towmtf has climbed up to my favourite reads of all time!! read my full review on my blog
Read the first sentence of the summary again, because that’s etowmtf has climbed up to my favourite reads of all time!! read my full review on my blog
Read the first sentence of the summary again, because that’s exactly what this book is — twisty and page-turning. Reading it was one hell of an experience, my mind is still reeling from that ending.
At its heart, this book is about sisterhood. We have the outgoing Cee, stuck on an abandoned island and Kasey the science girl, trying to decide if she’ll save the world she struggles to understand. Both of them connected by their will to find each other.
These sisters who now have my heart, drew me in from the beginning chapters with their contrasts and dynamics. Joan He’s storytelling power is truly a marvel, for the small details in their narratives and the metaphors she wove into their thoughts and dialogues wrecked me. I kept questioning how/if they would finally unite — the answer was delivered in a completely different way than what I expected.
While people who’ve read this debate over which sister they like more, I found parts of myself in both Cee and Kasey—which, I think, is the main reason why I was so invested in their story. Cee’s emotions and Kasey’s logic felt personal to me.
But The Ones We’re Meant to Find is also so much more. It’s a story of the meaning of humanity, of love, of the bonds we have and the bonds we develop. It’s about what we are willing to do to survive. Unknowingly it compels us to think of the impact our actions, intentional or not, have on our surroundings. With its take on environmental changes and privilege, awfully relevant to current times, the book is also thought-provoking.
Another aspect I really enjoyed was the worldbuilding. It took a while to grasp the techy terms but a couple chapters in I was able to visualise it well. The eco-city, the bots, the island, the sea; all combined by Joan to create the perfect sci-fi backdrop for the emotions and twists to follow. Can we appreciate how creative Joan got with the ranks? The atmosphere truly read like a Studio Ghibli film. And as someone who adores nature imageries, it was a delight to read the parts set on the island.
The twists!!! They were so cleverly woven into the plot that I was glued to the pages, eager to know more. I definitely paused reading to stare into the void at some point. There were times when a plot twist clicked and immediately went “ohhhh” after connecting it to an event that happened previously. Each of the characters made their decisions because of their own experiences or because of who they’ve become. And it made sense, why the characters did what they did which only made the revelations more effective. Also, A+ for foreshadowing (Joan how dare you).
The Ones We’re Meant to Find has climbed up to being one of my all time favourite books. If you want to read (and totally SHOULD) a book that blends sci-fi and dystopian elements along with an engaging prose and characters that are likely to stay with you, this should be on your immediate TBR.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!
❛The only place Kasey still found Celia was in her dreams.❜
Merged review:
towmtf has climbed up to my favourite reads of all time!! read my full review on my blog
Read the first sentence of the summary again, because that’s exactly what this book is — twisty and page-turning. Reading it was one hell of an experience, my mind is still reeling from that ending.
At its heart, this book is about sisterhood. We have the outgoing Cee, stuck on an abandoned island and Kasey the science girl, trying to decide if she’ll save the world she struggles to understand. Both of them connected by their will to find each other.
These sisters who now have my heart, drew me in from the beginning chapters with their contrasts and dynamics. Joan He’s storytelling power is truly a marvel, for the small details in their narratives and the metaphors she wove into their thoughts and dialogues wrecked me. I kept questioning how/if they would finally unite — the answer was delivered in a completely different way than what I expected.
While people who’ve read this debate over which sister they like more, I found parts of myself in both Cee and Kasey—which, I think, is the main reason why I was so invested in their story. Cee’s emotions and Kasey’s logic felt personal to me.
But The Ones We’re Meant to Find is also so much more. It’s a story of the meaning of humanity, of love, of the bonds we have and the bonds we develop. It’s about what we are willing to do to survive. Unknowingly it compels us to think of the impact our actions, intentional or not, have on our surroundings. With its take on environmental changes and privilege, awfully relevant to current times, the book is also thought-provoking.
Another aspect I really enjoyed was the worldbuilding. It took a while to grasp the techy terms but a couple chapters in I was able to visualise it well. The eco-city, the bots, the island, the sea; all combined by Joan to create the perfect sci-fi backdrop for the emotions and twists to follow. Can we appreciate how creative Joan got with the ranks? The atmosphere truly read like a Studio Ghibli film. And as someone who adores nature imageries, it was a delight to read the parts set on the island.
The twists!!! They were so cleverly woven into the plot that I was glued to the pages, eager to know more. I definitely paused reading to stare into the void at some point. There were times when a plot twist clicked and immediately went “ohhhh” after connecting it to an event that happened previously. Each of the characters made their decisions because of their own experiences or because of who they’ve become. And it made sense, why the characters did what they did which only made the revelations more effective. Also, A+ for foreshadowing (Joan how dare you).
The Ones We’re Meant to Find has climbed up to being one of my all time favourite books. If you want to read (and totally SHOULD) a book that blends sci-fi and dystopian elements along with an engaging prose and characters that are likely to stay with you, this should be on your immediate TBR.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!
❛The only place Kasey still found Celia was in her dreams.❜...more
i was just there for the drama and rich white people being pretentious. their vicious games is an entertaining debut for sure, but it felt written froi was just there for the drama and rich white people being pretentious. their vicious games is an entertaining debut for sure, but it felt written from a very detached perspective despite being first person and there wasn't much to add to the mystery or thrill.
—The Hunger Games is a comp? I expect exhilarating games, high stakes and critiques on the system in pouhh... ambitious attempt?? emphasis on attempt.
—The Hunger Games is a comp? I expect exhilarating games, high stakes and critiques on the system in power. Sadly, none of these fronts were explored as they should've been. The "deadly games" were barely violent, with a set of rules that did not make sense and lacked the tension and desperation of players wanting to win at any cost. Where is the hunger? Where is the self reflection? Where is the motivation to kill and win?
—And the concept of "body jumping." Quite frankly, this ability was a good one but the loopholes itched me. People in this city just going around taking up other people's bodies like it's a daily chore? Even if it's supposedly illegal? Wild. Also teeters on the edge of consensual questions so... yeah. A lot can be done with the concept but Gong didn't think through the power, use and consequences of it to make me understand and go with the jumping.
—I hate how Gong chose to narrate the story using long paras of info dumps. I was vibing with the descriptions of the city San-Er, noir era fusion of a walled city Kowloon and ancient Rome which has cell phones and a king's rule. Which was good. There's so much happening in this setting, that all information is rained upon us rather than being depicted as exciting scenes to look forward to. And these paragraphs don't even scratch the surface of what's wrong with the ruling power and how it affects different class of people. Just repetitive mentions of poverty, lower class struggles from a non-personal lens.
—I did not care for the characters either? There was no space to make our own moral conclusions about them, apart from constantly being told about their (shallow) motivations. No epic romance either, considering it's a Antony and Cleopatra inspired. What is Calla's personality outside of her swords and killing the king which will miraculously make San-Er better? What is Anton's personality considering he's never in one body? Petition to make August the main character.
—Lastly, why is this adult? Surely not for the sex scene which is barely there? And it's not gory enough. Page count and long expositions certainly don't make a novel adult.
Like I know this is a first book, there's scope for improvement etc etc. But a first book should lay solid grounds for interest and plot and character growth. To summarise, I couldn't tell you the point of this book because there are glaring loopholes in it that would destroy the characters' so called "ambitions to make the city a better place."
thank you to hodderscape and netgalley for the arc!...more
hats off to the author for writing an emotionally deep and challenging novel that not only has an addictive romance but also highlights politics, racehats off to the author for writing an emotionally deep and challenging novel that not only has an addictive romance but also highlights politics, race, class and motherhood. and art! the way rachel's written as she tries to reconnect with herself and nathan's struggles on a similar boat, it's GOOD.
i think this would be more of a 3.5, honestly, rachel and nathan's shift from meeting to being infatuated with each other was too quick for my liking, they were just suddenly all over each other. there's a lot of room for their personal growth but i wished we got more time to understand their romantic feelings.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!...more
Damned If You Do is definitely a fun and chaotic urban fantasy, with equal parts horror and comedy. It follows Cocheck out the full review on my blog!
Damned If You Do is definitely a fun and chaotic urban fantasy, with equal parts horror and comedy. It follows Cordelia as she discovers she made a deal with a demon and lost a part of her soul to get rid of her abusive father. Cordelia has her hands full with being the stage manager for the theatre club’s upcoming play, crushing on her best friend and studying for pop quizzes but now she also has to get rid of the town’s little demonic problem to fulfill her end of the bargain.
This story took one for the team and gave us the full theater production drama and snarky demons trying to wreak havoc. I really liked how Brown played with the history of the town for the premise of the story. Making deals with the devil, intentional or accidental, has always been a thing and that’s how Cordelia lands up in her current predicament, with Fred the demon she made a deal with, posing as her guidance counsellor. Fred is quirky and the perfect father figure for these dramatic teenagers even though you don’t know if you can trust him.
While saving the town is initially on Cordelia, soon her fellow theater kids get roped into the ordeal of facing demonic powers. They form her support system and that friendship development is heartwarming to witness. To top it all of, Cordelia is pining over Veronica, her literal partner in crime, which she believes to be unrequited but is it after all?
The inclusion of Filipino folklore honestly made the story even more fun. We have stories about mythological creatures and Cordelia dealing with said creatures! Aswangs are as interesting as they’re scary. And of course, the biracial rep we deserve.
All in all, Cordelia’s humorous monologues and the epic battle scenes make Damned If You Do a fun read. Because while most of this book deals with demons literally, it’s also about Cordy facing her own inner demons and letting go of the guilt holding her back.
incredibly heart touching story of dealing with grief, struggles of early teen years and how important it is to beautiful. comforting. totally sobbed.
incredibly heart touching story of dealing with grief, struggles of early teen years and how important it is to find your own community of support system. also, mouth water Chinese food descriptions....more
3.5?? i wish it had more depictions of maya's artwork, though her thought process of bringing about revolution through art is done so well!3.5?? i wish it had more depictions of maya's artwork, though her thought process of bringing about revolution through art is done so well!...more
Teaming up with Death himself to solve murders sounds like a great storyline, if not contradictory. Belladonna is a fun to read book, I liked Signa's Teaming up with Death himself to solve murders sounds like a great storyline, if not contradictory. Belladonna is a fun to read book, I liked Signa's character and I liked finding about the mysteries through her character. Death was equally intriguing too, I liked reading about how his powers work. So overall, this is a quick and light read, with good atmosphere.
Given how much I love the death and mortal pairings, this was a bit of a let down because it lacked the emotional impact. In fact, this book doesn't fully explore most of the relationships it has and given how involved all of the characters are in the plot, I expected more depth to them. And the build up for the sequel in the epilogue felt unnecessary honestly as this book wraps up well on it's own. I guess I would've liked this book better if everything wasn't only touched at the surface level.
thank you little brown and netgalley for the ARC!
Merged review:
Teaming up with Death himself to solve murders sounds like a great storyline, if not contradictory. Belladonna is a fun to read book, I liked Signa's character and I liked finding about the mysteries through her character. Death was equally intriguing too, I liked reading about how his powers work. So overall, this is a quick and light read, with good atmosphere.
Given how much I love the death and mortal pairings, this was a bit of a let down because it lacked the emotional impact. In fact, this book doesn't fully explore most of the relationships it has and given how involved all of the characters are in the plot, I expected more depth to them. And the build up for the sequel in the epilogue felt unnecessary honestly as this book wraps up well on it's own. I guess I would've liked this book better if everything wasn't only touched at the surface level.
thank you little brown and netgalley for the ARC!...more
I haven't read a premise like the one for this book so I was definitely coloured intrigued. While the book did not completely wow me, it kept me wildlI haven't read a premise like the one for this book so I was definitely coloured intrigued. While the book did not completely wow me, it kept me wildly entertained throughout, I enjoyed reading about Cassie and Erin's forbidden romance as well as Acacia's character. But I like to read the romance books that give me the yearning and emotions and well this fell flat most times. Combined with the number of sex scenes that felt like the story depended on them to move forward, I would've liked if it had more substance to it and Cassie and Erin's relationship in general, Overall, just a fun book, especially if you're looking for some sapphic steamy romance!...more