This book was SHOCKINGLY messy and boring. 2 stars because I didn't necessarily want to chuck my book out the window and I've read worse. Are the sequThis book was SHOCKINGLY messy and boring. 2 stars because I didn't necessarily want to chuck my book out the window and I've read worse. Are the sequels worth reading? Please advise.
❌ None of the characters were interesting (and there were A LOT of characters) except for maybe Cook ❌ World-building was lazy ❌ So many things happened but none of them seemed relevant to the story until the last act ❌ There were two love triangles--TWO! ❌ Used rape as a plot device!! ❌ Men belong in jail AKA misogyny is also used as a plot device
Also, can someone explain that scene where (view spoiler)[Elias and Helene were on the edge of a cliff and roped to each other (hide spoiler)] bc I didn't get the logistics of how that went down.
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50%: I fear I'm no longer part of this book's target audience. ...more
Okay, I didn't hate this. In fact, I kind of liked it and would probably give it 3 stars if I was going to base my rating off ~emotions~ alone. HoweveOkay, I didn't hate this. In fact, I kind of liked it and would probably give it 3 stars if I was going to base my rating off ~emotions~ alone. However, I would feel bad giving this a higher rating bc it felt super toxic. I don't think the main issue was handled very well.
Also, I will not be reading the sequel bc (view spoiler)[I was PISSED that the author killed off a perfectly great side character to use him as a plot device! Justice for Brandon!! (hide spoiler)]...more
2.5. This entire book gave off the same vibes as that one scene in Aladdin where Jasmine pretended to seduce Jafar, and it made me feel the same way I2.5. This entire book gave off the same vibes as that one scene in Aladdin where Jasmine pretended to seduce Jafar, and it made me feel the same way I feel whenever I watch that scene—oddly hypnotized, but also kind of uncomfortable.
✨ The story—
I would argue that this book's true intention was to be a romance above all else. It's a fantasy-romance and not a romantic fantasy.
That being said, if you're going to read this for action and plot... look away. The plot didn’t really pick up until around 70% in. We don't really get scenes with the FMC (Rune) saving witches, or the MMC (Gideon) hunting witches. A lot of this book was just scheming and playing cat-and-mouse. None of the twists were particularly shocking, either.
The world-building? Practically non-existent. The idea behind the magic system was interesting, but not thoroughly explored. I know nothing about the setting as well.
The romance, though, I thought was actually done pretty well. I enjoyed the push-and-pull between the two MCs, and I found the tension between them to be quite sexy. I liked the blurred lines between the MCs thinking that they were both just playing each other, and the MCs genuinely getting into the flirting. Was it deep and was it love? No. It was attraction. It was a fun time if I think about it like this.
In my mind, I blocked out the love triangle thing. See my little rant section below bc I explained my thoughts on the third member of the love triangle there.
✨ The characters—
The main characters were extremely flat and dry. Again, the book clearly focused too much on the romance between them that it didn't have time to develop them as individuals. We got bits and pieces of Gideon's history with witches, and even less hints at Rune's upbringing. I can't even describe their personalities outside of the generic brooding bro (Gideon) and righteously naive (Rune).
I wish I could tell you about the side characters, but I've forgotten them all already.
✨ The writing and the atmosphere—
The writing was very simplistic, and while that made it very easy to read and very easy to get into the right vibes, this book won't win any points for brilliant writing. It borderlined on choppy sometimes.
✨ Now let me rant about this one thing— (minor spoilers for this section!)
This book was vile for its use of Alex as a plot device. This character had no point in the book other than to be used as a catalyst for actions that the MCs had to do. He had no real personality aside from being "the nice one". I was genuinely pissed at how his character played into the ending. ...more
Here's what I imagine happened: I believe that Rebecca Yarros wanted to write an edgy fantasy book with dragons targeted for a YA audience. She probabHere's what I imagine happened: I believe that Rebecca Yarros wanted to write an edgy fantasy book with dragons targeted for a YA audience. She probably had a word cloud of ideas and no actual details prepared. Fine, maybe there was a rough outline. Her characters were written on the fly, but she knew she wanted a heroine who was not like the other girls. In 2023, she finally decided that it was time to publish her book... but it was missing something... ah, spice is getting really big in the book world. She went back to make her characters adults and made them super horny. And BAM, Fourth Wing was born. ✨
THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ONWARDS!
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Do you want to read a book about a bunch of adults (who act and speak like horny teenagers) running around trying to kill each other?
Maybe you do, and I don't blame you because that honestly sounds like a fun time. But personally, I need one basic question answered before I can enjoy this kind of plot: WHY are they trying to kill each other?
In the case of Fourth Wing, there is no point. This book supposedly features the best, the brightest, and the toughest kids adults (I'm going to have a problem with this) going through the dragon riders' quadrant of the Big Bad War College™. This is allegedly the most revered sector of the college, and those who are admitted here are trained in magic and eventually go to war... which is why it makes absolutely NO SENSE why it would be okay for the students to murder each other and lessen their work force. It's so dumb.
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This book features the laziest world-building I've ever encountered. It's wild.
Despite this being the most covetted quadrant, they waste space by conscripting the rebel kids (children of those part of some previous big rebellion I can't remember) into it, who they supposedly do not trust, where they'll be given access to dragons and magic? Make it make sense! Why not give them manual labor jobs if they can't be trusted? Why give them positions that everyone else wants to have?
And yeah, despite everyone supposedly having trained for years to get into this quadrant, nobody seems to know anything about it!The students talk about dragons, dragon riders and the quadrant in ways that make them sound so unsure about everything. If you're willing to risk your life to get in here, shouldn't you have done reseach? Or, if this was such a popular quadrant, shouldn't all of these things be common knowledge? A few examples:
“Plus, I've heard that riders are allowed to marry sooner than the other quadrants,” Dylan adds.
“True. Right after graduation.” If we survive. “I think it has something to do with wanting to continue bloodlines.” Most successful riders are legacies.
“I overhead a third-year say when a first-year survives Threshing unbonded, the quadrant lets them repeat the year and try again if they want.”
I study the map. The Esben Mountain Range is the highest along our eastern border with Braevick, making it the least likely place for an attack, especially since gryphons don't tolerate altitude nearly as well as dragons, probably due to the fact that they're half-lion, half-eagle and can't handle the thinner air at altitudes.
The author also opts out of ever attempting to explain anything the dragons do. Whenever someone has a perfectly reasonable question about the dragons, the response is always just about "respecting one's life" because if they try to ask, the dragons will kill them? (Again, why?) Anyway, this is just an excuse on the author's part because she doesn't want to think of a reasonable response. ...more
I think one of the main problems with this book was that it was trying way too hard to be three things at once: a fantasy, a mystery, and a romance. NI think one of the main problems with this book was that it was trying way too hard to be three things at once: a fantasy, a mystery, and a romance. Normally, I would love a combination of these three genres, but Blood and Moonlight threw so much information and intensity from all three subplots that this one ended up turning into a pile of word mush, especially towards the end.
The first half was pretty great, when it was just a murder mystery with a tinge of magic. When the main love interest came around, the plot just lost focus entirely, and the second half went WAY downhill. It turned into a reverse-harem, murder non-mystery, fantasy info-dump. I'll elaborate on all three aspects.
The Mystery The murderer was obvious around halfway in. We essentially only really had two solid options. IMO, the main character had no place in this mystery -- she oddly always just felt like an outsider trying to peek in. Maybe this would have been an enjoyable read if it was from the main love interest's POV, WITHOUT the main lead. I enjoyed the gore, though.
The Fantasy The fantasy aspect was definitely only used as a plot device. The bits and pieces that were hinted at in the beginning of the book were so naturally incorporated that I looked forward to more of it, but it soon turned into an info-dump that was hard to absorb. The idea was definitely unique and interesting, though.
The Romance *breathes in* Ah, the romance. This was complete insanity and I wish it wasn't part of the book. The romance between the two MCs was definitely insta-love-y, and their connection wasn't at all fleshed out. Other than that, it seemed like every fucking man in this book was interested in Catrin, and for no good reason, either. It's not like she's the most captivating woman in all the land -- quite the opposite, actually. She made horrible decisions, put people's lives at risk, and was overall unlikable.
In conclusion, I wish this book chose one aspect to really highlight and focus on. It could have been a creepy mystery with a little bit of fantasy and a hint of romance (or, you know, no romance could be good for YA sometimes!), rather than being a novel with too much information but no solid direction.
Key points: Predictable twists, cringe reverse-harem romance, gorgeous integration of magic, boring male lead (with slight second ML syndrome), interesting political and religious commentary
"Wolves were everywhere. In politics, on thrones, in beds."
The Gilded Wolves is obviously the next big YA title. Think somewhere along the lines of Six of Crows meets Caraval--this book has all the hardcore action and diverse characters as the former, and the brilliantly-crafted world of the latter. If you read for escape, this book will definitely take you somewhere epic.
There are literally no dull moments in this book. I didn't come across a single scene that felt like a filler; everything that happened in the book happened for a reason, or at least deepened the characters' development. Roshani Chokshi did a fantastic job filling this novel with impossible puzzles, complex politics, and delicate secrets.
"Am I pretty?" [...] "Be honest." "'Pretty' is a stretch. Let's call you 'striking.' Or 'impossible to look away from.'" "Oooh. Like the sun?" "I was thinking more along the lines of a train wreck."
Like I mentioned earlier, the characters in The Gilded Wolves are pretty fantastic. We have a main cast of six eccentric characters with unique personalities, who each bring something different to the story:
🐺 Séverin - This half-Algerian, half-French mastermind is probably the hardest to read among all the characters. He has so much to fight for, and take revenge for. I found his character to be really similar to Kaz's from Six of Crows, although it was a bit harder for me to connect to Séverin. 🐺 Laila - She's a gorgeous Indian dancer, and a fabulous baker during her spare time. I think her character's the most interesting--I don't want to spoil anything, so just take my word for it. She's also probably the group's sweet mother-figure and I love her for that. 🐺 Enrique - I'm totally biased, but the fact that he's Spanish-Filipino pretty much made him an instant favorite for me. Being Filipina, I learned about our history in the eyes of the Filipinos, so it was fantastic to read about the struggles of someone who looked more Spanish than Filipino, and how this was not a great thing for him. He's also the group's comedic relief, and I loved his charm so much. 🐺 Zofia - This Polish math genius has a lot to offer as well. She's always anxious, always lost. She's adorable and sensitive, but is still incredibly strong. 🐺 Tristan - Séverin's foster brother who is basically a teddy bear personified. He's everyone's favorite botanist who has a lot of heart. 🐺 Hypnos - He's black and unapologetically queer. He just wants to be loved and wants to love, which I loved so much about him. He's also funny and charming, and he's just so himself all the time, which is fantastic.
I loved the characters individually, and their relationships--friendship-wise and romance-wise--were equally commendable. Séverin and Tristan, of course, have the most genuine and beautiful relationship, the one between two people who are brothers in everything but blood. Séverin's banter with Enrique also gets me every time. Laila and Zofia had a very sisterly relationship, and I adored them together so much. (view spoiler)[Of course, we also have the intense heat between Séverin and Laila, who are obviously in love but believe they shouldn't be. We also have Enrique's situation, where he finds himself attracted to both Zofia and Hypnos--I can't wait to see how the author will deal with this in the sequels! (hide spoiler)]
"Take what the world owes you by any means necessary. The world has a shit memory. It will never pay its debts unless you force its hand."
The politics and the world-building were fantastic--there was definitely a lot of depth. That being said, it became hard to follow at some points. I had to pause a lot from the information overload, being someone who doesn't like having to take in too much information about something. The background information got too intricate, and there was a bunch of terminology that I had trouble following.
Overall, I would still recommend this gorgeous YA fantasy to any lover of heist-related stories, diverse characters, and unique magic systems. Chokshi also leaves much room in the ending for a sequel with even more magic, secrets, and revenge. I can't wait!...more
WHY EVERLESS MADE ME WANT TO RUN AT IT WITH A PITCHFORK
1. Cardboard cut-out characters Jules, the heroine, is another Special Snowflake who was bliWHY EVERLESS MADE ME WANT TO RUN AT IT WITH A PITCHFORK
1. Cardboard cut-out characters Jules, the heroine, is another Special Snowflake who was blind to any sort of practical reasoning, and decides to disregard everyone's advice because she thinks she knows what's best. The side-characters aren't developed AT ALL and basically have zero personality. We're always told about their characteristics, but never really shown these. *coughs* *coughs some more*
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2. Typical storylines Sure, we're given something different with the whole blood and time being used as money thing, but the flow of the story and the individual scenes gave me a sense of deja vu, which basically means that I've probably read something similar in the past.
3. A WTF-romance-love-triangle thing See, I don't even know what to call it. In reality, we have this one dude who the heroine's been crushing on for ages, who is an absolute sweetheart (or so we're CONSTANTLY reminded throughout the book). Then, there are these creepy/weird hints of a possible love triangle with this dude's "mean" older brother. Pssh.
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4. Bland/boring writing I found it SO HARD to get into this book. The writing felt flat, since there was a LOT more telling than there was actual showing.
5. Weird twists There was basically one "big" twist in the book, and it honestly felt like it came out of nowhere--it felt a bit forced, like there was no other possible solution to the problem/way to explain all the conflicts going on, so it came off as though any-way-is-better-than-no-way.
Aaaand it's unpopular opinion time! After every single raving review I've seen for The Cruel Prince, I decided to finally dive into it... only to discAaaand it's unpopular opinion time! After every single raving review I've seen for The Cruel Prince, I decided to finally dive into it... only to discover that it was just an okay read for me. Here's why:
1. I couldn't get into this at all at first. Honestly, the entire first 60%-or-so of the book just felt like a load of teenage drama and angst, petty problems, and childish whining. (I'll get more into this in my next point. This book could've done without the first half. *shrugs*
2. Most characters were either: a) annoying, or b) not given enough time to shine. Our heroine Jude and her twin sister, Taryn, were especially hard for me to deal with. They were both whiny and immature, although Jude did grow out of it a bit by the end, while Taryn grew more aggravating as the story progressed. The side-villains (like sidekicks, but villain version, because I'm eloquent like that) were also incredibly underdeveloped--there could be so much backstory to them that weren't given a chance to be explored.
3. THE DIFFERENT CREATURES/COURTS WEREN'T EXPLAINED AT ALL AND I WAS CONFUSED. If you're going to give us a book with lots of different creatures, please take a sentence or two to tell us about them! Even if they're more common myths like goblins and pixies, do think about the people who aren't too familiar with fae worlds! Same goes to all the fae courts--a few were explained, and then the rest were just thrown out there. MY BRAIN HAS BEEN FRIED.
4. This book was dark, but not the heavy kind of dark, which is great! There are some books that are TOO dark for me, both in plot and in writing style, like Marie Lu's The Young Elites, but The Cruel Prince had dark, mean characters who were far from good, but the writing style made everything a bit lighter and easier to read!
5. The ACTION. The BLOOD. INSANITY! This book had some crazy twists, intense action scenes, and bloody messes all over! I LOVED this aspect of the book, being the cruel reader that I am. (Maybe I'm the real Cruel Prince[ss]? MUAHAHAHA.)
There are some books that are so problematic that they end up making you question the state of the universe.
There are some books that are horribly wriThere are some books that are so problematic that they end up making you question the state of the universe.
There are some books that are horribly written, and you wished you didn't bother reading them.
Then we have Furyborn, which was none of the above. So what the heck was it, Aimee?! Calm down, my booknerd friends, I'm getting there! Furyborn, to put it simply, was just so boring and forgettable. Too harsh? Heck, I can't even remember most of the characters' names anymore. Let me get into detail for you guys:
1. First off, can we talk about how freakishly long this book was!? (Goodreads says the hardcover is 512 effin' pages!!!) But that's not even the problem. The problem is that it didn't need to be long. Take off 200 pages and there wouldn't be a significant difference in terms of plot. Maybe I wouldn't have fallen asleep while reading!
2. Furyborn was told in alternating perspectives--one from the present, and one from the past. I was alright with this at first, until suddenly the cutting between chapters didn't make any sense anymore. The swaps weren't smooth, and often times it made me more frustrated rather than wanting more. This kind of made it hard for me to care for the characters?? Or maybe it was something else.
3. Like I said, I don't give a single crap about any of the characters. Their personalities are all kind of messed up, like they themselves aren't sure of who they are. They have too many conflicting traits that don't match up. Let's take one of the heroines, Eliana, as an example. Is she an assassin, or is she an angsty teenager? I dunno, you tell me.
4. The romance is WEIRD AS HECK. It's kind of a love triangle-square thing and I can't even describe it. I don't want to spoil this for people who still plan to read the book, but generally, things were... odd.
Anyway, I did appreciate what the book tried to be. There were some interesting concepts here and there, and I enjoyed the elemental aspect, but overall, I'm sure I'll be forgetting Furyborn as a whole.
This book and I got off on the wrong foot, really. It was probably the COMPLETELY inconsistent pacing that threw me off. I mean, sometimes things happThis book and I got off on the wrong foot, really. It was probably the COMPLETELY inconsistent pacing that threw me off. I mean, sometimes things happen way too fast, (like the romance, ugh. More on that later) while others take foreverrrr (like, unfortunately, the rest of the plot).
So, let's elaborate.
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE
1.) The pacing - Like I said, it was totally inconsistent. Other than what I've mentioned earlier, there were a few times when a weeks have gone by in a span of a page, and sometimes a single day takes a chapter. It could've worked, but there was just something rough about the transitions.
2.) The convenience and predictability - Let's face it, this book was kind of one of those formula books where you're never really shocked about anything since you saw things coming seven chapters away. You're just so sure that the heroine isn't in any real danger, and that just takes away most of the excitement.
3.) The love triangle - I just don't get the point in it. It was senseless, trivial, and just overall really annoying. Did it add to the story? Nope. Did it give me any additional feels? Heck no. Did it serve a greater purpose for the plot development? Ha. No.
4.) The minor characters - They were INCONSISTENT AS HECK. ***minor spoilers for this section***
Exhibit A: Sareem, Vhalla's close friend and one side of the love triangle. See, at first I was ALL for Team Sareem (hey, that rhymed), but then when he discovered a few of the secrets she kept, he exploded and turned into a complete asshole. AND THEN a few pages later he's back to being a "good friend." Kay.
Exhibit B: Roan, another one of Vhalla's "friends." She's totally protective and caring about the first, but when she found out about all the Sareem/Vhalla business, she went on bitch mode, which sucks because, hey, what happened to sisters before misters?
THINGS I LIKED
1.) The character growth - Okay, so, I didn't LOVE Vhalla at first--she was okay, mostly just your regular Special Snowflake heroine (you know, the kind who were really weak but were still labeled as "The One"), but she turned into a more believable heroine as the story flew by. She wasn't unbelievably badass or unbelievably petty--she was just your average, relatable heroine, who was smart, open-minded and kind.
2.) The romance... at some point - AT FIRST the romance was a tad too fast paced and had no chemistry, but HOLY CRAP by the last 3/4ths of the book, I was just exploding with feels for a certain ship in this book.
3.) The ending - This book ended so strongly that I had to give this book 2.5 stars despite disliking so many things about it. There was a brilliant twist, intense action and a lot of things going on. It's the kind of ending that'll leave you wanting a lot more.
CONCLUSION
If you've read and enjoyed the more popular YA high fantasy novels out there, like Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass, you might find yourself enjoying Air Awakens as well. But if you think you're not ready to dig into another cookie cutter YA, this might not be the book for you.
ACTUAL RATING: 2.5 STARS
Thank you so much to Elise Kova for providing me with a copy of Air Awakens for review!
If you’re a fan of John Green’s bestselling books Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns (and, well, his writing style in general), or any of Jenny Han’s If you’re a fan of John Green’s bestselling books Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns (and, well, his writing style in general), or any of Jenny Han’s novels, you’re going to want to read this book I’m going to tell you about. Although I personally didn’t enjoy it (yep, not a Green/Han fan here), there were things about it that I know will definitely appeal to lots of readers. Plus, it has some gorgeous themes that people of all ages should be more open-minded about.
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There’s nothing I support more than books that feature real, modern issues that definitely need to be addressed, whether it be on racism, sexism, and all the other –isms (and more, of course) out there. Courtney Stevens’ Dress Codes for Small Towns is one of those books.
1. It deals with gender identity. It’s not all about just identifying yourself as male or female. Sometimes, you already know exactly where you stand among the plethora of genders, but you can still be confused about other things. In the novel, the heroine Billie is almost certain about being a tomboy (but definitely a girl, no less), but for some strange reason, she feels the urge to kiss a number of people–some guys, some girls. The book honestly deals with how confusion is okay.
2. It discusses love – all kinds. Romantic love, platonic love, familial love, and heck, even love from the community – this book has it all. And, again, the confusion that comes with it. If there’s one thing about the novel that I admired the most, it’s how love was a beautiful mess in this novel.
3. It talks about faith. As a Catholic, it was slightly horrifying for me to read about the heroine’s confusion about the Church, but that’s probably because I go around thinking the things she did. Yes, yes. More confusion. The faith-related confusion was the one I could actually relate to the most. Her moments of I-believe-in-God-but-not-the-Church-or-maybe-I-do were really authentic and gave the book a break from all the love-related drama.
04/19/16 It could be that I just wasn't in the mood when I read this, but I ended up feeling nothing at all. It was a lovely story, though. Full review04/19/16 It could be that I just wasn't in the mood when I read this, but I ended up feeling nothing at all. It was a lovely story, though. Full review to come!
10/19/15 - I wrote an open letter to Michelle Andreani, one of the co-authors of The Way Back to You! You can check it out here! :)...more
It's been almost a year since I've read this, but it stuck to me in a way that I can still remember a lot about what I loved about it. In this gloriouIt's been almost a year since I've read this, but it stuck to me in a way that I can still remember a lot about what I loved about it. In this glorious piece of heaven you will find:
1. A realistic heroine -- Amani's fierce AF. She has a huge mouth that she can't shut, is incredibly sassy and fierce. At first she was too into herself and a bit stuck up, but her development was amazing and she turned into such a compassionate, loving heroine by the end. (Not that her original murderous self wasn't awesome or anything, because it was.)
2. A kick-butt world... and MAGIC -- It was so easy to get lost in Miraji, with its djinn, ghouls and magical horses. But we've also got guns, trains, and those tech things that make the world a bit more complex and intriguing.
3. A super cute love interest and romance -- Jin is just a mixture of mysterious, witty and charming (yes, feel free to ask for my hand in marriage, Jin darling), who isn't afraid to back down. He compliments Amani and they're just so annoyingly cute together.
4. BEAUTIFUL pacing -- IT WAS FAST. It wasn't too fast that you wouldn't get any of the stuff that went down, but it wasn't slow in a way that you wouldn't get any substance from the plot. It was just fast enough for a lot of things to go down, remain totally investing, but still understandable.
7 Emotions The Love That Split the World Will Make You Feel
1.
Suspicion
- This book has a pretty unique, fantastical, kick-ass plot that'll make y7 Emotions The Love That Split the World Will Make You Feel
1.
Suspicion
- This book has a pretty unique, fantastical, kick-ass plot that'll make your head go crazy trying to dispatcher what's real and what isn't. It's more of a magical realism novel of sorts, with a hint of mystery thrown in for good measure.
2.
Boredom
- Okay, can we please talk about the info-dumps? Because Holy Grandmother, this book is FULL of them. You're going to get huge chunks of science-y (in which my brain would like to explode)/medical/story information in a single go, and if you have a short attention span like me, you may or may not fall asleep.
3.
(Possibly) Indifferent
- The writing's really conversational and easy to read in this one, but personally it sounded like it was trying a bit too hard to sound natural and funny. The humor was COMPLETELY lost on me. But there were lots of lovely quotable quotes if you're into that kind of thing.
4.
Pride
- Our heroine Natalie is a Native American who's open-minded, is against slut-shaming and is generally what a female lead should be. She's realistic, and isn't that "special snowflake" character we all know and love and want to strangle.
5.
Frustration
- Because the instalove here is just a big no-no. And also I can't stand it when the heroines let their love lives consume all their time, and that's basically what happened here. OH, and their relationship is just so full of I want yous... And for me, the phrase turns into I want to puke.
6.
Love
- The family love in this novel just makes you want to give out lots of Xs and Os and asdfghjkls. It has the kind of family where you just want to join everyone in one, big, adoptive group hug! (Especially near the end--the family dynamics there definitely made me cry!)
7.
Confusion and/or Mixed Feelings
- Because that ending. Eurgh. I stil dont know how to feel about it. It was both brilliant and shitty at the same time.
The Contents of a Generic "Bucket List" BookHow to Be Brave
1. A "damaged" or emotionally unstable heroine. At first, I kind of adored how Georgia wasThe Contents of a Generic "Bucket List" BookHow to Be Brave
1. A "damaged" or emotionally unstable heroine. At first, I kind of adored how Georgia was really pushing herself to think positively and to pull herself up--she was that way for the entirety of the book. She does a lot of body-shape shaming, though. She shames on both skinny girls and weighty girls. At some point I just wanted to shove myself into the book to tell her that no one's perfect!
2. "Quirky" best friends to join in the bucket list fun. In How to Be Brave's case, the best friends, to me, were kind of inconsiderate and kind of asshole-y. We have Liss, who hangs out with people who were bitchy to her best friend. There's also Evelyn who's weird as fuck and doesn't make any sense half the time.
3. Stereotyping. I honestly can't think of a character in this book that isn't a stereotype of some sort. Georgia's the "fat" girl who gets bullied by the queen bees, Liss is the best friend who could be "popular" if not for hanging out with Georgia, Evelyn's the best friend who can't get enough of getting high-- The list goes on, folks.
4. A tacky and kind of pointless bucket list. Okay, I'll admit, there were a few items on the list that I did like and thought were cute (ex. “Try out for Cheerleading”), but majority of them were either typical and/or had no real purpose (like cutting class, skinny-dipping and things like those).
5. Weird-ass pacing. At the beginning of the book, I was basically just going, "What the crap is going on?" That feeling lessened as the book went on, but still. There were also some scenes that just randomly popped up and didn't seem to have any decent transition.
6. A hint of grief. The synopsis promised me a LOT of grief and anguish, but I honestly didn't feel anything until the last 10% of the book. Maybe that's just me being a rock, which only happens once in a blue moon.
7. Flowery prose. Most of this book's told in your typical, simple, conversational tone, but there are a few scenes here and there that's told in this sort-of poetry style that's VERY flowery and lyrical and choppy. I'm the kind of person who isn't into those things, unfortunately.
8. A cute love interest and an aww romance. Guys, Daniel is so adorable. He's sweet, friendly, and with that I-want-to-pinch-your-cheeks-so-bad occasional awkwardness. His romance with Georgia was light and wasn't the whole purpose of the book, which is great.
9. Lots of character development. Yes, I did just rant A LOT about the characters and their shitty ways. But I did end up liking/tolerating most of them by the end of the book, especially Georgia. Each character realized things about themselves and others, and some of them even changed for the better.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of How to Be Brave for review!
I don't think I've ever read a horror book that affected me as much as The Suffering did.
Jesus Christ, I swear I was on the verge of peeing my pants iI don't think I've ever read a horror book that affected me as much as The Suffering did.
Jesus Christ, I swear I was on the verge of peeing my pants in sheer horror and thrill. Chupeco maintained the epic, horrific descriptions from the first book, and you're going to imagine every. Single. Detail. It's gore-y, it's scary as fuck, and it's delicious. I mean, come on--it's a JAPANESE HORROR STORY. Talk about epic. My heartbeat LEGITIMATELY sped up along with Tark's--okay, maybe even twice as often as his. The Suffering was that scary.
Not only were the descriptions spot-on, but also the plot itself. We're brought back Japan, this time deep within the Suicide Forest, where a hidden town is the subject of a current investigation. This book sort of stood as the main story for me, while the first book was, in a way, a backstory. The Suffering had an INTENSE mystery, one that'll keep you on the edge of your seat--but no matter how hard you clutch the seat, you're going to fall off. And by fall off, I mean you'll get your ass scared off no matter what.
Characterization was another aspect Chupeco excelled in perfecting. Tark was so easy to root for, being both hilarious, realistic and serious at the same time. But the best thing was that when he loves, he loves wholly... Dear Lord, my feels. ANYWAY, Okiku was her usual badass, killing machine self, but with much more feelings than in the first book.
And Chupeco did an amazing job feels-wise, too! I totally bawled my eyeballs out during some scenes--yep. This is not a drill! A TERRIFYING horror book made me cry to the point that my face hurt. I can't give too much away without spoiling the book, but let's just say there were scenes where y'all won't be able to help it... The tears will just flow naturally, believe me.
*I would like to dedicate a short sentence for the romance which I can't explain without spoiling but OMG it's so realistic and beautiful and complicated and asdfghjkl--gah.
Fans of horror, you need The Suffering in your lives. Horror newbies, you need The Suffering in your lives. Readers of all genres, you need The Suffering in your lives. HUMANS, ALIENS AND SPIRITS ALIKE, YOU NEED THE SUFFERING IN YOUR LIVES.
This book had an amazing premise, and Ashley Mansour's such a sweet person, but unfortunately the book just fell flat for me. Generally, here's what IThis book had an amazing premise, and Ashley Mansour's such a sweet person, but unfortunately the book just fell flat for me. Generally, here's what I thought:
Likes: - All the bookish quotes! This book had an amazing collection of fantastic book-related (and non-book-related) quotes that you would want to highlight. - Lovely idea. It's obvious that a lot of thought was given to creating the storyline. - There was a lot of taking care of family.
Dislikes: - Fast-paced romance. It's borderline instalove, really. I may have gagged a lot. - Inconsistent characters. One minute they're tough as a rock, and the next they're sobbing and asking for their mommies. (Not really, but you get the point.) - Odd pacing. This book was really long, and yet I thought that a lot of the scenes were rushed. - A sort-of love triangle that really didn't make any sense. It hurt my brain. - Info dumps.
Adventure? A fun, sexy journey? Murder? Hell yes this book has it all! Unfortunately, I wouldn't go as far as to call it a favorite of mine. It was a Adventure? A fun, sexy journey? Murder? Hell yes this book has it all! Unfortunately, I wouldn't go as far as to call it a favorite of mine. It was a quick, easy to read thriller, but it wasn't as intense as I wouldn've hoped. Hold on, let me explain.
This book was fun. We have a heroine who set out to do fun teenage things. She might not be the brightest crayon in the box in terms of wise decision-making, but she felt like a genuine character most of the time, so I'm gong to forgive her for being an idiot and potentially getting herself murdered.
While this book owned the fun parts, I can't really say the same for the actual mystery and thriller aspect. We only have three main characters, so you're going to suspect them all at one point. That being said, I was't shocked at all when the twist finally came around. It's the kind of twist that'll make you go, Ha! I knew it!
But I wouldn't let that get in the way of your decision to read this book. Trish Doller's writing was so incredibly easy to read, and I just found myself flipping page after page.
The characters were definitely NOT perfect (like I said, Cadie's not really a genius), but I enjoyed reading about them. Everyone has a great backstory that you'll sympathize with, even the "villain" (if you can call him/her--no spoilers--that).
This book was also pretty sex-positive, which I'll always appreciate in a book. I won't really say that I was sold on the romance (hint: I wasn't--neither love interest caught my attention, to my eternal dismay), but at least there was that.
The ending was really satisfying as well. Not amazing or mind-blowing, but satisfying. It's the kind of ending that'll make you sigh contentedly.
Overall, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick thriller read. I wouldn't put Trish Doller in the ranks of thriller writers Abigail Haas just yet, but she definitely has the potential to get there someday....more
aimee (aimeecanread)
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