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amandasbrews's Reviews (458)
I made the mistake of reading some of this at night time, alone in my home, and I thought I was going to die for a minute there.
This book reminds me of When No One is Watching (which I loved) but a YA version. Aaaaahh. It was engrossing and nerve-wracking.
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This book reminds me of When No One is Watching (which I loved) but a YA version. Aaaaahh. It was engrossing and nerve-wracking.
Bookish Brews | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr | Facebook
Tragic, difficult, stunning, emotional, pretty, dark, engrossing
As always I’m very eager to support a Vietnamese author, so when Daniel reached out to me, I was more than excited to read this novella. Set in Vietnam, this novella tells a huge story in such a short amount of time. Told in brief moments of shared history, I found myself feeling my ever-present longing for Vietnam in the longing of these characters. There were moments where I had to set this book down, not because of the heavy themes, but because there was so much emotion packed into a short amount of space. Daniel wrote a stunning novella that is rich with emotion and full of love.
Quick Summary: Violet can see sounds and once believed she was born to be a painter, but her life circumstances have beat her down enough to make her question her dream. Deciding to leave everything, Violet finds herself looking for salvation in Turner, a gang debt collector who had been tasked to collect from Violet’s mother. Together, this unlikely pairing must walk the line between following their dreams or giving up and falling into the life that seems to be forced upon them.
The Color of Your Voice is by no means a light read. This book dives into the depths and difficulties of some of the lowest places of human existence. However dark the world has gotten for Violet and Turner, I love how they learned how to be the light in the darkness for each other. Where they are in the beginning, it seems almost impossible for either of these two to find happiness. Daniel artfully makes the light in the darkness grow from a small spark of care to a flame they can rely on. I was impressed with how the relationship grew, despite their circumstances and especially considering the novella length.
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As always I’m very eager to support a Vietnamese author, so when Daniel reached out to me, I was more than excited to read this novella. Set in Vietnam, this novella tells a huge story in such a short amount of time. Told in brief moments of shared history, I found myself feeling my ever-present longing for Vietnam in the longing of these characters. There were moments where I had to set this book down, not because of the heavy themes, but because there was so much emotion packed into a short amount of space. Daniel wrote a stunning novella that is rich with emotion and full of love.
Quick Summary: Violet can see sounds and once believed she was born to be a painter, but her life circumstances have beat her down enough to make her question her dream. Deciding to leave everything, Violet finds herself looking for salvation in Turner, a gang debt collector who had been tasked to collect from Violet’s mother. Together, this unlikely pairing must walk the line between following their dreams or giving up and falling into the life that seems to be forced upon them.
The Color of Your Voice is by no means a light read. This book dives into the depths and difficulties of some of the lowest places of human existence. However dark the world has gotten for Violet and Turner, I love how they learned how to be the light in the darkness for each other. Where they are in the beginning, it seems almost impossible for either of these two to find happiness. Daniel artfully makes the light in the darkness grow from a small spark of care to a flame they can rely on. I was impressed with how the relationship grew, despite their circumstances and especially considering the novella length.
Continue reading...
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This book is brilliant, check out my full review over at Bookish Brews!
Here's a preview:
Creepy, unsettling, atmospheric, brilliant, mundane, impressive, thought-provoking
I feel like I spontaneously picked up Leave the World Behind because I was really itching for another short audiobook. This book hit the spot. It’s simple, creepy, and incredibly written. The best part is that it’s a quick read, so it’s the perfect binge read. Being able to finish an entire book in one sitting (or in one day) is my favorite and this one you could do just that.
Quick Summary: Leave the World Behind is the story of Amanda and Clay as they take a family vacation to a remote but luxurious house in Long Island. Pretty quickly into their vacation, they get a knock on their door in the middle of the night. It’s an older Black couple who have arrived in a panicked state, saying that this is their house, and speaking about a big blackout in the city even though the power in the house works. Can Amanda and Clay trust this couple? Should they let them stay? How do they know what to believe?
The absolute brilliance of this book is the writing. The way that the author can describe completely mundane tasks that still make a statement on white supremacy is simply stunning. Simply describing a shopping list manages to be compelling. It highlights the mundane pieces of white supremacy, a side of it that we don’t often ever see in literature. I was blown away the entire time by the social comments that managed to slip their way into descriptions of inanimate objects in a way that I have never seen before. Keep reading...
cw / tw: the mention of death, disease and unrest, vomit, medical stuff, cursing, racism, blood
Diversity representation: Author of Color, Black supporting characters
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Here's a preview:
Creepy, unsettling, atmospheric, brilliant, mundane, impressive, thought-provoking
I feel like I spontaneously picked up Leave the World Behind because I was really itching for another short audiobook. This book hit the spot. It’s simple, creepy, and incredibly written. The best part is that it’s a quick read, so it’s the perfect binge read. Being able to finish an entire book in one sitting (or in one day) is my favorite and this one you could do just that.
Quick Summary: Leave the World Behind is the story of Amanda and Clay as they take a family vacation to a remote but luxurious house in Long Island. Pretty quickly into their vacation, they get a knock on their door in the middle of the night. It’s an older Black couple who have arrived in a panicked state, saying that this is their house, and speaking about a big blackout in the city even though the power in the house works. Can Amanda and Clay trust this couple? Should they let them stay? How do they know what to believe?
The absolute brilliance of this book is the writing. The way that the author can describe completely mundane tasks that still make a statement on white supremacy is simply stunning. Simply describing a shopping list manages to be compelling. It highlights the mundane pieces of white supremacy, a side of it that we don’t often ever see in literature. I was blown away the entire time by the social comments that managed to slip their way into descriptions of inanimate objects in a way that I have never seen before. Keep reading...
cw / tw: the mention of death, disease and unrest, vomit, medical stuff, cursing, racism, blood
Diversity representation: Author of Color, Black supporting characters
Bookish Brews | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr | Facebook
Sweet, exciting, adventurous, steamy, refreshing, magical, fresh
The High Mountain Court lured me in with the promise of a diverse cast of fae and witches and a Steamy Romance. Let me tell you that it did not disappoint! I’ve always loved stories with the fae in them, but I’ve long grown bored of how often the story gets bland when there is so little representation (please share diverse fae recommendations if you have any!). The High Mountain Court is such a refreshing change from all of the other fae books that I’ve read with a romance just as steamy as I could hope for!
Thirteen years ago, Remy fled her home to escape genocide, now she might be the only red witch left alive and she is determined to stay that way. When the handsome Prince Hale of the Eastern Kingdom finds Remy and discovers her secret, he commissions her help to stop a war with the Northern Court, the same people who slaughtered Remy’s home court. But can she trust Prince Hale? Is this worth coming out of hiding and risking losing her cover?
The High Mountain Court is a stunning story full of court politics, a diverse world of fae, witches, and magic, a rich history, lost & found family, and romance. A kick-butt debut romance from an incredible new author. Remy is a character that you will want to grow with throughout her journey and Hale will continually remind you that relationships are best when you grow and learn together. Their relationship is so sweet and I adored how it grew into what it did. The way that they work together and get to know each other was the perfect build-up to make the steamy scenes pay off even more!
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The High Mountain Court lured me in with the promise of a diverse cast of fae and witches and a Steamy Romance. Let me tell you that it did not disappoint! I’ve always loved stories with the fae in them, but I’ve long grown bored of how often the story gets bland when there is so little representation (please share diverse fae recommendations if you have any!). The High Mountain Court is such a refreshing change from all of the other fae books that I’ve read with a romance just as steamy as I could hope for!
Thirteen years ago, Remy fled her home to escape genocide, now she might be the only red witch left alive and she is determined to stay that way. When the handsome Prince Hale of the Eastern Kingdom finds Remy and discovers her secret, he commissions her help to stop a war with the Northern Court, the same people who slaughtered Remy’s home court. But can she trust Prince Hale? Is this worth coming out of hiding and risking losing her cover?
The High Mountain Court is a stunning story full of court politics, a diverse world of fae, witches, and magic, a rich history, lost & found family, and romance. A kick-butt debut romance from an incredible new author. Remy is a character that you will want to grow with throughout her journey and Hale will continually remind you that relationships are best when you grow and learn together. Their relationship is so sweet and I adored how it grew into what it did. The way that they work together and get to know each other was the perfect build-up to make the steamy scenes pay off even more!
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The Wild Court is a book I had been looking forward to for a while. It was one of the first advanced reader copies I had ever gotten and I absolutely loved the first two books! I was worried where the story might go after book 2, but I think it came together really well!
Quick Summary: The Wild Court follows Aed and Ronan after 7 years of ruling The Gut. In our last appearance, we saw Aed get crowned, and 7 years later he has earned the respect of the kingdom. Until something unexpected happens at Ronan's crowning, drawing out the faerie unrest from across the veil.
My favorite thing about this book was the found family that gets developed beyond the veil. We don't know where we're going, and there is so much adventure on the way, so the bond between the little group is inevitable. Plus we continue to see the relationship between Aed and Ronan develop, which was so sweet. After their entire lifetimes basically, they are still learning how to get to know each other on a deeper level. I loved the focus on growing and learning about each other so much!
I thought the story had list me in the beginning right when I found out it takes place so long after the other two. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I was more invested than I thought I'd be pretty early on! I think the time between the other two books really helped make way for what transpires here. If they hadn't spent years without us (as in, the readers, naturally!) I don't think we would have been able to get the depth of understanding between characters like we did. So it ended up paying off!
I also thought it was really cool to finally be able to cross the veil and see what is going on in the faerie realm. The world-building was wonderful and really cool, I loved being able to go in and see the courtly politics. Especially how everything wove together in the plot twists!
Summing it all up
The Wild Court had me hesitant at first but I quickly got invested in way more than anticipated. I absolutely loved how the relationship between Ronan and Aed was able to develop deeper after so long.
I received this book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily
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Quick Summary: The Wild Court follows Aed and Ronan after 7 years of ruling The Gut. In our last appearance, we saw Aed get crowned, and 7 years later he has earned the respect of the kingdom. Until something unexpected happens at Ronan's crowning, drawing out the faerie unrest from across the veil.
My favorite thing about this book was the found family that gets developed beyond the veil. We don't know where we're going, and there is so much adventure on the way, so the bond between the little group is inevitable. Plus we continue to see the relationship between Aed and Ronan develop, which was so sweet. After their entire lifetimes basically, they are still learning how to get to know each other on a deeper level. I loved the focus on growing and learning about each other so much!
I thought the story had list me in the beginning right when I found out it takes place so long after the other two. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I was more invested than I thought I'd be pretty early on! I think the time between the other two books really helped make way for what transpires here. If they hadn't spent years without us (as in, the readers, naturally!) I don't think we would have been able to get the depth of understanding between characters like we did. So it ended up paying off!
I also thought it was really cool to finally be able to cross the veil and see what is going on in the faerie realm. The world-building was wonderful and really cool, I loved being able to go in and see the courtly politics. Especially how everything wove together in the plot twists!
Summing it all up
The Wild Court had me hesitant at first but I quickly got invested in way more than anticipated. I absolutely loved how the relationship between Ronan and Aed was able to develop deeper after so long.
I received this book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily
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I literally read this in a day, it's so cute and sweet & a great summery read! Review to come
Bookish Brews | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr | Facebook
Bookish Brews | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr | Facebook
You can check out my full review for this book HERE! :)
Here's a preview:
Creepy, smart, cyclical, intense, eerie, distant, balanced, fast-paced
The Echo Wife has been on my list for a while, ever since Sarah read and reviewed it (and made this incredible flatlay for it that I’ve included on my blog - check it out!). I’ve been meaning to read Gailey’s work because I’ve been hearing people sing praises for their work for quite some time. I have to say this did not disappoint. This book is a perfectly quick, summer, creepy book. It goes by quickly, but it has a lot of depth at the same time.
Quick Summary: Evelyn Caldwell is an award-winning scientist, known for her perfection of human cloning. In such a sensitive profession, she and everyone she works with abides by a wildly strict code of ethics in regards to her clones. That is until Evelyn finds out that her husband Nathan has used her own technology to clone her into a more submissive and docile wife.
The most outstanding part of The Echo Wife was how much of an internal monologue we get from Evelyn. The book is told from her perspective, and so we are really able to see her thought process. It’s so interesting to see her grapple with the ethical barriers about her profession that she has put up to shield herself from the work she is doing. It’s so interesting to see how those barriers are paralleled in her real life. But the way that Evelyn thinks does so much for the story because we see all of the internal conflicts with her morals and her traumas. Sarah Gailey walks on such a tightrope here to balance moral conflict and past traumas and somehow makes them parallel so well, it’s truly astounding.
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Here's a preview:
Creepy, smart, cyclical, intense, eerie, distant, balanced, fast-paced
The Echo Wife has been on my list for a while, ever since Sarah read and reviewed it (and made this incredible flatlay for it that I’ve included on my blog - check it out!). I’ve been meaning to read Gailey’s work because I’ve been hearing people sing praises for their work for quite some time. I have to say this did not disappoint. This book is a perfectly quick, summer, creepy book. It goes by quickly, but it has a lot of depth at the same time.
Quick Summary: Evelyn Caldwell is an award-winning scientist, known for her perfection of human cloning. In such a sensitive profession, she and everyone she works with abides by a wildly strict code of ethics in regards to her clones. That is until Evelyn finds out that her husband Nathan has used her own technology to clone her into a more submissive and docile wife.
The most outstanding part of The Echo Wife was how much of an internal monologue we get from Evelyn. The book is told from her perspective, and so we are really able to see her thought process. It’s so interesting to see her grapple with the ethical barriers about her profession that she has put up to shield herself from the work she is doing. It’s so interesting to see how those barriers are paralleled in her real life. But the way that Evelyn thinks does so much for the story because we see all of the internal conflicts with her morals and her traumas. Sarah Gailey walks on such a tightrope here to balance moral conflict and past traumas and somehow makes them parallel so well, it’s truly astounding.
Keep reading...
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Stunning, expansive, punk, angry, imaginative, dense, ornate, turbulent, brilliant
The All-Consuming World was a book that I was really anticipating coming out. When Erewhon sent me a copy in the mail I was absolutely overjoyed! Erewhon books is one of my favorite publishers, and Cassandra Khaw has other incredible works out. Honestly, opening this book at first was a bit of a challenge. The world-building is dense but flowery all at once and unique to any similar books that I’ve read before, so I wasn’t able to stay grounded in any kind of assumptions of the world. The group of misfit ex-criminals is full of rage and bitterness so they swear a lot, which is jarringly juxtaposed by the writing style that was both precise in some parts and ornate in others. This book breaks your assumptions and shatters your beliefs in what a book needs to be.
Though the text took a while to start understanding, once I made it halfway through I started to see how clever Khaw’s writing actually is. They confused me to challenge me. The dense world helped me explore my imagination and push the boundaries of my thoughts. The prose is constantly changing and matches each character’s perspective perfectly. The ornate writing trains you to detach from what you know about humanity, technology, life, and consciousness in order to reach the climax that really turns everything on its head once again. All of this makes for a turbulent reading experience, but one that completely paid off for me in the end.
Quick Summary: The All-Consuming World follows a group of angry misfit ex-cons coming back together to relive their last mission that ended in tragedy. Broken and traumatized from the last mission that cost them their friends, the group begrudgingly agrees to go back to the planet that ruined it all in the hope that one of their dead friends isn’t dead after all.
Continue reading...
Bookish Brews | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr | Facebook
The All-Consuming World was a book that I was really anticipating coming out. When Erewhon sent me a copy in the mail I was absolutely overjoyed! Erewhon books is one of my favorite publishers, and Cassandra Khaw has other incredible works out. Honestly, opening this book at first was a bit of a challenge. The world-building is dense but flowery all at once and unique to any similar books that I’ve read before, so I wasn’t able to stay grounded in any kind of assumptions of the world. The group of misfit ex-criminals is full of rage and bitterness so they swear a lot, which is jarringly juxtaposed by the writing style that was both precise in some parts and ornate in others. This book breaks your assumptions and shatters your beliefs in what a book needs to be.
Though the text took a while to start understanding, once I made it halfway through I started to see how clever Khaw’s writing actually is. They confused me to challenge me. The dense world helped me explore my imagination and push the boundaries of my thoughts. The prose is constantly changing and matches each character’s perspective perfectly. The ornate writing trains you to detach from what you know about humanity, technology, life, and consciousness in order to reach the climax that really turns everything on its head once again. All of this makes for a turbulent reading experience, but one that completely paid off for me in the end.
Quick Summary: The All-Consuming World follows a group of angry misfit ex-cons coming back together to relive their last mission that ended in tragedy. Broken and traumatized from the last mission that cost them their friends, the group begrudgingly agrees to go back to the planet that ruined it all in the hope that one of their dead friends isn’t dead after all.
Continue reading...
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Wow I really loved this book, it's the perfect steamy light summer read! But with a Viet main character!!! Read my full review here!!! :)
Here's a preview:
Steamy, heartwarming, sweet, fun, sex-positive, delicious, and witty
Happy Endings was truly a delight. This book was so easy to read and so fun I was in love with it from the start. The writing makes it so easy to breeze through, the characters are hilarious and provide such fun depth, and the sex-positivity was so refreshing to read. I really loved this book, it’s a perfect combination of steamy and sweet!
Quick Summary: Trixie is determined to make her sex toy business a success to prove to her parents that she can be successful in a nontraditional career. Andre is struggling to keep his family’s soul food restaurant afloat, and the last person he expects to see in his restaurant is the girl he left behind in New Orleans without a word, Trixie.
I really loved Trixie’s friend group, the Boss Babes. I’m not sure how much I love the name, but I love the friend group. They are a group of women entrepreneurs, and they have weekly meetings to keep each other accountable for their goals and to cheer each other on. I love a good found family, but a business family? of women entrepreneurs? Incredible. Every woman needs a group of friends like this. Especially women entrepreneurs! Keep reading...
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Here's a preview:
Steamy, heartwarming, sweet, fun, sex-positive, delicious, and witty
Happy Endings was truly a delight. This book was so easy to read and so fun I was in love with it from the start. The writing makes it so easy to breeze through, the characters are hilarious and provide such fun depth, and the sex-positivity was so refreshing to read. I really loved this book, it’s a perfect combination of steamy and sweet!
Quick Summary: Trixie is determined to make her sex toy business a success to prove to her parents that she can be successful in a nontraditional career. Andre is struggling to keep his family’s soul food restaurant afloat, and the last person he expects to see in his restaurant is the girl he left behind in New Orleans without a word, Trixie.
I really loved Trixie’s friend group, the Boss Babes. I’m not sure how much I love the name, but I love the friend group. They are a group of women entrepreneurs, and they have weekly meetings to keep each other accountable for their goals and to cheer each other on. I love a good found family, but a business family? of women entrepreneurs? Incredible. Every woman needs a group of friends like this. Especially women entrepreneurs! Keep reading...
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