OH MY GOD THIS WAS SO GOOD. I was so scared that it wouldn't live up to the hype but it was actually so amazing and definitely a new favorite. 5 STARS
OH MY GOD THIS WAS SO GOOD. I was so scared that it wouldn't live up to the hype but it was actually so amazing and definitely a new favorite. Adam and Olive are so cute and the plot was also very interesting. I haven’t been so invested in a relationship in a while! Ali Hazelwood is definitely a new favorite author!!...more
THIS WAS LITERALLY SO GOOD OH MY GOD. The slow burn, the tension, everything was so perfect. I'm obsessed and I can't wait to read Emily Henry'5 STARS
THIS WAS LITERALLY SO GOOD OH MY GOD. The slow burn, the tension, everything was so perfect. I'm obsessed and I can't wait to read Emily Henry's other books...more
This book single-handedly brought me out of my reading slump. I did not expect to love it as much as I did. As someone who does not read a lot 5 STARS
This book single-handedly brought me out of my reading slump. I did not expect to love it as much as I did. As someone who does not read a lot of mysteries/thrillers, I didn't know what to expect going into this book, but I loved this so much! Pip and Ravi are so adorable and the book had so many twists that I didn't expect and it was just so amazing. I also like how Holly Jackson included representation of multiple different backgrounds without actually overstepping the boundaries. Overall, this is a new favorite of mine and I can't wait to read the rest of the series!
Thank you to GetUnderlined for sending me this free copy in exchange for an honest review. ...more
I really, really wanted to like this book. I didn't want to listen to everyone who said that this book suffered from middle book syndrome. Bu2.5 STARS
I really, really wanted to like this book. I didn't want to listen to everyone who said that this book suffered from middle book syndrome. But unfortunately, I just really disliked Glass Sword. I liked Red Queen, like most readers, and was captivated by the world Victoria Aveyard introduced to us, but this book was such a disappointment. I felt like I could have skipped half of the book and still understood what was happening—there were just so many chapters where literally nothing happened. There were so many characters that were being introduced at one time and it was difficult to keep track of them. Reading this book felt like a chore. I was determined to like this book, especially since I liked the first one so much, but it was just not good. For now, I will be DNF-ing the series, but I might come back to it one day. ...more
The immersive and dark fantasy that features incredible worldbuilding and compelling characters that did not quite hit the mark for me, She W3.5 STARS
The immersive and dark fantasy that features incredible worldbuilding and compelling characters that did not quite hit the mark for me, She Who Rides the Storm is a book that is sure to captivate readers. This novel is a tale of revenge, power, and political intrigue that offers a unique magic system that would appeal to fans of detailed high fantasy stories.
She Who Rides the Storm is a young adult high fantasy novel by Caitlin Sangster. It features four main characters who are swept into a perilous heist in the tomb of a powerful shapeshifter. They all want to steal a cursed sword, all with different motives, and all with complex backstories.
CHARACTERS: I enjoyed the characters in She Who Rides the Storm. There are 4 main point of views, an each are equally entertaining to read about. Anwei is a Basist who is out for revenge for her twin. Knox is a runaway Devoted who has a dangerous secret regarding his sister's soul. Lia is determined to escape from her Devoted life. Mateo is a snotty archeologist who is suffering from a disease. All have fairly interesting stories and were fun to read about, but I couldn't quite connect with any of them the way I wanted to. My favorite was definitely Mateo, but they were all great characters.
WORLDBUILDING: The worldbuilding is She Who Rides the Storm is simply spectacular. It is lush and magical and well fleshed out. I was definitely a little confused at the start. There wasn't any info-dumping, but it still felt like a bunch of terms were being thrown at me from the start. I thought that the magic system was very cool and helped sell the story for me. I loved the whole vibes of the setting from the beginning and it was very well done.
PLOT: Unfortunately, the plot is where She Who Rides the Storm falls a bit short for me. This book is pitched as having a high-stakes heist that can be compared to Six of Crows. However, I felt like the heist element in the story was rather unimportant until a good chunk of the book in. The first 30% of the book felt like it dragged on. I could barely force myself to keep reading and considered DNF-ing the book multiple times. I'm glad I stuck out with it, but the beginning did not draw me in like I expected it to.
VERDICT: I would definitely recommend this book, although it was not my cup of tea. If you are a lover of intricate and immersive worldbuilding, this book would definitely appeal to you. If you love character driven stories, this book would appeal to you. But if you are looking for a heist story, you might be left underwhelmed.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review....more
I don’t, this book was just ok for me. I really liked the beginning but there were several moments in the book where it felt very repetitive an3 STARS
I don’t, this book was just ok for me. I really liked the beginning but there were several moments in the book where it felt very repetitive and tedious. ...more
I want to preface my review by saying that I have not read the first book in this series, so that might have been the reason as to why I didn3.5 STARS
I want to preface my review by saying that I have not read the first book in this series, so that might have been the reason as to why I didn't enjoy this one that much. But I wanted to share my honest opinions about this book. Hook, Line, and Sinker is one of the most anticipated romance books of 2022. Unfortunately for me, it just didn't quite hit the mark.
Hook, Line, and Sinker in an adult romantic comedy that is the sequel to It Happened One Summer. When Hannah, a hardworking production assistant, convinces her coworker and hopeless crush to film in Westport, she finds herself living with her friend, Fox. They are both too stubborn to admit that they are more than just friends.
Here is what worked for me in this book: the characters and the discussions of toxic masculinity. I thought that Tessa did a great job with the characters and the serious topics were handled well. However, the one thing that just really missed for me was the romance. I am normally a lover of friends to lovers romance, but this one just didn't draw me in as I had hoped. There wasn't anything particularly wrong with it. It was just not compelling enough for me to become completely sucked in by it. I never found myself having an urge to continue reading this book—it felt more like a chore. Of course, reading is subjective and I have heard so many good things about this book that I would still recommend it!...more
I either read a book in 1 day or 1 month. There's no in between. In the case of The Newspaper Nanny, I read it in 1 day (more like 1 night bu4.5 STARS
I either read a book in 1 day or 1 month. There's no in between. In the case of The Newspaper Nanny, I read it in 1 day (more like 1 night but let's not talk about that). Was this book perfect? No. Did I still eat it up? Of course I did. It was so addicting. I literally could not put this book down. ...more
Okay, so I have conflicting views on this. I definitely did not expect to like this book as much as I did. I literally read this in one sitting4 STARS
Okay, so I have conflicting views on this. I definitely did not expect to like this book as much as I did. I literally read this in one sitting. But at the same time, there were a lot of things that annoyed me. There were some tropes that I really didn't like (but that was my fault since I basically went into this book blind), but this book was so addicting. I guess I would recommend but I am just going to pretend like some plot points didn't exist....more
Oh, it pains me to have to write this review for an author I love. I just want to preface it by saying that I am not the biggest fan of young3.5 STARS
Oh, it pains me to have to write this review for an author I love. I just want to preface it by saying that I am not the biggest fan of young adult mysteries or contemporaries, so that could very well be a reason why I wasn't the biggest fan of this book. I have only heard amazing things from everyone else who has read this, so it is likely a case of this book just wasn't the right fit for me. However, I feel obligated to write a review with my honest opinions.
If I were to describe this book with one word, it would be surface-level (or is that 2 words?). Everything in this book just felt very superficial and not well developed. The characters seemed to only receive a little bit of development every couple of chapters, and none of it was compelling enough for me to really connect with them. The setting was a very key factor in the book, yet it did not feel like it was given enough attention. Normally, this wouldn't be such a huge issue, but this book largely played off the setting and how it related to characters and their motives. Now, I could have been able to ignore this if I enjoyed the plot, but even then, I only found myself enjoying it 60% of the time. I was hooked for the first 60% of the book, but after it just felt like a chore to pick it up. I found myself not caring about the characters or even how the book ended. I usually fly through McQuiston's books, so this was definitely surprising. By the last couple of chapters, I was just ready to be done with this book. This is a petty thing, but the pop culture references became too much. When McQuiston writes books with millenial main characters, it doesn't bother me as much, but it was just impossible to read when the characters were all teenagers.
However, despite all this, there were a couple of things that I really enjoyed. Smith was by far one of my favorite characters. I also really enjoyed many dynamics between characters in this book (though I won't mention them as it can be a tad spoiler-y). I liked the premise behind the book, even if it felt done before, and the first half of the book absolutely gripped me.
With all this being said, I would still recommend checking this book out when it comes out. It may not have been my favorite, but everyone has different opinions :)
Thank you to Wednesday Books and St. Martin's for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review....more
"A feminist reimagining of Sleeping Beauty." Umm, how could I not fall in love with this book? A tale of fate and miracles, A Spindle Splintere4 STARS
"A feminist reimagining of Sleeping Beauty." Umm, how could I not fall in love with this book? A tale of fate and miracles, A Spindle Splintered reinvents the classic fairytale and creates a riveting story that would surely appeal to fans of dark and twisty fantasy books.
A Spindle Splintered is an adult novella that retells the story of Sleeping Beauty. Zinnia Gray is turning 21, which is, quite frankly, a miracle considering she has a rare condition that has doomed her from a young age. Determined to make her possibly last birthday a memorable one, Zinnia's best friend throws a Sleeping Beauty inspired birthday party that includes a tower and a spinning wheel. When Zinnia pricks her finger, her fates become intertwined with another Sleeping Beauty.
A Spindle Splintered caught my attention from the very beginning. I knew that I would love it from the moment I read the first page. The characters were written with such detail and background and they were compelling to read about. I definitely loved Zinnia the best, but Primrose and Charm were also amazing. The setting spanned across multiverses and will leave readers with a sense of wishing to be in the story with Zinnia. The plot was enjoyable, but I think this book was more of a character driven story. I loved the representation of queer and terminally ill characters. Harrow did a great job at spinning this classic fairytale into a feminist reimagining that had me hooked from the beginning. After reading this novella, I thought to myself, "How have I not read any of Harrow's work before?" I'll definitely be on the lookout from now on for her work.
Thank you tordotcom for sending me a physical ARC in exchange for an honest review....more
This book hit a little too close to home. It was uncomfortable for me reading this novel because of just how much I relate to the main characte4 STARS
This book hit a little too close to home. It was uncomfortable for me reading this novel because of just how much I relate to the main character and her experiences. When I first saw the description, I was instantly hooked just because I don't often see myself in media. But this book did an absolutely fantastic job at describing what the biracial experience is.
Win Me Something is an adult literary debut by Kyle Lucia Wu. As a half-Chinese and half-White girl, Willa Chen has always felt out of place. When Willa accepts a job to be a nanny for a wealthy family in New York, she finds herself lost and not belonging in a world where she is neither and outsider nor a participant in their glamorous world.
I can't describe how seen I felt in this book. So many of Willa's experience throughout the novel felt like they were chosen from my life. Willa's character was amazing to read about. Seeing someone who feels like they don't belong, yet they do at the same time, is such a strange in-between feeling that many mixed people can relate to. There were a couple of lines in the novel that felt extremely personal. The microagressions that Willa faced were all too familiar. I was a bit bored at times, but Win Me Something was such an incredible book that I wish I could have read sooner....more
Daughter of the Moon Goddess was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, so I was ecstatic to receive an e-arc of it through NetGalley. AsDNF at 37%
Daughter of the Moon Goddess was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, so I was ecstatic to receive an e-arc of it through NetGalley. As a Chinese reviewer, I was greatly excited to read a book inspired by the moon goddess. Unfortunately, this book was just not it for me. I pushed through it as much as I could just because it was a book that I've been looking forward to for so long. However, this book just could not grab my attention at all.
There are quite a few problems that stand out with this book. To me, the most notable is the unbearably slow plot. It is almost entirely filler chapters. Daughter of the Moon Goddess started out with a bang, immediately catapulting readers into the world. For the first couple of chapters, I was obsessed and could not put this book down. But as the book progressed, I found myself caring less and less about anything that happened. Liwei and Xingyin had zero chemistry. There was nothing that could have possibly indicated romance between them, other than very obvious hints torward it. I had no idea that there was a love triangle in this book either. Captain Wenzhi was slightly more compelling than Liwei, and I stuck around just in hopes of him and Xingyin having some good scenes together. But, still, I just did not care about them or their relationships at all.
Some of the things I did enjoy about this book were the prose and the worldbuilding. The writing was beautiful and completely immersed me in the world. The worldbuilding was also great. I' m not normally a huge fan of first-person point of view books, but this was actually quite well done.
Final thoughts: While I did not enjoy this book, do not let my review discourage you from picking it up. My review is one not-so-good-one in a sea of hundreds of 5-star reviews. Plus, the cover is so beautiful that even if you don't find yourself enjoying the book, it will be a great item to display!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review....more
Sapphic pirates? Um, yes please. How could I not read a historical fantasy book featuring Asian sapphic pirate MC's? I know I say this a lot bu4 STARS
Sapphic pirates? Um, yes please. How could I not read a historical fantasy book featuring Asian sapphic pirate MC's? I know I say this a lot but I feel like this book was made for me.
A Clash of Steel is a young adult historical fantasy novel. It is a retelling of Treasure Island, but with queer Asian girls. When Xiang's pendant is stolen by a girl named Anh, they strike a bargain that leads to them setting sail in pursuit of a treasure. A tale of adventure and love, A Clash of Steel is a release that you do not want to miss.
This book was magical. The premise was enticing right off the bat. The characters were loveable and pretty well developed. Anh and Xiang were definitely the most compelling characters, but the side characters were also fun to read about. The writing was excellent at capturing the world through vivid desciptions. I felt like I was in the world with the main characters. I do feel like the first part of the book was a little slow, but once the inciting incident occured, I was hooked. A Clash of Steel has such great found family and there were so many cute moments. The love story was beautiful and made me wish I was there with them. This is my first book by C.B. Lee, but now I'm excited to read more!
Thank you to C.B. Lee and BookTalk for sending me this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review....more
Loading...
