Karol
This is a perfect read for your kids. Simply told with impressive depth, beautifully illustrated, entertaining and relatable. Anya Damiron is an author to watch out for!
This premise was very interesting. I appreciated the neurodivergent MC, however, the MC was to me a bit difficult to follow, as she kept complaining that she was so different, so the book was a bit of a struggle to get through at first. However, when the story picks up, the love interest was well developed, and although i found the worldbuilding a bit hard to understand at times, i can see this story getting better and more interesting in later books.
Thank you netgalley for the ARC.
I wanted to really like this, as a quick read, romance and a bit of intrigue, but I was sort of disappointed.
The premise in its own right, was a bit of a stretch. I don't see how she would be a reliable witness whether or not people told her things, she still experienced memory loss and that can be fought in court.
The character of Brie. Well. Didn't love her. It's the sort of MC in which the world revolves and yet she lets life happen around her, her decisions were not the sharpests nor were her reactions to a very difficult situation for everyone, not just her, and she seemed unable to understand others point of view sometimes.
The character of Spencer, well, he was slightly better. The book did pick up from his POV, save for the fact that he seemed obsessed with how much she loves Brie, couldn't breathe without her to a point where it got a little intense.
The friends were the best part of the book. Brie did not deserve them really.
The ending... Well... It depended on Brie being silly, the intrigue being predictable and easily resolved, and an epilogue that streched a bit much.
I enjoyed the love story from Spencer's perspective for the most part and the friendships, so overall 3/5.
If you liked fourth wing...
3 1/2
Pros
Entertaining
Fast paced
Interesting lore
Comfortable writting style (better than FW)
Good ending
Morally gray leaders with probable hidden agendas
Cons
FMC she's struggles, she thinks on her feet... But when it comes to the MMC... There is this instalust that comes out of nowhere.
MMC I am jadded, evil, want more power to soak in the blood of my enemies sort of fellow. Claims to hate and only want to use our main character, but then again
Friendship?
Well, this is not your typical coming of age story. Not your typical best friend got me out of my shell story. Not your typical something strange is affecting the town. It's mostly all of these things. It's not easy to root for any of these characters really.
We have or MC, we don't know too much about him, just that he's quiet and bullied.
In comes Eli. We find out quickly what he is and how he survives, thanks to the introduction of our other sort of main character/tragic villain/monster of sorts. As to how he became that, we find out in a crazy disturbing fever dream. (check out TW). He is selfish, and survivalist, but affects profoundly our MC and is probably his first friend, same for him i guess.
We have other side characters in the townspeople and they ground the story away from the coming of age friendship/love story, showing the reality of what it takes to live in Eli's world.
Overall way better than the movies, certainly better than the latest one, that really changes Eli's background. The pacing is what you'd expect of this author: slow, episodic and fever dreams inserted here and there.
3.75 rounded to 4 stars
Dnfed sorta?
I loved the premise, a disgruntled employee/secret genius who didn't reach his perceived potential gets in a crash and it's confronted by the possibility of knowing his death date (which happens to be his trade anyway)
Commentary about how the younger generation is perceived as imprecise, as not caring for details, as instantaneous; commentary about regrets in paths chosen, and the philosophy of what would you do if you knew how long you had and would that change anything and would you want to know.
Problem is... I found it very boring. The book doesn't start until about a third of it. And even then, there is a journey, in which the MC (let's call him unreliable, but then maybe he isn't and I just wasn't following?) starts reminiscing (but like in present tense a little) and going back to now and forth. So, exhausted and whiplashed and determined to know where it went.. Admittedly... I sorta skimmed.
And at some point... Unpleasant stuff hit the fan and it became weird? That is quite a mild way of putting it, unfollowable is more like it. Either he went of the rails or the world did, but it became a different book.
And if you were in it for the premise, well, that wasn't where it started at all, it was like a long half of one book, and a short third act of another.
And then it ends. But it continues. And ends again. And again. Always sorta open-ended, but honestly I was never aware of what was happening. After about the third of those, i stopped altogether. So maybe there was more to explore and i dnfed about 97% mark.
If this review is confusing, so was i, i can't even rate it.
This is a second book in a series, so anyone reading this is familiar with sjm's writting and tropes. I'm usually completely against love triangles, especially having the main character switch sides. And yet.
This story picks up after the events of under the mountain and Feyre is dealing with some serious ptsd. And her relationship with Tamlin is tested. In this we can test the ‘happily ever after', the depth of their relationship and the testing goes poorly, to say the least. I've seen many criticize sjm's treatment of Tamlin's character but really, she just enhanced (to the max) the few traits we knew about him, and we really didn't know much aside from him being ‘a protector'. And Feyre, well, she's not all that perfect herself.
Then we have Rhys, who we get to know this book and his side of things since before under the mountain and there the book really got me. I ended up loving him in this book and even his relationship with Feyre and his side of this world.
So if you can put aside the sjm-isms, the drastic changes from the first book, and keep an open mind, you might enjoy this one more then acotar.
Chef's kiss... Absolutely beautiful!!
Ok i did not expect to like this book much at all. Bought it in an audible sale, and since it was Amy Harmon (looooved the Second Blind Son, didn't love from Blood and Ash), i decided to give it a shot. I was delighted!
It tells the story of Fern, Ambrose and Bailey, in a very loose beauty and the beast retelling. But it's so much more. The characters feel so real, they're damaged by trauma and circumstance, but they trully want to be good people, and make the right choices with the situations they're in. It's so refreshing to see a character like Ambrose, who's made some immature choices that led to serious consequences for him and others, and still, try not to hurt anyone anymore and to recognize where he went wrong instead of being the usual brooding that hurts others because he's damaged love interest.
Fern, is a nurturer, but more than once in the book gets checked for it, and made to see that even that can be a sign of something deeper.
And Bailey, just the most inspirational and yet somehow feels real, character I've read in a while. I laughed and cried with him and it definitely leaves you with a sense of trying to be a better person, in spite of your circumstances.
A book where the parents are mostly not awful, and can be real father figures and wise advisors.
If i have one complaint, its a side storyline, with a mustache turning bad guy and a damsel in distress type. But even that is at times grounded in reality.
Overall, this was beautiful. I cried, laugh had a silly grin throughout, and i swear i left the book inspired to do better and not just take circumstances inwardly, but to make the best of things for others as well. Cannot recommend this book enough!
This was a clever premise, the writting was really cool, especially the illustrations of the different ikea-like items.
This is set in an ikea-like store where things start happening and it's up to the staff to figure it out. The characters are easy to root for, the setting is fantastic. My only gripe is within the third act it became a little more traditional horror, but still, the ending was really good and the overall story brought something fresh to the genre. I'd recommend :)
It had potential. The past of both MCs was intriguing. But the plot... Well... Not so much.
We follow Bree, and she was a nice girl, who was instantly obsessed by Archer (enter hot misterious awkward guy). Her initial connection, with her father being mute is understandable, but she instantly took it to a 100. Her fixation was too much too fast.
Now Archer was interesting. He was like a child, and Bree kept mothering him and the interaction got weird that way. And also, kinda toxic in the sense of him not being able to breathe without her.
The townspeople were good supporting characters but we found out very little about them. Travis was a character I wanted to know more about but sadly didn't.
And, like I said, the plot. Huge chapter cliffhanger followed by swift resolution every time.
Overall, I liked that Archer was sweet and really tried to better himself in the end, that made the book enjoyable enough.
Didnt love the plot, the scifi was confusing and i didnt care enough for the characters to try to follow it better.
Fascinating!
(rounded up from 4.5 stars)
This was a fascinating read. I heard the audio version and was really engaging. The documentary format is quite effective in audio format, with all the different voices describing their account of what happened.
To make an idea of what really may have happened by piecing together the different versions people describe of a single event is part of the journey. It was interesting to see the decay of the situation (even if the reasons why it happens are still a stretch), some characters we root for, some we don't, but they mostly feel very human. It had a few fun twists that came from some characters ideas to survive the situation, and a lot of maybe unnecessary but unnerving escalations for the same reason.
I take half a star because towards the end, the format changes when they interview the big bad, and i don't think it worked, felt the story drag from that. Also to choose the last interview to be the person they did took some momentum from the whole story. Still, it wasn't what I expected from a book that was free with the audible subscription. It was a really fun read overall!
I really wanted to like this.
As a christian, i haven't read a lot of christian literature and i really wanted to explore it, especially a romance. So i gave this book every chance.
However, my expectations might've been off. I expected a sweet romance, this was not! I could not in any way discernable find a reason for these two to be into each other, no chemistry, very very wooden heroine and suddenly the hero loved her?... They say they love each other in the middle of this mess they're in, and frankly, they spend two minutes together overall.
So to me, a romance book lives and dies on its romance and nope, i just didn't buy it.
Then we have the christian aspect, prayer, psalms. It felt superficial at best, i didn't feel the spiritual struggle that they were meaning to convey.
And then the plot. Predictable, which i didn't mind, but really, the mistery wasn't a mistery at all, the mustache turning bad guy's motivations were certainly over the top. The character of the cousin... Nevermind her mindset... Anyway, the plot didn't sell it for me either.
I don't think it was all bad. The psalms were nice to hear, and i guess it's nice to see a happy ending, it just doesn't feel very earned, nor do we get the character development i wanted, to really grasp why lucy meant so much to emilia and how graham fell for her at all. To me the best character was william.
If you like a bit of predictable mistery, a bit of forced romance and a good enough wrap up, then this is for you. The writting is good, I might still try the sequel, since it follows william.
3 1/2 stars
The good:
- creepy atmosphere
- the main character (although the typical everything is always my fault) tries to rationalize situations and follow certain logic (even if she makes bad choices)
- her growth
- not a terrible ending
The bad
- it's all my fault MC (mind you, at times it really is)
- ran a bit long
- side characters didn't get enough development
- the world building, supernatural, space aspects didn't get enough room to expand on.
Overall, this was a good space horror, one of those that convinces you we're probably better earthbound. There were the classic politics troupes, a touch of supernatural, a touch of OMG space can kill you in a thousand ways so why even go. A lot of oh whyyy would you do that, and yet, fun to watch it unfold. The ending wasn't awful, and really, it was a difficult story to satisfyingly end, so i won't blame them.
If you like space horror, event horizon sort of vibes, and don't mind a bit of pacing issues and underdevelopment, it should work for you. The main character is really traumatized, but knows it and although she makes stupid choices, does try to ammend them and by the end of it, she comes to accept herself and grows. I do think event horizon was better, but this does read like a movie.
A little drawn out, misscomunications abound. Not better than the first in terms of characters, and some storylines repeat. Overall enjoyable and light
This was a fun ride!
We follow Alessandra, the second daughter of a vicount, i think. So she's determined to make her own way by seducing and killing the king. As these things go, it's not smooth sailing.
We follow her very slithering perspective and it's really entertaining finding out how she tackles every obstacle.
The romance is great, because it's not your typical dark and brooding character seduces a pure and do-gooder. Nope, these two are slitherings through and through.
Overall a fun and easy read with cool story, fun characters and a romance to weirdly root for.
Ok, I should start by saying I dnf-ed mistborn. Loved warbreaker though, and haven't read the stormlight archive. But elantris. Simply beautiful! So here's some gushing:
1. The world. I loooved it. The world of the elantrians, their downfall, the current political climate, the religion wars. All of it! Engaging and well presented.
2. The pacing. Not fast, not slow, just flowing. There were moments we spent watching the characters do menial tasks (and how hard it was for some of them!). Moments where they sat and discussed political matters, evaluating every posibility before coming to a consensus, making it feel very real. There were horror moments, that also felt very real, and just painful moments (the toes man...)
3. Characters. Also real. Loved. Them. All. Just all of them, I don't even have a favorite. And again, they felt very real!
4. The story. Good versus evil (but you're not sure who's who all the time) the characters would act a certain way, but their motivations were clearly laid out, so you could be fair witness to all sides.
5. The ending. I know some people take issue with the resolution of all matters, maybe a little neatly, but to me it felt earned and it was the ending I wanted so sue me.
Overall, i highly highly recommend!
It started well enough, but the mc's voice became very dispersed and detracted greatly from the pacing. The sort of open ending didn't help either. Couldn't care about the characters.
A little young adult, but highly entertaining!
So this was a sort of villanesque but I don't wanna be a villain though I am sort of story. Her musings were fun, her decisions sort of dumb and the whole ride really entertaining. Our MC is super naive, and often times is pushed to decisions by reacting instead of thinking. Still, she was easy to root for. Our love interest on the other hand... I'm in the fence about. I don't like the trope I want you and it's your fault and Violet suffered a great deal due to his ping ponging and nonsense. Still, he sort of got his comeuppance? So I guess it depends on how the story continues.
The magic system is not really explained yet, the politics are rather murky and the players are not yet fully established. Still, I think it has some promise overall. The main character makes this story fun and engaging and I will continue the series to see where it all lands.
3.5 rounded up
So, people suck in the apocalypse. This, i think, is my first CJ Tudor book. I have to say the writting trully kept you going. Every chapter ends in a cliffhanger of sorts, sometimes a cheesy one, but no less effective.
We follow 3 MCs in 3 different situations related to the retreat, a place to stay safe/also be experimented on/isolated on/undisclosed others, in the middle of society colapse due to a virus (that's not super explained but can spread through absolutely anything).
The atmosphere is trully the MC here. This world, and while we don't get the full story, only what the characters let slip, is very interesting. And the weather. The weather is the worse, i mean this constant snow storms, it makes the tension neverending. Now the story, or stories interconnected were a bit predictable, and early on you can sort of see a bit of the reveals. Still, you can't seem to stop reading.
So, since it's a thriller of sorts, the ending matters right? Well not so much. It was fine. But i found the journey to be much more compelling.
It kept me engaged, but the characters, save for one and his storyline is very predictable, are very very veeery unlikeable. We have no one to root for. We're suposed to accept that they're just jaded for their past traumas (mind you Sadie was awful from the start) but it comes a point where you're just wondering if they'll ever grow up.
Pros. The writting style. The coming of age aspect makes you keep reading hoping they get their sh$t together. The video game aspects.
Cons. The characters, especially Sadie, the fact that everyone assumes she' s special because she's jaded, she's awful to everyone but it's because she's brilliant. Not that Sam the antisocial is much better, the self sabotaging aspects, miscommunications, the ending.
Overall, i could read something else from this author, but didn't love this.