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coralinejones's reviews
373 reviews
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
Author is a zionist. No thanks.
Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom
5.0
THIS WAS FUCKING EVERYTHING. WHAT THE HELL?
I don't have anything to say... this book was literally made for me. Brom literally sat down and said, "How can I please StoryGraph user CoralineJones?" and then wrote this masterpiece knowing it would fall into my hands one day and I would obsess over it.
How dark. How moody. How atmospheric. How blasphemous. Oh, I'm obsessed. This is great. This is The VVitch for book lovers. I could go on and on but I fear I'm so excited I would babble and sound discombobulated.
I don't have anything to say... this book was literally made for me. Brom literally sat down and said, "How can I please StoryGraph user CoralineJones?" and then wrote this masterpiece knowing it would fall into my hands one day and I would obsess over it.
How dark. How moody. How atmospheric. How blasphemous. Oh, I'm obsessed. This is great. This is The VVitch for book lovers. I could go on and on but I fear I'm so excited I would babble and sound discombobulated.
Sailing Alone: A Surprising History of Isolation and Survival at Sea by Richard J. King
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.
unfortunately i lost access to the library i was reading this on so i guess i have to find an epub somewhere or something :(
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
3.5
Honestly? There's nothing wrong with this book, really. It's warm and nostalgic and, what I can only describe as, modern Little Women, in a way. But it's also boring? Also mildly interesting at times. But mostly just boring. I can see older women enjoying this novel. Sometimes Tom Lake made me wish I wanted kids so I could experience something so pleasant and similar.
It's weird, I don't really have much to say, lol. I don't even know why I finished the book. It's so low stakes that I could guess how this ended. It's nothing special or shocking or anything... Just cute.
It's weird, I don't really have much to say, lol. I don't even know why I finished the book. It's so low stakes that I could guess how this ended. It's nothing special or shocking or anything... Just cute.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
5.0
Oh, man. There's so much to say. Unfortunately, there's so much I can't figure out a proper way to write a review!
This novel is really stunning. Lawhorn has a way to draw emotion out of you while keeping you engaged in the world she's writing about and the characters she created. Everyone felt so real, and I assume that's due part to the fact that this book is inspired by Martha Ballard, who was an actual midwife in the 1700s. This novel takes inspiration from her actual journal entries, in which she documented hundreds of cases and events that took place over the course of her life.
My only complaint is that I got tired of reading about Martha delivering babies in detail, it felt repetitive towards the end, but everything else? The court drama? The love Martha has for the women in town? The mystery of murder? Her determination to do what's right? Everything was so good. I even tried finishing this book in one sitting last night but ultimately had to rest. I woke up early to get through the last 2-3 hours because I had to see how this concluded and I was not disappointed.
This novel is really stunning. Lawhorn has a way to draw emotion out of you while keeping you engaged in the world she's writing about and the characters she created. Everyone felt so real, and I assume that's due part to the fact that this book is inspired by Martha Ballard, who was an actual midwife in the 1700s. This novel takes inspiration from her actual journal entries, in which she documented hundreds of cases and events that took place over the course of her life.
My only complaint is that I got tired of reading about Martha delivering babies in detail, it felt repetitive towards the end, but everything else? The court drama? The love Martha has for the women in town? The mystery of murder? Her determination to do what's right? Everything was so good. I even tried finishing this book in one sitting last night but ultimately had to rest. I woke up early to get through the last 2-3 hours because I had to see how this concluded and I was not disappointed.
All We Were Promised by Ashton Lattimore
4.0
I love when teachers write books. You'd think this was Lattimore's several novel, and yet, it's just her debut. Absolutely stunning. An atmospheric, intelligent, worthwhile read.
Charlotte, Nell, and Evie, though similar, have such distinct differences that their individual chapters just get more and more interesting as you read. Each perspective gives the reader an insight on what it was like living in a so-called "free state" as a black person. So many similarities between back then and now, and much to hold onto to; there's only so much money you can throw at a cause before you have to show up physically. There's more to community than town-hall meetings and word of mouth. We need action! Such a good message to remember. Change occurs when action occurs!
I'll admit the middle chapters were a little slow for me but once the story picked up again I could not put this down.
Charlotte, Nell, and Evie, though similar, have such distinct differences that their individual chapters just get more and more interesting as you read. Each perspective gives the reader an insight on what it was like living in a so-called "free state" as a black person. So many similarities between back then and now, and much to hold onto to; there's only so much money you can throw at a cause before you have to show up physically. There's more to community than town-hall meetings and word of mouth. We need action! Such a good message to remember. Change occurs when action occurs!
I'll admit the middle chapters were a little slow for me but once the story picked up again I could not put this down.
This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings
2.0
I'm so disappointed.
I thought I was going to adore this. I have been follow this author and the development of This Ravenous Fate for MONTHS via Twitter, and now that it's finally here, I can't help but sigh from sadness.
Firstly, I think this novel has an audience, it's just not me. I didn't know this novel was going to be YA, and I'm not opposed to reading YA, I just assumed it would be aimed towards adults. Immedately upon reading I had to adjust my expectations. No harm, no foul. My projections were higher than the realities of what I got and I can fully stomach and accept that.
I didn't really like any character in this novel. I couldn't connect or empathize with anyone. I don't believe in the romance depicted here, even though I really want to, and I don't believe in their past relationship as described in the many pages throughout the duration of this book.
The world building was lackluster to me and I didn't quite understand why any of the events were going on until about 80% of the way through, also of which, the story actually got interesting to me and I really honed in after 11 hours of straight reading.
The setting was supposed to be 1920s Harlem but felt like it could've taken place anywhere. There wasn't much to draw me into the ambiance of that time period. Someone else had mentioned these characters talk and feel like they know what an iPhone is and I agree entirely.
There's tons of potential here, and I'm super proud of the author, and I'm sure this will go on to be fairly successful; I can only hope the best for her next release (I believe this is a duology), however I don't think I will be moving forward with this series.
I thought I was going to adore this. I have been follow this author and the development of This Ravenous Fate for MONTHS via Twitter, and now that it's finally here, I can't help but sigh from sadness.
Firstly, I think this novel has an audience, it's just not me. I didn't know this novel was going to be YA, and I'm not opposed to reading YA, I just assumed it would be aimed towards adults. Immedately upon reading I had to adjust my expectations. No harm, no foul. My projections were higher than the realities of what I got and I can fully stomach and accept that.
I didn't really like any character in this novel. I couldn't connect or empathize with anyone. I don't believe in the romance depicted here, even though I really want to, and I don't believe in their past relationship as described in the many pages throughout the duration of this book.
The world building was lackluster to me and I didn't quite understand why any of the events were going on until about 80% of the way through, also of which, the story actually got interesting to me and I really honed in after 11 hours of straight reading.
The setting was supposed to be 1920s Harlem but felt like it could've taken place anywhere. There wasn't much to draw me into the ambiance of that time period. Someone else had mentioned these characters talk and feel like they know what an iPhone is and I agree entirely.
There's tons of potential here, and I'm super proud of the author, and I'm sure this will go on to be fairly successful; I can only hope the best for her next release (I believe this is a duology), however I don't think I will be moving forward with this series.
Trust by Hernán Díaz
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 14%.
I'll probably come back to this. It sounds interesting. I just don't care for it currently.
Daughter of the Merciful Deep by Leslye Penelope
3.0
This was good! I kind of wanted more from it but I can't complain too much. I admittedly didn't read the description of the novel and went off the cover alone (it's so pretty and inviting, isn't it?) so I assumed this would have something to do with black mermaids. Because of that, the fantasy aspects lost me a bit. Despite that, the historical elements were done really, really well. You can tell the author did a lot of research and is very knowledgeable about what they're talking about. Even though this wasn't it for me, I can absolutely see others enjoying this a lot.