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ariel937's reviews
477 reviews
Your House Is on Fire, Your Children All Gone by Stefan Kiesbye
3.0
3.75
i saw this floating around in goodreads and decides to give it a try and wasn’t disappointed! this is a really intriguing book that captivated me each time i picked it up, and the characters and writing were so disturbing. i have a theory about the town, but i’m not sure if i picked up on all of the clues and i am a little confused about the whole thing; i read this purely as a series of connected scary stories. this really isn’t an obvious tale, it’s more like something you’d have to reread, but i like the weird feeling it gave me. definitely recommend.
i saw this floating around in goodreads and decides to give it a try and wasn’t disappointed! this is a really intriguing book that captivated me each time i picked it up, and the characters and writing were so disturbing. i have a theory about the town, but i’m not sure if i picked up on all of the clues and i am a little confused about the whole thing; i read this purely as a series of connected scary stories. this really isn’t an obvious tale, it’s more like something you’d have to reread, but i like the weird feeling it gave me. definitely recommend.
Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams
1.0
hm.... well. that was disappointing. **spoilers ahead for the ending **
i mean, from all the reviews i saw i went in expecting it to not be as good as the first book. but i really wish that it could've been more than like a ONE STAR for me. i almost made it 2 stars because of the feminist stuff and the important conversations that were had (though they still felt a little bit forced), but the book overall could have been just like...a lot better. this was honestly just a really bland run-of-the-mill romance book.
what i loved so much about the bromance book club was that you could really tell how much work and heart Adams put into it. the conflict was excellent, the characters were messy but relatable, and the fuck-ups were heart-wrenching. however in this, it just felt like she was writing just to write, something that quick and easy. seriously, where was the introspection? where was the emotion? the writing was bland, the pacing was way too fast, and i couldn't care less about the characters. i understand that liv was supposed to be "infuriating" but was just let utterly confused about her motivations. i like that she lived on a farm, but felt like she didn't have anything that made me care about her, especially when she guilted a victim of assault. and i KNOW, i know that was there point of her character, and no one is perfect bc people act like that in real life, even to their friends. and whew the lack of chemistry between her and mack....i just couldn't care less.
also...that ending "conflict," if you want to call it that. like, what the hell was THAT? there was not enough emotional and relationship development to warrant an ending like that--you have to make me care about the characters and make me think they care about each other for it to be believable. liv had NO right to expect mack to just up and say anything about his past to someone who obviously treated him like garbage, like what was she expecting? she didn't even do anything to make him love him, aside from the info-dump and exposition that the characters gave us, that didn't even some from liv herself.
and again, i *know* that that was the point and they were *supposed* to think deeply about their past traumas etc, but i honestly found nothing redeemable about liv that would make sense for mack to like her. even when she was trying to be a "girl boss" and take down that chef guy, it felt rushed, cheap, and all about her and not about the victims. i understand that the world is messed up and Adams should write a happy ending if she wants to, but she shouldn't have done it at the expense of the victims.
i'm probably coming at this book a bit too harshly, but man, i was disappointed af y'all. the first one was so, so good and i do have the third book book checked out, so i do want to read more of the series. but woof if you're thinking about reading the series, literally just skip this one.
i mean, from all the reviews i saw i went in expecting it to not be as good as the first book. but i really wish that it could've been more than like a ONE STAR for me. i almost made it 2 stars because of the feminist stuff and the important conversations that were had (though they still felt a little bit forced), but the book overall could have been just like...a lot better. this was honestly just a really bland run-of-the-mill romance book.
what i loved so much about the bromance book club was that you could really tell how much work and heart Adams put into it. the conflict was excellent, the characters were messy but relatable, and the fuck-ups were heart-wrenching. however in this, it just felt like she was writing just to write, something that quick and easy. seriously, where was the introspection? where was the emotion? the writing was bland, the pacing was way too fast, and i couldn't care less about the characters. i understand that liv was supposed to be "infuriating" but was just let utterly confused about her motivations. i like that she lived on a farm, but felt like she didn't have anything that made me care about her, especially when she guilted a victim of assault. and i KNOW, i know that was there point of her character, and no one is perfect bc people act like that in real life, even to their friends. and whew the lack of chemistry between her and mack....i just couldn't care less.
also...that ending "conflict," if you want to call it that. like, what the hell was THAT? there was not enough emotional and relationship development to warrant an ending like that--you have to make me care about the characters and make me think they care about each other for it to be believable. liv had NO right to expect mack to just up and say anything about his past to someone who obviously treated him like garbage, like what was she expecting? she didn't even do anything to make him love him, aside from the info-dump and exposition that the characters gave us, that didn't even some from liv herself.
and again, i *know* that that was the point and they were *supposed* to think deeply about their past traumas etc, but i honestly found nothing redeemable about liv that would make sense for mack to like her. even when she was trying to be a "girl boss" and take down that chef guy, it felt rushed, cheap, and all about her and not about the victims. i understand that the world is messed up and Adams should write a happy ending if she wants to, but she shouldn't have done it at the expense of the victims.
i'm probably coming at this book a bit too harshly, but man, i was disappointed af y'all. the first one was so, so good and i do have the third book book checked out, so i do want to read more of the series. but woof if you're thinking about reading the series, literally just skip this one.
Through the Woods by E.M. Carroll
3.0
why i’m reading horror in december (right before christmas) is a good question, but i really don’t have an answer beyond i love to get scared lol. i’ve heard about this horror graphic novel for a while now and decided to give it a go and really enjoyed it! graphic novels are hard to rate bc while the art is pretty, it doesn’t make up for the lack of exposition/writing that novels give me. the stories themselves were pretty creepy, bc supernatural horror is my fav flavor of horror, and i personally like it when it’s open ended. this is such a quick read that if you’re interested in reading it, i still say go for it—i’m pretty late to the party, so my review shouldn’t matter lol. but in terms of spookiness, it kind of reminded me of over the garden wall, but *creepier* and without any sort of satisfying ending/conclusion. nothing ground breaking, but really creative—it definitely gave me some fresh new horror stories to think about!
Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Díaz
"America is Maps -- / Maps are ghosts: white and / layered with people and places I see through"
"I can’t tell you anything new about the river-- / you can’t tell a river to itself”
i read this for school, so i wished i'd slowed down and taken the time to really appreciate all of the poems. but the writing was what really stood out to me--the way that Diaz is able to paint such vivid scenes with her words was simply spectacular. i definitely want to revisit this collection in the future
“Let me tell you a story about water: / Once upon a time there was us. / America’s thirst tried to drink us away. / And here we still are.”
"I can’t tell you anything new about the river-- / you can’t tell a river to itself”
i read this for school, so i wished i'd slowed down and taken the time to really appreciate all of the poems. but the writing was what really stood out to me--the way that Diaz is able to paint such vivid scenes with her words was simply spectacular. i definitely want to revisit this collection in the future
“Let me tell you a story about water: / Once upon a time there was us. / America’s thirst tried to drink us away. / And here we still are.”
The Tradition by Jericho Brown
"We use / Maps we did not draw. We see/ A sea so cross it. We see a moon / So land there. We love land so / Long as we can take it.”
simply spectacular. and the hype is really real. there were a few poems that you simply had to re-read to get the full magnitude of what he was saying, and even then i felt like there were bigger pieces that needed to be chewed on longer. this was another collection of poetry that i read for school but i wish i was given more time to read because there were some truly great poems in here. if you've seen this collection floating around but aren't a fan of poetry, i'd still recommend you check this out!
“I love black women/ Who plant flowers as sheepish as their sons. … My God, we leave / things green."
simply spectacular. and the hype is really real. there were a few poems that you simply had to re-read to get the full magnitude of what he was saying, and even then i felt like there were bigger pieces that needed to be chewed on longer. this was another collection of poetry that i read for school but i wish i was given more time to read because there were some truly great poems in here. if you've seen this collection floating around but aren't a fan of poetry, i'd still recommend you check this out!
“I love black women/ Who plant flowers as sheepish as their sons. … My God, we leave / things green."
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
4.0
i went into this thinking i'd like it, but by the time i finished it i was surprised by how much i really really liked this. i always say i'm not a fan of fantasy, but really it mostly has to do with what the book is about and how good the writing is--and apparently, i'm one of the few people who actually really like novik's writing.
i read "uprooted" this summer and even though i took a break when i was in the middle of reading it, i still really enjoyed it. there's something very whimsical and magical about novik's books, and *yes* i have to admit...her books literally have no plot. but i LOVE that. i'm very much a character-driven person, and the basic plot was interesting enough to push the story forward, but i was really intrigued by el. most people didn't like her and i totally get that--the whole she's-evil-but-not-really *does* make sense in the context of the story because it was kind of a "reverse" chosen one; she's chosen to be evil incarnate, but she never chose that for herself. her random tangents and info-dumpy world building wasn't annoying in my opinion either--i actually laughed at some of her tidbits. and orion, of course, he was great and there wasn't enough of him. i just really liked what novik did with his character and though it was a really smart way to do the chosen one trope!
i'm not really sure if this is actually drarry fanficiton, and tbh if it is i'm kind of disappointed by that, but as someone who *coughs* has maybe read one to two drarry fics in her life, this didn't remind me of it too much. there became a point where i honestly didn't see any of harry or draco in either the leads, and honestly, when literally ANYONE writes about a magical school, people are always going to compare it to harry potter--there's no escaping it. but what i liked about this story so much was that it was a much darker version of hogwarts that had its own rules and magic. i *loved* that the magic revolved around languages bc i think languages are such an interesting medium to channel magic.
however, like many others, it would be disingenuous if i didn't mention the controversy surrounding this book. as a white person and white reviewer, i don't really have a say on what novik handled well/didn't handle well. having read the passages in its contexts, while i think some of it was taken out of context, it could have been handled much better. these are two reviews on opposite ends of spectrum that (i think) encapsulate both sides very well:
review 1
review 2
overall, i was surprised by how much i enjoyed this book (as someone who keeps saying she doesn't like fantasy yet always reads it lol). in the future, i'd be interested to learn more about the outside world (and how the magical system works outside the school (and more of orion & el's relationship.
i read "uprooted" this summer and even though i took a break when i was in the middle of reading it, i still really enjoyed it. there's something very whimsical and magical about novik's books, and *yes* i have to admit...her books literally have no plot. but i LOVE that. i'm very much a character-driven person, and the basic plot was interesting enough to push the story forward, but i was really intrigued by el. most people didn't like her and i totally get that--the whole she's-evil-but-not-really *does* make sense in the context of the story because it was kind of a "reverse" chosen one; she's chosen to be evil incarnate, but she never chose that for herself. her random tangents and info-dumpy world building wasn't annoying in my opinion either--i actually laughed at some of her tidbits. and orion, of course, he was great and there wasn't enough of him. i just really liked what novik did with his character and though it was a really smart way to do the chosen one trope!
i'm not really sure if this is actually drarry fanficiton, and tbh if it is i'm kind of disappointed by that, but as someone who *coughs* has maybe read one to two drarry fics in her life, this didn't remind me of it too much. there became a point where i honestly didn't see any of harry or draco in either the leads, and honestly, when literally ANYONE writes about a magical school, people are always going to compare it to harry potter--there's no escaping it. but what i liked about this story so much was that it was a much darker version of hogwarts that had its own rules and magic. i *loved* that the magic revolved around languages bc i think languages are such an interesting medium to channel magic.
however, like many others, it would be disingenuous if i didn't mention the controversy surrounding this book. as a white person and white reviewer, i don't really have a say on what novik handled well/didn't handle well. having read the passages in its contexts, while i think some of it was taken out of context, it could have been handled much better. these are two reviews on opposite ends of spectrum that (i think) encapsulate both sides very well:
review 1
review 2
overall, i was surprised by how much i enjoyed this book (as someone who keeps saying she doesn't like fantasy yet always reads it lol). in the future, i'd be interested to learn more about the outside world (and how the magical system works outside the school (and more of orion & el's relationship.
When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole
4.0
3.75 (rounded up)
this was seriously sooo good. i've never read a romantic suspense/thriller before, but i was hooked from the very beginning. the mystery of this story kept me glued to the page the entire time, and the fact that these things have happened/ARE happening is absolutely terrifying. i literally could not put this book down until i finished it and my heart i still pounding after reading the last third. the mix of history, dynamic characters, and pacing was so great.
the ending was very abrupt, though, and while i did like Theo and Sydney, some aspects of their romantic relationship was a bit underdeveloped/awkward in my opinion. BUT i will totally read more of Cole's romances asap. as someone who likes thrillers AND romance, i thought the mix of these two elements worked very well.
this was seriously sooo good. i've never read a romantic suspense/thriller before, but i was hooked from the very beginning. the mystery of this story kept me glued to the page the entire time, and the fact that these things have happened/ARE happening is absolutely terrifying. i literally could not put this book down until i finished it and my heart i still pounding after reading the last third. the mix of history, dynamic characters, and pacing was so great.
the ending was very abrupt, though, and while i did like Theo and Sydney, some aspects of their romantic relationship was a bit underdeveloped/awkward in my opinion. BUT i will totally read more of Cole's romances asap. as someone who likes thrillers AND romance, i thought the mix of these two elements worked very well.
The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata
3.0
hm...well this is awkward. i guess i’m the only one who thought this one was very average
Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis
4.0
4.5!!!!
i gotta say, i’m super impressed with this. i would have read it faster if i didn’t have work or school
i gotta say, i’m super impressed with this. i would have read it faster if i didn’t have work or school
Fangs by Sarah Andersen
4.0
this was SUCH a cute book about a vampire girl and werewolf boy dating. i would seriously read, like, a whole series following these two. it pokes fun at vampire and werewolf tropes and legends, and this just really warmed my heart. i only wish it was longer