**spoiler alert** Representation: Asian character Trigger warnings: Military violence and war themes, death of a sister and others, sword violence, phy**spoiler alert** Representation: Asian character Trigger warnings: Military violence and war themes, death of a sister and others, sword violence, physical assault and injury, murder, blood, grief and loss depiction Score: Six and a half out of ten.
The trilogy is finally over. After so long, I read Burning Crowns by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber. I haven't read from this series since 2023 but only because I waited for the library to get it. I found it okay when I closed the final page, though.
It starts with the characters that need no introduction, Rose and Wren. It's getting predictable at this point. Rose and Wren go on separate journeys. Again. They meet familiar characters, like Shen. Again. The battle between the witches and humans loom. Again. You get the idea.
Now that I look at it, the series is repetitive. Burning Crowns is the shortest instalment by far at less than 500 pages, less than Twin Crowns or Cursed Crowns for example. However, the pacing is as slow if not slower. I'm getting tired of slow-paced novels like this one if there's nothing happening sometimes. Doyle and Webber could've removed some filler to tighten their creation. Scenes where characters' lives like Rose's are on the verge of death could've been more impactful. However, I felt a disconnect from the characters. Doyle and Webber could've made Wren and Rose develop more or add more depth.
All characters like Rose and Wren stopped developing after Twin Crowns. Their only development is their tenuous relationships between their partners. I didn't seem them as being more advanced as they were an instalment ago. The worldbuilding, particularly the magic system, remains the same across all three narratives. There is light magic and dark magic. That's it. Everything is the same. Nothing has changed or expanded. Other than that it feels like a world set in early modern times. Perhaps I would've liked it more if Doyle and Webber made some expansions.
The climax is short at 50 pages but it gets the job done. Wren and Rose kill Oonagh, the witch antagonist. They've resolved every problem there is to solve....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Imprisonment Score: Seven out of ten.
The trilogy is finally over. After so long, I read The Bloo**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Imprisonment Score: Seven out of ten.
The trilogy is finally over. After so long, I read The Blood Traitor by Lynette Noni. The Prison Healer was outstanding, but The Gilded Cage was disappointing. I hoped The Blood Traitor would make a comeback. I enjoyed it since it had less flaws.
The Blood Traitor is so heavy that Noni had to insert an author’s note providing trigger warnings. It starts with the character that needs no introduction, Kiva Meridan, or should I say Kiva Corentine? She’s back in Zalindov prison. Again. She stays there for a few places until she escapes again.
Like other books in the trilogy, the pacing is slow. The Blood Traitor is the longest by far at around 450 pages. The characters stopped developing after The Prison Healer. Kiva is as strong as she was in the first instalment. The others remained the same. I'd consider The Blood Traitor to be the second best instalment in the trilogy. The Prison Healer was the best by far. There is a looming battle between the kingdoms of Wenderall, but it takes a back seat until the final 100 pages. There's almost nothing to put in the spotlight except filler scenes which Noni could've removed to tighten her book. If there isn't a filler scene, there's dialogue, and lots of it.
Noni's writing style tends to be dialogue heavy, which I find tedious to read. Noni tends to tell what Kiva and other characters had done with a 3rd person POV but I disconnected from that. The magic system, an elemental-based one with extra healing powers, is unchanged. It's like it was in The Gilded Cage, for example. The scenes where Kiva gets the four elemental rings were intriguing but made me think why she would need them.
The wait for the climax should've been more suspenseful and filled with more tension but I didn't feel this way since the battle is in the background. I felt like I was in a waiting room rather than on the edge of my seat. The subplot where Kiva is part of the Corentines, a royal family, wasn't intriguing. The conclusion was brief and had the most action. Kiva's side won, but I only remember her contributing minimally to the conflict....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Near-death experience Score: Six and a half out of ten.
Finally. I read The Gilded Cage by Lynett**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Near-death experience Score: Six and a half out of ten.
Finally. I read The Gilded Cage by Lynette Noni. I wanted to read it since 2023 after I read and enjoyed The Prison Healer, written by the same author. The ratings were high so I headed in with high expectations. Despite that, the conclusion disappointed me, making me feel it was worse than the first.
It starts, well, more like continues, with Kiva Meridan. She recently escaped from the Zalindov prison and is now free. Kiva also endured the four-part Trial by Ordeal. She can explore the world now, and that’s what she does, but she’s on edge because of tensions between her and her family. Her only plan is to deliver justice against those who wronged her in the prison but the tensions complicated everything.
I found some aspects of The Gilded Cage more enjoyable than others. With little happening sometimes, the pacing feels sluggish. Noni should’ve removed some filler scenes to improve the reading experience. It didn’t need to be almost 450 pages. The writing style is accessible for a YA audience, allowing me to turn the pages. There are some detailed scenes written ornately but there’s lots of dialogue and pages that tell what Kiva did.
Kiva didn’t develop after the events in The Prison Healer. Thus, she and other characters had no character development. I prefer seeing characters developing over them becoming stale and remaining the same as they were in the previous instalment. I suppose Tipp is there for comic relief as he stutters all the time but I was tired of it. That was his only attribute. Adding more depth and character development could improve the reading experience.
The Gilded Cage is a high fantasy with a basic elemental magic system based on four elements: earth, fire, air and water. Also, there are magic lights and healers. Other than that it feels more like a early modern style world. I can't believe Noni wrote the conclusion like that. There's more action toward the end.
However, Kiva made a questionable decision and found herself in Zalindov prison again. Why would she make a decision like this? I thought she was smarter than that. I would've liked The Gilded Cage more if Kiva didn't blunder her life away. I've read The Blood Traitor, so I'll provide my thoughts on in soon enough....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Sword violence Score: Six and a half out of ten.
Finally. I read Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Sword violence Score: Six and a half out of ten.
Finally. I read Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I wanted to read it since 2023. I can't believe I put it off for so long, though. The ratings were high, so I headed in with high expectations. I enjoyed Maas' debut but it didn't blow me away. I'd like to read more of her creations.
It starts with Celaena Sardothien. She works in a salt mine in Endovier now. She used to be an assassin but she got caught and this is her punishment. However, Captain Westfall offers her a chance to escape. Celaena accepts but there is one condition. She must fight in a tournament to the death to decide who's the winner. That sounds familiar when I look at it.
The pacing is sometimes swift, sometimes not. It's 400 pages overall. I liked the scenes with more action than the filler ones, even though they built suspense. Removing those could help the reading experience. The pacing was acceptable but that came at the cost of the characters. I can say Celaena and Westfall developed, but not by much. I can't say they have chemistry. They only started a tenuous relationship which got in the way of the central storyline. I can say the same for the side characters. They're only there to move everything along.
Throne of Glass would be a high fantasy since Maas set it on another world. However, I didn't see that much magic or anything. All I saw were medieval duels and battles. The worldbuilding left me with some questions. What kind of magic system is there, if there is any? The king must use Celaena, but what for? To win a war? Perhaps reading other instalments in the series should clarify everything.
Throne of Glass intrigued me enough, explaining why I didn't give it a DNF. The writing style is accessible for a YA audience. There is some detail but it's minimal. I presume Maas sacrificed that, too. The stakes are high but I felt disconnected from Celaena. She dies if she loses. With such high stakes, I should feel connected to Celaena. I wasn't. The conclusion is okay. I hope Crown of Midnight is an improvement....more
**spoiler alert** The pile of shame grows. I couldn't finish Solo by Kwame Alexander. Maybe I'll try it again later.**spoiler alert** The pile of shame grows. I couldn't finish Solo by Kwame Alexander. Maybe I'll try it again later....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: It's complicated. Trigger warnings: Military violence and war themes, pandemic, implied physical illness, sword viole**spoiler alert** Representation: It's complicated. Trigger warnings: Military violence and war themes, pandemic, implied physical illness, sword violence Score: Seven out of ten.
Wow, this one was a step up. I wanted to read Wildbound by Elayne Audrey Becker for months and I almost did until I realised it wasn't the first part of the instalment. I took it off my TBR and then picked it up after reading Forestborn but not enjoying it as well as I had hoped. When I closed the final page, I found Wildbound more enjoyable.
It starts (more like continues) with a character that needs no introduction, Rora, but this time there's a new protagonist, Helos. They don't interact in the opening pages as each person has their role to play in the central storyline. Rora goes to the Forestborn part of the land after the king's assassination while Helos is in another location to work as a healer and try to stop the magical pandemic from affecting the people, magic and non-magic, in his area. The pacing is slow as it lasts more than 400 pages, but it's enough to keep the narrative going, but removing filler pages where nothing happens would improve the reading experience. I didn't get to see side characters like Prince Finley. Dedicating more page time would help.
The characters, initially difficult to relate to, eventually grew on me, which I liked. However, some underlying worldbuilding questions remain unanswered from Forestborn, like the magic system, where some people can shift into up to three animals, but others can't. That makes a clear divide between those two groups. Why is this? I'm unsure. I'll never get these answers since Wildbound is the second half of the series. The writing style is what some would call serviceable as there isn't too much purple prose here. Those looking for a more elevated kind of prose should look elsewhere. I didn't realise there was a message about climate change until the acknowledgements said there was one. I thought it was too unnoticeable, though. Why did the royals imprison the animals in the first place? The pacing picks up, as with other compositions, as the action increases and culminates in a heartwarming finish. The magical pandemic is gone, the animals are free and Rora gets to rule over the land....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Suicide mentioned Score: Five out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
In Paris With You by**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Suicide mentioned Score: Five out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
In Paris With You by Clémentine Beauvais is like a novel where the presentation is incredible but the story itself is more than lacking. I wanted to read another novel-in-verse after previously enjoying one, so my expectations were high until I saw negative reviews. When I closed the final page, it was underwhelming despite the premise.
It starts with Eugene and Tatiana initially living separate lives in 2006, but there's a catch, they start to develop a relationship but then they head off in different directions, but that feels like an extended prologue to the central storyline. Now it's 2016, but it doesn't feel like anything significant changed other than people using different social media platforms. Why not show more? The pacing is slow for a book lasting 340 pages, but it feels like 400.
Remember the presentation? That is in the form of the poetry, and it uses various poetic devices (like rhyming and concrete poems) and not spaced out prose. If the story was as excellent as the poetry, I would give it a higher score than five out of ten and be done with this review. Unfortunately, I'm not done yet. The characters are a prominent flaw as it was difficult to connect or relate with them, much less believe they had chemistry. A unique aspect is the narrator, which is a character themselves. I thought I would get a third omniscient POV but then the narrator started talking to the characters.
I don't go outside of Paris, but I should've expected that considering Paris is literally in the title. I don't get to see any side characters like Lensky, who only occasionally and briefly appears for a few pages. Dedicating more page time to him and adding depth could improve the reading experience, though. Anyway. This narrative is a second chance romance, meaning those looking for literary value should look elsewhere. As the term implies, the couple comes back together, and they do, which should've created a heartwarming conclusion but I was done with Beauvais' creation. It could've been better....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: Black and Asian characters Trigger warnings: Death in the past Score: Five out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGra**spoiler alert** Representation: Black and Asian characters Trigger warnings: Death in the past Score: Five out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
What a massive disappointment.
I hoped I would enjoy Coming Back by Jessi Zabarsky and find it an improvement over Witchlight, but she underwhelmed me again. I haven't read from Zabarsky in almost three years, but so far her books don't deliver. I shouldn't have even picked this one up, since the low ratings warned me to avoid it.
It starts with Preet and Valissa living typical lives in a magical all woman society (what happened to the other genders, though?) The only catch is Preet has magical abilities and Valissa doesn't, rendering her as a human, but I'm tired of books that have two types of people like this. Soon enough, their lives separate, with Preet going off exploring a new realm outside the human one, while Valissa is left behind to continue her life without her. Let's start with the positive aspects, I mostly liked the art, even with a limited colour palette of white, black, brown, coral, and sometimes blue and orange, except the faces put me off, as the eyes are only dots. Why is the font rounded? I'm unsure. Unfortunately, that is where the likable aspects conclude.
The characters don't have any depth or development, making me disengage from the creation, but writing the characters better would help. There are some intriguing worldbuilding aspects of the setting, but some aspects are vaguer, much to my confusion, as it leaves behind unanswered questions, like where did the Shifter and Shaper come from? Were they always there? Are they the creators of everyone and everything here? These two all powerful beings birthed humans, both magical and non-magical, into existence, but what about the other magical beings Preet meets, like the race of cloud people? How did she meet these deities? Preet literally grew a child, Lue, who grew quickly in a few pages, and then she turns from a human to a humanoid hedgehog, making me wonder what happened to her (so that's why other genders are unnecessary.) In the concluding pages, Valissa had had enough, so she searches and finds Preet, bringing her back into the village. That finish is heartwarming, but not enough to redeem the rest of the novel....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: It's complicated. Trigger warnings: Death and murder of people, blood depiction, physical assault and injury, near-de**spoiler alert** Representation: It's complicated. Trigger warnings: Death and murder of people, blood depiction, physical assault and injury, near-death experience, pandemic Score: Six out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
This one was alright. I had the sequel to Forestborn, Elayne Audrey Becker's debut, Wildbound, on my TBR, until I took it off after realising I would read out of order. I put this one off for months until I had to transfer it to my library, but after I got it from my library and when I closed the final page, it was okay.
It starts with Rora living her life in a magical land entirely different from ours, as she can shift from a human to up to three animals, and impersonate faces. How powerful is that? Unfortunately, the pacing is slow for a book lasting 350 pages, and it continues to be this way until the second half, where it picks up steam. I wouldn't say Forestborn is disappointing, though. Rora meets another character, Wesley, and starts to develop a relationship, but not before going to another part of the world. Let me explain. There are two parts to the realm seen in Forestborn: The Forestborn part, where people with magic live, and the human part, where the humans live. The only problem is this leaves behind some unanswered questions, like where did the magic people come from? Did they come first and humans evolved from them or the other way around, where humans came first and magic people came afterward? How can they shift?
Anyway. There is a magical pandemic all over the land, and the only cure is stardust, which one can find in the Forestborn part, the last place Rora wants to be, but she has to go there to save her best friend and prince, Finley. I appreciated the writing style, which allowed me to immerse myself in the settings, both natural and human-made. I also like the concluding pages with some battle scenes resulting in a heartstopping finish and the murder of the king, but I only knew him for a few pages, so I didn't care much about that. I wonder what Wildbound is like, though, but I hope it's better than Forestborn....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Animal death, murder, blood, grief and loss depiction, physical assault and injury, sword viole**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Animal death, murder, blood, grief and loss depiction, physical assault and injury, sword violence Score: Four out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
What a disappointing reading experience.
Yvain, an illustrated retelling of an Arthurian myth by M.T. Anderson, with by Andrea Offermann, could've been much better. I wanted to read it after seeing another person I knew read it, so I picked it up from a library shelf. I glanced at the intriguing blurb, but the low ratings warned me to avoid it, and when I closed the final page, I was underwhelmed.
It starts with Yvain, a knight, wanting glory for himself, so he sets out to fight and eventually defeat a lord, leaving behind his partner, Laudine, and her servant, Lunette. Gawain, however, wants Yvain to go on an adventure across the land, and so he goes off to fight dragons, mythical beasts and who knows what else. Other than that though, there isn't any other plot to Yvain, but there are a lot of problems I want to discuss about Yvain, I'm unsure where to start, but I'll try.
First, the characters. Yvain the knight and other side characters like Laudine and Lunette lack depth or character development, making it difficult to connect or relate with them, but adding more depth and expanding the arcs would've been an improvement. The pacing is enough to keep Yvain going, with a length of slightly over 100 pages, but I would've liked to see more of the worldbuilding, which felt underexplored, but adding more pages dedicated to answering questions I had would make Yvain better. Now that I think of it, I don't think there were enough pages to tell the story. At least the art is engaging, especially during the few battle scenes I got to see, with Yvain easily slaying any beast in his path, and the pictures can sometimes speak for themselves, except for some parts with fog covering the pictures. How am I supposed to read the text through that? The conclusion is heartwarming as Yvain returns to his land after so long, but M.T. Anderson's debut in the illustrated novel genre (as he wrote prose until this came out) didn't resonate, so perhaps his traditional creations could be more enjoyable....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: Asian characters Trigger warnings: Sexism Score: Five out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
I would've enjoyed**spoiler alert** Representation: Asian characters Trigger warnings: Sexism Score: Five out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
I would've enjoyed When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon if it received some improvements. I wanted to read this one for a while but I put it off for a few months until I picked it up at a library. I glanced at the blurb, making it seem like a romance between two Indian American characters, but when I closed the final page, it was okay.
The low ratings were a sign I should avoid this one, but I read it anyway. It starts with Dimple Shah and Rishi Patel living separate lives in the opening pages, with Dimple wanting to go against her parents' expectations, instead wanting to attend a program for web developers like her. Rishi is the opposite of her, firmly believing in traditions, which leads to them attending a smaller version of Comicon named Insomniacon soon after, where they spend the rest of the narrative. When Dimple Met Rishi tries to go for a slow burn pacing, with a length of nearly 400 pages, but it didn't work as the characters lack depth, making it hard to connect or relate with them, especially considering Dimple hits people sometimes. She's less likable now when I think about it. Side characters, like Ashish Patel, don't get much dedicated page time, unlike Dimple and Rishi, which have a lot of time in the spotlight, but I guess I should expect that considering their names are literally in the title.
There's not a lot of plot to When Dimple Met Rishi other than the romance, except for the brief discussions on sexism and Indian cultural traditions, which I found intriguing but underexplored. Diving deeper into those topics would've improved the reading experience, though. There is, however, a subplot revolving around Dimple and Rishi entering a cosplaying competition, providing a much needed break from the romance, and at least I appreciated that part, but that was only toward the concluding few pages. Once the central storyline ended, there is some bonus content, including a novella, which I liked, but even that couldn't make me enjoy When Dimple Met Rishi more....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: N/A Score: Four out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
What a disappointment that was.
I w**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: N/A Score: Four out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
What a disappointment that was.
I wanted to read Never, Never cowritten by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher, but I put it off for a few months before finally picking it up at a library. I glanced at the blurb, which didn't seem too intriguing, as it is only a romance. I lowered my expectations after seeing the low ratings and when I closed the final page, it was underwhelming.
Before I begin: Never, Never was three separate novellas, before being combined into one singular novel, which is the reason the chapter numbers reset each time I read a new part. Anyway. It starts with Charlie Wynwood and Silas Nash in a relationship in the opening pages, until all their memories of them being together were gone, perhaps due to someone wiping part of their memories.
Now, Charlie and Silas must figure out why they seemingly forgot they were together for the remainder of the narrative, but Hoover and Fisher missed many opportunities to improve it. Never, Never is a YA romance. It could've been an epic combination of multiple genres, including sci-fi and mystery, but it predominantly focuses on the more realistic aspects. Why? I'm unsure. Hoover is a popular author but I've only read one of her creations a few days ago, making me think I missed the hype, but her other works could either be at, below or above the level of Never Never, but I can't say for sure until I read more from her.
The characters could've been improved as they lacked depth and I couldn't go deeper into them, but putting more of that could improve the reading experience, and Charlie and Silas didn't have any chemistry. The pacing is slow for a story under 300 pages, even with the premise of a sci-fi mystery which the authors never used. There isn't any page time dedicated to any side characters, but there's a lot of time where Charlie and Silas are in a relationship. Adding them would provide a break from the protagonists. I might read from these authors again, but I'll lower my expectations from here....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: Asian characters Trigger warnings: Military violence and war themes, near-death experience, physical assault and inju**spoiler alert** Representation: Asian characters Trigger warnings: Military violence and war themes, near-death experience, physical assault and injury Score: Six and a half out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
Is it me or am I enjoying the This Woven Kingdom series less and less? I waited for months to get All This Twisted Glory by Tahereh Mafi after enjoying This Woven Kingdom and These Infinite Threads, and I picked it up at a library when they got it. I glanced at the intriguing blurb, but when I closed the final page, it was okay.
It starts (more like continues) with Cyrus and Alizeh living separate lives, as the former is in a torture chamber for most of the narrative and Alizeh in another location, presumably a kingdom full of jinn. Like the previous two instalments, All This Twisted Glory has a slow burn style of pacing, but it is barely below 400 pages, compared to the 500 and above 400 page lengths of the works that came before it. The slow burn only works to advance the existing relationship between Alizeh and Cyrus, but when Mafi only focuses on that, she misses the opportunity to put in more subplots to take a break from the central storyline. I started to disconnect from them because of the minimal character development since they were in the same state as the last part.
Mafi established the worldbuilding already in This Woven Kingdom, so I can't say anything about that, but the world remains the same, with no further expansion. Why is this? I'm not sure. The antagonist, Iblees, is mostly in the background, and I don't see much of the side characters like Prince Kamran until the concluding pages. The pacing only picks up from there as there is a battle scene, resulting in a heartstopping conclusion. That begs the question: when will this series end? Initially, I thought the series was a trilogy, but now the front cover says it's the third book. Now, there's a possibility of a fourth and even a fifth part, which makes me feel it might get boring to read over time if the quality doesn't improve. When does the next one come out?...more
**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Physical assault and injury, loss of vision, animal death, blood depiction, implied death of pe**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Physical assault and injury, loss of vision, animal death, blood depiction, implied death of people in the past Score: Six out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
Short review: This adaptation of Coraline wasn't it.
Long review: I wanted to read this one after seeing it as a new arrival at a library. I glanced at the blurb, making it seem intriguing, but I headed in with low expectations after discovering it was an illustrated adaptation, and the ones I've read disappointed me. When I closed the final page, it was okay.
It starts with Coraline moving to a new house in an undisclosed location in the opening pages. Everything looks typical until she stumbles across a way to go to another house like the one she lives in, save for a few changes. The toys are better there, but most prominently, there are people who look like her parents, except they had black buttons for eyes. I'm unsure where to begin, but I'll try, the characters are not that easy to connect or relate with, even though I liked them. They lack depth. The worldbuilding is underexplored as there's no reason for some people having black buttons for eyes, or why there's another dimension full of ghosts. The author tried to combine aspects of horror and fantasy in the form of magical realism, but I wasn't that frightened. At least the climax was dramatic and the conclusion finished Coraline on a high note, with Coraline beating the antagonists and escaping from their house....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: Biracial (half white and half Latina, but self-identifying as brown and Fat,) Black and Asian characters Trigger war**spoiler alert** Representation: Biracial (half white and half Latina, but self-identifying as brown and Fat,) Black and Asian characters Trigger warnings: Body shaming, internalised body shaming, racism, internalised racism, cultural appropriation, eating disorder, restrictive dieting, grief and loss depiction, death of a father in the past Score: Six and a half out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
This one was alright. I wanted to read Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado for a while but put it off for a few months before finally getting it at a library. I glanced at the blurb, which didn't seem too unappealing, but the ratings were below four stars, so I lowered my expectations. When I closed the final page, I thought it was okay.
It starts with Charlie Vega recounting her life as a self-identified Fat (uppercase) brown (lowercase) girl with her (white) mother, and her dynamics with other people at school. It sure sounds like a slow beginning in the opening pages when I think about it, and the pacing continues to be this way from there. I liked the message of accepting yourself as who you are, but Fat Chance, Charlie Vega tried to do too much and I didn't know what the central storyline was supposed to be.
There are two narratives: one is a romance and another is a discussion on issues like body shaming and racism, and the narrative tried to do both at once but didn't concentrate on any, but perhaps only focusing on one would be better. I found the juxtaposition between the lighthearted first theme and the serious second theme to be jarring, too. The giddy tone was hard to read at times, and so was the toxic dynamic of Charlie and her mother, but at least I liked the characters, though they were not easy to connect or relate with, even though Charlie developed her character. The exploration of intersectionality is also an appreciated touch. Did I mention Charlie's (Latino) father passed before the plot started? The climax is enjoyable as Charlie starts a relationship with Brian, then they broke up, and then got back together again....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Military violence and war themes, death of a mother from a train accident and a sister in a bod**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Military violence and war themes, death of a mother from a train accident and a sister in a body of water in the past and murder, beheading, physical assault and injury, blood, grief and loss depiction, explosions, fire Score: Seven out of ten. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
Surprisingly, Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross was better than Divine Rivals. It was more difficult to get a hold of this one since no library or bookstore had it. I had to request it from a library, and I got it a few months later. I glanced at the blurb and headed in with low expectations, but when I closed the final page, I found it more enjoyable.
It starts (more like continues) with the characters that need no introduction, Roman and Iris, living their separate lives with Iris fighting for one all powerful being, Enva, while Roman is stuck in enemy territory with another equally potent being, Dacre. Ross solved almost every issue I had in Divine Rivals with this instalment, and those changes made such an improvement. The characters, hard to connect or relate with initially, eventually grew on me as I read more about them, particularly Roman and Iris, but other characters are still in the background.
At this point, the two protagonists weren't rivals or enemies anymore, since they already started their relationship and now I see them deepen it. Ross brought more of the worldbuilding and fantasy aspects into the spotlight when I saw more of the ongoing war, specifically Dacre's side, and Enva got more page time, but there was no backstory, but it's fine. Divine Rivals said the two deities have always been rivals. There's no explanation on where they came from, though. The slow pacing works now because of the characters, when previously it was tedious to read, but the writing style tells more than shows, and the setting is one I don't see every day (a historical urban fantasy.) Perhaps adding more detail could further improve the reading experience. At least the climax is a high note when Enva and her side win the conflict....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Divorce, pregnancy, childbirth, stillbirth, animal attack and implied physical injury and anima**spoiler alert** Representation: N/A Trigger warnings: Divorce, pregnancy, childbirth, stillbirth, animal attack and implied physical injury and animal death Score: Five out of ten. I own this book. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
Sorry, two stars is too much. One star will do. I've removed a star.
What They Told Me was my least favourite book from Hayley Lawrence by far. I had to buy it since no library had it, and wanted to love this one until I saw the low ratings and realised I've read a novel like this before. I glanced at the blurb, which didn't look that original. When I closed the final page, What They Told Me needed improvement. Skin Deep and The Other Side of Tomorrow were better than this.
It starts with Elliot living in a place called Crooked River with her family in the opening pages, that is until her parents divorce and soon plan to separate, much to Elliot's dismay. What They Told Me started well but after the first few pages it quickly deteriorates. The characters are only the beginning of the issues I saw in Lawrence's latest work, as they were hard to connect or relate with at first, especially Elliot, who I found hard to like. Her dialogue was irritating and she thought it was selfish for her parents to divorce, even though it isn't. Lawrence tried to make Elliot grow on me, and it eventually worked, but Elliot's earlier lines left a sour taste in my mouth. I suppose the author wrote Elliot that way to make it more realistic, but I prefer likable characters. I like that it's character driven (even though it's not literary fiction. It's YA.)
The pacing is slow for a narrative under 400 pages, but removing filler pages could quicken it and improve the reading experience. The plot is easy enough to follow, and I liked the theme of divorce and the message about not being able to control everything, but this is the third story I read about this topic. Coincidence? Perhaps, but I'm tired of reading pieces of fiction on the same subject. The other people, like Elliot's friend, Drake, were mostly in the background, and I wanted to see more of them, but the author didn't dedicate enough page time for them. The flow can get disjointed sometimes with non-linear flashbacks, but What They Told Me could work fine without them. Making the progression more linear would help me enjoy it more. The climax is bittersweet as Elliot realises she can keep some aspects of her life before the divorce, but not all, as her mother moves to a new house, leaving Elliot and her father behind....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: Implied biracial (half Pacific Islander and half white) character Trigger warnings: Hospitalisation of a child and de**spoiler alert** Representation: Implied biracial (half Pacific Islander and half white) character Trigger warnings: Hospitalisation of a child and death and murder of a partner from a gun shot and other people in the past mentioned, gun violence, blood, grief and loss depiction, physical assault and injury, near-death experience Score: Six out of ten. I own this book. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
Well that was a bizarre book. I got Searching for Sky by Jillian Cantor from a library giveaway, and I glanced at the blurb, which made it seem intriguing, but I headed in with low expectations considering the equally low ratings. When I closed the final page, it was only okay, and could've been better.
It starts with River (who has no last name) and Sky, living on a place called Island some distance away from American Samoa in the Pacific Ocean (which they call Ocean) in the opening pages. Everything looks typical until they end up in California, which is new to them. I liked the concept of people arriving at a new place, but the execution had so many flaws I didn't know where to begin. The pacing was slow for a story under 300 pages, which made me disconnect from it at times, and Cantor didn't write the characters well, so I didn't feel any chemistry between Sky and River. Sky only had two attributes: she wasn't afraid to hunt and new to California and River's only trait is the unwillingness to hunt.
The writing style was strange, substituting some words like bathroom tree instead of toilet, which disengaged me from Searching for Sky. Perhaps avoiding word replacement would've improved the reading experience. The flashback of the time Sky found it easy to swim but River didn't was filler and the narrative could do without it, and so was the mystery behind the deaths of some characters in the past. The worldbuilding was lacklustre since it mentioned 'the accident' without going into detail. Putting more detail and answering worldbuilding questions would've made Searching for Sky more enjoyable. The conclusion was unrealistic as some people suddenly appeared and killed River, finishing the fictional work on a low note....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: Asian characters Trigger warnings: Imprisonment and incarceration of a child, death of a brother and murder of anothe**spoiler alert** Representation: Asian characters Trigger warnings: Imprisonment and incarceration of a child, death of a brother and murder of another person mentioned, gun violence, sexism, racism, racist slur, religious persecution, sexual harassment Score: Five out of ten. I own this book. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
Okay. That's it. The Truth About Peacock Blue by Rosanne Hawke is an example of brownface. I can't give that book three stars nor can I support her because of that. Two is enough for now.
Well that was a book that could've been better, but I liked where it was going. The Truth About Peacock Blue was a book from a familiar author, Rosanne Hawke, since I've read and enjoyed her other work, Zenna Dare. I headed in with high expectations, but when I closed the final page, it was worse than disappointing.
It starts with the first person I see, Aster, having to go a boarding school, with negative reactions from one of her teachers and her peers, but she tries her best to do well in the opening pages. Everything changes when the police arrest Aster for breaking a blasphemy law and put her in prison, and that is where she stays for the rest of the story, all while her cousin, Maryam, living in Australia, creates a petition to try to free Aster. I liked that Hawke tried to tell a story about the sexism Pakistanis face, but I've already read about this topic before, so it's not too surprising.
Did I mention Aster's username is Peacock Blue to avoid discovery? The pacing is only one of the many issues, as it's slow, even though it's below 300 pages because of filler, which Hawke could've removed for a better reading experience. Like another novel, Yellowface, The Truth About Peacock Blue heavily relies on social media platforms, like Facebook and Twitter, wait--Twitter is now X, and also mentions CD players and Skype. It's outdated now. I liked the characters and could root for them, but if Hawke wrote them better, they would've been more relatable, too. I like the easy to follow plot, since other subplots don't detract from it, because there aren't any. It only focuses on Maryam trying to free Aster from prison, but I didn't like the conclusion, since it was too open, and there's nothing satisfying about that. Perhaps writing a finish where Aster is free from prison would've been a better choice.
Worst of all is the cultural appropriation since the author doesn't match Aster's attributes. A Pakistani author would've done a better job, and please read Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed for a better fictional creation on this subject.
Addendum: This book supports To Kill a Mockingbird. Really? To advocate for white saviourism is a blunder....more
**spoiler alert** Representation: Black, Asian and First Australian characters Trigger warnings: Near-death experience, racism, racist slur, death in a**spoiler alert** Representation: Black, Asian and First Australian characters Trigger warnings: Near-death experience, racism, racist slur, death in a car crash and other people, military violence and war themes, colonisation, World War Two, Vietnam War, refugee experiences, displacement, PTSD Score: Five out of ten. I own this book. Find this review on The StoryGraph.
Okay. That's it. Between Us by Jackie French is an example of brownface. I can't give that book three stars nor can I support her because of that. One is enough for now.
Well. This one was bizarre. I got this one at a library giveaway, and glanced at the blurb, making Refuge seem intriguing. However, I headed in with low expectations considering the equally low ratings. When I closed the final page, it was hard to enjoy Refuge because of all the issues, especially cultural appropriation.
It starts with the first character I see, Faris, on a boat with other people, escaping from a war-torn country (whose name remains unknown) when a wave tosses them into the sea, but surprisingly, Faris survives in the opening pages. The plot thickens when he discovers other characters from different countries, but, most notably, different times, like the time system is broken, allowing for stuff like this to happen.
Unfortunately, the pacing slows from there, and that is only the beginning of the problems Jackie French could've addressed to improve her creation. The characters also lack depth and sometimes can be hard to read with irritating dialogue, making me disconnect and find it harder to relate with them. I liked where the author was going with a story on the many peoples of Australia and showing how some refugees made it, but others didn't, but the execution could've been better. The plot is strange and challenging to wrap my head around, because Faris landed on Australia, but something is off about it based on the description, which describes a house next to the beach with some native animals. I think Refuge tried to combine fantasy and realism but it didn't work out that well. The supporting characters are only diverse to tick boxes and not do anything meaningful, and there were too many (removing some could improve the reading experience.) Could the author at least name the country Faris came from and not leave it up to interpretation?
The worst flaw of Refuge is the cultural appropriation since the author doesn't match the characters' attributes. An author more similar to the characters would've written a more enjoyable story. I'm so underwhelmed. At least the conclusion is a high note where Faris escapes the realm and arrives at the genuine Australia....more
Loading...
