Edrie Elen
~Full review here on The Bent Bookworm!~“No matter how hard it feels, you don't need to be afraid to move on, and you don't need to be afraid to stay either. There's always more to see and feel.”^How I felt after finishing the last page of this book.What this book is: 90% emotions/feelings. Glorious, ooey-gooey lovey-dovey, feelings that make me want to actually try to hope for HEAs and the best in life and love. Adorable. Cute. Romantic.What this book is not (i.e., please don't pick it up if you're into these things): deep, extremely thought provoking, realistic.First of all, I'm so stinking proud of myself for READING AND FINISHING this book! At long long LOOOOONG last, as it came in my February 2016 OwlCrate. Yikes. I read like one “meh” review of it and lost all my enthusiasm for the story...which I sort of regret, but I also realize that at the time, this sort of ooey-gooey-ness would probably not have sat very well with me...and quite possibly would have resulted in it being thrown across the room, never to be finished.The Love That Split the World is an adorable summer story of love, loss, and teenagers finding themselves and each other. Sprinkled in between the emotionally intense, physically warming scenes (but never explicit or very graphic, and there is no actual sex in the book) are gems like the quote above, and others I desperately wish my 16-18 year old self (hell, even 19, 20, or 21 year old self) had read or known.“You shouldn't be scared of someone you love.”The book briefly addresses the issue of consent – even for “just” making out, and one scene in particular left me feeling rather nauseous even though “nothing happened.” Alcoholism is also brought up, and addressed in one of the most succinct ways I have ever seen – painful, as it always is, but it was done so, so well. Huge props.Oh, and the characters!! I've discovered yet another book boyfriend – Beau, your beautiful soul has won my heart. I will also confess that in high school, I admired the football players from afar so...yeah...piano AND football playing Beau is just totally swoonworthy. And I always, ALWAYS get hit right in the feels by the broken-but-still-strong hero types, the ones who just remain good people at heart despite having been given the shit end of the stick in life. Natalie's spirit – her need to KNOW, her intense desire to find herself, to make something of herself – really resonated with me. While I don't know how it would feel to grow up a minority (not only in your town, but in your FAMILY) in a small southern town, I spent a lot of my growing up years in places not unlike her Kentucky hometown and to some extent, I can imagine. Especially in small town America, people who don't look (or act) exactly the same are often viewed with suspicion and outright dislike. In Natalie's case, her biggest struggle seems to be with not sharing her looks or personality with her adoptive parents, and the fact that she was hassled about it by her classmates when she was younger.I adored the time bending/travel aspect of the story. I was a little (ok, very) confused for awhile, but eventually I realized what was happening...mostly. I still DID NOT see that ending coming and my poor little heart nearly burst with ALL THE FEELS. I didn't quite CRY, but my throat squeezed very very tight, my eyes burned, and I blinked rapidly for a few moments. Then I had to read the last few pages about 5 times to make sure I hadn't missed anything!Diversity: This was my first pick for the January topic, Biracial Awareness (check out the suggested bookshelf!), in the Platypire Diverse Books Reading challenge. Natalie is bi-racial, and adopted. Another main character is Korean. The author does not belong to either of these groups, but she seems to have put a great deal of effort into making her story authentic and respectful especially to the First Nations cultures she draws from in the writing of the book.I gave this book 5/5 stars. It is an amazingly fun and cute romance with enough time-turning stuff to keep that side of my brain interested too.Blog Twitter Bloglovin Instagram Google+———————————HO-LY SHIT. WTF just happened?!?? My heart is in complete shards right now but it is painfully hopeful. Actual review to come.
~Check out all my reviews over on The Bent Bookworm!~ WARNING: Possible spoilers for Book 1 of this series, A Curious Beginning, which I highly recommend!A Perilous Undertaking picks up just weeks after A Curious Beginning left off. I was very happy to see that, as I always feel like I'm lost in the sauce when series books have big time gaps between them!FeelsAhhh, I still loved Veronica and Stoker. Stoker's background came more into focus during this one, as we got to peak a little more into his family. Once again, I would caution anyone who comes to this series looking for a strictly historically accurate book – while the period details of dress, surroundings, etc., are quite good, the language is fairly modern. Veronica has EXTREMELY modern ideas about relationships and sexual encounters, and several of the other characters in this book do as well. Not uncommon perhaps for artists and others of the more “common” classes, perhaps, but for a woman born and raised as she was it would seem unlikely. However, it makes for great reading and a character I can TOTALLY identify with! I laughed out loud quite frequently at the back and forth between her and Stoker – she's so forthright, and he doesn't quite know how to handle it!CharactersVeronica and Stoker are their usual bantering, bickering selves. They're still getting to know each other and as they speak more openly about their past life they are (whether they will admit it or not) getting more and more invested in each other. It's very slow going though!At one point they seem to make progress, and then a THING happens between them that puts the brakes on everything. Damn, damn, DAMN! I need to know more, people! I absolutely despised Lady Sundridge. DESPISED. She was so cold and manipulative and unfeeling. UGH! She used Veronica from start to finish - and Veronica LET her, even after she knew she was being used. My heart. Veronica wants to know her family, and thus know herself so badly she puts aside her better judgment and it really bites her in the ass sometimes.PlotMuch more intriguing than the first! I really didn't have it figured out by the end, at least not to where I was certain enough to bet on it. ;) I loved meeting all the different characters in the artists' enclave, too - though the who's-sleeping-with-who there really made things SO much more complicated than they should have been, I guess that was really part of the problem! Oh, just a fair warning - there is a LOT of talk about sex in this one. Not sex itself, but a good deal of nudity and frank discussions of sex. ;)4/5 stars. I didn't FEEL quite as much for this one, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and dived right into the third book!Blog Twitter Bloglovin Instagram
OMG I need the next one like right now!!! I missed these characters and this world so much. Why can we not have more Lunar Chronicles???
—Actual review to come.
This book paralyzed me, because I didn't know how to write a review for something that moved me so deeply. I sat on my couch and cried every time I opened it. Cried not because I was sad, but because I saw myself in this book and Akemi Dawn Bowman wrote it EXACTLY HOW IT IS, to live this way, and she articulates it - something I've never been able to do clearly, even to people I trust and count my closest friends. I think I am lucky enough to have a few friends who understand me anyway, but to explain why I act the way I do or feel the way I feel...nope. Because of this book, I think I finally have something of an idea - or at least a better idea - of how HUGE of a deal representation is in books. Huge. HUGE. I've always SAID I believed it was important, but I didn't really know how it FELT.Kiko is half-Japanese, half white. The biracial rep is actually why I picked this book up - not because I myself am biracial, but because I was trying to find another book to read for the January challenge! Kiko also has moderate-severe social anxiety, and lives with a psychologically and emotionally abusive, narcissistic mother.Ding ding, on both of those.At first I couldn't believe what I was reading. I kept telling my husband, “I swear, I think the author met my mother and decided to write her into a book!” And then I started to cry because someone understood not only having a mother like that, but having overwhelming panic at the thought of going places or meeting people.Normal people don't need to prepare for social interactions. Normal people don't panic at the sight of strangers. Normal people don't want to cry because the plan they've processed in their head is suddenly not the plan that's going to happen.SO MUCH THIS. So much. Also, Kiko sits outside of a party in her car for about 20 minutes before she can convince herself to go in - and in the end her friend comes outside to go back in with her anyway. Been there, done that. Social functions are HARD. They're terrifying, and exhausting. I have a very, very distinct memory of arranging to have dinner with a friend (myself and my husband), and showing up at the restaurant to discover he had invited about 5 other people. I nearly blacked out standing next to the table, and I fought tears for several minutes after my husband helped me sit down. I can only imagine what those other people must have thought of me - but Kiko knows exactly what that is like.Kiko's mother is psychologically and emotionally abusive. She is white, has bi-racial children (biological even), and yet she is incredibly racist. She constantly makes Kiko feel ugly and worthless. She lies to her about events in the past, she demeans her childrens' heritage. She must be the center of attention at all times, and she must look perfect to the world outside. And Kiko - as every child does - craves her mother's approval and support. Even when she knows it would be better to cut her mom out of her life, even when it would be healthier for her not to engage - she does. Because somewhere deep inside, there is still a tiny, tiny hope that one day her mom will be supportive and unconditionally loving.Ding ding, again.I was so happy to see Kiko finally get to embrace herself. Her ethnicity, her art, her personality. And to find friends who loved and accepted her for who she is, and who could celebrate ALL of her, with her. Also people who understood how poisonous her mother was.“All that time growing up, I thought I was the only one who could see. I thought nobody understood the way he was. I thought I was the problem. But some people are just starfish - they need everyone to fill the roles that they assign. They need the world to sit around them, pointing at them and validating their feelings. But you can't spend your life trying to make a starfish happy, because no matter what you do, it will never be enough.”Please go read this book. Whether you identify with Kiko somehow, or if you like art (Kiko is an amazing artist and the book has some beautiful descriptions of her paintings and drawings...also check out the fan art competition). Just please read. Even if you don't see yourself in it, I guarantee you someone in your life or acquaintance DOES.Blog Twitter Bloglovin Instagram Google+
A Dog Called Hope is a powerful story of survival, of the power of family and community, and yes, of hope. Jason Morgan is at the top of his game as a member of the elite army SOAR team (one of the very few Air Force personnel to claim such a title) when he is injured in a catastrophic accident during a mission and his life as he knew it, as he had planned it, was over. From the depths of pain and despair, to hauling himself along by sheer force of will and determined to live for his three sons, if not himself, he survives. Survives, but just barely, until a chance encounter with a stranger puts him in contact with Canine Companions for Independence and finally his service dog, Napal. Napal is an angel in disguise, and with his support and the bridges he builds with the rest of Morgan's community the team go on to achieve things that doctors and even Morgan himself said would never be possible. I put off reading this book for far too long. I'll admit it, I was scared it would hit way too close to home. As someone who has served in the military, and who has family members disabled from their own service, it both strongly appealed and made me uncomfortable. Appealed because I think we all share some kinship regardless of the branch of service we claim, and made uncomfortable because it could so easily have been someone I knew and loved. Also because I love dogs more than I love life itself and after seeing someone's review about this being a tearjerker (which it was) I was even more worried about reading it. I cried my eyes out at the end. But it was also totally worth it.Blog Twitter Bloglovin Instagram Google+
~Full review and details on The Bent Bookworm!~“The Virgins” felt short-story in length to me, though I think it's actually classified as a novella. I read it in less than an hour though, so...maybe I just read fast? The hardcover addition available from The Book Depository is 256 pages...which I don't understand since my e-book version was only 86 pages! HUGE difference there and I feel slightly cheated, but it doesn't seem that there's actually a difference in content. HOW.Feels:I was so happy to be back with Jamie and Ian! Seeing them before Claire came to Scotland, and seeing Jamie so soon after all the horrific events that we only see in flashback in the the full length novels, was both heartrending and exciting. I also really enjoyed that this story was just straight-up historical fiction, no woo-woo added. Not that I haven't enjoyed those aspects of the novels, but this was just the down and dirty, the nitty-gritty. Even for such a short story, I was totally invested back into the characters and their world.Characters:Jamie and Ian are SO YOUNG! They distinctly remind me of my own 17-year-old brother in the way they react to some things. This is Jamie before he became the confident, skilled warrior we meet in [b:Outlander 10964 Outlander (Outlander #1) Diana Gabaldon https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1402600310s/10964.jpg 2489796]. This is Ian before Jenny. This is both of them as complete virgins in every sense of the word, and they are gregarious, lovable, and heartbreaking. Also cringe-worthy at a few points. I swear I can almost smell the teen-boy sweat coming off of them.The secondary characters here are interesting and colorful, but I didn't get attached to any of them. I was rather hoping someone would drive a dagger through a certain female person's heart, but alas. Despite my non-attachment, I was devastated after a particular scene near the end. Not so much because of who died, but because of how it affected Jamie.Plot:The main line of the plot doesn't become apparent right away. First, we're thrown into Jamie and Ian's meeting almost immediately after Jamie's escape from Black Jack Randall. This, I think, is where it becomes apparent that this story is not to introduce a reader to Outlander. This story is for the fans. I loved it, naturally. However, the actual plot starts off a bit slow. Does it work? Yes. But I think it was secondary to showing us a young Jamie and Ian and just how they actually thought of each other. “Did ye not mean to go to Confession yourself?” Jamie asked, stopping near the church's main door. There was a priest in the confessional; two or three people stood a discreet distance away from the carved wooden stall, out of earshot, waiting. “It'll bide,” Ian said, with a shrug. “If ye're goin' to hell, I might as well go, too. God knows, ye'll never manage alone.”Setting/Description:As usual, Diana's writing appears to be impeccably researched. I'm not a historian, but the amount of detail and care is obvious.Rating/Notes:Overall, I'm giving 4 stars. I do think part of my rating is due to HOW MUCH I love these characters. The writing itself doesn't seem quite as polished as in the books, but it's difficult to lay a finger on what gave me that impression. Especially in the beginning, some things felt just a little bit forced. Once everything got started it moved along smoothly, and as usual Gabaldon is a fabulous storyteller. I would recommend reading immediately after the original Outlander, but it would be perfect for Outlander fans at any point in the series!
~Full review on The Bent Bookworm!~First of all, look at that gorgeous cover. I could practically reach out and touch the silk of that dress. Also I swear I see blood on the knife, every time I see it out of the corner of my eye. But when I look at it closely, of course there's nothing there. And that, my friends, is why this was my Creepy Cover. Because no matter how many times I look at it...I see that blood (it's probably the combination of the lip color with the knife when I just glance at it...but still). Oh, and inside at many of the chapter beginnings, there are these AWESOME old creepy pictures.I'm fascinated by unsolved true crime. Yes, I am one of those people. At the same time, I like keeping a semi-safe distance between me and the crime. Hence, Jack the Ripper fits the bill because he's obviously dead by now. Phew. All the same, this book raised the hairs on the back of my neck. While simultaneously causing me to tear up in the final chapter. Like what IS this mix of emotions, even?!?Audrey is a scientifically minded young woman with a backbone of steel. She is fascinated with the human body and despite the VERY suspicious appearances, studies under her uncle, a professor with an unsettling obsession with the dead (now we call it forensic science). I love the way she flaunts society while at the same time enjoying what fashions suit her own fancy. Of course, this also involves disobeying her extremely protective father, who honestly comes across as rather unhinged after the passing of her mother. She still cares deeply for him, despite her constant frustrations with the limitations forced on her. Audrey's brother, Nathaniel, is another sympathetic character. He deals with the loss of their mother much differently, seeming to have picked up and moved on as a sadder, melancholy person concerned only with his family and holding them together. Her motivation for studying science above and beyond what's considered proper really resonated with me:It was then that I knew I'd rely on something more tangible than holy spirits. Science never abandoned me the way religion had that night...God no longer held dominion over my soul.Yessssss. I'll join you in hell, dear sister.Ahem. Moving on. insert “Fight Song” playing in the backgroundThen there is Thomas, the quirky, socially awkward student with the face of an angel and tongue of a viper. He's annoying in an endearing sort of way. Every time I was about to be all, “Awwwww,” he would make some other caustic remark that made me want to slap him. Like for real slap, not pretend slap. He gets better and we get inside his crusty exterior more and more as the story goes on, though, and by the end I was feeling very charitable towards him, indeed. In the way one feel charitable to a naughty but adorable puppy.The hunt for the serial killer (a term not yet coined) Jack the Ripper – first called Leather Apron by the press (look at me, learning things!) keeps the plot moving along briskly. The attention to historical detail in this book is AWESOME, even if there were a few liberties taken that made me roll my eyes. Like at one point Audrey's cousin says women should be able to wear a certain type of clothing to “go to work.” Um...wealthy women in the 1880s most definitely did not “go to work.” Just saying. I understand Audrey is something of a revolutionary, but to maintain believability I think a couple things like that should have been edited out. I do love the way she comes into her own through the story, and THAT part is handled exceptionally well.“This who deserve respect are given it freely. If one must demand such a thing, he'll never truly command it. I am your daughter, not your horse, sir.”The creep factor is amazing. At first I thought it was going to be relatively tame (flaying bodies open and lots of blood really don't bother me, ummm...sorry?), but the psychological aspect of it really starting affecting me about a third of the way in and I couldn't put it down at all! I started it in bed one night...and quickly decided to finish the rest in broad daylight. I was by turns fascinated, horrified, and at the last just so very sad. The foreshadowing was incredible – which means it was so skillfully done that I was completing flailing in chapter before the reveal and while I felt completely broadsided, immediately saw the clues I'd missed.My biggest issue with the book is actually the romance. Thankfully, it's more of a sub-plot, but I think the whole thing would have been better by just hinting at possibilities to come instead of anything actually happening. In the first several chapters it's WAY too distracting and it really seems out of place for Aubrey's character. Contrary to popular opinion, it seems, I think you can have a very successfully told YA story without having any romance at all. Sometimes “just-friends” friendships are the strongest ones we have.Overall, 4 out of 5 stars.Monsters were supposed to be scary and ugly. They weren't supposed to hide behind friendly smiles and well-trimmed hair. Goodness, twisted as it might be, was not meant to be locked away in an icy heart and anxious exterior. Grief was not supposed to hide guilt of wrongdoing.Blog Twitter Bloglovin Instagram
Where to even start with this book. I was on such a rollercoaster with it. One minute I wanted to fling it across the room and not even finish, the next I was reading as fast as possible to see what happened next. Then I would go back to the flinging. And the ending? WTF. OMG. The ending left me like this:
I honestly don't know how to write this review without spoilers. But I'll do my best.
cricketsthinkingmore crickets Ok, here we go.
Everyone said the Graces were witches.
They moved through the corridors like sleek fish, ripples in their wake. Stares followed their backs and their hair. They had friends, but they were just distractions. They were waiting for someone different.
All I had to do was show them that person was me.
Sometimes they'd paralyze me, the “what ifs” of action, and I didn't do anything at all because it was safer.
“We all hide our true selves.”
I just had to drift along like the ghost I was before, no Summer to anchor me, feeling like the last three months had never happened, and how fragile my existence was without her for even one afternoon.
They used truths to tell lies, and they were very good at it.
Many thanks to Netgalley for providing an early review copy in exchange for an honest review!
~Full review here on The Bent Bookworm!~Feels:“America is the land of liberty, Danny dearest,” Corinne said. “She won't stand for Prohibition, mark my words.”This book feels like a gangster movie with a few twists. Also not everyone dies, like in most gangster movies I've seen. I felt like I was sucker-punched in the gut a few times. Also I love how the author has chosen a relatively unexplored (in YA, at least) period of time (the weeks right before Prohibition took effect in 1919) for her setting. It was an awesome experience!Characters:“No one likes a know-it-all, Ada.”“Yes, I've been trying to tell you that for years.”Ada and Corinne are amazing. Their chemistry just leaps off the page and it's beautiful. It made me miss my best friend so much. The back-and-forth banter had me laughing out loud, but their fierce loyalty to each other was what really made this story. The romantic interests - sure, they're there, but they are a background to the girls' friendship.Plot:Destiny Soria has taken the year 1919 and turned it on its head with one change of facts: there is a small percentage of the population that are born as hemopaths, who have the ability to manipulate other people and sometimes time itself through some form of art. When I first started reading I thought that the hemopath ability was inspired by sickle cell anemia due to the influence put on the hemopaths' aversion to iron (an iron deficiency being one of the side effects or symptoms of sickle cell anemia), but after I finished I wasn't sure. It's an interesting thought, though. If it WAS so inspired, the author definitely gave it a new look by making it a strength and also making it just as widespread in people of every race.At this time in history, hemopaths are feared and even hunted in Boston. Once considered artists, they are now looked at as freaks that are sub-human. Ada and Corinne find the noose of the law closing on them as they struggle to survive in their underground nightclub home, seemingly able to trust almost no one. Hemopaths start disappearing - people they know. Unsure where to turn, they spend a lot of time wandering from place to place. At times this was kind of a drag...it created atmosphere but left me wondering what was the point of a particular scene or chapter. However, the characters and a lot of the places they visited were interesting enough to keep me reading. I really wanted to find out WHO was behind all the horrible things that kept happening!Worldbuilding/Description:Reading this was like walking down a dark, foggy street. Or sitting in the darkened, smoky club surrounded by toughs and exquisitely dressed women. OR being kidnapped and dragged to a sterotypical “insane” asylum! There is a definite 1920s vibe to it that I loved. It's so different and feels so glamorous compared to most places and even books (maybe I haven't read the right ones?) today.Final Rating:4/5 stars. As I mentioned, the plot did drag a bit sometimes. Also I wish that Charlie and even Gabriel had been a little more fleshed out, but maybe that would have taken away from the strong thread of female friendship that holds the story together. I also really enjoyed the diversity aspect, as Ada's family was not white but neither were her parents from the same country, and there is a LGBT couple as well. I loved that Destiny Soria didn't gloss over how any of these characters would have been treated at this point in history but manages to (to me, at least) portray them without the slightest hint of bias. I'm not marginalized myself, so I can't authoritatively speak to how accurate the characters are, but they felt very real and relate-able.Blog Twitter Bloglovin Instagram Google+
~Full review here on The Bent Bookworm!~
Guard your throats and hide your eyes. He's not dead, you fools. Legends never die.
Characters
World-building
wink wink
Plot
~This review first appeared here on The Bent Bookworm!~Ok, prepare yourself. This review is not the most rational thing I've ever written, because I was left in an ooey-gooey pile of feels after finishing this book! I was not. prepared. Modern fiction isn't generally my thing, but the blurb for WDMR was just too awesome and made me really excited so I had to pick it up. I'm SO GLAD I did!First off: Dimple. I love her so much! She's quirky, she's nerdy, she's spunky, she's smart and not embarrassed by it (something I really struggle with). She's not perfect, and she's not cookie-cutter. I adored her reaction to Rishi's first words to her – THAT was perfect. Appropriate? “Nice?” No. But no one is perfect, and we all have different ways of dealing with situations. I've seen a little of the mumbo-jumbo i.e., people getting their underpants in a wad over some of the things she does, and my opinion is still that NO, she is NOT perfect, and most readers will love her more for it.So then, obviously: Rishi! He's cute. He's also SUPER traditional. Somehow he manages to be cute at the same time, and I'm still a little confused by that. Hehe. I think Rishi grows as a character the most in the course of the book. He becomes more of his own person, rather than the “good boy” who wants to please his parents so badly he will give up parts of himself to do it.The story introduced me to Indian culture more and better than anything else I've ever read. I don't have any friends or even acquaintances from that background, so I was a little lost in the beginning by some of the terms and traditions that were more alluded to than explained. Eventually I figured everything out, but I did end up Googling a couple of things.I also bawled. At one particular point. I was just so crushed and I couldn't BELIEVE I felt so strongly about “it” because at first I was all for Dimple just saying EFF THIS to everything...but as I read I realized that completely bucking her family's traditions is not, actually, what will make her happiest. However she IS a modern American woman and as such...she totally does things her way.Dimple and Rishi's relationship and them growing into themselves is obviously the main focus of the story, but there are a couple of side plots as well. The first involves some of the other students at the camp they are attending and how disrespectful (to say the least) the rich, white students are to anyone who is “other,” as Dimple puts it. The second involves Rishi's brother and Dimple's roommate and I was intrigued enough to hope for a sequel with them as the major characters.WDMR was one of the most satisfying books I've read this year. While of COURSE I would love to read more of Dimple and Rishi's story, it is beautiful and amazing just as it is and I closed the book entirely happy. 5 stars!Blog Twitter Bloglovin Instagram Google+————————-I. Need. This. Book!!
Reading this was a bit of a departure from the books that have been drawing my interest lately. However, it was set in Ireland and sounded like an intriguing sort of historical novel. The Blind Astronomer's Daughter (due to publish October 11, 2016) is a meticulously detailed story of men's search of the heavens and on a smaller scale, of the Irish Rebellion of 1798. My favorite books are those that entertain with a good story while at the same time informing me of a new time or place, and this one definitely fit the bill! The writing style vaguely reminds me of Dickens.
The story spans many decades and encompasses two distinct families or people groups. Arthur Ainsworth and William Herschel are two astronomers countries apart, but both scouring the heavens for new plants, comets, stars - and always trying to build bigger, better telescopes for viewing outer space. Ainsworth's interest though, is a true obsession that controls his every movement and spills over onto his daughter and the tenants of his property and in the long run, drives him truly mad. His daughter, Caroline, even years after his death, is never truly free from the influence of his obsession even as she forges her own path in the world.
Caroline, I feel, is truly the main character of this book - even though we spend at least half of the book following other characters around. In the end it all comes back to her story. While I admired her tenacity, it all had a very bittersweet, melancholy feel to it. Had I been in her place, I would probably have given up to despair many times over but she just keeps on picking herself up and trudging along. Her story does not have a happy ending, per se, but it has a hope of happiness that is probably a good deal more realistic.
Now for the issues I had with the book. To be honest, until I was about halfway through, I genuinely regretted volunteering to read it! Like I already said, it's quite different from the majority of books I've been reading lately. I've really drifted away from the more literary style, and this was not only literary but the author made the genuinely absurd decision to write the entire thing in 3rd person present tense. For some reason, I find that annoying in the extreme. Maybe it was in an attempt to bring us closer to the events of the book, but it was completely unnecessary and I think the usual past tense form would have worked much better. The descriptions are lovely but long winded. The characters in the beginning, are generally not all that interesting or sympathetic - Finn is the exception. I liked Finn all the way through, even more than I liked Caroline. Arthur Ainsworth should be sympathetic, as he has a pretty darn rough start in life, and Fate seems to conspire to kick him when he's down, but overall he just comes across as having no backbone at all and being an inconsiderate ass that never thinks of anyone but himself.
Then we spend pages and pages and PAGES on astronomical details. Which is great and everything, and the amount of research required just staggers me, buuuuut...zzzzzzz. Also at one point we spend an ENTIRE chapter following Herschel's climb up a ladder. Where was the editor on that one? Seriously.
I knew very little about any of the Irish rebellions before reading this book. I'm still far from educated but I have a lot more facts than I did before! Also I think Pipkin managed to convey humanity in the midst of the bloodbath, even as it tears the country (and our story) apart. I personally never recovered from the battles of the rebellion as I read...one particular thing, I can't put in plain English without giving out spoilers...but I kept hoping and hoping that somehow, this thing would turn out differently and it wasn't until the last couple of chapters I gave up. I was so sad, it took me hours to go to sleep the night I finished it. Like I said before though...the story still ends with that hope of happiness, even if it wasn't the ending I was looking for.
3.5/5 stars. It's a really good story, more realistic than we often want from our books, I think, but a beautiful tale nevertheless.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review! This in no way affects my rating or opinion of the book itself.
~Be sure to check out my blog, The Bent Bookworm!~The Christmas Sisters hit me right in the feels. Hit so hard it hurt. About halfway through I put it down briefly, and considered not finishing it - not because it was bad, but because the sweetness of the sisters' relationships with each other and their family in general had me feeling very left out in the cold. My own immediate family is not close and it pains my heart, but after years of trying I had to take steps last year to protect my sanity and emotions from the manipulation. I would so LOVE to have family relationships like the ones in this book! They're not perfect either, and the story makes that clear, but they all truly love each other and accept each other as they are- even if they do bicker and carry on like most siblings, from time to time. Despite my relationship-envy, the sisters haven't had entirely easy lives. Their real parents died in a tragic mountaineering accident when they were very young, and while they were adopted into this warm, nurturing family they understandably had some scars. She found it impossible to read fairy stories where everyone lived happily ever after. She couldn't bring herself to perpetrate that lie. There was no Santa. There was no tooth fairy. Love couldn't be guaranteed...Hannah thought it was healthier if one's expectations of life were grounded in reality. If you didn't expect much, you didn't have as far to fall when you finally realized that no amount of planning could stop bad things happening.I really identified with Hannah (the oldest sister) here. Right down to how she felt her birth parents had felt about her interests. Even now there were days when she felt guilty for picking up a book, unable to shake the feeling that there was something more valuable she should be doing with her time.So much this, even TO THIS DAY my mother takes jabs at my books and the time I spend reading.Beth, the middle sister, and Posy, the youngest, have made something of their own lives in their own way. This particular Christmas though, all three sisters are at something of a crossroads in their lives. Coming home to Scotland is a chance to breathe and re-evaluate, for Beth and Hannah. For Posy, who has never left, their coming (along with that of a certain sexy newcomer to town) stirs a restlessness in her that she thought was long since controlled. What do they want out of life? What is most important? What is worth taking a risk for or on?“Rocks you can see and touch and learn about. They're tangible things, but feelings -“ he shook his head “-they're like the weather. They're the part you can't control. If you don't care about anything, then you're invulnerable, but once you care - well, you can be hurt. And people can disappoint and let you down.”There is SOME romance in this book, but it didn't really read like just a romance novel. The multi-faceted layers of all the relationships far exceeded my expectations and the romance was just a side story. The focus was really on the sisters and the family!5/5 stars. Highly recommend! I don't understand why Sarah Morgan's books aren't more popular if they are all like this, I'm definitely going to be seeking out some of her others. Blog Twitter Bloglovin Instagram Google+
3.5/5 stars. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I wasn't at all sure what to expect - it seemed like it was trying really hard to do a lot of things. Cultural diversity, magic, a new underworld, bisexuality...it's a lot to blend into one story. Zoraida Cordova actually manages to do it quite well!
Alex is a bruja who doesn't want the exceptional power she's been granted. In the beginning she struck me as a whiny, ungrateful little brat. I can understand her resentment and not being entirely free to choose her own path, but her attempt at rejecting her power puts her entire family in danger - albeit unintentionally.
However, she immediately sets off to rescue them and is willing to do whatever it takes, no matter the cost. So, props to her for that. She loves her family with an intensity beyond anything else, even if they don't always see eye to eye or get along. She's incredibly stubborn, to the point of insisting that complete strangers help her on her quest.
It got bogged down a little over 1/3 of the way through. When the setting shifted to Los Lagos (the underworld, essentially), it floundered somewhat. Especially with the arrival of certain characters - like, really? Rishi? Where did that come from? How did she get her fake wings? How did she know to bring them, if she brought them with her? I feel like Madre didn't give them to her. I'm still vaguely suspicious of the way her arrival was "explained." I honestly thought she was one of the bird-women for awhile. Guess the fake wings should have ruled that out but it was just so abrupt and essentially unexplained. Rishi's quick, unquestioning acceptance of Alex's magic and all it entails really bothered me too. No muggle (sorry) is going to just unblinkingly accept an entirely new world and the ability to conjure fire, no matter how much in love with the bruja you are. However, after several chapters where I struggled, it picked back up and carried on and was much clearer. I think maybe a little more description would have benefited the story.
“It's love, Alex. Love is you jumping through a portal despite your own safety. Love is mom singing in the car and Rose making tea when we're sick and even us fighting because we're blood, and no matter what you do, I'll never forget that you are my sister.”
Binge read this in about 4 hours. Not as funny as the first one but still a really good read.
This is an EXCELLENT resource for crocheters, both beginners and experienced. I was very pleased by the clarity of the instructions, the (amazing) photographs, and the extra hints added. Not only does Edie clearly show how to add a plethora of borders to crochet projects, but she gives ideas for design, color placement, and yarn choice as well. There are troubleshooting boxes and helpful tips scattered throughout the book. Since I only recently picked up my crochet hooks again (I'm usually a knitter), I found a lot of helpful insights on things that had been frustrating me (like, WHY will that square not lie flat?!?) and have picked up some very useful things to try.
As a very visual learner, the photography was a huge point for me. There are oodles (yes, oodles) of pictures in this book. I want to reach through the pages and feel the stitches. There are individual pictures for each step of difficult or previously unexplained stitches. Also most, if not all, of the borders include written and charted instructions.
The only downside is that the photographs and instructions are all only from a right-handed perspective, so lefties will (as usual) be left to attempt to mirror for themselves. Not a huge issue to anyone well-used to the way knitting and crochet books are written, but still worth noting. I'm a left-handed crocheter myself, and while fairly new to the craft, didn't have any trouble reversing anything in the book.
Many thanks to NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
Cheshire's fingers, cold and slightly damp, stroked down the scar on her cheek. She swallowed the shudder of revulsion at his touch.
“Yes,” Cheshire said. “He marked you so that he would know you again, and know that you belong to him.”
“I belong to no one,” Alice said.
This is my new fight song. I belong to no one. You better believe it. You do not own me. I may be small, and I may be weak, and I may be frightened, but I belong to no one. Without even knowing the complete context in which that is spoken in this book, doesn't it make you want to stand up and shout?
[b:Alice|23398606|Alice (The Chronicles of Alice, #1)|Christina Henry|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1416530621s/23398606.jpg|42955198] is my first [a:Christina Henry|3409936|Christina Henry|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/authors/1417722044p2/3409936.jpg] book. I already have the sequel, [b:Red Queen|27246122|Red Queen (The Chronicles of Alice, #2)|Christina Henry|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1453056797s/27246122.jpg|47294674], on my bookshelf. I knew I was in it to win it by the time I finished the 3rd chapter of Alice, and so I put away the digital version I had of it, ordered both books, and waited until they arrived to finish. I really thought it might kill me, but it was well worth the wait. Thankfully, Alice doesn't end in a cliffhanger. The ending is definitely OPEN for future tales, but it's not one of those OMG WTF cliffhanger endings that seem to be par for the course for a lot of the books I've been reading lately. Phew.
Obviously, this is an Alice in Wonderland retelling. However, unlike most retellings of various stories I've read, I think you could enjoy this one even without knowing the original! Shocking! Raises the bar, I think. So many retellings depend on our love of the originals to carry over – and often, at least in my case, it does – and make us more accepting or forgiving to the new work.
The story is fairly graphic and sometimes disturbing in its depictions of violence, killing, rape, and abuse. It's creepy right out of the gate. The world of this Alice is definitely not ours, but it has enough resemblance to raise the hairs on the back of your neck. Alice and her friend Hatcher have been locked away in an insane asylum for years, abused and neglected, barely kept alive – and not entirely sane or insane. Are they innocent? Maybe not entirely. Justified? You have to decide for yourself. I loved the complexity of their struggles, not only to find the Jabberwocky but to figure themselves out. I love Alice, her sheer will in the middle of circumstances that would bring most of us to our knees. I love that she and Hatch are there for each other even when they annoy the daylights out of each other, that when one is weak the other is strong. The best kind of partners. Neither perfect, both so very human and tortured by their own demons.
He [Hatcher] would not stand and argue with Alice when they did not agree, even if she wished to. And she did wish to.
Hatcher always had changeable moods...out here the world was bright and sharp and full of hungry mouths waiting to eat her up. She couldn't afford Hatcher's instability, and she wouldn't leave him either. They were bound together by love and need and other feelings she didn't entirely understand.
“I w-want to go h-home,” she said. Her tongue tasted like salt and roses.
“Where's home, my Alice?” Hatcher said. “Where's home? We don't have a home, you and I.”
“Then I want to go back to the hospital,” she said. “We were safe there. Nothing could hurt us...”
“Except the doctors,” Hatcher said...”Theres nowhere for us to go back to. We can go forward. We can find our way out.”
Note: Not for the arachnophobic (not just the book, this review). Like, not even slightly. I'm usually fairly chill with spiders – not that I really like them, but I can tolerate them without feeling the need to nuke from orbit – and this book made me attack the next black thread I saw. Ahem.THIS, is what strikes terror in my heart. Not the big, google-eyed ones. The little, running, quickly multiplying ones. YEAAAAAGGGHHH!!!!!Boone did an excellent job of portraying an invasion of spiders. Of large, rapidly multiplying, flesh-eating, aggressive, spiders. Ew. Ack. Like, combine the above gif, with this one:Ok, I'm done playing with spider gifs now. The hair on my arms is starting to feel like it's crawling.However, that is, honestly, about the only thing this book does well. I'm giving it 3/5 stars because if it hadn't been for the goosebumps I got at a couple of points (spiders taking over the world, yadda eider), I would have chucked it across the room.Oh wait. I did do that. Except I picked it up again because I really wanted to know if the spiders succeeded. So, kudos for that. The spider portion was enough to keep me reading.As far as the rest of the book goes...maybe I am just not used to the horror/sci-fi genre? Maybe characterization and research isn't so important for this genre? Maybe I have impossibly high standards? I'm not sure. He does a LOT of telling vs. showing, which makes the POV switches just drag on and on and fucking ON.The the glaring (to me – I have a military background) errors in the portrayal of the United States military left me pulling my hair out. Literally screeching. I had an hour long conversation with my husband (a complete non-reader) about why it's so very important to make your fictional story believable enough to overcome the reader's disbelief. For the average reader, Boone probably did ok. To anyone with a military background...how about we just skip those embarrassing chapters which prove that either he a) didn't research, just watched a few movies and looked up a few models of weapons and vehicles, or b) his research is about 15 years old, give or take. Whatever. Pet peeve. Most likely won't bother the general population.There are many, many POVs in this book. At first I was just extremely frustrated, but by the end I think I can see that he was using them to show the global magnitude of this outbreak. I think. There were 11 – count them, ELEVEN – POVs in the first 120 pages. I think that was where it ended. Now, some of them aren't followed all the way through the book. Some of them are one and done, because, well...spiders. But the majority are kept up in some fashion until the end. As I said, at first I was just EXTREMELY irritated at all the hopping. Then when I finished, I was just EXTREMELY irritated that the stories weren't finished. Apparently they are so sure of a sequel that it's ok to just leave a story mid-air. As in every single major line of the story is just – chop. Done. Come back for the sequel, [b:Skitter: A Novel 30753752 Skitter A Novel Ezekiel Boone https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png 51302194], next year!The story really struggles with characters. I get it, it's a huge, over-arching world invasion plot. But without your people, no one gives a damn about your world. The characters feel very stereotypical and they're all obsessed with the sexual appeal of whatever person of the opposite sex wanders next into their line of sight. But even that is just so very blah. Like it's just what they're supposed to do so it was scribbled in. There's a likable FBI (FBI? CIA? I think he was FBI) agent, with a cute little daughter. He was my favorite and we didn't spend nearly enough time with him.Boone struggles with making his characters believable, i.e., relatable. Like the fairly normal guy that a has a girlfriend who...just missed qualifying or the Olympics in the two hundred-meter freestyle, and had worked for a couple of years as a model before deciding to go the medical school. She was also unbelievably nice and thoughtful, the kind of woman who spent her free time volunteering at animal shelters and never passed a homeless person without dropping some money in their cup. All that, and she liked to cook.Excuse me while I throw up. For so many reasons. Not the least of which is the assumption that to be attractive a woman needs to like to cook. Actually, forget throwing up. Let me skewer you on a damn spatula through your orifice of choice. How. Dare. You. Ok, feminist rant over. That is probably my biggest issue with the story overall. Because if I can't relate to your characters on SOME level, I'm not going to care if they get eaten by spiders. Or become spider incubators. Sorry.Oh...there is a very minor character named Two-Two O'Leary. I'm not joking. Was that supposed to be funny? Who edited this book? Who thought that was a good idea? Did we fall into a wanna-be old western partway through an invasion of 8-legged horrors?I'm probably not going back for the sequel, unless it gets really rave reviews. I'll read the blurbs and consider it but I just don't think it likely.
Full review with links to source articles on The Bent Bookworm!
This book has already had a lot of buzz, mainly because of the author's condescending and inflammatory comments about YA in general. I have a LOT of thoughts on his comments and general attitude, but I tried – I really, really tried – to not let my view of the author color the book. I agreed to the review before knowing anything about all the drama, so I felt like that was only fair. Usually when I try a new author, debut or not, I don't research a lot about the author. I like to let the book speak for itself. In the end, I feel like The Cruelty (Scott Bergstrom's debut, releasing in February 2017) mostly did that. I ended up giving it 3/5 stars, in spite of feeling like the author himself probably deserves 2/5. Or maybe 1/5. Because really, sir, you are not special, your book is not going to revolutionize YA, and it's definitely not going to dazzle long-time readers of the genre. Also, sidenote: even though you've already made enough money to be able to quit your advertising executive career, you might want to work more on networking with your fellow writers instead of alienating and insulting them. But enough about Scott Bergstrom. After all, a lot of creative people lack social skills and if their work is dazzling enough we excuse them for it, right? Anyway, that was how and why I approached reading this book. Sadly, overall I felt like Mr. Bergstrom is not genius enough to be excused for his behavior.
So, the positive: the pacing is really spot on. I whizzed through this in a single afternoon/evening. There's none of the stream-of-consciousness dwelling that bogs down some YA books. Even though there were aspects of the writing and characters that bothered me, I was interested enough in the plot line to ignore everything else I had planned for the day and read it all in one go. Also, the ending left me with enough questions (while not being a true cliffhanger) that, had the sequel been available, I would have picked it up right away. That in itself added the extra half star to me. The suspense and anticipation is definitely the most well-written thing about this book.
The story takes place in several different countries. In my experience, you can almost always tell when an author is writing about a locale they've never personally seen or lived. It just rings false or like they're ticking off a list, and having lived abroad myself I notice it more than I ever did before. Now, I haven't been to all of the countries Gwen visits and don't claim to be any kind of expert, but the descriptions feel very real. I think that Bergstrom has probably visited these countries or he researched very, very well.
Now for the negatives. I'm going to try not to rant on and on about these...but who am I kidding, I'm probably going to rant.
The book starts off REALLY rocky. I almost DNFed it at page 15. We start off with the special snowflake trope (OMG, she speaks French! even thinks in French and accidentally blurts it in class! oops!), followed by much angst. Sigh, page turn, and then –
I pull a book out of my backpack and lean against the door as the train shoots through the tunnel under the river toward Queens. It's a novel with a teenage heroine set in a dystopian future. Which novel in particular doesn't matter because they're all the same. Poor teenage heroine, having to march off to war when all she really wants to do is run away with that beautiful boy and live off wild berries and love.
insert much eyerolling
Guys out on the sidewalk in front of the shops whistle and catcall after me. They love this – the school uniform, the flash of seventeen-year-old legs.
this close
He uses as his tools reason and facts, a whole orchestra of them. But in the end, they bounce off the armor of my stubbornness.
“Justice isn't some abstract thing, Gwendolyn. What your did tonight, that's what it looks like. Ugly and mean.”
Improper Cross-Stitch is an excellent introduction to the world of cross-stitch that appeals to a younger generation. It consists of an introductory how-to section, then a selection of patterns with full color photos and charts. None of the patterns are out of reach of a beginner, and they are quirky enough to appeal to a more experienced stitcher as well, for short, instant-gratification type projects. I have over 20 years of experience cross-stitching and was absolutely delighted with the patterns, using such phrases as “I'll Cut You,” “Talk Nerdy to Me,” and “Grammar Police.” I'm not entirely sure where the “profane” bit comes in, as none of the patterns in the ARC would I call profane...but to each their own, I suppose. The ARC was short quite a few pages (I suppose they didn't want ALL the patterns out there), but from what I could see this would be a book I would love to have on my shelf.I did wish the author would have included some more information about the myriad of fabric and thread options out there. I understand that this is a beginner level book, but sometimes a little knowledge of the tools of the craft outside of Aida and DMC floss might go a long way in enticing newcomers to stick with the hobby! There are many indie dyers of gorgeous fabrics and threads out there. Blog Twitter Bloglovin Instagram Google+
I loved this book. It was the perfect cure for the book hangover I had when I begged a group of friends for recommendations.
Even though the author's experience takes place about 20 years prior to my own, her descriptions are SO relatable - even though she was in China and I'm in South Korea. Of course the political scene is quite different, but that's only touched on a few times in the book (mostly over the bombing of the Chinese embassy). She's honest and entertaining.
“The meeting reminded me that I was not qualified to do anything other than write academic essays.” (the author, after she graduates with a B.A. in English) Yep. Been there done that. Oops, what did I do with 4 years of my life?!?
This, along with so many of her feelings as a foreigner trying to make her way in a new country. Also her descriptions of trying to be sexy for a Chinese audience. Priceless.
DNF at 49%. It's a good book, good writing...but the subject matter and the narrator's voice is really depressing me, and I'm depressed enough right now. I just can't deal with it, there have been scenes that left tears in my eyes, scenes that left me nauseous. I'm shelving it to come back to at a later date when my own state of mind isn't quite so fragile or easily influenced.