demetria_books01's reviews
272 reviews

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Broken Hearts & Zombie Parts by William Hussey

adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Before I start praising this book, let me just quickly mention that the middle part of it was a bit slow, which almost killed the flow but fortunately in the end...

Oh man, this book was amazing! Strong start and even stronger finish, gripping, convoluted but entertaining plot, mystery, complicated relationships, our very confused but lovely MC and many, many other incredibly well-written characters-that's all and more that 'Broken hearts and zombie parts' has to offer. 

Damn, I haven't read a story like this one for a loooong time. Honestly, reading this book felt like watching a very, very good movie. Thanks to the author's amazing writing style I felt fully immersed in the story and I could imagine every scene from 'Zombie Honeymoon'- the movie main characters have been working on. It was such a fun experience and I have to say, the last 40% of the book was so good I literally could not put this book down!

I love how diverse the characters were in this book- they're all from different backgrounds, all have different life circumstances but the best thing about it is that the author spends some time diving into all the issues stemming from the differences like homophobia, parental death, racism, body dysphoria etc. I love when authors examine societal issues through their books instead just skimming over it or using it to push the plot forward. That's exactly why I'm not annoyed about the pace of the middle part of this book. I think slowing down the plot was a necessary move to ensure a better understanding of the characters, which then helped us as readers connect with them better and empathise with them in the final act. 

I feel like I also need to mention how much I liked the main character. I read a lot of reviews, in which people have complained Jasse Spark complained too much and was just annoying. I disagree. Yes, he had a tendency to run his mouth but I also struggle with talking too much when I'm stressed and trust me when I tell you, this boy was was STRESSED! I mean, everyone gaslighted the hell out of him just for him to find out in the end that he was right about things not going well between his friends. Well, kind of. I also appreciate the way William Hussey dealt with body image issues of the main character. I think his self-conciousnes and firm belief the scar he would get after his heart surgery would make him less desirable was very believable and easy to relate to, no matter the reason behind the self-depreciating thoughts in each of us. 

To conclude, I think this was a wonderful book and I can't wait to read other works of this author. 

SPOILER:

Before I finish my review, I just want to mention the one part of the plot, which really worried me at the start: cheating. The book starts with our MC's best friend cheating on his girlfriend by kissing her friend. As a big anti fan of this topic I found the main character's attempts to paint the girl in the bad light and excuse his friend's actions really triggering. Luckily, the author used this situation to later on teach the characters why idolising people is not a great idea and also, that lying to yourself about who you are can not only hurt you but everyone else who care about you. 

The Price of Ice by Anita Saxena
Did not finish book. Stopped at 34%.

As much as I wanted to love and enjoy this book I just couldn’t. The main character is incredibly unlikable and although she’s supposed to be 17, the writing makes it seem like she’s no older than 13. Her behaviour was immature and ridiculous, to the point when it was unbearable. Also, writing her as if she was 13-14 made the kissing scene really uncomfortable.

Moreover, I reached barely 34% and the incredibly rushed relationship between the main characters was already based on two misunderstandings. I understand using the misunderstanding trope at the end, probably in third act. But using it in the first act and forcing a whole relationship and it’s development on it? Hell no. 

I’m sorry, pushing forward and trying to finish this book would be like torture for me.

The only thing I liked about these 34% was the main character’s relationship with figure skating. I could fully understand why she was putting the importance of it over everything else. At the level she was skating you really need to train hard to achieve anything, so I get why her sprained knee was a complete disaster in her mind. For a figure skater on that level this kind of accident IS a disaster. 

Anyway, thank you NetGalley for giving me this arc in exchange for a honest review. 

The Last Whale by Chris Vick

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Wrapped Up in You by Talia Hibbert

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

THIS REVIEW IS NOT SPOILER FREE!!! Also, it’s a rumble of a disappointed reader so forgive me for this being a bit… well, 💩.

This was going so well! So freaking well! And then it flopped. 

Seriously, I was so ready to give this book 4 stars! The story was better than the first book, the romance had some nuance and an actual base, the mystery was fun and unpredictable and the twist was great! Well, until it wasn’t.

You see, the romance between Gwynn and Wells would be well developed, cute and just a perfectly fun paranormal romance IF the author didn’t set it up as a second chance romance or friends to lovers (ish- they had one convo years ago). The book starts with a scene from the MC’s school years when Gwynn’s spell went rogue and Wells helped to control it by blowing it up, which annoyed Gwynn. As we later find out, Wells doesn’t recognise Gwynn even though she tells him they met before but he tells her he had a crush on a pink haired girl he embarrassed at school because he was a show off. You know what’s the problem?! SHE NEVER TELLS HIM THAT THE GIRL HE WAS IN LOVE WITH IS HER!!! Which makes the whole second chance (ish) romance thing completely irrelevant for the story! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed all the sweet moments between those two, the teasing and the spice (even though fade to black is not my thing) but GOD DAMMIT the set up for their relationship bothers me so much! 

Next issue: this book title refers to a problem which gets solved within few pages after it happens and it’s resolved in the stupidest way possible. Right after this, author creates two other obstacles for the characters- two dark and mysterious plots which have absolutely the laziest, most careless resolutions ever! The one that annoys me the most is a plot where Gwynn loses her powers. It turns out that the one who was stealing it was no other than Wells’ dad and he was doing it through his son. God, this could be such a perfect betrayal/ enemies to lovers trope but NOPE! When Gwynn gets kidnapped by an evil coven she saves herself and brings back her powers through BELIEVING IN HERSELF! For fucks sake! A powerful witch creates a whole scheme with the use of two combined spells Wells had to use his blood to even attempt fixing just for her to just power herself back! 

Honestly, I’m so disappointed because I genuinely liked this book but unfortunately overall the plot of ‘the Kiss Curse’ is a mess. No matter how much I love Gwynn, Wells and sir Purrcival as characters, I just cannot recommend this book to anyone. It was way too frustrating.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read it ❤️

Lioness of Punjab by Anita Jari Kharbanda​

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-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

4.25

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Mermaids Never Drown: Tales to Dive For by Natalie C. Parker, Zoraida Córdova
Did not finish book. Stopped at 45%.

DNF at 45%

I’ve been dragging myself through this book while not enjoying any second of it. None of the stories are well developed but what they ALL have are freaking open endings, which I absolutely despise. 

I love mermaids and stories about them, so reading disappointed this just wasn’t the book I thought it would be. 

Nonetheless, thank you NetGalley for an arc and apologies for super late review❤️

Katia. Cmentarne love story by Aneta Jadowska

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5