libraryoftori
3
I'd like to thank StrangeBooks for gifting me a copy for review – all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Magic is littered with metaphors and different ways of perceiving life as we know it, through eyes so much more innocent and accepting than our own. I think we can all learn a thing or two from Charlie about appreciating life and seeing the beauty and magic in ordinary things that we might have never thought to be extraordinary. Making flowers grow is no less magic than making them appear out of thin air, and standing on this Earth is no less magic than levitating above it; life is magic, and it surrounds us all.
3.5 stars
I would like to thank the author for sending me a copy of this book for review!
As a fan of middle grade ghost stories I was excited to read this one. At first, it seems like your typical haunted house story but as the story progressed I was delighted that it was much more than just creepy little boys appearing in the window and objects floating around a room.
I found the characters Ellie and Edward endearing and really liked their friendship and how it grew throughout the story.
This book was well written, creepy and yet heartwarming. I really enjoyed this story and definitely think that many children will as well.
This was a really incredible read. I'm always so fascinated to hear about experiences with people such as Elinor and I really felt for Helen and the pain and anguish she had to live through because of her mothers manipulation. Having the audio book narrated by Helen herself was a really nice touch and I felt that it made me connect all the more hearing the story told by her.
I do wish there were more excerpts of Elinor's diary entries just to further display the inner workings of her mind but overall I really enjoyed listening to this book.
Thanks to netgalley for providing me with an audio arc in exchange for a review
This was so so fun!
I was so pleased with how well rounded the characters were and how much I found myself really caring for them (before their inevitable deaths) - for a novella, I feel like that's pretty hard to do but McAuley did it so well.
I also really enjoyed the lore behind the Candy Cain Killer and the fact that there was real reason behind their killings.
Literally the perfect Christmas slasher - fun, festive, gory, and lowkey emotional?
Thank you so much to Shortwave Publishing for providing me with the eARC! Candy Cain Kills by Brian McAuley will be released 14 November 2023.
I feel like the author was so desperate for readers to believe her red herring that she ignored the all set up for the actual twist.
From chapter seven I was angry that I was being spoon fed these very coincidental “clues” and then I ended even angrier because we are literally in the MC's head for the whole book and only at the magical point of the twist does she suddenly reveal she knows so much more information than she let on. Girl has literally been in the house so many times yet acts like it's the first time she's seen it?? She's listening to herself and yet acts like she doesn't know who it is. She put herself in this very specific situation and acts like she can't wait to get out. And it would make sense if it was third person pov but we are literally reading her thoughts like it does not work!
The more I think about it the more mad I get. Don't deliberately mislead your readers just to have a shock reveal. It's a shock because it doesn't make any sense.
I started this review with a two star rating but you know what? It deserves a one.
I want to give the first half of this book a 3 and the last like 30% a 5 so we've settled on 4.5 stars.
For the hype around this one I thought it would be so much better than ACOTAR and I think that's where I got let down. Don't mistake me, it is better than ACOTAR - the world building and character development and even the plot had a lot more depth but it was just that little bit too overhyped.
I think my biggest problem was with the pacing. The first part of the book was such a snooze fest I'm so sorry I didn't give a shit about her being in the spring court and her inner turmoil about leaving Tamlin literally was such a drag. Also why do I need to be told every time she changes into leggings and an oversized sweater? I just feel like so much could've been shortened for better pacing leading up to the climax. But I have to give it to SJM, the ending was so good. Like she really knows how to tie it all together and leave you wanting more and I'm so keen to read the next book. I just hope the pacing gets better because those books are thickkkkkk
DNF @ 64%
I think I need to accept that I am not a spicy romance girly (at least not at this level). I really tried to finish this but I was disappointed with the house flipping plot line and the fact that it took such a backseat to make way for all the smut
Eye-opening and actually kind of comforting. Jenn writes in a way that felt like a friend giving me advice, and I appreciated all of it. It felt good to read about other people experiencing the same things I go through and to be told that it wasn't a problem for a change. I'm really glad I picked up this book
So engaging, informative and impactful. This book was so valuable to read and it is so important - definitely one that I will be recommending to anyone anytime I get the chance
I've been sitting on this review for a while as I felt it wasn't exactly my place to give this book a rating - much like rating a biography, who am I to say if the story of such a persons life was good or bad? With Dark Emu I thought, how can I give a rating to the stories and way of life of Indigenous Australians? However, I have decided that I should at least give my thoughts on this brilliant book. This book was so educational and I really enjoyed reading and learning - no matter how disappointed I was that I had not been taught these things in school and the sheer volume of things I just did not know. I think this book should be one that all Australians read and should be in the school curriculum. It is incredibly well researched and the evidence presented makes you question how you didn't know all of this before (although we already know why). I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dark Emu and would highly recommend it.
3.5 stars rounded up.
This was so fun. Perfect creature feature horror movie vibes. I just wish there was more lore to the Cicadas!
Obsession, influencer culture, toxic relationships, and disgusting body horror. This was so great, I loved it.
I have mixed feelings about this one but ultimately feel like I wanted to like it more than I actually did
I wanted to like this so much more than I did. The format of the book is so creative and the premise sounded good, but the execution just didn't do it for me. I wanted so much more out of the characters and the story. I feel maybe it would've been better if it was longer - there were a couple weird sections in terms of writing but as a whole it felt almost rushed? Pretty disappointed tbh
This was so bleak but so thought provoking and that ending took me by massive surprise. So so good
The art was stunning and I love the idea of the “haunted” house that sees all the evil conducted within its walls. Although I was confused about what was going on throughout most of the story, I was still delightfully creeped out and enjoyed it!
