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egbella's reviews
212 reviews
Dust by Kara Swanson
4.0
First off, I've been wanting to read this book for AGES. I love retellings, especially ones that take extra care in adding layers and deeper backstories to the familiar original characters/plot. So needless to say, a Peter Pan retelling by a young Christian author, especially one with a seemingly kind of angsty Peter (I'm kind of a sucker for those kinds of characters, haha) sounded awesome.
And I'm so glad I finally read this! I found the plot very well-developed and layered, the characters interesting and likeable (mostly - more on this later), and the J. M. Barrie's original story both honored and expanded in a great balance. Pretty much every character felt nuanced and real, and the plot really kept me guessing as Swanson wove backstory hints in. Why weren't Peter and Tiger Lily still in Neverland? What happened to Connor? Where's Tinkerbell? So many questions throughout the entire story that kept me reading. Oh, and yes, Peter was adorable and angsty and relatable, and even though I went back and forth between wanting to slug him and wanting to hug him, he's my absolute favorite character. So well-written.
Caveat: I never like when reviewers dock a star off their review and never address why, so I will quick mention the couple of things that made this a 4-star instead of 5 to me (and only because Goodreads has such a high rating system. If this was an Amazon review, I'd rate it 5. I just can't honestly say I found it AMAZING). Mostly, it just came down to the writing style, which felt a little juvenile/overly dramatic at points to me, and a few ways that the characters felt lacking. I had a hard time relating to Claire and would have liked to see a bit more of her personality/get to know her better. The pacing also felt off sometimes. It makes sense that it'd be slower since it's a duology, but it felt like most the entire first book was setup for the second one. And the romance aspect went a little too fast for my tastes, though I'm not usually a romance reader so I wouldn't change my rating due to that. I'm sure it's very enjoyable to people who like romance in stories!
Really though, those things were all very minor to me. I wasn't completely sucked in, but I did want to keep reading and find out what happened, and there were plenty of moments where I wanted to laugh/cry/grin/all the feels. Even as someone who doesn't seek out romance in the books I read, I still had to 'aww' at a few of the very sweet moments. They truly do make a great couple, and I'd like to see where there relationship progresses too. I also greatly admire Kara's creativity with the plotline and love the direction she took the original story. And of course, that theme! Such a beautiful message about finding where you belong and learning who you are. What a blessing to have such a talented Christian author creating and sharing such powerful stories. I'm extremely excited to read 'Shadow', as well as Kara's future works. Definitely recommend this one, whether you're familiar with the original Peter Pan story or not. It's worth the read!
And I'm so glad I finally read this! I found the plot very well-developed and layered, the characters interesting and likeable (mostly - more on this later), and the J. M. Barrie's original story both honored and expanded in a great balance. Pretty much every character felt nuanced and real, and the plot really kept me guessing as Swanson wove backstory hints in. Why weren't Peter and Tiger Lily still in Neverland? What happened to Connor? Where's Tinkerbell? So many questions throughout the entire story that kept me reading. Oh, and yes, Peter was adorable and angsty and relatable, and even though I went back and forth between wanting to slug him and wanting to hug him, he's my absolute favorite character. So well-written.
Caveat: I never like when reviewers dock a star off their review and never address why, so I will quick mention the couple of things that made this a 4-star instead of 5 to me (and only because Goodreads has such a high rating system. If this was an Amazon review, I'd rate it 5. I just can't honestly say I found it AMAZING). Mostly, it just came down to the writing style, which felt a little juvenile/overly dramatic at points to me, and a few ways that the characters felt lacking. I had a hard time relating to Claire and would have liked to see a bit more of her personality/get to know her better. The pacing also felt off sometimes. It makes sense that it'd be slower since it's a duology, but it felt like most the entire first book was setup for the second one. And the romance aspect went a little too fast for my tastes, though I'm not usually a romance reader so I wouldn't change my rating due to that. I'm sure it's very enjoyable to people who like romance in stories!
Really though, those things were all very minor to me. I wasn't completely sucked in, but I did want to keep reading and find out what happened, and there were plenty of moments where I wanted to laugh/cry/grin/all the feels. Even as someone who doesn't seek out romance in the books I read, I still had to 'aww' at a few of the very sweet moments. They truly do make a great couple, and I'd like to see where there relationship progresses too. I also greatly admire Kara's creativity with the plotline and love the direction she took the original story. And of course, that theme! Such a beautiful message about finding where you belong and learning who you are. What a blessing to have such a talented Christian author creating and sharing such powerful stories. I'm extremely excited to read 'Shadow', as well as Kara's future works. Definitely recommend this one, whether you're familiar with the original Peter Pan story or not. It's worth the read!
Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan
4.0
This is a super hard one to review, because the story is beautiful and inspiring, and I greatly respect Pino Lella for sharing his story. On the flip side, I'm not crazy about the way the author chose to communicate that story. To me, it was an odd mix of invention and biography, and I think it could have used another few rounds of editing.
That said, I read it in just a couple of days and did find the overall story fascinating, tragic, and inspiring. The horrors of that time were just terrible, and I can't begin to describe how much respect I have for the people that lived and fought through them. As a fan of historical fiction and biographies, I did appreciate this book and the portrayal of our complicated, messy humanity. Very thought-provoking.
That said, I read it in just a couple of days and did find the overall story fascinating, tragic, and inspiring. The horrors of that time were just terrible, and I can't begin to describe how much respect I have for the people that lived and fought through them. As a fan of historical fiction and biographies, I did appreciate this book and the portrayal of our complicated, messy humanity. Very thought-provoking.
Shadow by Kara Swanson
5.0
A moving, engaging, and creative ending to a well-done duology! Highly recommend.
Full RTC.
Full RTC.
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
5.0
I don't even have words. This was incredible. And though I'm not sure how to say this without seeming arrogant because Stiefvater's prose is INCREDIBLE, I've never read a published author whose writing style is so similar to mine and that was such a cool experience. The characters in this book were spectacular, the plot was spectacular, the vivid worldbuilding was spectacular...I'm sure you get the picture, but it's just so amazing. I highly recommend, and will be rereading when I have time to fully enjoy each and every nuance of this story again.
Full RTC.
Full RTC.
Romanov by Nadine Brandes
5.0
Before reading this book, my familiarity with the Romanov history only went as far as the (very loosely-based) animated movie, Anastasia. So when I started reading Romanov, I didn't know what to expect or even if I'd enjoy it very much. Well, I can safely say this is one of the best books I've read in a very long time! This was the first novel of Nadine Brandes' that I've read and it's more than enough to make me a fan of hers.
The characters and their relationships were amazing and well-developed, and while I didn't 'like' all of them, they all felt like real people - which is always a must for me. The romance was done well and both sweet and angsty. As someone who enjoys historical fiction, even though it started off a bit slower, I was never bored. Nastya's narrative voice was compelling and sucked me into even the more mundane aspects of their life in exile, and then when the major plot twists started happening, I couldn't put the book down (I stayed up far later than I want to admit finishing it!). Usually I can see plot twists coming, but there were several gut-wrenching ones that I never expected - and therefore admire, even if they are painful. Though I'm not always a fan of adding magic into historical settings, Brandes did it very uniquely, and I was kept very interested in how everything would work out. So in all, there's not an element of this story that I can't praise. Even the elegant prose was smooth; the perfect balance between flowery description and choppy action.
I definitely recommend this book and will be rereading it myself!
The characters and their relationships were amazing and well-developed, and while I didn't 'like' all of them, they all felt like real people - which is always a must for me. The romance was done well and both sweet and angsty. As someone who enjoys historical fiction, even though it started off a bit slower, I was never bored. Nastya's narrative voice was compelling and sucked me into even the more mundane aspects of their life in exile, and then when the major plot twists started happening, I couldn't put the book down (I stayed up far later than I want to admit finishing it!). Usually I can see plot twists coming, but there were several gut-wrenching ones that I never expected - and therefore admire, even if they are painful. Though I'm not always a fan of adding magic into historical settings, Brandes did it very uniquely, and I was kept very interested in how everything would work out. So in all, there's not an element of this story that I can't praise. Even the elegant prose was smooth; the perfect balance between flowery description and choppy action.
I definitely recommend this book and will be rereading it myself!
Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations by Alex Harris
5.0
I'm late to the party with this one, but I'm very glad to finally have read this book. It holds such a needed message in today's world: that teenagers are capable of so much more than society expects. While I think there could have been more said on some aspects, and I'm no longer the target audience, overall this book still challenged, encouraged, and inspired me to dream big for the kingdom of God - and have faith that He will use willing people in His plan, no matter what their age.
Love and Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs by Emerson Eggerichs
3.0
RTC.
Sacred Marriage: What If God Designed Marriage to Make Us Holy More Than to Make Us Happy? by Gary L. Thomas
5.0
RTC. Highly recommend this!
Who I Am In Christ: A Devotional by Neil T. Anderson
4.0
RTC. Full of great and encouraging reminders.