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danyyy's reviews
30 reviews
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
4.25
Fluffy, steamy and romantic. A lovely, emotional read, which managed to make me fall in love with Alex and Henry, as well as their relationship. The exquisite writing drew me in even more and I will say - there are some iconic quotes in here. Highly recommend for anyone who loves love and is not opposed to a little smut woven into it as well. 🩷
Jade Fire Gold by June CL Tan
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
Not the most original fantasy novel out there, but i enjoyed myself a lot while reading it. Certain typical for the genre tropes are used, which i liked. Ahn and Altan reminded me a LOT of Zuko and Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender, which definitely upped my rating. (My Zutara heart reawakened) And! Bts were mentioned in the acknowledgements, it's always good to find another army in the wild. 💜
Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
1Q84: Book Three by Haruki Murakami
1.0
Well this was... something.
Reading this trilogy was not a pleasant experience for me. In the beginning, I found the story and writing style intriguing but the more I read the more bored I got. And it took me nearly three months to finish it. I've heard great things about Murakami, hencewhy I decided to give his books a try, but I guess they're just not my thing. At least judging from 1Q84.
There were also quite a few elements of the book I found disturbing, such as the author's obvious obsession with sex, boobs and genitalia. But perhaps that was precisely the author's intention - to make the readers feel uncomfortable - I don't know..
Either way, I didn't enjoy it. I guess Murakami really isn't for everyone.
Reading this trilogy was not a pleasant experience for me. In the beginning, I found the story and writing style intriguing but the more I read the more bored I got. And it took me nearly three months to finish it. I've heard great things about Murakami, hencewhy I decided to give his books a try, but I guess they're just not my thing. At least judging from 1Q84.
There were also quite a few elements of the book I found disturbing, such as the author's obvious obsession with sex, boobs and genitalia. But perhaps that was precisely the author's intention - to make the readers feel uncomfortable - I don't know..
Either way, I didn't enjoy it. I guess Murakami really isn't for everyone.
House Fires by Connor Franta
5.0
Yesyesyes. Stunning. Gorgeous. Beautiful. Magnificent. From the bold and unique cover, to the vulnerable and thought-provoking contents, to the colourful photography. It just screams ✨ aestheticism✨ and ✨display it on your shelf and look at it every day✨ to me. Connor has once again sprinkled the pages with his virgo magic.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
5.0
This book, which was filled with twisted minds, unexpected turns and sophisticated language (which was a bit too much for me at times if I have to be honest), filled my soul with all the dark academia and psychological thriller vibes I needed. It is written exquisitely well - Tartt has managed to create such a smooth flow of events and character development (or rather - decay) that you get lost in the pages and in the minds of the main participants in the story. I found myself both symphatising with and strongly despising them - the feelings tended to change right till the last page. I would strongly recommend the novel to those searching for a wave of darkness, mystery and moral dilemmas in their next read.
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
2.75
The book wasn't as bad as I'd anticipated it to be, especially with all the surrounding mixed opinions on it. Yes, 1/4 of it is smut, and yes - it is definitely too much and honestly, disgustingly described based on my taste - but the rest of the book was easy to follow and relatively entertaining with several plot twists and a not-so-bad plotline in general.
I shall not discuss Nesta in too much detail since just thinking about her truly repulsive behaviour at times makes me want to choke her (and not in a kinky way), but the fact that there was an attempt on the part of Sarah J Maas to introduce mental health as a main topic as well as struggling with accepting the past and learning to be deserving of love is admirable, although the approach could've been a bit better and Nesta's character could've evolved more smoothly and gradually.
There were some amazingly described moments and situations which deserve mentioning - they reminded me why I started and loved reading Maas's books in the first place - her descriptions transport you into the Fae world so vividly that you can even smell it at times. And the overall style of writing is extremely attention-grabbing and addictive (except for the smut scenes unfortunately).
I shall not discuss Nesta in too much detail since just thinking about her truly repulsive behaviour at times makes me want to choke her (and not in a kinky way), but the fact that there was an attempt on the part of Sarah J Maas to introduce mental health as a main topic as well as struggling with accepting the past and learning to be deserving of love is admirable, although the approach could've been a bit better and Nesta's character could've evolved more smoothly and gradually.
There were some amazingly described moments and situations which deserve mentioning - they reminded me why I started and loved reading Maas's books in the first place - her descriptions transport you into the Fae world so vividly that you can even smell it at times. And the overall style of writing is extremely attention-grabbing and addictive (except for the smut scenes unfortunately).
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
5.0
Wilde might just manage to spark my love and appreciation for classics (something i thought i'd never say). Much related to its characters' obsession with beauty and the pursuit of pleasure, the book itself is truly beautiful and reading it brought me immense pleasure (Dorian would approve). The slow decay of the mind which comes from life steeped in hedonism and sin is examined in the most fantastic way. Mix that with some Gothic horror elements and a pinch of fantasy and you get the perfect recipe for a stunning exploration of the psyche by the one and only Oscar Wilde.