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beccasllibrary's reviews
224 reviews
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
5.0
Another incredible work from RF Kuang. Says so much about publishing, identity, and storytelling through the most unlikeable but also incredibly real narrator. The main character is well written enough to be hateable but understandable. The books feel real even though you never read more than snippets. Already looking forward to re-reading.
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
3.0
The vampire werewolf trope is a very saturated market and I don’t think that Bride does enough to stand out. The places where the book attempts to differentiate itself from the trope are the book’s weakest parts, leaving it without much going for it. But it is fun and I enjoyed it despite not thinking it was the most well written book so I can’t hate all that much. The dynamic between the two main characters is good but everything else is forgettable.
The B plot of trying to find a missing character very conveniently hands clues to our protagonist to move the story forward. Misery is able to conveniently find all the information she needs through sitting down and “hacking” random computers that lay out the next step which is frustratingly convenient and immersion breaking.
The book also features a 7 year old girl who acts like she is at most 4. 7 year olds can count to 10. I don’t know why this bothered me so much but I couldn’t not enjoy any scene with this character because it felt so poorly executed.
Anyway. Was it fun? Sure. Was it good? Not really.
The B plot of trying to find a missing character very conveniently hands clues to our protagonist to move the story forward. Misery is able to conveniently find all the information she needs through sitting down and “hacking” random computers that lay out the next step which is frustratingly convenient and immersion breaking.
The book also features a 7 year old girl who acts like she is at most 4. 7 year olds can count to 10. I don’t know why this bothered me so much but I couldn’t not enjoy any scene with this character because it felt so poorly executed.
Anyway. Was it fun? Sure. Was it good? Not really.
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
4.5
The perfect introduction to “cozy fantasy” starts with a low stakes mystery following”driadology” professor Emily Wilde trying to learn about the indigenous fae of an isolated northern town while struggling to work with the town’s inhabitants because of her antisocial and awkward tendencies. Events are complicated when she discovers that a local child has been stolen by the fae and replaced with an unruly changeling, meanwhile her work is further undermined by her egotistical, charismatic, and lazy coworker who immediately has better luck working with the townspeople and begins taking over her research. Dr Wilde can not operate as the detached researcher she has always been if she wants to complete her encyclopedia and must learn to connect with the community she’s entered and her coworker who she strongly dislikes. Stakes continue to rise from here and more mysteries are uncovered.
Absolutely loved the characters, their dynamics, and the setting. Emily and Wendell have a great academic rivalry that even Emily can’t pretend for long that is not at least a little endearing. The side characters are well written and make you feel for the town and its struggles. Easily could have been 5 stars but the final act felt out of the blue for me, unlike every other storyline which flowed incredibly naturally. Great book for fans of cozy and traditional fantasy, strong characters, and fantasy worlds that feel just as real as ours. Highly recommend.
Absolutely loved the characters, their dynamics, and the setting. Emily and Wendell have a great academic rivalry that even Emily can’t pretend for long that is not at least a little endearing. The side characters are well written and make you feel for the town and its struggles. Easily could have been 5 stars but the final act felt out of the blue for me, unlike every other storyline which flowed incredibly naturally. Great book for fans of cozy and traditional fantasy, strong characters, and fantasy worlds that feel just as real as ours. Highly recommend.
Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Absolutely incredible and worth all the attention it has gotten. I was hooked by the first chapter. Both narrators are endearing and feel incredibly real. The pacing is perfect, though frustrating when you just want to see what happened next before it switches perspectives. You know how it ends but are still on the edge of your seat every page to see what comes next. Check content warnings and make sure your calendar is clear before you start it because you won’t be able to put it down. Can not recommend it enough.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
4.0
Did I like it? Yes. Was it well-written and effective? Not particularly. It is humorous, emotional, and full of memorable scenes. The plot and dialogue are fast paced and engaging, I found I could not put it down past the first 50 pages. I expected to hate the frequent time and perspective jumps but actually found myself enjoying them as it kept the book moving along quickly, though at times it did spoil the suspense of wondering what was happening to another character as the question was immediately answered. A fun historical fiction that takes some modern liberties. Overall, I enjoyed it, but it has some pretty serious flaws that keep it from actually being a highly rated book for me despite my enjoyment.
That said, I am not without criticism of this book. The characters are rather one-dimensional and at times completely un-realistic. The 5 year old daughter talks like a genius IQ adult "because the main character reads to her a lot," the antagonists are all comically evil and set to destroy our protagonist's life simply because she is a woman, our protagonist is a perfect modern feminist cursed with being born into the wrong generation whose only flaw is perhaps being too headstrong when it comes to her entirely correct and without fault(as emphasized by the narrator and many characters) beliefs. The protagonist's main character trait is lecturing about feminism and seemingly being an expert on the subject while never talking with any other feminists and also being shocked when she experiences sexism. Everyone in society is incredibly sexist and believes that all women are inherently stupid and incompetent but as soon as our protagonist lectures them they are forever changed feminists who will bend over backwards to help her. The most memorable characters are Six-Thirty and perhaps Harriet who is actually a flawed but well-meaning character who could be very interesting if more time was spent on her. This book will stay with me because of specific scenes but not because of it's characters.
Our protagonist also experiences multiple sexual assaults on page. While sexual trauma can be used tastefully, in my opinion this was not. We do not see her struggle with the trauma of these events or work through what has happened in any complex way. It does not change her at all or even seem to be something she thinks about outside of when it is convenient for the plot. It simply exists as a way to move the plot along and prove how evil the antagonists are before everyone goes back to life as usual.One instance is used as an excuse for the author to explain why she changed schools and another is used as an excuse to suddenly get rid of an antagonist because he is so shocked by her trying to defend himself that he has a heart attack and dies instantly (technically doesn't die but conveniently vanishes from the story to secure the happily every after so he might have well have died.)
Lastly, and this is not the fault of the author but the US/Canadian publisher, is that this book is not marketed well. The cover and blurb make the book appear to be a rom-com about a goofy feminist chemist with a cooking show. While this book does have funny moments, this is a dark book that includes graphic rape scenes, a woman constantly trying to do literally anything in her life to constantly be met with mockery, ridicule, harassment, and violence. Our protagonist is beaten down at every moment as, in the 1950s described by our author, there is absolutely no place for her to exist authentically. This is neither a rom-com nor a comedy, despite having some romantic plot points and jokes, it toes the line between being a rom-com, which it is too dark to be, and a feminist historical fiction, which it is too inaccurate and heavy handed to do effectively.
Despite my criticisms, I enjoyed the book. I am likely to re-read it, or at least recommend it to others alongside my criticisms. It was fun and engaging, but I hope that in the future, Garmus works on her characters more, either leaves out sexual assault or works with advocates and experts to handle it better, and finds a better publisher that actually understands her books rather than just saying oh book about girl make book pink.
That said, I am not without criticism of this book. The characters are rather one-dimensional and at times completely un-realistic. The 5 year old daughter talks like a genius IQ adult "because the main character reads to her a lot," the antagonists are all comically evil and set to destroy our protagonist's life simply because she is a woman, our protagonist is a perfect modern feminist cursed with being born into the wrong generation whose only flaw is perhaps being too headstrong when it comes to her entirely correct and without fault(as emphasized by the narrator and many characters) beliefs. The protagonist's main character trait is lecturing about feminism and seemingly being an expert on the subject while never talking with any other feminists and also being shocked when she experiences sexism. Everyone in society is incredibly sexist and believes that all women are inherently stupid and incompetent but as soon as our protagonist lectures them they are forever changed feminists who will bend over backwards to help her. The most memorable characters are Six-Thirty and perhaps Harriet who is actually a flawed but well-meaning character who could be very interesting if more time was spent on her. This book will stay with me because of specific scenes but not because of it's characters.
Our protagonist also experiences multiple sexual assaults on page. While sexual trauma can be used tastefully, in my opinion this was not. We do not see her struggle with the trauma of these events or work through what has happened in any complex way. It does not change her at all or even seem to be something she thinks about outside of when it is convenient for the plot. It simply exists as a way to move the plot along and prove how evil the antagonists are before everyone goes back to life as usual.
Lastly, and this is not the fault of the author but the US/Canadian publisher, is that this book is not marketed well. The cover and blurb make the book appear to be a rom-com about a goofy feminist chemist with a cooking show. While this book does have funny moments, this is a dark book that includes graphic rape scenes, a woman constantly trying to do literally anything in her life to constantly be met with mockery, ridicule, harassment, and violence. Our protagonist is beaten down at every moment as, in the 1950s described by our author, there is absolutely no place for her to exist authentically. This is neither a rom-com nor a comedy, despite having some romantic plot points and jokes, it toes the line between being a rom-com, which it is too dark to be, and a feminist historical fiction, which it is too inaccurate and heavy handed to do effectively.
Despite my criticisms, I enjoyed the book. I am likely to re-read it, or at least recommend it to others alongside my criticisms. It was fun and engaging, but I hope that in the future, Garmus works on her characters more, either leaves out sexual assault or works with advocates and experts to handle it better, and finds a better publisher that actually understands her books rather than just saying oh book about girl make book pink.
The Way It Would Become by Amena Jamali
3.5
One of my first givaways I've actually enjoyed! I loved the two main characters and their relationship, I was routing for them from the first few pages. I especially loved following Naman's development and how the book allows a male character to be the less competent and secure of the two. The world felt a little underdeveloped, which I'll say is likely because this is a prequel and I have not read the rest of the series. I'm not sure if I'll return to the series, but I enjoyed my time with this book.
The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer
Improved character development and better bonds between core characters than the first book in the series. More focus is put on the other characters and the action, especially Holly’s flying skills and Root’s leadership skills, over Artemis’ plotting and high makes the book feel very different than the first. Bear in mind that this is a middle grade series and the content will reflect that. Like the last book, nostalgia removed this is probably 4 stars for some of the outdated language and pacing issues.
Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
5.0
An incredible wrap up to the series. The additional POVs provide so much nuance and make you feel how stuck the characters all are. Forces the reader to question how does a society move forward and reach peace after unforgivable acts have been committed. Watching the characters get manipulated over and over again is incredibly frustrating but shows how far power and fear can corrupt these characters we've grown to love. Like a lot of other reviews, my biggest problem with this book is the ending. I do not like Todd being implied to have survived. As sad as his death made me, I think it was effective storytelling. Todd has spent two books becoming one and the same with the Mayor, to the point where Viola has trouble even telling them apart, both in appearance and behavior. The Return killing him thinking he is the Mayor is the perfectly devastating way to show that Todd has become corrupted by the time he spent with the Mayor and surrounded by violence. But because the parts about him coming back to life/recovering are all the last 10 pages of the series I'll just pretend it didn't happen and enjoy my closure. 5/5 series if you can put up with the characters making bad choices over and over again and a really unique writing style that changes in format throughout the series.
The Blood Angel: A Contemporary Gothic Romance by Tia Fanning
Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.
While the list of trigger warnings was extensive (which I appreciated), the author’s undisclosed thumb-sucking kink caught me off guard. As did one of the male love interests being described as looking like Lurch from the Adam’s Family. DNF
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Kidnapping
The Stolen Heir by Holly Black
3.0
HEAR ME OUT Holly Black they can never make me hate you BUT the expectations were so high from Folk Of The Air and this simply did not live up. This book would have been a 4 star if it weren't for how annoyed I was with the characters constantly. We are always having the exact same fight and I am exhausted. And the ending felt so out of character idk I was not a fan iykyk. I like him but can I really trust him? He's so mysterious but also my friend but also we aren't still friends but also he's hot. Girl, get it together and pick a side.
That said! I loved the setting and worldbuilding as always with this author, and the plot itself was interesting. I loved Suren's backstory especially, absolutely heart wrenching. I enjoyed returning to this world but I would never recommend this over the original trilogy.
That said! I loved the setting and worldbuilding as always with this author, and the plot itself was interesting. I loved Suren's backstory especially, absolutely heart wrenching. I enjoyed returning to this world but I would never recommend this over the original trilogy.