laur gluchie
I've received a digital Advance Reader's Copy of this book through the author. This has not affected my rating in any way.
read this in prep to read majesty because i've been reading trash lately so i might as well at least read good trash yk
this needed more nina gonzalez i missed her <3 daphne still pisses me tf off tho
I have received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book through the publisher. This has not affected my rating in any way.
Paused ~20%
what do you mean i can't give this more than five stars. like what do you mean.
also the biggest congrats to ms grace for being blessed by the book cover art gods because this entire series is absolutely gorgeous
I've received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book through a giveaway hosted by the publisher. This has not affected my rating in any way.
3.5 Stars
Calling all Rick Riordan fans; your new obsession is right here! If you love the sass and humor of Percy Jackson, you are going to love Alcatraz Smedry.
We, the readers, live in the Hushlands. It's the majority of the world that is controlled by the Librarians. A very small portion of the world which isn't controlled by Librarians is called the Free Kingdoms, but that's not where our story starts.
We follow Alcatraz Smedry, our very unreliable narrator, as he finds out he and his family are Ocularltors and they have the ability to see certain things others can't using Lenses (glasses). The Smedrys are the last known non-Librarian family with this ability, as the other families have become Librarians or died out due to the Librarians.
Another thing about the family is that each Smedry has a Talent. It's like a Quirk from My Hero Academia, or a knack from the Morrigan Crow series, but with a lot less pizzazz. For example, Alcatraz's Talent is the ability to break things, Grandpa Smedry's Talent is always being late to everything (a Talent I believe I have as well), Sing Sing Smedry's Talent is falling over, and Quentin Smedry's Talent is talking in gibberish. We also have Bastille, a thirteen year-old Crystin knight who is sworn to protect the Smedry family.
After the Librarians get ahold of Alcatraz's inheritance, the Smedrys and Bastille must get the sands back and stop the Librarians evil plan. But what is this inheritance, you ask. Well, it's a bag of sand. But not just any bag of sand... you'll have to read the book to know exactly what I mean. This story's a pretty cool adventure, not gonna lie.
This is the first Brandon Sanderson book I've read, and with how all of his other books have been hyped up, this did not disappoint! I also loved the illustrations! Some in the corners of pages, some taking up a full page spread, they were very well drawn and gave some energy to the story.
All in all, this was a fun middle-grade read that I'm sure any and all ages would enjoy!
The author advertises this as Black Widow (my favorite film of all time) meets Divergent (my middle school favorite book) so I'm seated.
3.5 Stars
k. so. i only read this right now because it was short and i wanted to round my year off on a nice even number. and honestly? this somehow isn't the worst thing i've ever read.
this isn't my first rodeo with monster romance however it is my first officially published one. i went in expecting trashy wattpad-style romance and ended up surprised at how not-trashy wattpad-style romance as i thought it was. very happy to say that ruby dixon can write better than most teenage girls on wattpad. (if only it weren't for those atrocious kindle covers lmao.)
tl;dr it wasn't awful and i have no major complaints.
i kinda do want to read more of the series tho. just for funsies. :)
Pre-Reading Updates:
all of my years reading momolady's monster romance stories should prepare me for this one.... i hope........
I've received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book through a giveaway hosted by the publisher. This has not affected my rating in any way.
In A Girl's Guide To Love and Magic, we follow Cicely, her best friend Renee, her crush Kwame, and her possessed, Vodou-practicing aunt Mimose as they go on a scavenger hunt to exorcise the spirit Ezru from Mimose during an event called Carnival.
The story was very fast-paced once I got into it, and it flew by quickly. Some of the items they needed were found surprisingly easily and effortlessly, making what I thought was going to be a huge adventure a mediocre walk about town- It made this story feel rushed.
I loved all four of the main characters at first, but as the story went on I realized that all Renee cared about was not being seen by anyone she knows as he hung out with the group, which left a bad taste in my mouth. I had a bad feeling that Renee would abandon or betray the group throughout the story. Mostly, though, I loved the bond between Cicely and Mimose. I really enjoyed reading about how much the two care for each other, and the unconditional love between them definitely drove this story.
The amount of Marvel references- specifically Black Panther references, were really fun since I'm a Marvel fan. And I'm sure that the “Allons-y” at the beginning was not a Doctor Who reference, but I'll take it.
The reveal that Ezru was Cicely's Grandma Rose was so sweet. I didn't even predict that this would be the outcome early on, so this was definitely a good twist. It made the ending much better than I thought it would be.
Overall, this was a very short and sweet story about family, faith, and Carnival celebrations. My only complaint is that I wish this had been slightly longer to have the story not feel rushed. I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good, short read.
I've received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book through a giveaway hosted by the publisher. This has not affected my rating in any way.
I have received a copy of this book through a giveaway hosted by the author. This has not affected my rating or review in any way.
This was a really cute story. I love the classic Disney princess films (the animated ones, not the live-action ones), and I'm a big fan of Disney Dreamlight Valley, so I picked this up and gave it a try. It's not a super deep story, not the greatest writing, and this could've probably been better off being a light middle grade novel, but it was a fun read.
sometimes the movie is better i'm pissed that the “bella where the hell have you been loca” quote isn't in the book
I've received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book through a giveaway hosted by the publisher. This has not affected my rating in any way.
Trigger Warning: Ableism & discrimination
Unpopular Opinion: This book sucked.
Okay, maybe that's a bit too harsh, but if you were reading a book about changing perfectly fine traits that you have, you'd feel pretty offended too.
I'll rephrase. Unpopular Opinion: I have some very, very choice words to say about this book.
My rant starts here.
While it didn't specify, but it was implied that Beatrice is possibly autistic (ex: having a unchanging meal plan for each day- page 21, 86, not understanding most social cues- page, 30, 42, 78, literally stated on 173, sensory processing issues- page 4, 86, 191-192, etc), which made me hate the way her parents, as well as the author, were treating her. I'm not sure if the author intentionally wrote an autistic-coded character, but the plot was about fixing what are seen as autistic traits. As someone who is on the spectrum, I did not feel comfortable with how this was written.
To a neurotypical, this book would read as a young, introverted girl getting help to become extroverted. To a neurodivergent person like me, this reads as a girl being belittled by her parents and peers for not being “normal,” then trying to force her to assimilate into a neurotypical world all so that she can go to a school.
It would be different if Beatrice was stated to be a neurotypical introvert, who didn't show signs of neurodivergence that seems to be “unacceptable” in society's- and in her parents and new ‘friends' eyes. Seeing as they constantly treat her like a child, try to change everything about her, and belittle her, saying that she wouldn't be able to feed herself if she lived on her own. It's demeaning to people who can relate to her, and people who have the same traits as her. Also, having a neurotypical girl guide her around the camp to tell her how to act “normal” instead of allowing Beatrice to be true to herself was, quite frankly, offensive. (Also, every time they ridiculed her about her eating/sensory issues made me want to set this garbage book on fire.)
This book tried to be a story about an introverted girl going to summer camp and having a physical and mental changing montage à la Princess Diaries (as Nolan literally states on page 111), while to me this read like an autistic-coded character being bullied and discriminated against by her own family, peers and society.
Rant over.
Outside of what I mentioned in my rant, where were a few other things that I had issues within this book. First, the pacing. I know that I was reading from an ARC, but there were just random scenes missing. Not just from chapter to chapter, sometimes entire paragraphs would feel like there are scenes missing. Like one second Nik is standing in front of Bea and the next paragraph he's talking to Shelby and Nolan is siting with Bea? Like the entire scene of Nik and Bea finishing their conversation and Nik leaving to sit with Shelby is missing (page 126-128). It was very strange.
This book had some of the most bland characters ever. Other than token-straight white girl (and possibly autistic) Bea, we also have token rich mean boy Nik, token queer(?) woman of color best friend Mia, token gay male best friend Nolan, and Walmart-Regina-George Shelby. These characters were all very one dimensional, and even at 75% of the book, I still didn't know anything about them.
I was hopeful that there would be a brilliant enemies to lovers story, which is advertised on the back cover. Unfortunately, I only started liking the relationship between Nik and Bea once he started treating her like a normal fucking human being, and that was way past the book being halfway over. And don't get me started on the falsely-advertised found family trope.
Other than grammatical errors, poor writing, and being an absolute snoozefest, I have no further complaints about this book. And you know what? It's funny, I honestly don't have anything good to say about this book. I think this is the first time this has happened to me with any book ever lol. I'm done.
Note: The pages referenced may be incorrect in finalized copies.
As Good As Dead is the best and darkest book of the series, fight me.
Pip has become a completely different girl from the first book, and I both loved and hated that, especially when it came to her drug usage. Ravi is at his peak in this book (I love him sm), and the suspense is better than ever. I genuinely can't believe the direction this story went in, and even more that they got away with it. There were times where I worried that Pip or Ravi would be found out and arrested, but Pip is just so smart I love her so much oh my goddd. It literally took me six hours to read this, it was so good.
And oh my god, that ending?? Holly Jackson, I need an epilogue novella where Pip and Ravi reunite, please GIVE IT TO ME NOW!!!
four stars for the actual book itself + one star for the indescribable and intense squealing, flailing, fangirling, literally running laps emotions this made me feel
I've received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book through a giveaway hosted by the author. This has not affected my rating in any way.
Let me just start of with the fact that Briony Thorburn owns my heart.
Now, for the actual review.
All of Us Villains has its pros and cons. More pros than cons, for me, but I do feel like I should mention the cons first.
What I Didn't Like:
Firstly, the world building. My ARC of All of Us Villains didn't include a map, so it was hard to imagine Ilvernath in the first place. I'm also still confused on where the Blood Veil took place. At first I thought it was on the outskirts of the town, but then Gavin was able to get back into the town even though the Blood Veil should keep them out? I was kinda confused about how he was able to do that.
Second, the magic system. I get the spellstones, and the difference between the classes of them, but I still don't understand it completely. How do you cast them? Do you throw it, crush it? That was confusing, because all of the sentences about them would be like “Alistair used a Flicker and Flare” okay but how??
Finally, the ending. The ending of All of Us Villains didn't fit the pace of the rest of the book. It felt very rushed, and the POVs were changing so quick between each other. Also, I would've thought that the Blood Veil would've been over by the end of the book, and the second book would've been about the main characters dealing with the aftermath.
What I Did Like:
First, the characters. The main characters was what kept me reading through the book. I loved Briony from the start, but then I really started liking Isobel after Briony did... that to her sister, then back to Briony by the end. Briony and Isobel are my faves, but Alistair and Gavin are great too. They just had to grow on me (especially Gavin, because I didn't like him at all until the end).
Second, the plot. At first glance, I genuinely thought that this might be a Hunger Games ripoff with magic. I hadn't been a Hunger Games fan in the first place, so I really hadn't been interested until I read the first few chapters. Other than a similarity of kids fighting to the death, this wasn't like the Hunger Games series at all.
Finally, the ending. What? I never said I didn't enjoy the ending. Just because I didn't expect that ending doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. There were so many things that were left on a cliffhanger, and it has me anticipating the sequel. Hendry's back?? Reid is the mastermind behind it all??? Finley's still alive for some reason???? While I didn't like the book ending like that, it was great and has me wanting more of Ilvernath and the Blood Veil.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. Amanda Foody hasn't disappointed me, and this is the first novel of Christine Lynn Herman's that I've read. I am excited for the sequel, and I will definitely be reading more of these author's books!
Pre-Reading Updates
6/14/2021: so Amanda just emailed me saying i won an arc?? i'm going to cry???
4.5 Stars
Wow. Okay. That was awesome.
Some of you may had seen my update at about the 20% mark, in which I said, “ten chapters in and I don't think this is really clicking for me :(( gonna keep reading a little longer and see if it gets any better.” Well, I think the universe has a very funny sense of humor, because in the following two chapters after I posted that update is when Pip finds her first ominous, threatening note. It was very hard to put this book down after that.
I haven't read many mysteries in my lifetime, especially ones in the young adult genre, but in my experience with the only one I can think of at the moment— E. Lockhart's We Were Liars— I had made myself believe that all YA mysteries were predictable and boring. I think I went into this book with those expectations, and it's safe to say that I've been left mind-blown. While I had suspected pretty much everyone, even Ravi, the culprit being Mr. Ward was the perfect, very well-thought-out case. And then the twist of Andie's real murderer being her sister was not what I was expecting at all.
I talked with my co-worker, who is currently watching the show, and she's planning to pick up the book now. I'm going to be watching the show as well as reading the sequels soon— I already have Good Girl, Bad Blood on my Kindle... so I'm gonna go take a peek at that now and try not to read it all in one night.
i'm going to give victoria aveyard the benefit of the doubt that red queen was just a cliche first book series with a chosen one mary sue main character and she can write better things. please be able to write better than red queen.
update: “So when a mysterious immortal and deadly assassin appear on Corayne's doorstep telling her she is the last member of a dying bloodline, and the only one who can save the world, Corayne seizes the chance to have her own adventure.”
victoria no please don't do this to me i can't take it anymore-