“GAH YOU’RE SO POINTLESS!!!” I scrum. whAT THE FUCK WAS THAT??!!!
WTF.
I’m just— what the actually....
*Glares intensifies at book sitting on the table*
“GAH YOU’RE SO POINTLESS!!!” I scream.
OK. Great premise. I can understand the obscurity and redundancy of it— the ‘Unknown’. Writing was decent. Very engaging. But the pacing. THE PACING. Oh god, THE FUCKING PACING. I’m done.
D O N E.
How— What in the world was this mess. Too much repetition that tried hard to give these characters back stories but instead, fucking backfired in a way that made me exhausted just reading about it. So bad.
I can forgive the ending as well but I felt that one particular death was SO FUCKING POINTLESS IM SO ANGRY BBYYEE.
fuCKK.
Thank god i finished this after Christmas otherwise I would have been so stupidly annoyed my god. This book had such promise and a great build up going through but I just....can’t.
Overall disappointed. AF.
Could not relate to anyone who gave this five stars.
SO. THIS. BOOK. WAS. SO. GOOD. THEY. NEED. TO. MAKE. THIS. INTO. A. MOVIE. IT. WOULD. BE. SUCH. A. GREAT. PSYCHOLOGICAL. HORROR. THRILLER. MOVIE. 👏🏻. SO. THIS. BOOK. WAS. SO. GOOD. THEY. NEED. TO. MAKE. THIS. INTO. A. MOVIE. IT. WOULD. BE. SUCH. A. GREAT. PSYCHOLOGICAL. HORROR. THRILLER. MOVIE. 👏🏻. 👏🏻. 👏🏻.
Think The Woman in Black with a boarding school setting with a with a mystery tying in to present day.
Borderline on a 2.5 or 3 star read for me right now.... 🙄😔
Well then. I don’t know how I was able to call out the twists in
I wish that I'd die too.
Borderline on a 2.5 or 3 star read for me right now.... 🙄😔
Well then. I don’t know how I was able to call out the twists in the book early on, but there were also so many fucking blatant red-herrings in the beginning, I’m beginning to think perhaps maybe predicting the twist was the twist all along. This started off very strong and promising.....and then it dwindled and veered off into a huge mess and that lame ending....
I just—
I disliked every single character in this book. Maayyybeee except for Clara but she didn’t really stand out to me either. Another character, Beth, had a very strong and prominent voice in this book, the most distinctive and engaging in terms of story for me.
Jesus, so damn many lies and secrets and just shitty people doing shitty things— but all can weave and transform into something that could have been a fantastic thriller....but in retrospect, I think it just fell short and fizzled out.
I think for me, it was so easy to piece together the twists and their own stories and pasts together when reaching the halfway mark. I just really hated all the male characters in this book and it’s warranted. Spineless conniving pieces of shit. But that’s not the main reason for my rating for this book.
That’s it. I’m literally done with hype. No more LMAO. I read sooo many great reviews with this book and I was very intrigued when I first read the premise. My expectations rose higher and higher with each 4-5 star review. Dammit.
no FUCKING more.
If I hear too much hype surrounding that book....staying away with a torch in my hand and ready to light that shit on fire, sorry can’t deal 👋🏻. However, I think a newbie who’s dipping their foot into this genre will immensely enjoy this book. It has the right stuff into the making of a great thriller read for me...if not the for the predictability of its twists and lame one-dimensional characters.
um. I’m actually speechless. That was so SO SO good. SOO MUCH BETTER THAN I EXPECTED IT TO BE SUE ME. To read a whole damn book abouHOLYSHITHOLYGODS.
um. I’m actually speechless. That was so SO SO good. SOO MUCH BETTER THAN I EXPECTED IT TO BE SUE ME. To read a whole damn book about a character I never really cared about only to find that perhaps...the best was yet to come. It was meant to fucking be.
For people saying that this book was slow and boring.....
BITCH.
This was the calm before the fucking storm; the reprieve before all hell breaks loose.
I’m so glad this book existed. A whole new world, new characters, and NEW TWISTS????
Um yeah this book is vital before the last one: KINGDOM OF ASH.
For now— I LOVE YRENE TOWERS. I love her to bits. My faith in SJM wavered and got lost in between QOS and EOS....but now after this.....
Get out- if you know what's good for you. Not a threat, but a warning. And she had understood it too late.
well, damn.
My second book from Ruth Ware, an
Get out- if you know what's good for you. Not a threat, but a warning. And she had understood it too late.
well, damn.
My second book from Ruth Ware, and I. am. really. impressed.
I first read her debut thriller, In a Dark, Dark Wood, and it was....alright. Nothing spectacular. But now, after this????
Sign me up for anything Ruth Ware please.
While I thought her latest work was a huge stepping stone from her first book, I still had a couple issues with this one. Halfway through the book, it took a weird turn that killed the brakes and I legit thought it would fall to a complete stop, but I'm glad it never did. The pacing was a little....disjointed in my opinion; I honestly thought this book would be benefit more from cutting a couple chapters off and expanding more on the ending.
The mystery was really good and the whole book itself was so moody. It really screamed: 'look at me and love me i'm an angsty creepy atmospheric jewel, eat me!' I loved it.
One of the best and most interesting aspects for me though was the main character's ability to read and play with tarot cards and how it tied in throughout with the whole mystery itself.
This slow burn mystery really took me by surprise and I'm glad I got a solid little thriller from Ms. Ware. Now I'm excited to see how her other books live up to their own hype. Hopefully it won't bite me and stab me in the back; there's already so much promise.
Can’t even with this book right now. Maybe I’ll come back to it. Maybe not. Everyone is going shopping for each other for presents and such and I can’Can’t even with this book right now. Maybe I’ll come back to it. Maybe not. Everyone is going shopping for each other for presents and such and I can’t relate byee.
Grinning at her from behind the glass was the man with the Chesire-cat smile.
Oh, how I wanted to love this book. (too bad) But unfortunate
Grinning at her from behind the glass was the man with the Chesire-cat smile.
Oh, how I wanted to love this book. (too bad) But unfortunately, it didn't work out. (it really fucking didn't) I expected too much. (hmmm) And got too little in return. (usually) Honestly, the book itself is beautiful-- all red and green with a design etched into the cover.
A false and deceptive look to pull you in and become trapped in its spell.
But haha, nice try book, nice try. Its spell is pretty fucking weak, a baby penguin could break free. (i don't know what a baby penguin has to do with this...)
The beginning of the book, the fucking prologue, was the absolute best part of the cake. Everything else was either too crumbly or over-sweetened. For a magical-realism book, the whole aspect of it was nothing but, 'sometimes' moody or flashy; most of that was due to the atmosphere in the book--of the setting, a place. (It takes place on a omg lush as fuck green and wild foggy woody island with the ocean and its misty and smooth setting, gosh what a perf setting)
I feel like for 'magical realism' itself, a lot of it has to do with the certain connection with the reader and said book. It has to evoke certain 'feelings' and vague......things. (Like this smol sentence. Not a lot of coherency, and a lot of 'it doesn't-really-makes-sense' but it-does-in-a-way.)
I felt nothing but flat out 'wtf' at everything and everyone in this book.
This booke fell super flat on its back and flailed around, trying to get back up. It pretty much couldn't and pretty much expired. bYE.
There isn't a lot going on in The Price Guide to the Occult. It has a pretty great intriguing title. And that's all it had going for it. The title itself refers back to a certain spell book (with the same title) that plays an integral part within this book. Some things happened. But we're never given a full or complete explanation as to why.
So many events that happened or caused by, were all pretty much coincidental and I fucking hated that. The MC is a special snowflake who is friends (of course) with someone who is far more interesting and 'everything better' than the said MC. We're never given an explanation to:
why is the MC so powerful? what cause give this MC so much power? what happened to certain characters? who and why was this certain family guard and protect witches? what is this magic system? who is the government?
and WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK was that epilogue???
From what I'm understanding, this book is a standalone??? BUT after that epilogue????
Just imagine: not a lot of things take place in a book, the MC conquers everything--she has so much damn power but scared to use it, her best friend is probably the best thing in the book: cracks amazing timed jokes all the while trying to help said MC out--especially in the love department, everything turns out in the end and then loose ends are never resolved but to fly out wailing in the wind, and then a shit epilogue about something important and then-- BAM. book ends.
you're welcome. have a great day. thanks for coming to my ted ta-- i mean book review.
**grinds and nashes teeth and slaps hand to forehead***
2 boring stars.
So much fucking potential. Too little and too late on the deliverance.
Love is an enchantress-- devious and wild. It sneaks up behind you, soft and gentle and quiet, just before it slits your throat.
Well goddam
Love is an enchantress-- devious and wild. It sneaks up behind you, soft and gentle and quiet, just before it slits your throat.
Well goddamn this book took me by surprise. I read and finished this book roughly a week ago. I was so conflicted on how I felt about it, that I couldn't formulate a proper review or even rate it. But now, sitting on these thoughts and how this book made me feel, I don't think I'll ever come to a concrete conclusion.
But boy oh fucking boy.
This book was so slow, deliberate, and heavy as fuck. Literally suffocating....but in a good way. The atmosphere in this book was so, so real. Very. It felt so real sometimes, that it was kind of unsettling, a bit eerie.
And that's what I LOVED about this book. It grabbed me by the throat and force fed me a spoonful of what can only be called as, 'magic'. It's such a weird feeling and the only thing that comes close to this experience of reading this book would be, The Raven Boys.
And that feeling, that feeling of being drawn to or by, is what I absolutely love about reading. Reading books that come close to what I felt reading, The Wicked Deep, is somewhat a rare and hidden thing. But time comes when it's happening, is unexpectedly such a beautiful and complete experience. It's like drugs, an addiction, but the good kind.
The story itself I think, wasn't even what drew me into the book. I thought it was rather mildly weak and drawn out; nothing much was happening-- a curse that revolves around a town and affecting the people in it-- it was a little disappointing to have something so elaborate to have little repercussions within it. Character wise, everyone was fine, nobody stood out.
But maybe Bo. Just Bo. Conflicting, confusing, and irritating, all at the same fucking time, that bitch. I wanted to punch him. Then hug him. Just......UGGGGHH.
But my biggest complaint with the book is that I called out the twist very very early on in the book. And my predictions were true. And I didn't want it to be true because I DID NOT WANT IT TO GO IN THAT DIRECTION WHY WHY WHY..........ngh fuck.
Well, when good conflicting things come to an end, you just got to move on and say goodbye. But I didn't necessarily want to leave these characters yet. I just wanted to see, wherever they are now, if they're ok.
I hope so.
Fucking feels. I'm so irritated right now anasdasdlafhasdkfjfs f
“The sun drips light down the face of the sky, fierce reds and oranges pooling on the surface of the water. For the long moments before the su
“The sun drips light down the face of the sky, fierce reds and oranges pooling on the surface of the water. For the long moments before the sun dunks beneath the waves, we’re kings and queens with skin like fire.”
I AM CRYING.
MY FIRST FIVE STAR READ OF THE YEAR, I DON'T THINK I CAN PROPERLY THINK LET ALONE WRITE A REVIEW, BUT THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE I WANT EVERYONE TO READ THIS FUCKING PERFECT CREATION OF A BOOK.
But most importantly, my heart and soul is singing and I'm ready to live out my life and go on an adventure.
Gray Wolf Island is somewhat of a hidden and beautiful thing-- something lost, something there, and something new; and by god am I gloriously happy that this book exists.
I didn’t go searching for this book. I didn’t even know it existed. I never heard of it in fact, nor, did I hear anyone ever talk about it.
And then, by some strange miracle (Amazon.com), I found it.Treasure.
I think for me the best part of this book were the characters and their relationships-- the friendships between them all is a living breath of fresh air. I care for them so so much. I haven't felt this way about a lot of characters in a long time, ever since reading, The Raven Boys and The Foxhole Court.
It was so beautiful.
This book made me feel things. It made me feel complete. It made me feel whole. It finished me. And it brought me back to life. This is the kind of book I live for-- the beautiful sense of an adventure and the strange love of five people buzzing underneath my skin; it was worth alone, the all-nighter on a cold starless Sunday night.
This book isn't just a story about a treasure hunt. It's a story about impractical love, seldom acceptances, and the act of forgiveness. It's a book about truths and secrets, and the fulfillment and emptiness that comes from them.
“The truth isn’t sharp or cutting. It’s not the opposite of comfort. It’s the absence of it.”
I can also say that if you love The Raven Cycle like I do, then you will absolutely fall in love with Gray Wolf Island. There are some certain elements that parallel each other but both stand strongly and well apart.
BUT the ending did leave me wanting more. So. Much. More. Ruby, Gabe, Charlie, Anne, and Elliot, my strange and whimsical friends. I hope everything is ok. I hope everyone is ok. However I do know that whatever happens next, to whatever end our characters have to face, 'everything is going to be okay.' This I know.
To leave it off, I'll leave a quote from the book down below that held me down and resonated within me; a truth that felt full of bursting and singing. A great and wanting need.
"I'm thinking I love them all, these people who barged into my life and turned it upside down. It feels like there should be something supernatural about it. But there's no magic in love, just a gradual giving of yourself and trusting that whoever holds a piece will transform it into something magical."
Is it just me or didn't this book come out already?? LIKE TWO YEARS AGO IN 2017?? I also thought it was being made into movie? The boUPDATE 11. 30. 18
Is it just me or didn't this book come out already?? LIKE TWO YEARS AGO IN 2017?? I also thought it was being made into movie? The book is being released again for 2019??!! What even....
anyways, I already read it, and it's a somewhat decent thriller. Fast paced with a really cool and direct premise....but (see full review down below)
A.J. Fucking Finn also blurbed it and im shoook??!
__
THIS BOOK HAS SUCH A FUCKING HIGH RATING HERE ON GOODREADS.....??!!
....Like seriously, literally broken because this was nowhere as good as I though it was going to be. If anything, this taught me that the GR ratings are not to be trusted.
But this book.
Wasn't that bad. But it wasn't that good either.
It was actually kinda c h e e e s y.
I think the worst of it for me was the writing and the sort of unrealistic scenarios (that ending wtf) but...... I really liked the main character, Darby, and her knack for survival. She was just an normal college student, an innocent bystander, thrust into a life and death situation, all the while in the midst of a sociopathic kidnapper. Darby was super easy to relate to, being a poor broke college student and all that.
Overall, this little thriller wasn't anything special. But it's short, fast, and sweet, and I found myself rooting for this heroine and urging her on to fight back. I actually think it's perfect for people who want to get into this genre. Nothing to heavy, nothing to memorable either.
WELL THAT WAS UTTERLY AND IRREVOCABLY DISAPPOINTING.
Let me just start off that if you like Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and the dramatic flair foWELL THAT WAS UTTERLY AND IRREVOCABLY DISAPPOINTING.
Let me just start off that if you like Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and the dramatic flair for the points of being hella extra.....
.....then look no further folks because we got here the same run-of-the-mill mediocre and somewhat boring (mystery/drama) tale of a pretentious high school student uncovering the buried secrets of the past, all the while getting caught up in a tangle wood of lies and deceit in the present.
Doesn't that sound like a juicy fishhook of a TV show/movie you might find somewhere like on the CW or Lifetime??
Because literally hellllll nooooo. I'm over it already.
So I legit thought this book was Adult but it wasn't; it's YA.
And if y'all know me (chuckle, chuckle)...
I LITERALLY DO NOT LIKE YA MYSTERY THRILLERS.
Well, most of the time anyways.
And 'thriller'???
Um nonexistent. Maybe that's just on me and its just marketed as mystery/suspense. Well whatever because that wasn't even the fault I had with the book; it was with the main character herself. Charlie Fairchild. And don't get me started on these names lmaooo. I.e.: montgomery, spencer, avery,....rich, spoiled, ass, *&!*!@#.
In short, I found Charlie to be extremely arrogant and ignorant. She was annoyed and rude to her 'friend' and found this so called 'friend' irritating because she wasn't some rich girl who wore the designer clothes and labels -- No, it was more like she was trying too hard because her parents couldn't afford the school so she's on a scholarship so what a try hard yada yada.....
um excuse me, as someone who was on scholarships for the very same reason,....don't get me started.
And the suicide jokes. Really? It's 2018. Not even that. It's just in poor taste and quality.
But all things aside, was it the worst book I've ever read?
Hell no. But to say in the least: somewhat overbearing and pretentious, this book does have an interesting aspect (unrealistic) of an anonymous club, full of hierarchy and power, and the corruption that runs with it. Not to mention the consequences.
This book is choked full of them, in fact.
2 JUDGE JUDY STARS
Arc provided by author/publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to William Morrow for sending me an arc!
"How's your mother, Alice?" The question catches me a bit off guard, so I reply with the first answer that enters my mind. "Fat," I say, then start
"How's your mother, Alice?" The question catches me a bit off guard, so I reply with the first answer that enters my mind. "Fat," I say, then start laughing..."she's so fat, Charles."
Well hell then, aside from the fat shaming and a couple racial stereotypes regarding people of color, Mister Tender's Girl was somewhat of a fast-paced thrill ride and ironically, a lackluster read.
I honestly thought given the dark nature the premise of the book had to offer, I was expecting something much darker and unsettling. Instead, I got a pretty much straightforward thriller that disappointingly stayed its course and didn't venture any further into anything new or exciting.
The strongest aspect of the book would have to be Carter's writing; holy shit it was really good. The level of apprehension and tension spurring from his words really enhanced the story itself and that, along with the actual premise, moved the whole book along a killer speed of fast and furious.
Not to say that this book didn't have its moments. Unsettling and creepy at times, but those times were rare and few, which unfortunately, left a little to be desired when expected so much.
“Once you eliminate the natural, whatever remains must be supernatural?”
Here's the thing: I thought this book was going somewhere, to some
“Once you eliminate the natural, whatever remains must be supernatural?”
Here's the thing: I thought this book was going somewhere, to someplace I've never been before. But it never really did; it never really reached all the way there. But then, I was ok with that.
Then it turned into this weird and strange different story about something else, and even I was fine with that. A somewhat cool aspect mixed in with this mystery. And then it got even more weird towards the end........aaaaaannndd I was not really there for it.
I think King crafted a really, really solid, and great mystery for half the book before diving into something else. Mind you, this book was really hefty, complete with great character development; however I sincerely thought at least 200 pages worth could have been cut off from the actual book itself. It was too long IMO.
But this was my first King read and I thoroughly enjoyed it for what it was. I stayed up for two nights reading this. But I can definitely see two sides of this spectrum—how people are going to hate it or love it. I'm moving towards the latter but not quite there yet. But I'm still constanly looking at the shadows and into the dark.....is it a trick my eyes are playing on me or is it actually him?
This was a really fascinating read and honestly, I don't think I've ever read something like this before. But, I do think that out of the other two stThis was a really fascinating read and honestly, I don't think I've ever read something like this before. But, I do think that out of the other two standalone books I've read from Karin, Pretty Girls and The Good Daughter, this was least violent, gory, and chaotic book out of them all. But I still enjoyed it nonetheless.
To say I went into this book with reservations and Z E R O expectations is an understatement because this boWell. Here’s to a new season of FANTASY 👏🏻
To say I went into this book with reservations and Z E R O expectations is an understatement because this book is h e l l a f u c k i n g HYPED.
H Y P E D i tell you.
but, bUT, BUT....it. was. really. fucking. GOOD.
I was honestly not expecting the amount of great good epicness that was this book.
Aside from the riveting and hyping reviews, there were also the polarizing and scathing reviews, but most of them consisted mainly of points that either stated the book was too long and boring, or trashing the world building and characters.
Well golly gee, I didn't what to think going into this book pre-review. I was prepared to drop it like old takeout into the trash....however,....said takeout was actually fucking delicious and fresh af.
thank god.
I honestly can say that there are only two times in my life where reading fantasy has taken a firm and gripping hold on me, a new and refreshing take the genre itself; a new outlook, something I know and will grow to love.
Two eras:
The Lord of the Rings books
and
The Throne of Glass books
Say what you will about TOG series but I read the first three books before I knew anything about booktube and overhype and toil and trouble and I actually really enjoyed this series (it has gone rather downhill but i am faaaaar too invested into giving up now).
And now, enter Furyborn. And I can see, in the near future, a HUGE potential for this series to become an added fav to the collection. Key word p o t e n t i a l.
I for one, agree with all the 5 star reviews because they say pretty much the same thing.
characters. world building. story. writing. characters. world building. storty. writing. characters. and so and so forth.
This was an extremely solid start to a new fantasy era for me because I've been wobbling on this spectrum for quite a bit, not really caring or investing into most of the other fantasy books I've read since after LOTR and TOG. (OFC, there are other great fantasy books as well but I count these in line with the TOGs season).
Only thing I docked off a star for would be the repetitive story telling of the two main characters-- the alternating chapters back and forth, although, each chapter was relatively short and managed to hold my attention long enough to want to know what would happen to each character.
Also, I didn't really care for Rielle's story. I didn't really care for her and Audric's romance or life. Geez all they wanted to do really was have sex and the 'heat' between them was bothersome for me and some cringe but it's fine; they're literally hormonal teenagers caught in the crossfires of war of kingdoms and magic. lol.
But as for Eliana's story.....HELL YEAH GIVE ME MOOOOOOORRREEEEEE.
ELLIAS (elliasreads)
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Books:
2018-books
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