Mythos
It was a solid 3 stars. I thought it would be a little different than I expected. It was just a fine read. It was quick but I felt as if it were a book that I would forget rather than remember. I am unsure if I would recommend this. Although the art was great especially when it came to depicting food.
3/5 stars
Original rating : 3.5 stars rounded up
New rating: 3 stars
I was conflicted about what rating to give this book. While this is a book I would definitely recommend it It definitely felt as if there were many factors that affected me while reading this.
This book seems to have little plot. It is more character driven in the sense that we get to analyze not only them but also the family dynamics as a whole. This isn't my particular favorite trope/mechanism (not really sure if either of those are the correct terms for this). I almost always leave with the feeling that I'm missing a good chunk of the book because I lack understanding
When writing about queer/gender related experiences especially in nonfiction a lot can go wrong. I have read books where the author downplays experiences, writes using overcomplicated terms making it hard to understand, spread misinformation, etc... This is one of the few books which to my experience/knowledge hasn't done.
I would recommend this book to others. I do believe that people can still learn from reading this book even if they are a 100% sure about their gender. This book doesn't only show you how to explore gender but also has information on how intersectionality affects it. A lot of people tend to underestimate the effect this can have whether it's disability, ethnicity, class, etc... it is all more complex than it seems.
2.5/5 stars
I failed to realize that this was more for kids. It was okay; there were some interesting bits of information, but I personally didn't get much apart from that from the book.
I would only recommend this to kids interested in learning about witchcraft and the origins of some of the traditions.
3/5 stars
This book was definitely not for me, I guess. I would say that you have to be in a very specific mood in order to read this book. I saw other reviews mention that you would have to be a “bit more idealistic and optimistic about romantic outcomes”. I think this is very true because the person who recommended this book is very idealistic when it comes to romance.
Overall, it was not a bad book. It was in a very different format than what I would typically read. Some sections were more like vignettes, while others read like poetry. I still felt like at times it did get grating, especially since a lot of sections seem to be the same story just with a different flair to it.
1.4/5
This was a complete miss for me. If I didn't have the audiobook for background noise, I would not have finished this book. I would have likely just skimmed through the recipes provided and called it a day.
Sadie was a terrible main character. If you do it well, having a terrible MC works; in this case, with the vibe of the story, it did not at all. Especially since it seemed as if the author was trying to justify their actions. She is incredibly immature for being 28 years old. It seems that in her mind, everything she does is correct, from using truth serum on people without their consent to kidnapping.
The relationships between the characters change too quickly. First they're mad at each other and then they make up and are the closest again. This is seen in all the relationships Sadie has throughout the book. I did not care for the romance. Had it been 2–5 years, I would have given them the benefit of the doubt for them to still be in love but 10 years is too much of a stretch. At that point, it's like meeting a completely different person. So this felt like insta-love. I thought that everyone in this book should be alone for a very long time and consider receiving help.
It covers far too many dark issues for a book promoted as a cozy read. It should have really simply focused on having 2-3 plots and developed them. That would have been better instead of jumping into the next plot point before you even finish the first one. This led to a bunch of plot holes that never got resolved.
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. This is not a cozy read at all. You can skip this one and find another book that executes this concept.
4.6/5
I made a mistake and read this one first. I thought this was really good so at the moment, I'll rate it 4.6 stars rounded up. It's bound to change when I read the other book. For now, I will say that there were only a couple of parts in the books where I felt as if I had missed key information by not reading Firekeeper's Daughter. I will still go and read it, then come back and update my review.
4.5/5 stars
This is not a book for everyone. As mentioned by the author, a lot of people will find this book disrespectful. Especially due to the humorous approach the author decides to take. Some jokes were funny, others were a miss. Although I liked that the jokes didn't seem to overshadow the rest of the book. I also liked how it was clear how much research the author had put into the book. Even though this book was written in 2003, a lot of the information is still very relevant today.
I would hesitantly recommend this book because, while I can handle heavy topics such as depth, not a lot of people can. Some chapters can go into quite a bit of detail about how the procedures are done and what happens to the human body after certain things happen to it.
4.5/5 stars
I really liked this story and look forward to reading more from this author. Originally, I thought I'd be put off by the way it was written. Yet that was what caused me to be more engaged with the story Getting to know the politics and traditions of the world through Bunny's storytelling was definitely a surprise. I came into this without knowing much about the book, and I think that was for the best. This was almost a five-star read for me because I really enjoyed it but I did feel like it was a bit short.
I will definitely be recommending this book in the future. At this moment, I don't have any major complaints other than it's length.
5/5
This gets a solid five stars from me, though I could be biased. It was really well-told and illustrated. Once I picked up this book, I could not put it down. Even though it was short, I felt like I had read a well-developed story. When I read graphic novels, I often get the impression that they are rushed toward the middle or end because they are running out of pages. This was a nice palate cleanser after reading some heavier or darker books recently. Although a part of me wished I could have read it sooner, I felt it was worth the wait. Like Loveless (Alice Oseman), I was concerned that it would fall short of my expectations. I am pleased to say that it exceeded them. The characters did not come across as just stereotypes. There were minor details that became important later in the books. The stunning artwork aided in bringing the story together. Although many people argue about whether or not this is a queer book, I believe it is. It provides excellent representation for those who are still unlabeled or prefer to remain unlabeled. It demonstrates that you do not have to tell the world who you are and that it is more important to wear what makes you feel comfortable, even if it defies “gender norms.”
I definitely recommend this book, but I would warn people that there is a forced coming-out scene.
2.5/5 stars
I was on the fence about how to rate this book. I felt like I kept jumping up and down from a two-star rating to a three-star rating. Some sections seemed to go on forever, and I found myself having to skim through them repeatedly. I decided to keep it at a two-star rating.
As mentioned before, I felt like certain parts could be cut out. For how long it was, I expected there to be more clarity with how the magic system worked. While it was a cool concept, the extent of their abilities and how they got them were left up in the air. It essentially leaves us wondering. Even though the plot was predictable at points, I generally enjoyed it. The chaotic/messy ending is what really cemented my two-star rating. I won't go too into detail because I don't want to include a spoiler section.
I considered rounding up, but since I don't see myself continuing this series, I decided to round down. I would recommend this story only if long books with underexplained magic systems, predictable plot points, and messy/chaotic endings don't bother you.
3/5 stars
I was conflicted about how to rate this book. It is more difficult for me to discuss a book when it is about the author's own life. The writing style was interesting, but it did not completely immerse me in the story. There were sections where I was really interested, but then it would change slightly and throw me off. In some cases, it was valid. This was noticeable in the chapter where she talked about her older brother's leg getting burned. She mentioned that he had a different account of what had happened than what she and her other brother remembered. I could not understand it in other situations, like the one where her brother is about to head off to college. At the beginning of the chapter, she mentioned that he would not return until she turned fifteen, but I did not really understand why she had to bring up that information. I had assumed that she would talk about why this was a significant change rather than how her dad was attempting to talk him out of leaving. This is more of the type of information you would include at the end of the chapter. (I could be very wrong; I lost the page this happened on, so I'm just going off memory.)
I don't regret reading this book. I know that this is definitely not a book for everyone so I would hesitantly recommend this to people because I feel like it is very hit or miss for people.
3/5 stars
This book features two stories. Although I preferred the first story, both confused me. The two stories are vastly different, not only in terms of art style but also in terms of storytelling.
The first story is more stereotypical, in which a group of friends is camping in the woods when they are attacked by two unidentified entities. I liked this story because of the monsters, not because of the friend group. The way they evolved throughout the story demonstrated the artist's talent and the amount of effort they put into the smallest details. There did not seem to be much of a plot going on, and it seemed to be more focused on the artistic horror aspect.
The second story was not what I expected. A man moves into a house where there appears to be magic, but it appears to be helpful. We learn more about the characters in this story, including how he shares custody of his children with his ex-wife. It appears that she doesn't like sharing custody, and neither does her current partner. This is the turning point in the story, and the horror antics become more intense. The magic reacts to the man's emotions, specifically his anger. This leads to the deaths of his ex-wife's partner and her parents. At this point, the man discovers who is behind the magic and possibly a way to control it. His wife comes to him for validation and comfort, and he starts to explain the situation to her. They end up attacking these invisible creatures, and it appears that they win. Personally, I felt that this was too easy for it to be true, so I assumed he somehow managed to confirm this. It isn't implicitly said, but I felt that this was confirmed by the ending panel. He is completely surrounded by these creatures and seems to be holding the book that was given to him. To me, this is basically a confirmation, but you draw up your own conclusions. Overall, it was not a bad story, but I did have to read through it a couple times to understand what was going on. I do wish we had more time spent looking into the new dynamics between the magic and the man.
It's a fun read. This is all due to the fact that I read this during the month of October. Both stories seem to have an open ending. If you have a problem with that, you can go ahead and skip this one.
2.5 stars
A whole lot of nothing happens here. I guess the author was trying to get us familiar with the MC. We get to know a lot about her and how she ends up as a lab assistant. But majority of the book is her looking for a job, previous jobs experience, and her last job before she accepts the sketchy job.
2.4/5 stars
I will start by saying that I really tried hard to like this book. I read this when I was in high school but dropped it. This time I picked up both the audiobook and the physical book in order to make sure I actually finished. (Sometimes my brain simply cannot compute an audiobook.) It took 2–3 days (I had to pick up the book again today because I already forgot everybody's names. I lost the sheet with all their names/info.), but I was able to get through it. I've only read a couple of Stephen King's books, and by far this is my least favorite one. The only reason that I finished so quickly was because I did not want to have to deal with dwelling on it any longer.
Things I liked
- The narrator did an amazing job of adding emotion and making this long book bearable.
- Evie was an interesting character to follow as well as the rats.
- Norcross's backstory was actually complex and interesting but that isn't transferred much into how he acts as an adult.
Things I Disliked:
- There are too many characters to keep track of. I ended up having to annotate the character's name, chapter they were introduced in, & a little bit of info on them because I kept having to go back. (This could just be a me problem.) Some characters didn't seem to be anything more than a series of stereotypes. Others were given too much thought to not even end up becoming relevant to the plot.
- As mentioned before, I do believe this could have been shorter. I do feel like certain parts could have been cut out. Such as giving too much attention to characters that contribute nothing to the plot or worldbuilding.
- The pacing was driving me insane. It went so slowly, but we were bouncing through so many different people's POVs. Just when I was actually getting interested in what happened BOOM, another person's POV, and its back to square one trying to remember the last time they were mentioned because sometimes you need that to understand what's actually going on.
- The ENDING just sucked in my opinion. It was rather predictable and at that point I was glad I was done. I'm actually proud of myself for getting through the full 23 hours of the audiobook. Even if I took so many breaks.
4.8/5 stars
I'm up to date in terms of the webtoon. It's currently on hiatus. Here are my thoughts so far.
Unlike my experiences with other webtoons and manga, the quality of the story and the art (sometimes it's the opposite case with the art) goes down. In a lot of cases, if I do like the story, I go back and check the novel again to see if it's of better quality. So far, I don't believe that's the case. Then again, I could be speaking so soon since it's only been one season so far.
The MC is sort of an asshole, but it's not overdone. They are still able to show that he actually cares for others close to him, even if he seems to be only after money. It also has a good balance between taking itself seriously and using comedy. Sometimes the humor comes from the art rather than what the characters are saying.
I really like the chapter in which his status with his summons switched from a master-servant relationship to being an actual part of their family. It really hit home when it was mentioned that he wanted to spend more time with his dog.
I'm rating it a five-star for now, but it's bound to change depending on the upcoming seasons. I do recommend this, especially if you need a good laugh.
1/5 stars
I wished I had DNFed this book. I wasn't planning to read but Spotify had recommended it, it was a free version, and I needed background noise. From the start it was sort of iffy because I couldn't get fully immersed in the story but I had hoped it would get better. It did not at least in my opinion.
Things I appreciated:
. Kestra's wit/sarcasm
. the attempt at giving us two perspectives
.it has a nice cover
Things I didn't appreciate:
This book wasn't particularly good and it is definitely not memorable. I feel like in a couple of months I'll forget that I had read until I came across my own review. I still am in disbelief that this happened over the course of 4 days. At times it felt as if the different days merged or more had passed. Which also brings me to another point which is that it lacked world building. Places were mentioned vaguely as well as world mechanisms but it felt half-assed and felt like it was a missed opportunity to further involve reader. Perhaps this would have helped in my case because j didn't get attached to the story at all. The one character I actually cared for died.
I liked the idea of having two different perspectives in this book. Unfortunately I felt like it wasn't executed well. It feels as if there wasn't much difference in the perspectives and that at times the two voices merged so much that it just felt like one voice.
The romance was the worst aspect of this book in my opinions. It could just be due to my deep hatred of the instant love trope. Also I felt like Kestra had more chemistry with other characters than with her love interest so that didn't help much either.
I don't recommend this book. Its definitely one that you can skip.
4.5/5 stars
I was so close to DNFing this book. It made me both laugh and bawl my eyes out. It's an amazingly well-written and compelling book, but there were moments in which it brought me back into a mental space I thought I was already out of. Unfortunately, this triggered certain memories I had long forgotten. Therefore, I will only discuss some parts of the book I have already read. Perhaps I will come back at a later date to listen to the final chuck I decided to pass on.
“I'm a failure at not eating and I'm a failure at getting rid of the food I do eat.”
(This quote certainly hit home with me. I have struggled/still struggle with food due to EDs.)
This would be a book I recommend, but I would recommend checking out the list of triggers beforehand.
4.6/5 stars
(Rating stayed the same)
I loved the story. I think I started reading this in middle school, but I never finished it because I could not figure out what was happening. It was not until I picked up this comic book series after watching Sandman on Netflix for the third time that I realized this. I was on the waiting list, so it took me some time to get it. The difference between the series and the Netflix series was slightly noticeable to me, but that was expected.
This issue had a slow start at the beginning, but it didn't necessarily bother me. In this instance, I think it enhanced the narrative. The art occasionally bothered me because of how offputting it made some scenes seem. The villain was also intriguing. The fact that they were not good people and were unquestionably insane added complexity and darkness to the story. Death ended up being my favorite character, as expected. Her introduction, her relationship with her job, and her brother were all things I enjoyed. That is all I can say for now.
I do recommend it, but be sure to check the triggers because it can occasionally get quite dark.
3/5
Yes, I am done with this book. But I'm aware that I am going to spend the next three months having to come back to this book because the professor wants us to read/analyze certain sections. I know I am going to end up despising it because of this. So I'll review it now. I may come back and change a couple of details later.
It's a good book. It's definitely a different perspective about the transition of feudalism to capitalism with the intersection of the witch hunt. While I do agree with some of her points I don't agree with her thesis as a whole. I do feel like she over emphasizes the effect of the witch hunt in terms of the number of women it affected. I am not that well versed when it comes to the exact details but I do believe it did affect less than 100,000 women.