Decided to give this 5 stars because I just loved it from start to finish. Started early morning and now feel content with all of that happened in thiDecided to give this 5 stars because I just loved it from start to finish. Started early morning and now feel content with all of that happened in this. I must say that the romance and the overall story weren't clearly on the same level with the previous books but halfway through I made my peace with it. I just can't help myself from falling in love with Merikan's characters!
I was reading this the whole day while blasting Lana Del Rey's Ride while the weather is just so gloomy. It was heaven....more
I never thought I would root for persons named very silly as Tooth and Luci but here I am. Completely over the moon surprisingly not only for the mainI never thought I would root for persons named very silly as Tooth and Luci but here I am. Completely over the moon surprisingly not only for the main characters but also the side ones too. The whole story is filled with tension, danger, drama and a lot more.
I feel like I need a food thriller after this. Haha!...more
I'm literally tearing up writing this review. I've been with Rick Riordan books since 2010
"Apollo will fall, but Apollo must rise again."
I'm literally tearing up writing this review. I've been with Rick Riordan books since 2010 when I was this lonely high school freshman. I got no friends to talk to. I wasn't part of the popular kids nor that smart to be really looked up to. I was literally just there existing until someone loaned to me her The Lightning Thief copy. So Rick I don't know if you'll ever going to see this review out of all the mountains of reviews but I just want to say deep down in my heart, thank you. You made me a reader and I will be forever thankful.
"I won't hide, I won't cower. That's not who I will be."
I must admit I indeed struggled a bit in the earlier chapters. I was so worried few hours ago that I might have outgrown this story and its lightness and how formulaic everything is. Was there a threat of the world ending? For the 14th time, yes. Was our hero unsure in facing the big bad/villain? Again for the 14th time, yes. From Percy to Jason to Carter & Sadie to Magnus and now to Apollo, everything just feels the same. That's why it took me so long to finish this because the first half was an okay read for me. What pushed this novel to be a 5 star read was the other half. When Apollo and Meg faced Nero, brilliant. When Apollo finally faced his greatest nemesis Phyton, I got goosebumps and my heart was thumping so fast. The final battle was amazingly done and hopeful and you could see how much Apollo have grown all through out. And the last three chapters killed me. That was it. That was the end. Apollo tied all loose ends for our heroes, past and new.
"To be human is to move forward, to adapt, to believe in your ability to make things better. That is the only way to make the pain and sacrifice mean something."
As for a finale book, Tower of Nero was a great surprise for me. It wasn't maybe as crazy as The Last Olympian and not as powerful as The Serpent's Shadow but still was really good. I was hesitant and excited to read because I thought I was in for another huge disappointment. Both Blood of Olympus and Ship of the Dead have failed me. The former was such a fail for me because Coach Hedge got more lines and exposure than half of the Chosen demigods and what was that final battle with Gaeia? In the latter, the final battle for both Magnus Chase and Loki was very anticlimactic.
"I'll make things right. Or I will die trying."
I know Rick already said that this is the last novel from this world but I'm still hopeful. There were few doors that weren't really closed in the story. A potential Nico and Will stories? Maybe.
"You'll come back?" she asked. "Always," I promised. "The sun always comes back."
"Arent Hayes was a zealot. His religion was Samuel Pipps."
My mind is fucking blown.
Just read it.
15 or so characters and one of them may
"Arent Hayes was a zealot. His religion was Samuel Pipps."
My mind is fucking blown.
Just read it.
15 or so characters and one of them may or may not be the devil doing some horrific acts and whispering their greatest desires. Samuel 'Sammy' Pipps together with his trusted friend and assistant, Arent Hayes, and their new found allies aboard the ship must race against time to defeat this devil known as Old Tom. Stuart Turton's The Devil and the Dark Water is fast-paced and gripping novel that blown my brains into bits especially the ending. The clues at first in the story were very very vague that got me like "what does this even mean?" but yeah they all caught me unguardedly. This book reminded me so much why I love mystery/thrillers. ...more
"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me."
The story follows this past and present narrative. In the past, Emily Bennett "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me."
The story follows this past and present narrative. In the past, Emily Bennett was a member of this bully girl gang in middle school known as the 'Harpies'. Enter quiet new girl Grace Farmer. The Harpies did something to her in that time. Something terribly bad and concerning. After with what happened to Grace, the Harpies took a blood oath not tell anyone what they did to her. Fourteen years later, Emily is a therapist helping children to fight their own troubles. While working her mother texted her telling that one of her former best friends committed suicide. Later she learned that six months prior to that another friend also died under a different circumstance. Was there any foul play in it? Or is it Grace Farmer back for revenge?
Girl Gone Mad is a powerful debut from Avery Bishop dealing about mental illness, toxic friendships and the evils of peer pressure. Wow, what a wild ride reading this one! One of those stories that I will always remember. Hesitant to read this one because first it talked about things which are quite difficult for me to read and second the length. A thriller book with 400 pages? Huh okay. Time to push through!
This was unapologetically painful and felt raw especially their time back in middle school. Generally backstories are misses for me because books that follows this kind of narrative seems to get dragged but it's just different with this one. It felt necessary to understand more the present characters. It helped me to be emotionally invested all through out.
I appreciate the author's take on the mental illness and/or depression in this book. It didn't feel cheap. It wasn't clickbait. It felt real. I read past works from certain authors before where the main twist in the end revolves around the mental state of the character. 299 pages of showing the same character to be sane then on the last page out of the blue suddenly she's suffering from some personality disorder. I loved those books before and gave them 5 stars but if given the chance to read them again I believe my rating wouldn't be the same.
I thought the overall pacing was really good. Things are happening right away. Glimpses from the past were inserted in most parts of the story to create a good build up. Right from the beginning when Emily learned the apparent suicide of her former best, former Harpy right there and there you already know something dark is about to happen. And yeah it did.
Lastly as for the twists and the ending, I never guessed it obviously. I have like 3 alternate endings in my mind waiting for one of them to somehow fit. It didn't. I felt betrayed in a really shocked way. The betrayal stemmed from not because the book turned sour but more of I just thought I already knew things when in fact I was far from the real truth....more
After reading The Institute and She Has a Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be I told myself I'm not reading lengthy books again. They consume so much of my energy and the size intimidates me at the same time. But here we are. Am I surprised? No obviously.
The Outsider is my second novel from Stephen King. Stephen unbelievable King did it again! The story follows a numerous of perspectives but mainly of Detective Ralph Anderson. A young boy named Frankie Peterson is found dead. He was horribly raped and murdered. The description was unbearable for me to read because it was disturbing as hell. All witnesses and evidences now point to Terry Maitland, a person of high standing in their community.
I read so many non spoilery reviews before I started this to get an overall idea what I'm putting myself into. In the end I wasn't disappointed and that's the best thing.
I love how the characters were in the opposite sides in the beginning but as the story progressed they have no choice but to band together against a common enemy. The way these people felt and reacted to events before them made them genuine to me. So following their story in finding out the truth was very captivating. I was highly invested in this.
As for the writing personally the story didn't feel dragged or too descriptive. A lot of necessary things indeed happened. Just imagine it took at least 100 pages to detail what happened in one day. Is it a good thing or bad thing? Well it depends. Thankfully, it's a hit for me.
For the horror aspect I saw a lot of King fans conflicted in this. The story wasn't a full blown horror to me. It felt heavier in the thriller/mystery aspect but still I'm not complaining. There were parts in this book that somehow creeped me out. I was reading a lot last night and I was like 'Nope not gonna happen'. I turned on the lights to put myself at ease.
Overall I highly enjoyed this. I was invested in this. The only reason why it took me almost a week in finishing this was because I got online classes. Detective Anderson's quest in finding out what really happened to the Peterson boy the night he was raped and murdered is forever etched in my memory....more
Welcome to another episode of ‘Where the quarantine has taken my reading taste’. Today, I present you bully romance!
I guess being shoved to the wall iWelcome to another episode of ‘Where the quarantine has taken my reading taste’. Today, I present you bully romance!
I guess being shoved to the wall isn’t so bad at all if your love interest does it. No? Maybe? Holy shit. This was phenomenal for me.
This book is dark, gritty and unapologetically painful to read at times but still I loved it. Oh my, I was engrossed all from beginning to end. This book surprised me because I thought its going to focus soley on the bully romance but nope. The whole story is layered and nuanced. It got family dynamics in it, solid friendships, sexual awakening etc etc. Nothing in here is uneventful. The moment Hollis English stepped out of his Mustang and saw Roan Hirsch looking at him, I was like ‘yes I’m in for a wild ride.’ Quite a shame I’m won’t be checking the other books!
I just want to be shoved to the bathroom wall by Roan Hirsch after reading this. It’s always the guys named as Roan or Ronan. These names are cursed but still can’t help falling in love....more
Podcasts. Missing girl. Sketchy neighbours. Creepy houses. Summer flings. A new nanny is seen in town. One of the characters keeps on insisting that sPodcasts. Missing girl. Sketchy neighbours. Creepy houses. Summer flings. A new nanny is seen in town. One of the characters keeps on insisting that she killed Zoe Spanos. Why? Is she just our generic unreliable narrator or is there some hints of truth within her statement?
I Killed Zoe Spanos is a gripping ya thriller from beginning to end. Full of twists and heartbreaks, this is the best ya thriller so far. Maybe thrillers from this genre aren’t so bad after all. I love how this story started with a quivering “I killed Zoe Spanos” and ended with “I killed Zoe Spanos” now with full conviction....more
"Derek wasn't just my hero anymore. I knew better than that now. He was a man, a real person with his own thoughts and feelings, not my untouchable"Derek wasn't just my hero anymore. I knew better than that now. He was a man, a real person with his own thoughts and feelings, not my untouchable celebrity crush."
So fucking good! I apologize for running my mouth like that but this book just gave me all the butterflies. No, it was a damn zoo in my belly right now. There's nothing really much to tell. If you read blurb, you can possibly guess what will happen. The plot was far from original but still captured my heart.
What I loved: - a bunch of dogs!; - two men falling in love; - AGE GAP; - enemies to lovers trope; - supportive characters; - wilderness; and - no homophobia (finally!)
Some scenes that made me laugh:
"How do you feel?" Blaze asked. "Grunt once for okay, twice for shitty." I thought it over and grunted once.
If we blow up the snowmobile, do you think that'd be a good signal for everyone to rescue us? Derek cocked a brow at me. "We are not blowing up my snowmobile." ...more
To give you a bare minimum non-spoilery summary: This story involves two sets of characters. The first, tWelcome to ANOTHER season of Black Mirror.
To give you a bare minimum non-spoilery summary: This story involves two sets of characters. The first, the eight people, with their own dark little secrets, trapped in their hijacked 'driverless' cars. As readers, do you believe their sentiments? Or do you doubt them? Among them, who are you rooting for? Second, the outside world or the public. They were the ones who saw what was happening to these 'magic 8'. Their opinions to them were, most of the time, unnecessary and real at the same time. People are dying and the public's primary concern was their shoes! Just imagine all the craziness. #BuyLibbyNewShoes
I might say it was overwhelming at first with all these new terminologies and the new way of life the people here are living. But once the real show started, you're in for a wild ride. Also, a story with more than 3 playing characters terrifies me. I'm hesitant I won't be able to grasp all of them. But in this one, it was different. Characters were very fleshed and distinguished from each other. It was not a burden jumping to almost 9 different perspectives. This is my own observation but I think John Marrs greatest strength is in the way he creates his characters. I rooted for the 8 passengers even though it's quite impossible. I cared for them even. The antagonist or the villain was very interesting. This person raised some good points that I actually agree with. Even though he was annoying, he was not one-dimensional. He was not straight up son of the devil.
John Marrs is a master writer no doubt. I visited his page here in Goodreads days ago and then I saw that he was a journalist for 25 years! Well then, it shows. It shows his writing skills. It shows how much he is ingrained with the society and its problems. The world he crafted in this story is believable. For a science fiction thriller, his work felt real. Dangerously real.
This book was intense from start to finish. Reading this felt like everything was on fire while me, myself, is also on fire riding my bike which is also on fire. Cheesy and cringy, I know but at least it grabbed your attention. This book undoubtedly deserves all our attention. Thriller reader or not, if you're craving for some intense action and drama, pick this one up.
I mentally screamed in the last chapters! How can a book be both brilliant and ridiculous at the same time? This was a wild and thrilling read! And caI mentally screamed in the last chapters! How can a book be both brilliant and ridiculous at the same time? This was a wild and thrilling read! And can we talk about Paris’ writing? *chef’s kiss*. She has the way of writing the story that will surely suck her readers in. Make them want for more. Every short chapters end with a cliffhanger forcing you to read the next one! Oh my god, my head hurts. Lastly, I fully understand the mixed reviews for this book. As I said, part brilliant and part ridiculous....more
SO GOOD! Twisty and manipulative! I feel like I'll be having trust issues from now on. I was so sure to give this a 3 because it felt repetitive for tSO GOOD! Twisty and manipulative! I feel like I'll be having trust issues from now on. I was so sure to give this a 3 because it felt repetitive for the first half, silly me. The other half, when things started to unravel, was just crazy and dark. Dear B.A. Paris, I love you and I would die for you....more
The best thriller I have read! I’m emotionally and mentally drained. This thriller was frustratingly powerful read. This author is crazy! I’ll read moThe best thriller I have read! I’m emotionally and mentally drained. This thriller was frustratingly powerful read. This author is crazy! I’ll read more of her books surely. All through out, I just want to strangle some characters and hug others. What I learned: never trust a pretty face....more
"After tonight there will be no more hiding, no more secrets, and no more lies. If there's a hurricane building, I'm ready to face the storm."
The "After tonight there will be no more hiding, no more secrets, and no more lies. If there's a hurricane building, I'm ready to face the storm."
The story follows a holiday gone wrong set in an Italian villa. For Clare, it is the perfect opportunity to rekindle and make things right with her husband, Dan. Unfortunately, Dan is not the favorite of the Taylor family for the longest time. That privilege is reserved for Jamie, the youngest, who now comes home to this holiday with an extra baggage: a wife named, Ella. And Ella knows Clare's dark little secret.
Buckle up everyone because for today I'm going to tell you, with my heart palpitating due to caffeine, how Sue Watson's Sister-in-Law is one of the biggest wins for this year. The most important thing is that this book is never boring. It has the perfect balance of it being character-driven and being plot-driven. Just the proper amount of exposition of who the characters really are without sacrificing too much the direction of the plot. Some books tend to focus more on the characters than the plot which personally makes the story dragged and too stretched. Luckily, it wasn't the case in this one. Things are happening right away. The tension was there the moment Ella stepped out of the taxi. Everyone's on high alert.
This book is frustratingly good. It composes of unlikable characters. I just want everyone to shut up and do something good for once and not to sweep everything under the rag. In general, they grated on my nerves. I was fuming all through out. I hate how the characters are so damn good in what they are supposed to be portraying. I hate the in laws. I hate the kids too!
The story may have went repetitive at times especially the two members of this family who can't seem to stand each other but thankfully it wasn't boring. The twists were also good. Nothing too insane nor crazy but will still leave you dumbfounded just like me. For finally all of these made sense. I figured like two of them to give myself some credit.
She's a hypocrite, uses wipes to clean off her make-up, and she travels all the time, has a place in America she says she visits regularly - she must jet around on aeroplanes like other people use buses. How dare she dictate to us, like she's some kind of eco warrior, while her make-up wipes are strangling the tuna. I died laughing!...more
tw: rape, home invasion, brutality, child abuse, alcoholism
'That's a mouthful for a title.' My first thought when I read the title. And that cover? Ittw: rape, home invasion, brutality, child abuse, alcoholism
'That's a mouthful for a title.' My first thought when I read the title. And that cover? It emits mystery but still bland personally. I thought this book was going to revolve around a dead/missing girl trope. Boy, I was wrong. COMPLETELY WRONG. (ps. I don't read the synopsis of the books I'm reading. I always just check the genres if I got it right.)
The story follows John Edward Thatch, a boy who persistently named himself as Jack, throughout the span of the almost forty years of his life. It started when Jack, at the age of 8 back then, met this girl sitting in a bench in the cemetery. He found that she appears and sits here with her book annually. When he asked, she gave him riddles instead. I advice to go blindly as possible for a better reading experience! Also bodies are being found almost at the same time of the year and an unknown evil locked far away is bidding his time.
She Has a Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be is a thriller/fantasy/romance story full of tension and complex characters. Probably one of the best books that I have read. Definitely a stand out from the rest. The writing here was highly compelling. I found myself turning the page again and again. Right from the beginning, I was already invested both with these characters and the story itself. Nothing here made my eye roll surprisingly. The characters, especially Jack, were fleshed out and nuanced. Their development through out the story was remarkable. As readers, we saw them fell in love, got their heart broke, did some questionable things and in the end did what was right. All of their misfortunes made them wholly human. I believe that the moment you start to feel for the characters, that's it. You'll just fall in love with the book itself. Their struggles are your struggles. Their heartaches feel real. These are the people who you will root for. The take on the villain was quite interesting. No tragic backstory, no conscience whatsoever. Just straight up wicked and vile. I wouldn't say that I liked this type of villain but he was written interestingly that it was difficult for me to look away.
Another thing that I loved in this was the family and friendship dynamics. Jack is an orphan from the very beginning but with Auntie Jo, who works in a diner, and Kendral, who owns it, he never felt that he was alone. These people are considered as his new found family. They were his constant support. As Jack's friends, Duncan and Willy backed him up in everything even though his actions themselves are questionable. I love their friendship until...... Let's just move on!
"I'm sorry. You were my friend, and I let you down. I let you down so many levels. I should have been there the whole time, and I wasn't. I'm here now, though. I want to make things right somehow." - Willy
"I know you have reservations about what happened, I know you don't believe me. I've made peace with that. Maybe someday you will, too. I wouldn't let you down back then, and I'm not about to do it now. You're my brother, man. Family." - Duncan. I adore genuine friendships in books.
Lastly, the twists in this were somehow good. Not shocking or bone-chilling to my taste but I'll take it. I wouldn't classify this book as horror. Nothing here was actually horrifying to me. If you enjoyed this as much as I did, I'm recommending Stephen King's The Institute. That book reminded me quite much when I was reading this. Happy reading!
(view spoiler)[What happened to Will though? It was implied in the end that he's from the enemy but I just couldn't believe it. (hide spoiler)]...more
This book tells a story that has been told over and over again but guess what I enjoyed it so much. Shocker, I know. There was barely any mystery in tThis book tells a story that has been told over and over again but guess what I enjoyed it so much. Shocker, I know. There was barely any mystery in this book. Right from the very beginning, you just already know what is what or who is who. The execution of this story was so addicting that it kept me all night. I can never really go wrong with domestic thrillers. ...more
(This week I challenged myself to read three recent hyped thrillers. The others books I read were The Swap and The Wife Stalker )
trigger warning for:(This week I challenged myself to read three recent hyped thrillers. The others books I read were The Swap and The Wife Stalker )
trigger warning for: physical and drug abuse
"Like many, she'd grown tired of watching powerful men never being held accountable, boys will be boys evolving into an impenetrable armor, shielding them from blame."
The book follows Claire and Eva, two different women who boarded two different flights. One narrates the present while the other tells the past. Both followed by their own demons which they hoped to escape from. What will happen if their stories suddenly meet? Chaos. (Warning: The blurb here is too spoilery! I advise to go as blind as possible in reading this. My reading experience was splendid because of that.)
Gone Girl meets Breaking Bad in Julie Clark's addictive latest novel The Last Flight. Phew, this was a ride! The writing here was excellent. Definitely a page turner. The author has crafted a story with absolute no dull moment. Not everyone can do that. I was invested in it right after reading the first chapter which is unusual to me. Normally, it will take me at least halfway of the book to be fully engrossed in it. The characters are worth rooting for. One is a victim of a never ending domestic abuse while the other is a victim of the unfair society. Both of them has risen up to the challenges faced before them. Their growth throughout the whole story was phenomenal. I teared up in the end. Reading the last pages gave me the sense of peace and contentment.
The only petty thing I have against this book was the format. It was paragraphs after paragraphs. Felt like I was reading essays at some point. Don't get me wrong I obviously enjoyed this as a whole but still I hoped there were more dialogues in it. Also, certain characters were introduced in the first chapters which I hoped have more exposure and more fleshed out.
Overall, this is a story about sexism and misogyny; of mothers and daughters. Of taking your life and own it. Of choosing the right thing no matter how hard it is. This is a compelling and magnificent story about survival. Twisty and suspenseful, I dare you not to miss this!
"Everything you ever wanted is on the other side of fear."...more