“Underneath all of the hate and anger and stupid lust, was there something else?
Was it love that made my blood come alive? Love that✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“Underneath all of the hate and anger and stupid lust, was there something else?
Was it love that made my blood come alive? Love that made the knot in my chest loosen whenever he was around?
I had no fucking clue. I’d never loved anyone before.”
For a series that has a very dark premise, the first book in the Tennebrose world Malum Discordiae, was surprisingly quite a fun read. It gives off the vibe of a foreboding shadowy start, but the rivalry-chemistry between Graeme and Cassius was somehow, so utterly adorable and dare I say, it, endearing, that the darker elements of the storyline didn't really emphasis more of a sinister and evil role to the plot. Plus, seeing how much darker the second book in this series actually is, I was quite surprised that despite the Romeo vs Juliet enmity between Cassius and Graeme - they were so very cute together. ...more
“There are no Rabids, Brother Cipher, thanks to our Health and Safety Committee who work around the clock to serve and protect us eve✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“There are no Rabids, Brother Cipher, thanks to our Health and Safety Committee who work around the clock to serve and protect us every day.”
“No Rabids, no crime, and no nonsense,” I said, repeating the words Brother Larry had said to Macon and me the day we’d first met the man behind the curtain.
“That’s right,” she said, nodding brightly.
Bullshit.”
Nothing is as idyllic or safe as it promises to be in when Cipher and Kitten and the rest of the Assholes (yes, this is, indeed, their band of misfits' name! ...more
“Don’t you remember that old story about the crane?” Chizuko asked. “It’s supposed to live fo✰ 4 stars ✰
“But how can that paper bird make me well?”
“Don’t you remember that old story about the crane?” Chizuko asked. “It’s supposed to live for a thousand years. If a sick person folds one thousand paper cranes, the gods will grant her wish and make her healthy again.”
She handed the crane to Sadako. “Here’s your first one.”
3rd Grade Treasures
1996-1997. 3rd Grade. The year the Trapper Keeper was all the rage. (Google it - it was such a nifty stationary item! ...more
“I like to say that philosophy has its place in science.”
My head snaps back up as though jolted by an electric current. Dr. Copeland ✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“I like to say that philosophy has its place in science.”
My head snaps back up as though jolted by an electric current. Dr. Copeland is staring straight at me with stormy gray eyes through thick lashes. I would’ve expected the dark clouds that swirl around in those irises to make me feel a similar tempest inside me. Instead, it’s calming.
Or maybe it’s just the calm before the storm.”
How far back a trip down Memory Lane will you take to revisit the echoes of your past? What lines will you blur, just to hear the remnants of a song long forgotten? What deal with fate will you make so that a twisted and determined devil can have one chance with a beautiful angel? Rylee Hale's latest duet captures how no matter how hard we try - the past always comes back to haunt us - just not ever in the way we could have imagined. ...more
“Jonty checked there was no one looking, then gave Devan another swift kiss. “I love you. Thank you for bringing me here. Thank you f✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“Jonty checked there was no one looking, then gave Devan another swift kiss. “I love you. Thank you for bringing me here. Thank you for loving me.”
“There is nothing easier.”
There is no escaping the love and affection of these two, that even when it's Jonty in Russia, also affectionately titled Our First Holiday. Jonty and Devan’s Adventures in Russia - I am not immune to these two and neither is anyone or any place that Jonty sets his sights on.
“We have to pretend we’re mates.”
“We are mates.” Jonty blinked.
“We are. But we’re mates with benefits. And I’m serious about being careful. Russian society is very conservative and they’re not going to react well to us cosying up in public.”
“In that case, we better have lots of sex before we get there.” Jonty pulled off his T-shirt. “Just so that I don’t forget how to do it.”
If I had to use one word to describe Wren Martin Ruins It All, it would be refreshing. For whi✰ 4 stars ✰
“What can I say? Feelings are confusing.”
If I had to use one word to describe Wren Martin Ruins It All, it would be refreshing. For while the premise of this story has undoubtedly been done numerous times before - the real triumphant hero and stand-out strength of this take was Wren's voice. From his perspective and personality, the narration was fun and engaging and really so very fresh - that made reading it such a breeze to read.
What also made it such a delightful read was that no matter how stressed out Wren may have been - about his feelings or his studies or his relationships - I never felt stressed out - how rare is that!? ...more
Milo and Mungo radiated such vibrant energy for life and love and living in the previous books of F✰ 4 stars ✰
“I see you, I know you, I love you.”
Milo and Mungo radiated such vibrant energy for life and love and living in the previous books of Fearne Hill's Nailed It series, that I did not expect that their story in Cloud White would be as emotionally raw as it was.
“Love harboured a higher, secret level, accessed only by a lucky few, like an old-fashioned platform computer game.”
When you search for love and you don't realize that you already have it when it's too late - when you think you're in love, because you believe it's the only one you'll have, when you find your love and know that this is exactly where you're meant to be - is the effect that Milo and Mungo's journey to each other had on me. They hurt my heart when they were hurting for each other and they put it together when they found their way back to each other. ...more
“Stunning and derisive all at once. Like the roses he seemed so fond of— beautiful, but full of thorns.”
Novellas are always tough f✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“Stunning and derisive all at once. Like the roses he seemed so fond of— beautiful, but full of thorns.”
Novellas are always tough for me, because I can never quite be convinced that it's enough time for much to happen, but Wither was a lovely exception to that notion. Ashlyn Drewek's modern-day take on the tale as old as time was romantic and emotionally hard-hitting. Zane Beaumont, a librarian that is a bundle of sunshine and heart, is hired as a personal assistant to Gerulf Prince, a writer who has recently been a fatal car accident that afflicted him with injuries that are more than just skin-deep. ...more
He frowned before straightening and scooting toward me, wrapping his arms around my neck. ✰ 4 stars ✰
“Sometimes I can’t believe I’m here with you.”
He frowned before straightening and scooting toward me, wrapping his arms around my neck.
“But here we are. And I think this is the way it’s supposed to be,” he whispered.”
A delightful collection that navigates through the years of Matt and Aaron's relationship since Matt's college graduation, Better Than Beginnings was a lovely beautiful look into the many significant and important moments in their lives that heightened how truly entwined they are with each other. And how the two of them truly make each other want to be better than good - that they can be the best for each other. ...more
“You have to swing, Kyle. Even if you’re going down, at least go down swinging.”
With steady pacing, well-fleshed out characters, an in✰ 4 stars ✰
“You have to swing, Kyle. Even if you’re going down, at least go down swinging.”
With steady pacing, well-fleshed out characters, an intriguing plot, and strong cohesive writing, Let the Monster Out is another wonderful testament of Chad Lucas' writing. It's a heart-felt read that explores the challenges of our personal mental struggles and how they can manifest into something out of our hands, if we don't have the time to take a look at ourselves. It is actually truly commendable that Mr. Lucas was able to incorporate science fiction/horror elements into a story that addresses some heavy issues concerning domestic violence, parental abuse, racism, and mental health - and still do it with a very poignant and caring touch that made all the concerns expressed so much more valid. ...more
Reading The Hurricane Blonde was like watching a black-and-white Noir-detective film with Humphr✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“We’re only as sick as our secrets.”
Reading The Hurricane Blonde was like watching a black-and-white Noir-detective film with Humphrey Bogart or Richard Widmark narrating in the background, as they track down the clues to solve an unforeseen crime. Only in Halley Sutton's latest thriller, it's Sloppy Salma Lowe, daughter to one of Hollywood's golden couples and the younger sister to Tawney Lowe, also known as the Hurricane Blonde, whose career was tragically cut short when she was strangled to death in her Jacaranda home.
Now, twenty years later, her unsolved murder is being brought to the silver screen by none other than her own sister's ex-fiancé, Cal, a director known for going the extreme extra mile to get just the perfect shot. Reliving one of Salma's most traumatic and painful moments in her life is bad enough, but to have another untimely murder happen at the same time lead her on a path to not only find out truths behind her sister's death, but secrets within the family that have been kept buried for ever so long.
“Like every tour, I wanted to stop her there. Keep Beth Short alive a few more minutes.
But that wasn’t the way the story ended. You couldn’t cheat the past.
I knew that better than anyone.”
Salma Lowe was an interesting narrator; interesting, because having the story completely told in her point of view, we are privy to only her feelings in a very intimate sense. But, it still made it then interesting to see her reactions - question her motives - sympathize with her frustrations - applaud her zealous efforts to try and make sense of it all - and overall, follow through with her and her suspicions as she attempted to play detective and be someone who actually still cares enough to find out the truth behind her sister. ...more
“I was just a servant who'd gone fishing on the right day and been befriended by a prince.”
Drawing inspiration from Ever After and t✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“I was just a servant who'd gone fishing on the right day and been befriended by a prince.”
Drawing inspiration from Ever After and the Disney classic Cinderella, Marie Sexton writes her own unique take on the timeless tale, featuring Eldon Cinder, poor unfortunate servant-anointed to his cruel Aunt Cecile, his dearly deceased mother's twin sister, and her equally wicked two daughters, his 'marriageable cousins' Jessalyn and Penelope. One fated day while fishing at the lake he frequently visits for fishing, he is drawn into the royal affairs of the heart, when he stumbles upon Prince Xavier.
Riddled with metaphors of love such as 'I was as insignificant as my lure, and Xavier was the current' and 'a flood that carried me with or without my consent. If he beckoned, I felt compelled to follow. I was light as a feather, and he was the wind' that would have previously made me roll my eyes, but so spellbound was I, in the delightful moments shared between the two hapless fools in which Eldon Cinder was ever-so charmed by Crown Prince Augustus Alexandre Kornelius Xavier Redmond (yes, that's his full name!! ...more
At the heart of it, Anthony Nerada's debut novel Skater Boy is a deeply honest and vivid look a✰ 4 stars ✰
“I’m so tired of being someone I’m not.”
At the heart of it, Anthony Nerada's debut novel Skater Boy is a deeply honest and vivid look about self-discovery, self-healing and self-learning on how we can choose to be better people, without losing the part of ourselves that defines who we are. It is a reflective look at how we perceive ourselves and in what light we want others to also view us.
Wes was a believable and very relatable character; he has the makings of a bad boy - a bully at times with violent displaced rage, chilling away time by either skateboarding or smoking joints with his close friends - no plans for himself for the future. ...more
“You don’t ever have to say anything,’ he says. ‘Always remember that as a thing you need never do. Many’s the man lost much just becaus✰ 4 stars ✰
“You don’t ever have to say anything,’ he says. ‘Always remember that as a thing you need never do. Many’s the man lost much just because he missed a perfect opportunity to say nothing.”
The ability to capture such tender emotions in an achingly raw yet simple setting in few words is a rare gift that very few excel at - Claire Keegan's Foster is a beautifully written example of that. There is something not quite different, but still so very distinctive about her style of writing that makes it so very unique and have the ability to tug at your heart-strings, as it did mine. ...more
“Did you know I would watch the water droplets trickle over your body and wish it was my tongue?”
For a book that opened with such a ✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“Did you know I would watch the water droplets trickle over your body and wish it was my tongue?”
For a book that opened with such a promising introduction about Westbrook Elite, where it's all about how swimming was their focus - their passion - their life, I read this, hoping that Wish would actually have a little more swimming involved in the story. But, the fault is on me, that I should have re-read the blurb before continuing. I am glad I had not removed it from my phone, from where it was lying in wait since January - waiting ever so patiently for me to make time to finally read it. ...more
“Life is complicated. Things go well. Things don’t. You can’t control everything. Some things are inevitable. No matter what you do, ✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“Life is complicated. Things go well. Things don’t. You can’t control everything. Some things are inevitable. No matter what you do, you can’t go back in time.
You can’t change the past. What you can do is use the past to change the future.”
The title of this book speaks for itself - it is Someone's Story. By leaving the narrator without a name, simply going by someone, B.A. Bellec allowed this fictional take of self-help and motivation to speak to anyone of us - you, me, he, her, xyz, it does not matter. Because, the feelings and emotional struggles that encompass Someone's life and mind is something so relatable, that anyone can read this and leave with the knowledge that there is always hope for better.
“Despite the fact that I view myself as a lone wolf, humans are social creatures. We need each other. You can only be alone for so long before it starts to get to you.”
I relate to this, on so many levels - there were many years, where I really did not have any interaction with anyone of my age, where I was literally very much caught off from the entire world. Do you know that feeling? That the whole world is moving around you, and you're stuck at a stand-still? Perhaps, that is why I was drawn to this. I did like the idea - this story is to show that no matter how alone you may feel - you are truly never alone - that you can gain happiness, clearance, and a sense of belonging by interaction. The saying 'no man is an island' does ring true for this story, because for a long time, Someone was very much alone.
“A bunch of weirdos who became lifelong friends, who help each other, who talk through the tough times. Life will pull us in a bunch of different directions. Family, love, education, career, health, relaxation.
Find the balance. Know we will have a special bond forever. The weirdos who save each other. The weirdos who find each other in the dark.”
By coming to a new town, meeting new people, joining a new school, interacting, he allowed himself to feel. I appreciated how the author guided us through Someone's growth - that by associating with others, he allowed himself, not only to be open, but to understand that having people around him - seeing their lifestyles and feelings and experiences - would want him to bring better changes to his own life, as well. And in doing so, it also gave him perspective to the things in his past and memory that had been shielded away for so very long.
“Someone: A little confused, a little sad, a lot okay.
Amanda: I can only imagine.
Someone: The weirdest thing. The ticket to people’s hearts is showing them just how crazy and messy you are.”
What makes this your not so-typical coming-of-age YA story is how the author chose to write it. Aside from keeping the narrator nameless, the dialogue wasn't written with actual dialogue, more like a screenplay text that didn't allow us to see how the characters would convey their emotions - the words would have to speak for themselves. And it did - it captured the emotional impact for certain moments, the scope of intensity for when Someone's actions were not of approval, the descent into feelings of a lost cause and wanting to reach out and have someone to grab your hand, and reassure that everything is okay. That you can't let the past or your past mistakes define who you are and all that you hope to be. That there are ups-and-downs, pains and gains, loss of love and loss of life - but, it is our ability to rise above those challenges, to see the good in living rightly is what stood out to me the most in Someone's Story.
“Things are only impossible if you get in your own way. Remove yourself from the equation. Find the truth. Be one with the truth. The truth is you can do this if you set your mind to it.”
While I do applaud what the author was trying to achieve in terms of helping others find the balance with their mental struggles and dealing with grief in a positive healthy way, the twist near the ending did not faze me much; I wanted it, too, really! But, the fact that I had just read a book like this, that used the same plot device for the character to cope made the reveal not that surprising. Not to say, that it is what people do in order to cope with their mental struggles, but it didn't quite land with me, as it was probably intended. And it didn't very much enjoy the inclusion of closure Someone finally had with his mother - I understand that it is important in order to move on in a healthy manner, but it just didn't feel satisfying enough for me.
“Failure isn't the end. It's the beginning.”
I don't know what it says about me personally, that I somehow end up reading so many books that feature protagonists that are struggling with mental health issues; honestly, I feel like I should be concerned. But, what I can say, is that I always leave with a feeling for a better hope - a chance for a brighter tomorrow for not only the narrators to have, but for myself - to look at life in a different perspective and not let myself be brought down by my own dark thoughts and feelings of being left behind and not fitting in.
We all have our place in the world and there is no race to the finish line - just don't ever forget that there are others running alongside with you on your journey of life. ✨✨...more
“That’s what you still don’t understand, Charlie. That’s the thing about the truth: nobody wants to tell it. Not even you.
Nobody tells t✰ 4 stars ✰
“That’s what you still don’t understand, Charlie. That’s the thing about the truth: nobody wants to tell it. Not even you.
Nobody tells the whole truth and comes away unscathed.”
The irony in the title All These Beautiful Strangers was not lost to me, as I neared the conclusion of the story. It is an even more unique story that even though it is a YA thriller, the inclusion of having two POV's dedicated to Charlie's parents was quite well-done. With her debut novel, Elizabeth Klehfoth spun a tale that was part family drama-part mystery-part academia that may have been difficult to pull off, if not for the engaging way in which she led me through the story - with enough clues and details in each POV that left me wanting to know the actual truth, for sure.
“Here it was plain and simple: a conscience would strangle you. Normal people could have their sensitivity and vulnerability and feelings and live their pretty little lives, but that was all they were ever going to be.
Normal. Average. And I’d never wanted to be average. I was a Calloway.”
And that's what made Charlie Calloway such an unlikable character - that she was so apathetic to her own life - almost to an extent of being a loner, without truly having a deep-rooted friendship with anyone - that she simply did not care about the decisions that she made to get to where she was - without regard or remorse to others, simply as long as the end justifies the means, and she always has the upper hand. Since her mother's unexplained and unresolved disappearance ten years ago, she knows what it takes to be selfish - to ascertain her position over others - to manipulate people with her words, just so she could always achieve.
And yet, watching her struggle to find out further hints into her mother's strange disappearance - to try and unlock the mysteries and secrets that haunt the school - to find that hidden connection that ties her parents' past to her present - it made for an enticing read. It was effectively done because we also got to see the POV's of Charlie's mother, Grace Fairchild, and father, Alistair Calloway - what were the histories of their personalities that made Charlie who she was - what was their relationship like - their dynamic - that makes us question who is truly the culprit and the victim in the unsolved tragedy of the A's.
“The A’s were something everyone knew about without really knowing anything about them. There was no way of even knowing who the A’s were, really, unless you were one of them.
Because unlike all of the other clubs at Knollwood Prep, you didn’t choose to be in the A’s. The A’s chose you.”
It's not a novel concept - secret societies and pledges that lurk in the hidden vicinities of prep schools - impossible challenges that will earn your place among the elite - but, having it as a backdrop to Charlie's own family dilemma and investigation was a unique dynamic. I appreciated how seamlessly the ties to the past intertwined with Charlie's present school timeline. I didn't quite approve of some of the tactics involved, but the author did not shy away from showing how pretentious and how scheming and how vindictive students can be, simply for their own twisted form of entertainment - one simply to adhere to tradition.
What tradition is there? To potentially damage the careers and livelihood of people who are not even guilty? To smear the reputation of innocent students and teachers for their own enjoyment? It is an awakening call for Charlie - an insight into a privileged life that she never quite took for granted, but never quite realized how much at fault she was with her way of thinking. And that's what made the three-way POV all the more illuminating, because we saw the potential roots of what kind of person she could really be - if she was just guided in the right direction.
“That was the thing. It’s not what you look at—it’s what you see. And when you’ve been with someone long enough, you stop really seeing each other.”
If you've read enough of my reviews by now, I love a good mystery - solving the clues, putting the pieces together - I had plenty of those here. I enjoyed seeing Charlie try to balance her own personal issues against her journey into uncovering the truth. I liked how the details slowly fell into place, that they didn't randomly appear, but connect in a timely fashion that didn't appear sporadic or off-kilter. Again, I also appreciated having Grace and Alistair's POVs included, because we get to see the beginnings of their relationship - what kind of marriage they had - what secrets haunted them - and what mistakes were made on both sides that sadly and tragically drove a wedge between them, even if, perhaps in their hearts, it was not what they initially wanted. Charlie may never know the real truth behind her parent's marriage, but there is some comfort, as a reader, in getting closure to what really went on behind closed doors.
“If my investigation into my mother’s past had taught me anything, it was that no one can really understand the whole of a person. In many ways, my mother, my father—the people I was closest to, the people who meant the most to me—were strangers. Beautiful strangers.”
There were still a few things that did not make it an entirely perfect read. As much as I was caught up in it - haha, I literally held a finger up to my sister to tell her to hold on what she was trying to say to me, while I tried to read between the lines of the clues - there are still a few things that bothered me. It is a testament to an author if they can successfully build up the suspense till the end; however, once the suspect was revealed, I again, felt a dip in the heightened tension, and a brush under the rug conclusion to all the relevant plots. And while I don't have any complaints as to who was actually behind Grace's disappearance - I didn't quite believe how it could have been pulled off so easily, for so long - such a well-kept secret, as it was.
And if I could complain about one more thing that irks me to no end would be this - are boys at eighteen years of age really that awful that all they're thinking about is getting into the pants of their classmates - actually making bingo cards to see which girl they'll score on? This is the second time, I've come across this abhorring mindset in a storyline, and okay, fine, maybe my own experience with the boys in my class was different, but seriously? Is is always so necessary to show how rotten they are - that the reader will feel no sympathy to what awaits them? I wish, authors wouldn't use this plot device - it just feels so wrong. A moot point, perhaps, that does not, in any way, deviate from my overall enjoyment, but as a reader, I would still like to point it out.
But, apart from these few irksome views, I did have a good time with this. Ms.Klehfoth combined an assortment of different ideas and wrote an entertaining thriller that truly kept you going till the very end. And, that is always something I do take into account. ...more
“There were so many maybes in their lives, so many things they couldn't affect whether or not they wanted to, but what he knew with cert✰ 4 stars ✰
“There were so many maybes in their lives, so many things they couldn't affect whether or not they wanted to, but what he knew with certainty was that his feelings for Sin wouldn't change.”
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The adrenaline rush I had after I crossed the 60% mark of Interludes is the reason why I love reading. That need to keep turning the page, to keep going, to just know what is going to happen next, because the characters have you in their clutches - the pace is absolutely perfect - the story is finally coming together and it is still creeping up on you that it's not going to be a happy ending. Brilliant, just absolutely incredible - I was speechless at how I could not bring myself to stop, once it had grabbed my attention - Boyd and Hsin.... ...more
“No one will ever respect you if they don’t fear you.”
It's a race against the clock in The Q as Maise, a young revolutionary who's l✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“No one will ever respect you if they don’t fear you.”
It's a race against the clock in The Q as Maise, a young revolutionary who's lived her whole life in the Q compound, has to get the President's son, Lennon, over the wall that separates the Q from the rest of the U.S, before the vaccine he's been injected with is no longer effective. Keeping the stakes high, but the levity light, Amy Tintera delivers a solid YA action-thriller that was not over the top unbelievable, and still very enjoyable. ...more
“Dangers stacked onto dangers, but provided no clear answers. The tomb of the bedroom above him filled him with a miserable, childish ye✰ 4 stars ✰
“Dangers stacked onto dangers, but provided no clear answers. The tomb of the bedroom above him filled him with a miserable, childish yearning: his head hurt, his hands hurt, his soul hurt, his hangover was monumental, and he missed Eddie.”
What Lies Beneath meets Get Out with a hint of History is All You Left Me is what encapsulates Summer Sons - a supernatural mystery-thriller set in the deep south where a young returns home to find the hidden truth behind his best friend's unexplained and unsuspecting apparent suicide.
And yet, despite all these similarities that I saw with other media, this was still an intriguing read. It was different, even with all the nods to these references - Lee Mandelo's writing takes awhile to sink into your skin, but I think it was very effective in portraying the heady-haze of the South and capturing the overall gloom and melancholic feel of Andrew's grief. ...more