There was a time when I would’ve never cared for this genre but now I can’t get enough of it. I’ve read a few dark romance books and I always try to eThere was a time when I would’ve never cared for this genre but now I can’t get enough of it. I’ve read a few dark romance books and I always try to experiment with different authors but I found that Rina’s books cater so well to my expectations. There’s just something about her writing style I can’t quite place that ends up pulling me into her clutches. I also love the mental health representation in her books that makes me resonate so much with the characters. ...more
This can’t be true….. right?? There HAS to be an explanation for this. I hope I wake up to find that all this is a sick joke. What in the actual hell This can’t be true….. right?? There HAS to be an explanation for this. I hope I wake up to find that all this is a sick joke. What in the actual hell was that twist? This is such a good marketing strategy because there’s NO other option except to pick up the next book lmao.
Trigger warnings: Suicide, gore, homocide, explicit sexual content, profanities. ...more
I’ve never read a series as consistently five-star worthy as this trilogy. I’ve already threatened a few of my friends to read this. I’m so glad now tI’ve never read a series as consistently five-star worthy as this trilogy. I’ve already threatened a few of my friends to read this. I’m so glad now that I don’t even have to think hard when someone’s challenge question asks me to name a book that I won’t ever stop recommending to everyone.
THIS RIGHT HERE IS A MASTERPIECE OF EPIC PROPORTIONS
I couldn’t stop reading this. At all. I have no hesitation in claiming this book as a masterpiece. My heart is in pieces right now and tendrils of excI couldn’t stop reading this. At all. I have no hesitation in claiming this book as a masterpiece. My heart is in pieces right now and tendrils of excitement are making their way through my veins at this very moment (3 AM). My eyelids are so droopy right now but I’m contemplating reading the third book. The AUDACITY...more
I never thought I'd tear up for a friendship as much as I did for Will/Jem. Until Matthew and James Jamie came along I never thought I'd tear up for a friendship as much as I did for Will/Jem. Until Matthew and James Jamie came along ...more
Imagine reading a story that's going smooth, all your favourite characters are happy and then, out of nowhere, in the LAST page everything goes to sh*Imagine reading a story that's going smooth, all your favourite characters are happy and then, out of nowhere, in the LAST page everything goes to sh*t for them? My happiness has been stolen from me, please send help....more
Pip chooses a closed murder to be the topic of her senior year project. A murder that took place five years ago, April 20th,2012……… A date to remember
Pip chooses a closed murder to be the topic of her senior year project. A murder that took place five years ago, with Sal Singh as the alleged murderer. Only, she doesn't believe that Sal Singh is behind it and intends to prove it. But it's a tough job. All the evidence seems to point against Sal and worse? Andie’s body had never been found. But as Pip begins to delve deeper into the details of the murder, the amount of concealed lies and the list of suspects keeps growing: As Pip digs further, she receives anonymous threatening messages to stay away from the case, but one thing’s for sure: she's on the track of the real killer.
This HAS to be my favourite thriller-mystery book. 433 pages and not one paragraph or one line deterred my focus. The moment I started the first chapter, I knew it was going to be a long ride and I read and read until things got more and more interesting and I couldn’t for the love of God put the book down. It just wasn’t an option anymore. I wasn’t even halfway through the book when I started recommending this book to my friends threatening my friends to read it. That was the amount of nervous energy coursing through my veins.
Trigger warnings: Death of a loved one, racism, suicide, rape, drugs, statutory rape, self-harm, animal abuse, emotional abuse. Please only read this if you’re okay with the aforementioned triggers. There’s a lot that goes down that can be too much to take in, trust me on this.
The writing style was fantastic. There was an orderly representation of diagrams, transcripts, posts, emails, and messages related to the case. I was doubtful at first because the details of the story were already laid out and I’m not a fan of podcast-based murder mysteries, but Holly wonderfully veneered all the facts, footnotes and suspect interviews which had me second-guessing until the last minute. There were so many new additions to the case and times where the old facts were proved wrong, time and again. I just gave up, I didn’t know what or whom to believe except that I HAD to finish this book at all costs. I almost felt offended by the number of times I was misdirected lol.
Pippa Fitz-Amobi (the protagonist) is a socially awkward seventeen y/o who always takes her homework seriously. A lot of people point out about her being hell-bent on her homework and project, but she just doesn’t give a damn. WAY TO GO <3 Her relationship with her family (especially her stepdad) was refreshing to read. Her friendship with Cara and Lauren warmed me. No drama, only genuine love, and support. Their ability to stay strong AND together even when things around them were falling apart was beautiful. But the relationship that moved me the most was that between Pip and Sal’s brother, Ravi. There was little to no romance and I loved that they always placed the investigation first. Their transformation from being awkward around each other, to having a fight, to teaming up for the case, and eventually falling for each other was nothing short of marvelous. I STAN.
I had so much trouble staying calm while reading this book. There were moments when I rooted for Pip to find out as much as possible in her interviews, moments when I thought she pushed too far and moments when I felt extremely bad for her when the suspects were unwilling to cooperate. I love how she felt like giving up multiple times but held herself together because so many lives depended on the outcome of the case. For a seventeen-year-old, I must admit that’s really mature.
I also hate how judgemental society can be. This book depicts how an accusation impacts not just the accused, but the family as a whole. Even five years after the murder, the Singh family is faced with constant scrutiny, not just about the murder, but also because of their nationality and ethnicity. Being an Indian myself, I could totally relate to it.
This book also depicted how fat-shaming, bullying and lookism can impact the mindset of people. Even a single remark or a joke can tear apart a person’s self-esteem. But it hits the hardest when our parents, the very people we turn to for confidence, make us feel that way.
The investigation part undoubtedly made my heartbeat bolt into my eardrum. But so many beautiful lessons etched onto each and every event stole my heart. Sure, this is a thriller novel that makes every cell, every nerve, and every layer of your skin feel electric. But it is also about teenagers’ desperation, how bad parenting and wrong decisions can alter the course of someone’s life or maybe even get them killed.
“In the end, this was a story about people and their different shades of desperation, crashing up against each other. But there was one person who was good until the very end. And his name was Sal Singh” ...more
“Bravery is a fleeting beast, isn’t it? Always there to get you into trouble, but quick to disappear once yBefore you ask: There's no Joining.
3.75
“Bravery is a fleeting beast, isn’t it? Always there to get you into trouble, but quick to disappear once you’re where you want to be.”
I love and respect you immensely, Jennifer L. Armentrout because of which I really want to be biased and rate this book five stars straightaway. But I'm afraid I don't want to mislead people. I want to convince you all to read it (especially for the last 20 chapters) but I'm afraid you might resent the middle, slow parts.
my ECG while reading this book:
First ten chapters : ^^^^___^^__^^^__^^^_________^^^^^^^^_ Chapters 11-28 ^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_ Chapters 29-44 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Chapters 45-50 __________________________________
Major spoilers for A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire and extremely major spoilers for From Blood and Ash
The Crown of Gilded Bones picked up right where Book 2 ended. No sooner had Poppy set foot in the Kingdom of Atlantia than she realised that she has been betrayed in the harshest possible manner by her very confidante. Reeling from the betrayal, Atlantians' distrust and meeting with Prince Casteel's parents who may or may not like her, Poppy has to endure a long yet rigorous journey to help Atlantia free their other Prince, Malik. As she embarks on her journey, she learns more about her heritage, parents, power and also the Rise of Gods and the History of Atlantia (most of which I skipped).
She is also faced with the responsibility of overtaking the throne to become the next Queen but even before she takes the decision, truth bombs and shocking revelations are thrown her way, and she has to decide what to place first- her unconditional love for her husband or the future of Atlantia. She also has an important decision to make: Instill war and watch many of her own die or ensuring peace and watch her enemies survive.
“Unrest and unease are two very powerful destabilizers of any society. No matter how great one is, they can be taken apart piece by piece from the inside, often weakening the foundation to the point of collapse before anyone realizes what is happening.”
Is it just me or was Poppy depicted as super powerful beyond any existing measure? I mean I get that she has the blood of gods running through her blood vessels (I need to wear a rubber band on my wrist and pull it whenever I say this, honestly), but I felt like Casteel's power was downplayed constantly to show her extent of strength. He is the Prince of Atlantia for a damned reason and I just couldn't help but feel like his role in this book was mostly that of a hype boy for Poppy.
Also, I'm glad that we got more Kieran-time in this installment. Without him, I'd probably have skipped the middle portion of the book completely, no kidding. I'm glad to have witnessed another angle, a whole new facet of his character that I didn't in books one and two. He came off as extremely caring, affectionate and emotional and I can't help but swoon over him.
“The heart doesn’t care how long you may have with someone.” Kieran looked over at me, his eyes sheltered. “It just cares that you have the person for as long as you can.”
If you want to read this book, I won't promise you that it's going to be all daisies and rainbows and unicorns. If you hated books 1 and 2, then don't even give this book a try. You'll hate it with all fringes of your consciousness. I'm sure of it.
But for those who liked/loved the first two books. Hold on to the book, despite the few chapters in between. Because when you read the last few chapters, you will poetically wax on about it for hours together....more
My nerves are both fluttering with delirium and anguish and I need to catalog every detail about this book. I I c a n' t k e e p i t t o g e t h e r.
My nerves are both fluttering with delirium and anguish and I need to catalog every detail about this book. I wonder if it's possible to laugh out loud until my voice sounds as high pitched as a whistle and at the same time weep until I forget to breathe and hold myself together. Maybe this is what it feels like to be hyper.
I'm usually not this hysterical but my heart has been shattered, my eyes are warm with tears and I don't even have FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S HOLY!!
I'm usually not this hysterical but my heart has been shattered, my eyes are warm with tears and I don't even have half the idea of what I'm typing because I can't see properly (I even shelved it as "Indian mythology" so you probably get the idea) but this is totally me trying to weave words into a coherent sentence. I don't think I will be able to do justice to this book but I have to let out everything before my nerves get the better of me. So here goes nothing.
Seventeen y/o Lina loses her mom to pancreatic cancer. But she has to fulfill her mom's dying wish that she spend a summer(and maybe longer) in Tuscany. Lina travels halfway around the world to stay with her father Howard, who is the caretaker of a cemetery just outside Florence. But as she is given an old journal of her mother's, she gets to know things about her mother she had no clue about before and must deal with the grief and heartbreak threatening to consume her. As Lina has her own romantic life to endure, with her mother's journal as a cautionary tale, she is faced with a decision to make, and it could very well be a life-changing one.
To say that this book found its way to the very core of my heart would be a huge betrayal to Six Of Crows, Simon vs The Homosapiens agenda, Eliza and her Monsters and ACOTAR trilogy (my all-time favourites). But it definitely does make me question every other book I've rated five stars, because it's certainly not fair to this book.
This book is wonderfully enamoured with hope, love and every other cute, light-hearted feeling one can come up with. But most importantly, it is a tale about strength and healing, about enduring despite everything that life throws your way. To realise that there is dusk, but also dawn. That no matter how many heartbreaks or failures you endure, no matter how many of those moments-that-will-blow-your-composure exist or how many times you're thrown off balance, they'll soon evaporate and things will move in a better direction. All that's needed is to hold on and never let go, because enduring isn't something that's in-built, it's something you do. "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end"
This book to me is exactly how Jenna Evans Welchdescribes Florence. "Florence is exactly how I thought it would be and nothing like it at all. It is absolutely magical and yet it's gritty too. I've never been anyplace I want to capture so much."
I want to visit Italy more than ever with Ren and Howard as my tourist guides for the same two reasons:
WARNING : TOO MUCH ANGST THAT IS INJURIOUS TO YOUR HEALTH There, I said it.
The Book Gods have finally listened to my prayers and combined the ingredi WARNING : TOO MUCH ANGST THAT IS INJURIOUS TO YOUR HEALTH There, I said it.
The Book Gods have finally listened to my prayers and combined the ingredients of intriguing premise, ultra powerful protagonists, amazing secondary characters, captivating world and not to forget- delicious, tantalizing romance and poof - A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire was born- One that will woo you into its clutches and make your heart thrum at a faster rhythm in your chest, one that will make you smile like an idiot at one moment and leave you with countless tears the next, again plastering your face with a permanent grin owing to the very entertaining banter between characters. This book will bring out all your emotions.
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire begins with a compelling start and advances with more action, world-building and steamy romance. The writing was crafted beautifully and the visuals were lovely to read about.
There are so many endearing aspects but one aspect is and will remain constant.
She-who-must-not-be-named
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