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arrcristi's reviews
421 reviews
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke And Other Misfortunes by Eric LaRocca
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
4.25/5- Wow, what the hell did I just read?!
I'll start this review by saying I finished this book in two days, and that doesn't normally happen these days anymore. I know most of you guys can read about 6 books in two days, but for me this is something rare, OK?
One of the best things about this book is how addictive it is. I literally couldn't put it down...to the point that my eyes were killing me from reading on my Kindle, yet I was not able to stop because I wanted to know more and more. Thrillers are usually hard for me to rate because my feelings may vary from the moment I finished to, let's say, weeks or months afterwards. However, this is a good story and the author knows how to keep you hooked, which I think is essential when it comes to this genre.
Why didn't I give it a five-star rating? Well, there were some inconsistencies and holes that seem to have been overlooked for the sake of building the big twist. For a genre that doesn't involve magic and supernatural elements, I expect a certain degree of plausability and this book doesn't always achieve that.
I get the main character's actions aren't supposed to be justified because of the state of mind he is in when he discovers his wife's affair as well as his previous mental health issues and background BUT I don't understand...no, it doesn't sit well with me how he decides to say nothing to his wife, how he refuses to even face the problem because he doesn't want to lose her *big eye roll* YET he has the nerve to go to Alicia because he wants to somehow save her and show her what kind of person she's married to? LOL I mean, he'sa killer, I don't need a stupid reason to justify his actions and make him look better. He can't look better and that's okay.
Although I'm becoming pickier about my top favorite books, I can't deny I'll probably be thinking about this story for months. Maybe even years, or every time someone asks me to recommend a thriller. Would I recommend it? Yes, definitely. It's the perfect book if you don't know what to read or if you're in a reading slump. No, you will not expect the plot twist and yes, it will leave you SHOOK.
I'll start this review by saying I finished this book in two days, and that doesn't normally happen these days anymore. I know most of you guys can read about 6 books in two days, but for me this is something rare, OK?
One of the best things about this book is how addictive it is. I literally couldn't put it down...to the point that my eyes were killing me from reading on my Kindle, yet I was not able to stop because I wanted to know more and more. Thrillers are usually hard for me to rate because my feelings may vary from the moment I finished to, let's say, weeks or months afterwards. However, this is a good story and the author knows how to keep you hooked, which I think is essential when it comes to this genre.
Why didn't I give it a five-star rating? Well, there were some inconsistencies and holes that seem to have been overlooked for the sake of building the big twist. For a genre that doesn't involve magic and supernatural elements, I expect a certain degree of plausability and this book doesn't always achieve that.
Although I'm becoming pickier about my top favorite books, I can't deny I'll probably be thinking about this story for months. Maybe even years, or every time someone asks me to recommend a thriller. Would I recommend it? Yes, definitely. It's the perfect book if you don't know what to read or if you're in a reading slump. No, you will not expect the plot twist and yes, it will leave you SHOOK.
Ellos y nosotros by Fernando Alcala Suarez, Costa Alcalá, Geòrgia Costa
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
2/5 - Could this be the most disappointing book I've read in 2023? I think so.
I know that many people adore this book and I really wanted and expected to love it as well, but I just didn't. I believe that part of the problem is that my expectations were over the roof after having read "Conversations with Friends" and giving it a five-star rating.
Despite living far away, two friends stay in touch and communicate via email, telling each other about their lives and discuss topics such as love, pain sexuality, human behavior, literature and global warming. Towards the end of the book, Alice and Eileen reunite and share their love dramas and also their uncertainty and anxieties about what the future may hold for them, as well as for the world they live in.
Honestly, I don't really know what my problem with this book was. But I just didn't care for the characters or the story. I get what the author was trying to achieve here, but to me, the first half of the book was just filled with pompous reflections. I could've delt with some pretentiousness and pedantry, but it was too much and I ended up rolling my eyes most of the time and being bored. As much as I loved this author's writing style in the other book I read by her, on this occasion it didn't make up for all the other things I disliked.
This isn't a book with a complex or interesting plot, and the same goes for the characters. Both of these women could be one of your neighbors or friends, and they could happen to be going through some sort of life crisis in which they question many things about themselves and the world they live in. Could I maybe identify myself with some of their thoughts or experiences? Could be. But it wasn't enough for me to enjoy it or even recommend it.
I know that many people adore this book and I really wanted and expected to love it as well, but I just didn't. I believe that part of the problem is that my expectations were over the roof after having read "Conversations with Friends" and giving it a five-star rating.
Despite living far away, two friends stay in touch and communicate via email, telling each other about their lives and discuss topics such as love, pain sexuality, human behavior, literature and global warming. Towards the end of the book, Alice and Eileen reunite and share their love dramas and also their uncertainty and anxieties about what the future may hold for them, as well as for the world they live in.
Honestly, I don't really know what my problem with this book was. But I just didn't care for the characters or the story. I get what the author was trying to achieve here, but to me, the first half of the book was just filled with pompous reflections. I could've delt with some pretentiousness and pedantry, but it was too much and I ended up rolling my eyes most of the time and being bored. As much as I loved this author's writing style in the other book I read by her, on this occasion it didn't make up for all the other things I disliked.
This isn't a book with a complex or interesting plot, and the same goes for the characters. Both of these women could be one of your neighbors or friends, and they could happen to be going through some sort of life crisis in which they question many things about themselves and the world they live in. Could I maybe identify myself with some of their thoughts or experiences? Could be. But it wasn't enough for me to enjoy it or even recommend it.
It by Stephen King
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
5/5 - *welcome to the review of my top 1 book read in 2023*
I honestly don't know why it took me so long to be ready to read this book. I've never been interested in clown stories and I guess for some reason I thought it didn't deserve all the hype it had been receiving for decades. I'd been able to stay away from the movie as well, even though my students (some as young as 10-years-old) kept telling me I needed to watch it.
OK, so this summer I read "Duma Key" and I felt like I could take anything (length wise) from Mr. King.
And here we are...
First of all, I must admit that I'm not ashamed at all by the fact that it took me over one month to finish this chunky book. A story like this one shouldn't be rushed. (Also, the tiny font was almost unbearable lololol)
This book follows the story of a group of friends who must face the terrible evil force that's been murdering people for centuries in Derry, Maine. This shape-shifting creature lurks in the drains and sewers of the city and will continue to transform into people's worst nightmares to haunt them and kill them as long as it can continue feeding from them. As the group of friends grow up and eventually move away from their hometown, they forget about Pennywise the clown and the other scary events that took place in their childhood...until they're called back to Derry to finish what they started two decades before and confront their biggest fears.
What I like most about this book and King in general is how complex his stories usually are. You can't reduce this book to clowns or fears, because it's so much more than that. To begin with, I think I know more about Derry and its history than I do about my own hometown. And OK, it can be a bit boring at times, but it is useful to achieve creating such a beautiful story with all its intricacies. Also, I love how reading +1000 pages allows you to get to know each and every character in depth...and these characters happen to be so special, all of them round characters with an interesting background story.
There are very few writers who create child characters as King does. He's magnificent at it. I found how he played with the concepts of childhood and innocence & belief versus adulthood to be mesmerizing. Furthermore, I liked his exploration of friendship, which I guess is not so different from what it's like nowadays. But that's not all, King also adresses social issues such as domestic abuse, sexual abuse, racism, homophobia, bullying, etc. in the book. For all of these reasons, I think it's unfair to describe this as a simple story about an evil clown.
Now let's talk about what it was like to read this as a hypersensitive peson:
You'd expect to feel some sort of discomfort from reading this story, as there're many parts that describe abuse and violence. OK, as I said, that's to be expected if you've already read other works by King. But, what I didn't expect, was to be left holding this book for ten minutes after I finished it. The final part was just so devastating yet beautiful that I couldn't help but to have one million different feelings at once. I guess it was a great way to be reminded why I read fiction.
This book will make you feel uneasy, it will make you laugh at times, maybe even cry...but I think the most important thing is that it will also give you hope in humanity. What better thing to offer the world and leave as a legacy?
I don't usually say this type of thing, but I now get all those people who wish they could read this book for the first time ionce again. I'm one of them.
I honestly don't know why it took me so long to be ready to read this book. I've never been interested in clown stories and I guess for some reason I thought it didn't deserve all the hype it had been receiving for decades. I'd been able to stay away from the movie as well, even though my students (some as young as 10-years-old) kept telling me I needed to watch it.
OK, so this summer I read "Duma Key" and I felt like I could take anything (length wise) from Mr. King.
And here we are...
First of all, I must admit that I'm not ashamed at all by the fact that it took me over one month to finish this chunky book. A story like this one shouldn't be rushed. (Also, the tiny font was almost unbearable lololol)
This book follows the story of a group of friends who must face the terrible evil force that's been murdering people for centuries in Derry, Maine. This shape-shifting creature lurks in the drains and sewers of the city and will continue to transform into people's worst nightmares to haunt them and kill them as long as it can continue feeding from them. As the group of friends grow up and eventually move away from their hometown, they forget about Pennywise the clown and the other scary events that took place in their childhood...until they're called back to Derry to finish what they started two decades before and confront their biggest fears.
What I like most about this book and King in general is how complex his stories usually are. You can't reduce this book to clowns or fears, because it's so much more than that. To begin with, I think I know more about Derry and its history than I do about my own hometown. And OK, it can be a bit boring at times, but it is useful to achieve creating such a beautiful story with all its intricacies. Also, I love how reading +1000 pages allows you to get to know each and every character in depth...and these characters happen to be so special, all of them round characters with an interesting background story.
There are very few writers who create child characters as King does. He's magnificent at it. I found how he played with the concepts of childhood and innocence & belief versus adulthood to be mesmerizing. Furthermore, I liked his exploration of friendship, which I guess is not so different from what it's like nowadays. But that's not all, King also adresses social issues such as domestic abuse, sexual abuse, racism, homophobia, bullying, etc. in the book. For all of these reasons, I think it's unfair to describe this as a simple story about an evil clown.
Now let's talk about what it was like to read this as a hypersensitive peson:
You'd expect to feel some sort of discomfort from reading this story, as there're many parts that describe abuse and violence. OK, as I said, that's to be expected if you've already read other works by King. But, what I didn't expect, was to be left holding this book for ten minutes after I finished it. The final part was just so devastating yet beautiful that I couldn't help but to have one million different feelings at once. I guess it was a great way to be reminded why I read fiction.
This book will make you feel uneasy, it will make you laugh at times, maybe even cry...but I think the most important thing is that it will also give you hope in humanity. What better thing to offer the world and leave as a legacy?
I don't usually say this type of thing, but I now get all those people who wish they could read this book for the first time ionce again. I'm one of them.
Heredero by Fernando Alcala Suarez, Costa Alcalá, Geòrgia Costa
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
3.5/5 - A pesar de que había visto muchas reseñas buenas de esta trilogía, he de reconocer que empecé este libro sin muchas expectativas. Las primeras 100 páginas me costaron bastante porque entre todos los personajes con nombres extrañísimos y la introducción al mundo en el que se desarrolla la historia, estaba bastante confundida. Eso sí, una vez pasadas esas primeras páginas, la lectura se volvió más placentera.
El libro nos presenta la historia de varios jóvenes que coinciden en un liceo donde deben aprender a dominar el poder de su propia familia, y también educarse en el control de los poderes de las demás familias. Allí descubren que la república en la que viven puede volver a estar amenazada por la misma familia a la que se le arrebató el poder no hace mucho.
A pesar de no tratar nada novedoso, el libro es capaz de mantener al lector con ganas de más. No sé si me ha resultado más interesante por la situación política que vive nuestro país en estos momentos, pero no he podido evitar pensar en ciertos paralelismos con la realidad actual. Lo cierto es que me mantuvo interesada aunque pueda ser previsible hasta cierto punto.
Si tuviera que destacar algo de este libro sería:
- La diversidad de personajes
- El misterio que envuelve la trama
- El humor fresco
Soy de esas personas a las que este libro le ha dado muchas vibes de Harry Potter, aunque quizás solo se parezcan a grandes rasgos. Y no, tampoco creo que sea más adulta que HP. Considero que cualquier lector de fantasía puede disfrutar de esta historia, eso sí, teniendo claro que es una lectura dirigida al público juvenil. Pero, dentro del mercado de fantasía YA, no es ni mucho menos de lo peor que os podéis encontrar. Os lo aseguro.
Seguiré con el segundo y espero poder calificarlo con más estrellas...
*cruzando los dedos*
El libro nos presenta la historia de varios jóvenes que coinciden en un liceo donde deben aprender a dominar el poder de su propia familia, y también educarse en el control de los poderes de las demás familias. Allí descubren que la república en la que viven puede volver a estar amenazada por la misma familia a la que se le arrebató el poder no hace mucho.
A pesar de no tratar nada novedoso, el libro es capaz de mantener al lector con ganas de más. No sé si me ha resultado más interesante por la situación política que vive nuestro país en estos momentos, pero no he podido evitar pensar en ciertos paralelismos con la realidad actual. Lo cierto es que me mantuvo interesada aunque pueda ser previsible hasta cierto punto.
Si tuviera que destacar algo de este libro sería:
- La diversidad de personajes
- El misterio que envuelve la trama
- El humor fresco
Soy de esas personas a las que este libro le ha dado muchas vibes de Harry Potter, aunque quizás solo se parezcan a grandes rasgos. Y no, tampoco creo que sea más adulta que HP. Considero que cualquier lector de fantasía puede disfrutar de esta historia, eso sí, teniendo claro que es una lectura dirigida al público juvenil. Pero, dentro del mercado de fantasía YA, no es ni mucho menos de lo peor que os podéis encontrar. Os lo aseguro.
Seguiré con el segundo y espero poder calificarlo con más estrellas...
*cruzando los dedos*
It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
5/5 - Wow, this may be one of the best middle-grade books I've ever read!
Sometimes, it's hard to find books for kids this age because a lot of them seem too childish for their age, but this one is the perfect combo because it's not too thick (which usually discourages them to even pick it up) and it's so powerful I highly doubt anyone can read it and feel nothing or have no thoughts about it.
I wish I could say this book was no longer relevant because racism is no longer an issue, but it seems like we need books like this one even more now. Hence why I think it's a perfect choice to read in the classroom and have a discussion about the topics discussed in it
What I liked most about this book is that the author is able to address important topics such as racism and police brutality without making it too boring or difficult to understand. I also appreciated the historical background info included in it, and I think it's determining when it comes to giving more strength to the story. Furthermore, I did appreciate the positive and hopeful note at the end of it. I really did.
I'm not gonna lie and say it wasn't difficult to read at times, but it's supposed to make you feel uncomfortable. It's supposed to make you feel sad and angry. And no, I don't believe it delivers a negative message and that kids will learn not to trust the Police. Actually, I think it teaches young readers that everyone -yes, even police officers- can make mistakes and that we're all somewhat prejudiced because of the world we've been born to. And no, that's not a negative thing because it makes us aware of an issue and that may be reason enough to make us want to change it. Maybe it's the only way to make us actually see it, educate ourselves and create a better world for everyone.
Can't wait to take it to work this fall and allow (even encourage) my students to read it. And I hope they do learn that this is -sadly- something that doesn't only happen in movies, and that we can all do something to make a change.
Sometimes, it's hard to find books for kids this age because a lot of them seem too childish for their age, but this one is the perfect combo because it's not too thick (which usually discourages them to even pick it up) and it's so powerful I highly doubt anyone can read it and feel nothing or have no thoughts about it.
I wish I could say this book was no longer relevant because racism is no longer an issue, but it seems like we need books like this one even more now. Hence why I think it's a perfect choice to read in the classroom and have a discussion about the topics discussed in it
What I liked most about this book is that the author is able to address important topics such as racism and police brutality without making it too boring or difficult to understand. I also appreciated the historical background info included in it, and I think it's determining when it comes to giving more strength to the story. Furthermore, I did appreciate the positive and hopeful note at the end of it. I really did.
I'm not gonna lie and say it wasn't difficult to read at times, but it's supposed to make you feel uncomfortable. It's supposed to make you feel sad and angry. And no, I don't believe it delivers a negative message and that kids will learn not to trust the Police. Actually, I think it teaches young readers that everyone -yes, even police officers- can make mistakes and that we're all somewhat prejudiced because of the world we've been born to. And no, that's not a negative thing because it makes us aware of an issue and that may be reason enough to make us want to change it. Maybe it's the only way to make us actually see it, educate ourselves and create a better world for everyone.
Can't wait to take it to work this fall and allow (even encourage) my students to read it. And I hope they do learn that this is -sadly- something that doesn't only happen in movies, and that we can all do something to make a change.
Duma Key by Stephen King
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25