How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
Well, hell, I didn't expect this story AT ALL. There are so many things that are amazing abHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
Well, hell, I didn't expect this story AT ALL. There are so many things that are amazing about it, but I think first and foremost is the thing that, when you start reading it, you wonder if it's romance. But then you realize that it's not romance. Because it's just not, and you thought it was romance purely because it's about a woman figuring out relationships. And THEN you start understanding the decades of internalized misogyny, because you just caught yourself thinking that when it's a man struggling with his romantic feelings and complicated situations, it's a literary novel, and when it's a woman struggling with her romantic feelings and complicated situations, it's a romance novel. So that's a little bit of a shock to deal with inside of yourself. And when you do, you realize it's awesome to even write a mainstream book that is a statement by simply being what it is. Normalize women's stories and their importance, their need to be taken seriously. Our lives are literary too.
But anyway. This book was a wild ride for sure. It will probably make you feel a lot of things and challenge a lot of moral beliefs you have. Your choice whether to judge the characters, or understand them. The author presents ample chance for the reader to form their decisions and empathize with the characters. And yet, it's also hard not to judge them in some places because, well, they make shite decisions. But sometimes, every decision in the current situation is going to be shite, so you're stuck making one, and that's that. I found that really refreshing about this story.
Another important thing here, is that the main character is kind of set up to be easily slut shamed by the reader. I'm not saying you will, but a lot of readers will want to. A big part of this story is trying to understand the character and getting over your urge to slut shame her, and instead to understand her reasons and what you'd do in her shoes. It's incredibly smart to write it like this, because we like to think we're progressive and liberal in life, we care about what really matters, but in life situations it's easy to go emotional and slip, and default to what society has taught you about women and what their rights and duties are. Reading this challenges a lot of these beliefs that are ingrained in our heads, and I believe it's a good thing. That's what literature is supposed to do.
Some people will be inclined to say that love like the one in the story is overdramatized. Okay, maybe I have not experienced a story this messed up in my life (and thank god for that...), but I can attest to the fact that in my opinion, the author writes life-changing love very well. There were hardships in my personal stories, and I've had some of those conversations. It's unreal how well they were written. As well as the emotions that spark them. A love that comes with hardship, often comes with great reward.
The characters were pretty amazing too. Like, even from the start I could tell some of them would act the way they did later in the story. The author wrote them realistically and to be able to write male entitledness into it is nothing short of genius. It was a brilliant character study in that sense. But even apart from that, there are no idealized characters. They've all got jagged edges, the good and the bad, and they're all so colorful.
About the only thing I couldn't personally vibe with too well was the amounts of physical and sexual stuff in the book, because it's just not my life experience, but that's not to say it's a bad thing (and I'm certainly not docking any stars for it.) I've been able to vibe with the rest of the book and to just take the author's word on the rest of it. So, word of warning - if you don't like explicit scenes, maybe keep an open mind, or do not choose to read the book. It's an important part of the story, so you won't be able to just skip it.
All in all, this is a raw, colorful experience - like any book by this author. I always know I can trust their books to deliver. So did this one!
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received from author
Oh, this was such a brilliant little gem! I adored the tone of the story from the very first pageHow I read this: Free ebook copy received from author
Oh, this was such a brilliant little gem! I adored the tone of the story from the very first pages. It's kind of like a... A little bit like Hitchhiker's Guide, but for children? I just can't put my finger on it, but the tone of the prose is something like it, and immediately captivates you with its charm. (That, and the book is full of tiny little Easter eggs, and not only from The Hitchhiker's Guide. Chuckled every time.)
I especially loved the main character, Hannah. And what a character she is! Colorful, imaginative - just the kind of character I know I would have loved to read as a kid (guess I haven't changed much, huh.) In contrast to her more sober-minded friend Mia who is shy and reserved, they make such a great team together.
The best thing about the whole story for me was that it's sort of two stories in one. The girls make light work of the naughty aliens who want to take over the Earth without even knowing they're dealing with these aliens, because they're busy solving other mysteries. And what the aliens are experiencing are some real Home Alone situations. It was absolutely hilarious. I really want to read the other stories in this series now.
I thank the author for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
I'm so sad about it, but this book was a colossal waste of my time. I LOVED the first one, so I gritted my teeth through this one too, but I should haI'm so sad about it, but this book was a colossal waste of my time. I LOVED the first one, so I gritted my teeth through this one too, but I should have dropped it at the start. I was either bored or disgusted the whole time, mostly just bored. Listened through the whole thing, which is WAY too long, and I still don't quite get where the plot was supposed to be interesting. Or what even really happened. A lot of murder and torture for sure happened, and Kovacs just seemed like a turncoat in this one, without much of the redeeming qualities he had in the first one. A lot of the reviewers liked it, but eh... I wish I'd just dropped it at 20%. Wouldn't have been so disappointed.
I'm wondering if the format also had something to do with it. I read the last one, but listened to this one. While the narrating was good, it might have impacted how the book kept my attention. I don't normally have trouble with audiobooks, but we do perceive heard stories vs read stories differently, so maybe it's part of that - who knows.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received from the author on Netgalley
Omg, what a great book! Haven't read anything this good in a while. Been stuck iHow I read this: Free ebook copy received from the author on Netgalley
Omg, what a great book! Haven't read anything this good in a while. Been stuck in a complete rut where I start a book, and it's just not interesting enough to keep reading, although it should be. But not this one! Read it up fast. It's both serious and playful enough to be a great story, and it keeps the drama going, cause it's about a reality show, kind of.
I've read Bethany Mangle's stuff before and I can't wait to read some more if it comes out, cause it's all been great. I've also read Prepped and LOVED it.
I thank the author and publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free audiobook copy received from a publicist
DNF @ a third of the audiobook
I'm not sure what this book is about. It's only talking abHow I read this: Free audiobook copy received from a publicist
DNF @ a third of the audiobook
I'm not sure what this book is about. It's only talking about business. I've never before read a book about business, and honestly, it's news to me this exists, because I can't fathom wanting to read about "getting shit done" and "board meetings" after you've done exactly that all day in the office. But to each their own - and I conclude the book was simply not for me. Since I didn't finish it, I will not rate it.
There is, however, one small and funny thing I have to mention. The narrator reads "Jeju island" as "Zheezhoo island" (it's pronounced "Jeju", exactly as you'd read it in English as it's spelled...) It's embarrassingly funny because a lot of the book revolves around being in Korea, and it's SO EASY to actually look this up. The narrator has a job to read the book and doesn't even think to look it up? That's not the only thing... He also ridiculously mispronounces the Japanese "gaijin" and even the city name "Nagoya". Like how can you mispronounce that? Look it up!!! There's tons of easily findable videos with "how do you pronounce x", not to even mention tons of otaku content that you could easily find within 5 minutes on YouTube... Being an audiobook narrator and not looking it up just looks so ridiculously unprofessional for me. Like, it's your job. Why not spend those 5 minutes on Google..? Other than that, the narration was fine, but this really irked me.
I thank the publicist for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
This book was delightful - just like Dimity herself. The feel is quite a lot like the Finishing School series, and much more stuff is going on compareThis book was delightful - just like Dimity herself. The feel is quite a lot like the Finishing School series, and much more stuff is going on compared to the first book (Poison or Protect). But there is also just enough focus on the romance. It was a lovely read!...more
After finishing the Finishing School series, I just NEEDED more. I knew this series wasn't going to be the same, because it's romance, so it's centereAfter finishing the Finishing School series, I just NEEDED more. I knew this series wasn't going to be the same, because it's romance, so it's centered on the relationship rather than a government plot involving supernaturals and evil lords that schoolgirls are trying to thwart, but... Poison or Protect was just SO DULL. It's literally just the romance. Nothing happens, no plots, no nothing even remotely interesting. And to top it off, it's about a character who was basically a villain in the last series..? I liked the whole redemption arc and all, but like... It's hard to enjoy a book about someone who was a vain dick throughout four of the earlier books.
I've already started the next one, and from the very first pages it reads much better than this one. I enjoyed it in the end, but nowhere close as much as I did the Finishing School series. Here's to hoping the next one is a little bit more involved!
UPDATE: I just finished the second book, and it was absolutely amazing! Definitely worth it to keep reading....more
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
All round, this was a fun adventure through space, much like the blurb and cover quotes proHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
All round, this was a fun adventure through space, much like the blurb and cover quotes promise - quite in the vein of the Hitchhiker's Guide (maybe even a little more like Guardians of the Galaxy?), although the characters were all much more capable than in those stories, in my opinion.
The human main character is kind of adorable, although all characters seemed a little flat for me. You don't go too in-depth with them, it's more of an adventure that rolls over you. Some of the situations were also glanced over and quite simple, but certainly fun and fast-paced. The characters had their archetypes (the funny annoying guy, the secretly world-wise earthling who knows nothing but accepts things readily, the noble strong alien, and of course, the foxy and admirable female officer of the law, which, of course, develops an unlikely attraction to the human male). I liked them all well enough.
I did like the plot as well. Despite being somewhat predictable, it's an okay plot, and although I knew from the start which characters are being planted for which purpose, I didn't guess at the details straight away, so it had me pleasantly wondering as the story went on. (Although I will admit I was disappointed that not all my questions at the end were answered, and I felt like some threads weren't quite followed through to the end.)
One thing that was a little distracting though, there is like a million new alien species mentioned constantly. Most of them get only a glancing description, like "red" or "round with white hair". Some are described in more detail, but the problem is that when they're mentioned again, you're somehow supposed to remember how they look, despite encountering 5 other species in between the pages after you saw them last. I remembered maybe three or four species total. The rest were a jumble. In a way, I guess that suggests what the main character is feeling, thrown into a whole new world like that, but at the same time.. if this was a movie, it would have worked great. But in a book, I literally just imagined blobs. Too many different species, barely any reminder descriptions. The author did invent a cool world for himself. But I feel like maybe it wasn't quite described well enough to us. But, it might have just been me struggling with this, so take a look at some other reviews too.
Another tiny point is that while there were dozens of alien species, they were all... Incredibly human. I feel like it's unfair to say, cause they did seem to be visually different, but... Their dress, their shape, their weapons, even customs... They felt mostly like humans with a slightly different shape or color, maybe some scales. Red. Purple. Yellow. Some weird ears or no nose. But essentially... Human. I don't know, I think maybe I've just been spoiled by Becky Chambers and the like, who make their aliens much less human, while still being relatable. Then again, of course, these kind of stories need to happen in a very "human-like" world, because I guess they're sort of making fun of our social structures, just like The Hitchhiker's Guide did.
That said, this is a good adventure read for the evening, but I'm really not sure I'll remember what this was about next year. But it was a nice, fun way to pass the time.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
3.5 stars
The format of this book was quite interesting. It's like it's fiction, but it's alHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
3.5 stars
The format of this book was quite interesting. It's like it's fiction, but it's also sort of New Age style self-help? (Think books like The Secret.) Cause it's sneakily teaching you all the same lessons of loving yourself and being in the moment as it's teaching the main character, and it sort of goes through all the events that happen to the main character, Nina, as "example material" that you'd have in a self-help.
I actually think that it's quite a brilliant idea, because not all of us love reading nonfiction, it's just not as accessible to everyone in the same way as fiction is. Meanwhile, with this format, you're still reading a fictional story for fun, but at the same time, it briefly goes over the principles of self-care, valuing yourself, the core principles of mindfulness and why you should practice it. You can tell the author has read stuff about manifesting and being positive, because there are a lot of common themes with those books. So for people who have struggled with learning mindfulness and accepting themselves, this might be a great alternative way to get that info.
There's no denying that the story has quite a lot of so called woo-woo (in this case, astrology, energetic stones and some really weird manifesting rituals). But to each his own, and while I personally don't dig astrology, a lot of people do, and it certainly gave the story a flavor of its own. At times it was a bit much for me, but if you're okay with the idea of manifesting and magical thinking, you'll probably like it.
The book also has a few side-topics that are quite big. It touches on talking about race in public and being misunderstood and getting cancelled because of it (especially as a non-white person). About online bullying, as well as showing a side of yourself you want people to see. A lot of it boils down to self-love and realizing that nobody's perfect, and learning to accept oneself. It also touches on some big mental health issues and how family members of someone with depression are affected by it.
In the end, Nina becomes a person who truly loves herself. It was a bit funny though, because I felt like her "self-loving" person was quite unpleasant and over the top. Surprise surprise, like a lot of those people in yoga classes who will judge you about not eating beetroot and only beetroot and not getting up at 5 am, you rascal, you. I liked Nina better in the middle of the book, but hey, maybe that's half the point. We shouldn't be people pleasers. As long as you do no harm to others and accept yourself, who cares what everyone else thinks.
Oh, and I'll tell you what my favorite thing about this story was. (view spoiler)[Very commonly in these women's story, the main heroine HAS TO have a "happy ending" by the end. Which means, even if the book was about self-growth, it will have the mandatory crap-romance in the last 20 pages to make it "valid". Well, this book didn't have that. (hide spoiler)]And I loved it for it.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Well, I feel absolutely guilty about writing such a review, cause I absolutely love the Parasolverse, and I loved all the characters from the FinishinWell, I feel absolutely guilty about writing such a review, cause I absolutely love the Parasolverse, and I loved all the characters from the Finishing School series dearly. The author also writes really well, and the story is valid and characters act realistic, so it's not like I've got anything to complain about. But this story was about a really messed up and damaging relationship in my opinion, and it just left me angry. Perhaps this story works for other readers, and the author has perfect freedom to do whatever she wants with her world, but... This book seriously didn't work for me.
I'm quite surprised by how sad and depressing it was. Agatha, the way she treated Pillover, reminded me of a friend who dumped me years ago (hey, non-romantic break-ups mess you up!) I thought Agatha cold and hard-hearted, despite understanding that it was meant to display her guardedness and that she was hurting herself too. (view spoiler)[The way she strung him along for so many years was brutal, and then kept coming back only when it was selfishly convenient for her. It was hard not to hate this character for that. I was also very angry on Pillover's behalf. (hide spoiler)]So here I was at the 80% mark, and the story is still depressing and the romance hasn't really started?
In my review of Poison or Protect, I said I thought the book was weak because it was just a romance - nothing else going on. Everything that happened was a backdrop, and a very flat one, at that. Just to accommodate the romance. This one though... Sad to say, I couldn't even call it "just a romance" (not that being "just a romance" is bad, it's just that after the Finishing School series, I expected more world building and general "going on" rather than just dealing in emotion, and to hell with the brilliant world the author built). But back to the point, this book has absolutely nothing going on in terms of the spy lifestyle (unlike Dimity's book had), but it also had precious little going on in terms of romance. To top it off, the main character acted like a cold hearted bitch to the poor soft boy. It was a very sad book. Totally out of left field, as I'm used to Carriger's books being a little more upbeat. Nothing wrong with a philosophical book, but... Sigh. This is an odd series, I guess.
About the only bit of this book I enjoyed was the snippets we get about what's going on with Dimity's family as time goes on. So not much.
Perhaps the author wanted to make this a different book? Make the characters starkly different from the norm, make them independent and complex? I guess that worked. But for me, that made the book profoundly unsatisfying, and it made the relationship appear to be very damaging, maybe even manipulating. I liked Agatha in the Finishing School series. I have a firm dislike of Agatha and her choices now. Ugh.
I wonder what other reviewers will say about this one - I'm off to read some of the other reviews......more
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
3.5 stars, rounded to 4
A relatively quick read, Seven Down engages you right from the startHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
3.5 stars, rounded to 4
A relatively quick read, Seven Down engages you right from the start. It's a sort of epistolary novel, told through debriefing files of a political/corporate conspiracy manipulation gone terribly wrong. And it starts off with just about the most emotional character - full of regret, uprooted from a life she sold years ago. The text was emotional and shook me quite a lot from the start.
The story is told in a similar manner to Fredrick Backman's Anxious People - but where that one is a "realism through humor" kind of tale, this one's more of a "realism through tragedy" sort of one. Definitely reads as literary, and you need to concentrate, as the story has been especially mixed up in the timelines. The characters digress a lot, so you don't just get told simply about the mission they had, or the things that happened during that fateful day - no, you also learn about them as people - their thoughts, regrets and how they dealt with everything that happened after the event.
There is a sort of dark humor in this tale - it does have a sort of jokey manner, especially with some characters, but even then, it's dark and tragic. It's meant to make you laugh, but only in a depraved sort of way. And you'll definitely be sad after you finish it.
Seven Down makes you... Feel ever so much uncomfortable, as well. And I think it's meant to. Not only that, some of the characters, the way they tell their stories, their regrets and how they've literally sold out their lives, it broke my heart. The loved ones they had to leave, all of that felt to me like that fairytale, where a King or Queen promises the witch their firstborn because before they have one, it seems an easy bargain, but then after the time comes and they have to make good on the promise, they realize it was the worst decision of their lives. This story goes on in a similar fashion. It was really sad to read those bits, and I had to keep taking breaks from the book because of that. But not all the stories are like that, and pretty much all the characters are meant to seem quite unlikeable, so when they overshare their regrets and mistakes, you just feel uncomfortable, and that's the way the book must've been intended.
It's also interesting how most of the these characters don't seem to know they were pretty much all of them embroiled in the same scheme. It's all like a big stupid stage of theatre going on, and at times it seems more like a circus, really. It adds to the uncomfortable feeling. But also, it's unsettling in the sense, that you start wondering how much of this kind of thing might actually be going on? You think of all the incidents that have happened over the years - the toxins in the little town who took out unsuspecting victims, was that in Ireland? Was it something like... this? Could this possibly be, not really JUST fiction..? Profoundly uncomfortable to think about. And also probably someone's reality.
Seven Down is hopefully just fiction, but... It's not a book you'll easily forget for sure.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received from a publicist through NetGalley
DNF @ around halfway through
I couldn't make myself finish this book. It's How I read this: Free ebook copy received from a publicist through NetGalley
DNF @ around halfway through
I couldn't make myself finish this book. It's well written and all, but just too sad and brutal for me. Triggers me out every other chapter. There's a lot of violence and PTSD and I just couldn't manage that.
However, I loved how in this story, there are no right sides - both sides have wronged someone. The two main characters are caught in a world of change - the Tsar's family has just been murdered, and the Bolsheviks are trying to take over the country. In a scenario as this, it would be easy to say any one side was bad and the other good. But here, it's not simplified like that. Both sides have committed atrocities, and both of the main characters represent a side - and as they slowly learn about their situations and how their "good guys" have wronged someone, they learn that nothing is ever black or white in life - and nobody can be absolutely right or wrong.
Yet, the story was very hard to read. I couldn't manage more than a few chapters at a time, because it's just so sad, so heavy. Most people's families are killed, there is fear and violence. This book could prove very triggering. There is murder, pursuit, and a lot of other horrible things happening to the characters, some of them you witness. I believe it was needed for the story and its goals, but also, for the sensitive reader, it may prove to be a slow reading book.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
Wow, this was a stunning graphic novel. I absolutely loved the art - beautiful, very detailHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
Wow, this was a stunning graphic novel. I absolutely loved the art - beautiful, very detailed style, and it's got the steampunk vibe down so right. It's gorgeous.
But that's not the only thing I loved about Lady Mechanika - often, these novels can be gorgeous, but not that involving. Not so with this one - hooked me on page one. It's easy to read and follow, and it's very engrossing.
A huge added bonus was the sense of humor too! Despite a rather heavy and dark plot, there is a lot of humor from certain characters, so it lightens the mood in darker places. It's just the right balance.
Some reviewers mention the oversexualized style, and I have to agree, that was something that bothered me somewhat (women are only a certain shape - wasp waist, huge breasts). But I do realize that's what sells in the Steampunk genre a lot of the time, so I didn't take away any stars for it. The story was still great itself, and the drawings amazing. However, if you dislike oversexualized style, then you might have an issue with it. The cover represents the style in the rest of the book, so decide based on that.
This tome included parts 0-5, and now I just can't wait to find some more.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Evelina | AvalinahsBooks
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