All I knew about this book was what was on the back of the UK book…which is to say, basically nothing. It turned out to be drastically different than All I knew about this book was what was on the back of the UK book…which is to say, basically nothing. It turned out to be drastically different than I expected but it was still a good story, and one I look forward to continuing.
The start was entrenched in info-dumps which made everything super confusing and hard to read but it petered out eventually and I think I understand the terms fairly well. However, the writing itself read quite weirdly throughout the entire book as new sentences were taken when they could’ve been continued from the previous which made the writing read abrupt and stilted but I know Shannon wrote this when they were nineteen so I can expect they’ve improved greatly.
There’s not much to really say as it feels like a book of it’s time - which isn’t necessarily a bad thing - but the plot was like most other dystopian-fantastical books when it was released but with a fresher take on the fantasy elements.
I knew this would be a three stars from the beginning, but it’s a good three stars as I still enjoyed reading it and can’t wait to read more!...more
First book I’ve read for leisure in weeks, and I read it in two sittings!
This is a disturbing, erotic, religious and upsetting book which explores bouFirst book I’ve read for leisure in weeks, and I read it in two sittings!
This is a disturbing, erotic, religious and upsetting book which explores boundaries and queer desire when you already feel alienated in your surroundings. Highly enjoyed it, but I only rated it three stars because the translation felt a bit strange at times (there were some beautiful sections with some stilted ones) and I just wish it was about 50 pages longer.
Third time I’ve read this - I love it more each time! I really wish it was set over a shorter period of time, say three months, rather than over a yeaThird time I’ve read this - I love it more each time! I really wish it was set over a shorter period of time, say three months, rather than over a year. It slightly takes away from the obsessiveness of the novel and doesn’t work with the short chapters. Would love a short story from Matt’s POV that focuses on the start of their relationship....more
This started off much stronger than Shiver, but by the end it was only worse. I hate to say it, but Stiefvater wrote thiCAWPILE Rating: 5.43 (3 Stars)
This started off much stronger than Shiver, but by the end it was only worse. I hate to say it, but Stiefvater wrote this book incredibly wrong.
Minor spoilers ahead!
This book is 100% the New Moon of the trilogy as the main relationship was split apart for most of it. This aspect frustrated me so much because none of the conversations that should’ve happened did happen. After Grace’s parents banned them from seeing each other, Grace obviously snuck out to see Sam. What annoyed me the most was the conversation after Sam’s birthday as it had the chance to be emotionally charged with her parents confronting their parenting issues and how Grace feels…but no. Instead it was a super melodramatic fight with no substance or purpose.
I understand why Cole’s storyline was added (so that there would be the threat of exposing the wolf world) but, again, it was done so poorly. Instead it turned into another insta-love semi-romance - which will definitely be developed in Forever. I liked that his story was much darker but it was glossed over and had no emotional weight.
Speaking of emotional weight, the blurb says Sam has to reckon with his past. That happened for all of like five pages, if that. There really needed to be a greater focus on Sam being able to overcome his past trauma instead of the awful way it was dealt with so that he can heal by himself and understand that it’s okay to be on his own rather than being infatuated with Grace. (They’re both so overdramatic about each other because of their insta-love. It became so frustrating to read about.) Grace’s storyline was much the same. It was clear from the get go that the ending was going to happen, but it was so rushed and given barely any foreshadowing in the book that it wasn’t really interesting to read about in the end. Also, Cole’s theories really needed to be explained earlier in the book instead of a half-assed one page discussion. It could’ve made for a new friendship between him and Sam - which is what they both need after being so traumatised!
Isabel was perhaps the best character in this book, so it’s a shame she had the least amount of POV chapters. I’m not sure what it was about her, but she has a lot of backstory and trauma to explore so I hope we get to see more of that in Sinner. However, I’m sure that book is going to be very romance-centric.
Also, I am a huge fan of ‘no-plot-just-vibes’ books but this one didn’t do it for me. The lack of atmosphere (I will admit it was stronger in this book) meant there were no vibes to be had. The title is also extremely relevant because linger they all did as not much happens.
P.S we were absolutely robbed of Sam’s perfect birthday. What even was that? There was no sweet discussion after it....more
An Exciting and Vivid Inner Life was a decent debut collection of short stories. Dalla Rosa is clearly a big Ottessa Moshfegh fan (and so am3.5 Stars.
An Exciting and Vivid Inner Life was a decent debut collection of short stories. Dalla Rosa is clearly a big Ottessa Moshfegh fan (and so am I), so the stories felt familiar and were nice reads. They are able to capture the complex psychology of the narrators within a short space, while also focusing on issues such as late-stage capitalism. However, Dalla Rosa tried slightly too hard to imitate the Moshfeghian way of writing that it collapsed on itself in some stories (namely, The Hard Thing, Comme, Charlie in High Definition and Contact), and made the prose read mechanically in my opinion. Despite this, there were some knock-out stories in this collection (Short Stack, The Fame, An MFA Story and Life Coach ). I wish that Dalla Rosa had stuck to this style as it greatly suited their voice and style. The other stories in this collection (I Feel It and In Bright Light) were pretty good but they weren't written to the level of the previous four I mentioned. My main issue with Dalla Rosa's writing across all stories is overusing the characters' names in place of a pronoun, which would've made for stronger and tighter prose. I would still highly recommend this collection as it would work better for others, and I will definitely be on the lookout for what they publish next....more
I really hoped to love this collection more than I did. For me, there were four stand-out stories: Cursed Bunny, The Frozen Finger, Snare and Goodbye,I really hoped to love this collection more than I did. For me, there were four stand-out stories: Cursed Bunny, The Frozen Finger, Snare and Goodbye, My Love. These stories have pretty good writing which added depth and emotion to the story as the other six stories felt emotionally detached and hollow which didn't help my concentration or work for the genres. A decent collection, but not my favourite....more
Who knew that James Franco was also a writer? I don't really know much about him besides his role in Spiderman so this will be an unbiased review. ThiWho knew that James Franco was also a writer? I don't really know much about him besides his role in Spiderman so this will be an unbiased review. This was a pretty average short story collection but I did have a few stand-out favourites: April, Jack-O' and Yosemite (the last one being my favourite).
The writing style is definitely not to everyone's tastes as it reads very much as though it was a teenager telling a story - almost like instructions, in some way. I think it was a genius move for this story as it perfectly encapsulated the bleak and claustrophobic feeling of the collection while these teenagers navigated adolescence in a time when no one was looking out for them. I also like that every story was interlinked in some way as it, but not in an integral way, as it added to the disjointed and desensitised feeling. There are various slurs used and some uncomfortable moments that could've been edited out - these stories are very much a product of when they were written, which was in the 2000s though that doesn't excuse it. I don't really recommend the collection as a whole though as there are much better short stories and writers out there.
Weirdly, it also makes me want to write an essay for fun as I think it captured the teenage experience and isolation fairly well and there are a lot of thoughts I have that I would like to explore outside of a review on here. ...more
Thank You to Oni Press for an e-ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review!
I found volume one to be a very fun ride through space, andThank You to Oni Press for an e-ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review!
I found volume one to be a very fun ride through space, and I found the same for this volume too. This time we follow the Orcs and D.O.N.A as they traverse space in search of D.O.N.A's creator. I appreciated this volume a lot more as D.O.N.A was definitely my favourite character from the first volume and I'm glad she got some resolution to her internal struggles, even if they weren't what she hoped.
Along the way we got to meet various new characters, though this did make the story feel a bit repetitive as they would meet a character, some chaos would ensue and result in a fight until they made it to safety and the process repeated. However, I don't think it detracted from the overall plot of this volume as it culminated in a really fun final battle! My main issue is that because this book was more focused on D.O.N.A and the associated enemies the main cast of Orcs lost their vibrant personality a little and didn't have a chance to grow. Hopefully, this is rectified in volume three.
I also really love the art style of these graphic novels as it suits the fun galactic adventure really well. It's nice and colourful without being overly detailed and lends to the tone of the story nicely. I thought the battle scenes were really well-drawn and I wish I had them physically so I could see them over the double-page spread.
Nothing too special, but I look forward to volume three as the ending made for a fun cliffhanger, especially because the people involved weren't as present in this volume. I recommend this series if you want a fun and chaotic romp through space with silly characters,...more
Adam, I know you think your cheeks are turning red because of your 'love' for Juliette, but it's really because you're bCAWPILE Rating: 5.14 (3 Stars)
Adam, I know you think your cheeks are turning red because of your 'love' for Juliette, but it's really because you're becoming a walking red flag. What was up with the whole territorial-ness, calling her the weakest link and saying she'd be safer elsewhere when she is literally more powerful than you...
The only thing that pushed this up to three stars was the James plotline as it made me kinda sad....more
Realistically, this book was not good. But I had so much fun reading it. This book had almost no plot happening on-page CAWPILE Rating: 6.71 (3 Stars)
Realistically, this book was not good. But I had so much fun reading it. This book had almost no plot happening on-page as the romance took the main focus of this book. Yes, reading Juliette's back and forth between Adam and Warner was a tad annoying, but I love how messy and complicated each relationship is; and that's with me not really believing Juliette and Warner's relationship. These books are like sweets, you cannot stop eating up the typical YA angst and drama.
As I said, the plot is virtually non-existent. Usually in YA Dystopian's the second book is all about training and preparing to take down the oppressor, in this case The Reestablishment. However, all of Juliette's 'training' happened off page, and when we came to battle scenes these random soldiers from Omega Point would come and help save the day yet they were never actually seen outside of that. There also feels no tension with The Reestablishment, Juliette--and the rest of Omega Point--appear to have no reason to take them down as it's all pushed to the side and not discussed well. Also, The Reestablishment's motivations for what they are doing are still very vague as the world-building is truly terrible. If anything, The Reestablishment is only there to add to the strife in Juliette and Warner's relationship as it's 'forbidden love.' I could go into more detail but I'll spare you. All of this is expected though as the romance took centre stage, but I have optimism for Ignite Me based off of the synopsis.
I also must talk about the writing in this book. It was truly, truly terrible. Like a massive downgrade from Shatter Me. The book was filled with so many images and metaphors that were so nonsensical and didn't relate in the slightest so it all felt taped together and fighting for it's life trying to be taken poetic and serious. Instead, it reads super clunky and odd as there is no recurring pattern or motif to the imagery.
Yes, three stars is definitely too generous but these books are just fun and I like the characters a lot. Plus, who can't say no to the drama of early 2010's YA books? As I said in my review of Shatter me, The Darkest Minds did this a lot better by balancing the dystopian/fantasy aspect with romance, so I highly recommend that series instead....more
This is probably the strangest novel I have ever read, especially in terms of writing. I thought the tweet-like stream oCAWPILE Rating: 6.57 (3 Stars)
This is probably the strangest novel I have ever read, especially in terms of writing. I thought the tweet-like stream of short paragraphs would be odd to read, and it was, but it somehow made the book quite engaging and refreshing. The plot was fine, I vastly preferred part one as part two failed to hit the emotions that it tried to--though I blame that on the writing style as it just doesn't work when trying to be poignant. I did enjoy seeing the main character experience this online attention because it made for interesting commentary on human interaction and connection in non-online spaces. I'm also not really the target for this book as I am not Very Online, which this book very much is. Not one I'd reread but fun nonetheless....more
I want to keep this review short, so here we go. The first part of this book started off really strong for me. I really CAWPILE Rating: 6.86 (3 Stars)
I want to keep this review short, so here we go. The first part of this book started off really strong for me. I really enjoyed the dual timeline element as it allowed us to see why each of the Riva siblings came to be the way they are and how similar they are to their parents at times. It also added an extra emotional depth to the story as we got to see the effects on each family member as they all grew up - it was fascinating to see how they all reacted while being so young. I was a little annoyed that there was a greater focus on the past for the first half, but upon reflection it was so much better.
Part two was a flaming mess. Literally. I was yearning for the dual timeline elements as the present day was extremely boring. The party aspect didn’t feel like a party at all, and I don’t know why TJR thought we’d care about the lives of made-up celebrities that have virtually no relevance to the main story? Granted, a few of them were relevant and were interesting to read about, many of them weren’t. I also felt the rise in tensions to the fire were so anticlimactic because my reaction to the fire was: That’s it…? Really? Also, the end of Nina’s story was so boring and rushed.
While part two did provide with some interesting family dynamics and necessary conversations, it was unfairly put next to the useless drama which downgraded it severely. I loved all of the Riva siblings as they are all unique and love one another so deeply. I still feel like there was so much left unsaid with Jay, Hud and Kit and they were unfairly sidelined in a story that was so family-centric.
Despite this, I loved the discussions of the effects of fame, forced growing up, adultery and marriage and responsibility and choice. I will definitely attempt another TJR book - albeit hesitantly because I was so convinced this was going to be a new favourite until the mess of part two....more
I've been meaning to read this for years and I'm glad I finally got to it. It is your typical reliable and fun YA DystopCAWPILE Rating: 6.86 (3 Stars)
I've been meaning to read this for years and I'm glad I finally got to it. It is your typical reliable and fun YA Dystopian/Fantasy mix which made it easy to get through as the plot was predictable and the writing was simple too--though I did like the stylistic choices. If I was to write an in-depth review it would just be about Adam and Kenji as I love them so much. Overall, I had a nice time reading it but The Darkest Minds did it better....more
I've said it once and I'll say it again: Moshfegh is such a talented writer. She made a character so gross and unreliablCAWPILE Rating: 6.00 (3 Stars)
I've said it once and I'll say it again: Moshfegh is such a talented writer. She made a character so gross and unreliable (though some of the authorial choices did make me uncomfortable.) To match her character work, the atmosphere and mood created the perfect vibes that aligned with the boat/prison setting which helped keep the novella on the darker side. I liked the plot but I wasn't all that connected to McGlue himself so it wasn't my favourite thing in the world. A short and sweet review, not something I would actively recommend though.
CW: Homophobia (outward and internal,) racial slurs, alcohol, murder and suicide....more
This book was very close to being four stars, I enjoyed it a lot! Obviously, I was originally intrigued by the cover butCAWPILE Rating: 6.86 (3 Stars)
This book was very close to being four stars, I enjoyed it a lot! Obviously, I was originally intrigued by the cover but the premise and execution were pretty good. Starting with the characters, I felt they read a little younger than intended but that wasn't really an issue for me as I loved the drama. Admittedly, they were a little flat and I wish the authors explored their relationships and backstories more in-depth as some of their actions and thoughts were a bit abrupt and out of place at times. The characters were also kind of stupid but I love dumb characters in situations like these. There is also a major case of insta-love which and a very predictable plotline but, again, it adds to the drama which I really enjoyed.
The writing did read on the younger side of YA at times, but at other times the horror aspect was done quite well and it handled the push and pull of tensions well. The ending of the book was definitely the best part of the book as it was such a page-turner and I refused to put it down, it was that fun. The main issue for me was the lack of descriptions surrounding the Hearst Hotel as it would've added an extra layer of horror and tension if it was used to put pressure on the characters more than it did. The tone also felt a tad too light, but I think that the authors wanted a campy, slasher vibe to it--if that was their intention then it worked well too.
I do wish the book was longer as some of the plotlines felt too unresolved for me, perhaps there will be a sequel that would address this better. I kind of hope there will be. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I recommend checking it out!...more
This is your regular possession story that wraps up in a too-neat happy ending. There’s not really much more to say abouCAWPILE Rating: 6.14 (3 Stars)
This is your regular possession story that wraps up in a too-neat happy ending. There’s not really much more to say about it’s premise besides that.
I’m too lazy to write an actual review so here’s a bullet pointed list of things:
- I strongly believe this would’ve worked so much better in first person because it would’ve added greater emotional depth and access to the characters thoughts that were desperately needed. Some attempts were made, but because it was third person it didn’t work so well.
- I thought the interspersed chapters told from third person present were also the wrong perspective choice as it felt so out of place to the main narrative despite providing necessary information/foreshadowing.
- The main aspects of the book were very underdeveloped which made the logic of the book weak. The cult was half-assed and had no real scary threat or tension for the most part. The demon itself had no character build up, so again it wasn’t scary.
- The blurb is quite misleading in my opinion. The demonologist parent, outcast child plot point was rushed and needed sustained the whole time (also tied to the rushed ending, it didn’t allow it to be expanded).
- I could tell there was going to be a romance from the get go and it’s so painfully boring as there’s no actual build up or chemistry. The characters just force it onto the read out of no where (also the whole the-world-is-ending-but-let’s-make-out trope). I quickly lost interest in the rushed ending after the romance was solidified.
- Having this book be so short and YA was to it’s detriment unfortunately but overall it was a decent read, though not one I would reread. Also, it’s another book checked off of my goal of reading all of the Underlined thriller/horror’s so that’s great!...more
Thank you to Oni Press for an e-ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review!
I've been meaning to get to this one for a while and I'm glThank you to Oni Press for an e-ARC of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review!
I've been meaning to get to this one for a while and I'm glad I finally got to it as it was very fun. Admittedly, I wasn't that big on the characters at the start but as they all developed in their own ways they came together and formed a nice little family of sorts. I felt that the story became a bit bogged down in the romance and I would've liked to see Ben navigate his wants and needs more as they felt sidelined for the romance--which felt a bit insta-love-ish too. The dialogue wasn't the best either, some of it felt super stilted while other parts felt a bit cringey as the characters didn't feel as old as they were said to be. I wish that the book was slightly longer as some plot lines, particularly the culinary challenges, felt a bit rushed. As for the art style, I felt that it fit the story really well and it is my favourite art from a graphic novel that I've read. I also loved the attention to detail and the depictions of food which made me hungry. I would recommend this graphic novel as it's fun and quick to read with a nice story to tell!...more
Are we sure that the Maggie Stiefvater wrote this? Who thought I’d ever give her books less than 4 stars? Not me!
While tCAWPILE Rating: 5.86 (3 Stars)
Are we sure that the Maggie Stiefvater wrote this? Who thought I’d ever give her books less than 4 stars? Not me!
While this was a super entertaining read - mostly because I’m watching Teen Wolf, so I need all the werewolf content - it wasn’t great technically. This was the biggest case of insta-love I have ever read, and while it was kinda fun, it was majorly over the top. I didn’t really feel the chemistry between Grace and Sam but it’s whatever.
The writing was also super strange compared to her other works. It is definitely a very 2009-era book and it shows. The plot is so fast and underdeveloped, the atmosphere is basically non-existent (and for a Stiefvater book?) and the characters internal monologues were definitely annoying at times. I wish that she had written more of long Sam chapters as I much preferred his POV to Grace’s.
Also, a super predictable plot. But hey, sometimes that’s just what you need! It was a fun ride and helped stave off the slump I was falling into, so I’ve got to thank it for that.
(Yes, I know I’m definitely comparing this to TRC/TDT but I can’t help it because they’re masterpieces and this was just average.)...more
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