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argyledinosaur's reviews
210 reviews
The Innocent by Yasung Ko, Junichi Fujisaki, Avi Arad
2.0
UPDATE: I apparently read this book a year ago TO THIS DAY, Which I did not realize until I went to add this to my DNF list. So... I mean, that's how memorable it was.
That was disappointing. I really love The Crow and this sounded similar, so I picked it up during a sale. While this isn't The Crow, it is similar enough that I'm going to be drawing comparisons through the whole review.
This was disappointing because the story was such a good idea, but then there's no time spent trying to get you attached to the characters at all. There's one character that I had no idea who it was through most of the book until the lawyer (I think) says "Oh! He's the bodyguard!" and it isn't difficult to make sure your readers know who they're reading about. Different characters were calling the main character different names (Johnny and Ash) which kind of makes sense in the context of the story, but it's also unnecessary. The protagonist was kind of just arrogant and annoying. There doesn't always need to be character growth, but aside from getting himself erased from literally everything to stop the bodyguard from hurting anyone else (which was out of vengeance, not heroism), he was barely helpful and he just had a terrible attitude. I felt bad for the angel that was tasked with watching him because the stuff he did somehow caused her to get punished, which would make more scars appear on her body much like Nightcrawler from the X-Men. I don't necessarily have to love a protagonist to enjoy a book, but I do need to at least be able to tolerate them, and he was bordering on intolerable. Granted this whole review should be taken with a grain of salt because I was expecting something similar to the Crow, and it's nothing like that.
TL;DR: Awesome idea, poor execution.
That was disappointing. I really love The Crow and this sounded similar, so I picked it up during a sale. While this isn't The Crow, it is similar enough that I'm going to be drawing comparisons through the whole review.
This was disappointing because the story was such a good idea, but then there's no time spent trying to get you attached to the characters at all. There's one character that I had no idea who it was through most of the book until the lawyer (I think) says "Oh! He's the bodyguard!" and it isn't difficult to make sure your readers know who they're reading about. Different characters were calling the main character different names (Johnny and Ash) which kind of makes sense in the context of the story, but it's also unnecessary. The protagonist was kind of just arrogant and annoying. There doesn't always need to be character growth, but aside from getting himself erased from literally everything to stop the bodyguard from hurting anyone else (which was out of vengeance, not heroism), he was barely helpful and he just had a terrible attitude. I felt bad for the angel that was tasked with watching him because the stuff he did somehow caused her to get punished, which would make more scars appear on her body much like Nightcrawler from the X-Men. I don't necessarily have to love a protagonist to enjoy a book, but I do need to at least be able to tolerate them, and he was bordering on intolerable. Granted this whole review should be taken with a grain of salt because I was expecting something similar to the Crow, and it's nothing like that.
TL;DR: Awesome idea, poor execution.
Girls' Last Tour, Vol. 1 by Tsukumizu
3.0
It was okay. Pretty repetitive and nothing spectacular, but kind of cute and a quick time waster.
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
4.0
Granted I read this in like, 6th grade, so I only remember really loving it. I've been wanting ot reread it for some time, though, to see if I'd still like it as much.
Temptation by K.M. Scott
4.0
I started out this book thinking it was going to be a quick read because it was relatively short and a contemporary romance. Not exactly rocket science. I didn't, however, expect to enjoy it as much as I did.
One thing I look for in romances is consent. I look for it like it's my job. Given the sex ed that we're subjected to, I put a HUGE emphasis on seeing consent being given in the romance books I read, because a lot of romances that rely on power dynamics just kind of ignore it, and that's not okay. But this book right here? I approve. The sex was always consensual and consent was enthusiastically given, usually in something as simple as "I want you now" that's still sexy, but obviously consent is being given. Love it.
The story is definitely trope-y, in the best ways and the worst ways. The ex that comes in and ruins everything, the clueless protags, the mutual pining, the male best friend trying to assault the female protag and the male protag coming to save the day. I could probably go on, but I think that just about covers it all.
All in all, this is a very enjoyable read. The only real thing I would change about it is the male best friend attempting to assault the female protag. Like, we've seen this done countless times, and even if the author felt the need to keep that in there, have the characters CALL THE DAMN COPS.
One thing I look for in romances is consent. I look for it like it's my job. Given the sex ed that we're subjected to, I put a HUGE emphasis on seeing consent being given in the romance books I read, because a lot of romances that rely on power dynamics just kind of ignore it, and that's not okay. But this book right here? I approve. The sex was always consensual and consent was enthusiastically given, usually in something as simple as "I want you now" that's still sexy, but obviously consent is being given. Love it.
The story is definitely trope-y, in the best ways and the worst ways. The ex that comes in and ruins everything, the clueless protags, the mutual pining, the male best friend trying to assault the female protag and the male protag coming to save the day. I could probably go on, but I think that just about covers it all.
All in all, this is a very enjoyable read. The only real thing I would change about it is the male best friend attempting to assault the female protag. Like, we've seen this done countless times, and even if the author felt the need to keep that in there, have the characters CALL THE DAMN COPS.
Lady in Red by Mel Teshco
4.0
It's really not bad. The smutty bits are well written, the plot is a little predictable, but still exactly what I wanted when I started this book. I wanted a light, predictable, love story with some good smut and that's precisely what this book is. The only real thing about this book that I haven't read about before is that the protagonist is a prostitute, which is what piqued my interest.
If you're into romance with good smut and a little predictability (in terms of a happy ending), then by all means give this one a read.
If you're into romance with good smut and a little predictability (in terms of a happy ending), then by all means give this one a read.
From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty
5.0
All I can say after having just finished this book about an hour ago is that I have so much appreciation for the people that travel and learn about other cultures, especially rituals.
I loved reading and learning about how different cultures handle their dead. I love that in Japan they have corpse hotels. I love that in Bolivia they have skulls that are believed to hold some fantastic power to help with a whole array of things. I loved reading about Tibetan sky burials and the Parsi rituals surrounding their Towers of Silence. There is so much information in this book that I could never even begin to unpack it all in this review.
If you choose not to read the gory bits of this book, at least allow yourself the pleasure of reading the powerful epilogue where Caitlin ends it with a call to action. If we want our rituals back, we need to take them back. No more asking nicely, but demanding fiercely to be with our loved ones in the moments leading up to their cremation, brushing our loved one's hair before the funeral, keeping our loved ones in the home for a few hours after they expire, not letting them be ripped away from us before we're even given the chance to register what happened.
This is easily one of my favorite books, I would even go so far as to say it's in the top 5, if not the top 3, and that's really saying something. This book will make you think about how different cultures handle their dead, and how can better handle ours.
I loved reading and learning about how different cultures handle their dead. I love that in Japan they have corpse hotels. I love that in Bolivia they have skulls that are believed to hold some fantastic power to help with a whole array of things. I loved reading about Tibetan sky burials and the Parsi rituals surrounding their Towers of Silence. There is so much information in this book that I could never even begin to unpack it all in this review.
If you choose not to read the gory bits of this book, at least allow yourself the pleasure of reading the powerful epilogue where Caitlin ends it with a call to action. If we want our rituals back, we need to take them back. No more asking nicely, but demanding fiercely to be with our loved ones in the moments leading up to their cremation, brushing our loved one's hair before the funeral, keeping our loved ones in the home for a few hours after they expire, not letting them be ripped away from us before we're even given the chance to register what happened.
This is easily one of my favorite books, I would even go so far as to say it's in the top 5, if not the top 3, and that's really saying something. This book will make you think about how different cultures handle their dead, and how can better handle ours.
Helium by Rudy Francisco
5.0
I really have no words for this. I was moved to tears more than once while reading this, and he has all of his popular poems in here, so if you watched any of his poetry videos on Youtube, you'll find that poem and many others in here.
How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry
5.0
This is such a cute story. It follows the lives of the eclectic cast of Peasebrook residents. There's drama, thrills, suspense, and mostly a whole lot of lovey dovey, slow burn pining, and I am here for all of it.
The Gender Game by Bella Forrest
4.0
This book is far from perfect, in fact, it leaves a lot to be desired. I would be lying if I said that the plot is what kept me reading, because it's not. I lost interest in the book, and didn't even touch it for a few weeks. But then Viggo happened. Viggo Croft is what got me through this book and he is the only thing that I care about in this book. Period. Also, Samuel, but of course I'm going to care about the dog, who wouldn't? I don't care about Patrus, I don't care about Matrus, I don't care about the sociopolitical commentary (not that it's very hard hitting, let's be honest) but I do care about Viggo. This book does get pretty good about a couple hundred pages in.
The ending of the book however, isn't just a cliffhanger. It's a cliffhanger that left me completely unsatisfied.
But overall, if you're in the market for another dystopian, and you don't want something that's super hard hitting and serious, you might enjoy this. If you're looking for something with some actual sociopolitical commentary, then skip this.
This is where things start to get REALLY SPOILERY, so don't read on if you're not interested.
As I said, the only character I care about is Viggo Croft because he is absolutely yummy and I can just picture Adrian Brody or Keanu Reeves as like, a basic model to picture Viggo. around the middle of the book, we learn that Lee wants to pin this whole thing on Viggo. So the book ends with Violet getting away, Lee dying, and nothing being mentioned about her going to find Viggo or Samuel (the dog) and I'm just kind of not having that. I'm not having that at all. I have no desire to read on in this series, unless I get more Viggo and specifically more growth in the relationship between Viggo and Violet. I'm literally going to look up spoilers just to find out if Viggo is dead or not, because I don't really have the spare money right now to buy the book (even the ebook version) if I'm not going to get what I want from it.
The ending of the book however, isn't just a cliffhanger. It's a cliffhanger that left me completely unsatisfied.
But overall, if you're in the market for another dystopian, and you don't want something that's super hard hitting and serious, you might enjoy this. If you're looking for something with some actual sociopolitical commentary, then skip this.
This is where things start to get REALLY SPOILERY, so don't read on if you're not interested.
As I said, the only character I care about is Viggo Croft because he is absolutely yummy and I can just picture Adrian Brody or Keanu Reeves as like, a basic model to picture Viggo. around the middle of the book, we learn that Lee wants to pin this whole thing on Viggo. So the book ends with Violet getting away, Lee dying, and nothing being mentioned about her going to find Viggo or Samuel (the dog) and I'm just kind of not having that. I'm not having that at all. I have no desire to read on in this series, unless I get more Viggo and specifically more growth in the relationship between Viggo and Violet. I'm literally going to look up spoilers just to find out if Viggo is dead or not, because I don't really have the spare money right now to buy the book (even the ebook version) if I'm not going to get what I want from it.