Scan barcode
argyledinosaur's reviews
210 reviews
Swimming Home by Mary-Rose MacColl
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
I won this in a Giveaway here on Goodreads.
Okay, I hate having to DNF books I was gifted, but it's time. I've been reading this book for almost two months and I honestly probably haven't touched it in several weeks. It's just time to put this book down and stop trying to force myself to finish it before moving on.
It's not that it's a bad book, it is very well written, but the main protagonist is just beyond frustrating. She's a feminist in the 1920's (I think) and she keeps pushing the idea that women can do anything men can do, but then when her niece wants to swim, she's not okay with it because it's too masculine or something like that. I don't know, she was just rubbing me the wrong way, and if I genuinely don't like a character to that extent, then I'm not going to enjoy the book and I don't want to spend any more time hung up on it.
I really appreciate having the chance to read it, and I'm kind of bummed I didn't like it, but I'll either gift it to someone else or donate it to my local library so it still gets the love it deserves.
Okay, I hate having to DNF books I was gifted, but it's time. I've been reading this book for almost two months and I honestly probably haven't touched it in several weeks. It's just time to put this book down and stop trying to force myself to finish it before moving on.
It's not that it's a bad book, it is very well written, but the main protagonist is just beyond frustrating. She's a feminist in the 1920's (I think) and she keeps pushing the idea that women can do anything men can do, but then when her niece wants to swim, she's not okay with it because it's too masculine or something like that. I don't know, she was just rubbing me the wrong way, and if I genuinely don't like a character to that extent, then I'm not going to enjoy the book and I don't want to spend any more time hung up on it.
I really appreciate having the chance to read it, and I'm kind of bummed I didn't like it, but I'll either gift it to someone else or donate it to my local library so it still gets the love it deserves.
Are You Alice?, Vol. 1 by Ikumi Katagiri
2.0
I thought the story was interesting, and the art was incredible and very detailed, but at the same time, the story was confusing. I feel like this one would've been more enjoyable, for me, as an anime or a video game, just because I feel like watching the story or playing the story would make it easier to follow and more enjoyable to consume. It's not that the story is bad, but it seems very hectic and a little complex. It follows a young man that doesn't have a name, really, and is looking for somewhere where he belongs. He somehow gets to Wonderland and all of the characters start calling him Alice, but in order to actually become Alice he has to kill the White Rabbit. The White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat are humans, along with the Dormouse, and I'm assuming the caterpillar will show up and be human as well. I think that's part of why the story is so difficult (for me) to follow. I might try to read the next couple volumes, but if I don't enjoy them more than this one, I won't finish the series.
I really like that it's an original concept, though. It definitely turns the Alice story on its head.
I really like that it's an original concept, though. It definitely turns the Alice story on its head.
Alpha by Jasinda Wilder
4.0
This book was incredible. I went into it expecting a carbon copy of fifty shades, awfully written sex scenes and all. But as I started getting into the story, I realized that this isn't that at all. Yes the love interest is filthy rich, and yeah, the relationship first starts out as being kind of problematic, but the fact that he makes her consent such a high priority is so refreshing and amazing that I honestly forgive the kind of thin insta-lovey parts of the story. Also, the sex scenes remind me of the sex scenes in fanfiction which is a huge compliment, because fanfiction authors know how to write erotic scenes...usually. Finding out why he was so concerned about her well-being was something that I was NOT expecting at all. That plotline came way out of left field, in my opinion, and definitely was interesting and I'm sure that the dynamic between them will reflect it, in the other books. The only real drawback I see to this book is that I feel like the side-characters could've been fleshed out a little more. Overall, this is a very satisfying book, and I'm honestly tempted to buy the next book to continue the trilogy. I honestly kind of want to see where the story goes.
A Hasty Betrothal by Jessica Nelson
4.0
Full disclosure, I got this book as a free gift from Harlequin after sending in a slip thing, but they didn't specifically choose me to send it to for review or anything.
This was a pretty cute story. Parts of it were predictable, but there's nothing wrong with that as long as it's still enjoyable, and it was still enjoyable. It's about a hasty marriage of convenience between two people, so the woman could avoid becoming a "ruined woman" in the public eye, which is an annoying idea, but it also works with the time period, so I can't be mad about it, really. Everything in regards to the couple and how they interact is obvious and predictable, but again, it didn't bother me, because I liked the characters. The protagonist is a shy bookworm and her love interest is an old childhood friend of hers that happens to be a successful businessman. It's definitely a cute Christian romance, and worth a read if you're in the mood for something light and fluffy.
This was a pretty cute story. Parts of it were predictable, but there's nothing wrong with that as long as it's still enjoyable, and it was still enjoyable. It's about a hasty marriage of convenience between two people, so the woman could avoid becoming a "ruined woman" in the public eye, which is an annoying idea, but it also works with the time period, so I can't be mad about it, really. Everything in regards to the couple and how they interact is obvious and predictable, but again, it didn't bother me, because I liked the characters. The protagonist is a shy bookworm and her love interest is an old childhood friend of hers that happens to be a successful businessman. It's definitely a cute Christian romance, and worth a read if you're in the mood for something light and fluffy.
The Scattered and the Dead Book 0.5 by L.T. Vargus, Tim McBain
4.0
Full disclosure, I was given a download link by one of the authors, so I had the opportunity to read it for free.
I went into this book wanting to like it because I really like the authors as people, but I didn't think I would like it because I'm not a huge fan of apocalyptic/zombie anything. The only zombie movies I liked were 28 Days Later and I Am Legend, and they came out 15 and 10 years ago respectively.
This book focuses more on an apocalyptic world and where the protagonist fits into it. While reading it I actually did feel some dread because there are parts of the book where Decker is describing losing power and internet and running water, which are all things that humans are pretty dependent on anymore. I get bored if the internet goes down for like, 20 minutes, thinking about losing it forever is honestly terrifying. The idea of losing running water is even more life-threateningly terrifying. I've never had to pump water manually, and I think the only time I've seen a manual water pump was at Crossroads Village/Huckleberry Railroad (I think) during a school field trip in like, 2nd grade.
I appreciate that this book doesn't rely on zombies to scare us. It's not the zombies that are terrifying in this book, it's just the world ending that's terrifying. There's no more order, it's essentially anarchy and all the stores are already looted so there isn't any last minute food that you can find anymore. It's petrifying. It's also very entertaining and well written. I would totally recommend this to people who like horror in general, especially if they have a love for apocalyptic/zombie horror.
I went into this book wanting to like it because I really like the authors as people, but I didn't think I would like it because I'm not a huge fan of apocalyptic/zombie anything. The only zombie movies I liked were 28 Days Later and I Am Legend, and they came out 15 and 10 years ago respectively.
This book focuses more on an apocalyptic world and where the protagonist fits into it. While reading it I actually did feel some dread because there are parts of the book where Decker is describing losing power and internet and running water, which are all things that humans are pretty dependent on anymore. I get bored if the internet goes down for like, 20 minutes, thinking about losing it forever is honestly terrifying. The idea of losing running water is even more life-threateningly terrifying. I've never had to pump water manually, and I think the only time I've seen a manual water pump was at Crossroads Village/Huckleberry Railroad (I think) during a school field trip in like, 2nd grade.
I appreciate that this book doesn't rely on zombies to scare us. It's not the zombies that are terrifying in this book, it's just the world ending that's terrifying. There's no more order, it's essentially anarchy and all the stores are already looted so there isn't any last minute food that you can find anymore. It's petrifying. It's also very entertaining and well written. I would totally recommend this to people who like horror in general, especially if they have a love for apocalyptic/zombie horror.
Dear Dracula by Joshua Williamson
4.0
It's a really cute story for younger kids. it centers around a little boy named, Sam, who writes a letter to Dracula. Dracula then shows up at Sam's house on Halloween, and spends the night telling Sam what it means to be a vampire. The art is nice and the study is cute.
Really, my only real issue with this book is that they're trying to convince me that Sam, a boy who loves the movie Dracula, doesn't know vampires drink blood.
...... Really, my dudes? I'm positive that Dracula shows/makes mention of the fact that vampires consume blood.
Really, my only real issue with this book is that they're trying to convince me that Sam, a boy who loves the movie Dracula, doesn't know vampires drink blood.
...... Really, my dudes? I'm positive that Dracula shows/makes mention of the fact that vampires consume blood.
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
4.0
This was honestly such a sweet story. My only issue with this book is that it seems a little short and a little rushed, which comes with being such a short read. Other than that, the ending is very bittersweet and I just have so many feelings when it comes to Jesse and the rest of the Tucks in general.
I remember being in love with this movie when I was little, and especially loving Jesse, and this book did not disappoint.
I remember being in love with this movie when I was little, and especially loving Jesse, and this book did not disappoint.
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
3.0
Okay, so to start off, I feel the need to explain that I am not a John Green hater. It's become so popular and so common now to just hate on anything and everything John Green has anything to do with. That's not my style. I'm also not a John Green stan, I acknowledge that his books are largely over hyped and then because of all the hype they tend to disappoint, but they're still good and still enjoyable.
I went into the book with the expectation that I would probably like some things about it, hate other things about it, but overall enjoy it and that's honestly how I feel about it. I hated the best friend, I hated the character Mychal because he was underdeveloped and annoying, I wasn't a fan of the fact that Davis was a poor little rich boy, and the main character annoyed me for the first half of the book, and the main point of the story (finding Davis's dad) is tossed to the side to focus on their forced love story. I feel so bad saying all this, but it is what it is.
Even though the love story was SUPER forced, I did start to enjoy it about half way through the book. I just feel like Davis understood Aza in a way that nobody else did, and the same for the other way around. The best friend, Daiy, was annoying, self-centered, and just overall a completely unlikable character in my opinion. For crying out loud she wrote a character into her fanfiction based on Aza and made her essentially useless. I liked Aza's mom and understood her motivation for being the way she was, and I like Noah, Davis's younger brother, but I only genuinely enjoyed maybe 2 characters out of the cast of characters.
I felt like the story was forgotten half way through the book so we could focus on the love story and then the book ends with them breaking up. Like. Really. The only thing I enjoyed about this book was just ripped apart at the end. I don't really have the patience for stuff like this. The story either should've focused more on the mystery so the end didn't make the rest of the book pointless, or it should've had a happy ending. I'm not saying every book needs a happy ending and I do appreciate that he was trying to do something different by not having a normal tried and true happy ending, but still. This book just wasn't for me, and that's okay.
I give it 3 stars because while it was frustrating to read, it did get better about half way through, until the ending ruined it for me. It is a decent book, it's written well enough, but it's not for people that are trying to read a mystery honestly, and it's hardly for people that want a love story.
I went into the book with the expectation that I would probably like some things about it, hate other things about it, but overall enjoy it and that's honestly how I feel about it. I hated the best friend, I hated the character Mychal because he was underdeveloped and annoying, I wasn't a fan of the fact that Davis was a poor little rich boy, and the main character annoyed me for the first half of the book, and the main point of the story (finding Davis's dad) is tossed to the side to focus on their forced love story. I feel so bad saying all this, but it is what it is.
Even though the love story was SUPER forced, I did start to enjoy it about half way through the book. I just feel like Davis understood Aza in a way that nobody else did, and the same for the other way around. The best friend, Daiy, was annoying, self-centered, and just overall a completely unlikable character in my opinion. For crying out loud she wrote a character into her fanfiction based on Aza and made her essentially useless. I liked Aza's mom and understood her motivation for being the way she was, and I like Noah, Davis's younger brother, but I only genuinely enjoyed maybe 2 characters out of the cast of characters.
I felt like the story was forgotten half way through the book so we could focus on the love story and then the book ends with them breaking up. Like. Really. The only thing I enjoyed about this book was just ripped apart at the end. I don't really have the patience for stuff like this. The story either should've focused more on the mystery so the end didn't make the rest of the book pointless, or it should've had a happy ending. I'm not saying every book needs a happy ending and I do appreciate that he was trying to do something different by not having a normal tried and true happy ending, but still. This book just wasn't for me, and that's okay.
I give it 3 stars because while it was frustrating to read, it did get better about half way through, until the ending ruined it for me. It is a decent book, it's written well enough, but it's not for people that are trying to read a mystery honestly, and it's hardly for people that want a love story.