This was super cute, as expected from Leah Johnson.
The book is told in a dual PoV, Olivia's and Toni's and spans three days. We get to see how they chThis was super cute, as expected from Leah Johnson.
The book is told in a dual PoV, Olivia's and Toni's and spans three days. We get to see how they change from who they were before as the festival goes on, and how they find love in each other.
Rise to the Sun reads a lot smoother than You Should See Me in a Crown (at least from what I can recall). I devoured page after page in no time. The only thing that stopped me from finishing it last night, is that I didn't have enough mobile data to post a review.
This book is insta-lovey, but that didn't bug me at all because all the emotions were described so well.
I love all four main characters, Olivia, Toni, Peter and Imani. Peter and Olivia are a lot alike, just like Imani and Toni are so I hope they all stay friends forever (and that they appear in future books much like a certain character did in this one).
I almost screamed when Mack showed up. I had a feeling she would and then there she was. That was so cool. I adore crossovers. This was more of a cameo, but close enough.
The ending was happy, but not that satisfying. There's a major plot point tied to Olivia that wasn't fully resolved. I wish we got an epilogue to cover that.
Hazel is the chosen one because why not? I don't mind the randomness though. Sometimes things just "are".
An interdimensional rift was Ok here we go.
Hazel is the chosen one because why not? I don't mind the randomness though. Sometimes things just "are".
An interdimensional rift was created when she was born and on the eve of her sixteenth birthday it spiralled out of control, chucking out not one, not two, not three but four other Hazels (technically three at a time but you'll have to read to see how the fourth one appeared) from different dimensions into Hazel prime's world.
The rift also spat out a dragon called Neven - before we go any further I have to note that Neven is the name of a flower in my language and if translated it means "never wilts" - who is destined to help them save the world.
Now the problem is, the whole quest wasn't as epic as it should've been. There's secret Powers That Be who pull strings and pick the next chosen one but...??? Somehow the entire quest had to have more, more of what I don't exactly know, but MORE.
The main enemy they have to fight changes between something thrown out of the rift, secret government agents and The Powers That Be themselves. I was expecting a boss fight but got none. It just wasn't satisfying.
As for the Hazels, I'm on the fence. I half like the idea that they're the same person and half don't. Hazels 1-4 really felt like just one Hazel talking to herself (yes, I know she literally was) and Hazel five was the only one that stood out. I think the differences between them were so minor it could've worked better if they were just clones. However I much would've preffered if they all had different personalities.
What I did like about them is that they almost all have different sexualities and I absolutely love the Ace rep. It's accurate and educational for someone who doesn't know much (if anything) about it. And the anxiety calming exercises were really nice.
I love Neven, she's so cool and always there to help.
We didn't get to see that much of Hazel's parents but they seem alright. Her sister though...I don't know, I didn't like her for some reason.
So, the quest aside, I did really like this book. I could barely put it down except when I had to. There's something addicting about it. The words are all in place and I didn't get taken out of the story once. And it's pretty easy to follow.
*I'd like to thank the author for giving me an opportunity to read this book when I reached out on Twitter, the publishers for approving my request and Edelweiss for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review* ...more
EDIT: I decided to lower my rating down to two instead of keeping it rounded up to three stars because it's been bugging me and, after reading Our VioEDIT: I decided to lower my rating down to two instead of keeping it rounded up to three stars because it's been bugging me and, after reading Our Violent Ends, this one can't really stay at three. Sorry.
Original review:
Oh boy, where do I begin? I don't want to tear this book apart, but I also don't want to sugar-coat it. So let's start like this, These Violent Delights was not what I was expecting.
I thought it would be amazing. It has a lot of elements I like, but ultimately I wasn't that invested in the story or the characters. So from my perspective, it's most definitely overhyped.
Now, it's also possible that this book suffered from me reading a fairly similar one not too long ago, so I couldn't help but compare them in my mind. I can't say how I'd feel about These Violent Delights had I never read that other book series.
So let's see what I liked in this one.
Alisa. Alisa. Alisa. SHE SHOULD'VE BEEN THE MAIN CHARACTER, I will stand by this forever. She's my favourite and the absolute best. Shame she spent most of the book (view spoiler)[in a coma (hide spoiler)]. She barely even got two PoVs before that.
Marshall. He's the second best character, but unlike Alisa, I didn't care if he lived or died. And that was the case for all other characters too (ESPECIALLY the two mains).
The monster plot. Was it predictable? Yes, but it saved this story from being too generic. I was curious to see how it would end on that front, and I'm not happy with who resolved it, but it wasn't that bad.
The setting. This both worked for me and didn't. Yes, it's one of my favourite places and time periods to read about, but the problem is, it didn't feel like it was happening in the past.
The banter and jokes between Juliette and Roma, and...just about every conversation the characters have in the book, could be set in the present day as well. The only thing that's missing is cell phones.
The romance. No. Big no. Hell no. I didn't feel any tension between Juliette and Roma, no angst, no fluff, NOTHING.
At first I thought it was because Juliette is a bit more developed than Roma, and he feels bland in comparison, but that's not it. What it really is, is Roma existing only to further Juliette's "badassery".
So really, it's not Roma's fault he's written like he is, he's just doing his best, but he gets no chance to shine next to Juliette. She has to be the strong one, and the smart one every single time.
And lastly, the names. I was not too fond of them, but Chloe did a good job with the last names in Russian unlike some other authors. And the Russian used in the book was also correct.
The book is somewhere between two and a half and three stars, but I decided to round it up to three instead of down to two because it's a debut book, and for Alisa.
Despite all the faults, I don't think reading it was a waste of time, and I am looking forward to the sequel. Fingers crossed my faves make it....more
I just finished this book mere minutes ago and I'm feeling all the feels.
I read most of the book in one go and I wish there was more. It Wow. Wow. WOW.
I just finished this book mere minutes ago and I'm feeling all the feels.
I read most of the book in one go and I wish there was more. It can't end so suddenly no, no.
I understand that it's a trilogy (yay!) so this book was really a set up for the following two. That's okay, but I still wish a little more happened (a lot happened but you know what I mean). HOW WILL I SURVIVE TILL BOOK 2 HUH?
Let's get into it. Sideways (what a cool name, if I was from an English speaking country I totally would've chosen a name like that for myself too, just saying, it's brilliant) is a lesbian witch plagued by loads of insecurities about herself and the friendship she formes with former mean girls - turned coven sisters, Jing, Daisy and Yates. Her dads own an antiquity store and they're absolutely adorable together (even though they don't show up that much, hopefully we'll see more of them in later books).
I loved the friendship, the spellcasting and even the witch hunters. I found it hard to dislike anyone except you-know-who (name starts with the letter M) and that rarely happens so A+.
In some scenes I did get the feeling that Sideways was trying a tad bit too hard to be cool when it wasn't needed, it's not a huge annoyance though.
Certain moments made me laugh and perhaps I'll fish them out another day and edit them into my review so I don't forget.
Honourable mention: the summers in Montenegro line. Made me think back to my own summers there as a kid.
Honourable mention #2: Mr Scratch. I love him. He's the best. More of him please. Loads more.
*Huge thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*...more
Bree's a sixteeen year old girl who applied for early college with her childhood best friend Alice and they both got in. Only Bree didn't have the perBree's a sixteeen year old girl who applied for early college with her childhood best friend Alice and they both got in. Only Bree didn't have the permission of her parents to do such a thing. Her mother freaks out when she finds out and Bree stops talking to her for a whole day which turns into forever as her mother dies on the way home from work.
Bree decides to go to college anyway - coincidentally the same college her mother attended once upon a time - and there she finds a campus full of secret societies, ancient bloodlines, magic and demons.
She starts to believe her mother's death wasn't an accident and that sends her on a journey, a LEGENDARY one, which she can never come back from.
I liked this book but I didn't LOVE it.
Even though things were set in motion long before Bree ever appeared at college they seem to pick up upon her arrival and most of the book happens in one single week. That's all the time it takes for her whole life to get turned around.
That was my main issue with this book. The other was that the romance developed too fast and they went from meeting each other to loving each other as if they've been together for fifty years in the blink of an eye.
There is one reason why they feel a connection and I'm not going to spoil it for those who haven't read it yet but...I don't think it's good enough. If anything it should've been a strong PLATONIC love that gradually develops into romantic.
The love triangle was a bit unexpected, as a lot of things were. There were so many coincidences but my reading buddy (you know who you are <3) and I were often wrong in our theories how the book would go and why things are the way they are. So kudos to the author for keeping us guessing till the last second.
The characters were likable mostly. I didn't like Sel, but I warmed up to him near the end. Bree did okay in her main character role (minus a couple of scenes where I wanted to slap her like the ancestral spirit). And Nick was very sweet throughout.
The fight between Bree and Alice didn't feel necessary and I didn't like it. Poor Alice was used as a plot device more than once, she deserved better.
I felt no attachment towards the rest of the characters (as likable as they were), except Will, Bree's dad and the ancestral spirits and it didn't matter to me whether they were going to live or die.
The Arthurian legend that was mixed into the story was the best part and I'm proud to say I managed to guess one thing correctly. I had a feeling about it since the beginning, but then the author tried to lead me off the trail and into thinking someone else was who I guessed the other person to be until finally bringing it back around.
I'm happy that the book didn't end in a cliffhanger and that it explained just about everything that was unclear. There's enough material for a second book and I'm going to read that one as well when it's finally out because I do need to know how the story continues/ends. ...more
Well...I tried. For 6 months I tried and enough is enough. Will this be the first book I give only one star to? Seems like it.
Everything from the titWell...I tried. For 6 months I tried and enough is enough. Will this be the first book I give only one star to? Seems like it.
Everything from the title to the cover and blurb had me wanting to read this since it came out. It seemed so cool and fun, and like everything I love in a story. Except it wasn't.
I probably would've held off on reading it until book three was out in the world but a friend started reading it last year and I thought okay, now's my chance to finally do it too.
So I started it, and then I regretted it.
I won't dissect A Gentleman's Guide, I'm not in the mood. Ultimately, I just didn't like anything (pirate part aside) or anyone except poor Percy who was horribly mistreated throughout the course of the book.
Monty was awful, truly. Imagine being stuck with him for an extended period of time. I'd go crazy. He's nearly worse than Umbridge. And he's hella racist too.
Felicity was okay, but not interesting enough for me to continue with the series.
The writing was very dull, it failed to engage me and I found it hard to care. The plot...all over the place. Not bad, it just wasn't what it was supposed to be. And the book could've been shorter. This is way too many pages for what we got.
The romance could've worked if one half of the pairing wasn't Monty. I SAID WHAT I SAID.
On top of all the historical inaccuracies and the author behaving weirdly...yeah I don't think I can continue. Sorry. I'm happy this is finally off of my "currently reading" shelf. ...more
Not as cute as the first book, but I had fun listening to it. Mainly what I loved about the first book (the convention setting, fandom culture & referNot as cute as the first book, but I had fun listening to it. Mainly what I loved about the first book (the convention setting, fandom culture & references, overall vibes) stayed the same in this one which I'm very happy about.
As for the romances, they were okay. At first I thought Imogen and Jess would end up together, but they each had someone else to fall in love with and I like it better like that, because the two of them wouldn't have worked.
I liked Imogen more than Jess, I think she's the better character. Jess was kind of annoying, and while she did improve by the end, I don't have any strong feelings about her. I disliked her complaining in book one too, here it was amplified.
I'm looking forward to the final book, I don't know if it'll beat the first one but it can try....more
AHHHH, this was adorable. I've been wanting to read it for years assuming I'd love it and I was right. It's free on AudLook to the stars. Aim. Ignite.
AHHHH, this was adorable. I've been wanting to read it for years assuming I'd love it and I was right. It's free on Audible, as are the other two books and I'll definitely be listening to them too.
I loved both of the narrators, the male one kind of sounded like John Barrowman, and I was almost waiting for him to break into song. The female one captured that Southern twang perfectly. Whenever Elle's stepMOMster or stepsisters were talking, the twang was stronger, and when Elle was speaking it was still there, but more subtle.
I'm a geek, so this whole book really spoke to my soul and made me cry so many times, even for scenes that probably weren't meant to be emotional, but I couldn't help it.
I was that kid that watched Star Wars with my dad, lost him around the same age Elle lost hers, got made fun of at school for liking anime, the way I dressed, the music I listened to, so yeah I could relate to Elle.
Her love story with (I was about to call him Carmindor) Darien is really sweet, I love that they fell in love with each other over text, because that's what happened to me, TWICE. So it was extra real.
I also love that the nicer of the two stepsisters got her own happy ending with Sage, the pumpkin truck fairy godmother. They were cute together as well.
If you've ever been in a fandom, any fandom, then you'll probably also love this book. It captures the essence of why those of us who are in them love them so much. The unity they show in one specific scene is so amazing, and mirrors some of my own experiences.
I'll be getting a physical copy of this book, and probably the rest of the series too.
But, before I go, I do need to mention that there were a few odd lines here and there about 25 year olds and an actress who said her expiration date is coming soon because she's ALREADY 22...and that very well may be the case in Hollywood, but I don't know why it was needed in this book. She could've just said she didn't want to play a space princess all her life and called it a day. ...more
I actually loved this which is a bit surprising since I assumed it would be a pretty average read, based on things I heard about it, but no, it was grI actually loved this which is a bit surprising since I assumed it would be a pretty average read, based on things I heard about it, but no, it was great.
What I really like about it is that it's so easy to read (except for a bit of confusion between the end of chapter one and the start of chapter two), it's not too difficult to figure out the mystery, but I did have moments where I doubted my own theories.
For a few PoV switches I couldn't keep track of who was who because they sounded similar, but eventually this fixed itself and I was able to tell them apart.
I liked the Nate & Bronwyn romance, it reminded me of Liz and Wes from Better than the Movies. With that said, their little ending wasn't entirely satisfying to me, but I'm sure we'll get some crumbs in book two.
The book was kind of stereotypical and cliché, I still found it very entertaining though, and I can't wait to finally watch the show. ...more