Viviana

A fascinating insight into a young Coriolanus Snow’s mind.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy this book because well, Snow is horrible and why would I want to get inside his head? But the book captured me since the first chapter.

This is a villain origin story done right. Even though I disagree with Coriolanus’s decisions and way of thinking, you can see why and how he got there. He is the result of the struggles he faced in childhood plus the influence the society around had in him. It feels eerily realistic, it reflects the real world and real people in an almost scary way. The events with Lucy Gray and his role as her mentor in the Hunger Games were only the last straw for him to snap and become who we see in the HG trilogy.

Lucy Gray was also an interesting character and seeing her through Coriolanus’s unreliable POV made her even more compelling.

I went into this book ready to hate on Snow some more, but in came Dr. Gaul and Dean Highbottom. If I disliked this version of Coriolanus (right before he became a monster), I HATED Highbottom and Gaul. Highbottom is a petty adult who had a vendetta against a teenager for something he had no idea about. And don’t get me started on Gaul. That woman is the equivalent of Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and worse. You can see where Snow learned all his tricks from. Gaul is despicable.

I had originally rated the book 4.5 stars because the third part dragged for too long, in my opinion. However, I decided to give it the 5 starts because overall the book is amazing and the attention to detail is remarkable. Suzanne Collins is a genius. Now to patiently wait for Haymitch’s prequel.

The first half of the book, I enjoyed a lot. The second half was ok but I lost some interest in the journey of the characters. I would’ve liked some more depth to their relationship. As much as I love the spicy scenes, I would’ve traded some of them to give us more emotional conversations between the main characters. Their relationship feels rushed and under-developed.

Still, it’s a solid story with A LOT of spice (the dirty talk is so good!!). I had a good time with this book.

One of my favorite spicy romances I’ve read lately!

I haven’t read many (or any) stories about polyamorous relationships but I loved how it was portrayed in this book.

I fell in love almost right away with the trio. Isabel is sweet, understanding and brave. Hunter is a cool guy and devoted husband. Drake is protective, caring and loyal as hell. There is so much chemistry between them that you just can’t help but to root for them and their relationship.

Isabel and Hunter’s realization of their feelings towards Drake feels smooth and believable. Drake may be a fuckboy but he’s so sweet too. In general I just loved their dynamic and interactions. Another detail I enjoyed was Hunter’s bi-panic in the first half of the book. It was hilarious. Seriously, this guy was giving the most lustful descriptions of Drake and finishing up with “…but I’m as straight as they come”. My guy was living in delulu land and it made me laugh so much.

The spice is SPICING in this one. 5/5 rating I would say. Really, I think there’s action in almost every chapter, so beware of that if it’s not your cup of tea. I for one, am not complaining.

My only nitpicks would be that, while the characters are well established, I think they didn’t have that much depth. Outside of what was needed from them in the story they didn’t have other interesting aspects in their personalities and it made them feel a bit two-dimensional. Also, I would’ve liked to dive in deeper in Drake and Hunter’s past and the early stages of their friendship. Same for Hunter and Isabel’s marriage. I don’t know if it’s because this is part of a standalone series and maybe this story was covered in a previous book? It felt at times as if I was reading a sequel to a story that was previously established. Regardless of that, I enjoyed this book so much. It’s my first Sara Cate book but it won’t be my last!

If you want to re-live the Eras Tour in picture form, this book is for you. It also has some behind the scenes content like all the costumes she wore during the tour. I enjoyed flipping through the pages and remembering this incredible experience.

I read this book in January and it was a great one to start the year with.

This story is about slowing down, appreciating the small things and not getting lost in the hustle of life and work.

We have different characters, each one in their own quest of finding new meaning in their lives, for some of them after trying and failing to have a certain lifestyle. I found myself relating to almost all the characters, especially Yeongju, who rekindled her love and passion for books and reading.

This was a comforting, cozy read. I felt transported to Yeongju’s bookshop and the atmosphere it created.

A light, sweet and enjoyable read.

I liked the characters and representation of different sexualities. Alex and Henry’s characters have a lot of chemistry and they have development throughout the book.

The parts I didn’t like so much:

I couldn’t understand why this book was written in the 3rd person. Most of the book is from Alex’s POV anyway, so why not just make Alex the narrator? I feel like this way I would’ve been able to see more depth to his character and maybe Henry’s as well.

This is a very personal preference but the way the intimate scenes were written was driving me nuts. It was like the author wanted the scene to be explicit AND “close door” at the same time and it just didn’t work for me. But again, that’s just a very personal opinion, I know many people don’t like “spicy” scenes.

Finally, the book is at times way too idealistic, although that’s hardly a complaint because I read romance to escape reality lol.

Overall I enjoyed this book a lot, I can totally see what the hype is about and I always love to see bisexual representation in stories.

I thought I was going to love this book, and while it was quite enjoyable, it left me underwhelmed.

What I liked:

-The descriptions of the places where the story takes place are really good. That plus the historical setting create an immersive experience while reading.

-Bao, Tagtaa and Snow are all likable characters. Especially Bao and Tagtaa, I was really rooting for them to be reunited. Snow has her flaws, but I’ll talk about it later.

-All the magical/fantastical elements were fascinating. I’m not familiar with the mythology about foxes but after reading this book I’d like to research more about it.

Now to the parts I didn’t like so much:

-Like I said before, Snow is a great heroine. She’s on a revenge mission and she’s smart, resourceful and kind. But at times she’s too cynical and her wisdom is often kinda on the nose. I guess it goes with her character’s history, SPOILER: I mean her child was killed, I think that’s a fair justification.

-The mystery ends up being so obvious at certain point in the book. There was just no subtlety and it made the revelations less satisfying. For a moment I thought there was going to be a big twist, which never came.

Bektu Nikan is so elusive for almost half of the story, I really thought he was being kept in a veil of mystery for so long because he would turn out a be a supernatural being as well, but he was just a regular (horrible) person. Also, the resolution around his character is so anticlimactic! 

There are other things we never truly find out (SPOILERS)

who killed Bektu? Who killed Chen? What happened with the curse in Tagtaa’s family about the first male child always dying? Was it really Shiro who killed Feng and why did he do it? I also thought we would get some clarification of who saved Bao when he was a child or how he got his ability to detect lies.

(END OF SPOILERS)

-I would’ve loved if the book dove deeper in the magical aspects of foxes. We don’t learn that much about the extent of their powers, how they improve their abilities, etc.

I’d still recommend this book if you’re looking for something enjoyable with a touch of magic and mystery to pass the time.

Spice: 2/5

An easy, light Christmas read.

I like Miles and Saoirse as characters, but I was expecting more to them than the book gave me. While the chemistry is there, they fall in love too quickly and honestly, other than their love for Bea and their empathy for each other’s situation, the book doesn’t show they have that much else in common.

The book’s still good enough. It feels very Christmassy and I enjoyed the descriptions of London in the Holiday season.

Overall, it’s a nice, quick, lighthearted Christmas read which is what I was looking for.

While I appreciated the devastating description of this post-apocalyptic world and thought the premise was compelling, the story gets repetitive pretty soon into the book. Not to mention all the horrors and despair throughout it. I feel like the book could've been cut to half its length and still be impactful. As it was, I didn't enjoy it. It was too dark and I disagreed with many of the decisions the father makes.

A beautiful collection of poems about diverse topics on life and existence. Of course some ideologies are now outdated but there are plenty of poems with timeless advice. Some passages are truly beautiful and left an impression on me.

Thoroughly enjoyed this story.

I related to both Elinor and Marianne’s personalities in some ways but me being an eldest daughter just made Elinor the MVP of this book in my eyes. Marianne was getting on my nerves at times but I liked her character development at the end.

Edward’s character is fine, but Colonel Brandon is goals *chef’s kiss*

I enjoyed seeing Elinor and Marianne’s sisterly relationship develop and how they both complement each other’s personalities and learn from each other.

The annoying characters: Lucy Steele made me roll my eyes incessantly and I kept saying “shut up John, no one cares” every time John Dashwood said something. Willoughby’s character is unforgivable, though. He’s worse than Wickham, imo.

Overall a beautiful work by Jane Austen, it’s obvious why it’s a beloved classic.

I find it hard to review this book because, is it beautifully written? Of course, it’s Virginia Woolf for goodness’s sake. Are the story and characters compelling? Absolutely. Is it the style of storytelling I usually like? Not really.

Mrs. Dalloway reads as a flow of thoughts and reflections which never really land anywhere, the focus is just shifted towards different characters. It felt like watching a movie where there’s only one continuous scene which never cuts. I’d oversimplify it as a “no plot, just vibes” kinda book.

It was difficult for me to get through it because I usually need to have a plot, otherwise it’s so hard for me to focus.

Even so, I’m glad I read this classic because there are some gems of passages in it and the hate towards Hugh Whitbread made me seriously laugh at one point so at the end it was all worth it.

This is a great book for any couple who wants to maintain or improve their sex lives, especially long-term relationships. Vanessa’s advice is realistic, clear and doable. She dismantles common stereotypes and taboo beliefs and gives a gateway to a new vision of what sex and intimacy can be.

Great outline book to have as a reference for couples at any stage in their relationship.

The advice is concise and to the point, the dates are well laid out and the questions are thought-provoking without feeling intimidating.

The kind of self-help book which is actually helpful and very easy to put to practice

It was an interesting experience to read this around the same time I rewatched Disney+ show Loki as there are several topics covered in both.

The questions of what defines a Loki? Is it that they always lose? That they’re usually alone, rejected by almost everyone? How is it that they seem to always serve the purpose of helping everyone around them reach their full potential while never reaching it themselves?

I really loved all the reflections in this story about a character that’s complex and constantly in a gray area. He’s considered a villain, but is he evil?

This is a well-told story of Loki from his perspective, I enjoyed it a lot and the ending caught me off guard, but I think it was the right ending to drive the point of the topics covered in the story

If you’re looking for an enjoyable love story, with compelling characters set in the Regency era… then look somewhere else because you won’t find it here.

This book was a pain to finish. The only reason I didn’t DNF it is because it had sat in my library for too long and if it wasn’t gonna give me a good time while reading it then the least it could do was to add to my reading app stats.

I thought people were overreacting in their reviews of Benedict‘s character but they were right: he’s such a jerk almost the entire time. Next to zero redeemable qualities in his own story. I just know his character during his Netflix show season must be better because you can’t really make it worse. Sophie is a nice enough character but nothing remarkable. They fall in love SO quickly when they don’t spend that much time together nor show they have that much in common. It doesn’t feel organic at all. They’re in love because the author says they’re in love. The writing in general is not good and there’s so much misogyny scattered throughout the book.

I wanted to read Colin and Benedict‘s story in preparation for the next couple of seasons of the Netflix show, however I certainly won’t be reading any more from this saga. There are far better romances out there I can spend my time with.

I don’t have experience with poetry but I enjoyed this book. It portrays in a beautiful way what it’s like to get over someone after a breakup and how you find yourself again after having your heart broken.

DNF at 73%

I tried my best but I just did not like the characters nor the story.

Skylar is too dumb and doesn’t really have many redeeming qualities that made me like her. West’s character is just flat, kind of ridiculous and doesn’t have much going on for him. The story just didn’t catch my attention. Maybe if there would’ve been more spice it would’ve kept my interest but by the time the spicy scenes came I was already too annoyed and wasn’t enjoying the book at all.

I postponed reading this book for months and now I regret not reading it this sooner. Damn Alice, you didn’t need to go this hard but you did anyways and I’m so glad for that!

I started this thinking it would be a light, low-stakes, relaxing read. And in some ways it was but at one point it just hit me HARD. Alice Oseman has an incredible talent to write teenage characters who are realistic, lovable and relatable.

The main character, Georgia Warr, is so relatable in so many levels. She’s also hilarious as hell. Like many people, I didn’t know much about aromanticism and asexuality when I started reading this book. We join Georgia on a self-discovery journey that is confusing and heartbreaking, but at the same time is incredibly hopeful and freeing. Besides her sexual orientation, Georgia’s character captures so beautifully what it’s like feeling out of place, having trouble making new friends, social anxiety, feeling inadequate in the environment you’re in. Reading this was like a Time Machine and suddenly I was 18 years old all over again. I wish I read a book like Loveless when I was that age and it makes me happy this generation has stories like these.

This story is all about how there are many ways in which love can be manifested. Romantic love is not everything and the book reminds us to look for love in places we sometimes take for granted. The way friendships are portrayed here is so heartwarming! I swear I was NOT expecting this book to bring me to tears. All the characters are top notch but the banter between Pip and Rooney was just so enjoyable throughout the whole book.

I decided to give this book 5 starts because while it isn’t perfect, the good things outweigh by far the small flaws.

This will be my last Murakami book in a while. This book was just not for me. I just couldn’t get over the lack of plot and the badly-written females characters. It’s not terrible and there are some good reflections on death, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea