An okay read and audiobook. I like Martha's story. A lot going on and sometimes I can't follow. Some swearing. Some good humor. Cult, online forum, coAn okay read and audiobook. I like Martha's story. A lot going on and sometimes I can't follow. Some swearing. Some good humor. Cult, online forum, corporate leaders, assassination attempts, AI via suit and AI via Augur, past vs present or was it future vs present, bunkers, etc.
The idea on apocalypse is ok. Since there were a lot going on, I couldn't grasp on to anyone.
Thank you Simon Audio for the complimentary audiobook. Thank you Simon Books Buddy for the opportunity to read and review!...more
I enjoyed reading and listening to an audiobook for this young adult queer fantasy a lot. I liked the humor. The magic story was good. Rules breakers I enjoyed reading and listening to an audiobook for this young adult queer fantasy a lot. I liked the humor. The magic story was good. Rules breakers vs rules followers. Opposites attracts. A bit of forbidden love and forbidden use of magic. The narrator did a great job. I laughed more with the second character because of his dark clothes aesthetic and his miserable feelings in the summer heat.
This story followed Rook. He's been missing his grandma. His grandma can do magic. Rook can't. Rook just graduated and attempting to obtain a job with a powerful sorcerer in town. He showed up and won his way into a job by his skills at fixing technology devices. Rook invented a device that can show him where magic exists. It's against the law. Luckily his boss doesn't care for law too much and took him on as an apprentice. Their rival is the dual guys team and they're a rule follower. They got called to solve some magical problems together but often had disagreements. Those times when they ran into each other, the adults argued while the teens grow to like each other from becoming friends enemies to friends to more than. When Rook's magic device was found out, all 4 of their lives were in danger. The adults were captured and the teens were on a run, with one teen being in an unexpected circumstances. They came up with a to do list and solve one problem at a time together.
Thank you SimonAudio and SimonTeen for the opportunity to read, listen, and review!...more
I listened to an audiobook and the narrator did a great job.
The story followed Chase. She's obsessedThis story wasn't for me so I skipped some parts.
I listened to an audiobook and the narrator did a great job.
The story followed Chase. She's obsessed over her ex after her ex went missing. The story went back and forth between past and present. In the past, Chase was an excellent student with a girlfriend. How they loved each other and how their relationship turned sour. The present day has Chase spiraling downhill with her lack of ambition for success and more interest to what had happened to her ex. Chase's on drugs. Chase joins the cheating ring. Not at all what a smart student do.. or do they when the pressure is on..
Thank you SimonAudio for the complimentary audiobook!...more
A wild ride was my first instant reaction at the end of the story. I listened to the audiobook majority of the time. I loved the narrator's voice espeA wild ride was my first instant reaction at the end of the story. I listened to the audiobook majority of the time. I loved the narrator's voice especially when she speaks for Luna's mom and all of the Spanish sentences. This story followed Luna. She's friends with Samantha for 10 years until they went shopping together one day and Samantha pulled an unexpected stunt and left Luna in trouble. Luna was upset so she posted a video on Limbo, a social media network, to embarrass Samantha. It got spiraling out of hand when others shared and re-shared the video multiple times. Samantha dealt with the cyber bullying by attempting to take her own life. A share on social media became an attack. Forwarded a few pages and the CEO of Limbo proposed a challenge to the high school students and classmates of Luna. To go through the rest of the school year without having a phone. Since the phone is what put a fellow classmate in the hospital. It's hard because Luna also need her phone to stay in touch with her overprotective mom. Each chapter started with a hit song from back in the day like Livin' La Viva Loca and This Is How We Do It..
There were some twists and turns in the story later on. Whoever accepted the challenge was going Retro and whoever didn't was mostly the popular crew in the school who ran their life as an influencer. I liked how the popular group tried to trick Luna into using the phone but she caught herself and resisted. Since there wasn't a phone to play, they kept themselves busy with saving Luna's mom's job and dealing with teen stuffs. One thing I didn't like so much was the romance. It's almost enemies to lover but it happened fast. I'm surprised at Luna who never had a boyfriend before to not hesitate at all when she took off her clothes for the first guy that showed interest in her. Luna wasn't so bright at solving mysteries when her friends started disappearing or when there were weird noises started happening.
A good diverse set of characters with different insecurities and secrets. A good friendship story. A good mother-daughter relationship. One friend who's gay. Another friend who goes both ways. Romance was a quick mention and neither slow burn nor explicit.
Thank you SimonTeen and Simon Audio for the gifted copy to read, listen, and review!...more
Read for my toddler's bedtime. Majorie loves gardening, cooking, and knitting but didn't have a friend to share ideas with. One day, she saw a sign atRead for my toddler's bedtime. Majorie loves gardening, cooking, and knitting but didn't have a friend to share ideas with. One day, she saw a sign at the local community center with activities similar to her interests. She went but got turned away because that room was arranged specifically for senior citizens. Majorie decided to follow her grandma's footsteps about not giving up easily. She went and found herself a granny costume to disguise her age. She got let in the next time she went. She was so happy to learn a new stitch from one senior citizen and a delicious recipe from another. One person then brought out music and everyone started doing the cha-cha-cha. At first Majorie didn't want to dance but as she tried to escape, she got trapped among the citizens. She decided to stay and dance her own moves. She had so much fun that she didn't notice when her disguises was falling off.. Excellent story and fun illustrations!
Thank you MacKidsBooks for the opportunity to read and review!...more
A great read. Jeremy was a great character as well as Evan. Jeremy’s mom sounded like the responsible adult while his dad wasn’t. I liked that Jeremy A great read. Jeremy was a great character as well as Evan. Jeremy’s mom sounded like the responsible adult while his dad wasn’t. I liked that Jeremy remembered what his mom taught him and utilized her teachings. It’s always sad the kids got mixed up in parents relationship fallout. Good thing the divorce in this story was amicable. This story would have been more interesting if there was a view from Evan. Jeremy’s life was a bit boring to be honest. He constantly worried about which parent he will live with and often noticed his dad had a few too many beers. His dad complained about lack of father-son time but he forced his son up the roof cleaning on his own without his guidance. Adults during divorce can be miserable I guess.
This book began with Jeremy, 12 celebrating his birthday with his parents. It didn’t end well. Six months later, his parents divorced. His dad drove him to his uncle Becker’s house by the beach to stay for 2 weeks while his mom moved out. He’s been harboring his secret this whole time. While looking out over the beach, Jeremy caught sight of a guy he liked. Later he ran into that guy, Evan, 12 at a store in town. By some miracle, he got the Evan’s phone number and met up to run together at the beach. They both liked to look at the seabirds and recalled their names with a secret language of their own for what each bird stands for, such as hungry, feeling awful, goodbye. Just as their friendship were blossoming, Evan had to leave on a fishing trip with his family. Jeremy could come with but he worried he couldn’t hide his crush on Evan surrounded by Evan’s cousins. Later when Evan came back, they hung out more and outside of running together. Meanwhile, Evan constantly worried about his future, whether he will live with his mom or his dad and how the divorce is causing changes in his dad.
The Language of Seabirds was a good story about a young boy who’s going to be a teen soon and finding himself liking fashion magazines and boys. He didn’t have anyone to communicate with what he’s feeling. Not even his uncle as I had thought especially since his uncle was unmarried and lived alone. It’s sad to go through changes without having anyone to talk to, though eventually Jeremy got to talk to Evan about it. I liked the cover of this book as well as the illustrations for each chapter headings. The seabirds language was a good idea. Other than that, it would have been great if Jeremy got to talk to someone about his internal battles. The ending was bittersweet. There’s no guarantee that they will see each other again. His uncle indeed owned many beach houses so I’m going to say they will see each other again.
Fantastic read! Loved it. This story followed the twins, Desiree and Stella, each in their own view. They lived in a small town that doesnRead in 2022
Fantastic read! Loved it. This story followed the twins, Desiree and Stella, each in their own view. They lived in a small town that doesn't even existed on the map. The town has colored people who were light skinned, light enough that they could pretend to be white and get away with it. Desiree has always wanted to live away from this small town but have never up and left. When they were 17, Desiree asked her twin sister Stella to go. Surprisingly Stella agreed. Stella experienced a few unhappy events at her hometown that made her decided to go. They struggled at first, being truthful and colored would reject them of any jobs even if they were qualified for it. One day they were broke so Stella went along with a suggestion Desiree made. In Stella's new life, things were easier and soon she up and left her sister. Desiree went on and lived her life without her sister by her side but later returned home to her mom with a daughter named Jude. Years later, Jude grown up and went away for college. She met the love of her life unexpectedly. Her love life hadn't been great. Her years growing up in her mom's hometown wasn't a happy one either. Later through some chance she got a glimpse of her aunt Stella. Later on Jude by some chance met up with the girl she saw before and realized that she must be her cousin. The cousins kept in touch without their mom knowing after Jude attempted to get to know her aunt but was rejected.
I enjoyed reading about all of the characters. Fantastic idea. Early's a great supporting character. He's upbeat despite his upbringing. I enjoyed the multigenerational story from grandma to daughters to granddaughters. Great twists and suspense.
I read this book because it was recommended on the 17 Month Planner/Calendar written and published by the americanlibraryassociation and sourcebooks ...more
An interesting read! I enjoyed the humor at “fast food” where rice was served with tea. Though sadly it shouldn’t be a laughing matter because it’s a An interesting read! I enjoyed the humor at “fast food” where rice was served with tea. Though sadly it shouldn’t be a laughing matter because it’s a poor man’s meal. Grocery shopping without knowing English became a game of charade, where the seller laughed and the shopper left the store with frustration and an empty shopping cart. I have heard of this shopping experience and it’s funny but sad at the same time because of language barriers. The drugs mentioned surprised me especially ones where it was prescribed to heal only to later caused patients to become addicted to the point of overdosed and death. I always think to trust doctors to prescribe safe medicines to patients for healing but now I should think carefully about taking medicine as it looks like not all medicines are for good. I enjoyed the story of the main character’s grandma. This book was filled with happy and sad parts both to people and animals. It reminded me of why I wanted to become a vegan all over again. Except it’s not easy.
This book started with a letter to his mom. Some were good memories but some were laced with physical abuse. He didn’t told on his mom when his injuries were visible and noticeable at school. He wrote about monarch butterflies migration in parallel to his letter to his mom. The story started at third grade to ten years old and later at twenty-eight years old but circled around at six and thirteen and fourteen, etc. His mom worked at the nail salon. On her birthday, she took him shopping at Goodwill and bought some clothes. Later a neighborhood kid saw him wearing his mom’s dress in front of his house and he endured bullying at school. Sometimes they dressed up to go window shopping at high ends shopping center. Other times she threatened him with a knife or beat him with a remote control. At thirteen, he told his mom to stop hitting him. At fourteen he worked a summer job at the tobacco farm and there he met a boy. The city his family lived in was full of drug addicts and wife beater husbands, including his own father. The story weaved between past and present but not in a clear timeline and where the past sometimes sounded like a memory.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous was well written and the humor was well received. I didn’t expect to read interracial gay sex in this story. With an abundance of gay romance books available nowadays, this book shouldn’t surprise me but it did because I haven’t wanting to intentionally read them yet. I’m also surprised at the underage drugs and drinking, how it was easily obtainable by underage users. The whole story though, I don’t think I learned of the main character’s school name but just a nick name, Little Dog, his family called him. Also I wondered why Trevor and Little Dog never expressed love in words. I read this book because my friend saw a post on Facebook about the author. She told me about him and I recognized his name right away because I have seen a few bookstagrammers posted about reading this book and I had added to my TBR. I read the story and was curious how closely the story resembled to the author’s biography. It made me wonder why he didn’t write it as a memoir. But then I thought fiction was a better choice because there were actions in this story that many Asians don’t like to admit it. A great read, though sometimes a bit depressing, I do recommend everyone to read it.
I enjoyed reading this sequel. It was not what I was expecting to be honest. I wanted Sid’s view which I got but I wanted to see the fun she got in wiI enjoyed reading this sequel. It was not what I was expecting to be honest. I wanted Sid’s view which I got but I wanted to see the fun she got in winning her conquests, instead I got to see her vulnerability. In book one, Sid came off as untouchable, a good looking confident someone every woman wanted to be with. In this book she craved for her mom’s and Nirrim’s love. It’s more serious and less fun. However, I do liked how she solve problems. She learned of why her mom’s sick and she’s vigilant in finding out the source. I liked Sid’s quick thinking and how she unravel mysteries on the spot. Nirrim’s role was also unexpected but well deserved because she needed the strength to stand up to Raven and even Aden.
This book started with the view of the God. The God of Thieves and Nirrim made a bargain. Now the people behind the wall knew about their history and why they were separated. He’s free from his post and Nirrim’s a self-crowned ruler, a Queen, replacing him. The God’s view (mystery God until reveal at the end) will weave into the story every now and then to tell a story about how he met Raven. Then the story began with Nirrim. She thought she made the bargain so she wouldn’t miss Sid anymore but it wasn’t the case. Nirrim went back behind the wall and everyone were uneasy around her. She’s using the bird to see who can do magic. She’s dividing them out because she’s planning on a revenge against the High Kith for robbing them of their freedom in the past. The second view was Sid. She’s on the boat back to her country because her mom’s sick. She’s missing Nirrim and felt heart broken that Nirrim refused to go back home with her. At home she learned why her mom’s sick and realized what she truly wanted.
The Hollow Heart was well written and a fast paced read. The magic system was good and new to me. I will have to think twice about drinking pink tea if I ever come across it. The LGBT romance was light and just enough. I enjoyed Sid’s humor. I wonder how did the rose have a child when it was a rose at the time it met her. I wonder if Killian can see truth like his mom when he came to warn Nirrim. I don’t connect the gods in this story to Greek mythology until the term demigod appeared. It was because the term used in this story were god of foresight, god of thieves, god of death, god of games, etc. This duology was a good read but I think I enjoyed The Winner series more.
An excellent read, this book has a set of characters, villains as they may be, you couldn’t help but love them. They are born into a villain family anAn excellent read, this book has a set of characters, villains as they may be, you couldn’t help but love them. They are born into a villain family and trained to be a villain their whole life. Despite being who they were, I liked that each character appeared to have their own personal goals. I loved following each character’s train of thoughts, maybe Alistair more than others because his relationship with his brother was unique. There seemed to be enemies to lover trope but it didn’t get far despite the slow burning wants. It was so good to read and I looked forward to those two point of views more than the others.
This book started with the Lowe brothers, Hendry and Alistair, told in Alistair’s point of view as they climbed the fence out to town. They lived in a town called Ilvernath. Long time ago, seven families cursed themselves, each generation were to fight each other to their deaths. The one left standing will win the control of Ilvernath’s high magick until the next generation’s tournament. This year’s event is no longer a secret due to a recent anonymous tell-all book and so it has drawn tourists from all over. The second view was Isobel, 16, a competitor in the tournament. Her mom was a spellmaker but didn’t want her to compete while her dad talked her into it. When the tournament started, Isobel found herself powerless due to a botched attempt at making a curse. The third view was Gavin, 17. His family died early at every tournament and he has no choice but to prepare himself for the tournament as best as he can. A spellmaker offered him strength but his life was in danger. The fourth view was Briony. She competed against 17 cousins and her younger sister, Innes, for the champion title to represent her family’s name. Magick in this story is modern and are sold in department stores.
All of Us Villains was well written and a fast paced read! The ending hinted at a sequel and sure enough after checking Goodreads that this book is part of a duology. I’m excited to read the sequel. One thing I’m disappointed with this story was the lack of romance. Just a passionate kiss was all I’m asking before the kiss that ended it all. The genres indicated LGBT was misleading because there were no romance besides thinking the guy was good looking and had soft hands. The twists on Gavin’s magic and life expectancy was undeniably cool. I liked the magic in this story. The tournament reminded me of The Hunger Games. The Villains’ good personality reminded me of Renegades series and Alistair’s shadows reminded me of The Darkling from Grishaverse. All in all, a great read nonetheless and I highly recommend everyone to read this book!
A heart to heart trouble of being single and looking for mister right, but also figuring out what makes us most happy. I loved reading the getting to A heart to heart trouble of being single and looking for mister right, but also figuring out what makes us most happy. I loved reading the getting to know stage where there's a lot of flirting and bantering. Midnight came and went but the read was so cute I didn't want to put down. This is what I love reading chick lit books for! Francesco was definitely a swoon worthy guy who knew all the right things to say. I like the sisters relationship with their personal podcasts. I'm glad this book explained about gender non-binary. I have seen it on email signatures and Twitter/Instagram profiles but haven't a clue on it. I love learning stuffs through fiction novels.
This book started with a prologue, where Penny and Francesco split up against each other's will because Penny is moving to the country and long distance just doesn't work. Then the story began, following Penny, 30, a cook and an owner of a cafe, told in the third person point of view. Survivor of breast cancer at 25, she's feeling low that she hadn't had a real relationship in 5 years. Her last serious boyfriend left when she was diagnosed with cancer just like her father bailed out on her mother. Finding love and trusting someone could love her was a big issue. She also has plans for herself, something she really wanted but she had to put it aside when her uncle took ill. Life was full of challenges and choices. Readers will get the alternative view from Francesco, but not every other chapter. The story concluded with an epilogue.
The Love Square was well written and a fast paced read. It's sexy so mature readers only. The genre indicated as LGBT, but it was not with the main character as I thought, but with supporting characters. The non-traditional family situation was interesting. This book has good diversity on characters' backgrounds and modern ways of life. I love reading British literature on account of learning about life in a foreign country. I enjoyed the author's informative acknowledgment about how much work went into publishing a book. I highly recommend everyone to read this book!
I enjoyed listening to both main characters’ narrators. They changed voices for gender, hysteria, sad, scared, etc. The story at first started slow. II enjoyed listening to both main characters’ narrators. They changed voices for gender, hysteria, sad, scared, etc. The story at first started slow. I was not interested in step uncle issues which took a bit of time. I liked that there was a second view. Amber’s parents were one of a kind. The story was good but I realized that no one was truly investigating the murders. Beth couldn’t really be said to investigate when she’s often high. There’s no views of the police force doing the investigations or at least that gumshoe motel owner. Beth irritated me sometimes. It’s not believable that she survived the fast water currents when she was still recovering as well as when Wolf was injured. Many people normally died from fast river currents and they usually go in without injuries.
This book started with a prologue talking about the roads where so many unsolved murders occurred. Then the story began with Hailey, 17 in 2018, woken up by her little cousin. She’s now living with her aunt, cousin, and her aunt’s second husband, Vaughn because her dad recently passed away. Hailey found out that Vaughn was a dirty cop when she found her naked pictures among others in his computer. She suspected him out cheating on her aunt and killing those missing women but couldn’t prove it. She decided to go into hiding because she no longer felt comfortable at home since there were hidden cameras in her room. Part two followed Beth, Amber’s older sister. Beth dropped out of school because she couldn’t deal with what happened with Amber and moved to the area to get closure to her. She got involved with Johnny and curious about Hailey and the dog that continued to rescue her repeatedly. There’s a part 3 and an epilogue.
Dark Roads was a thrilling audiobook, especially at part 3. The killer caught me by surprise. I definitely couldn’t guess it. For the most part, I enjoyed the story. I liked that Hailey was not a typical girl. She’s outdoorsy and able to handle a gun. The LGBT romance was super brief. I liked Beth’s determination. She doesn’t know the woods but she was not afraid to try. The story has good suspense. It hooked me in at part 2 and I was invested into the mystery. This is my first listen from the author and I’m interested in her other books! I do recommend everyone to read or listen to this book!
This book is a great read. I enjoy the humor and the great family dynamic. His friends are great too. His drama teacher Ms. AlbRead this book in 2017.
This book is a great read. I enjoy the humor and the great family dynamic. His friends are great too. His drama teacher Ms. Albright is really cool. The ending is so sweet. I really love how everything comes together at the end.
In this book, readers will follow the point of view of Simon Spier, a high school student. His life revolves around his family with parents and two sisters Alice and Nora with his 3 best friends Nick, Abby, and Leah. He has many other friends he sits with at lunch too but he’s not very close with them. When each of his friend’s birthday comes, Leah usually brings in a chocolate cake and in order to have a slice of cake, each person have to wear a party hat. Simon’s family is real fun. They like to watch reality TV shows and play trivia together. I really like the Facebook Trivia. That’s hilarious! I like Simon’s parents. They are really cool parents. I love their parole to being grounded. His sisters are too awesome as well!
The plot and the organization of this book is great. The writing is easy to read and at times, I just couldn’t put the book down. It’s full of suspense that I couldn’t guess until it is reveal in the end. I really like the emails between Simon and Blue. Blue is super sweet. I wish there’s more of him in the story. I like reading his emails but I can’t recall if he shows up in the story that much. I like following Simon’s train of thoughts too, especially at the end. It’s really cute!...more
Finally a story takes place where I'm familiar with: Atlanta and Alabama. Funny about the Atlanta traffic because I feel what Rhodes felt driving and Finally a story takes place where I'm familiar with: Atlanta and Alabama. Funny about the Atlanta traffic because I feel what Rhodes felt driving and merging onto the busy crowded highway, a nervous wreck! It's interesting getting to know about art competition and art school in this book. I enjoyed the humor, especially how Rhodes and her younger brother caught each other checking out the same girl. I love the illustrations and the cover. The way Iliana was described in this story is fascinating like when she's angry, her hair shakes and her body shakes. You don't want to know where Iliana sweats when she's about to give a presentation! lol
This book is told in the first person point of view following Iliana, 18. She's feeling hate for Rhodes, her best friend Sarah's dorm mate who is also Sarah's best friend. Rhodes' side of the room has stuffs from Pottery Barn whereas her friend Sarah own things from thrift stores and DIY's. Iliana has a fan fiction account where she goes to work on her Alice in Wonderland comic, queer style. The alternating view is Rhodes, 18. Rhodes also loves Alice in Wonderland and joined an online community to spread the love of it. Neither Iliana nor Rhodes knew of each other's online activities. Rhodes used to win art prizes until she froze up. Now her grades are slipping and so is her creativity. She is expected to overcome her fear. There are comics within the story of Iliana's fan fiction. The story is timeline by counting down to an art award that Rhodes, Sarah, and Iliana wants to win. This story is divided into three parts.
I Kissed Alice is well written and a fast paced read. I like the online love and I'm not sure what I was expecting for their first meeting, but that wasn't it. Though, it's the best decision the author made because Iliana sure need to think it all over. I like how innocent the romance is. I like the humor between Rhodes' brother and Iliana. My family is like Iliana's family when comes to disagreements. I can't do silent treatment because I have to say something lol. One thing I don't like is if wanting the love, why wait until being face-to-face cornered to do something about it? Other than that, I do recommend everyone to read this book!
This book is a fantastic read! I like how Millie stays positive by saying her daily affirmative lines. Knitting group! Love it. I used to go to one anThis book is a fantastic read! I like how Millie stays positive by saying her daily affirmative lines. Knitting group! Love it. I used to go to one and made some great friends but stopped going because I had to move. I really missed it now that I'm reading about knitting group again. Knitting activism is pretty cool in this story! Mock Trial is cool as well and it's my first time learning about it reading this book. My high school never had anything like this. I like Raina's realization about how her boyfriend kept her back from experiencing more. Definitely great advice for teens.
This book is told in the first person point of view following Raina, high school senior as she talks about performing in a play and feeling angry when Brandon, her boyfriend of 5 years who dumped her out of nowhere. The alternating view is Emilia aka Millie, 18. She's upset because the boys got together to come up with a new topic for Mock Trial without including her. Now she's unprepared and basically got kicked out. With the suggestion of Raina, Millie decided to form her own Mock Trial team. Between love, mock trial and drama, the girls discovered something in themselves when they have the freedom to lead. This book is organized by date, beginning January and ends in September in a lawsuit style.
Six Angry Girls is well written and a fast paced read! I enjoyed the humor and how the story is easy to read. I love the awkward moments of crushing on someone and the beginning of dating. They are so cute. This book is very diverse where the characters and their family are same sex dating/married. How quaint that the author bring up Rachel Maddow in this book where that news reporter was her focus for her debut. (See link above for my review). One supporting character irritates me is Millie's dad. The librarian is too awesome! Love how the girls defend themselves from the guys. I recommend everyone to read this book!
This book was an excellent read! One thing that stood out right away was the character's love of rooftops. It reminded me of the author's debut where This book was an excellent read! One thing that stood out right away was the character's love of rooftops. It reminded me of the author's debut where the main character of that book also had a fond for rooftops. I enjoyed this author's writing and right away the story was a page turner and I couldn't help but felt for the girl with the curse. The story flow smoothly and it seemed predictable until something unexpected happened or a big surprise revealed. I loved that I got surprised every time.
This book started with a prologue about a girl, 13 who wandered too far into the forestland and encountered a div (demon) who ended up cursing her first born. Her first born daughter is now poisonous. Whoever touches her will die. Then the story began, told in the third person point of view following Soraya, 18, Princess and Monster. She lived her life in hiding from the public while her twin brother Sorush, 18, shah of Atashar, a Prince, shine front and center. Soraya didn't like her curse and wanted to remove it. She encountered a someone who might know how to lift her curse but the bargain was that Soraya would have to give something away and in the process it could hurt her family.
Girl, Serpent, Thorn was well written and a fast paced read! I enjoyed the fantasy because it's different and unlike any others I've read. I thought some part resembled Rapunzel but I couldn't tell about the Sleeping Beauty and the Persian myth until author's note explained it. It grossed me out a bit that Soraya would be willing to kiss some over 200 years old someone. I like the personal fight Soraya and Azad went through and the difficult decisions they made. The title was not in the story but I hope I understood correctly that it was intended for Soraya and Azad. This book was a great read and I recommend everyone to read it.
Definitely a great read! The main character had such an arduous life that I was hoping she would take the risk to experience something new than to setDefinitely a great read! The main character had such an arduous life that I was hoping she would take the risk to experience something new than to settle for what’s familiar. I was so happy when she did just that. I liked it when the title was explained in the story because I didn’t know its meaning. I loved it when Sid was introduced into the story. I enjoyed their bantering and their slow burning romance as well as their adventures. The magic was interesting and new and I enjoyed Nirrim’s discoveries of the mystery surrounding her abilities, where she came from, and the deceit she was trapped in.
This book followed Nirrim, told in the first person point of view. This world Nirrim lives in was hard but she had no control of what kind of life she was born into. Nirrim unfortunately was born into Half Kith and live behind a wall called the Ward, a kind of jail that forced her to continue to commit crimes and keep silent to survive. Due to an event, she was sent to prison. From there she met Sid. Sid opened her eyes to more things than she believed she knew. The Ward where Nirrim live housed all orphans and unwanted babies. High Kith was the dream life. Sid wanted to find the source of magic and enlisted Nirrim to help in exchange for her freedom from behind the wall even if for a short time.
The Midnight Lie was well written and a fast paced read. At first I was confused by the talks about the gods. It became clearer at the end of the book. How true it is to have no control to the life we are born into but it was fantastic to see the changes Nirrim went through to change her life for the better. She had to lie and fought for what she wanted despite the pushbacks. She took control of the situation whether it was uncomfortable and I loved this kind of reading. She was weak when she seek for love in places that weren’t there but that made her strong. I’m excited to read the sequel! I love the new covers. I recommend everyone to read this book!
I love the cover, this one and the author's Everless duo. Reading this book, one thing stuck out was the constant reminder of Maddie's unhappiness thaI love the cover, this one and the author's Everless duo. Reading this book, one thing stuck out was the constant reminder of Maddie's unhappiness that resulted from what happened with her brother. She seems to have a lack of confidence, at Havenfall and even less at home in Sterling. The love was pre-existing so there wasn't any flirts or banters. I don't enjoy following Maddie's thoughts so much so I feel the narrative was lengthy. With these characteristics to start the story out, I become less invested in the book. Also, Brekken was surprised by the horses this summer even though he came to Havenfall every summer for the past 10 years. That just doesn't make sense.
This book started with a prologue, told in the third person point of view following Marcus as he read an age old book promising to keep everyone safe as a new portal keeper. The start of the book also summarizes each of the 4 realms and its characteristics, where one of four is the enemy. Then the story began, told in the first person point of view following Madeline aka Maddie, 16. She is Marcus' niece and has been spending her summer at Havenfall, (earth is one out of the 4 realms) since she was 6 and is aiming to inherit the Inn Marcus has been running. The Inn has access to all 3 realms and has a bit of magic where the rest of earth doesn't. The start of summer already go wrong when her uncle fall unconscious and someone is dead.
Havenfall is a diversity book where the main character is a bi and her uncle is gay. I like the mystery of the missing keys and its consequences. I love the twists at the end with Nate, Maddie's friends, and the villain. Havenfall and the mirror lake sounds pretty especially on top of the mountain. One thing I realized is the nice twist to this ya fantasy where this book is a murder mystery. If you are looking for a book that gives the test of a big responsibility to someone who wants it but have little confidence to handling it, then this book is for you!
I rate it 3.5 stars!
xoxo, Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for more details ***Many thanks to Bloomsbury for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest....more
This book is a great read! Definitely different. I can’t decide if I’m annoyed or fascinated by it all. I’m annoyed that the owner of the house lose cThis book is a great read! Definitely different. I can’t decide if I’m annoyed or fascinated by it all. I’m annoyed that the owner of the house lose control so easily yet I’m fascinated how people are good at manipulating other people into doing things they don’t normally do. I enjoyed reading Lucy’s life with her children but not so much with her memory of Michael. Her memory reminds me of the book Behind Closed Doors, though I rather action instead of mostly recollection. I like Libby’s investigation into her past with the journalist. Henry’s recount of his childhood is full of suspense. I couldn’t read it fast enough to unravel the mystery.
This book is told in the third person point of view following Libby, 25, as she receives a letter from a solicitor. The second view is Lucy, nearly 40. She’s stopped to eat with her son Marco, 12, daughter Stella, 5, and the dog. They are currently homeless. The third view is Henry, 41. He recounted his life with his family when he was nearly 11. His view is of the past while Libby and Lucy’s view are of the present. Libby inherits the house and discovers that she has a mysterious past. This book is divided into 4 parts.
The Family Upstairs is well written but I can’t help how annoying the whole situation was. The teenagers, especially Phin and Henry. They know the secret passage out of the house. They have many chances to leave the house if they wanted to but instead they choose to stay and endure. Henry especially has a way out with Justin but he didn’t take it. I’m also disappoint that Sally is so weak and couldn’t save her kids. As much annoyed as I feel, the story is still a page turner because I enjoy Libby’s investigation into her mysterious past. I like Lucy’s clever son Marco. I was able to guess about the baby but I like the surprise twists on the baby’s true biological parents. This book is still an interesting read and I do recommend everyone to read it.
Pro: fast paced, page turner, mysterious house, suspense, mysterious past,
Con: weak boy characters, memory of behind closed doors rather than action
I rate it 4 stars!
***Disclaimer: Many thanks to Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
This book is a great read! Raya is such a down to earth girl and it's so easy to follow her view. I feel sad for her how she craves to have her mom's This book is a great read! Raya is such a down to earth girl and it's so easy to follow her view. I feel sad for her how she craves to have her mom's love and attention but doesn't receive. Her feelings sound realistic and can be relatable to many readers because of where she lives and the constant fears she has living in a small town of strict church goers. I like her friendship with Sarah. Sarah seems like a great person as well. I like other supporting characters like Leon and Clio. I enjoy the humor in this book.
This book is told in the first person point of view following Raya, 16 who is raised by her grandma because her teen mom abandoned her when she was 2. Her mom is an actress on TV and plays the Aphrodite character so Raya learns about ancient myths to prepare herself that if one day her mom comes back for her, she'll have something to talk to her mom about. Raya misses her mom a lot. She lives in a small town and is constantly afraid that someone will find out that she actually likes girls instead of boys. When gay teens in this small town got found out, they disappeared. Raya worries a lot when it will happen to her and where will she disappear to. This book is divided into 6 parts.
Orpheus Girl is well written and a fast paced read! Church's involvement to cure homosexual is kind of funny and cruel. The people running the program talk down to them to make them feel less than a person while the activities such as doing strenuous exercises that they are put up to perform is just silly. Using the methods of torture such as electroshock to stop loving someone seems extreme. I am a bit disappointed with Raya's grandma. I realize she's a strict church goer but her own daughter got pregnant out of wedlock and she kept the baby instead of putting up for adoption or abortion so I would expect that she would give Raya a chance instead of sending her off. This book is LGBT in the old days where gays are unacceptable and cast out. I don't know much about Orpheus so I can't tell the retelling part. The story is still a good read despite some trigger warnings and I do recommend everyone to read this book!
Pro: fast paced, page turner, LGBT, friendship, family, humor, easy to read, diversity,
Con: trigger warnings of how gays are unacceptable back in the day and torture is used as a method to cure
I rate it 4.5 stars!
***Disclaimer: Many thanks to Soho Press for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
Loading...
