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berrytown's reviews
174 reviews
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
2.0
Would have given 3 stars but I had to take 1 off for girl boss Lilith
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
2.0
Where do I begin? I started this book off with very high hopes and then I started to believe I had zero tolerance for fluffy romances when i nearly DNF'ed it a few chapters in. Turns out it wasn't the fluffy romance that was the problem it was the fact that the author didn't make me believe in Alex and Henry's relationship or the universe that she created around them as a whole.
This book not only reads like a fanfiction but it quite literally is an Alternate Universe fic that stemmed from the outcome of the actual 2016 election, which already is a big issue right from the get-go. I understand the need to find a healthy way to process that election cycle but this book was not the way to do it.
First, let's talk about the dialogue. Everyone in this book LOVES to drop the 'F' bomb which normally I wouldn't mind but it seems like no one in this universe has an issue swearing like a sailor which just seems unrealistic when you have such a wide variety of characters. This plays into a further problem that the dialogue tried way too hard to be snappy and witty to the point of pretension. There is such a thing as winking too much at your audience when you make a cute little quip so much so that it begins to come off as pandering.
Second of all, Henry didn't have a personality. While I appreciate a broody gay lad just as much as the next girl. Being sad and homosexual unfortunately doesn't make you a fully formed character. Having Alex come to gripes with his grieving boyfriend and accepting his depression would have been a more fulfilling character arc if we knew more about Henry outside of his dad being dead... and also playing James Bond at some point. This is set beside Alex having a very unlikeable personality which, again, wouldn't be an issue if it wasn't so obvious that the reader was supposed to like him and sympathize with him heavily. Especially since the narrative is told from his perspective and it is difficult to want to root for Alex when it seems like he is on the verge of an angry childish tantrum from one moment to the next.
Third of all, there is obviously a huge issue pertaining to politics in this novel that many others have pointed out before me. It scarcely captures the nuance of American politics while having the brazenness to set this unrealistic romance right in the heart of the White House. The need for queer romances without angst and conflict is apparent but if that is the story the author wanted to write I don't think that this setting was right choice for it. When the state of politics both in Britain and the U.S. came up they were practically glazed over while at the same time the relationship between Alex and Henry is supposed to be a huge political statement in and of itself. These two themes were in direct opposition to each other throughout the entire story.
In all it may be an enjoyable read for people who are looking for something fanfic adjacent but to me it felt like a very long and contrived smut fic with some vague political statements sprinkled in. Definitely not for me.
This book not only reads like a fanfiction but it quite literally is an Alternate Universe fic that stemmed from the outcome of the actual 2016 election, which already is a big issue right from the get-go. I understand the need to find a healthy way to process that election cycle but this book was not the way to do it.
First, let's talk about the dialogue. Everyone in this book LOVES to drop the 'F' bomb which normally I wouldn't mind but it seems like no one in this universe has an issue swearing like a sailor which just seems unrealistic when you have such a wide variety of characters. This plays into a further problem that the dialogue tried way too hard to be snappy and witty to the point of pretension. There is such a thing as winking too much at your audience when you make a cute little quip so much so that it begins to come off as pandering.
Second of all, Henry didn't have a personality. While I appreciate a broody gay lad just as much as the next girl. Being sad and homosexual unfortunately doesn't make you a fully formed character. Having Alex come to gripes with his grieving boyfriend and accepting his depression would have been a more fulfilling character arc if we knew more about Henry outside of his dad being dead... and also playing James Bond at some point. This is set beside Alex having a very unlikeable personality which, again, wouldn't be an issue if it wasn't so obvious that the reader was supposed to like him and sympathize with him heavily. Especially since the narrative is told from his perspective and it is difficult to want to root for Alex when it seems like he is on the verge of an angry childish tantrum from one moment to the next.
Third of all, there is obviously a huge issue pertaining to politics in this novel that many others have pointed out before me. It scarcely captures the nuance of American politics while having the brazenness to set this unrealistic romance right in the heart of the White House. The need for queer romances without angst and conflict is apparent but if that is the story the author wanted to write I don't think that this setting was right choice for it. When the state of politics both in Britain and the U.S. came up they were practically glazed over while at the same time the relationship between Alex and Henry is supposed to be a huge political statement in and of itself. These two themes were in direct opposition to each other throughout the entire story.
In all it may be an enjoyable read for people who are looking for something fanfic adjacent but to me it felt like a very long and contrived smut fic with some vague political statements sprinkled in. Definitely not for me.
City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
1.0
1 star for the incest making a truly terrible comeback here
City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
3.0
Could have been like... 200 pages shorter than it was but the pacing here was infinitely better than City of Lost Souls, even still. Losing points for incest yet again!!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
4.0
Wish I liked this more. This is one of the times I wish goodreads had a half-star option. I did cry while reading this for sure but I found Celia and Evelyn's relationship in the last arc of the book to be a bit... overly complicated for simply the sake of complication. Really loved the middle was iffy on the start and the end.