Daijah
read for the lights out books club liveshow
this book was one of my most anticipated of the year and was a super fun ride! i would definitely recommend this book for an interesting mystery/thriller. i had such a good time reading this book but i did have a few issues.
the main thing that originally drew me into this book was the y2k/90s nostalgia which i didn't get a ton of in here. i wish the perspectives were different so we had more flashbacks in here to the 90s. that was the main disappointment for me. i also had problems with every single perspective lol
my favorite for sure was the fbi agent who was pregnant. i love detective perspectives in general but she was really amazing and badass. my problem was she was 8 months pregnant with twins and was doing some unrealistic things for being that pregnant and she barely talked about symptoms even like being out of breath.
the second perspective was the final girl of the 1999 massacre who is also a psychologist. her perspective added a lot of plot and connection to the current massacre but she just felt a little off and not flushed out.
the last perspective was the brother of the accused person of the 1999 massacre and i felt like his perspective was completely pointless. it added some random youtube travel vlogger stuff which i didn't like and any information we got from him, was told to other people. i think his perspective should have been replaced with one of the girls who was killed in 1999, katie. it would have added more of that nostaglia i was missing.
i enjoyed the pacing and the writing a lot. i was kept really intrigued throughout the whole book and the beginning was so strong. i kept wanting to pick this book up to find out what happens next and i also liked some specific scenes.
the end honestly raised the rating for me because i loved the plot twists so much. there is really three big ones at the end and all of them i really enjoyed but there was one i found really fascinating.
overall i had a good time reading this book but i think this book could have been so much more for the premise. the characters and perspectives just needed to be improved upon.
thank you to St. Martin's Press, Alex Filay, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
buddy read w/ sarah shelves
i loved the idea of this book and the themes it explored. i just feel like the relationship seemed more lust-based and the idea o them being so in love seemed not completely believable. some themes i wish were explored more because i liked them so much and the pacing at the end was a lil funky ngl. sierra simone does know how to write tho. i love her writing all around and her smut is great
i really loved gopaf but this one kind of had the second book slump. it was a lottttt of traveling and battles with no real end goal or climax. those are the things i don't really love in fantasy. some moments did have me tear up but the two main characters really really annoyed me in this book as well
Read for Swoon Sisters Book Club Live Discussion: February 2022
so...this is awkward ahem
i did not love this book like at all. the writing i will say is phenomenal and i was intrigued throughout this but it felt like just a whole bunch of set up. nothing really happened in this book at all. and i feel like the second book is going to be phenomenal...but this one just wasn't. idk what i'm missing but i just was let down since this was sooooo hyped.
really enjoyed this! the commentary was obviously spectacular as well as the representation. i enjoyed the writing so much and the magical realism aspects. at some points, i felt slightly confused because of lack of explanation which normally doesn't bother me but since this is a middle grade, i feel like if i'm confused then kids definitely will be.
umm sophie lark really ate this up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. i could not stop readind this and i have not had a book make me forget i was reading and this one did that. this book is about obsession and addiction and it made me also feel those. the symbols, the characters, the writing, the grittiness, the tension, the smut: all fucking fantastic
tj klune's writing is so similiar in all of his books and i adore it. the plot and vibes of this book were honestly a little too similar to me to house in the cerulean sea for me. still enjoyed the book and i even cried but it was giving same book different fonts. i love house in the cerulean sea but i wish he changed it up a little. also some of the character growth wasn't smooth and slightly unbelievable for me. idk how tj klune has made me sob in all his books but he really did
Actual rating: 3/5 stars
I did enjoy my time reading this book and I was hooked. The writing made me want to keep turning the page but honestly, the middle did drag for me a lot and I kept feeling like nothing was going on. I did partially guess the twist at the end but not the full thing. I honestly think it was pretty obvious tho and it definitely did not have my quaking in my crocs like twists normally do. I think this would have been better as a short story tbh.
Read for Buzzwordathon February 2022: pronouns
I loved the writing style in this and the very interesting concept. I also had no idea this was actually based on a real story and poem which adds an even more interesting layer. I honestly do wich this one was just a bit longer and the horror seemed a bit like childish. Something just didn't completely click with me but it was still really fun!
