Sandra
This is a gothic, first person narrator who is visiting an old friend in San Francisco. When they sit together they hear a soft tapping coming from the wall. His friend is fixated on a young woman. However, her life was cut short. But… after her passing, he hears tapping on the walls.
Interesting and it definitely should be read alongside house of leaves during the letters portion of the book. There is roughly 9 letters in this that are not in house of leaves.
First, I want to say thank you to my local library for saving me money.
Secondly… umm. This wasn’t any good. It’s horribly predictable. The world building, where is it? It’s pretty much non-existent. I can fine my missing pen more than I can find the world building. The chemistry and romance.. it’s like my father… missing. The plot twist was easily guessed before I got to the halfway mark.
The ending (imo) was rushed and the pacing was weird to me.
Anyway…
But… I will end with this:
Saying this is like the hunger games or divergent is a stretch.
This was a fascinating, confusing and frustrating read.
Johnny is boring and annoying. I do feel bad for him but at the same time I don’t. Now, I do feel bad about Johnny’s mom. That was sad to read about.
I loved the story when it followed the Navidson’s. That was exciting and fascinating. It made me question some things. Like… how the house is tied to the mental health of all those that are within the house. I was devastated about Tom and Jed.
Karen I didn’t really like. But that’s just because she is too weak but I was glad that she overcame a struggle for Will.
I do wonder what happened to the cat and dog.
I also think that “Mr. Monster” is a metaphor for the monster within people. Referring to the scene with Holloway during the 8 day exploration.
Also, I wouldn’t state that this was scary. It’s more psychological than horror.
As for my biggest issue with the book. The way a lot of the female side-characters are written and portrayed. It PMO. It was dehumanizing and sexiest. It’s like all the females are nothing more then a males toy and something that pleasures them. Besides Karen.
Easter Night by Alice Meynell
3.5 ⭐️
If I read the word “alone” one more time, I will lose my mind.
“All alone, alone, alone he rose behind the stone”.
Shhhhhh
Takes about 30 minutes to read has about 100 pages.
It’s interesting, I guess. I’m not really a religious person but if you are then you might enjoy this.
It’s not bad, it’s average. Umm this is poetry for all those that are curious. The poems are short as well.
I was utterly bored reading all 382 pages. I get that it’s a YA book.
However… it doesn’t excuse how surface level everything felt and how lackluster it was. The relationship and how it was going to end was a predictable wannabe Romeo and Juliet situation. Every single character, both main and side lacked depth and personality.
The games doesn’t happen until page 211. Everything before that was just nonstop monologuing. When we finally get to the games and everything starts happening the whole thing just fails to invoke any sort of emotions. I felt no panic, pain, turmoil, anger, etc. I was just like “oh. Okay”.
After the games the tour happens, some deaths occur that were easily predictable since the first few chapters.
It’s okay… I guess.
… why does it get worse as we get more books. I’m calling quits it on anything else in this series and anything else by this author. It just wanted to see why it’s so popular with people.
Mmmm.
It’s… can I say unseasoned and poorly executed. The world building is trash. The romance is at 40ish% and it was lame. The characters had zero chemistry.
I will release the full review near it’s release time.
However, it is such a good story. I’ve been looking for something like this for a while. It is well done, the characters are developed nicely, the plot is intriguing. And the art is absolutely beautiful.
Thank you for allowing me to be an arc reader.
4.5 ⭐️
6 hours and 30 minutes audiobook
I enjoyed War of the Worlds by H.G Wells. The plot is lovely for the time that it was written in. Granted, I find plot issues but I enjoyed how you have to fill in the some blanks instead of being told everything. Characters are done correctly for this story. Not over or under written.
The narrator Steve Parker did a wonderful job.
I was pleasantly surprised on how much I enjoyed this. It did take me a while to finish but I wanted to make sure that I understood what was happening and being said.
Now, some parts did feel redundant and that bored me. However, I enjoyed the overall experience.
I can't keep reading this. It's so long and dry, for what reason? To bore me to death?
I'm not wasting anymore time on this book.
It was okay.
I think romance is just not my cup of tea at this moment. Book is not bad.
This took me way too long to get through.
So, a while back I got flack from many people for saying that I will skim and skip content that I feel is overly written or filler.
And... this book demonstrates that. There is some good qualities but a lot of it turns into being overly written and unnecessary content that can be skimmed entirely.
Maybe, I'm just over this whole fae thing? Maybe I'm just not the targeted audience?
I've always fancied Edgar's depth when it comes to his writing. It can come across simple but have such a deeper meaning if one analyzes his stories.
I did enjoy Poppy War but I do feel that there are some flaws with Rin's character and this could be a “me” issue or the fact that the author is trying to remind the reader that she is a young woman. I say this because there are a few times that I felt that Rin acted rather reactive towards many situations/conflicts that logically doesn't make sense for military personnel (comes from experience).
The writing style is simple but engaging.
Atlan is trash
Overall rating 3.75 but round up to a 4.
Final Rating: 4.75
Notes:1) I wish there was a name pronunciation guide because I feel as though I'm horrible sounding out the characters' names. Example 1):Teyerien. I have been pronouncing his name as "Tear-e-en". Example 2:Supesien. For him, I've been pronouncing his name as "Sup-see-en" or just calling him "Sup".2) 11 Chapters all relatively short3) a good amount of dialogue mixed with the right amount of plot and developmentChapter 1:The first few pages were rough to understand at first but after re-reading it. It became more understandable. There are many comas that, in my opinion, are not needed nor should they be there. Example:“Yes,” Teyerien said. Another reason why they were almost strictly forbidden from mingling too close with others outside the Guild. Susceptible to large amounts of heartbreak, and no doubt, revenge. “Well, you do you, I guess.”In my opinion, it would read cleaner if it was written like this. “Yes,” Teyerien said. Another reason why they were almost strictly forbidden from mingling too close with others outside the Guild. Susceptible to large amounts of heartbreak and no doubt... revenge. “Well, you do you... I guess.”The reason why I used the ellipsis or the three dots is a more flattering way to show a longer pause or for the reader to catch their breath when reading. Also, it can be used as an informal device to catch a reader's attention, often replacing a dash or colon. However, this is a personal opinion that can be disregarded.Now, overall Chapter 1 was a solid start. Chapter 2:This chapter was solidChapter 3:Solid, The plot is being developed nicely.Chapter 4:Solid all-around characters, plot, and overall development of everything.Chapter 5:Oo. very good. Chapter 6:Feels like the longest chapter of the whole book but no complaints. Chapter 7:I didn't take any notes on this chapter because I was invested after chapter 5.Chapter 8:Maybe this was the longest chapter? But it's good. Like real good.Chapter 9:I guess trigger warning for those that need it. This chapter and chapter 8 had depictions of violence and blood. Chapter 10 & 11:I 100% stopped caring about the idea of taking notes because I was enjoying the story and was sad to see it come to an end. But there is fighting and I am glad my boy Teyerien is good. I was about to lose my mind.
Overall, it's a fantastic story with, a good plot, dialogue, and amazing characters. The only issue I had was with chapter 1 and... that could have been a “me issue” and the possibility of entering a new book. I'm not sure. So, rating this is between 4.5 to 5. I still have yet to be 100% decided but I've sat on this rating and review for longer than what I would have normally done.
