I feel ROBBED.
Where the hell is the other half of this book??????????
Okay before I get ahead of myself, let me talk about this book from its beginning.
This was the best book in the series, I really liked how the plot thickened, I absolutely ADORE the relationship, the slow burn, the will they-won't they, it's all even better than in the previous two books.
Everything was going great up until the last portion of the book.
Not only did the ending feel very Fairy-tale-y, like something out of a Disney movie, but it also felt too short.
I was robbed of the ending this book deserved.
I wasn't a big fan of the trial at the end instead of the big war we've been building up for the entire time. Though I do understand why the author went that way, and it makes sense.
I straight up HATED Damen's encounter with his brother, I hated how idiotic he was, I hated how "nice" he was, which almost cost him his life (to be frank I kinda hoped it did) and I overall felt very underwhelmed by Kastor's whole character. Throughout the whole series there's this idea that's built in our heads about this big bad wolf that conspired to kill his father and send his brother to slavery, but when he was finally there in front of us he was so negligible I hated it.
I was so happy when my baby Laurent killed that bitch though.
Then the book just ended, and I understand why, but I wanted it to be longer, I wanted to see them deal with the aftermath of everything that happened in all 3 books, I wanted to see them show more rebuild, create a new world, maybe even end slavery, but we got none of that and that felt like a robbery to me.
Overall this was a really good book, hell it was the best one in the trilogy, I absolutely loved it but I really would've enjoyed it even more if the ending had been a bit longer, or even if there was some sort of epilogue that gave us a glimpse of what came next. show less
Where the hell is the other half of this book??????????
Okay before I get ahead of myself, let me talk about this book from its beginning.
This was the best book in the series, I really liked how the plot thickened, I absolutely ADORE the relationship, the slow burn, the will they-won't they, it's all even better than in the previous two books.
Everything was going great up until the last portion of the book.
Not only did the ending feel very Fairy-tale-y, like something out of a Disney movie, but it also felt too short.
I was robbed of the ending this book deserved.
I wasn't a big fan of the trial at the end instead of the big war we've been building up for the entire time. Though I do understand why the author went that way, and it makes sense.
I straight up HATED Damen's encounter with his brother, I hated how idiotic he was, I hated how "nice" he was, which almost cost him his life (to be frank I kinda hoped it did) and I overall felt very underwhelmed by Kastor's whole character. Throughout the whole series there's this idea that's built in our heads about this big bad wolf that conspired to kill his father and send his brother to slavery, but when he was finally there in front of us he was so negligible I hated it.
I was so happy when my baby Laurent killed that bitch though.
Then the book just ended, and I understand why, but I wanted it to be longer, I wanted to see them deal with the aftermath of everything that happened in all 3 books, I wanted to see them show more rebuild, create a new world, maybe even end slavery, but we got none of that and that felt like a robbery to me.
Overall this was a really good book, hell it was the best one in the trilogy, I absolutely loved it but I really would've enjoyed it even more if the ending had been a bit longer, or even if there was some sort of epilogue that gave us a glimpse of what came next. show less
I gotta say, this was one of Maas' better books, it might even be my favorite by her so far.
"Oh but if it's your favorite why is it only 4 stars while others are rated 5?" you might ask.
Well, when I first started my SJM journey I was young, dumb and impressionable and I didn't know better okay!
ACOSF follows the story of Nesta, Feyre's older sister who we left in quite the rough patch when we last saw her, and she's not any better.
So the inner circle decide to intervene and give her and ultimatum: train with Cassian and work in the library or go back to the human lands.
Things start off very badly, she refuses to move let alone train, she's mean and hurtful to Cassian...
But since we're reading from her point of view, we get to see her trauma and how it had taken over her life rendering her the way she is.
I really loved the journey of self-discovery Nesta went through in this book, it was very interesting and very well portrayed. I absolutely loved the female friendships portrayed in this book, something Maas isn't usually praised for since her female characters tend to hate each other.
Cassian as a whole is amazing, I love him, he's my favorite bat boy.
The training scenes, especially with the other females are pure gold, he's so respectful of their boundaries and yet he doesn't coddle them one bit!
I know Rhys is considered as the feminist guy icon and all, but here's an unpopular opinion; Rhys isn't that much of a feminist, Cassian on the other hand, he's the one that show more should get all that praise!
Speaking of Rhys, I wanted to strangle him through most of this book.
No, I'm not gonna explain or elaborate, that's just how it is.
Despite this being Sarah's best book yet, it still has its flaws.
A main issue I had with this book is the romance, not the ship itself I would die for Nessian, but rather how their relationship was very sex-driven. I'm not saying I'm against characters being intimate before developing anything else, but I am against that intimacy being the only thing driving the relationship.
Cassian and Nesta barely have any emotional moment or heart to heart as equals. Yes Cassian helped her sort through her trauma and he pushed her to confront it by sharing his own history with her but was more a part of Nesta's journey rather than a Nessian moment, if that makes any sense.
Like, the characters never express any other feeling toward one another except lust when they aren't already doing the deed. I felt like there was no emotional connection that built up between them, or rather, the emotional connection wasn't strong enough.
Another thing that irked me about this book was how the writer would sometimes spend WAY too long describing things, like did we really need three pages to describe the library? Something we as readers are already familiar with.
Overall though, it was a very good book and I loved Nesta's journey throughout it, I am however less than eager to read the next book since it's about Elain and if I'm being honest I wanna punch her in the face more often than not. show less
"Oh but if it's your favorite why is it only 4 stars while others are rated 5?" you might ask.
Well, when I first started my SJM journey I was young, dumb and impressionable and I didn't know better okay!
ACOSF follows the story of Nesta, Feyre's older sister who we left in quite the rough patch when we last saw her, and she's not any better.
So the inner circle decide to intervene and give her and ultimatum: train with Cassian and work in the library or go back to the human lands.
Things start off very badly, she refuses to move let alone train, she's mean and hurtful to Cassian...
But since we're reading from her point of view, we get to see her trauma and how it had taken over her life rendering her the way she is.
I really loved the journey of self-discovery Nesta went through in this book, it was very interesting and very well portrayed. I absolutely loved the female friendships portrayed in this book, something Maas isn't usually praised for since her female characters tend to hate each other.
Cassian as a whole is amazing, I love him, he's my favorite bat boy.
The training scenes, especially with the other females are pure gold, he's so respectful of their boundaries and yet he doesn't coddle them one bit!
I know Rhys is considered as the feminist guy icon and all, but here's an unpopular opinion; Rhys isn't that much of a feminist, Cassian on the other hand, he's the one that show more should get all that praise!
Speaking of Rhys, I wanted to strangle him through most of this book.
No, I'm not gonna explain or elaborate, that's just how it is.
Despite this being Sarah's best book yet, it still has its flaws.
A main issue I had with this book is the romance, not the ship itself I would die for Nessian, but rather how their relationship was very sex-driven. I'm not saying I'm against characters being intimate before developing anything else, but I am against that intimacy being the only thing driving the relationship.
Cassian and Nesta barely have any emotional moment or heart to heart as equals. Yes Cassian helped her sort through her trauma and he pushed her to confront it by sharing his own history with her but was more a part of Nesta's journey rather than a Nessian moment, if that makes any sense.
Like, the characters never express any other feeling toward one another except lust when they aren't already doing the deed. I felt like there was no emotional connection that built up between them, or rather, the emotional connection wasn't strong enough.
Another thing that irked me about this book was how the writer would sometimes spend WAY too long describing things, like did we really need three pages to describe the library? Something we as readers are already familiar with.
Overall though, it was a very good book and I loved Nesta's journey throughout it, I am however less than eager to read the next book since it's about Elain and if I'm being honest I wanna punch her in the face more often than not. show less
This was such a fun read and starting off my year with it was a good idea!
The Duke and I follows the story of Daphne Bridgerton (and her many alphabetically named siblings) and Simon, the duke of Hastings, as they navigate their way through a London season with all of its balls, parties, eligible bachelors and ambitious mamas.
I really liked the aspect of fake courting the two main characters had going on, it's one of those tropes that I am aware is over-used but I truly enjoy it!
I also liked that the story didn't just end with a wedding and a 'they lived happily ever after' but rather half of the book was about their relationship as a married couple.
The writing style was one of this book's strong points, it was light and very fun to go through, I didn't even realize how much of the book I read until I reached the last page! It has been a while since I found myself lost in the pages of a book (not an audiobook) as such.
However, this book would've been a solid 4 or even 5 stars had it not been for one scene in particular that made me so uncomfortable I actually considered DNFing the book right then and there.
Before they get married, Simon tells Daphne that he can't have children, and she says she can bear that. However, Mr. Duke was simply pulling out because he didn't want children due to a vow he made to his late father, and since Daphne didn't know anything about the technicalities of the act of conceiving, she didn't think much of it. Until one day, realization hit her and they have this huge fight.
So far so good, but then Simon gets drunk and goes back home, they fight some more then fall asleep.
When Daphne wakes up, Simon is half drunk half asleep and she decides to seize the opportunity and try for a child without actual explicit consent from her husband.
That wasn't a romantic gesture, Daphne wasn't innocent, she simply took advantage of his weak state and in my book that qualifies as sexual assault.
The book tried to play it off by making Simon imply he gave her consent because he was turned on and such, but HE WAS NEITHER FULLY SOBER NOR AWAKE!!!!! He couldn't possibly give consent in his state, and had it been a female in that position no one would hesitate in screaming bloody murder and calling it rape!
I don't care that they're married, I don't care that he was turned on, I don't care whatever nonsense he said to her that may have been interpreted as encouragement, He was NOT sober, therefore he wasn't giving consent.
Not to mention forcing your spouse to have a child while they explicitly expressed that they don't want one is just fucked up.
I'm not saying Simon is an angel in this situation, since he lied to his goddamn spouse about his ability to have children and that's a huge no-no.
BUT that doesn't justify Daphne's actions.
Honorable mentions go to:
- Colin Bridgerton, an absolute Cinammon roll, I love him.
- Over-bearing, over-protective Anthony Bridgerton, as annoying as he can be, we adore a loving older brother.
- Violet Brudgerton, hands down the best Bridgerton of them all, she knows what's up.
- Lady Danbry, the sass that woman possesses is incredible.
- Penelope Featherington, an absolute cinnamon roll that needs to be protected at all costs.
Overall, this was a good book (minus that one scene) and I'm really looking forward to the stories of the other Bridgertons! show less
The Duke and I follows the story of Daphne Bridgerton (and her many alphabetically named siblings) and Simon, the duke of Hastings, as they navigate their way through a London season with all of its balls, parties, eligible bachelors and ambitious mamas.
I really liked the aspect of
I also liked that the story didn't just end with a wedding and a 'they lived happily ever after' but rather half of the book was about their relationship as a married couple.
The writing style was one of this book's strong points, it was light and very fun to go through, I didn't even realize how much of the book I read until I reached the last page! It has been a while since I found myself lost in the pages of a book (not an audiobook) as such.
However, this book would've been a solid 4 or even 5 stars had it not been for one scene in particular that made me so uncomfortable I actually considered DNFing the book right then and there.
Before they get married, Simon tells Daphne that he can't have children, and she says she can bear that. However, Mr. Duke was simply pulling out because he didn't want children due to a vow he made to his late father, and since Daphne didn't know anything about the technicalities of the act of conceiving, she didn't think much of it. Until one day, realization hit
So far so good, but then Simon gets drunk and goes back home, they fight some more then fall asleep.
When Daphne wakes up, Simon is half drunk half asleep and she decides to seize the opportunity and try for a child without actual explicit consent from her husband.
That wasn't a romantic gesture, Daphne wasn't innocent, she simply took advantage of his weak state and in my book that qualifies as sexual assault.
The book tried to play it off by making Simon imply he gave her consent because he was turned on and such, but HE WAS NEITHER FULLY SOBER NOR AWAKE!!!!! He couldn't possibly give consent in his state, and had it been a female in that position no one would hesitate in screaming bloody murder and calling it rape!
I don't care that they're married, I don't care that he was turned on, I don't care whatever nonsense he said to her that may have been interpreted as encouragement, He was NOT sober, therefore he wasn't giving consent.
Not to mention forcing your spouse to have a child while they explicitly expressed that they don't want one is just fucked up.
I'm not saying Simon is an angel in this situation, since he lied to his goddamn spouse about his ability to have children and that's a huge no-no.
BUT that doesn't justify Daphne's actions.
Honorable mentions go to:
- Colin Bridgerton, an absolute Cinammon roll, I love him.
- Over-bearing, over-protective Anthony Bridgerton, as annoying as he can be, we adore a loving older brother.
- Violet Brudgerton, hands down the best Bridgerton of them all, she knows what's up.
- Lady Danbry, the sass that woman possesses is incredible.
- Penelope Featherington, an absolute cinnamon roll that needs to be protected at all costs.
Overall, this was a good book (minus that one scene) and I'm really looking forward to the stories of the other Bridgertons! show less
Actual rating: 3.5 stars.
Anthony Bridgerton is a hypocritical piece of shit.
There, I said it.
As much as I loved him in the previous book, and still do, I simply can't write a review of this book without pointing that out.
The Viscount Who Moved Me is the story of Anthony Bridgerton (The eldest Bridgerton as his name indicates) and Kate Sheffield as they go through their hate to love journey.
Much like fake dating, this is a trope I truly enjoy, and it was beautifully done by Julia Quinn in this book. A trap most authors fall into when writing this trope is making the dislike or hatred unbelievable. But fortunately, that wasn't the case here, you could feel Kate's hatred through the pages and if you're like me, you'd agree with her.
The story starts with Anthony deciding that he needs to settle down and choosing Kate's sister as his potential bride. Kate however, was having none of it, and rightfully so, Anthony's reputation precedes him and she wouldn't let her younger sister marry such a notorious rake.
In his quest to convince Kate he isn't as bad as she thinks, the pair find themselves in such an tangled mess of lust and emotion and everything in between.
I really liked the depth both characters had, you could tell the author put so much thought and effort in the development of both Anthony and Kate.
I really liked the aspect of questioning one's own mortality because of a traumatic event situation Anthony had going on, it was the first time I ever read about such a show more reaction to traumatic events and I really felt like I emerged from this book with a new knowledge.
And although this was an overall good book, one thing that irked me was Anthony's hypocrisy.
The man almost killed his own best friend for touching his sister, and yet Mr. Viscount not only kissed Kate, but had the AUDACITY, to keep on courting her sister AND act all superior about it.
Like, dude if you are prepared to kill when someone does something similar to your sister, why on earth are you doing it???????
Overall however, it was a good book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Honorable mentions go to:
- Newton, the best character in this whole book.
- Colin Bridgerton because he's my favorite. show less
Anthony Bridgerton is a hypocritical piece of shit.
There, I said it.
As much as I loved him in the previous book, and still do, I simply can't write a review of this book without pointing that out.
The Viscount Who Moved Me is the story of Anthony Bridgerton (The eldest Bridgerton as his name indicates) and Kate Sheffield as they go through their hate to love journey.
Much like fake dating, this is a trope I truly enjoy, and it was beautifully done by Julia Quinn in this book. A trap most authors fall into when writing this trope is making the dislike or hatred unbelievable. But fortunately, that wasn't the case here, you could feel Kate's hatred through the pages and if you're like me, you'd agree with her.
The story starts with Anthony deciding that he needs to settle down and choosing Kate's sister as his potential bride. Kate however, was having none of it, and rightfully so, Anthony's reputation precedes him and she wouldn't let her younger sister marry such a notorious rake.
In his quest to convince Kate he isn't as bad as she thinks, the pair find themselves in such an tangled mess of lust and emotion and everything in between.
I really liked the depth both characters had, you could tell the author put so much thought and effort in the development of both Anthony and Kate.
I really liked the aspect of questioning one's own mortality because of a traumatic event situation Anthony had going on, it was the first time I ever read about such a show more reaction to traumatic events and I really felt like I emerged from this book with a new knowledge.
And although this was an overall good book, one thing that irked me was Anthony's hypocrisy.
The man almost killed his own best friend for touching his sister, and yet Mr. Viscount not only kissed Kate, but had the AUDACITY, to keep on courting her sister AND act all superior about it.
Like, dude if you are prepared to kill when someone does something similar to your sister, why on earth are you doing it???????
Overall however, it was a good book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Honorable mentions go to:
- Newton, the best character in this whole book.
- Colin Bridgerton because he's my favorite. show less
Nope.
That's genuinely the nicest thing I could say about this book. Just Nope.
This book had so much potential to deliver an incredible story about sacrifices one makes in pursuit of power, or how you can be deluded into thinking you're in love with someone and only realizing the truth when it's too late, or even how one naive girl navigates her way into court after being swept off her feet by a king.
But nope the author had to give us a bland love triangle, an insta love relationship with a cardboard cutout of a character and some dumb unoriginal and under developed "secrets" and "plot-twists".
I was honestly extremely intrigued by the beginning of this book, mainly because I expected it to go in a completely different direction than the one it did. But then Silas showed up and I wanted to die.
I have nothing against love triangl- okay that's a lie, I hate love triangles, but I can tolerate a well done one. This one was everything but.
I feel like the moment Silas was introduced, the author tried so hard to make King whatshisface (I can't be bothered to look up his name) look like the bad guy, but that's the thing, he wasn't! He's not my favorite character in the whole world or anything of the sort, but he's not a monster either. I would've much rather seen Lady whatsherface marry him THEN actually (and properly) fall for someone else and see how she navigates the situation than whatever the fuck this was.
As for the story it was quite frankly extremely boring, a lot of the show more plot twists felt rather childish and not well thought out.
The last few chapters were a struggle to go through despite the writing style being quite simple and straight to the point.
Now, to be fair, I'm pretty sure 16 years old me would've loved this book and thought it was the best thing ever written, but my current self doesn't.
I'm probably just not the target demographic for this book and that's why it missed its mark completely.
Overall, this wasn't for me, but I hope others who read it enjoyed it more than I did. show less
That's genuinely the nicest thing I could say about this book. Just Nope.
This book had so much potential to deliver an incredible story about sacrifices one makes in pursuit of power, or how you can be deluded into thinking you're in love with someone and only realizing the truth when it's too late, or even how one naive girl navigates her way into court after being swept off her feet by a king.
But nope the author had to give us a bland love triangle, an insta love relationship with a cardboard cutout of a character and some dumb unoriginal and under developed "secrets" and "plot-twists".
I was honestly extremely intrigued by the beginning of this book, mainly because I expected it to go in a completely different direction than the one it did. But then Silas showed up and I wanted to die.
I have nothing against love triangl- okay that's a lie, I hate love triangles, but I can tolerate a well done one. This one was everything but.
I feel like the moment Silas was introduced, the author tried so hard to make King whatshisface (I can't be bothered to look up his name) look like the bad guy, but that's the thing, he wasn't! He's not my favorite character in the whole world or anything of the sort, but he's not a monster either. I would've much rather seen Lady whatsherface marry him THEN actually (and properly) fall for someone else and see how she navigates the situation than whatever the fuck this was.
As for the story it was quite frankly extremely boring, a lot of the show more plot twists felt rather childish and not well thought out.
The last few chapters were a struggle to go through despite the writing style being quite simple and straight to the point.
Now, to be fair, I'm pretty sure 16 years old me would've loved this book and thought it was the best thing ever written, but my current self doesn't.
I'm probably just not the target demographic for this book and that's why it missed its mark completely.
Overall, this wasn't for me, but I hope others who read it enjoyed it more than I did. show less
Ever since the first book, I declared Colin my favorite Bridgerton brother and boy was I not wrong!
I absolutely love him!
Penelope is an absolutely adorable cinnamon roll and I just cannot explain how much I love her!
Give them a book together and it results in me fangirling my heart out every two seconds.
This was so far my favorite book in the series and I believe I would be revisiting it at some point even if I don't reread the entire series.
I really enjoyed reading from both Pen and Colin's points of view, and I feel like there wasn't a dull moment in this book, although I had moments where I wanted to whack Colin on the head for being too thick!
One of my favorite elements in this story was Colin's struggle to find himself and him dealing with his jealousy of his wife because she did find her calling and was great at it!
I do hope that at some point in the next books, we get a glimpse of what happened after Colin's announcement at Daphne's ball.
Overall this was a very enjoyable book and I'm pumped to read the rest.
I absolutely love him!
Penelope is an absolutely adorable cinnamon roll and I just cannot explain how much I love her!
Give them a book together and it results in me fangirling my heart out every two seconds.
This was so far my favorite book in the series and I believe I would be revisiting it at some point even if I don't reread the entire series.
I really enjoyed reading from both Pen and Colin's points of view, and I feel like there wasn't a dull moment in this book, although I had moments where I wanted to whack Colin on the head for being too thick!
One of my favorite elements in this story was Colin's struggle to find himself and him dealing with his jealousy of his wife because she did find her calling and was great at it!
I do hope that at some point in the next books, we get a glimpse of what happened after Colin's announcement at Daphne's ball.
Overall this was a very enjoyable book and I'm pumped to read the rest.
Oh boy this is gonna be a long rant, I don't even know where to start.
First of all I would like to say that I apparently hate myself since I find great pleasure in picking up books I know for a fact I wouldn't like then forcing myself through them.
This was no different, from the synopsis alone I knew this wouldn't be my cup of tea, or even occasional cup of coffee, so I didn't get into it with many expectations, and yet I was somehow let down.
The Kiss Thief follows the story of Francesca, a 19 y.o virginal, innocent, only daughter of a mafia boss type of dude, she's in love with her childhood friend and everyone expects them to be married, but alas the big bad Wolfe shows up and ruins everything. And no that is not a bad joke, the guy's name is literally Wolfe, cue the obligatory eye-roll.
I gotta say, the beginning of this book was very typical bad boy x good girl type of story where he thinks she's a dumb bitch (which wasn't disproved) and she thinks he's a piece of shit (again, wasn't disproved), so other than the obvious issues that particular trope has, there isn't much note-worthy.
But oh boy do we get a lot of notes afterward.
So after Senator Big Bad Wolfe (no I won't be dropping this anytime soon) parades his new fiancé in some wedding, catches her being all lovey-dovey with her beau he -for some unknown reason- get pissed and in retaliation fucks the beau's date. And I'm like ???? Is that supposed to make me react any type of way?
Afterwards she gets mad over one show more thing or the other and she decides to destroy his closet and then he offers to let her go to college because her father wouldn't allow it? And we're supposed to think it's this beautiful romantic gesture that's supposed to serve as a pivotal moment in their relationship but like it wasn't? He literally used the one thing he knew she wanted as bait to get her to cooperate and act as the trophy wife he wanted her to be, so it's neither thoughtful nor romantic. It's just a clever way of manipulating her while making her think she has any freedom/choice. If anything he conditioned her to associate him with getting something she wanted so that later on whenever she thinks of him her brain goes "He let us go to college, he's good".
The manipulative actions keep getting thrown in our faces from then on, but of course they're painted as romantic and adorable and thoughtful.
Then of course things start to get physical and it's whatever because I genuinely couldn't be bothered to give a rat's ass about any of these characters.
Of course we then get a lot of miscommunication where no one talks anything through and there's always a lot of jumping into conclusions without allowing the other party to even try and explain themselves because naturally, that's how a healthy relationship works.
We then get one of the most uncomfortable, horrible scenes I ever had to go through in my entire life as a reader.
So Francesca's parents throw her and Big Bad Wolfe and engagement party, and they attend it as a 'real' couple because things were going good between them (that's code for they got to second base) then she's forced to interact with her childhood beau, remember him? Yeah me neither but it's fine he's irrelevant. Big Bad Wolfe of course sees the exchange and is led to believe that they slept together. And since Francesca told him that she had slept with many guys before it all added up quite nicely and he was furious.
Before I get to the disturbing part of this I just wanna point out that Francesca was like "Oh yeah, sex, I've had plenty of it with... guys and orgasms and stuff" which is what I assume the way an alien would speak about a foreign Human custom to them, and Big Bad Wolfe was like "oh what a whore" even though literally every action of hers screamed "un-experienced", and she seemed genuinely scared of the idea of having sex but ah well what do I know.
Anyway, back to disturb city, they head home and through the drive he's pissed and accusing her of being a whore and sleeping with her childhood sweetheart and she says that she didn't sleep with him, but that's it, she never bothers to really explain. Naturally, he doesn't believe her.
Now, I'm not saying that if your partner doesn't believe you, you must grovel and offer explanations, but in this situation she could've just told him "What the fuck are you talking about I was crying in my room you dumb bitch".
So once they get home and he's saying all these horrible things about her, instead of telling him to go fuck himself like any sane human being would have in that moment, she instead grovels and gets on her knees asking him to pretty please with a cherry on top sleep with her.
Her exact words (if my memory serves me right) are "Fuck *childhood beau* out of me" and I swear to god I felt my body wretch at her words.
They go to her room to do the "devil's tango" and surprise surprise, she starts bleeding because she's a goddamn virgin, making him feel like shit for not believing her and for doing whatever the fuck she just did to her.
This scene actually made me question whether what she gave him is considered consent or not? Like, yeah she told him to go for it and have his way with her, but she also was visibly distraught, in pain and crying throughout the whole thin, not to mention that the reason she let him have his way with her was because she was terrified of what would happen if he kept believing she cheated on him (Homeboy literally used the uni card against her the moment he thought she was unfaithful without even letting her explain).
Technically, yes she has given him verbal consent multiple times before and throughout the act, but everything else, from the situation to her body language screamed the opposite so idk.
While I wouldn't call him a rapist or call that particular scene rape, it still feels very wrong to me, and I can't call it consensual either.
Afterwards he tries to gain her forgiveness by -get this- insinuating more sexual acts, which of course she's more than happy to comply with.
Everything after that was just repetitive and boring and made me wanna punch something, because their relationship is quite possibly the most toxic thing I've ever seen, and I have read my fair share of horrible romances (again, I hate myself).
At some point in the book Francesca asks her mom if what she's feeling for Big Bad Wolfe is Stockholm Syndrome and her mom goes "Oh no, it's just love" and I'm like seriously? Their whole relationship is the textbook definition of Stockholm Syndrome. But then it turns out her mother was living in the most toxic environment with an abusive husband and all so maybe the mother just doesn't know what "love" really is?
Another thing that bothered me in this book was the whole ordeal with her father, it was a really good idea and could've been explored beautifully, but instead I was underwhelmed with what I ended up getting.
At the end of course she kisses the childhood sweetheart and gets photographed, he sees it, gets upset and they have a big fight after which she goes to stay with her parents.
And of course all of that happens before she can tell him she's pregnant, because what's one of these books without a baby to wrap it all up nicely.
They make up after that but I just don't give a fuck, the end.
Overall, this just wasn't a book for me.
One thing I'll have to praise this book for (and the reason this rating is a 2 not a 1 star) is the writing style, the author really has a way with words and I really enjoyed her style despite not really loving the content. show less
First of all I would like to say that I apparently hate myself since I find great pleasure in picking up books I know for a fact I wouldn't like then forcing myself through them.
This was no different, from the synopsis alone I knew this wouldn't be my cup of tea, or even occasional cup of coffee, so I didn't get into it with many expectations, and yet I was somehow let down.
The Kiss Thief follows the story of Francesca, a 19 y.o virginal, innocent, only daughter of a mafia boss type of dude, she's in love with her childhood friend and everyone expects them to be married, but alas the big bad Wolfe shows up and ruins everything. And no that is not a bad joke, the guy's name is literally Wolfe, cue the obligatory eye-roll.
I gotta say, the beginning of this book was very typical bad boy x good girl type of story where he thinks she's a dumb bitch (which wasn't disproved) and she thinks he's a piece of shit (again, wasn't disproved), so other than the obvious issues that particular trope has, there isn't much note-worthy.
But oh boy do we get a lot of notes afterward.
So after Senator Big Bad Wolfe (no I won't be dropping this anytime soon) parades his new fiancé in some wedding, catches her being all lovey-dovey with her beau he -for some unknown reason- get pissed and in retaliation fucks the beau's date. And I'm like ???? Is that supposed to make me react any type of way?
Afterwards she gets mad over one show more thing or the other and she decides to destroy his closet and then he offers to let her go to college because her father wouldn't allow it? And we're supposed to think it's this beautiful romantic gesture that's supposed to serve as a pivotal moment in their relationship but like it wasn't? He literally used the one thing he knew she wanted as bait to get her to cooperate and act as the trophy wife he wanted her to be, so it's neither thoughtful nor romantic. It's just a clever way of manipulating her while making her think she has any freedom/choice. If anything he conditioned her to associate him with getting something she wanted so that later on whenever she thinks of him her brain goes "He let us go to college, he's good".
The manipulative actions keep getting thrown in our faces from then on, but of course they're painted as romantic and adorable and thoughtful.
Then of course things start to get physical and it's whatever because I genuinely couldn't be bothered to give a rat's ass about any of these characters.
Of course we then get a lot of miscommunication where no one talks anything through and there's always a lot of jumping into conclusions without allowing the other party to even try and explain themselves because naturally, that's how a healthy relationship works.
We then get one of the most uncomfortable, horrible scenes I ever had to go through in my entire life as a reader.
So Francesca's parents throw her and Big Bad Wolfe and engagement party, and they attend it as a 'real' couple because things were going good between them (that's code for they got to second base) then she's forced to interact with her childhood beau, remember him? Yeah me neither but it's fine he's irrelevant. Big Bad Wolfe of course sees the exchange and is led to believe that they slept together. And since Francesca told him that she had slept with many guys before it all added up quite nicely and he was furious.
Before I get to the disturbing part of this I just wanna point out that Francesca was like "Oh yeah, sex, I've had plenty of it with... guys and orgasms and stuff" which is what I assume the way an alien would speak about a foreign Human custom to them, and Big Bad Wolfe was like "oh what a whore" even though literally every action of hers screamed "un-experienced", and she seemed genuinely scared of the idea of having sex but ah well what do I know.
Anyway, back to disturb city, they head home and through the drive he's pissed and accusing her of being a whore and sleeping with her childhood sweetheart and she says that she didn't sleep with him, but that's it, she never bothers to really explain. Naturally, he doesn't believe her.
Now, I'm not saying that if your partner doesn't believe you, you must grovel and offer explanations, but in this situation she could've just told him "What the fuck are you talking about I was crying in my room you dumb bitch".
So once they get home and he's saying all these horrible things about her, instead of telling him to go fuck himself like any sane human being would have in that moment, she instead grovels and gets on her knees asking him to pretty please with a cherry on top sleep with her.
Her exact words (if my memory serves me right) are "Fuck *childhood beau* out of me" and I swear to god I felt my body wretch at her words.
They go to her room to do the "devil's tango" and surprise surprise, she starts bleeding because she's a goddamn virgin, making him feel like shit for not believing her and for doing whatever the fuck she just did to her.
This scene actually made me question whether what she gave him is considered consent or not? Like, yeah she told him to go for it and have his way with her, but she also was visibly distraught, in pain and crying throughout the whole thin, not to mention that the reason she let him have his way with her was because she was terrified of what would happen if he kept believing she cheated on him (Homeboy literally used the uni card against her the moment he thought she was unfaithful without even letting her explain).
Technically, yes she has given him verbal consent multiple times before and throughout the act, but everything else, from the situation to her body language screamed the opposite so idk.
While I wouldn't call him a rapist or call that particular scene rape, it still feels very wrong to me, and I can't call it consensual either.
Afterwards he tries to gain her forgiveness by -get this- insinuating more sexual acts, which of course she's more than happy to comply with.
Everything after that was just repetitive and boring and made me wanna punch something, because their relationship is quite possibly the most toxic thing I've ever seen, and I have read my fair share of horrible romances (again, I hate myself).
At some point in the book Francesca asks her mom if what she's feeling for Big Bad Wolfe is Stockholm Syndrome and her mom goes "Oh no, it's just love" and I'm like seriously? Their whole relationship is the textbook definition of Stockholm Syndrome. But then it turns out her mother was living in the most toxic environment with an abusive husband and all so maybe the mother just doesn't know what "love" really is?
Another thing that bothered me in this book was the whole ordeal with her father, it was a really good idea and could've been explored beautifully, but instead I was underwhelmed with what I ended up getting.
At the end of course she kisses the childhood sweetheart and gets photographed, he sees it, gets upset and they have a big fight after which she goes to stay with her parents.
And of course all of that happens before she can tell him she's pregnant, because what's one of these books without a baby to wrap it all up nicely.
They make up after that but I just don't give a fuck, the end.
Overall, this just wasn't a book for me.
One thing I'll have to praise this book for (and the reason this rating is a 2 not a 1 star) is the writing style, the author really has a way with words and I really enjoyed her style despite not really loving the content. show less
Can anyone please spoil this for me?
I was very meh with the last two books and I just don't have it in me to read this.
I also may or may not have forgotten everything that happened in books 1 and 2 and I refuse to suffer through them again just to get to this one.
I was very meh with the last two books and I just don't have it in me to read this.
I also may or may not have forgotten everything that happened in books 1 and 2 and I refuse to suffer through them again just to get to this one.
This was a really good read. I flew through it and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The story is set in a world where something called Calamity happened a few years ago and because of it regular people gained super powers. However that didn't mean the world was now full of Batmans and Supermans and Spidermans fighting crime ans making the world safe, quite the contrary, everyone with a super power was a class A asshole!
We follow a guy called David, who was the only survivor in the only event where the superdude who killed his father and is controlling his city got hurt as he joins a group of rebels called the Reckoners and they try to take him down.
It was a very interesting concept and I really liked the characters and their dynamic.
I did predict a lot of what was about to happen though, but it was still quite enjoyable.
However, since this isn't my first Brandon Sanderson book, I feel like I have to note this, it wasn't Sanderson's best book.
It was really well written and the story is very promising, I can tell it will get better, but it felt like there was something missing.
This book lacked that "holy shit" Sanderson effect some of his other works have.
All in all it was a fun read and it deserves 4 stars, I'm looking forward to what the next books will bring.
The story is set in a world where something called Calamity happened a few years ago and because of it regular people gained super powers. However that didn't mean the world was now full of Batmans and Supermans and Spidermans fighting crime ans making the world safe, quite the contrary, everyone with a super power was a class A asshole!
We follow a guy called David, who was the only survivor in the only event where the superdude who killed his father and is controlling his city got hurt as he joins a group of rebels called the Reckoners and they try to take him down.
It was a very interesting concept and I really liked the characters and their dynamic.
I did predict a lot of what was about to happen though, but it was still quite enjoyable.
However, since this isn't my first Brandon Sanderson book, I feel like I have to note this, it wasn't Sanderson's best book.
It was really well written and the story is very promising, I can tell it will get better, but it felt like there was something missing.
This book lacked that "holy shit" Sanderson effect some of his other works have.
All in all it was a fun read and it deserves 4 stars, I'm looking forward to what the next books will bring.
"When all is blood, blood is all."
That's it, this is the best book I've read this year.
I have LOVED every passage, sentence, word, breath and even comma in this entire book.
I flew through it. I wanted to reach the end, but at the same time I didn't want it to end.
The story once again goes back and forth between two timelines, but this time it's not between Mia's younger years and present one, but between her time as a Gladiatii and what led her there.
Although the first book had a great plot, I definitely prefer this one. The stakes were much higher, and you can tell it was building up to a far bigger story, but still it felt intimate (if that makes any sense)
I absolutely LOVEAsh and Mia together, I love their relationship, how they treat each other, how you can feel they bring out the best in one another without undermining any other part
THE ENDING THOUGH!
Dear lord that ending!!!!
I mean, I knew something had to go wrong, but I didn't expect it to be THAT!
All in all, this was a PHENOMENAL book and I'm so glad I read it.
That's it, this is the best book I've read this year.
I have LOVED every passage, sentence, word, breath and even comma in this entire book.
I flew through it. I wanted to reach the end, but at the same time I didn't want it to end.
The story once again goes back and forth between two timelines, but this time it's not between Mia's younger years and present one, but between her time as a Gladiatii and what led her there.
Although the first book had a great plot, I definitely prefer this one. The stakes were much higher, and you can tell it was building up to a far bigger story, but still it felt intimate (if that makes any sense)
I absolutely LOVE
THE ENDING THOUGH!
Dear lord that ending!!!!
I mean, I knew something had to go wrong, but I didn't expect it to be THAT!
All in all, this was a PHENOMENAL book and I'm so glad I read it.
Oh what a beauty!
When I first picked this book up I expected it to be just another Rom-Com that has its adorable moments and shallow "conflicts" and that ends with a happily ever after, the only thing I expected was that it's set in an Alternative Universe where America had royalty.
But oh boy was I surprised!
Pleasantly so thankfully.
This story was not about falling in love with royalty and living happily ever after, it was much more. I loved how this book tackled the subject of struggling to find yourself in your early adulthood years no matter how much money you have to your name or what titles you have.
I really liked the characters and their inner turmoils.
In a way, they were so different yet so relatable.
The last scene in the book will probably be something I think about a lot even a year from now, when Beatrice got the news of her father's death and immediately everyone bowed to her it was so emotional and powerful and heart breaking! I loved how the author portrayed it.
All in all this was such a good book and I'm really glad I picked it up, I can't wait for the rest of the series!
When I first picked this book up I expected it to be just another Rom-Com that has its adorable moments and shallow "conflicts" and that ends with a happily ever after, the only thing I expected was that it's set in an Alternative Universe where America had royalty.
But oh boy was I surprised!
Pleasantly so thankfully.
This story was not about falling in love with royalty and living happily ever after, it was much more. I loved how this book tackled the subject of struggling to find yourself in your early adulthood years no matter how much money you have to your name or what titles you have.
I really liked the characters and their inner turmoils.
In a way, they were so different yet so relatable.
The last scene in the book will probably be something I think about a lot even a year from now,
All in all this was such a good book and I'm really glad I picked it up, I can't wait for the rest of the series!
I don't know if Goodreads is randomly removing books from my shelves or if I had completely forgotten to add this one.
But either way, I have absolutely loved this book, it was funny and light hearted and I really enjoyed going through it.
I loved the characters, their banter and their dynamic. I also loved learning a little about Lina's Brazilian background and culture.
Overall it was a really adorable book!
But either way, I have absolutely loved this book, it was funny and light hearted and I really enjoyed going through it.
I loved the characters, their banter and their dynamic. I also loved learning a little about Lina's Brazilian background and culture.
Overall it was a really adorable book!
Actual rating: like 3.5 I suppose?
I don't know how to feel about this entire book series to be completely honest.
Objectively speaking? It's fine. Not great, not incredible, just fine.
But the fact that it's a Brandon Sanderson series is making me judge it far too harshly.
Did I maybe go in with very high expectations? Hell yeah I did, mainly because all of Sanderson's other works I've read so far were incredible.
I still think the idea of this book is really good, it's written beautifully, has an interesting cast (mostly) but it's still lacking something!
Something that bothered me in this book was the romance. I just didn't connect with it at all, I didn't really care about it and hell I thought David was an idiot for just trusting her like that even after everything.
I didn't really enjoy the way things were revealed in this book, or even how the characters reached certain conclusions or information. There was a lot of telling instead of showing and a lot of the information was just handed to the characters.
I must however give credit where credit is due, the ending of this book was quite interesting, I liked how it played out despite everything else.
All in all this was a fine read, I probably would've enjoyed it more if I had lower expectations when I started it.
I don't know how to feel about this entire book series to be completely honest.
Objectively speaking? It's fine. Not great, not incredible, just fine.
But the fact that it's a Brandon Sanderson series is making me judge it far too harshly.
Did I maybe go in with very high expectations? Hell yeah I did, mainly because all of Sanderson's other works I've read so far were incredible.
I still think the idea of this book is really good, it's written beautifully, has an interesting cast (mostly) but it's still lacking something!
Something that bothered me in this book was the romance. I just didn't connect with it at all, I didn't really care about it and hell I thought David was an idiot for just trusting her like that even after everything.
I didn't really enjoy the way things were revealed in this book, or even how the characters reached certain conclusions or information. There was a lot of telling instead of showing and a lot of the information was just handed to the characters.
I must however give credit where credit is due, the ending of this book was quite interesting, I liked how it played out despite everything else.
All in all this was a fine read, I probably would've enjoyed it more if I had lower expectations when I started it.
Arc provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange of an honest review
This was such an adorable book omg
This book was everything I expected it to be and more.
I really had fun going through it, it was the right amount of fun, light and heartfelt.
I wish more books like this existed.
I really don't have much to say about this, it was just so good!!
This was such an adorable book omg
This book was everything I expected it to be and more.
I really had fun going through it, it was the right amount of fun, light and heartfelt.
I wish more books like this existed.
I really don't have much to say about this, it was just so good!!
Actual rating: 3.5-ish?
Review:
What normal people do when they're feeling down: try to cheer themselves up by doing/reading happy stuff.
What I do when I'm feeling down: make it even worse by reading depressing books (usually by Adam Silvera) that make me contemplate everything I've ever known.
Ah hell!
I haven't written a review in ages I don't even know where to start. Therefore please bear with me if this makes no sense.
More Happy Than Not follows the story of Aaron, a 16 y.o boy struggling with his identity and trying to find his true self, as I'm pretty sure we've all done at 16.
The story is set in a word pretty much similar to ours except one little detail, there's a procedure that could suppress one's unwanted memories if needed (and said person wants it) but it's only done in very severe cases such as to people with PTSD.
When we first meet Aaron he is pretty much a normal guy (or as normal as one could be after having his father kill himself and a failed suicide attempt of his own) he has an amazing artist girlfriend and friends that seem to care about him in their own weird twisted ways.
All is well then Aaron meets this kid Thomas and they immediately become friends, a couple of days (or maybe weeks? I'm not sure, my timelines suck) after that Aaron's girlfriend goes away for like 3 weeks for an artistic something something.
While she's gone, Aaron and Thomas start to hang out even more and get closer to one another, Aaron even starts referring to Thomas as his best show more friend.
As I was reading I could tell some sort of feelings were growing, then Aaron comes to the conclusion that Thomas likes boys.
I think in a way, that was his way of coming to terms with the fact that he -too- did in fact like boys, in a way thinking that his friend was gay was his way of admitting to himself that he was gay.
Aaron then comes out for Thomas expecting him to do the same but he never did.
Somehow Aaron kisses Thomas, but the latter doesn't kiss him back and that's basically what starts the downfall in this story.
Aaron decides that if Thomas can't reciprocate his feelings then he must go through a Leto procedure (the one where they suppress your memories) because he can't live with such a rejection, and he has to "turn himself straight" by forgetting that he ever liked a boy and confessed that to him. Which, in my opinion was the coward way out, because -past traumas or not- one can't possibly grow up and evolve if one has no past to learn from. If you don't face your first rejection and wipe it out instead then every other rejection you'll ever encounter will feel like the first, therefore you'd never grow to understand and rationalize and eventually accept it.
Afterwards Aaron's friends somehow get wind that he's not straight and beat the shit out of him in an attempt to... to be quite frank I have no idea why they rationalized doing that to themselves, all I know is that from where I stand it just seems like a crime of hatred.
As Aaron was getting the shit beaten out of him, something snapped and he started getting all sorts of flashbacks.
At first I was confused, because if Aaron had already came out to his mom at the ages of 8 and 9 then why did he make such a big deal out of saying it again to her at 16.
It only hit me later why it would be as such.
From the flashbacks we learn that the father that was so idolized earlier in the book by Aaron was a shitty person, who beat his son up, kicked him out then beat his wife up when his kid came out to him. He then committed suicide in the bathtub, and was found by poor little Aaron who blamed himself for that and later on tried to go down the same road as well.
We also learn that Aaron has a thing with this kid Collin -who we've encountered once throughout the whole book and Aaron mentioned that he got his girlfriend pregnant and that's it- but it turned out the story was much more than that, Aaron and Collin started falling for one another (while both had girlfriends) and on the day they decided to actually come clean to their girls and give this thing between them a chance, they got the shit beaten out of them by some random assholes. The same day in which Aaron went home to find his dad swimming in his own blood.
Aaron remembers a lot of things but these are the main ones, so basically after going through all this trauma he decides he should get a Leto procedure to "straighten himself out" by forgetting he ever admitted to being gay or anything related to that topic.
Flash forward, and Aaron is in the hospital yadayada.
He confronts Genevive (his ex girlfriend) and Thomas. And what I hated about this was that he was still adamant Thomas was gay and he was just pretending to be straight; it's like he was trying to force him to be gay so he can be with him.
After a few days (or weeks? idk I suck when it comes to time) Aaron starts showing some weird symptoms and it turned out that he has anterograde amnesia, which basically means he can't make new memories.
To be completely honest, I am not this plot "twist"'s biggest fan, to me (and I may get some backlash for this) Adam took the easy way out, so rather than have Aaron move on with his life knowing he fell for the wrong person, got rejected and it's okay, and rather than making him come to terms with all the wrongs he did and understand why it's wrong and actually seek forgiveness and understanding, he just made him get this sickness that just made everyone sympathetic toward him so they forgave him without actually solving the issues they had.
All in all, this was yet another beautiful, heartbreaking book by Adam Silvera, it wasn't as breathtaking as [b:History Is All You Left Me|25014114|History Is All You Left Me|Adam Silvera|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1462807691l/25014114._SY75_.jpg|44686341] or [b:They Both Die at the End|33385229|They Both Die at the End|Adam Silvera|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1494333138l/33385229._SY75_.jpg|49456196] but it was his debut novel so it's understandable.
Despite having some issues with certain plotpoints and despite it combining a bunch of clichés, it was an honest story about love and heartbreak and sel-discovery and I really enjoyed going through it. show less
Review:
What normal people do when they're feeling down: try to cheer themselves up by doing/reading happy stuff.
What I do when I'm feeling down: make it even worse by reading depressing books (usually by Adam Silvera) that make me contemplate everything I've ever known.
Ah hell!
I haven't written a review in ages I don't even know where to start. Therefore please bear with me if this makes no sense.
More Happy Than Not follows the story of Aaron, a 16 y.o boy struggling with his identity and trying to find his true self, as I'm pretty sure we've all done at 16.
The story is set in a word pretty much similar to ours except one little detail, there's a procedure that could suppress one's unwanted memories if needed (and said person wants it) but it's only done in very severe cases such as to people with PTSD.
When we first meet Aaron he is pretty much a normal guy (or as normal as one could be after having his father kill himself and a failed suicide attempt of his own) he has an amazing artist girlfriend and friends that seem to care about him in their own weird twisted ways.
All is well then Aaron meets this kid Thomas and they immediately become friends, a couple of days (or maybe weeks? I'm not sure, my timelines suck) after that Aaron's girlfriend goes away for like 3 weeks for an artistic something something.
While she's gone, Aaron and Thomas start to hang out even more and get closer to one another, Aaron even starts referring to Thomas as his best show more friend.
As I was reading I could tell some sort of feelings were growing, then Aaron comes to the conclusion that Thomas likes boys.
I think in a way, that was his way of coming to terms with the fact that he -too- did in fact like boys, in a way thinking that his friend was gay was his way of admitting to himself that he was gay.
Aaron then comes out for Thomas expecting him to do the same but he never did.
Somehow Aaron kisses Thomas, but the latter doesn't kiss him back and that's basically what starts the downfall in this story.
Aaron decides that if Thomas can't reciprocate his feelings then he must go through a Leto procedure (the one where they suppress your memories) because he can't live with such a rejection, and he has to "turn himself straight" by forgetting that he ever liked a boy and confessed that to him. Which, in my opinion was the coward way out, because -past traumas or not- one can't possibly grow up and evolve if one has no past to learn from. If you don't face your first rejection and wipe it out instead then every other rejection you'll ever encounter will feel like the first, therefore you'd never grow to understand and rationalize and eventually accept it.
Afterwards Aaron's friends somehow get wind that he's not straight and beat the shit out of him in an attempt to... to be quite frank I have no idea why they rationalized doing that to themselves, all I know is that from where I stand it just seems like a crime of hatred.
As Aaron was getting the shit beaten out of him, something snapped and he started getting all sorts of flashbacks.
At first I was confused, because if Aaron had already came out to his mom at the ages of 8 and 9 then why did he make such a big deal out of saying it again to her at 16.
It only hit me later why it would be as such.
From the flashbacks we learn that the father that was so idolized earlier in the book by Aaron was a shitty person, who beat his son up, kicked him out then beat his wife up when his kid came out to him. He then committed suicide in the bathtub, and was found by poor little Aaron who blamed himself for that and later on tried to go down the same road as well.
We also learn that Aaron has a thing with this kid Collin -who we've encountered once throughout the whole book and Aaron mentioned that he got his girlfriend pregnant and that's it- but it turned out the story was much more than that, Aaron and Collin started falling for one another (while both had girlfriends) and on the day they decided to actually come clean to their girls and give this thing between them a chance, they got the shit beaten out of them by some random assholes. The same day in which Aaron went home to find his dad swimming in his own blood.
Aaron remembers a lot of things but these are the main ones, so basically after going through all this trauma he decides he should get a Leto procedure to "straighten himself out" by forgetting he ever admitted to being gay or anything related to that topic.
Flash forward, and Aaron is in the hospital yadayada.
He confronts Genevive (his ex girlfriend) and Thomas. And what I hated about this was that he was still adamant Thomas was gay and he was just pretending to be straight; it's like he was trying to force him to be gay so he can be with him.
After a few days (or weeks? idk I suck when it comes to time) Aaron starts showing some weird symptoms and it turned out that he has anterograde amnesia, which basically means he can't make new memories.
To be completely honest, I am not this plot "twist"'s biggest fan, to me (and I may get some backlash for this) Adam took the easy way out, so rather than have Aaron move on with his life knowing he fell for the wrong person, got rejected and it's okay, and rather than making him come to terms with all the wrongs he did and understand why it's wrong and actually seek forgiveness and understanding, he just made him get this sickness that just made everyone sympathetic toward him so they forgave him without actually solving the issues they had.
All in all, this was yet another beautiful, heartbreaking book by Adam Silvera, it wasn't as breathtaking as [b:History Is All You Left Me|25014114|History Is All You Left Me|Adam Silvera|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1462807691l/25014114._SY75_.jpg|44686341] or [b:They Both Die at the End|33385229|They Both Die at the End|Adam Silvera|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1494333138l/33385229._SY75_.jpg|49456196] but it was his debut novel so it's understandable.
Despite having some issues with certain plotpoints and despite it combining a bunch of clichés, it was an honest story about love and heartbreak and sel-discovery and I really enjoyed going through it. show less
This was a really fun refreshing read.
I really loved the author's take on the ambitious female character. Unlike what we're used to from said characters, Rhi is kind hearted and very smart and in touch with her feminine side.
I enjoyed going through this book, though I was annoyed when we got to that whole "Storming out without actually hearing the other person out" scene.
It's actually the reason this book lost a star, I just cannot stand that trope!!
Though I did like how Rhi handled the whole thing afterwards, especially sharing her story on live TV.
It took a lot of courage for her to do so, and you could feel her inner turmoil throughout the whole thing. I really liked how the author wrote that part.
All in all this was a really fun read and I'm glad I picked it up.
I really loved the author's take on the ambitious female character. Unlike what we're used to from said characters, Rhi is kind hearted and very smart and in touch with her feminine side.
I enjoyed going through this book, though I was annoyed when we got to that whole "Storming out without actually hearing the other person out" scene.
It's actually the reason this book lost a star, I just cannot stand that trope!!
Though I did like how Rhi handled the whole thing afterwards, especially sharing her story on live TV.
It took a lot of courage for her to do so, and you could feel her inner turmoil throughout the whole thing. I really liked how the author wrote that part.
All in all this was a really fun read and I'm glad I picked it up.
This series should've ended at Ignite Me and that's the real tea sis.
I'm not even sure how to rate this damned book, it's definitely not a 3, maybe a 2.something
Either way, I didn't like it.
This book feels like an afterthought, like Tahereh wanted to extend this series so badly she just conjured up idea after idea and when she didn't know which one to choose, she just crammed them all together in one damned book.
There was a lot of info dump, and little story telling. I hate that.
If I had to sum up this book in a few points here's what I'd say:
- Info dump.
- Info dump.
- More info dump.
- Unrealistic plot points.
- Some more info dump.
- A lot of rambling and explaining to make that unrealistic point acceptable.
- Characters acting out of character.
- Info dump.
- Some more explaining to make me accept why characters are being so not themselves.
And so on and so forth.
All in all, I wasn't a big fan of this book, I was confused most of the time and annoyed for the rest of it.
But I'm willing to give Tahereh one more chance and wait for the next book before classifying this series once and for all.
I'm not even sure how to rate this damned book, it's definitely not a 3, maybe a 2.something
Either way, I didn't like it.
This book feels like an afterthought, like Tahereh wanted to extend this series so badly she just conjured up idea after idea and when she didn't know which one to choose, she just crammed them all together in one damned book.
There was a lot of info dump, and little story telling. I hate that.
If I had to sum up this book in a few points here's what I'd say:
- Info dump.
- Info dump.
- More info dump.
- Unrealistic plot points.
- Some more info dump.
- A lot of rambling and explaining to make that unrealistic point acceptable.
- Characters acting out of character.
- Info dump.
- Some more explaining to make me accept why characters are being so not themselves.
And so on and so forth.
All in all, I wasn't a big fan of this book, I was confused most of the time and annoyed for the rest of it.
But I'm willing to give Tahereh one more chance and wait for the next book before classifying this series once and for all.
I've never cried this hard over anything. Be it a book, graphic novel, manga, or show/movie.
This manga ripped my heart right out of my chest and blew it.
This manga ripped my heart right out of my chest and blew it.
This is it. I'm officially dead.
I can't explain how much sorrow I'm feeling right now. It feels like every new panel is a new knife thrust into my heart.
The more I read the more it hurt, but I couldn't put it down.
I'm devastated, broken, shattered beyond repair.
I can't explain how much sorrow I'm feeling right now. It feels like every new panel is a new knife thrust into my heart.
The more I read the more it hurt, but I couldn't put it down.
I'm devastated, broken, shattered beyond repair.
Hold the fucking fuck up, WHAAAAAAAT?
MORE BAZ AND SIMON?
WHAT?
HOW?
WHEN?
WHY?
LIFE IS SO BEAUTIFUL.
I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER RN OmG
MORE BAZ AND SIMON?
WHAT?
HOW?
WHEN?
WHY?
LIFE IS SO BEAUTIFUL.
I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER RN OmG
This was an excellent read! I really enjoyed going through it and unravelling all the mysteries and storylines.
I really like how the different stories are woven in together until they all eventually come together at the end, even the chapters from unknown characters that are only here briefly are rather engaging and interesting to go through.
Overall this was a delight to go through and I can't wait to read more!
I really like how the different stories are woven in together until they all eventually come together at the end, even the chapters from unknown characters that are only here briefly are rather engaging and interesting to go through.
Overall this was a delight to go through and I can't wait to read more!
This was a very solid start of the series, I truly enjoyed going through it and seeing how Geralt and Ciri were reunited and created their own father-daughter dynamic. I also loved seeing Ciri and Yennefer's relationship start and blossom into this beautiful mother-daughter thing.
However, I must say that if I went into this completely blind and didn't already have a fair understanding of the world and the story in general curtsey of the Netflix adaptation, I would've been so confused. Other than that it's a really good read and I'm really excited to move forward in the series.
I do suggest for anyone considering to read this to either watch the adaptation first or read the prequels before this book.
However, I must say that if I went into this completely blind and didn't already have a fair understanding of the world and the story in general curtsey of the Netflix adaptation, I would've been so confused. Other than that it's a really good read and I'm really excited to move forward in the series.
I do suggest for anyone considering to read this to either watch the adaptation first or read the prequels before this book.
Holy shit! This was really good!
It might actually be my favorite in the series so far.
Even though the story expanded a lot more than in the previous books, it feels a lot more intimate, probably because as a reader I'm more familiar with the characters and their journeys.
I loved Ciri's arc the most if I'm being honest, her struggle to fit in with a band of misfits was very interesting!
Overall this was a delight to go through and I'm excited to continue with the series.
It might actually be my favorite in the series so far.
Even though the story expanded a lot more than in the previous books, it feels a lot more intimate, probably because as a reader I'm more familiar with the characters and their journeys.
I loved Ciri's arc the most if I'm being honest, her struggle to fit in with a band of misfits was very interesting!
Overall this was a delight to go through and I'm excited to continue with the series.
Oh this was gooood!
Iron Widow is set in a sci-fi/ post-apocalyptic -esque world where humanity is constantly attacked by these alien thingies and humans fight them back by other thingies they create from salvaged alien husks. To pilot said thingies (I know what they're called, I just like calling them thingies) you need two pilots, one male, one female hence the whole yin and yang thing. However the society is heavily inspired by Emperial China (is that what it's called? Please correct me if I'm wrong) and thus their entire view of life is a little backwards, like yeah sure we're constantly under attack and we need every fighting citizen we can find, but not the women though, let's bind their feet so they can't even walk properly instead.
The magic/element/whatever thing was very interesting, I really enjoyed exploring it even though I got confused here and there. Hell I still can't tell the yin and yang qi apart, but it's very intriguing nonetheless and not hard to navigate and understand despite how I make it seem, I'm just ADHD.
We follow the journey of our heroine Wu Zetian, who is probably the most hate-fueled, bloodthirsty character I've ever had the pleasure of reading about! And it's not misplaced anger or not well-founded hatred, oh no! She has every right to want to tear everyone and everything apart and then some. I mean, I would be pissed too if my own grandmother broke my feet when I was 5 and condemned me to a life of teetering.
The rest of our main trio show more (because yes fuck love triangles where the girl has to pick one, we're taking everything now) are Yizhi and Shimin, who are as similar as day and night. One is a gentle rich city-boy and the other is a burly halfling who spent his life from one hardship to the next.
And Although I love them both, I'd still use Yizhi as a shield to protect Shimin.
Although I loved most of the things in this book, it still had its flaws.
My main issue was with the last part of the book.
The final battle felt a little too rushed but at the same time it dragged.
The whole dragon thing felt a lot like Deus Ex Machina, like oh we're losing, let me just go to this giant dragon thing that's bigger than all our enemies and wake its pilot and win this battle.
The characters suffered from a bit of what I like to call Dumb-YA-protagonist syndrome. Like, why on earth would you believe that someone who's part of the regime that has been oppressing and sacrificing you and yours, wants what's best for you?
The last revelation of the epilogue was supposed to be something shocking that leaves us as readers on the edge of our seats, and while yes it got me hyped to read the next books (I'm assuming it'll be at least a trilogy), I wasn't shocked in the slightest.
The moment the gods were mentioned I knew this whole universe of theirs had to be some sort of science experience to the aliens. But then again, I read Skyward AND The Promised Neverland so I've learned to see the signs.
I'm kinda annoyed at the discovery that baby Shimin is still alive, but at the same time I never wanted him to die so we're fine.
It's just that I'm starting to hate this "oh they're dead or are they?" thing that's been spreading lately. Let people die for god's sake!
Overall, this was a solid read and I highly recommend it. show less
Iron Widow is set in a sci-fi/ post-apocalyptic -esque world where humanity is constantly attacked by these alien thingies and humans fight them back by other thingies they create from salvaged alien husks. To pilot said thingies (I know what they're called, I just like calling them thingies) you need two pilots, one male, one female hence the whole yin and yang thing. However the society is heavily inspired by Emperial China (is that what it's called? Please correct me if I'm wrong) and thus their entire view of life is a little backwards, like yeah sure we're constantly under attack and we need every fighting citizen we can find, but not the women though, let's bind their feet so they can't even walk properly instead.
The magic/element/whatever thing was very interesting, I really enjoyed exploring it even though I got confused here and there. Hell I still can't tell the yin and yang qi apart, but it's very intriguing nonetheless and not hard to navigate and understand despite how I make it seem, I'm just ADHD.
We follow the journey of our heroine Wu Zetian, who is probably the most hate-fueled, bloodthirsty character I've ever had the pleasure of reading about! And it's not misplaced anger or not well-founded hatred, oh no! She has every right to want to tear everyone and everything apart and then some. I mean, I would be pissed too if my own grandmother broke my feet when I was 5 and condemned me to a life of teetering.
The rest of our main trio show more (because yes fuck love triangles where the girl has to pick one, we're taking everything now) are Yizhi and Shimin, who are as similar as day and night. One is a gentle rich city-boy and the other is a burly halfling who spent his life from one hardship to the next.
And Although I love them both, I'd still use Yizhi as a shield to protect Shimin.
Although I loved most of the things in this book, it still had its flaws.
My main issue was with the last part of the book.
The final battle felt a little too rushed but at the same time it dragged.
The whole dragon thing felt a lot like Deus Ex Machina, like oh we're losing, let me just go to this giant dragon thing that's bigger than all our enemies and wake its pilot and win this battle.
The characters suffered from a bit of what I like to call Dumb-YA-protagonist syndrome. Like, why on earth would you believe that someone who's part of the regime that has been oppressing and sacrificing you and yours, wants what's best for you?
The last revelation of the epilogue was supposed to be something shocking that leaves us as readers on the edge of our seats, and while yes it got me hyped to read the next books (I'm assuming it'll be at least a trilogy), I wasn't shocked in the slightest.
The moment the gods were mentioned I knew this whole universe of theirs had to be some sort of science experience to the aliens. But then again, I read Skyward AND The Promised Neverland so I've learned to see the signs.
I'm kinda annoyed at the discovery that baby Shimin is still alive, but at the same time I never wanted him to die so we're fine.
It's just that I'm starting to hate this "oh they're dead or are they?" thing that's been spreading lately. Let people die for god's sake!
Overall, this was a solid read and I highly recommend it. show less