in fantasy and a sultry romance. Let's make sure we check off all the things before we move on: Fantasy: ...shaky but I'll give this one a check Mystery: Check Romance: ....ehhhhhhh Seriously, I was most disappointed in the romance aspect because for the first half of the book, nothing happens. Yeah, you see Bastien and Celine and they have these subtle conversations and possibly holding back their true feelings, but you don't really get romance off their friendship. But then they're declaring their love for each other and Bastien's uncle is warning Celine to keep away from him because she's not a right match. It felt sudden and almost out of place. When the romance started to pick up, then it felt like I was watching a Korean drama with the wealthy 3rd generation grandson that's about to inherit the entire conglomerate who falls in love with the poor yet feisty woman who changes his perspective on everything. I'm all about Korean dramas and their tropes, but it came so late in the book that it almost doesn't make sense by the time the book was over. The fantasy elements (and this is where I'm talking about the vampire lore) was shaky. I felt like I got fed pieces of lore, but not enough to actually understand the background. It wasn't enough to really build the world Renee Ahdieh wanted to build here. I'm not sure if she's going off the Anne Rice-level of vampire or if she's going to build her own vampire universe, but it felt like I got two pieces of chicken in a giant bucket and now I have to wait for the next book for more. I wanted to read this book because it said there were vampires and I did get vampires, but definitely not enough. I think the best elements of the book were its mystery/suspense components. Having the mysterious deaths happening around Celine and no one knowing who's behind it made finding out the culprit so worth the read. Reading the suspense parts and the murders made the vampire elements of this story feel more real. While I've read Twilight and know the whole sparkly vampire thing, I'm more of a fan of Anne Rice's vampire legacy or Charlaine Harris with the Sookie Stackhouse novels (both of which take place in Louisiana, how funny!) In my honest opinion, I feel like Renee Ahdieh held herself back. A lot of what I read felt like I was reading a contemporary YA and less like this suspenseful fantasy story with vampires. I feel like if this was more adult then we would get the sultry romance and the pretty gruesome mystery and a whole lot more vampires to fill that vampire void we've been missing. I guess I'll just have to wait for Jay Kristoff's vampire book for that. I received a copy of this book from Penguin Teen for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author. ...more |
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1
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Sep 14, 2019
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Sep 17, 2019
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Jul 24, 2019
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Hardcover
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| 0765392100
| 9780765392107
| 3.86
| 1,079
| Sep 24, 2019
| Sep 24, 2019
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liked it
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I went into this one with high hopes. Time travel where women go into the past and make changes that benefit all women of the future, men who can't
I went into this one with high hopes. Time travel where women go into the past and make changes that benefit all women of the future, men who can't stand that their privileges of owning and manipulating women want to go back and "set things straight" plus tons of representation that feels natural and not put on in anyway? Sign me the eff up. And while I did get all the things I mentioned above, the book didn't really work out as well as I was hoping. It became complicated and sometimes convoluted creating a middling experience than one that you can cheer about. The story is a little complicated to explain, so I'll try my best to do that here. Let's first start off with the time travel. In this book, time travel has existed for as long as the world has been in existence. They are several machines located in various parts of the world in these weird rock formations. Apparently these rock formations are the gateway to wormholes that let you travel solo to the past. Tess is a cultural geologist working at UCLA to teach about time travel and how it works. In her little group called the Daughters of Harriet (Tubman), they are working to travel back in time and edit events to encourage more women's rights. However, an all-male group is working to reverse that giving men rights over women. But Tess's group has other plans to head all the way back to when the time machines were first discovered (before recorded time) and stop this group of men from ruining the future of women forever. Meanwhile, Tess is also struggling with some personal moments of her own past. And while she's working to improve women's rights and stop this radical men's group, she's also editing her own timeline for the sake of an old friend. First off, let's talk about the time travel bit. While I get that time travel existed forever and these two groups are working to edit the timeline, I felt like this wasn't fleshed out as well as I wanted it to be. When it comes to time travel stories, you need to be super clear on how it works. If you think about any time travel story, there's always a moment where the narrator or MC explains how time travel works, how it affects the future, butterfly effects, paradoxes, etc. These are things you always consider when it comes to time travel and to be honest, I feel like Annalee Newitz didn't really explain this well. I was muddling through my own personal understanding of time travel through the other stories I've read in the past and what I've seen on TV, but you really need to be clear on how this works otherwise you're going to have audience members be so confused by what's going on. And I feel like they were trying to explain how time travel worked in this world through complicated theory that even one of the characters couldn't understand. If the character is having a hard time understanding time travel in their own world, then the reader isn't going to be confused as well. It wasn't so hard that you're scratching your head and just turned off by it, but it was enough to kind of spoil the experience as a reader. If that makes sense. Secondly, I was confused by Beth's story. I mean, for the most part I was rooting for Beth and I wanted her to have the best and I wanted her future to be as bright as any other character you develop emotions for. However, the ending of her story really confused me and then its incorporation into the rest of the story really didn't make sense. For all intents and purposes, I can kind of see where Annalee Newitz was going with it, but the more I think about it, the more I kept on trying to understand why. Overall, there was a lot of potential here for an amazing pro-fem story, but I feel like the logistics and minor details got in the way of that for me. I did love their writing style and kind of want to try out something else from Annalee Newitz in the future. I thought that there was a lot of creativity in this story and really breathes into the real world issues that we're facing everyday. I loved the representation and how there were all the faces of women nowadays there amongst the pages. I just wish the sci-fi portions were a little more built out and I wanted to understand the characters and their existence in this world a little bit more. ...more |
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1
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Sep 21, 2019
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Sep 22, 2019
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Jul 24, 2019
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Hardcover
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| 0062958461
| 9780062958464
| 3.97
| 9,168
| Oct 29, 2018
| Sep 10, 2019
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really liked it
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I can't think of this book's title without thinking about the song written by Simple Minds. However, the song and the book have nothing in common
I can't think of this book's title without thinking about the song written by Simple Minds. However, the song and the book have nothing in common aside from its title. I picked up this book from Netgalley a few months back when I still had a Netgalley account and requesting books like a fiend. But after finishing a fantasy trilogy with pretty heavy themes, I wanted to read something lighter to cleanse the palate and since Don't You Forget About Me was coming out, I figured I'll give it a shot. Friends, this book was exactly what I was looking for. Let's talk some more about it. Don't You Forget About Me is about Georgina Horspool, a 30-year-old waitress who just got let go from yet another service position for showing a small amount of empathy towards a customer. And if matters couldn't get worse, she heads to her boyfriend's house only to catch him en flagrante with another woman. Desperate for some money to make rent, Georgina takes a job as a bartender for a wake only to see her first love from high school, Lucas. Funnily, Lucas just doesn't remember her! As you can tell, the hilarity of that ensues. The story itself read like Bridget Jones' Diary. It wasn't exactly a romance even though there were a few romantic themes, but with Georgie's group of friends and the guys that she's involved with definitely gave the same Bridget Jones vibes. It also helps that it takes place in the UK and uses a lot of idioms. I had to look up a few words because they were foreign to me. But language aside, I really liked this story. It's a slow burning life story of a young woman coming to terms with what's happened to her in the past, what's happening in her present, and if she'll be okay for the future. And while it was a slow burn, it was filled with so many amazing one-liners specifically around her therapy and her basically thinking through her past and feelings. It's incredible to see the nuance of her brain and how she thinks because it's how all of us think sometimes. I didn't anticipate this book to be so thought-provoking and challenging for Georgina. I thought this would be another easy love story, but as the themes started to reveal themselves you get the sense that this is much bigger than the cute book cover and the clever title. And when you finally see Lucas remember Georgina, it's like the icing on top of the cake. Even the ending surprised me in its direction. I wasn't expecting the last 50 pages to go the way it did and even Lucas and Georgina's eventual joining was a surprise and it really made my heart flutter for them. Overall, a really great story with a funny author and some serious themes. It's definitely one you want to read if you need something light, but don't expect it all to be fluff. I look forward to reading other books by Mhairi McFarlane in the future! I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author. ...more |
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1
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Sep 08, 2019
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Sep 10, 2019
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Jul 24, 2019
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Paperback
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| 125031285X
| 9781250312853
| 4.19
| 18,588
| Aug 27, 2019
| Aug 27, 2019
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it was amazing
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None
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Sep 24, 2019
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Sep 24, 2019
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Jul 24, 2019
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Hardcover
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| 1501188771
| 9781501188770
| 3.98
| 48,032
| Aug 06, 2019
| Aug 06, 2019
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liked it
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I became a late fan of Ruth Ware's after reading The Death of Mrs. Westaway, so I picked up this one as well. Sadly, the ends didn't make the means
I became a late fan of Ruth Ware's after reading The Death of Mrs. Westaway, so I picked up this one as well. Sadly, the ends didn't make the means for me. The Turn of the Key starts off with Rowan. She's currently imprisoned for the murder of a little girl that she was taking care of. It then launches into Rowan's story of how she came to meet this little girl and what happened. She recently landed a job as a live-in nanny with the Elincourts and their beautiful home in the Scottish highlands. Their home is bedecked with the latest technology making their house the Happy Home that takes care of everything from building grocery shopping lists to opening the front door. Immediately after interviewing with the Elincourts, she gets the job and heads on her way up to Scotland and live with this family. However, the moment she gets there, the girls she's nannying tell her that there's ghosts and a mysterious girl who was murdered by the previous owner. Nervous about the rumors, Rowan starts to hear footsteps above her head, things go strangely out of place, and the girls don't help with figuring out the truth. But as the scary noises and bumps in the night persists, Rowan starts to investigate what is causing these problems to finally find who the real killer is. The whole book is written as a giant letter to a lawyer Rowan would like to represent her and her case. In these letters, she divulges everything to him including how this little girl ended up dying. I thought that reading letters from someone would create an unreliable narrator, but that's the least of this book's issues. First off, it's incredibly slow. I've read Ruth Ware before and I know that she's a slow burner. She loves to suspend that thrill all the way until the very end, but I found myself really frustrated about 75% in the book and seeing that not much has happened. She does include her little hints and suspenseful moments to keep you going, but I think that if you're really invested in the story and you want to know how the little girl died, then it'll be motivation enough to read until the end. That said, I was not happy about the ending. I don't want to talk too much about this because I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but let's just say that when the truth was finally revealed, I yelled "WAIT WHAT?!" My husband was so concerned by my reaction he stepped out of the other room and asked me if everything was okay. No, everything wasn't okay. On those two points alone, I felt like I could give this 2 stars, but after the shock of my initial reaction wore down I thought some more on this and realized some things. First off, I really liked how Ruth Ware just straight up messed with us. You have to give her props for leading you in one direction and then sidelining you so hard you didn't even see it coming. Secondly, the suspense was incredible. Honestly, I was on the edge of my seat with every little nugget Ruth Ware gave us. While you can probably get upset with the extensive drawn out descriptions of their daily life, those pockets of information and the closer Rowan got to the truth really had me biting my nails. The atmospheric suspense made you really feel like you were there experiencing everything alongside Rowan. So where does that leave me with my review? Well, in the middle. When I think about this book on some levels it was amazing. On other levels, it could definitely use with more editing. But when I think about the overall experience, I did read till the end. Ruth Ware did get my heart rate up and I did want to know what happened. It might have been a middle-of-the-road book for me, but it does have merits within it that made me finish the book. I received a copy of this book from Gallery Books for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author. ...more |
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1
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Aug 05, 2019
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Aug 08, 2019
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Jul 24, 2019
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Hardcover
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| 125020593X
| 9781250205933
| 4.07
| 2,955
| Sep 03, 2019
| Sep 03, 2019
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really liked it
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A friend of mine recommend this book to me months ago. She read it for work and told me that it was definitely going to be something I would really
A friend of mine recommend this book to me months ago. She read it for work and told me that it was definitely going to be something I would really enjoy. So, when I got the opportunity to pick up an ARC of the book, I grabbed it. After working with the publisher to give away two copies of the book, I decided it's a great opportunity to read and whoa. The results blew me away. Dominicana is the story of a young girl named Ana, who's about to embark to New York from the Dominican Republic to marry Juan, a man twice her age. The reason? For the opportunity to make money in the country that promises a lot of big dreams. However, the reality of the "American Dream" comes fraught with a husband who doesn't hesitate to hit her, who doesn't let her leave the house, who doesn't let her talk to anyone, who doesn't give her anything but sadness and a baby. And all along the way, her family asks for money to send home and help them out. So Ana begins to hustle selling suits, her home cooking, and doing small jobs from her little apartment while her baby continues to grow in her belly and Juan continues to mistreat her including sleeping with another woman. But when Juan hears about the turmoil in the Dominican Republic, he rushes off to defend his country leaving Ana alone with his younger brother, Cesar. What Cesar provides to Ana is everything she wanted with Juan; nights at the movies, working together, going to Coney Island, eating a hot dog, and the security of someone who can navigate the twisted American streets. What Cesar provides is exactly what Ana wants including a loving companion and when Juan finally returns from his trip, she has to decide if she wants to run away with Cesar or stay at home with her husband. When I was reading this at first, I thought this had a lot of the same feelings I had for A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum. But as you continue on, you find that this book is much more complex than just a woman struggling to find her voice in her family. The story takes place over the span of a year during the 1960s right at the height of the Vietnam War, Malcolm X's death, and around the time 42,000 US Marines are sent to the Dominican Republic to avoid another Cuba happening. Angie Cruz does a great job incorporating a little of this into her book, but with a lot of subtly. It was interesting to include this especially when Juan decides to go down to the Dominican to help. It would have been nice to have this incorporated more into the book, but I can also see how that would deter the reader from the main story. Also, I don't fault fiction authors for leaving information out. That's just up to the reader to look up later. The biggest theme in this whole book is the American Dream. I found it so great that no matter what gets thrown at Ana, she just dusts herself off and creates a new dream for herself. Right before she left the Dominican, she and her family plans on how she'll go to school in America, then send for some people to continue making money, and eventually getting her whole family to America. Each time her plans fail, she makes up a new plan on how she'll prosper in this world. When I think about it, this is what we do all the time. We make big plans, try to bring them to fruition, and while we get knocked down by our circumstances or some third-party fails us, we continue to dream about the next thing that'll get our families into America and hope for the best. I really love the scenes where Ana’s age is obvious. For the entire book, she's 15 years old. In some situations, she's beholden to the "wife" role her mother put on her. She cleans the entire house. She cooks all the meals. She listens to her husband. But then there are moments where her age is apparent. She'll be wearing Juan's suits dancing around the house and mimicking him. She'll listen to music on the radio so loud that the neighbor downstairs knocks on the floor for silence. She even feeds Juan a pigeon she catches on her windowsill just to see if he'll get food poisoning. I love that Angie Cruz incorporates this into the story. I feel like a lot of times in these stories, the teenager ages way beyond their years because their situation forces them to. While this is happening for Ana, I love that she's able to keep a little part to herself. It also reinforces the fact that all these terrible things are happening to a kid. Ana is someone you want to look out for because no one is really looking out for her. Angie Cruz's writing style also needs to be mentioned. While peppered with fragmented sentence structures and no quotations over the dialogue, I felt like it really embodied Ana and her youth. She's young and the writing reads that way, but it also has a sense of maturity you don't see in YA. The phrasing and word choices really make you think you're reading from Ana's mind and that immersion ties together her youth, her vulnerability, and her strength extremely well. The last thing I want to mention is how desperate Ana is to find someone who will stay with her. Being alone in a country where she barely speaks the preferred language and with a husband that treats her poorly, she clings to the people she encounters. From Juan's clients to her ESL teacher, she's always looking for a kind hand to spend her days with. It's obvious that she does feel something for Cesar especially since he's such a kind person, but when she finally has her baby, she sees who's the most important person that she knows she can rely on. I received a copy of this book from Flatiron Books for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author. ...more |
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Jul 20, 2019
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Jul 29, 2019
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Jul 20, 2019
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Hardcover
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| 3.51
| 3,201
| Apr 30, 2019
| Apr 30, 2019
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liked it
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None
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Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 17, 2019
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Jul 19, 2019
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Jul 17, 2019
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Kindle Edition
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my rating |
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| 4.33
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really liked it
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Nov 30, 2019
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Nov 26, 2019
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| 3.99
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really liked it
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Nov 22, 2019
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Nov 20, 2019
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| 4.09
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really liked it
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Nov 23, 2019
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Nov 18, 2019
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| 3.93
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it was amazing
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Nov 12, 2019
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Nov 10, 2019
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| 4.07
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it was amazing
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Nov 09, 2019
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Nov 05, 2019
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| 4.06
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it was amazing
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Nov 04, 2019
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Nov 03, 2019
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| 4.21
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really liked it
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Oct 22, 2019
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Oct 20, 2019
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| 3.38
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liked it
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Oct 19, 2019
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Oct 16, 2019
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| 3.68
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really liked it
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Sep 26, 2019
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Sep 23, 2019
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| 3.55
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liked it
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Sep 20, 2019
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Sep 17, 2019
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| 3.92
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it was ok
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Sep 14, 2019
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Sep 13, 2019
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| 4.03
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really liked it
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Nov 19, 2019
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Sep 03, 2019
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| 4.12
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really liked it
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Nov 03, 2019
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Sep 03, 2019
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| 4.23
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really liked it
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Sep 29, 2019
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Sep 01, 2019
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| 4.57
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really liked it
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Sep 2019
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Aug 27, 2019
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| 4.41
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it was amazing
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Oct 03, 2019
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Aug 25, 2019
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| 4.16
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really liked it
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Oct 12, 2019
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Aug 25, 2019
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| 4.31
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it was amazing
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Aug 21, 2019
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Aug 18, 2019
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| 4.42
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really liked it
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Sep 08, 2019
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Aug 13, 2019
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| 4.28
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really liked it
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Oct 16, 2019
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Aug 13, 2019
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| 4.15
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really liked it
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Oct 29, 2019
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Aug 06, 2019
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| 4.35
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it was amazing
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Aug 02, 2019
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Aug 01, 2019
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| 4.17
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really liked it
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Sep 13, 2019
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Aug 01, 2019
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| 3.65
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liked it
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Sep 17, 2019
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Jul 24, 2019
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| 3.86
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liked it
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Sep 22, 2019
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Jul 24, 2019
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| 3.97
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really liked it
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Sep 10, 2019
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Jul 24, 2019
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| 4.19
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it was amazing
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Sep 24, 2019
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Jul 24, 2019
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| 3.98
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liked it
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Aug 08, 2019
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Jul 24, 2019
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| 4.07
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really liked it
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Jul 29, 2019
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Jul 20, 2019
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| 3.51
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liked it
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Jul 19, 2019
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Jul 17, 2019
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