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130
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Mar 24, 2017
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Mar 24, 2017
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Mar 24, 2019
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Kindle Edition
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| 3.82
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really liked it
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1.) The Final Empire ★★★★★ 2.) The Well of Ascension ★★★ 3.) The Hero of Ages ★★★★ 3.5) Secret History ★★★★★ This is a prequel story to the Mistborn serie 1.) The Final Empire ★★★★★ 2.) The Well of Ascension ★★★ 3.) The Hero of Ages ★★★★ 3.5) Secret History ★★★★★ This is a prequel story to the Mistborn series! It’s very short, but I absolutely loved the story. And, to be completely honest, I love seeing anything that stars Kelsier! This story centers around a man named Gemmel who is teaching Kelsier to use his Mistborn powers. And his powers are eventually put to the test when he is required to fight another Mistborn who is up to some no-good deeds. Again, this story obviously takes place before the events in The Final Empire, where Kelsier is already a confirmed badass with his powers. And just seeing Kelsier’s dynamic with his Allomantic teacher, who is obviously talking to someone who plays a much bigger part in this trilogy, brought such a smile to my face the entire time while reading. (I read this in Brandon Sanderson's Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection!) Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch ...more |
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Dec 29, 2017
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Dec 29, 2017
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ebook
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120
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| 3.81
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| Nov 15, 2017
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did not like it
| “It’s been three years. Three years since he walked out of my house and never came back. Three years since I’ve so much as heard his voice. Th “It’s been three years. Three years since he walked out of my house and never came back. Three years since I’ve so much as heard his voice. Three years since I’ve been pining for a boy who was never even mine.” Okay, I really don’t want to write up a long review for this, because I’m still suffering from the impact of giving another popular NA title a one star review that everyone else loves, but all I see is problematic content! So anyways, I’m going to try to keep this review short and just highlight the huge problem I had with this story. I was very uncomfortable with the ages of the love interests in this book. For the majority of the book they are seventeen and twenty-one. They have explicit sex (most of which is voyeurism), and they leave the state with each other, but they never discuss how she isn’t eighteen yet. This just completely stunted my enjoyed for this book. And more importantly (and grossly), this book has a lot of flashbacks to them being young. And in the prologue, we get to see Briar as only fourteen-years-old trying to seduce Asher who was seventeen at the time. The author tries to make it look like the fourteen-year-old is the one throwing herself at the seventeen-year-old, but like, the seventeen-year-old still makes the fourteen-year-old orgasm. I don’t care if it wasn’t an orgasm through penetration, I can’t be reading this kind of content. Then, Asher is forced to leave the town they live in, and he forever blames Briar, because he thinks she was upset that he wouldn’t sleep with her. Now, Asher is on a mission to hate her forever upon his return when he is twenty-one. And, then when it comes out why he really got sent away, everyone is villainizing someone who was just trying to protect a fourteen-year-old. Honestly, this book was one of my most uncomfortable reading experiences yet. And I’m probably going to be put on some government list now, because I had to look up the age of consent in Arizona, where the majority of this book takes place, but: "In Arizona, the age of consent is 18 years old, according to Arizona Revised Statutes 13-1405." And I’m just like, why did none of her beta or proof readers tell her to just up the age to the main female protagonist so people would feel gross as hell reading this story? The ages just ruined this book for me, without question. If you guys are looking for a love to hate, sexy time book, where the characters are both younger, and the ages won’t skeeve you out, please pick up Punk 57, Bully, or Corrupt by Penelope Douglas. They are done so much better and so much more legal-feeling. Bad Habit? This should have been named Illegal Habit. Or at the least, Uncomfortable Habit, because I was the entire time reading. Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch ...more |
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Nov 18, 2017
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Nov 16, 2017
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127
| unknown
| 4.23
| 1,191
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| 2017
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it was amazing
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[image] Let’s be real, 2017 was kind of a garbage fire year for our world, but at least we had some good books! I had a pretty good reading year! I’m v [image] Let’s be real, 2017 was kind of a garbage fire year for our world, but at least we had some good books! I had a pretty good reading year! I’m very happy with the 130 books that I read, and I feel like with each year I get better and better at picking out books, and requesting ARCs, that I am confident I will at least enjoy, therefore, my average rating tends to get higher and higher. ➽ And thanks to the amazing Brock at Let's Read, here are some other statistics that I was able to gather from his amazing spreadsheet: [image] [image] [image] [image] [image] [image] [image] [image] [image] [image] [image] And if you’re interested, here is his spreadsheet for 2018! (File>make a copy for your use) ➽These are the five books that were published this year that were a tier above the rest. These five blew my mind, and expectations, out of the water. I truly believe these five are perfect books in every single way. And I personally recommend them with my entire heart, body, and soul. #5.) The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy #1) by Katherine Arden “Before the end, you will pluck snowdrops at midwinter, die by your own choosing, and weep for a nightingale.” This book taught me that girls can be anything they wish to be, no matter the expectations society, family, and everything else in this world puts on them. And to always surround yourself with people that accept you and believe in you. #4.) The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas “That's the problem. We let people say stuff, and they say it so much that it becomes okay to them and normal for us. What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?” This book taught the world that we want black stories, from black authors, with black casts, with black people on the covers… no matter how many old, racist, white dudes continue to get published. But this book taught me how much more work needs to be done, and how I need to do more to boost marginalized voices, and how the world needs to change and it can begin with me and our generation. #3.) Tyrant's Throne (Greatcoats #4) by Sebastien de Castell “From nothing we become men and women who write poems and wage wars and conceive of futures both wondrous and terrifying.” This book taught me that found families with unconditional love is the most powerful force in any world. And that friendship can heal wounds you never thought would stop bleeding. And that your past will never define you, or hinder you, from being good and kind and ultimately becoming the person you want to be. #2.) The Stone Sky (The Broken Earth #3) by N.K. Jemisin “But for a society built on exploitation, there is no greater threat than having no one left to oppress.” This book taught me to never stop moving forward, to always speak up, and help marginalized voices that need to be heard. And that we don’t get to choose how people love us. And how one voice can change the world. And that blood is only blood, and that we should spend our days with people who love us! And that we are always deserving of love. Always. No matter what. #1.) Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor “Sarai was seventeen years old, a goddess and a girl. Half her blood was human, but it counted for nothing. She was blue. She was godspawn. She was anathema. She was young. She was lovely. She was afraid.” This book reminded me why I love reading, and that books are magical, healing vessels. This book taught me that everyone has the right to change their future, and that we will never be our parent’s mistakes. And that we can rise up, and become so much more, and that all of our stories deserve to be told. And ultimately, you get to choose who is in your story. [image] These books mean a lot to me, and I feel so very thankful, privileged, and blessed that I was able to read them all this year. These books have all changed who I am as a person, and I will carry, pass them down, and sing their praises for my entire life. Books like this render me speechless to be honest, but I hope I did a decent job letting you guys know how much they mean, and will continue to mean, to me. ➽ And the rest of my favorite books published in 2017: [image] ✨The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo ✨Down Among the Sticks and Bones (Wayward Children, #2) by Seanan McGuire ✨Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor, #1) by Mark Lawrence ✨Kings of the Wyld (The Band, #1) by Nicholas Eames ✨Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore ✨Skullsworn (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne 0.5) by Brian Staveley ✨Godsgrave (The Nevernight Chronicle, #2) by Jay Kristoff ✨Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archive, #3) by Brandon Sanderson ➽ But my favorite book that I read in 2017 happened to be a 2018 title: ⚔The Cruel Prince by Holly Black! [image] ➽ My Top Five Least Favorite Books Published in 2017: 🙃 Into the Fire (Night Prince #4) by Jeaniene Frost 🙃 Raven's Mark: (The Raven Queen's Harem #1) by Angel Lawson 🙃 Blood Rose Rebellion (Blood Rose Rebellion #1) by Rosalyn Eves 🙃 The Ghostwriter by Alessandra Torre 🙃 Bad Habit (Bad Love #1) by Charleigh Rose ➽ My Top 18 Most Anticipated Releases of 2018: 🌟The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black - January 2nd, 2018 ★★★★★ 🌟Beneath the Sugar Sky (Wayward Children #3) by Seanan McGuire - January 9th, 2018 ★★★★★ 🌟Iron Gold (Red Rising Saga #4) by Pierce Brown - January 16th, 2018 🌟The Armored Saint (The Sacred Throne #1) by Myke Cole - February 20th, 2018 ★★★★★ 🌟Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston - February 27th, 2018 (I have an ARC!) 🌟Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha #1) by Tomi Adeyemi - March 6th, 2018 (I have an ARC!) 🌟High Voltage (Fever #10) by Karen Marie Moning - March 6th, 2018 🌟The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch #2) by Rin Chupeco - March 20th, 2018 (I have an ARC!) 🌟Dread Nation by Justina Ireland - April 3rd, 2018 ★★★★★ 🌟Circe by Madeline Miller - April 10th, 2018 🌟The Thief (Black Dagger Brotherhood #16) by J.R. Ward - April 10th, 2017 🌟Grey Sister (Book of the Ancestor #2) by Mark Lawrence April 19th, 2018 (I have an ARC!) 🌟Bloody Rose (The Band #2) by Nicholas Eames - April 26th, 2018 🌟Magic Triumphs (Kate Daniels #10) by Ilona Andrews - May 8th, 2018 🌟The Winter of the Witch (Winternight Trilogy #3) by Katherine Arden - August 14th, 2018 🌟Toil & Trouble: 16 Tales of Women & Witchcraft edit by Tess Sharpe - August 28th, 2018 🌟Blanca & Roja by Anna-Marie McLemore - October 9th, 2018 🌟The Muse of Nightmares (Strange the Dreamer #2) by Laini Taylor - No Date (If this gets pushed back until 2019 I’m actually going to be WEEPING for the rest of the new year!) ➽ And the highlight of my year on Goodreads and my blog was just connecting with so many amazing people who love to celebrate their love for reading. I love you all, but these people truly changed my life this year, and I just wanted to give them a special shout out and you should all follow them (if you’re not) to start your 2018 off right! 💗 Paloma became like my best friend this year, and our Snapchat streak is getting pretty intense. She’s beautiful, funny, my book twin, and gives me the best romance recommendations in the world. 💗 Elise was totally along for the ride with me and Destiny’s buddy reads, too! She’s my spider queen, my sapphic book recommender, my theater star, and I love her so much! 💗 Em is like becoming the biggest reviewer on Goodreads, so I hope she remembers me and my love for her when she’s famous. Also, she’s the number one person I go to when I gush over any book and we leave each other 100 messages back to back when we love a book, and she makes every book I read that she has already read 100 times better. 💗 Petrik completely buried himself inside my heart and my only wish is for him to move to the US immediately. Not only does he write the best reviews, read the best books, and shows me so much kindness, he also is one of the most talented people I’ve ever met. 💗 Mary completely just blatantly stole my heart and I hope she relocates to Vegas soon so we can be wed. Mary has helped me with so many reviews this year, while also doing some amazing buddy reads with me. She’s also the most beautiful person on Goodreads, but she’s also passionate, and intelligent, and honestly goals in every single way. 💗 Jules was honestly my buddy reading queen in 2017. I read so many books with her, and she made each and every one so much better. Also, we bonded over Nevernight and Godsgrave and now she can never leave me and she must read just as much with me in 2018! I don’t make the rules. 💗 Alexis is my newest book friend of 2017, but I’m completely obsessed with her opinions and content and her BookTube channel. I feel like I’ve known her way longer than I have, but I can’t wait to get to know her even more in 2018. Also, she’s adorable, funny, has amazing taste in everything, and is such a good kitty mom. 💗 Lilly is also a newer friend of mine this year, but I honestly can’t picture blogging without her now. Also, me and her have like every book in common and if my 2018 isn’t filled with buddy reads with her I’m just going to cry the entire year away. 💗 Chelsea is a confirmed angel that I was able to meet this year in person and it was honestly one if the highlights of 2017 for me. Not only is she gorgeous; she’s smart, funny, so kind, and is 100% my go-to for anything and everything Thriller! 💗 Sue completely makes Goodreads for me. She puts in more work than anyone else I know on this site, and is always so kind and giving. I couldn’t possibly make a list without giving her a shout out, because she does so much, and I can’t picture Goodreads without her. And thank you all for making my 2017 so great! I hope 2018 is filled with unconditional love and good health and happiness for you all! Oh, and a good book always! I’m so very grateful for each and every one of you who gush over books with me and show me so much kindness and friendship. From every molecule of my body, thank you. 💖 ➽ My 2016 Reading Challenge ➽ My 2015 Reading Challenge Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch ...more |
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1
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Jan 2017
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Dec 31, 2017
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Nov 12, 2017
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118
| 1481462369
| 9781481462365
| 1481462369
| 3.82
| 1,131
| unknown
| Jan 09, 2018
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liked it
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[image] ARC provided by Saga Press in exchange for an honest review. “We knew this day would come. We tried to warn the others. It was obvious e[image] ARC provided by Saga Press in exchange for an honest review. “We knew this day would come. We tried to warn the others. It was obvious either the sharp rate of our technological advancement would lead to the robot singularity claiming lordship over all, or that the fairies would finally grow tired of our reckless destruction of the natural world and take it back from us.” First off, this anthology has the best introduction I’ve ever read in maybe any book ever! It is actual perfection in every single way. Overall, I really, really, really enjoyed this! But it is a bit of a mixed bag, I do suppose! Some of these were so amazing, where others are ones that I will probably not remember or carry with me. But I do also believe there is something here for everyone to love, whether you are #TeamFairies or #TeamRobots! And even though most of you know that I am very much #TeamFairies, my personal favorite in the whole collection is a robot story! All the Time We've Left to Spend by Alyssa Wong is a masterpiece. This story is beautiful, haunting, and oh so heart-wrenching. I will carry it with me forever. I loved every single aspect of it. I think this story alone makes this anthology completely worth buying and worth reading this entire collection. One of my favorite short stories of all time. I'm going to break down each short story with my thoughts, opinions, and individual star rating! “We were always on your side. Unfortunately, half of the authors in this anthology chose poorly, but the other half always knew you would emerge triumphant.” Also: 🦋 = TEAM FAIRIES 🤖 = TEAM ROBOTS ➽ 🦋 BUILD ME A WONDERLAND by Seanan McGuire - ★★★★★ This story guys, this freakin’ story! Okay, we get to travel through an enchanted garden, a mermaid grotto, a pixie glen, and more during this amazing short story that is set in a magical theme park that makes you question everything. This was such a strong start to this collection, and proved that I’m Team Fairies forever. You guys all probably know that I love Seanan McGuire, but you probably don’t know that I also love Kobolds! From spending such a big chunk of my life leveling up humans in WoW, to being unnaturally excited for the new Hearthstone expansion, to falling even more in love with Kings of the Wyld because they were an amazing part of the story; I love Kobolds. And this story is perfection. ➽ 🤖 QUALITY TIME by Ken Liu - ★★★ This is story about a man who majored in folk lore, but is joining a very prestigious and innovative company in their robotics department. This company wants to break the mold and find solutions for what other companies deem impossible. Then comes the Vegnor; a rat-like robot that is marketed to every busy homeowner to take care of their pests and other small things. This is beautifully written, and really opens up a good discussion on how far we will eventually let technology advance and go. And more importantly: more technology isn’t always the best solution. ➽ 🦋 MURMURED UNDER THE MOON by Tim Pratt - ★★★★★ Oh my word, this was glorious queer book-loving fairy perfection! Emily has been working at a fairy library for two years, where she met her girlfriend who is part book. The fae princess that is in charge of the library is being manipulated by a mortal man, and it is up to Emily and a few fae folk to break the spell. This story also dabbles into the different fae courts, their weakness to iron, their glamour, and other things that warmed my heart and made the story shine with Tim Pratt’s obvious love for fairies. ➽ 🤖 THE BLUE FAIRY’S MANIFESTO by Annalee Newitz - ★★ This is a really smart story that weaves together robots and politics into a Pinocchio retelling! This tale centers in on a toy-shop, where many different kinds of robots are made. From anarchists, to pacifists, to socialists, we have a full range of different thinking mechanical beings, but it just didn’t work for me for some reason. Yet, it was so different that I’m happy it was a part of this collection. ➽ 🦋 BREAD AND MILK AND SALT by Sarah Gailey - ★★★ This was so very beautifully written, and very eerie, haunting, and just downright spooky. The first half of this story immersed me more than most things I’ve ever read. I couldn’t stop reading this tale. From giving the fae gifts of bread and milk and salt, to being bonded by blood, to becoming what you never expected, this story was so captivating. But for some reason the ending wasn’t satisfying enough for me. But her writing was enthralling, powerful, and evocative, I instantly went and bought River of Teeth. ➽ 🤖 IRONHEART by Jonathan Maberry - ★★★ This was a very sad story. Like, I cried while reading most of this one. But it wasn’t only sad, it was eerie, and haunting, and pretty powerful. We watch a young man who is forced to live a much different life than he was expecting. He lives on a farm with his loving grandparents, who can barely afford to make ends meet. And their farm is mostly run by robots that are out of date and dying. There is also a beautiful discussion on the military and how veterans are treated once they are home and have taken off their uniform. The author also brings up the healthcare crisis that we are all currently facing here in America. This was an expertly woven story, and I don’t think I’ll forget it anytime soon. ➽ 🦋 JUST ANOTHER LOVE SONG by Kat Howard - ★★ A banshee girl who sings of death meets a gancanagh boy who sings of love, while all the while other fae folk are coming up missing. I didn’t really enjoy this one, just because I thought it was rather predictable! But I did enjoy that there was a side character who was an agoraphobiac. ➽ 🤖 SOUND AND FURY by Mary Robinette Kowal - ★★★ Okay, at this point I am starting to feel like all the robot stories have important and relevant issues just woven into their tales. This is a science fiction story where a crew is taking a giant robot to a planet for reasons unknown. The short story quickly turns into a story about colonization and stripping cultures from Native people. It was pretty expertly done, and I’m so impressed that these short tales are making me feel so much. ➽ 🦋 THE BOOKCASE EXPEDITION by Jeffrey Ford - ★ Yikes, okay, I know this is going to sound harsh, but I just didn’t care about this story at all. A man is able to see tiny, small, fae folk around his home. He watches them explore the bookshelves, all while name dropping tons of different books and authors, and then he watches them fight both demons and spiders and anything else! This story was just not my cup of tea at all, unfortunately. ➽ 🤖 WORK SHADOW/SHADOW WORK by Madeline Ashby - ★★★★ I really, really enjoyed this. And this story really centers on the believing in something is very powerful. Naming something and loving something and putting your faith in something is more powerful than words. And this is a story about a robot assistant taking care of a semi-famous human, who many consider a witch, but who believes in fairies and elves and other magical creatures. I loved how this story incorporated both fairies and robots, and was just such a whimsical and beautiful tale about the power of believing in something with your whole heart. ➽ 🦋 SECOND TO THE LEFT, AND STRAIGHT ON by Jim C. Hines - ★★★★ This is, like, an alternate retelling of Peter Pan, but it’s set after the events of Peter Pan, and Tinker Bell is very much not dead. In fact, she and her “Found Girls” are a cult like group that steal little girls that are very much loved. You know, sort of the opposite of what Peter and the Lost Boys did. And we follow someone who is on a mission to save the most recent missing girl, and also to get closure for something personal. I feel like this may be a three star story, but the twist at the end was so damn good that I feel like it really deserved an extra star. Also, this was a really clever tale and I did really enjoy it. ➽ 🤖 THE BURIED GIANT by Lavie Tidhar - ★★★ I’m very torn on a three or four star rating for this one, just because I was so engaged while reading this. I couldn’t put it down. I also love how this not only celebrated robots and fairies, but it also had the unique aspect of a human wanting to be robotic. This is also a story about stories, where our main character is learning about a famous tale that has been passed down over time from both an Elder in his community and from his Grandmother. And the story is about what seems like one of the last human boys on Earth, living in a world that is now overrun by Robots, some of which who are hunting humans. This tale also hinted at a fuller length story about a two minor side characters and I am so here for it. I really enjoyed this one and I’m so happy to be introduced to this author from this anthology! ➽ 🤖 THREE ROBOTS EXPERIENCE OBJECTS LEFT BEHIND FROM THE ERA OF HUMANS FOR THE FIRST TIME by John Scalzi - ★ It pains me to give something by Jon Scalzi one star, but this just felt and read so lazy. Basically, three robots are discovering and discussing human items (balls, sandwiches, cats, and xbox) and wondering how humans used them. That’s it. This story tries way too hard to be funny, and then ends trying to pack an emotional punch about global warming and the climate crisis we are choosing to ignore right now. But it felt so bad when you’re trying to do this in six pages, and five of those are wasted on bad jokes. ➽ 🦋 OSTENTATION OF PEACOCKS by Delilah S. Dawson writing as Lila Bowen - ★★ Okay, this was a hard one for me, too. This is a western fairy story, and I just don’t think the combination really mixed well for me personally. Like, Billy the Kid makes an appearance in here! And then I felt a little hopeful, because I thought we were going to have a nonbinary character, but I don’t think that was the case, but it gave me the hope for it, then the letdown. But yeah, this is basically a story about a magical shapeshifter, who is trying to protect another shapeshifter (in possum form), who is being hunted by fairy men that disguise themselves as country humans. It was just… too far out there for me, I’m sorry. Also, please let me know if you were picking up on the gender fluid aspect, too! ➽ 🤖 ALL THE TIME WE’VE LEFT TO SPEND by Alyssa Wong - ★★★★★ Oh my word, this was utter and pure perfection. I will never forget this story, ever. This story is centered around an alternate future where we have realistic cyborg celebrity robots, who have many memories stored, working in pleasure hotels, where you can spend time with them for money. Our main protagonist, Ruriko, is obsessed with spending time with a kpop group that passed away ten years ago, while trying to learn all the information she can about their memories. This story is beautiful. This story is haunting. This story is oh so heart-wrenching. I loved this. I loved this so very much. Easily my favorite in the entire collection. ➽ 🦋 ADRIFTICA by Maria Dahvana Headley - ★★ This is a scene from Midsummer Night’s Dream, but retold in a modern contemporary setting. Titania and Oberon are dealing with their custody battle, but with a rock and roll twist to it. I know this sounds really cool, and the uniqueness is completely why I’m giving this two stars, but the writing style was very much not for me. Though, this was very clever, and I’m sure many others will enjoy it much more than I did. ➽ 🤖 TO A CLOVEN PINE by Max Gladstone - ★★ Okay, this was just a really confusing tale for me. So much of it just went completely over my head, and you guys will completely love it when you get to the ending, but I was left really underwhelmed because of the confusion I felt starting out. This short story starts out with four beings that are fleeing their ship in space, while being chased by “the Witch”. Then, one of the members starts acting very strange and goes missing. And then the ending really brings the story together with a big revelation, but maybe this story was just too epic and too condensed for me to really enjoy it. ➽ 🦋 A FALL COUNTS ANYWHERE by Catherynne M. Valente - ★★★★ You all, this is a WWF fairy vs robot match! Like, Catherynne M. Valente took the meaning of this book really literally, but she is team fairies (who isn’t) and really wrote a fantastic and unique story that I really enjoyed. This is also narrated partially by a fairy announcer and a robot announcer. Yet, this was my problem with the story, and the reason I ultimately didn’t give this five stars: I hated that the robot announcer spoke all in caps. I completely understand this was a good way to be able to differentiate between the two voices, but it just felt so bad to read. I really didn’t like. But this story was so very great, I loved the twist, and it proves how fairies truly are the most clever characters in all of literature. I gave Robots vs. Fairies three stars overall, because out of a possible 90 stars (5 stars possible for each of the 18 stories) this collection accumulated 54 stars (60%). Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication. Buddy read with Elise! ❤ ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 19, 2017
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Nov 29, 2017
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Nov 08, 2017
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Hardcover
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116
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| 9781501165832
| 1501165836
| 3.81
| 62,431
| Dec 05, 2017
| Dec 05, 2017
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really liked it
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[image] ARC provided by Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review. This was maybe the sweetest book I’ve read all year. It was heartwarming, ado [image] ARC provided by Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review. This was maybe the sweetest book I’ve read all year. It was heartwarming, adorable, and just a joy to read. I loved this and I hope if you guys are looking for a romantic contemporary this holiday season, you’ll pick up Roomies upon release on December 5th! This is a story that surrounds a girl named Holland, who has been around music all her life. Her uncle and his husband practically have raised her, and one of them is a big name in Broadway! They obviously live in New York, and her uncle is under a great deal of pressure trying to find a musical performer who will help his latest hit production be even better. Holland’s first love is writing, and she is actually an aspiring author, but she still has an amazing ear for musical talent because of her upbringing. She can’t stay away from a subway musician who she has developed a bit of a crush on. One day, Holland works up the courage to actually speak to the mystery man, and they exchange names. Calvin McLoughlin is an immigrant from Ireland. He went to school at Juilliard and has been waiting for his big musical break ever since. Holland quickly puts two and two together and decides to introduce Calvin to her uncle, believing he will be the perfect fit for his show. And low and behold, Calvin truly amazes them all. Unfortunately, Calvin’s lack of authentic visa makes him unable to join the cast. Obviously, the only rational choice is for Holland and Calvin to get married so that Holland’s uncle has the perfect addition to his show, and so that Calvin gets to live his dream of performing. And they don’t only fool the US government into believing their married, but they start to fool everyone around them, including themselves. I love the "marriage of convenience" story trope and this one was so perfect. There are a few sort of steamy scenes, but nothing too explicit. But this book is oh so romantic and it was honestly un-put-downable for me, too. I became so addicted and so immersed that I let all the other books I was reading fall to the wayside. I loved this, and I completely recommend it with my whole heart. I can’t wait to read more by Christina Lauren (AKA: the amazing writing duo Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings) in the future. Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch ...more |
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1
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Nov 15, 2017
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Nov 16, 2017
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Nov 08, 2017
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Paperback
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112
| 3.84
| 31,366
| Aug 28, 2017
| Aug 28, 2017
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it was ok
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1.) Paper Princess ★★★ 2.) Broken Prince ★★ 3.) Twisted Palace ★★ At this point, you guys know I’m trash for this series. It’s honestly just like a high 1.) Paper Princess ★★★ 2.) Broken Prince ★★ 3.) Twisted Palace ★★ At this point, you guys know I’m trash for this series. It’s honestly just like a high school soap opera, but it’s so addicting and completely impossible to put down. And even though I haven’t enjoyed any of the installments as much as Paper Princess, I knew I couldn’t pass this by because this story is about my favorite Royal boy, Easton. Reed’s off to college and Ella and Easton are finishing their senior year of school. And Easton is still being Easton; abusing drugs, fighting, having sex with anyone without thinking of consequences. And after one day at school where he chooses to be particularly bad, he is confronted by a girl who is immune to his charm. Hartley Wright is dealing with her own dark secrets, and she doesn’t have time to deal with Easton or his bullshit. “You’re not the white knight in this picture. You’re the villain!” But, like, Easton’s story starts out feeling really… gross? And it honestly just set a really bad tone for the book for me. Reed and Ella’s story was a slow, agonizing burn that started out as a hate to love, but it was still an always mutual attraction. Easton refuses to take no for an answer from his love interest and it made me really uncomfortable to read about. Hartley never shows interest in Easton, which makes Easton want her because she’s so openly unattainable. And instead of respecting her and her wishes and trying to slowly win her over or something, he honestly stalks her. He changes his school schedule to have the same classes as her, he goes to her parents’ house unannounced, he honestly won’t leave her alone no matter how much she protests. And this goes on for like half of the book, until Hartley finally breaks down and starts liking him. But, like, she’s going through so many sad things in her life, it feels worse that she’s using her stalker as comfort because she honestly doesn’t have anyone else. I don’t know, maybe I’m just being really sensitive because I know how it feels to tell a guy no and for them to turn around and refuse to listen. Plus, it feels so bad being romanticized, especially because Easton was my favorite out of his brothers! He always seems to sweet, caring, and kind, but was abusing substances because he couldn’t deal with the death of his mother. His character had so much potential to find someone and have a better start of a relationship than him being a creepy stalker. Also, trigger warnings: losing a parent, underage sexual content (17), teacher and student relationship, physical abuse, underage drinking, drug use, addiction, and a lot of toxic male masculinity. So please use caution before going into this book. All of these books end in a cliffhanger, so I really shouldn’t have been surprised that this one did, too, even though I was secretly hoping for Easton to have a standalone HEA book. Yet, this cliffhanger is the mother of all cliffhangers. Like, let me be the first to say that I’m sure Cracked Kingdom is going to start out with the ending of this book not being as bad as they are making it seem though. And I know you guys are probably like, “Melanie, why do you keep reading this series if you continue to give it two stars over and over?” And that is such a valid question, and I know I should just cut my losses, but this series truly is addicting and so very fast paced. Like, all the problematic content shines so brightly through the story, but it is still somehow impossible to not turn the page, and that makes for a good reading experience even if I have to write reviews like this afterwards. Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 2017
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Nov 06, 2017
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Oct 29, 2017
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ebook
| |||||||||||||||||
128
| B01NCIBSK9
| 3.80
| 162,160
| Oct 03, 2017
| Oct 03, 2017
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None
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Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 03, 2017
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Oct 04, 2017
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Oct 28, 2017
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Kindle Edition
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111
| 1682305066
| 9781682305065
| 1682305066
| 3.93
| 71,587
| Oct 17, 2016
| Oct 17, 2016
|
it was ok
|
1.) Paper Princess ★★★ 2.) Broken Prince ★★ Man, oh, man! That was quite the ride! And, I know that you guys are probably thinking I’m going to be negat 1.) Paper Princess ★★★ 2.) Broken Prince ★★ Man, oh, man! That was quite the ride! And, I know that you guys are probably thinking I’m going to be negative because of the two star rating, but I honestly got so much enjoyment from this series. Twisted Palace is the third book and concluding arc for Reed and Ella’s storyline! At least, I think, because a few of my friends have notified me that Fallen Heir is all about Easton (my favorite Royal, hands down)! So, you guys are safe on putting bets down that I will binge that book immediately after Halloween! And this book immediately picks up where Broken Prince’s cliffhanger left off! Ella and Reed’s relationship is definitely put to the test, and the soap opera twists never cease to continue! Drama ensues, and never stops ensuing if I’m being honest, but I am very much satisfied with the ending of this book, even if there were a few convenient loose ends. I’ve stated in both of my reviews for Paper Princess and Broken Prince that this series has a lot of problematic elements that I know many of my bookish friends wouldn’t enjoy. And trigger warnings: losing a parent, underage sexual content (17), physical abuse, sexual assault, attempted rape, underage drinking, drug use, addiction, a lot of slut shaming, and a lot of toxic male masculinity. So please use caution before going into this book. And even though the main protagonists in this series are in high school, this is not a YA book in the slightest! This is NA and has a lot of sexual and erotic scenes that should only be read by mature audiences. So please use caution when starting any of these books. Overall, I really enjoyed these three books, even with giving the last two only two stars each. These are the perfect fluffy, addicting reads and at this point I truly will auto buy everything that Elle Kennedy has a part in, because her stories are always magic. Maybe magic with a little toxic male masculinity with some problematic content, but addicting magic none the less! Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 29, 2017
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Oct 29, 2017
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Oct 28, 2017
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Paperback
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113
| B076RTQ5SN
| 3.90
| 61
| unknown
| Oct 24, 2017
|
really liked it
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Happy Halloween, everyone! I hope you all have a fun and safe time tonight! 👻🎃🍂 And what better way to celebrate Halloween than to review two short sto Happy Halloween, everyone! I hope you all have a fun and safe time tonight! 👻🎃🍂 And what better way to celebrate Halloween than to review two short stories about monstrous girls in love that is FREE right now! And by short stories, I truly mean short stories. Like, you can finish both of these tales in fifteen minutes tops! But they will both completely get you into the Halloween mood, so I totally recommend reading before you guys go out tonight! ➽The HAUNTING OF DIVINIA - This story stars a girl who recently moved into a new home, but a ghost has seemed to follow her. This story unexpectedly hit me pretty hard and I think has a beautiful message about grief and carrying pain that is more than words can express. Also, spooky haunted new house and a ghost! ➽TASTE - This story feels much more in the horror vein, and has to do with two girlfriends enjoying a lovely meal. This is the much more creepy story, and it might have been a little predictable for me, but I still really enjoyed it! Again, these are both very short stories, but they both feel so very eerie and were exactly what I was looking to read today on Halloween! And like, I always want to read about queer monster girls, let’s be real. Happy Halloween, guys! Stay safe and spooky! [image] Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch Buddy read with my favorites beautiful queer spooky girls: Elise & Destiny! ❤ ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 31, 2017
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Oct 31, 2017
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Oct 26, 2017
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||||
110
| 1682305031
| 9781682305034
| 1682305031
| 4.00
| 89,564
| Jul 25, 2016
| Jul 25, 2016
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it was ok
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1.) Paper Princess ★★★ Broken Prince is much worse than Paper Princess in every way, but it was still an addictive read that I couldn’t put down. Again 1.) Paper Princess ★★★ Broken Prince is much worse than Paper Princess in every way, but it was still an addictive read that I couldn’t put down. Again, I was having a rough couple of days and just wanted to read a really fast story that I didn’t really have to think about, and this series totally fits that bill. This book starts off right where Paper Princess left off, and I mean right off, so thank the Lord for not having to wait for explanation to that terrible cliffhanger, but Reed’s reaction was just so lame, I’m sorry. We get to see the angst ensue for over fifty percent of this book, while also seeing Reed beg for Ella to forgive him for his gross actions, and then the real story gets started. It’s too bad that the real story is improbable that I felt like I was watching The Bold and The Beautiful with my Grandma back in Flint, Michigan. Plus, this book is hella problematic and not only condones violence, but constantly reinforces that violence will solve your problems and you’ll get away with doing shitty things. The topic of bullying is never really challenged, and it made this installment in this series much less enjoyably for me. Also, trigger warnings for losing a parent, underage sexual content (17), physical abuse, sexual assault, attempted rape, underage drinking, drug use, addiction, a lot of slut shaming, and a lot of toxic male masculinity. So please use caution before going into this book. And most importantly: This series is NOT YA! This story definitely deals with seventeen and eighteen year-olds that are still in high school, but I would still consider this NA, because of the very mature themes and because of all the sexual content. So, again, please use caution. Also, because I know most of you follow me for my fantasy reviews, I always feel it necessary to state that I rate erotic books differently than other books! I know many of the relationships are toxic and problematic and I completely understand that they wouldn’t be the healthiest and/or most ideal of starts for people in real life, but I love steamy reads and I rate them purely off my enjoyment, yet this still got only two stars from me, because it became the equivalent to a soap opera in every way. Like, the twists were just too damn unbelievable that I had to laugh out loud numerous times. And I mean, like, I was witch cackling at the absurdity. And even though Paper Princess had a heart wrenching cliffhanger from hell, Broken Prince had the most annoying and outlandish cliffhanger of all time. Overall, I still recommend this series if you’re looking for a quick and easy series that is honestly enjoyable. Unfortunately, I just enjoyed this one more for the laughs than for the sexy time. I obviously don’t hate this series, or I wouldn’t be happily binging the entire thing, but there is a lot of uncontested problematic content, on top of some of the plot being downright unbelievable. Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 28, 2017
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Oct 28, 2017
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Oct 26, 2017
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Paperback
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109
| 3.94
| 133,236
| Apr 04, 2016
| Apr 04, 2016
|
liked it
|
I was having a rough two days mental health wise, so I just wanted to drop everything on my TBR and read something I didn’t really have to think about
I was having a rough two days mental health wise, so I just wanted to drop everything on my TBR and read something I didn’t really have to think about, but I knew I’d probably enjoy. I wanted something fast paced, with an addicting story, and maybe some sexy times, and Paper Princess was the perfect pick for me. By looking at some of my friends’ reviews I feel like I really need to say that this is not a YA book in the slightest! This is NA and has a lot of sexual scenes that should only be read by mature audiences. This has many erotic scenes and for sure should have a sexual content warning. As for trigger warnings: losing a parent, underage sexual content (17), physical abuse, sexual assault, attempted rape, underage drinking, drug use, addiction, a lot of slut shaming, and a lot of toxic male masculinity. So please use caution before going into this book. And there are a lot of weird gender role expectations in this book, too. Like, the main female protagonist has to cook spaghetti because they boys can’t figure it out. And then, later, she can’t figure out the football teams, but she brings up the lion on the helmet. There are more of these instances sprinkled throughout the book, and I wasn’t offended, it just feels… not so great reading. Also, because I know most of you follow me for my fantasy reviews, I always feel it necessary to state that I rate erotic books differently than other books! I know many of the relationships are toxic and problematic and I completely understand that they wouldn’t be the healthiest and/or most ideal of starts for people in real life, but I love steamy reads and I rate them purely off my enjoyment, and I truly did enjoy Paper Princess. Paper Princess is cowritten by Elle Kennedy and Jen Frederick under the pseudonym Erin Watt. And Elle Kennedy has written one of my favorite NA series of all time, the Off-Campus series, so I knew I had to eventually try out this series, too. And I’m so happy that I finally did. And Paper Princess stars a young girl named Ella, who has only known a life of jumping from new city to new city where her and her mom can barely make ends meet. But after her mother’s death, Ella is trying to survive on her own. And all she wants to do is get a high school diploma, so she can go to college and eventually give herself a stable life. Then, a man appears out of nowhere, claiming to be her mystery father’s best friend and business partner. He promises to give Ella a better life, because her father, too, has tragically just passed away. Ella is then thrown into the Royal family, where the man that is trying to help her also has five sons himself. And let’s just say that they are not the most open to the idea of their father taking in a random girl. And they all basically just think the absolute worst of Ella, right off the bat. “You may have lost your family, but you’re not alone anymore, Ella. You’re a Royal now.” Ella is quickly thrown into the world of prep schools and old money, while she is dealing with the grief of losing her mother, and the hope of starting a better life. I’m not going to say this book is perfect, it’s far from it, but I read this in one sitting because I truly just couldn’t put it down. The romance is amazing, the angst is out of this world, and I’m just a sucker for a good hate to love relationship and this one doesn’t disappoint. Also, I need to start Broken Prince immediately, because Paper Princess ends on maybe the worst cliffhanger I’ve ever read in my entire life. Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 26, 2017
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Oct 26, 2017
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Oct 26, 2017
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Kindle Edition
| |||||||||||||||||
125
| 1250073030
| 9781250073037
| 1250073030
| 4.47
| 50,706
| Sep 05, 2017
| Sep 05, 2017
|
it was amazing
|
[image] 1.) Nevernight ★★★★★ “The heavens grant us only one life, but through books, we live a thousand.” Well, I’m not entirely sure how I’m [image] 1.) Nevernight ★★★★★ “The heavens grant us only one life, but through books, we live a thousand.” Well, I’m not entirely sure how I’m supposed to function while lying in wait for the third and final book in this series. That last chapter made me feel things that very few books are able to evoke from me. I honestly am not sure how I could possibly string together words to let you guys know how much I loved this book, but I do suppose I should at least try. Godsgrave picks up right after the events of Nevernight. But where Nevernight felt like an adult Harry Potter (with an amazingly gothic floo powder network) where our main protagonist, Mia, is learning to become an assassin for the Red Church and the Lady of Blessed Murder, Godsgrave is an all-out gladiator gauntlet, where our characters are fighting to the death and only the very best may rise in rank. Mia also has grown a lot since the end of Nevernight, and she is figuring out rather quickly that she is truly unable to trust anyone. Godsgrave is way more brutal and gory, but it’s also much more raw and emotional. “The choice between looking plain and pretty isn’t really a choice at all. But any fool knows looking dangerous is preferable to both.” One of my favorite parts of Nevernight is how Mia never explains that she is bisexual, but her actions just show it. There isn’t a big coming out story, or any explanation on why she feels the things she does for men and woman, Mia is just herself and I loved it more than words. Well, Godsgrave really delves into Mia’s sexuality, and it’s honestly a thing of beauty. Honestly, all I want in my adult fantasy is to read about queer girls saving their worlds, and Jay Kristoff delivered that to me better than maybe anyone else has. I will forever cherish this series for that alone. Also, I will go down with that fucking ship. OTP is an understatement. This is honestly the queer, f/f, assassins taking over the world, high fantasy, love story, I’ve been searching for my entire life. Mia Corvere is one of my favorite characters of all time. She tries so hard to be morally grey, and I guess she truly is to most extents, but seeing her able to be soft and capable of unconditional love is something I don’t even have words for. Mia is strong, and brilliant, and clever, and brave, and everything I love in a main protagonist. And she always acknowledges how beauty, too, can be a weapon, but how important it is to never have it be your only weapon. And Mia has had so many shitty hands dealt to her, but she is able to overcome it all realistically and inspirationally. I honestly love Mia, and Mister Kindly and Eclipse also bring me more joy that I should probably admit. Also, let me state that this book is definitely not Young Adult. Not only do I believe this is Adult Fantasy, I think it holds up to all the beloved and highly praised High Fantasy out there. This book/series can get rather dark at times, so know that going in. Also, there is a decent amount of sexual content in this book, so use caution if that makes you uncomfortable. And trigger warnings for violence, murder, gore, slavery, child abuse, and things along those lines. But I hope that doesn’t discourage you, because this world is amazing, these characters are perfection, the messages are beautiful, and the discourse is so damn important. “So much wealth held in so few palms. A kingdom of the blind, built on the backs of the bruised and the broken.” From the first page to the last page, this book had me so enthralled. I loved this more than words. Godsgrave will easily be one of my top ten favorite books of 2017, and the third book will be all I look forward to in (hopefully) the coming year. Jay Kristoff has perfected his craft at writing, and I’d honestly do just about anything to get my hands on anything new from this world. Even though I shouldn’t give him anything, because he is now the proud owner of the heart he ripped out from me reading the ending of this book. “That's the power of words; twenty six little letters can paint a whole universe” Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch Buddy read with Jules! ❤ ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
|
Dec 2017
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Dec 12, 2017
|
Oct 21, 2017
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
106
| 0765326361
| 9780765326362
| 0765326361
| 4.75
| 289,757
| Mar 04, 2014
| Mar 04, 2014
|
it was amazing
|
1.) The Way of Kings ★★★★★ I am so sorry with how this review is like three weeks late! November just got so overwhelming for me with trips and other t 1.) The Way of Kings ★★★★★ I am so sorry with how this review is like three weeks late! November just got so overwhelming for me with trips and other things, but I’m here now and happily ready to yell at you all about how this series is Brandon Sanderson’s magnum opus! “Words are where most change begins.” This is book two of The Stormlight Archive series. It has multiple points of view, but every one of the characters will somehow weasel their way inside of your heart. Like, I know I’m probably getting “too old” to say this, but Adolin Kholin is the ultimate book boyfriend and Jasnah Kholin is the ultimate book girlfriend and my little bi heart is so Also, one thing I haven’t seen anyone say who reviews this series: this series totally has a love triangle and I’m living for it? I mean, you obviously know what team I’m on from my statement above, but there is so much tension between three of the main characters of this story! I love this dynamic so much, and I’m so impressed that Brandon Sanderson pulled off, seemingly, the perfect love triangle. But moving on, this book picks right up where The Way of Kings left off. I want this review to be spoiler free, so I’m just going to give you guys an idea of what this story and world are like. But I can’t emphasize enough how amazing, atmospheric, and impressive this world and story are. This is high fantasy at its finest, which means a lot of world building, but it’s so expertly done. Roshar is so unique and so complexly written. From the Shattered Plains, where the Parshendi are trying to decide what to do for the good of their people who are wanted for killing a king. To Shinovar, which is protected by a mountain range where the people known as Shins live. To Alethkar, the largest kingdom on Roshar and where our main story happens! And it is divided into ten mini kingdoms, that are self-governed. This world is beyond expansive, is what I’m trying to say! [image] And this series has…. a lot of different races: [image] (Amazing fan art by: Botanicaxu) Oh, and we can’t forget about Spren! Who, in this world are magical little companion beings that come in a variety of different types, but only bond with those who are worthy. “Honor is dead. But I'll see what I can do.” And then throw in the magical Shardblades, Shardplate, and Soulcasting! Plus we have the magical Highstorms that are happening on this planet, that the people use to charge gemstones! Needless to say, there is a lot going on in this story. I mean, each book is over 1,000 pages and Brandon Sanderson doesn’t hold back with the information. If you’d like a better break down of this world and these characters, please check out my review of The Way of Kings where I’m super long winded but way more informative. And I say this a lot, but Brandon Sanderson truly writes the best prologues and epilogues in the fantasy genre, and I’ll stand by that forever or when I’m finally proven wrong. But, Lord, did he outdo himself with the epilogue of this book. This book evoked every emotion from me, and still chokes me up while I’m writing this review three weeks after finishing. The only word I can use is perfection, because it truly is that. Also, Wit is the best character of all time. And Sly’s a close second. “Expectation. That is the true soul of art. If you can give a man more than he expects, then he will laud you his entire life. If you can create an air of anticipation and feed it properly, you will succeed.” You can say what you want about Brandon Sanderson, but he proves over and over that he truly is the king of epic fantasy. I loved this book. I love this series. I truly think this is Brandon Sanderson’s best work. I implore and encourage every single one of my high fantasy lovers to give this series a try. This book is nothing short of amazing and is easily one of my favorite books of all time. Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch Buddy Read with Robin and the rest of BB&B! ❤ ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
|
Oct 20, 2017
|
Nov 14, 2017
|
Oct 04, 2017
|
Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
103
| 0765395959
| 9780765395955
| 0765395959
| 3.60
| 4,997
| Feb 20, 2018
| Feb 20, 2018
|
it was amazing
|
[image] ARC provided by Tor in exchange for an honest review. “Love is worth it. It is worth any hardship, it is worth illness. It is worth inju[image] ARC provided by Tor in exchange for an honest review. “Love is worth it. It is worth any hardship, it is worth illness. It is worth injury. It is worth isolation. It is even worth death. For life without love is only a shadow of life.” Well, I think it’s safe for me to yell from the rooftops: pre-order The Armored Saint now, guys! What an amazing ride, even though I wasn’t ready for it to be over. This is easily one of the best things I’ve read in 2017, and this is truly epic fantasy at its finest. I’m so damn impressed. The Armored Saint centers on a village of people who live subservient lives to the Order. The Order is a group of religious tyrants that do horrible things to the wizards in this world, or to the people that are protecting and/or harboring the wizards in this world. The Order follows the word of the Writ, which has lead them to believe that wizards have a portal in their eye, that can open the very gates of hell itself and summon devils. Our main protagonist, Heloise, is a sixteen-year-old girl who isn’t sure if she even believes the Order, but she knows that they are heartless, terrible people after her and her father have a run-in with them at the very start of this story. The Order appears to just be cruel for the sake of being cruel, but many of the villagers in Heloise’s community believe in the words that Order preaches, including her very own father. “Because the Writ tells us, girl. Because the Order reminds us. The devils are real, and they are terrible, and we must be ever vigilant for their return.” Heloise and her village are put in a situation where they have to make a sacrifice, after they’ve already been forced to make so many, or to risk everything to protect their community. The story really takes off from there, and we also get to see a mysterious ranger, an inactive war-machine, and even a magical mouse! But this is also a story about discovering and embracing your sexuality. Heloise is constantly questioning her feelings for her best friend, and it made me cry so many happy yet sad tears. This is a beautiful tale about a girl coming to terms with her queerness in a world that thinks it is unnatural, and it is so very important. This story truly means more to me than I can express in words. Heloise is easily one of my favorite female protagonists of all time, and I will continue to say what I say in every queer SFF review I write: we need more stories like this! This story is so utterly heart-wrenching, but it’s so important. “That’s what love should be, sure as stone, as running water. Sure as the bite of winter and spring blossoms. Sure even when it was impossible. Even when they were both girls.” And love is such a driving force in this very character focused story. The love between families. The love between friends. And the love between two young girls who are just trying to learn who they are. “No. It is a person you love. Not a name. Not a she or a he. A person in all their shining glory. There is a thing in us, Heloise. A seed. It makes us who we are. It is our core. That is the thing we love. It alone exists. It alone is holy. It has no home, no name. It is neither male nor female. It is greater than that.” Now, excuse me while I go cry for the rest of this night, because I’m not sure if I’ve read anything as beautiful as that quote. This book has such a lyrical prose. The writing is so fantastic and adds even more to an already perfect story. And Myke Cole does this in only 200 pages. This is the first thing I’ve read by this author, but it won’t be my last. This book is little, but it is oh so mighty. And it has completely captured my heart. Please give this book a try when it releases on February 20th, 2018! “Never be sorry for loving, Heloise. No matter who it is, no matter how it is done, no matter how the person you love receives it. Love is the greatest thing a person can do. Most go their entire lives knowing only ritual and obligation, mistaking it for love.” Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
|
Oct 31, 2017
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Nov 2017
|
Sep 25, 2017
|
Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
108
| 1250147905
| 9781250147905
| 1250147905
| 3.57
| 85,994
| Jan 30, 2018
| Jan 30, 2018
|
did not like it
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[image] ARC provided by Flatiron Books in exchange for an honest review. “Once upon a time there was a beautiful queen who thought words were st[image] ARC provided by Flatiron Books in exchange for an honest review. “Once upon a time there was a beautiful queen who thought words were stronger than anything. She used them to win love and money and gifts. She used them to carry her across the world.” Let me just start this off by saying that I normally only one star something if it has very problematic content. This book only has one element that made me uncomfortable (that I will talk about later on), but the main reason I’m giving this one star is because it was so ungodly boring. Next, and this could be completely my fault, I feel like this is marketed as a YA Fantasy, when it takes the reader almost 250 pages, out of a 360 page book, to even get into the fantasy aspect and by that time I couldn't care less about some pseudo Alice in Wonderland. This reads like a YA Contemporary Mystery and that is not a genre that I enjoy reading in the slightest, so maybe that is the main reason this didn’t work for me. So the basic premise of The Hazel Wood is that a seventeen-year-old girl named Alice has been on the run with her mother, Ella, for as long as she can remember. They go from city to city, house to house, sometimes sleeping in their car, always on the run from the “bad luck” that follows them. Alice’s grandmother, Ella’s mother, is a very famous author who wrote a collection of short stories that are incredibly hard to find in today’s world. The short stories are very dark fairytales, that have netted her grandmother a very cult-like fanbase that totally gave me some Nightfilm vibes if I’m being completely honest. Alice has never met her grandmother, and she’s never visited the exclusive estate she lives on called the Hazel Wood. But after Alice’s mother is kidnapped, she is desperate to find any means possible to finally visit the mysterious estate and to get her mother back once and for all. But this book was so incredibly slow. I had to bribe myself with chocolates to even finish it. This is a 360 page book, and it took me SEVENTEEN days to read it. That’s a little over 20 pages a day. And that’s honestly all I could do, because I was so uninvested. And it’s actually mindboggling to me that this book is even 360 pages long, because I feel like everything could have taken place in 150-200 pages, too. And Alice is such an unlikeable main character that isn’t supposed to be an unlikeable main character. She’s so rude, and self-centered, and unable to recognize her privilege because she can’t get over the fact that she grew up poor. She talks over people, and is demanding, and refuses to acknowledge her mistakes. I could never and will never connect with her, and it was honestly miserable to be inside of her head. So, the problematic element is the treatment of the biracial side character who Alice spends most of the book with. Finch is the only person of color in this book, and Alice constantly remarks on how unattractive he is, and it feels really bad. Then, when they get into an altercation with a police officer, Finch tries to explain to Alice about racial profiling and how he feels uncomfortable being around cops and being noncompliant around cops, while Alice just completely disregards his very valid feelings by saying he’s rich and privileged. Like that negates the color of his skin and the racism he faces every single day because of it, because she grew up poor and on the run with her mom. On top of the fact that Alice will never let Finch speak, because she’s always interrupting and talking over him. It just reads badly and made my very uncomfortable while reading. Also, Alice even got physically abusive a couple times and I just wasn't there for it at all. The other minor thing that just made me feel a little uncomfortable while reading was that this book kind of romanticizes kidnapping. Like, Alice has very fond memories of being kidnapped when she was six and it feels almost like glorifying it. Maybe this just rubbed me the wrong way because I was always deathly afraid of being kidnapped as a child, but I didn’t enjoy reading her memories on kidnapping whatsoever, either. And the last thing is that the deus ex machina in this book is very strong. So many things just so conveniently happened, especially at the end of this book when we are finally in a fairytale land, to wrap up this story. The only thing I truly liked about this book were the two chapters that were stories that Finch was retelling to Alice from inside her Grandmother’s book, Tales from the Hinterland. Both of these were honestly great, and I enjoyed them immensely and it showcased that the author does have talent for writing. Unfortunately, this is only two chapters of a thirty-one chapter book. But both of those short stories were good and I enjoyed each one more than the rest of this entire book combined Also, have you seen the finished copy of this? With its foil sprayed pages? Holy moly, it’s honestly one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever laid eyes upon. But you all know what they say about judging books by their covers… This book just wasn’t for me or my tastes. We aren’t even in 2018 yet and I can tell you that this will 100% make my most disappointing publications of 2018 list. And from all my friends’ reviews, I truly think this is going to just be a polarizing book! People are going to hate and dread picking it up, or they are going to be completely engrossed, love, and devour it. And you guys know that just because I disliked this book, it doesn’t mean that your feelings are invalid. If you liked this book then I am truly happy for you, but this book just really didn’t work for me. And if you do decide to pick this one up, I hope you find way more enjoyment within its pages than I did. Content warnings for underage alcohol consumption, drug use, self-harm, talk of suicide, and mild violence. Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch The quote above was taken from an ARC and is subject to change upon publication. Buddy read with Jenn! ❤ [image] This was in the February 2018 OwlCrate box! ...more |
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1
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Dec 12, 2017
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Dec 29, 2017
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Sep 18, 2017
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Hardcover
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102
| 4.23
| 28,173
| Oct 02, 2017
| Oct 02, 2017
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ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. DNF @ 56% You guys, this book put me in a book slump. I have been trying f ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. DNF @ 56% You guys, this book put me in a book slump. I have been trying for two weeks to pick this back up, and I just can’t motivate myself. I loved and gave five stars to both Black Lies and Sex Love Repeat by Alessandra, but this, unfortunately, just didn’t work for me. This is also the first ARC I’ve ever DNFed, so I kind of feel horrible. But life is too short to force yourself to read a book, ARC or not. This story is about an author who is dying, but before she passes away she wants to write one final story. And this final story will be about the truth of what happened to her husband, which no one else knows but her. Unfortunately, her illness is coming quicker than expected, so she is forced to hire a ghostwriter to help her. And dark secrets and mystery ensue. But, at 56% in, I just feel like nothing has happened. I’m not hooked or invested in this grand mystery thriller, I am bored and just wanted it to be over. I think a mini romance is happening. Maybe? I don’t even know. But I am so uninterested, I don’t even care. And honestly, I’m fine never knowing what happened to her family, too. I’ve read and enjoyed a lot of Alessandra Torre’s books, I also really love her as a person. It makes me really sad to DNF this, and I’m not even sure why I didn’t like this so much. Maybe it was just too different? Maybe I just prefer her erotic romances? I don’t know, but I hope if you guys pick this one up that you enjoy it more than I did. Here are a few reviews by some of my lovely friends, who really enjoyed The Ghostwriter: ➽ Nenia’s Review ➽ Maddie’s Review ➽ Sher’s Review ➽ Loyda’s Review ➽ Natalie’s Review Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 22, 2017
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Oct 07, 2017
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Sep 15, 2017
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Paperback
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117
| 0373212593
| 9780373212590
| 0373212593
| 3.10
| 4,998
| Jan 16, 2018
| Jan 16, 2018
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ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. DNF at Chapter 41 I’m sorry, everyone, I just can’t do this anymore. The i ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. DNF at Chapter 41 I’m sorry, everyone, I just can’t do this anymore. The incredibly short chapters that jump around to a million different points of view are just too much for me. This is such a jarring read that is really lacking any real cohesiveness. Zenith is the first book in a YA series that stars Androma, AKA: the Bloody Baroness, and her crew, who are forced to do a very dangerous mission. This mission is the direct result of the ghosts from Andi’s past that have come back to haunt her. One of them being her past lover, Dex, who betrayed her, and Andi is now forced to work alongside him for this mission. I don’t care about Dex, or Andi, or even her crew! And, more importantly, I don’t believe in any of them. Their motives feel forced, the romances feel unbelievable, and the clichés are too unbearable for me to continue. I’m sorry, I truly am. I love Sasha, and I really wanted to give her a glowing review, but I just can’t. Let’s be real, this book is still going to make The New York Times Best Seller list, so I don’t think my DNF is going to really ruin anything, but I still feel awful. But I hope if you give this a try, you will enjoy it more than I did. Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch ➽ Zenith Part 1 ★★★ Buddy read with Jules! ❤ ...more |
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1
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Nov 09, 2017
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Nov 16, 2017
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Sep 06, 2017
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Hardcover
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97
| 3.98
| 7,331
| Sep 12, 2017
| Sep 12, 2017
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really liked it
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ARC provided to me by author Samantha Young in exchange for an honest review. This summer has been the summer of me just wanting to read romance. So, I ARC provided to me by author Samantha Young in exchange for an honest review. This summer has been the summer of me just wanting to read romance. So, I may or may not have went on a binge request streak last month, just requesting ARCs from romance authors that many of my friends praise that had new and upcoming releases. Play On is a new adult contemporary romance that follows a girl, who moves across the world, to make a better life for herself. Of course, things do not go as planned, and the story ends up being about knowing your worth, putting yourself first, and still allowing yourself to love and be loved again. I read this in one sitting last night. “You would think after numerous attacks of grief the human body would be unable to process any more sadness. But our hearts have an annoying amount of endurance.” I loved this, I loved this completely. Our main protagonist, Nora, is from a small town in Indiana, where her family isn’t making her life any easier. She is eighteen, just graduated high school, and is working a job in the fast food industry. She is also being constantly haunted from losing someone very close to her in her past, and that event has shaped Nora to the very core of who she is. She isn’t happy, she doesn’t have anything to look forward to, and then she meets two boys from Scotland, who are road tripping through the States. Nora’s life is changed forever, and even though she is hoping it would be changed for the better, life ends up throwing her another unexpected punch. She is now twenty-two, and once again trying to start over and create a life that she can be proud of doing. Nora has always dreamt of going to college and pursuing theater. It is a hidden dream, that she’s never felt she could pursue, so instead she volunteers reading and performing for kids at the local children’s hospital. Childhood cancer stories are normally ones I stay very far away from, because they hit too close to my own personal life, but this one was heartwarmingly done. I mean, I was crying every sentence the kids were mentioned, but it was well done, yet I still think important to mention that childhood illness is represented in this book. Trigger warnings for that (childhood illness, mostly cancer), verbal abuse, and emotional abuse. Basically, what I’m trying to say is that Nora has had a very difficult life, and she is only twenty-two. Yet, her path continually crosses with a very attractive Scot, who is dealing with his own set of problems. Aidan is a very successful music producer, who has recently had his life turn upside down, too. And then our story truly becomes a story of Nora discovering her worth, and how her worth is not dependent on her family, her job, or her education. She learns that hope is far more powerful than she ever realized. She learns that kindness to others can bring kindness to you, as well. She learns that she is loveable and capable. She learns that independence does not always mean being alone. And she learns that life is always worth living. Now everything I just mentioned above made me fall completely in love with this story. It was amazing and I simply could not put it down. I was sure this was going to be five stars and the best romance book I’ve read all year. Then, I hit the 80% mark, and a very annoying miscommunication plotline popped up. Which was fine, I can deal, Nora has been through worse and I had a good feeling everything would work out in the end. Yet, instead of it working itself out immediately, she was verbally and emotionally abused in a space that was supposed to be safe for her. Also, we started getting into hate to love territory, but it felt so out of character. Like, Nora is an amazing character and she deserved better. I found myself rooting for Nora to just be alone, after me believing in this magical love story for 80%! I guess I was satisfied with the ending, but that last little bit just seemed rushed and had too much abusive conflict in it for me to give this a five star rating. I still completely recommend this. I mean it when I say that I could not put this book down. It’s completely immersive and the very definition of addictive. And I think this was overall such a strong book for me to start of Samantha Young’s work. I now want to read any and everything by her. This book is a very different new adult contemporary romance, too. In fact, I’m not sure if I’ve read anything like this ever. It truly is a unique reading experience, with a lot of very unexpected twists. Plus, like I said above, the messages about finding yourself and knowing your own self-worth were really amazingly done and I completely recommend them to any human being. Also, this reads very much like a standalone, which I also really appreciated. Please pick this book up if you’re looking to feel all the emotions. One chapter I was bawling my eyes out, feeling more anguish than my little body knew what to do with. Then, the next chapter, I was grinning like a love-struck idiot feeling all the warmth in the world. This book has amazing writing, the storylines are all addicting, and the messages are so important. “If you’re to be mine, I need all of you to be mine, because all of me is yours.” Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication. ...more |
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1
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Sep 09, 2017
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Sep 10, 2017
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Sep 05, 2017
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Kindle Edition
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98
| 3.79
| 7,648
| Sep 14, 2017
| Sep 14, 2017
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really liked it
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ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. “It started out as a dirty little secret, something to amuse myseARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. “It started out as a dirty little secret, something to amuse myself with. I lived a boring existence—work, home, bed . . . and Gavin was a distraction. Maybe I should have left it there, but I hadn’t.” First off, how do I get my hands on the second book of this series immediately? Because that cliffhanger was just cruel, yet makes me want to beg Kendall Ryan for an ARC of book two this very instant. This was my first Kendall Ryan book, and I think she just made a fan for life. I loved this. Trigger warnings for stalking and depictions of past physical abuse. The premise is one that any sappy, book loving, kinky, yet hopeless romantic (like me) would love. Our main protagonist, Emma, is a twenty-nine-year-old head librarian who doesn’t have a lot of money, but spends what she does have on fixing up her the old house her grandmother has left for her in the city. On her way to the library every morning she stops at a local coffee shop, where she orders a tea and can’t help but stare at a man that catches her attention every day while he orders his coffee. “And every morning, promptly at ten to eight, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Sinful strolled inside and ordered a double shot of espresso to go.” These two constantly come into this coffee shop at the same time, every day, for the past ten months, but they’ve only interacted once. That is, until one September day the sexy mystery man leaves his business card that only says: “Gavin Kingsley Gavin and his two brothers, Cooper and Quinn, have a business that is a little on the unusual side, but you will find out the career path they chose to take is very near and dear to their hearts. Forbidden Desires is a company that hires, but also protects, escorts that go on dates with very rich, powerful, and successful people. The escorts are paid very well, and their only job is to go on a date with the men; they are never required to have sex or do anything they feel uncomfortable with. Gavin is also struggling with something pretty dark and sad, which makes him feel like he is unable to get into another relationship. Once Emma follows up on the business card and meets with Gavin, they strike up a business proposition where she will be Gavin and his younger brother's escort to high profile events. “In that moment, I knew this wouldn’t be casual, knew I wouldn’t walk away from this in one piece.” Obviously, a bunch of tension develops between Emma, Gavin, and Cooper, but it never feels like a love triangle. Emma has been Gavin’s ever since that first day in the coffee shop, even if they both are too stubborn to realize it. And I guess that’s why I’m giving this four stars, because I love Cooper. Like, what a sweet little cinnamon roll angel! I wish that he wasn’t part of the equation, even though I know he was just acting with his heart and trying to heal Gavin’s wounds, while also opening his eyes. My favorite thing about this book was… Okay, well it was the romance and the sex scenes, let’s be real, but my second favorite thing about this book is that it is super sex positive! Like, this is one of the few books I’ve read that really puts sex workers in a positive light, and never shames them. There are also mini discussions about the importance to donate to campaigns that are trying to end human trafficking and I really appreciated it. And I’d bet my bottom dollar that this series is going to not only tell all the brother’s stories, but also is going to make us fall a little in love with all of them. Also, because I know most of you follow me for my fantasy reviews, I always feel it necessary to state that I rate erotic books differently than other books! I know many of the relationships are toxic and problematic and I completely understand that they wouldn’t be the healthiest and/or most ideal of starts for people in real life, but I love steamy reads and I rate them purely off my enjoyment. And Dirty Little Secret was nothing short of pure enjoyment! I really, really enjoyed this book. And like I said above, I can’t wait to read more from Kendall Ryan now! If you guys are looking for a new steamy read, I completely recommend the start of this amazing series! Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch The quote above was taken from an ARC and is subject to change upon publication. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 24, 2017
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Sep 26, 2017
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Sep 04, 2017
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Kindle Edition
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96
| 0316379409
| 9780316379403
| 0316379409
| 3.98
| 26,660
| Nov 14, 2017
| Nov 14, 2017
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liked it
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[image] ARC provided by Hachette in exchange for an honest review. “Ships kept on disappearing. Since the start of man’s relationship with the s[image] ARC provided by Hachette in exchange for an honest review. “Ships kept on disappearing. Since the start of man’s relationship with the sea, ships kept on disappearing. So assume the mermaids have never forgotten about us. We wrote them off as legends as soon as they were no longer knocking on our front door.” This is such a hard review to write, but I suppose three star reviews usually are. I just feel really torn on this one! I loved so many aspects of this, but ultimately I feel like this just wasn't a book for me. I still encourage anyone who is intrigued by the synopsis to pick it up, especially if you like horror with science! “Are mermaids real? Yes. Are mermaids friendly? No.” Into the Drowning Deep is technically about killer mermaids, but it’s so much more than that. It’s about society and how we don’t take care of the habitats we are inhabiting, let alone the ones we aren’t. It’s about how we view animals as lesser, and we are supposed to use them as a means to further education and technology without ever getting emotionally involved. It’s about how humans do horrible things to our planet that is 71% covered in water, and one day it might be time for someone else, besides humans, to say enough is enough. Ultimately, this book stars a cruise-like ship, that is traveling to a place in uncharted territories to the Mariana Trench, where a tragedy happened many years ago. On this ship, we get to see the crew and learn their backstories on why they were chosen for this expedition where they will once and for all find out if mermaids exist. This book has so much good: the writing was so lush and beautiful in Seanan McGuire /Mira Grant’s signature way. This book is smart, and I actually learned quite a few things about aquatic life. This book is queer, and I was living for every aspect of this budding F/F romance the entire way. This book is filled with action and is so fast paced. This book has some amazing moral discussions that I think a lot of humans would benefit from thinking about. “When someone kills an American citizen, we don’t say, ‘Oh well, we killed one of theirs last week; we’re calling it even,’” she said. “We declare war. We sweep civilizations off the face of the globe. They won’t care that they started it. They’re only going to care who finishes it, and to be honest, I’m not sure it’s going to be us.” As for what didn’t work for me: this book is honest to God scary! I mean, for the most part the characters are trapped in the middle of a dark ocean, cut off from society, facing ocean-dwelling creatures that, up until this point, have only been in fantasy. I’ll admit, I’m a baby. I didn’t like to read this book at night (which is when I do most of my reading) and I didn’t like to read this book alone. I’m sure many of you will pick this book up and laugh thinking about how I couldn’t handle the spookiness, but it’s the honest to god truth on why I didn’t enjoy this novel as much as I feel I should have. Content Warnings: Gore, a lot of blood, violence, death, and things in those similar veins. Overall, and like I stated above, I still completely recommend this book. I can still see what an amazing and powerful book this was, while also just knowing that it wasn’t for me. And I ultimately hope you guys still pick this one up, because it’s unique, haunting, and so very powerful. “It was beautiful, in its own terrible way. So many monsters are.” Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 07, 2017
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Nov 18, 2017
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Sep 03, 2017
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Hardcover
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95
| 0755374045
| 4.02
| 455,096
| Feb 08, 2011
| Sep 29, 2011
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did not like it
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Let me preface this review with me saying that this is my personal opinion. I know this book is very beloved by very many, and that’s awesome. Nothing
Let me preface this review with me saying that this is my personal opinion. I know this book is very beloved by very many, and that’s awesome. Nothing makes me happier than books making people happy, and if A Discovery of Witches is your favorite book, than I am truly happy for you. Unfortunately, this book just didn’t work for me. Nothing offended me or anything like that, this book was just ungodly boring. I mean, there is a very alpha vampire in here that marks his territory and claims what he thinks is his, but, I mean, that’s just sort of expected in paranormal romance books about vampires, so it wasn’t anything that bothered me. A Discovery of Witches is sort of like an adult Twilight. Our main protagonist, Diana, is a historian who is studying at the Bodleian Library, and she is also a witch from a very pure bloodline, but she doesn’t practice her witchcraft because of a dark event that happened to her parents. And the book starts when Diana touches a book unlike any other she has ever touched before. And while studying in Oxford, Diana’s path crosses with Matthew Clairmont, a vampire geneticist, who is immediately drawn to Diana. And together, they try to unlock the clues that will tell them about the book that Diana touched that was unlike any other. At first, I loved the atmosphere. Oxford, libraries, foggy autumn mornings. I mean, who could resist that? But then, I realized I was 50% into a 600+ page book and it was just finally getting started. And this was just a chore to read. Like, if I wasn’t buddy reading this, I would have for sure DNFed it. Because nothing happens! And I love slow, character driven stories, but in my personal opinion, don’t even think this is a character driven book. I mean, Diana sure changes characters in the middle of the book, I’ll give you guys that, but this book is just a whole lot of descriptions and not a whole lot of action. Every time Diana rowed, or rode a horse, or made tea, or made toast, my eyes just rolled farther back in my head. All of these actions are fine, but once you read about them over 100 times your body just wants to self combust. And this isn’t even a slow burn romance, it’s just a slow ass book. In conclusion, the atmosphere was nice and I like how the time frame synced with Halloween, since I was reading this right before Halloween. I also truly believe the next book in the series will be better, since we finally have a plot now, but I just don’t care enough about Diana or Matthew to read on. Also, Jenne's Review is one of the best reviews I’ve seen on Goodreads! And it is so damn accurate to the plot of this novel. I loved this review so much I couldn’t not mention it in my own. Treat yourself and read it if you’ve already read A Discovery of Witches (because spoilers) and were also underwhelmed, or if you just want to save yourself the trouble and headache of reading this 600+ book. Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Steam | Twitch Buddy Read with Paloma ❤ ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 04, 2017
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Oct 11, 2017
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Sep 03, 2017
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Paperback
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114
| 076532637X
| 9780765326379
| 076532637X
| 4.62
| 196,694
| Nov 14, 2017
| Nov 14, 2017
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it was amazing
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[image] ARC provided by Tor in exchange for an honest review. 1.) The Way of Kings ★★★★★ 2.) Words of Radiance ★★★★★ 2.5) Edgedancer ★★★★ “You cann[image] ARC provided by Tor in exchange for an honest review. 1.) The Way of Kings ★★★★★ 2.) Words of Radiance ★★★★★ 2.5) Edgedancer ★★★★ “You cannot have my pain” I am so sorry this review is a month late! With the holidays and the start of this new year, my life has just been a little hectic to write a review that does this amazing book and series justice! But hopefully this will sing even an ounce of the praise that this epic fantasy series deserves, because this third installment was nothing short of a masterpiece. Also, I’m going to try to write this review spoiler free, but I am very sorry if I accidentally say a little something that could perhaps be considered a spoiler. I mean, these three books are massive, and this story is so heavy, I apologize in advance if I slip up. I know I won’t say anything major, but please use caution, or maybe pass on my review, if you would like to start The Way of Kings completely blind. And I also think it is important to note that it is very important to read the novella, Edgedancer, before reading Oathbringer, too! This is a huge scale, epic fantasy, that is massive not only in size, but in content. Roshar is divided into ten mini/major kingdoms, that are self-governed. Alethkar is the largest kingdom on Roshar, and where most our main characters come from. There is a battle going on for all of Roshar. The Parshendi, who live in the middle of the Shattered Plains, are being led by some ancient beings to gain more land and to free their enslaved relatives. They also have war waged on them for assassinating a king. The Stormlight Archive world is unlike anything else in literature. First off, unforgiving Highstorms are constantly happening around the world of Roshar. Highstorms provide Stormlight, which is an energy that the people keep in different gemstones, which have a super vast array of different uses. And because this story surrounds wars on many different fronts, it makes sense that these Highstorms also help power some pretty powerful and unique weapons, armor, and even some magical companions. We mostly follow three main characters, even though these books have extremely large casts! Each of the characters you’ll be introduced to, you’ll easily love, or easily love to hate. These are some of the best and most fleshed out characters I’ve ever read. ➽Dalinar - This whole series truly starts when Dalinar’s brother, the King himself, is murdered in cold blood. Dalinar is also a Highprince of Alethkar. Dalinar has struggled throughout all of these books, trying to remember a past that is too dark for him to remember. In my very humble opinion, Oathbringer is Dalinar’s book. Him and his family are truly the focal point, and Dalinars character arch, both past and present, made me feel more emotions than I have words for. ➽Kaladin - Once an apprentice surgeon, once a solider, once a slave, once a head guard, always a natural born leader, but now… so much more. Kaladin’s story has been such a beautiful story to watch unfold, and I know it’s nowhere close to being done. Kaladin has very much struggled with his self-worth, but I think he is truly starting to realize how much he belongs, and how sometimes it is worth it to take a chance, even if you’ve regretted it in the past. Also, if I don’t see a flute being played anytime soon… I’m going to explode with anticipation. ➽Shallan - My feminist icon cinnamon roll. I will never understand people who say that Brandon Sanderson cannot write female characters. Shallan, and her journey, is one of the most inspiring things in this entire series. She is daughter of a recently deceased Brightlord. Then, studied under Jasnah Kholin, Dalinar’s niece. She will forever and always be an artist. And she is constantly growing more and more with her powers and as a person. On top of all this, I love the representation she shows/gives as an abuse survivor. And even though I personally feel like these are the main three, there are so many amazing characters in this world. Jasnah is forever and always my queen. Adolin has completely stolen my heart in every way imaginable. Syl is everything I’ve ever wanted in literature, but I probably don’t deserve her. Pattern made me cry from laughing probably about 20 times with “NO MATING!” Hoid is probably going to end up my favorite character in all of literature, or at least the Cosmere. And I’ll forever be begging for more Szeth chapters, because no amount will ever be enough. “To love the journey is to accept no such end. I have found, through painful experience, that the most important step a person can take is always the next one.” The heart of this story is oppression, but Oathbringer really focuses on what happens when you realize you’ve been the one oppressing on lands that you thought were your own. Some pretty heavy parallels to our world, if I do say so myself. The bones of this story are religion, and what people from all walks of life are willing to do in the name of their God(s). I’ve said this in many reviews, but religion is equally the best and worst thing in this world. Religion can bring love, and acceptance, and peace, but never has a war been fought that hasn’t somehow been about religion. Brandon Sanderson is a very religious man, but the way he writes about people who choose not to believe is so wonderfully done. “The question,’ she replied, ‘is not whether you will love, hurt, dream, and die. It is what you will love, why you will hurt, when you will dream, and how you will die. This is your choice. You cannot pick the destination, only the path.” The theme of this story is and always will ultimately be love. The love of lovers, the love of family, the love of friends, the love of ourselves, the love of clans, the love of our soldiers, the love of our God(s). Oathbringer truly feels like a love letter to found families and how true, unconditional love can change the world, always. Like, I know that sounds somewhat corny for this epic fantasy series, but it’s the damn truth. Love will always be the biggest driving force, and this is proven time and time again in this series, but truly highlighted in Oathbringer. I know Brandon Sanderson gets a lot of hate for a ten-year-old, ignorant statement he made. And I’ll never defend or make excuses for what he said; it was wrong, but I do believe he has changed his views and no longer feels/thinks like that. As for the representation in this book, Oathbringer has a m/m relationship that warms my heart so very much! We also get a POV from a disabled woman who is in a wheelchair, who also happens to have the best bird companion ever. And this book heavily deals with grief and trauma. Dalinar, in my opinion, very much is living with PTSD and we find out a lot about his past in this book. You know, the past he desperately wanted to never remember. My heart broke for him over and over in this book, but I think the portrayal of his grief was expertly done and it meant a lot to me. Brandon Sanderson has also stated that Renarin is on the autism spectrum, which is awesome representation we rarely see in high fantasy. Content warnings for severe depression, suicide, war themes, physical abuse, mental abuse, emotional abuse, violence, murder, and gore. This is a very heavy book, that doesn’t shy away from brutal things, and that constantly talks about wars, and duels, and battles. Please, use caution if these things are not for you. I finished this book on Christmas day, and I couldn’t have asked for a better gift. This series just brings me so much love and joy. I honestly feel like it is Brandon Sanderson’s best work to date, and I’m not sure how I’m going to be able to wait until the next installment. I truly believe this is a once in a lifetime series, and I feel so blessed to be able to experience it. Perfection. “Life breaks us, Teft. Then we fill the cracks with something stronger.” Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Dec 07, 2017
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Dec 25, 2017
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Aug 24, 2017
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
115
| 0062570609
| 9780062570604
| 0062570609
| 4.14
| 30,443
| Apr 03, 2018
| Apr 03, 2018
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it was amazing
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None
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Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 06, 2017
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Nov 08, 2017
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Aug 22, 2017
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Hardcover
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101
| 9780316476898
| 3.90
| 4,752
| Aug 08, 2017
| Aug 2017
|
liked it
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[image] This was in the August 2017 OwlCrate box! “A demon as knitting outside the hospital.” This has so much good, I really enjoyed readin [image] This was in the August 2017 OwlCrate box! “A demon as knitting outside the hospital.” This has so much good, I really enjoyed reading it, and I wish I could put this in the hands of a lot of teens that I know need it. The Hearts We Sold is a story about a girl named Dee that is struggling with abuse and anxiety from her family. She lives in a boarding school that keeps her in a much healthier situation, but the fear never leaves her and it impacts her day to day life constantly. This story is set in Portland, Oregon, but in this world everyone is aware that demons exist. People in this world make deals with them, and in exchange for some body part, they will grant them something in return. And the demons only show themselves to the people who need them. Dee has been seeing demons for a long time. And you guys can read the title of the book, you can probably guess what hijinks ensue! Half way through I thought this was going to be a five star read, but then one of the side characters did something pretty shitty, and no one ever talks about it, and it sort of ruined the story for me. Also, this story took a very unexpected turn in general that I’m not sure if I liked. I did, however, really enjoy the conclusion. So, what I’m long windedly trying to say is that the start of this book is amazing, and the end of this book is oh so beautiful, but the middle lost me a bit. This book talks heavily on parental abuse, and how it can be so much more than just physical. Abuse takes many forms, and even though physical abuse is shown here, too, this book also shows a very realistic depiction of having parents who are alcoholics. There are so many parents out there that truly pick the contents of a bottle over their families, and it’s something that’s not depicted much in YA, but The Hearts We Sold puts it on display. It also talks about how your parents’ problems are not yours, and how important it is to get away from the situation. I know not everyone can get away, but you can’t be stuck because you must take care of your abusers, even though that’s a very real reality for so many. But go into this book knowing that some of the scenes involving Dee interacting with her family aren’t the easiest. This book made me ugly cry quite a few times. “This must be why the demon took their hearts. Because it was the only way a human might survive this—by hollowing themselves out.” Not only does this book handle a very tough topic very well, it also has some great representation. There is a main side character who is a lesbian and was my absolute favorite. I really appreciated how she had a happy coming out story, because that’s something that I was so very blessed enough to have, also, and all I want in this world is to see more happier coming out stories that aren’t always tragedies. Then, a bit later in the story, we get a trans side character who I also fell in love with. And I touched on this before, but this book has such great anxiety representation, too. This book is also an ode to found families and how important it is to find people that unconditionally love you. Blood is just that, blood, but choosing to spend your days with people who unconditionally love and support you is the true meaning of family, and Dee beautifully learns this. Overall, this book is important, and even though I didn’t personally love the story as much as I hoped I would, I would still recommend this with every bone in my body. Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch Buddy Read with Elise! ❤ ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 20, 2017
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Oct 28, 2017
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Aug 21, 2017
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||||
91
| 0062424475
| 9780062424471
| 0062424475
| 3.13
| 1,511
| Dec 19, 2017
| Dec 19, 2017
|
liked it
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ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. First off, I did enjoy this, but this collection uses the term “love tria ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. First off, I did enjoy this, but this collection uses the term “love triangle” very loosely, in my opinion. Some of the stories could have probably benefited from a stricter use of the word. It was so very diverse in race, sexuality, settings, social structures, and more, and I really appreciated it. I honestly felt like the majority of these stories had a queer aspect to them and that brings so much joy to me. A few of the stories even beautifully showcases budding polyamorous relationships, which is almost unheard of in YA! But like all anthologies, this was a mixed bag, yet overall, I really did enjoy reading this anthology for the most part. I also feel like there is a big enough variety that most people will come out with at least a couple five star stories out of the sixteen. And I stuck to my Fantasy roots, because my personal favorite in the whole collection was Before She Was Bloody by Tessa Gratton, who was a completely new to me author before this anthology! Their story was a high fantasy short that beautifully features an open-minded start of a polyamorous relationship, set in an amazingly unique world, that also features a kingdom that heavily believes in their religion at all costs. This was smart, this was sexy, this was emotional, and this was honestly perfect for me and my tastes. Please, give me more from this world in a full-length version. But I also want to state that Julie Murphy’s Lessons for Beginners was a very close second (and so worth everyone’s time to read)! But moving on, I'm going to break down each short story with my thoughts, opinions, and individual star rating! ➽ Riddles in Mathematics by Katie Cotugno - ★★★★ This was such a good opening story, oh my word! This is a queer short story, set at Christmas/New Years’ time, and stars a girl that has just recently came out to her family. She is struggling with how they perceive her, even though they are really lovely and accepting, and she is struggling to stop feeling so lonely with her unrequited crush, who also happens to be her brother’s best friend. This felt so authentic, and real, and was able to evoke a lot of emotions from me. I loved this completely, and the only reason I gave this four stars was because I never really felt a love triangle! But this was still so amazing. ➽ Dread South by Justina Ireland - ★★★★★ Okay, this was an extra good read for me, because I just read and loved Dread Nation last month! Well, this short story is part of that world, where an alternate history is taking place after the American Civil War! The blacks and Native children in this world have to go to combat schools to eventually protect the whites from the zombies that now walk among us. And our main character, Louisa, is gifted a girl to protect her, by the boy she thinks she is destined to marry. Louisa, slowfully and painfully, starts to realize her privilege, and then starts thinking about what she really wants from life. Oh, and in case you couldn’t tell, this is also a queer story! And that ending was honestly perfection. ➽ Omega Ship by Rae Carson - ★★ This was a… very unexpected love triangle for this collection. Basically, an asteroid was going to destroy Earth in nine months time, so a space ship was launched with a bunch of kids so that that they could repopulate a new habitable planet. Well, this story is about how only three of those kids made it out alive and were able to get to the escape pod to land on the new planet. The three survivors are one girl and two boys, and the girl now feels the weight of the world on her shoulders (literally), because she is going to have to repopulate the human race with only her womb. And she has to pick what boy she wants to repopulate with first. This story just… felt not good? Like, it was trying to take a feminist angle on everything, and how the girl should be in control of her body, but it just felt like three hot teens were hanging out and excited to have sex with each other. But if this turns into a full length, NA, polyamorous story… sign me up for that. ➽ La Revancha del Tango by Renee Ahdieh - ★ I really didn’t enjoy this one. It’s about a girl who just graduated high school and traveled to Argentina alone, to stay in a hostel for one night before her brother meets her. She is still grieving from her dad’s death, and she makes a few book references, and she… likes to salsa dance (all of these just feel so forced and random. But the main character, despite traveling alone and going to a nightclub with people she just met at a hostel, also felt so rude all the time to me. And, I’m still desperately confused as to who was the other point of the love triangle. The dancer? I honestly didn’t like anything about this, I’m sorry. ➽ Cass, An, and Dra by Natalie C. Parker - ★★★ Cass is obsessed with the different paths in life a person can take. She is constantly thinking and analyzing what her choice(s) will lead to, since she can kind of predict and/or see what is going to steam from the choice(s). But the one thing Cass is always certain will be a constantly in her life is An, that is, until she meets Dra. This was a bit weird, and it felt really disjointed while reading, I also didn’t care for Cass not being completely open with her feelings and actions. And the ending really left a lot to be desired. But I loved seeing a genderfluid love triangle point, and everyone used they/them pronouns! But now, after I talked about this with Destiny, I’m questioning if this was just a huge metaphor for Cass’ self-identity because, CassAnDra…. And now my mind is blown, and I’m just unsure how to interpret this! But maybe that’s the beauty of it. ➽ Lessons for Beginners by Julie Murphy - ★★★★★ Our main character is an expert kisser, and gives kissing lessons to other kids from her school. She has a website, and sets up everything online, so her identity remains anonymous until the teaching begins. Ruby only has one real friend, Paul, and everyone is always really surprised to find out that she is the “Kisser Fixer”. And then one day a childhood friend of hers and her boyfriend require her services. This was perfect. Heartwarming, emotional, everything, and had such good representation (queer, body, and race). I loved this so much. This is actually the first thing I’ve ever read from Julie Murphy, and now I want anything and everything by her. ➽ Triangle Solo by Garth Nix - ★ This one just didn’t work for me, probably because it’s about two high school boys lusting over the beautiful new girl they knew in their youth. And even though this is sort of an SFF short, because they live and go to school on a planet that is not Earth, it still read like basic horny teenage boys. And I’m just not about that life. Especially when they are viewing something as lesser until they realize they can use it as a way to get the girl. ➽ Vim and Vigor by Veronica Roth - ★★★★★ I really enjoyed this. This is about a girl picking between two boys to go to prom with, and then she realizes her value and how friends can love you just as well as any boy ever could. This was so pure, and I honestly just had fun reading it. Also, it’s about girls in a comic club that draw and love their fandom, while also grieving the loss of one of their members. This was just heartwarming, and easily one of the best stories in this collection. And give me all the stories about girls picking their friends who unconditionally love them! ➽ Work in Progress by E.K. Johnston - ★ I’m not sure what would possess this author to think that writing three separate stories, all told in 2nd person, all feeling and sounding like the same person, even though they are all completely different points of view, would be a good idea. But needless to say, this did not work for me in the slightest. The third story was the strongest, but I was too annoyed, irritated, and confused at that point to even care. ➽ Hurdles by Brandy Colbert - ★★★★ This story had so much good packed inside of this short little story. This story heavily talks about being the person your parents want you to be, while also trying to balance being the person you want to be. It talks about parents putting too much pressure on their kids, and maybe even trying to live vicariously through them. It talks about addiction, alcohol abuse specifically, and how we treat people once they come back from getting help. I guess what I’m trying to say is that this story meant a lot to me, and high school Melanie would have been able to connect with this story immediately. My only problem was the ending. I’m not saying that cliffhangers or open-ended endings are the worst thing ever, but I just wanted more. Like, write me this full-length novel, please, Brandy Colbert. I’m honestly begging you. This story was great, the characters were fully fleshed out (which is beyond impressive for a short story), and the writing was completely addicting. This was the first thing I’ve read by Brandy Colbert, but now I want to read everything. I really enjoyed this. ➽ The Historian, The Garrison, and the Cantakerous Catwoman by Lamar Giles - ★★★★ Okay, I really enjoyed this one. Morally grey main protagonist, who is learning the life lesson that not everyone will love you the way you love them, while also being a story filled with monster hunting. Like, sign me the hell up for a full-length version of this. I’m legit only giving this four stars, because this could have been such a beautiful polyamorous relationship that would have given me everything I would have ever wanted. ➽ Waiting by Sabaa Tahir - ★ Okay, this is going to sound horrible and petty, but… she picked the wrong guy. Like, I’m all about how you can’t tell people who to love, but like, no. This story is a perfect example of what I do not like in a love triangle. And that’s why it never truly feels like a love triangle and the girl picks the dude she first laid eyes on first anyways, because… reasons (view spoiler)[Seriously, Fèlix deserved so much better. (hide spoiler)] ➽ Vega by Brenna Yovanoff - ★★★ All the different names just being dropped at the start was really off-putting. But this short story does take place in Vegas, which is where I live, so I wanted to enjoy it, but it’s filled with the Vegas stereotypes of gambling, drug use, and addiction. I mean, I know that’s an important and very really discussion for many, but it’s a reality for many people in many cities, not just Vegas. I don’t know, maybe I’m being biased, but I just wish it didn’t feel so bad for me to read. I will say that this book feels very much like Vegas, and the author does a wonderful job teleporting you there. I also feel like this is a type of story that I really like though, and I think the love triangle between that stars a girl picking between a boy she has loved her whole life and a city is pretty genius. And it was a much different read than most in this collection, so I appreciated it. ➽ A Hundred Thousand Threads by Alaya Dawn Johnson - ★★ This was just really boring to me and I honestly felt like I had to force myself to finish it. Maybe it was because the format was told in messages, but I’m not even sure I can blame the disconnect on that. Basically, the only thing I enjoyed was a Mexico City set in the future. And I can see some people really enjoying the plot twist, but I thought it was really predictable. ➽ Before She Was Bloody by Tessa Gratton - ★★★★★ I do think this was the high fantasy polyamorous short story that I was after while starting this anthology. Safiya is Moon Eater’s Mistress and her position is very important among her people. Her blessings mean the difference between everything, while her family also sits upon the throne. Unfortunately, Safiya is also unable to take a male lover named Enver, because she must be dedicated to their God. Yet, her best friend, Farah, has sworn her life to her. But Safiya and Farah both want Enver, and Safiya doesn’t want Farah to miss out because of her and the station that was placed on her. This was so freaking amazing. This was smart, this was sexy, this was emotional, and that first kiss, holy moly, that first kiss blew me away. I loved this. This was my favorite of the collection, and I’d love to have a full length story of these characters and this world. ➽ Unus, Duo, Tres by Bethany Hagen - ★★★★★ Um, this is about undead vampires at a Catholic boarding school who are thinking about a polyamorous relationship. It’s diverse with race and sexuality, the characters were phenomenal, the writing was excellent, and it’s pretty much the only thing I wanted for Christmas this year. I don’t want to say too much, because this story is definitely best to go into blind, but that ending was so damn shocking, but perfect in and of itself. I really loved this one. I gave Three Sides of a Heart 3 stars overall, because out of a possible 80 stars (5 stars possible for each of the 16 stories) this collection accumulated 51 stars (~63%). Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch Buddy read with Alexis over at The Sloth Reader (my favorite BookTuber) & Destiny (my favorite blogger)! ❤ ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
|
Dec 2017
|
Dec 08, 2017
|
Aug 15, 2017
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
88
| B074DGZ22L
| 3.59
| 1,750
| Aug 08, 2017
| Aug 08, 2017
|
it was ok
|
Okay, let me preface this review by saying that I only picked this book up for three reasons: 1.) I needed something for a mythology quest for a reada Okay, let me preface this review by saying that I only picked this book up for three reasons: 1.) I needed something for a mythology quest for a readalong I’m taking part in, #TheReadingQuest. 2.) This was only 115 pages. 3.) This was only 99 cents on Amazon. The mythology behind this book is based on The Morrígan from Irish mythology. Morrígan is said to be a phantom-like banshee queen that is associated with anything war. And she is often represented by a black bird, some say crow and others say raven. There are so many different interpretations of this war goddess, and Raven’s Mark is a loose representation that does keep some major elements of the folklore. “The Queen of the Ravens was the Celtic goddess of war. A terrifying, wrathful woman who reveled in evil. She was known as the Triad. Woman with three parts. The woman named Morgan. The Raven Shifter. The Goddess of War.” In this story our main protagonist, Morgan, can’t really remember her past, only that her parents died when she was sixteen. She has now graduated college and her main passion is writing a story that she can’t get out of her head about five ravens. In fact, this story is what gets her accepted into New York University’s Graduate Program for the Arts, where she also has won a grant that gives her a full scholarship plus free housing for the two years. She is ready to start her new life, and to finally finish the story that is haunting her, but once she reaches the house, or mansion I should say, she realizes that she will be also be sharing it with five super-hot guys who are all masters at different things, obviously: ➽Dylan - The Historian ➽Sam - The Photographer ➽Bunny - The Artist ➽Clinton - The Musician ➽Damien - The Artificer “The five of us have known one another for eons. We’re not quite brothers, but close enough; soldiers, warriors, even a criminal or two. Assigned as guards between the worlds. For Morgan.” I think you guys can obviously make the connection between these five hot guys and the five ravens she writes about. The story switches between Morgan and the guys’ point of view, and thus ensures a reverse harem set up, since Morgan just being inside the house has them all hot and bothered. Oh, and for the worst part of the story: Morgan is a virgin and will have to eventually choose one of these men to give that magical gift to. *throws up forever* Also, there is no sex in this book. There is a lot of making out, and rubbing, and even a blow job, but no sex. This book is basically setting up the ground work for further installments in the series, which I won’t be reading. I hate writing negative reviews, especially for independently published authors, but this just felt juvenile and really didn’t work for me. I love reading reverse harem books, but this one felt too forced and Morgan felt too stupid for me to enjoy. If this story sounds interesting to you, for sure give it a try, but it just fell really flat for me. Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 21, 2017
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Aug 22, 2017
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Aug 11, 2017
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||||
86
| 0062459198
| 9780062459190
| 0062459198
| 3.20
| 804
| Oct 03, 2017
| Oct 03, 2017
|
liked it
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[image] ARC provided by the publisher via Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review. “Did the Bloodprint represent deliverance or deceptio[image] ARC provided by the publisher via Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review. “Did the Bloodprint represent deliverance or deception?”The Bloodprint is the first in a series and a debut adult fantasy novel that is very diverse and truly celebrates the importance of words, and what happens when we take away basic human rights to people that are deemed lesser. This book is a good blend of magic and religion and everything in-between. And ultimately this story is about breaking slave chains, which is something that I will always support and get behind. “We do what we always do with slave-chains—we break them.” Plus, not only is this a diverse read, the author is a Muslim woman who drew a lot of inspiration and influences from her own religion into this story. I loved every aspect of this, and I can’t stress enough how important it is to have more things like this published, especially in fantasy. The Bloodprint itself is a dangerous text that the Talisman has tried to rid the world of. Many people even believe it to be just a myth. The Companions of Hira is a group of women, who have developed magical powers from reading sacred scripture known as the Claim, and they fight against the Talisman every day. The Talisman is led by a man that is known as the One-eyed Preacher, who is also leading and is responsible for a lot of the slave trafficking in this world, along with many other horrible things. Arian, who is a very beloved and well-respected member of the Companions of Hira, has been trying to rescue as many humans as possible from the slave trades over the years. Yet, her new mission is to locate the Bloodprint, which can destroy the One-eyed Preacher, and the Talisman people who follow him, once and forever. But Arian is still struggling and suffering from many events that took place in her past. “A man, a child, and two women braving a Talisman redoubt. To capture the stone of heaven. Symbol of the Eternal Blue Sky.” This book heavily talks about sex trade and promises of rape, and even though it never gets too graphic, it is still a prevalent theme throughout the novel. Like, from the very start to the very end. So please go into this book using caution if that is something that bothers you while reading. I feel like this book was sold to me as a diverse feministic fantasy novel, but I never truly felt the feminist elements, sadly. Yes, this world is very patriarchal and gross things are done to woman throughout, but I was really struggling to find the feministic undertones, especially since there are so many male characters that further the story along constantly. Also, there is a bit of an annoying romance that never had me truly swooning. From the very start you learn about Arian’s love interest, even though so many things have kept them apart. But ultimately, she kept relying on him over and over again, when all I wanted was for her to rely on herself. And, in my opinion, the love story just wasn’t that great. I think this story would have benefited without a tragic love story past, while being forced to watch an inevitable rekindling of that love. The other thing that I really didn’t enjoy is that the one of the main side characters, Sinnia, is said to have darker skin than the main protagonist, Arian, and it is constantly being told by every group they encounter how much more desirable Arian is than Sinnia. I’m sure the author didn’t mean any malice by this, but it still rubbed me the wrong way with the constant reminders. I also don’t feel like Arian treats Sinnia that amazing, and it just feels bad because this could have been a super strong WoC duo that fought evil men, but instead I feel like these two are constantly being pitted, or at least compared, against each other. I also feel like this book has a very unforgiving learning curve. Many times, I felt a tiny bit confused about what was going on. You have a lot of information thrown at you, and the information quickly builds upon itself. This book does a lot of telling, and not enough showing, in my opinion. But overall, if you’re looking for a book filled with political intrigue, magic from words, good religious representation, and a full PoC cast, I would totally recommend The Bloodprint! This is the start of a four book series, and I am very curious to see what Ausma Zehanat Khan does next, because I do believe there is a lot of potential here. But be warned, the ending does leave on quite the cliffhanger. Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch Buddy Read with Elise ❤ The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 29, 2017
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Oct 17, 2017
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Aug 08, 2017
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Paperback
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85
| 4.25
| 110
| Aug 15, 2017
| unknown
|
really liked it
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ARC provided to me by author E.S. Bell in exchange for an honest review. “A fool’s first and biggest weakness is thinking he doesn’t have one”ARC provided to me by author E.S. Bell in exchange for an honest review. “A fool’s first and biggest weakness is thinking he doesn’t have one” This book was such an unexpected joy! I went into this expecting pirates from the cover, but I also was blessed with paladins, merfolk, dragons, demons, gods, and more! And if you guys have been following my reviews for any length of time, you probably know that my favorite settings in books will always be taverns (be still, my The Name of the Wind heart), and this book completely delivered me so many shanty pirate town taverns! I really enjoyed this book, and I completely loved this world! The world of Lumos is now made up of many different islands, and the people that reside on those islands worship different gods. [image] The Dark of the Moon stars an Aluren Paladin named Selena Koren, who is also a very rare summoner. Even though she is the second most gifted Paladin this world knows, because of her summoning and healing abilities, she is constantly reminded of a grave mistake she made, while using her powers against the warring Zak’reth, one night. Selena worships the Two-Faced God, who has given her a crescent moon shaped hole in her chest that always causes her constant cold. Even though she has given her life to her god, she was still punished for that one night and now lives and fights in a constant dark place of loneliness. “It takes more strength and will to be kind than it does to indulge in anger or hate.” Her only friend is a Vai’Ensai named Ilior, who is a one-winged dragon-like humanoid, who can never go back to his homeland, Cloud Isles, because of his unfortunate wound, too. Selena and Ilior have been friends for ten years, and their friendship gives Selena the hope and strength to go on, but she is always hoping for a way to make her god heal her chest wound, so that she can know what warmth feels like again. Selena gets an opportunity, in the form a very dangerous mission, to finally heal the hole that has made her feel empty for so long. Her mission is to kill two dark priests, who have risen in the Bazira faith. She is even told that she probably won’t survive this task, but nothing will keep her from healing her wound. All she needs is a pirate who will take her to the dark priests. Sebastian Vass is a pirate who holds his secrets very close to his chest. So close, that his entire crew is unable to speak! Most of them not having tongues. Sebastian has been running away from a past that hunts him, when his family was brutally tortured and murdered. This dark event has turned him into one of the most deadly assassins this world knows, yet he is looking for one last job so that he can retire forever. And luckily for him, Bazira has recruited him to bring back the head of an Aluren Paladin named Selena. “It only takes two acts of real fucking depravity to make a reputation.” Sebastian counted off on his thumb and forefinger. “The first to get everyone’s attention and the second to show you were serious the first time.” These two character’s storylines quickly mingle, and secrets, betrayals, and mystery ensue! This book is one magical plot twist after magical plot twist, and I loved it completely. Trigger warnings for graphic violence, torture, assault, attempted rape, and mention of rape. E.S. Bell is a pen name of romance writer Emma Scott, and the romance bleeds into this fantasy story so very well. I was so impressed with this debut fantasy take, because it reads like perfection. The only reason I’m giving this four stars is because the first couple chapters are a little slow, and you get a lot of information thrown at you very quickly. After that initial bump though, this story becomes an immersive and absolutely addictive read. I couldn’t put this down, and I need the next installment immediately. It’s been so long since I’ve read a story that surrounded a paladin! Paladins are very close to my heart, thanks to World of Warcraft. I love how they are holy warriors, always trying to do what is right and lawful, yet still capable of retribution! I seriously am beyond words with happiness that this story is about a paladin, and I couldn’t not mention my joy in this review. This book was amazing! The prose is lyrical, the settings are absolutely fantastic, the characters completely stole my heart, and the mystery of these gods had me completely enthralled. If you’re looking for a story filled with pirates, mythical creatures, wrath of gods, intrigue, and mystery, please pick up The Dark of the Moon. I think this series is going to be absolutely everything I look for in adult fantasy, and I can’t wait to read more! Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch The quotes and map above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 07, 2017
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Sep 09, 2017
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Aug 08, 2017
| ||||||||||||||||||
99
| 1633758141
| 9781633758148
| 1633758141
| 3.72
| 1,830
| Sep 05, 2017
| Sep 05, 2017
|
liked it
|
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 📖💗: You can win an exclusive Book Nerd T-Shirt by being one of the first ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 📖💗: You can win an exclusive Book Nerd T-Shirt by being one of the first 100 people to leave a review of Black Bird of the Gallows by Meg Kassel on Amazon! Enter to win Here! 📖💖: Three people can also win a Black Bird of the Gallows canvas tote bag (11“x14”) which includes a custom made crow pendant and ball chain, bookmark and stickers, $10 Amazon Gift Card (INT) Enter to win Here! 📖💕: And check out the rest of the reviews, interviews, and more from this blog tour Here! [image] “Stay away from the bees.” Black Bird of the Gallows is a debut standalone paranormal YA romance that reads like a mixture of Candyman meets The Birds meets Twilight. (And I mean that mashup in the best way possible!) [image] [image] [image] “The energy flows over me, fills me, and none of it feels tainted, contaminated by the darkness of my mother’s mistakes.” Angie Dovage lives in a small town in southwest Pennsylvania and is counting down the days of her senior year of high school, so she can finally graduate and escape the small town that won’t let her forget her childhood. She is living with her father, making music with her two best friends, and trying to ignore that past that still haunts her. That is, until a new boy moves in next door and makes her realize there may be more to her small sleepy town than anyone realizes. Reece is not your regular human boy, but is also harboring a secret that will change Angie’s world forever. Together they are trying to uncover the fate of their small town, while also learning to trust one other and overcoming their own personal fears. “If you had asked me a few weeks ago, I’d have said magic is impossible. Irrational. Just considering its existence in this world is insane. But I saw bees crawl out of a man’s mouth. I saw him change faces like pages of a book.” This book has a dark and spooky vibe throughout its entirety. The writing is beautiful and for sure helps create this haunted aesthetic vibe, which I loved. This book feels and reads very much like a mystery thriller, even though it is for sure a paranormal romance. Also, I feel like the story itself was just super unique. “I endured two centuries of horrors, and maybe it was all so I could be here with you. If my unnatural existence means nothing else, it means this. I get to be here, now, with you.” I had a little problem with the romance in this book, and how fast and instant it seemed to be. The story later addresses this with more back content, but that addition just made me feel a little creeped out. I also felt like the ending was a little too easy and convenient for my liking, as well. But those were the only two issues I really had. Besides those, this was a really enjoyable read. I do think it’s important to note that this book centers around death a lot. So, trigger warnings for talk of death, child abuse, and a minor plot point that surrounds a school shooting. Yes, this is a YA novel, but the nature of this book definitely deals with some dark subject matters, so please go into this book knowing that. I completely recommend this, especially for a fun Halloween paranormal read! I really enjoyed Angie’s friendships with Deno and Lacey and then her parental relationship with her father. Also, I love that this is a standalone, because those are so unheard of nowadays, especially in the paranormal genre. This is a quick and easy read that would be super enjoyable for the fall season. And I will definitely read future books by Meg Kassel, because of this wonderful debut. Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 12, 2017
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Sep 19, 2017
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Aug 07, 2017
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Hardcover
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my rating |
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130
| 4.30
|
Mar 24, 2017
|
Mar 24, 2019
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|||||||
129
| 3.82
|
really liked it
|
Dec 29, 2017
|
Dec 29, 2017
|
||||||
120
| 3.81
|
did not like it
|
Nov 20, 2017
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Nov 16, 2017
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||||||
127
| 4.23
|
it was amazing
|
Dec 31, 2017
|
Nov 12, 2017
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||||||
118
| 3.82
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liked it
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Nov 29, 2017
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Nov 08, 2017
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||||||
116
| 3.81
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really liked it
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Nov 16, 2017
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Nov 08, 2017
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||||||
112
| 3.84
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it was ok
|
Nov 06, 2017
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Oct 29, 2017
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||||||
128
| 3.80
|
Oct 04, 2017
|
Oct 28, 2017
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|||||||
111
| 3.93
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it was ok
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Oct 29, 2017
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Oct 28, 2017
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||||||
113
| 3.90
|
really liked it
|
Oct 31, 2017
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Oct 26, 2017
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||||||
110
| 4.00
|
it was ok
|
Oct 28, 2017
|
Oct 26, 2017
|
||||||
109
| 3.94
|
liked it
|
Oct 26, 2017
|
Oct 26, 2017
|
||||||
125
| 4.47
|
it was amazing
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Dec 12, 2017
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Oct 21, 2017
|
||||||
106
| 4.75
|
it was amazing
|
Nov 14, 2017
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Oct 04, 2017
|
||||||
103
| 3.60
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it was amazing
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Nov 2017
|
Sep 25, 2017
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||||||
108
| 3.57
|
did not like it
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Dec 29, 2017
|
Sep 18, 2017
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||||||
102
| 4.23
|
Oct 07, 2017
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Sep 15, 2017
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|||||||
117
| 3.10
|
Nov 16, 2017
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Sep 06, 2017
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|||||||
97
| 3.98
|
really liked it
|
Sep 10, 2017
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Sep 05, 2017
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||||||
98
| 3.79
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really liked it
|
Sep 26, 2017
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Sep 04, 2017
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||||||
96
| 3.98
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liked it
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Nov 18, 2017
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Sep 03, 2017
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||||||
95
| 4.02
|
did not like it
|
Oct 11, 2017
|
Sep 03, 2017
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||||||
114
| 4.62
|
it was amazing
|
Dec 25, 2017
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Aug 24, 2017
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||||||
115
| 4.14
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it was amazing
|
Nov 08, 2017
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Aug 22, 2017
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||||||
101
| 3.90
|
liked it
|
Oct 28, 2017
|
Aug 21, 2017
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||||||
91
| 3.13
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liked it
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Dec 08, 2017
|
Aug 15, 2017
|
||||||
88
| 3.59
|
it was ok
|
Aug 22, 2017
|
Aug 11, 2017
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||||||
86
| 3.20
|
liked it
|
Oct 17, 2017
|
Aug 08, 2017
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||||||
85
| 4.25
|
really liked it
|
Sep 09, 2017
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Aug 08, 2017
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||||||
99
| 3.72
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liked it
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Sep 19, 2017
|
Aug 07, 2017
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