I dunno how to rate this. Up until 85% this book was s u b l i m e. The racism, the classism, the sexism, and the intersectionality of it all was woveI dunno how to rate this. Up until 85% this book was s u b l i m e. The racism, the classism, the sexism, and the intersectionality of it all was woven together and then deconstructed magnificently. I was awestruck and giddy.
Then Chapter 7.
I was getting vibes of Peele horror for most of the book, so I was expecting horror in the 'everyday man you know' way. But then it flipped to supernatural horror and it was so disconnected. In American horror you have Satan/Christianity, vengeful Native American spirits, or vengeful souls of slaves. Given the FMC being Black, I could see perhaps some African spirits or voodoo being used instead. In a way the author tried (and it was a brilliant idea), but it wasn't connected to the culture of the characters in a meaningful way. So for me, it all fell flat. Chapter 8 went over my head. I'm sure the final conflict had deeper meanings than the ones I could glean. Disappointed that I missed out on that. And these two chapters felt rather rushed as a result. ...more
If Lifetime produced a movie about the Vietnam War, this would be the script.
"American foreign policy is horrendous 'cause not only will America comeIf Lifetime produced a movie about the Vietnam War, this would be the script.
"American foreign policy is horrendous 'cause not only will America come to your country and kill all your people, but what's worse, I think, is that they'll come back 20 years later and make a movie about how killing your people made their soldiers feel sad."
The author loved to dump reference after reference to pop culture. And because of this the book had everything but the kitchen sink. What I find interesting is she never included Rich Girl by Hall & Oats which is the perfect theme song for this book.
"You're a rich girl, and you've gone too far 'Cause you know it don't matter anyway You can rely on the old man's money You can rely on the old man's money It's a bitch girl but it's gone too far 'Cause you know it don't matter anyway Say money, but it won't get you too far Get you too far
And don't you know, don't you know That it's wrong to take what is given you So far gone, on your own You could get along if you try to be strong But you'll never be strong 'cause"
I can appreciate a white author who speaks to a white audience trying to include very significant social changes that occurred in the 60s and 70s. But a few lines here and there referencing MLK and the Black Panthers is such an insult. Especially when you consider how the Black nurse was treated. She existed solely to care and support the little white rich girl ...more
I don't know what I just read. Page after page of push-pull endless slowburn. There was this weird unspoken BDSM element. Two people with baggage. My I don't know what I just read. Page after page of push-pull endless slowburn. There was this weird unspoken BDSM element. Two people with baggage. My interpretation of the ending was that this would be a never ending cycle for them.
Obnoxious? Pretentious? Irritating? I don't know how to define this book but at a certain point it got old. Sorry....more
It was really good up to 90% when it switched to wrapping up all the characters. This went on forever and was somewhat disorganized. I honestly only cIt was really good up to 90% when it switched to wrapping up all the characters. This went on forever and was somewhat disorganized. I honestly only cared about Covey and not all these other people. I wish I could read Marble's books. They sound amazing!...more
I'm not sure how I feel about this one. Multi-generational books are tough because there's only so much time you can spend on the characters and the gI'm not sure how I feel about this one. Multi-generational books are tough because there's only so much time you can spend on the characters and the generations. But it's always fun to see traits pass down, history repeat itself, and themes and plot points bookend themselves. This story delivers on this point.
The author faced complex and somewhat scandalous political topics for the period the book covers. The topics already have to be boiled down for fiction readers and then were further condensed for the page limits. Was she successful? I think she did a fair centralist job up until Alba's arrest. And despite the daunting task, the author still had fun with it, infusing it will magic and spirits.
I skimmed a few other reviews and noticed many people frustrated with bland and passive female characters and the violence. The rape in particular felt excessive. However I personally only disagreed on a single topic: the villainization of Esteban Jr. The last few lines of the book try to explain it as a sort of fate of history repeating itself. I'm not so convinced. He turned into a caricature of a villain. I think he could have been used to discuss fate and chance and socioeconomics....more
Armand's portrayal made me incredibly uncomfortable. I'm inclined to believe he was a Black Moroccan rather than "Middle EasteFuck me, where to start.
Armand's portrayal made me incredibly uncomfortable. I'm inclined to believe he was a Black Moroccan rather than "Middle Eastern" Moroccan given how "dark" his skin was. Either way it's a great visual. Mysterious and "Dark." Handsome and full of virility, the picture of raging sexuality. A player. Selfish. BUT WHAT TAKES THE CAKE is that the "good guy" is fair skinned, blonde, and blue-eyed.
S C R E A M I N G
And this blonde Nazi fuck is her "soul mate."
And can you fucking believe this piece of shit author was well-he's-not-really-a-Nazi-bcs-he's-Austrian-and-was-forced-to-serve-Hitler.
Here's some other stellar points to this garbage story:
The library the two boring mcs are trying to find is "magical" and originally from Italy. Does the author know about Celtic folklore? It's got plenty of magic. You don't need to transplant from another country. -I'm absolutely flabbergasted to find out that this author is Irish. Why would she do this?
There's tons of domestic violence just casually thrown into this "heartwarming" tale.
There's also the painful parallels to Jane Eyre the author tries to make ...more
A well-researched origin for the Trojan War. I don't share the opinions on several points (Achilles having black hair and brown eyes, lustful AchillesA well-researched origin for the Trojan War. I don't share the opinions on several points (Achilles having black hair and brown eyes, lustful Achilles, among others), but it is a masterpiece. ...more
Super twisty at the end. For a minute there, I wasn't sure what to believe. The dual POVs were both excellent, especially the father/book one. I don'tSuper twisty at the end. For a minute there, I wasn't sure what to believe. The dual POVs were both excellent, especially the father/book one. I don't understand what the title has to do with the book. One of Riley's better stories. ...more
The twists at the end were good, but I just didn't feel engaged with this story. The plot was more than good, but just not compelling. Plus the endingThe twists at the end were good, but I just didn't feel engaged with this story. The plot was more than good, but just not compelling. Plus the ending was just a little too... over the top not believable with righting all the wrongs. ...more
I don't know what to put here. I did a little skimming of the reviews here along with reddit. Wish I had not.
Lucy is not a manic pixie dream girl. SnI don't know what to put here. I did a little skimming of the reviews here along with reddit. Wish I had not.
Lucy is not a manic pixie dream girl. Snow is your classic narcissist. I liked the ending.
Big fan of the trilogy. For both the first two books and the movies I had cried my eyes out. Actually, I had seen the 2nd movie first and without really any background had been moved to tears. Right after that first viewing, I bought the first movie at FYE and basically watched it right away when I got home. Then I purchased ebooks and stay up late to read them.
This book didn't feel meaty. It wasn't superficial, but it just didn't strike the same cords at the trilogy. I don't really know what else to say. ...more
A little too long but absolutely lovely. Thoroughly enjoyed the characters. What I loved most of was the grand parallels in different parts of the stoA little too long but absolutely lovely. Thoroughly enjoyed the characters. What I loved most of was the grand parallels in different parts of the story and among the characters. I loved all the fates of the characters. It fit perfectly. ...more
I did not enjoy this book. I despise fantasy, but even if I enjoyed fantasy I would still dislike this book.
BORING. Info dumping. There's very little I did not enjoy this book. I despise fantasy, but even if I enjoyed fantasy I would still dislike this book.
BORING. Info dumping. There's very little assassin adventures for a book about an assassin in training. The characters are flat and boring. What was the plot? Moves slow like molasses. Queerbaiting galore. Racist - the Mountain Kingdom was described as the Mongol empire and various major kingdoms of the Middle East. BUT YET they are white.
At one point the guy is like 11 and thinking about fucking the 13 yo. God, this almost reminds me of Aang in ATLA. I looked at the wiki for this and learned that in the upcoming books Fitz knocks up the basic Molly bitch when she's like 18. Uninterested. ...more
Gripping. I wouldn't say that I was on the edge of my seat bcs at different points you could guess what was coming next, but you could really feel witGripping. I wouldn't say that I was on the edge of my seat bcs at different points you could guess what was coming next, but you could really feel with the characters. The author would trip you up so you didn't know who to believe and trust. Some really good twists. What I really liked was how the author took their time to reveal the psychopath's twisted side. Lydia was AWESOME!...more
I don't know how to feel about this. It was a good story about greed and capitalism (with clever references to Dickens), but I'm not too sure about thI don't know how to feel about this. It was a good story about greed and capitalism (with clever references to Dickens), but I'm not too sure about the setting. I got a bit of an ick. Should a white author be telling this tale?...more
I don't know what to make of this. Between the cover and the title I was expecting something edgy and dark. The twist, which is actually very good, doI don't know what to make of this. Between the cover and the title I was expecting something edgy and dark. The twist, which is actually very good, does not come until the last few lines of the book. The rest of the book is very mid. Not really thriller. Not really romance. Something you might watch on Lifetime.
Let's talk about Colin, the "Bad Guy." Colin is white trash but he went from a trailer to a house? And he was in boy scouts? I think the author tried to use him to add some 'class differences' narrative but it doesn't really work. The author is for sure white and middle class and has only heard about poor people from TV. Colin also did a shit job at covering his tracks. I suppose a few of his mistakes could be excused because he really didn't have a plan, but it bothered me.
The main cop is a cross-breed of mainstream cop shows (Miami Vice not CSI) and Lifetime. The romance plot with Eve was just too much.
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