B+ | Simply put? This book is a fun, immersive, and easy read. Kira is a believable teenage protagonist who struggles with school, bullies, and familyB+ | Simply put? This book is a fun, immersive, and easy read. Kira is a believable teenage protagonist who struggles with school, bullies, and family drama along with the supernatural drama she鈥檚 entangled in. The plot is interesting, but predictable. There is romance, but it doesn鈥檛 overpower the plot or Kira鈥檚 struggles which I am absolutely thankful to see. Still, while I enjoyed this book, I don鈥檛 believe it reached its fullest potential which was disappointing. I would definitely give this book a shot, especially if you were once super into manga/anime, too.
B | This is a solid thriller/mystery book that had me on the edge of my seat half the time. It鈥檚 a dark and twisting tale. It has elements of Gossip GB | This is a solid thriller/mystery book that had me on the edge of my seat half the time. It鈥檚 a dark and twisting tale. It has elements of Gossip Girl tossed into the mix, although this is certainly more grown up. From the very first page, this book refuses to let you go. It makes you go back and forth, making you question what is truth vs. lies.
The first impression I had with the book was that it has a very Gossip Girl like vibe. Except, you know, this book opens with a death. Now, this is one of those books (well, eARC in my case since I received this book as part of the blog tour, but you know, schematics) that I can honestly say I enjoyed it. But while it captured my attention from the start, it wasn鈥檛 until I made it to about the middle of the book where I truly started to devour the book, even then I felt like the moon 鈥 waxing and waning in interest. Before that, I was only really interested in certain parts of the book because they were so 鈥 different.
Strange? Well, let鈥檚 just say that it had to do with the tone of some of the chapters written in 1st POV. I won鈥檛 say anything more than that.
But tone is one of the biggest strengths in this book. While I 诲颈诲苍鈥檛 care for Ford or any of the other characters presented to us in 3rd POV, every character had their own distinctive tone and voice. That鈥檚 part of the reason why certain chapters caught my attention more than others. My interest waxed and waned until I reached the middle part of the book, and then I was all in.
Still, while it took me a while to get into the groove of things and care 鈥 I did like Ash. Her POV chapters were mostly interesting and the more I read, the more I needed to know.
Another strength with this book is the writing. Ellison鈥檚 writing is to the point. It is straight forward and doesn鈥檛 weigh you down with nonsensical descriptions. While I tend to appreciate the worlds around the characters described in sci-fi/fantasy novels (or hell, even historical fiction) because they are different worlds/times after all, I don鈥檛 like to see it very much in contemporary fiction. This was a 鈥渨ham, bam, thank you ma鈥檃m,鈥 sort of book which I鈥檓 happy for 鈥 at least in this case.
However, where there are strengths, there are weaknesses. One of the biggest weakness was pacing. The book felt stretched out 鈥 like things were added in just to add more pages. There were times where I told myself to just keep going and reading. Yeah, the plot is interesting, but even an interesting plot can be maimed by bad pacing.
Another weakness are the other characters. Yes, Ash is an interesting character and her chapters in 1st POV made things even more cool because I ended up wondering if she was a reliable narrator. But, aside from Ash, Becca was the only other interesting one. Everyone else felt 鈥 boring? A bit dull, really. They were just there.
Overall, I still say that this is a solid thriller. I recommend that you give this book a try.
I received this book as I am taking part in a blog tour for this novel. Thank you to Harlequin Mira for a chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review....more
A | Not gonna lie, I did a double take reading this book. I had to check whether this was middle grade or YA. But in any case, this book was fantasticA | Not gonna lie, I did a double take reading this book. I had to check whether this was middle grade or YA. But in any case, this book was fantastic. Kamilla captured Anna鈥檚 voice so well because she doesn鈥檛 erase Anna鈥檚 insecurities and we see Anna flourish in the book. I love how we get more of Anna and Elsa鈥檚 childhood here along with worldbuilding for Arendelle. Since I had seen the movie first, I think that this book gives the sequel even more flavor (& I thought Frozen 2 was very much a lush and gorgeous movie). But the information we get in this book about Anna and Elsa鈥檚 childhood as well as on their mother adds so much to Iduna鈥檚 character.
I loved this book. It was a quick read for me, but certainly for young readers (aka the intended audience), this may take them a few days. But wow, is it worth a read....more
C+ | Although the premise was interesting and I did enjoy it overall, the book was too fast-paced and incredibly underdeveloped. Concepts were there, C+ | Although the premise was interesting and I did enjoy it overall, the book was too fast-paced and incredibly underdeveloped. Concepts were there, just not fleshed out enough, which was quite frustrating because there is a lot of potential. While there is conflict, things were resolved too quickly or simply brushed off rather than explored.
Sydney contacted me via my blog 鈥 moon & coffee. 鈥 asking if I would be willing to read and review her book in exchange for a copy. Now, I love me some good fantasy, so I said yes. So many thanks to Sydney for this opportunity.
Even though it did take me a few days to get through this book 鈥 nursing school takes priority after all & wow is this semester kicking my butt 鈥 this is a very fast-paced novel. Quite frankly, it鈥檚 too fast-paced. Although I don鈥檛 necessarily mind a fast-paced book, too many things happened in a short amount of time, and thus, character development and worldbuilding suffered immensely. It felt like I was on at some speed dating event where I鈥檇 be talking with a really cool and awesome guy, only for the buzzer to go off. Then, I鈥檇 find myself stuck with someone who isn鈥檛 as fantastic but is interesting enough.
It鈥檚 such a shame because there鈥檚 a lot of potential here. Unfortunately, stones were left unturned, and roads were left unexplored, even for a book that is marketed for young adults (although it reads more like a middle-grade book). I鈥檓 a greedy girl, and I want more from this promising book.
Warning 鈥 the review posted will contain spoilers....more
A-/B+ | If there鈥檚 one book I can hold up as the PERFECT example of how to do mythology, this is that book. The mythology within this gothic book is s
A-/B+ | If there鈥檚 one book I can hold up as the PERFECT example of how to do mythology, this is that book. The mythology within this gothic book is stunning. And the worldbuilding? chef kiss. You guys know how much I adore excellent worldbuilding. This rich mythology and worldbuilding are wrapped up nicely with a super exciting (but not so well-paced) plot and characters you want to strangle and hug. Unfortunately, this doesn鈥檛 get a perfect grade because of it鈥檚 pacing and unnatural, forced romance. Nonetheless, the ending was satisfying and well worth the less cool parts.
Minor spoilers in regards to the romance are found the .
A-/B+ | Despite the fact that Talyien was one of the most frustrating characters I have read this year, I truly enjoyed this magnificent, character drA-/B+ | Despite the fact that Talyien was one of the most frustrating characters I have read this year, I truly enjoyed this magnificent, character driven novel with its lush Filipino-coded world. Talyien is surely one of the most interesting characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading about. The worldbuilding is woven into the story in such a superb way that I could vividly see, smell, feel, hear, and taste the universe. This adult fantasy novel is unapologetically Filipino and it reflects so much of both the good and bad aspects of Filipino society, particularly the struggles of Filipino women. It is a thrill ride full of heartbreak, betrayal, love, family, duty, and politics.
Full review to be posted at a later time on my blog....more
**A-** | A provocative, heart-wrenching book that documents the brave women who fought for their lives against major corporations who cared little for**A-** | A provocative, heart-wrenching book that documents the brave women who fought for their lives against major corporations who cared little for anything else except for the profits being made by the radioactive substance, radium. 鈥*Lip, dip, paint*鈥. These women shined bright thanks to radium, but they also suffered its poisonous consequences after ingesting the paint containing the radioactive substance. This book goes into the girls鈥 lives, smiles, struggles, pain, suffering, and then eventual deaths. It is not for the faint of heart, but this book should be required reading in US History courses.
鈥淟ip, dip, paint.鈥
This line is repeated over and over through the book. The companies instructed the women to use this technique to reduce waste and to give the brushes a sharper point, thus allowing the numbers to be painted better, basically. For those companies, it was all about the profit and the bottom line. They 诲颈诲苍鈥檛 care about safety standards. They 诲颈诲苍鈥檛 care that the women working in those factories had lives. What it came down to was money.
鈥淟ip, dip, paint.鈥
Every day those women worked in those factories, they ingested radium, completely unaware of the dangers of the substance until it was too late and it became a part of their very bones. Then, they not only had to fight for their lives but for their rights and for compensation from the very companies who put them in danger in the first place. To make matters worse, these companies *knowingly* delayed the trials, hoping that the women would die before they had to make the payouts. They brought in their own people 鈥 including a fake medical doctor (he had a PhD, not an MD) 鈥 to examine the women on their own terms to ensure the women got as little money as possible.
I could not put this book down once I found the time to sit and read for more than ten minutes at a time. Kate Moore did a fantastic job all around. I could tell that she did a **ton** of research to write this book. She left no stone unturned.
The book ripped open my chest and left me with an open wound.
I had briefly read about the Radium Girls back in high school when I had to do a project for AP Chem about radium so I had an idea about who they were and what happened to them. However, I 诲颈诲苍鈥檛 know their *stories*. I 诲颈诲苍鈥檛 know just how much they struggled and how much they suffered. I 诲颈诲苍鈥檛 know their legacy beyond the horrific image of the radium jaw found on Google Images.
I鈥檓 glad I know now and I鈥檓 so glad that Moore 诲颈诲苍鈥檛 sugarcoat anything. Even now as I type this review, my hands are shaking from the residual anger I felt while I was reading. No, this anger isn鈥檛 from the writing but from the actions of those greedy men from Radiant Dial Corporation and the United States Radium Corporation who ruined these women鈥檚 lives and tried to sacrifice them all for money.
Moore does a beautiful job in bringing these women and those around them to life. The writing was lively and full of emotions. Each chapter is filled with sentences that brought the past to the present not only due to the writing but due to the research that was put into this book. These women weren鈥檛 just names anymore. They were brave women who stood up for themselves and for each other against two giants. I came to admire them for their tenacity and their bravery. Some may say that it鈥檚 ridiculous that we had to read about what they were wearing, however, I completely disagree. Knowing what these women wore, what their favourite foods were, what they did in between shifts 鈥 details like this bring life to them.
I truly believe that this book should be required reading in US history courses. I think it鈥檚 time for US history teachers/professors to consider adding this book to their required reading list. Their actions lead to the foundations of OSHA and changed the lives of working Americans. They might not have fought a war. They might not have gone into the trenches. But these women started a revolution in their own way. They contributed to American society and yet, they鈥檙e not among the group of American women that we learn about. This should change.
Although this is not an easy book to read due to its content matter, it is well worth taking the time to read it nonetheless....more
C-/D+ | While the premise was good and interesting, the execution was unfortunately mediocre at best. The sto.
C-/D+ | While the premise was good and interesting, the execution was unfortunately mediocre at best. The story drags on and on. The characters are boring. Although grief and denial are explored here, it was difficult to feel anything because things felt dry, flat, and stale. This book might be called The Weight of a Soul, but there鈥檚 little weight or soul in this book.
Part of the reason why I requested this book on NetGallery and got excited when I was approved was because I was drawn into it due to the synopsis. Who could blame me? The idea of a sisterly bond so strong you would make a deal with Hela to try and get her back? Yes, please. I love books that explore sibling relationships and loss and grief.
I can鈥檛 even begin to tell you how disappointed and utterly frustrated I am with this book.
Everything 鈥 from the characters and their relationships to the plot to the ending 鈥 felt forced and unnatural at times. There was no emotion. This book goes into how souls have weight and one soul is not equal to another just because they鈥檙e both warriors. But where is this book鈥檚 weight? Where is this book鈥檚 soul?
One of my biggest beefs with this book is that we鈥檙e always told things, but never actually shown evidence of why we should accept what we were told as truths. We鈥檙e told that the sisters mean a lot to each other, but never actually shown just how close their relationship was before Fressa鈥檚 death. Yeah, Lena is willing to murder to get her sister back, but if you want me to be able to empathize with her situation and choices, then I鈥檓 going to need more than being told of how good her relationship was with her sister.
Give me flashbacks of the two as children. Give me memories. Give me something. This book would have been far more compelling if I got to see Lena and Fressa鈥檚 relationship for myself that wasn鈥檛 just Lena鈥檚 random thoughts of how she was the first person to make Fressa smile. Like, okay? That鈥檚 cool. Give me more.
Another example of being told things rather than shown them is with Lena herself. She鈥檚 meant to become the tribe鈥檚 leader. Sure, she has to marry someone to gain that power, but her 鈥渄estiny鈥 (if you want to call it that) is to rule the clan.
鈥淣o鈥攕he had hesitated for power. For her rightful place as the leader of this village and its clans.鈥
Even she believes it鈥檚 her rightful place to rule. But she doesn鈥檛 act like a ruler. She doesn鈥檛 act like the heir apparent. If anything, she acts like a little girl playing dress up but will run away when responsibilities call.
Look, grief does all sorts of things to people. It can turn them into people they never wanted to become. But see, the problem is that we never get to see Lena be a leader or at least try to act like one. We never see Lena attempt to help her people through these tough and terrifying times. She makes comments like:
鈥 Her family鈥檚 hold on this village weakened with every day he stayed away, with every second the sun stayed out of the sky in the middle of summer.鈥
And:
鈥 Her family鈥檚 hold on this village weakened with every day he stayed away, with every second the sun stayed out of the sky in the middle of summer.鈥
Knowing this, I would have expected to see Lena taking up the mantle in some shape or form either in the present or in flashbacks, but I got none of that. It鈥檚 so disappointing, especially because I feel like Lena never truly got a chance to properly grieve nor did she ever actually develop. She was the same person from start to finish, albeit with blood on her hands.
(view spoiler)[This is made worse by the fact that Lena dies so she doesn鈥檛 even get to mature. Like wow, great. She brings Fressa back with her death, but at the cost of her never actually having full character development. (hide spoiler)]
I don鈥檛 and can鈥檛 recommend this book. Despite it having an interesting premise, it was poorly executed.
Thank you to Flux and North Star Editions over at NetGalley for providing a copy of the eARC. All opinions are my own....more
F | This book deserves zero stars. If I could just give it a zero in every review site I can, I honestly would just to warn people to not waste their F | This book deserves zero stars. If I could just give it a zero in every review site I can, I honestly would just to warn people to not waste their time on this terrible novel that masquerades itself as a crime/mystery novel. It was bad from start to finish and I can't believe I actually wasted my time on this.
It takes a lot for a book to piss me off. It takes a lot for me to actually despise it. Even though I tend to rant on about the honest to Jesus horrible Sisi books by Allison Pataki, it had its charming moments in the first novel. If I hadn't read two biographies about Sisi by the time I read the book, it might not have pissed me off because I wouldn't have had the body of knowledge to know just how much Allison Pataki was disrespecting Sisi.
This book? Nah yo. This has officially claimed the title of my 鈥淢ost Disliked Book鈥.
I don't even know where to begin because there is just so much I need to discuss. I guess the easy part?
The worldbuilding was nonexistent. I couldn't understand this world aside from people wear 鈥渕asques鈥 (Lord even the spelling makes my eyes roll - like no it doesn't make things cooler) to hide their imperfections and things like that and that there's this hierarchy where legacies can pretty much do whatever the fuck they want and if you're an under well god forbid you're an under.
I didn't understand how these masques worked and because I didn't understand how they worked, I was quite honestly imagining them to look like robotic faces. Or something from Doctor Who.
Another thing is I don't get what universe this is set in. Is it another planet? Earth in the future? What? How about the name of the city? The country? How does this world work? None of this was established! How are is anyone supposed to immerse themselves in a universe that we can't even understand? It makes me question if the author understands it. Hell, I even got up to a point in the book when I wondered if these characters were human!
One thing I did understand in this universe is that people fall in love fast and have sex a lot. Now, I don't mind sex in books, regardless of whether or not they're classified as romance novels or not and it is in the trigger warnings that there鈥檚 sex. However, what sort of 鈥渃rime/mystery鈥 novel spends more time on characters having sex and lusting after each other than on actually solving the crime?
In the 100 chapters of this novel, I think about 75 of them had sex scenes or mentioned sex. This would be cool and all but where is the mystery? Where is the solving crime aspect of this book? It certainly didn't help that POVs changed every chapter and each chapter was short so whatever sliver of mystery/crime solving we got was too short.
But Lord, these characters are just so vapid, shallow, dumb and self-centered that every POV change felt refreshing until I remembered this character is just as bad as the previous one. The only character I enjoyed was Saam but even she got cringe worthy when she got together with Severy. If they all died in some fiery explosion at the end or because their fancy B&V masques electrocuted them, I wouldn鈥檛 care. I鈥檇 just laugh it off because that would have been a far more satisfying ending than the one we actually got.
So the main arc of this story is solving the murder case, right? Yet it didn't feel like it because we spent more time jumping between characters who were too busy contemplating how badly they wanted to have sex with another character and worrying about themselves. These characters had their stories, fine. But the problem is that there was too much going on and that rather than condense it, Lipkin decided that the answer was to add as many sex scenes as possible to distract readers from the fact that her characters are all shallow and dumb, that this plot is a jumbled mess, and that she didn't do any sort of research.
I think that what truly highlighted how bad this book is was the fact that there was no action. We weren't there to witness a lot of the things that we should have been a witness. Everything is told after the fact. I think that if a creative writing professor wanted to show their students an example of 鈥渢elling and not showing鈥, this book is filled with examples. This book is also a fantastic example of why it's so important to have external action and dialogue going on more than internal. I'd say about 70-80% of this book is all internal - internal dialogues and recaps of what we should have witnessed ourselves. You can't have a book that's majority internal because that's boring! Where are the other characters? Where's the action? Where are the interrogations?
The only things we got to see were the sex scenes and the occasional meeting between the detectives.
Oh and those detectives? They are so stupid. No I鈥檓 not kidding. None of them really had a brain. McNair was too busy pining over his ex-wife. Kruse spent way too much time thinking about corpses but not actually doing a good job with autopsying the body. Wieand and Shey spent way too much time day dreaming about having sex with each other - although to be fair at least Shey also assuming the wrong people were the murderers with no evidence aside from her so called fantastic detective skills telling her she's right and everyone else was wrong.
There is nothing in the text that would prove to me that these people are capable of solving any crime. We never see them do any interrogation. We never see them investigate. Quite frankly, I got the feeling this author never bothered to do research on detective work and on crime.
Take for example when they were discussing their murder victim鈥檚 death:
鈥淲ell,鈥 said Kruse, 鈥淚鈥檓 developing a theory. I think (she) wasn鈥檛 quite dead when she went into the pool, although no one could鈥檝e saved her life after this circ did its worst, but I think she drowned and that鈥檚 what actually killed her.鈥
But Kruse! I thought you were the forensic pathologist! Shouldn't you know by now what was the COD? Didn't you do the autopsy? How was this character鈥檚 death deemed a murder, then? How is it at this point the detectives have already made assumptions of who killed the victim when you don't know how she died? What did the circ do to her exactly? Did it interrupt the electrical flow of her heart, causing it to stop or beat erratically? Did it do something to her electrolytes? Did it do something to her nerves? Did it cause a seizure? Did it cause her respiratory functions to become impaired? What exactly happened?
Let's go further!
鈥淵ou think?鈥 Harata said. He was leaning over the desk and staring at all the unseeable parts and shaking his head. 鈥淚t鈥檚 impossible to tell exactly,鈥 Kruse said, 鈥渂ecause by the time she went into the water鈥斺 鈥淲as pushed into the water,鈥 McNair said. 鈥淲ell, yes,鈥 Kruse said. 鈥淏y then she couldn鈥檛 breathe.鈥
What in actual duck is this?
How do you know she was pushed into the water?
If the circ did something to her (caused her to have a seizure or impaired her respiratory functions for example), then she could have fallen into the water on her own.
So, the circ caused an impairment in her respiratory functions since she apparently 鈥渃ouldn鈥檛 breathe鈥. Okay, so she 诲颈诲苍鈥檛 drown then.
As per two articles by Szpilman et. al, the World Health Organization defines drowning as 鈥渢he process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in liquid.鈥 The articles also state that 鈥淭he drowning process begins with respiratory impairment as the person鈥檚 airway goes below the surface of the liquid (submersion) or water splashes over the face (immersion)鈥 Any submersion or immersion incident without evidence of respiratory impairment should be considered a water rescue and not a drowning鈥 (Szpilman et. al,).
Dr. Michael Boniface, an emergency medicine physician at Mayo Clinic states, 鈥淒rowning occurs when you can鈥檛 get oxygen into your lungs because you are in or below water."
Also something to consider: Modell et al. stated that 鈥渢o ascribe drowning as a cause of death to a body found in water without some evidence of the effect of having aspirated water is risky.鈥
Just fyi, I found all of this information after about an hour of research and using Google Scholar to find and skim through peer-reviewed, scientific articles.
If the victim couldn鈥檛 breathe before she went into the water (pushed or not), then hypoxemia (abnormally low level of oxygen in the blood) and eventually hypoxia (absence of enough oxygen in the tissues to sustain bodily functions) began to occur before she made contact with the water. There are ways to _figure out _what happened and whether or not the victim drowned for sure! There are biochemical tests, macroscopical examinations of external and internal aspects of the body, microscopical examinations!
Chapter 13, the victim was dead. However, it鈥檚 not until CHAPTER 41 where the pathologist was like 鈥渉ey so still not sure what the COD was but I think she drowned?? idk bro it鈥檚 impossible to tell.鈥
But because it's written down, I'm supposed to believe that these are the people who will solve this murder?
Give me a break and don鈥檛 make me laugh. None of these detectives would be able to figure anything out. They would need things to be spoon fed to them 鈥 oh wait :) That鈥檚 pretty much how this mystery was solved 鈥 because it was spoon fed to the detectives.
Quite frankly avoid this book. Don鈥檛 even think about buying it or borrowing a copy from someone else. Don鈥檛 read it! It鈥檚 a complete waste of time and I鈥檓 going to go drown my sorrows.
Anyway, thank you to BookSirens for providing me with a free copy of the eARC in exchange for this honest review. All opinions are my own....more
A+ | A collection of seven short stories that introduce the world of The Witcher and the characters themselves, and the relationships. This book is a A+ | A collection of seven short stories that introduce the world of The Witcher and the characters themselves, and the relationships. This book is a great place to start, especially for someone like me who has never played the video games (although plans to in the future) or has any clue of what's going on.
A+ | A short, provocative work documenting Hisashi Ouchi鈥檚 intense medical treatment. It doesn鈥檛 hold back wi.
A+ | A short, provocative work documenting Hisashi Ouchi鈥檚 intense medical treatment. It doesn鈥檛 hold back with its descriptions and images of what happened to Ouchi鈥檚 body after the criticality accident in Tokaimura. There is nothing that can prepare you for this book because short as this book may be, it鈥檚 unrelenting in speaking the truth about what happened to this poor man.
I started this book right after I finished Midnight in Chernobyl. Since I鈥檓 a forgetful nerd, I forgot who/where I found out about this book, but I鈥檓 grateful to have found it.
This book less than 200 pages but it is stuffed full of information about what happened to Hisashi Ouchi after the criticality accident in Tokaimura. It is eye-opening and the translation was well done. The language was put into simple terms so that the everyday layperson can understand enough so people can sit through reading the entire book (if they can stomach reading all the horrific things that Ouchi had to face).
Its simplicity is one of the reasons why I adore this book. It doesn鈥檛 get into any flowery writing (although this could be due to translation). It鈥檚 straight forward and doesn鈥檛 stop.
Another reason why I adored this book was the fact it was very detailed, despite being a very short book. Every page is filled with information that would help you understand what had been going on during those 83 days from exposure to death.
We got to hear from the nurses as well as the doctors involved with Ouchi鈥檚 treatment. To be quite honest, as a nursing student, I couldn鈥檛 help but be happy that the nurses鈥 views were also included in this because we are a part of the medical team. Hell, nurses often know more about the patient than the doctors because we are the ones who are bedside. It was good to see that their words were included in this, as well as the doctors because we got to read about the Ouchi鈥檚 interactions with his family as well as his reactions to treatments.
I adored the fact that it emphasized that at a point, the medical team was treating Ouchi鈥檚 body, not Ouchi himself. Even I found myself questioning what would I do if I was in these nurses鈥 shoes? How would I react if I had a patient as critically ill as Ouchi?
This book is certainly not for the faint of heart. It does not shy away from descriptions of what had happened to Ouchi鈥檚 body. However, I do think that if you are a nursing or medical student, you should read this book. It鈥檚 provocative and gets you thinking. While Ouchi鈥檚 case is extreme, we will encounter critically ill patients who will cause us to question ourselves. Along with the question of medical ethics, this book is honestly a good book to have as a reference for case studies.
I 1000% recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading about radiation sickness and just in general medical ethics. It鈥檚 short but detailed enough to increase your knowledge about the topic somewhat....more
A-/B+ | A sequel that continues to enchant with its worldbuilding and the characters were much more compelling here and in the previous book. However,A-/B+ | A sequel that continues to enchant with its worldbuilding and the characters were much more compelling here and in the previous book. However, the book is bogged down by unnecessary romance.
Like its predecessor, A House of Rage and Sorrow is a solid fantasy/science fiction novel. Sangu Mandanna has a way with worldbuilding and I admire and adore this so much. Her world here is as vibrant, lush, and alive as the ocean. In terms of worldbuilding, this is one of the best I鈥檝e read.
Storywise, I think it鈥檚 on par with the previous book - well written and moves through the events at a good and steady pace. I definitely enjoyed reading this book and it has made me interested in perhaps one day reading Mahabharata when I鈥檓 not so busy with nursing school. I honestly consumed this book because I needed to know how it would end.
I loved that little twist - well, I thought it was a twist - about Max.
I also adored having Titania as a POV character. I enjoyed reading her chapters and quite frankly, I forgot that she was a warship and not a human/humanoid being. Remember in Star Wars where whenever they communicate there鈥檚 this hologram of the person they鈥檙e talking to? Yeah, that鈥檚 what I imagine with Titania.
And I will say this: the characters this time around were far more compelling. Sybilla, in particular, was the most interesting character aside from Titania.
But Esmae鈥檚 POV chapters were far more enjoyable to read because she is far more interesting here than she was before. Oh! And also much more tolerable. Rama鈥檚 fate removed the rose-tinted glasses Esmae insisted on wearing as she clung onto the belief that she could be a family with the people who abandoned her/never knew of her existence until recently. I much prefer Esmae who sees that the people around her are her family rather than the Esmae who insisted that her only family was her mother who abandoned her and brothers who used her longing for a family for their own use.
The scene with her mother truly made me scream but in a good way because Esmae needed to see the truth for herself.
And that ending? Wow, that ending. I loved it and I鈥檓 so excited for the next book.
So why is this not getting a perfect grade?
Anyone who has read my previous review about the first book knows how I feel about the romance here and unfortunately, this feeling wasn鈥檛 changed. The romance tossed here between Max and Esmae was completely unnecessary.
I love romance, okay? I do. I truly adore reading romance and getting all giddy every time characters kiss and profess their adoration for each other.
I 诲颈诲苍鈥檛 feel that with Max and Esmae鈥檚 relationship. Their relationship was already unsteady for me in the first place and it was difficult for me to find any sort of connection or even emotion in general for them as a couple. This book truly could have done without their relationship.
Is it kinda mean that of all things, this is what brings down the book for me?
Sure. However, I believe that if an author includes romance (something that鈥檚 put down a lot in novels), it should be well-written romance. I鈥檓 sort of tired of seeing romance just tossed around willy nilly as almost a last minute edition which is what I felt like was happening here with Max and Esmae鈥檚 relationship. Sure, I have to give props to Sangu for not having the romance overtake the story as a whole, but I feel like this relationship could have been better written.
Of course, people are free to disagree with me because this is just my opinion. But if you鈥檙e looking for a great romance in this book, you won鈥檛 find it here.
If you鈥檙e someone who can ignore something like this and are looking for an otherwise fantastic, stunning, well-written sci-fi/fantasy novel, then A House of Rage and Sorrow is the book for you.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing a copy of the eARC via Edelweiss+. All opinions are my own....more
B | A solid science fiction/fantasy. The worldbuilding was far more compelling than the characters themselves. The romance was unnecessary and just feB | A solid science fiction/fantasy. The worldbuilding was far more compelling than the characters themselves. The romance was unnecessary and just felt forced. Worldbuilding and the ending are what saved this book for me.
So I was browsing through Edelweiss+ to see which books to add to my 鈥渢o read鈥 list and I stumbled upon A House of Rage and Sorrow which is the yet to be released sequel. After reading the synopsis, I thought it was super interesting so I wanted to give this series a shot. How could I not? A science fiction novel with fantasy elements mixed in? I had to get my hands on the books.
Let me talk about the things I adored first before I go anywhere else.
I am a sucker for good worldbuilding. I admire authors who are able to craft universes with paragraphs because it鈥檚 only those kinds of books that I鈥檓 really able to escape into. If a book鈥檚 worldbuilding is lacking, it means it鈥檚 harder for me to be consumed by a book, especially if the characters don鈥檛 really compel me.
The worldbuilding in this novel is stunning. It鈥檚 beautifully crafted. It was easier to visualize this world - this universe of gods and technology. It was easy to fall into this world and I enjoyed the book for this worldbuilding.
However, I wish I could say the same for the characters. I couldn鈥檛 connect with any of them. Although the characters felt like they had weight to them and were well written, I just could not find that click. Yeah, sure, I felt stuff because of the character鈥檚 actions, but connect? Not so much.
Still, I can鈥檛 deny that I loved how morally grey everything felt. At first, you think it鈥檚 an easy black and white story, but as you progress, the lines blur. What is the truth and what is the lie? Are Esmae鈥檚 brothers working with her or are they just using her because they see a willing pawn?
Admittedly, I spent 90% of the book annoyed with Esmae. Quite frankly, I dislike characters whose entire existence is about returning to their REAL family. I get it. It鈥檚 human to long for family, but if a person鈥檚 entire motive is driven by the idea of reuniting with their real family while simultaneously ignoring the people around them who do treat them like family, then I just can鈥檛 stand by that.
Esmae wants to help her twin - a twin who doesn鈥檛 even know of her existence - win back 鈥渉is crown鈥. Help him win back the crown and then she鈥檒l have a family and a home.
Maybe it鈥檚 because I couldn鈥檛 make a good connection with her, but it just made my eyes roll up skyward that she was so determined to help this stranger - her twin sure, but a stranger nonetheless - win this crown. What has he done that deserves this loyalty?
And what about the family she has with Rama? Is he not family? Or was he just something to pass time and loneliness? From the way she was acting for the majority of the book, it felt like the latter rather than the former and that made me weep.
What saved her for me was the ending. That ending wrecked me in a good way, but I was glad it happened because Esmae needed a wake-up call. She needed to have those rose-tinted glasses of hers ripped from her face.
But don鈥檛 take my annoyance with Esmae as me thinking she鈥檚 a bad character. No. In fact? I thought she was a fantastic character. I might not have been able to make a connection with her and spent 90% of the book annoyed with her, but she was a well-written character.
I would have given this book a higher rating if it wasn鈥檛 for the fact that the romance was just so bad.
It was totally unnecessary and felt forced. It was almost as if it was inserted last minute. I 诲颈诲苍鈥檛 like it and honestly, this book would have been better without it. ...more
B+/B- | The combination of a well-written and powerful relationship between two sisters, world-building, and .
B+/B- | The combination of a well-written and powerful relationship between two sisters, world-building, and a compelling protagonist makes Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford worthy of 4.5 to 5.0 stars/A- rating. However, this debut novel was brought down to a 4.0 to 3.5 stars/B+ or B- by the shite romance, a pretty terrible one-dimensional romantic interest, a villain who I wished got fleshed out more, and the abrupt ending.
I admit that I consumed this book. I admit that instead of studying for my lab exam and practicum, I was reading this book. Why? It was interesting and pretty okay. I found it completely and utterly interesting until I hit the last 鈪 of the book. I honestly said 鈥渨tf鈥 when I finished because I was just stunned on how it went up and up and up and then crashed so hard.
But let鈥檚 talk about the good first.
The writing was great. It moved fluidly like the ocean and was just as colorful, too. This awesome writing was supported by this awe-inspiriting world-building and fantastic characterizations.
Anyone who has read my other reviews knows I鈥檓 a die hard for good world-building and Mara Rutherford handed it to me on a silver platter with delicious Filipino food. Everything from Varenia鈥檚 culture, legends, and vivid, blue and warm descriptions of their surroundings to Ilara鈥檚 dim and grim atmosphere gripped onto me and refused to let go. I was transported into this world. It felt like I was actually there with Nor.
The world was fleshed out and explored. There was no stone left unturned when it came to exposing me to this universe. The contrast between Varenia鈥檚 and Ilara鈥檚 cultures were exposed and brought to light. When Nor first arrived in Ilara, I got introduced to the strangeness of Ilara鈥檚 culture, too. And most importantly, I felt it and it made me long for Varenia鈥檚 sun and sea. The dank and grimness of Ilara is further added on when Nor is brought to the New Castle. You thought it was strange this kingdom is still morning the death of this princess who has been dead for years and years? Wait until you see New Castle.
But it also calls out to you to find the answers to what is going on with the people living in New Castle. Is it the lack of sunshine alone that鈥檚 killing them or something else? What makes these people shun the sun and its warmth to living in such a cold place? 鈥
Nor was a compelling protagonist that I could truly connect with the more time I spent with her. She felt human. Her emotions screamed at you and held you by the neck.
Her bond with Zadie was explored to its fullest and I am so grateful for it. It鈥檚 been a long time since I鈥檝e seen a book with a well-written sibling bond. Hell, it鈥檚 extra props that this twin bond was well executed and explored. The scene where Zadie begs Nor to help her kills me every time I think about it because of how awesomely it was executed. I could feel the tension, the fear, and the pain.
Nor鈥檚 relationship with her mother also got to me because I want to scream that this woman is a narcissist! However, as we get introduced to Ceren, his lust for more and more pink pearls, and his callous apathy towards Nor鈥檚 people, it made me question this judgement. Yes, I still disliked Nor鈥檚 mother for her words towards Nor as well as her actions in the years preparing the twins for the selection, but I also sort of started to understand her obsession with Zadie and Nor (up until Nor鈥檚 injury) being selected to become Ceren鈥檚 bride.
It鈥檚 layers and layers, you see and I love layers.
So you could maybe see how I was so utterly disappointed towards the end. It quite honestly shocked me how this gorgeous world and characterizations were weakened by this insta-romance between Nor and Talin, Talin鈥檚 characterization, Ceren himself, and the pacing.
First, let me go into Talin or what I have of him. Basically, when you compare it to Ceren, there鈥檚 nothing there. He鈥檚 nothing more than a piece of cardboard that was cut out. There wasn鈥檛 much there and what was there bored me. I honestly preferred Sami than Talin because Sami at least felt like a person than a cardboard box. Like, okay, cool, so the second son of the king born to a woman from Varenia. So, what? Give me more! Give me a reason to like him more than Ceren aside from the fact that Ceren is a callous dude who doesn鈥檛 care about other people鈥檚 lives.
Speaking of Ceren, let me talk about him before I go to the romance. Ceren was wasted potential. Whereas we 诲颈诲苍鈥檛 get to see much of Talin, we got to see a lot of Ceren. He has so much potential to be this fantastic, morally grey character whose ambitions and lust for power knows no bounds and is controlled by his need to live and be healthy. But instead, he鈥檚 like a two-dimensional figure who isn鈥檛 exactly the most terrifying villain.
I wanted more Ceren and certainly more of Talin. Having a slightly fleshed out villain shouldn鈥檛 be done at the expense of the romantic interest. Talin was so one dimensional that when the romance between him and Nor occurred, I was just honest to God rolling my eyes.
Insta-romances are **boring**. I would rather see no romance at all than have this forced on me. Hell, I would have honestly been more interested in seeing Nor with Sami or Ceren because she actually interacted with them more than a couple of times.
I also think what contributed to this whole crash and burn was the pacing. Don鈥檛 get me wrong, I devoured this book and I wasn鈥檛 bored by any means due to the characters and world-building. But these two things can only do so much when there鈥檚 not much happening in terms of the plot. Perhaps part of the reason why I moved through this book so quickly was that I was waiting for something to happen. Fillers are okay at times, I also need action to happen. I think what could have been improved here is if the fillers had stuff relating to the romance since we had to have romance here apparently.
So when it came time for the climax, it was unsatisfactory to say the least. It was rushed and ended so abruptly. It felt like everything was jam-packed into the last 鈪 of the book while at the same time, there were things that were left unsaid and not explored.
Also, this book is definitely setting up for a sequel because I refuse to believe that this is the end. I will certainly be reading the sequel because I do want to know what happens next, however, I鈥檓 really hoping that Mara Rutherford does better on the romance, on Talin, and on the endings.
Do I recommend this book? Sure. If you鈥檙e looking for a book with great world-building, a compelling protagonist who has a well-developed relationship with some of the characters and you can ignore the disappointment with the insta-romance and the one-dimensional love interest, then this is for you.
Thank you to Harlequin TEEN and Inkyard Press over at NetGalley for providing a copy of the eARC. All opinions are my own....more
A+ | A beautifully rich and addictive fantasy novel that has everything I could want in a book: magic, a prot.
A+ | A beautifully rich and addictive fantasy novel that has everything I could want in a book: magic, a protagonist and a deuteragonist who I can connect with and who have solid characterizations and development, side characters that are well developed and whom you can fall in love with too, a super well developed romance that is so utterly believable and that I completely supported, on point writing that grips you from start to finish, a world full of wonder and spectacular imagery, and a plot that is fully fleshed out and refuses to let you go even at the end.
So I got my hands on this book at BookCon when EpicReads was doing one of their ARC drops. It was a totally last minute decision to go and I鈥檓 so glad I made that decision because I was able to get this.
But yo. Holy moly this book. THIS BOOK. How do I even start this without sounding like a fool rambling?
I love this book. Let me repeat that: I LOVE THIS BOOK.
I adore Lou. I adore Reid. I adore Coco. I adore Ansel.
Lou and Reid are our protagonist and deuteragonist respectively and man, I completely and utterly enjoyed reading their POV chapters equally. I never felt like rushing through one character鈥檚 POV chapter over the other because they both are so well written and fleshed out. They felt so utterly human. The fact that I was able to connect with the both of them speaks to Shelby Mahurin鈥檚 writing abilities and how well she fleshed out and developed them.
From the start, I could connect with Lou and adored her. She鈥檚 blunt, she鈥檚 passionate, she鈥檚 profane, she鈥檚 obsessed with food (especially buns which is such a damn Mood), she鈥檚 ridiculously funny, she鈥檚 intelligent, and she鈥檚 tenacious. She will do anything and everything to survive, even if it means entering into a marriage with a Chasseur 鈥 her people鈥檚 enemy. She鈥檚 brave. She鈥檚 fearful. She鈥檚 quick to annoy people like Reid but she鈥檚 even quicker to defend her friends. She鈥檚 loving and hateful. She鈥檚 ruthless. She鈥檚 compassionate.
Layers, man. Lou is so layered those green tea crepe cakes from Lady M are jealous.
And it鈥檚 the same with Reid!
Reid has a stick up his butt. He鈥檚 loyal to the point of blindness. He sticks to his principles. He鈥檚 tall and strong. I mean 鈥 he鈥檚 a capable fighter and a believer. He is passionate. He is tenacious. He is ruthless, too, but he鈥檚 also oh so utterly human with conflicting emotions, especially once he grows closer too Lou.
Most importantly, despite the initial dislike and distrust he holds towards Lou, he makes the commitment to stick to his vows. He attempts to be a good husband towards her, despite the fact that their marriage is a forced union. He鈥檚 respectful towards her despite the fact that they both say rude words to each other.
But you know what? The relationship that develops between Lou and Reid feels so utterly real and natural. It truly develops from enemies to friends to lovers. There was this scene that truly got to me where Reid shares a secret with Lou and it just made me squeal like a fangirl because they were growing to like each other and Reid was starting to trust Lou.
Aside from the characters, the worldbuilding is just stunning. It鈥檚 so easy to fall into this world and to see, hear, smell, touch, and taste everything in Lou鈥檚 world. I could imagine myself in Cesarine. Hell, full disclosure, I 诲颈诲苍鈥檛 read the back of the book where it states that this is 鈥渟et in romantic seventeenth-century France鈥 and I honest to God immediately imagined Paris.
In this universe, magic has a smell to it and a price must be paid to keep the balance. Vision for vision. A broken bone for a broken bone. A life for a life. I love seeing a developed magic system in books. I love to see magic in books have their rules, rituals, and how things work. It makes things so much easier to immerse myself in the world. It also makes it so much more believable. This magic system is complex and intelligent. It takes numbers and kicks butt.
In this world, magic flows in the blood of women 鈥 witches. The Church is well, just like the Catholic Church 鈥 need I say more? Although this world is different from our own, we have similarities: the brutality the Church uses against witches, the lengths the oppressed will go to defend themselves against their oppressors 鈥 even if it means using violence, the ever struggle of men being unable to stand women being stronger than them.
This world is gray. It is neither black or white. The witches may use cruel means to harm their victims, but the witches are victims, too. They struggle to survive in this cruel world filled with people who hate and fear them to the point where they would sell them out to the huntsmen to be burned alive. However, we can鈥檛 forget that the witches, too, employ cruel means against their victims.
I love it. I love worlds and books where the line between good and evil is blurred, where it is multiple shades of gray and what you are taught is good isn鈥檛 necessarily good.
Worlds where these lines are blurred set a good stage for awesome plots and stories. Mahurin was able to combine this world she created with this awesome, gripping and thrilling story. This book is filled with layers, each intricately stitched together into a solid framework. Despite the fact that there are these layers, it never loses sight of the main arc. Yes, romance is certainly a thing here and so is mature scenes and elements, but so are the questions of loyalty and love and hate and oppression and truth.
My heart swelled with joy and sunk down to my stomach with fear throughout this book. I screamed with joy and laughed a little too hard in some scenes. It鈥檚 vulgar and full of cuss words, but God that鈥檚 the beauty of it because it makes it so much more realistic.
While the book doesn鈥檛 end in a major cliffhanger, it does leave me wanting more. I鈥檓 so excited to see what happens in the future and I鈥檒l definitely be keeping an eye on Shelby Mahurin鈥檚 future books.
I absolutely recommend this book. It鈥檚 a wonderful fantasy with a gripping storyline, amazing characters who are well developed and fleshed out, and awesome worldbuilding that allows you to truly immerse yourself into this universe. ...more
A | If you鈥檙e interested in reading about Chernobyl and want a good place to start, consider this book. Midnight in Chernobyl is detailed, extensive, A | If you鈥檙e interested in reading about Chernobyl and want a good place to start, consider this book. Midnight in Chernobyl is detailed, extensive, and the research is obvious in every page. Most importantly, it鈥檚 also accessible and the writing is very easy to read and follow, making it a great place to start.
Definitely one of my top nonfiction reads and highly recommend....more
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