mari
blows daisy jones out of the water in so many more ways than the writing alone
while i usually hate comparisons between books that are barely related, i think that in terms of a fake oral history about a fictional music act, this does everything that daisy jones & the six fails to do. opal & nev is contextualized heavily in the music world that they're supposedly supposed to exist in, and how their existence alone moved history. the commentary made about the music industry and profit being prioritized over creativity was something that was hit right on the head. and the complicated relationship between the two leads is one of interest and not just a big hazy question mark. because of all this i think this book is more for music lovers who understand that context and the realities behind the music we enjoy is just as important as every hit single.
also daisy jones has NOTHING on opal jewel
what a hauntingly beautiful exploration of grief, mourning, and love after loss. emezi once again creates the most rich and believable characters and you are sucked wholly into their feelings as they grapple with where their emotions take them after the hardest losses of their lives
i think my one gripe is the plotline with the son, which sometimes felt a little out of left field
this is it – this is THE gothic fantasy novel
as a past avid fan of gothics, i was immediately pulled into this story. it had all the classic elements of a gothic novel paired with beautiful prose and storytelling that ava reid simply excels at. and it also has this whole gorgeous “just two kids healing from trauma” part to it that makes this gothic story stand out amongst the rest
additionally, while i predicted the plot twist, i did not completely predict the whole story and that was extremely pleasing, especially as the last 50 pages of the book unfolded. extremely satisfying ending that sweeps up every little crumb left throughout the book well
... now how long do i have to wait until the next ava reid book?
as someone who doesn't like the true crime industry and how it abuses the victims of horrific incidents, this was a nice change
the commentary on how women are objects meant to be killed by men kind of fell flat, but the overall idea of fanaticism surrounding mass murderers and psychopaths creating more mass murderers and psychopaths was hit well on the head
also, i really enjoyed getting to look at the aftermath of these slaughters through the lens of the survivors. not that i enjoyed seeing how their lives panned out, but that the story stayed focused on the victims, and never on the murderers (as true crime so often does these days)
got annoyed with the MC at the beginning tho. slow to start but it picks up!
i don't know why, but this was giving me the vibes of a regency romance meets lord of the rings and i absolutely LOVED IT
first of all? the main character? once again, chef's kiss. isobel is smart, calculated, and stubborn and we loved to see every trait of that throughout the story
the plot twist? fire. i didn't see it coming (though i should have in retrospect)
ugh. the exploration of the immense power of human emotion and creativity. that was incredible to witness on both the human and fair folk side. as book lovers, i'm sure we can all cringe at the idea of not ever being able to read again, even if it meant living forever. why live forever if you can't read every book in existence?
it got a little silly goofy ok let's stop wasting ink and trees y'all at some points but otherwise, had a smashingly good time
there was nothing i didn't love about this book, so let me try and sum up my favorite things to try and get you to read it too:
the main character, elisabeth, sticks to her guns. while she meets people along her journey that affect how she sees the world, her stubborn nature stays true throughout the story; she wants to save everyone, and most importantly, the books
bro the IDEA of BOOKS being so POWERFUL just TICKLED ME PINK. i wanted more chapters about the libraries and grimoires and how librarians worked because i was just so enamored by the whole concept. it's been a long time since i've wanted to actually live in a YA fantasy setting, but i think i could really love being a librarian in one of these libraries
i don't know how. but margaret rogerson manages to make characters you get attached to, and relationships that you understand better than you understand yourself – and then she punches you in the face and you thank her for it. my sweet demon baby, silas, ur da best
intergenerational trauma, but punch mari in the face as hard as you can with it.
the comps to encanto are fair, but this takes the idea of a magically gifted family a step farther, especially with the secrets that orquidea kept to herself. listening to the kids unravel the secrets of their grandmother was incredible, especially with the flashbacks to orquidea's origin story. i felt like there were some extraneous moments, but other than that, quite enjoyed myself! besides, you know, being punched with yet another story about intergenerational trauma...
this was so fun! highly recommend the audiobook (and huge thank you to shai for recommending the audiobook to me in the first place)!
a lot of the reservations that i have with Adults Writing Teenagers were dashed away in olivie blake's YA debut. both of the main characters, and even all of their friends, felt refreshingly authentic and real. there wasn't any forced teen speak, and the inner monologues of both main characters was fun to listen to. i think there was room for more conversations about privilege, but i had so much fun with this and generally enjoyed myself, so i won't complain too much.
MORE ALEXENE FAROL FOLLMUTH YA. NOW.
i don't think i “got” this book, but i don't think getting it was the point
the concept of seeing the world through a character who not only couldn't feel emotions but experienced an extremely traumatic event was captivating from the synopsis, and the execution did not disappoint. there was a moment or two where i felt like his character lapsed, but maybe that was just actual character development, and i had gotten too used to his emotionlessness.
one star for the audiobook narrator, two for connell's mental health journey, three for connell's anti-rich people snobbery. but let's be clear; otherwise, i really didn't care for this book
the main issue of this book is that it features two people who desperately need therapy and to work on their communication issues, but only one of them does, and we're left to suffer with the other one wandering about life with seemingly no purpose. i liked connell especially after starting university, since a lot of his depression and anxiety was relatable and understandable, but i would literally roll my eyes whenever marianne tumbled back into her life.
better than conversations with friends, made even better thanks to the audiobook and irish accents, but still... not something i really enjoyed in total
started out rough, but as everything came together, i found myself smiling and crying a bit! also laughed out loud in public a few times... lmao
this was a really wholesome, humbling read. the overarching messages of people having more to them than the person they currently present to you and how human kindness can go leagues in the right circumstances were really nice (albeit overly idealistic) to read. the sort of meandering plot builds a lot of intrigue as you learn that there's a rhyme and reason to ove's grumpiness.
but i still won't be going out of my way to make myself personable to every grumpy old white dude lol
PHEW i ate this UP y'all highly recommend the audiobook form!!
this reminded me a lot of hello, my twenties! without the weird murder mystery element. the book explored a lot of darker themes with each girl going through their own struggles, and similarly to the TV show i found that there were certain parts that would have benefited from more exploration and reflection on one character's part (e.g. miho & ara). but overall, i really enjoyed this, and highly recommend it!
100% would not have enjoyed this as much had i not been a former military spouse lol (i appreciate the digs at the navy btw)
this was very cute and slice of life while also maintaining an air of mystery and drama as you try to figure out what the big catastrophe that led to the friend breakup was. each woman felt incredibly real and had unique issues that got their due time throughout the novel!
also henry just is exactly like my henry and i don't know how to feel lol