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ellianamaselli's reviews
205 reviews
Still Side by Side by Janet George
5.0
IT FINALLY CLICKS.
My Background:
I grew up in a charismatic Egalitarian household, with parents who exhibited an incredibly healthy, egalitarian marriage. I did not entirely understand the idea that women could be limited until early high school when I made some Evangelical friends who did not believe that women should teach. (While complementarianism is not unheard of in charismatic denominations, it is significantly rarer.) As I learned more about these complementarian ideas, I grew more and more angry and rebellious toward them. I became bitter about it for a long time.
Then, I began attending an Evangelical university as a pastoral theology major. Suddenly, I was surrounded by people who believed that women should be submissive, or that they should always consider themselves under the authority of a man, or that they should just sit down and shut up all together.
During my first year at this university, I found a close group of friends at a Southern Baptist college group. They have loved me well and healed a lot of my relationship with Evangelicalism. I started asking questions about their views on women in leadership, and they asked me the same. After many conversations with these friends, I began to reevaluate my perspective on women in high church leadership—namely, as senior pastors and elders. While I still believed wholeheartedly that women could teach pastorally, I wrestled with the idea of male headship—what did that mean and what was the extent of it?
That said, my home church is still an Egalitarian church (part of Vineyard USA). As I struggled against the dichotomy of these two influences, I found it impossible to reconcile that a loving God, who supposedly made me in His image, would still tell me that I would never truly be equal to men, as I would always have to submit to them as the authority in some capacity. That my God would choose to make me a woman, and yet tell me that simply because of this, He did not consider me equally equipped to the men around me. That didn't sound loving at all, and it didn't sound like the God I'd come to know over the last few years of my faith.
BUT EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE NOW, BABY.
My Review:
Janet George does a wonderful job in this book of reassessing "Scriptural complementarian ammo". Her commentaries on headship, submission, and silence bring new light to these verses without stretching anything to fit her ideas. This book is theologically sound, cognitively stimulating, and spiritually considerate, and I am so thankful to George for helping me reconcile Egalitarianism and the Bible.
I wholeheartedly believe every theology student and fiancé read and evaluate this book, if only to better understand Egalitarian theology.
My Background:
I grew up in a charismatic Egalitarian household, with parents who exhibited an incredibly healthy, egalitarian marriage. I did not entirely understand the idea that women could be limited until early high school when I made some Evangelical friends who did not believe that women should teach. (While complementarianism is not unheard of in charismatic denominations, it is significantly rarer.) As I learned more about these complementarian ideas, I grew more and more angry and rebellious toward them. I became bitter about it for a long time.
Then, I began attending an Evangelical university as a pastoral theology major. Suddenly, I was surrounded by people who believed that women should be submissive, or that they should always consider themselves under the authority of a man, or that they should just sit down and shut up all together.
During my first year at this university, I found a close group of friends at a Southern Baptist college group. They have loved me well and healed a lot of my relationship with Evangelicalism. I started asking questions about their views on women in leadership, and they asked me the same. After many conversations with these friends, I began to reevaluate my perspective on women in high church leadership—namely, as senior pastors and elders. While I still believed wholeheartedly that women could teach pastorally, I wrestled with the idea of male headship—what did that mean and what was the extent of it?
That said, my home church is still an Egalitarian church (part of Vineyard USA). As I struggled against the dichotomy of these two influences, I found it impossible to reconcile that a loving God, who supposedly made me in His image, would still tell me that I would never truly be equal to men, as I would always have to submit to them as the authority in some capacity. That my God would choose to make me a woman, and yet tell me that simply because of this, He did not consider me equally equipped to the men around me. That didn't sound loving at all, and it didn't sound like the God I'd come to know over the last few years of my faith.
BUT EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE NOW, BABY.
My Review:
Janet George does a wonderful job in this book of reassessing "Scriptural complementarian ammo". Her commentaries on headship, submission, and silence bring new light to these verses without stretching anything to fit her ideas. This book is theologically sound, cognitively stimulating, and spiritually considerate, and I am so thankful to George for helping me reconcile Egalitarianism and the Bible.
I wholeheartedly believe every theology student and fiancé read and evaluate this book, if only to better understand Egalitarian theology.
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
5.0
This book is like candy.
Really good, sugary, refreshing, rich candy.
Is it intellectually stimulating? No.
Is it a work of literary genius? No.
Is the world-building, character-work, or mystery revolutionary? Hell nah.
But is it freaking fun?
Absolutely.
(^^me reading this book)
As a theology student, I've read a lot of books that are "edifying" this year—everything from actual textbooks to intellectual non-fiction and high-quality fantasies by the who's-who of high fantasy. But even academic, Jesus-freak students need to indulge every once in a while. (No matter how much you might like vegetables and fruits, sometimes you just want a Snickers bar—and there's nothing wrong with that.)
I had So. Much. Fun. reading this story. From our witty, stereotypical, firecracker of an Assistant to the super-hot, brooding, totally-not-as-evil-as-he-wants-to-be Villain, this grumpy/sunshine romance was everything I didn't know I needed to get me out of a four-month-long reading slump.
While this book didn't do everything perfectly, Miss Maehrer knows how to write a good, page-turning romance. I found myself looking forward to my time off when I could read this book, and even neglecting some of my homework in the process.
This book also had excellent pacing. I was never bored, which is rare for me in stories like these. Usually, authors of multi-book romance series' wait so long to get the characters together that I get irritated with the pacing and remove a star. While Evie and The Villain (whose name I won't disclose because spoilers) did take their own sweet time to have any actual romantic development (and it was still only a minor payoff), Maehrer gave us so much along the way that I almost didn't mind it. Watching these characters pine for each other was seriously such a treat. I'm not even mad that she ended the book with a cliffhanger ...not mad at all.
I cannot wait to read book two as soon as it's released next week, as I have a feeling that these two in are going to be the most fun, evil, power couple I've read about in a long time.
Really good, sugary, refreshing, rich candy.
Is it intellectually stimulating? No.
Is it a work of literary genius? No.
Is the world-building, character-work, or mystery revolutionary? Hell nah.
But is it freaking fun?
Absolutely.
(^^me reading this book)As a theology student, I've read a lot of books that are "edifying" this year—everything from actual textbooks to intellectual non-fiction and high-quality fantasies by the who's-who of high fantasy. But even academic, Jesus-freak students need to indulge every once in a while. (No matter how much you might like vegetables and fruits, sometimes you just want a Snickers bar—and there's nothing wrong with that.)
I had So. Much. Fun. reading this story. From our witty, stereotypical, firecracker of an Assistant to the super-hot, brooding, totally-not-as-evil-as-he-wants-to-be Villain, this grumpy/sunshine romance was everything I didn't know I needed to get me out of a four-month-long reading slump.
While this book didn't do everything perfectly, Miss Maehrer knows how to write a good, page-turning romance. I found myself looking forward to my time off when I could read this book, and even neglecting some of my homework in the process.
This book also had excellent pacing. I was never bored, which is rare for me in stories like these. Usually, authors of multi-book romance series' wait so long to get the characters together that I get irritated with the pacing and remove a star. While Evie and The Villain (whose name I won't disclose because spoilers) did take their own sweet time to have any actual romantic development (and it was still only a minor payoff), Maehrer gave us so much along the way that I almost didn't mind it. Watching these characters pine for each other was seriously such a treat. I'm not even mad that she ended the book with a cliffhanger
Spoiler
involving one of my least favorite tropes... (mostly because I have high hopes that it will result in the coolest villain-origin story.)I cannot wait to read book two as soon as it's released next week, as I have a feeling that these two in are going to be the most fun, evil, power couple I've read about in a long time.
Spoiler
Also, I am 1000% sure that Blade is in love with Becky, and if she doesn't reciprocate yet, she will very soon. I will die on this hill. Thank you.
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James D. Watson
1.0
i read this for a gen-ed class in which my professor (an absolute legend of a man, btw) openly acknowledged the polarizing character of James Watson. for a participation assignment, this professor asked the class whether we would get a coffee with Watson if we could.
this was his way of asking whether we liked or disliked the character. it backfired on him, though, as i very adamantly explained in my DQ post that i would, in fact, get a coffee with James D. Watson in a heartbeat.
if only to sit there and observe the abject stupidity of this man.
the Bible says not to hate anyone. so i won't. but suffice it to say i strongly dislike James D. Watson with some of my being (not all—it's not worth it to dislike him with all of my being).
James D. Watson is the epitome of the pretentious, mysogonistic scientist stereotype. it's fun to watch if you have a sense of humor. infuriating if you don't.
at least, it would be fun to watch if everything else about this book isn't, like Watson, just the absolute worst.
maybe i just don't like science. i am a theology major for a reason, after all. i'm not good at STEM. i accept this about myself.
or maybe i'm right and this really is the most boring, sleep-inducing book i've ever read.
one star.
pre-review
well this was just the worst.
this was his way of asking whether we liked or disliked the character. it backfired on him, though, as i very adamantly explained in my DQ post that i would, in fact, get a coffee with James D. Watson in a heartbeat.
if only to sit there and observe the abject stupidity of this man.
the Bible says not to hate anyone. so i won't. but suffice it to say i strongly dislike James D. Watson with some of my being (not all—it's not worth it to dislike him with all of my being).
James D. Watson is the epitome of the pretentious, mysogonistic scientist stereotype. it's fun to watch if you have a sense of humor. infuriating if you don't.
at least, it would be fun to watch if everything else about this book isn't, like Watson, just the absolute worst.
maybe i just don't like science. i am a theology major for a reason, after all. i'm not good at STEM. i accept this about myself.
or maybe i'm right and this really is the most boring, sleep-inducing book i've ever read.
one star.
pre-review
well this was just the worst.
The Origins of Knowledge and Imagination by Jacob Bronowski
4.0
you know, for a textbook, this was pretty interesting.
I read this for a required honors class entitled, Intersections Between the Humanities and Sciences. the whole point of the class is for us to understand how the humanities and sciences complement each other and even need one another to thrive.
this book did a great job of covering just that in a way that was both incredibly dense, yet remarkably interesting. the book consists of seven lectures, each one building upon the last. these lectures as a whole bring attention to one thing: that man is greater than beast.
being a Christian myself, this is a conversation I have had many times. this was the first time, however, that I saw this conversation take place from a purely scientific perspective (though Bronowski touches on the subject of God and man's idea of Him, he himself is an atheist and thus perceives God to be something more akin to Knowledge itself, and its connection with nature). despite this, Bronowski holds adamantly to the fact that the human race is special, the human brain is special, and human emotion, imagination, and reasoning are wholly unique among the lifeforms.
I will take the next part of this review to summarize each chapter, as I have to do this for school anyway. though this is more for me than for anyone else, I will put it here since it might be beneficial to someone...
(spoilers ahead—can a textbook have spoilers??)...
lecture one: the mind as an instrument for understanding
In this lecture, Bronowski argues that our five senses impact how we interact with the world. These five senses are connected to the brain, and because of them, we can interpret the things around us. In the first few pages, Bronowski argues that “You cannot see that world without the intervention of the physical senses.” This relates to the title of the chapter in that it is our five senses (and therefore, our mind) which give us understanding. Our perceptions of the world are directly connected to our experiences.
Bronowski spends the majority of this lecture arguing what this means for man regarding his relation to animals. How are man and beast alike? How are they different? Bronowski says that the human mind is a large part of what makes them different—that is, the human mind’s ability to perceive the world differently than animals. Man’s abilities to understand and create are born from his five senses. The author even argues that “The abilities that we have in the way of memory and imagination, of symbolism and emblem, are all conditioned by the sense of sight.” Every abstract thing we understand is directly related to our kinesthetic senses—that is, our minds.
lecture two: the evolution and power of symbolic language
In lecture two, Bronowski continues to argue that there are distinctions between man and beast. In this case, he discusses the importance of human senses to man's interpretation of the world. He draws attention to the way that man can separate his instruction (or instinct) from the information he receives. Things like foresight, internalization, and reconstitution, differentiate man from beast. This is all concerning mankind's ability to process and structure language as a means of communication, which is so specific and complex. Brnonowski has it right when he says that "it is impossible to have a symbolic system without [language]" (p.38).
lecture three: knowledge as algorithm and as metaphor
In lecture three, Bronowski remarks that "consciousness ... is our mode of analysis of the outside world into objects and actions" (p.44). He discusses man's ability to interpret both metaphor and scientific facts, such as the phrase, "A Red Robin breast in a cage /Puts all Heaven in a Rage" (William Blake), or scientific questions about the state of the universe. He then continues his discussion of human language and how it relates to science. He finishes the chapter with a discussion of how every event that takes place in this world is connected to all other events.
lecture four: the laws of nature and the nature of laws
Bronowski spends this lecture discussing what constitutes a law and asking the question, “What is real, and how can we know it?” He argues that if there is absolute truth, man in his finite-ness, cannot access it. For because everything is connected, man cannot discover truth without deeply oversimplifying it. “There is no system which can embrace the whole of nature, or for that matter, the whole of mathematics.” (p.80) By this, he argues that every law that man discovers will probably, at some point, be disproven.
lecture five: error, progress, and the concept of time
Bronowski takes most of his time during this lecture to talk about the human brain and its relation to the body. He says that we cannot separate the brain from the human body, because they become one in the senses. Instead, we must look at the human being as a whole. Furthermore, he argues that the brain is far more complex than we could ever realize because it utilizes a language of statistics which we do not know. There are things, then, that we can never understand due to our finiteness. He thus concludes that while science is “an attempt to represent the known world as a closed system with a perfect formalism” (p.108), every scientific discovery reopens that system, making it impossible to truly achieve any sure knowledge of absolute truth. This all paves the way for his next and final lecture.
lecture six: law and individual responsibility
In his final lecture, Bronowski sets out to discuss the relationship between “scientific ethics” and legality. To do this, he first spends a great deal of the lecture asking the questions, “What is science?” and “How is it done?” He follows these questions with a final: “Can ethics and science be connected?” His answer, after all of this debating is an adamant “Yes,” and even goes so far as to say that in many cases, science can teach us ethics. He holds to this opinion for a few reasons, but his third reason (which is what he believes to be the strongest of the three arguments) is this: “You cannot know what is true unless you behave in certain ways” (p. 129).
I read this for a required honors class entitled, Intersections Between the Humanities and Sciences. the whole point of the class is for us to understand how the humanities and sciences complement each other and even need one another to thrive.
this book did a great job of covering just that in a way that was both incredibly dense, yet remarkably interesting. the book consists of seven lectures, each one building upon the last. these lectures as a whole bring attention to one thing: that man is greater than beast.
being a Christian myself, this is a conversation I have had many times. this was the first time, however, that I saw this conversation take place from a purely scientific perspective (though Bronowski touches on the subject of God and man's idea of Him, he himself is an atheist and thus perceives God to be something more akin to Knowledge itself, and its connection with nature). despite this, Bronowski holds adamantly to the fact that the human race is special, the human brain is special, and human emotion, imagination, and reasoning are wholly unique among the lifeforms.
I will take the next part of this review to summarize each chapter, as I have to do this for school anyway. though this is more for me than for anyone else, I will put it here since it might be beneficial to someone...
(spoilers ahead—can a textbook have spoilers??)...
lecture one: the mind as an instrument for understanding
In this lecture, Bronowski argues that our five senses impact how we interact with the world. These five senses are connected to the brain, and because of them, we can interpret the things around us. In the first few pages, Bronowski argues that “You cannot see that world without the intervention of the physical senses.” This relates to the title of the chapter in that it is our five senses (and therefore, our mind) which give us understanding. Our perceptions of the world are directly connected to our experiences.
Bronowski spends the majority of this lecture arguing what this means for man regarding his relation to animals. How are man and beast alike? How are they different? Bronowski says that the human mind is a large part of what makes them different—that is, the human mind’s ability to perceive the world differently than animals. Man’s abilities to understand and create are born from his five senses. The author even argues that “The abilities that we have in the way of memory and imagination, of symbolism and emblem, are all conditioned by the sense of sight.” Every abstract thing we understand is directly related to our kinesthetic senses—that is, our minds.
lecture two: the evolution and power of symbolic language
In lecture two, Bronowski continues to argue that there are distinctions between man and beast. In this case, he discusses the importance of human senses to man's interpretation of the world. He draws attention to the way that man can separate his instruction (or instinct) from the information he receives. Things like foresight, internalization, and reconstitution, differentiate man from beast. This is all concerning mankind's ability to process and structure language as a means of communication, which is so specific and complex. Brnonowski has it right when he says that "it is impossible to have a symbolic system without [language]" (p.38).
lecture three: knowledge as algorithm and as metaphor
In lecture three, Bronowski remarks that "consciousness ... is our mode of analysis of the outside world into objects and actions" (p.44). He discusses man's ability to interpret both metaphor and scientific facts, such as the phrase, "A Red Robin breast in a cage /Puts all Heaven in a Rage" (William Blake), or scientific questions about the state of the universe. He then continues his discussion of human language and how it relates to science. He finishes the chapter with a discussion of how every event that takes place in this world is connected to all other events.
lecture four: the laws of nature and the nature of laws
Bronowski spends this lecture discussing what constitutes a law and asking the question, “What is real, and how can we know it?” He argues that if there is absolute truth, man in his finite-ness, cannot access it. For because everything is connected, man cannot discover truth without deeply oversimplifying it. “There is no system which can embrace the whole of nature, or for that matter, the whole of mathematics.” (p.80) By this, he argues that every law that man discovers will probably, at some point, be disproven.
lecture five: error, progress, and the concept of time
Bronowski takes most of his time during this lecture to talk about the human brain and its relation to the body. He says that we cannot separate the brain from the human body, because they become one in the senses. Instead, we must look at the human being as a whole. Furthermore, he argues that the brain is far more complex than we could ever realize because it utilizes a language of statistics which we do not know. There are things, then, that we can never understand due to our finiteness. He thus concludes that while science is “an attempt to represent the known world as a closed system with a perfect formalism” (p.108), every scientific discovery reopens that system, making it impossible to truly achieve any sure knowledge of absolute truth. This all paves the way for his next and final lecture.
lecture six: law and individual responsibility
In his final lecture, Bronowski sets out to discuss the relationship between “scientific ethics” and legality. To do this, he first spends a great deal of the lecture asking the questions, “What is science?” and “How is it done?” He follows these questions with a final: “Can ethics and science be connected?” His answer, after all of this debating is an adamant “Yes,” and even goes so far as to say that in many cases, science can teach us ethics. He holds to this opinion for a few reasons, but his third reason (which is what he believes to be the strongest of the three arguments) is this: “You cannot know what is true unless you behave in certain ways” (p. 129).
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
4.0
I used to hate Edmund. Now I realize I am Edmund. (And I mean that at the same time as both a witty one-liner and a deep theological statement.)
I’m reading through The Chronicles of Narnia this December in a desperate attempt to increase my number of books read for 2023. (And also because I’m feeling Christmasy, whimsical, philosophical, and nostalgic all at the same time, and this series checks all of those boxes.) My goal is to eventually read through all of C.S. Lewis’ works, but I’m starting here. And I’m already having the time of my life.
These books are so easy to read, and so much fun to experience. Lewis’ writing pulls you into the story in such a rich way, yet the whole book reads like your dad telling you a bedtime story. It’s witty, epic, and sweet. And I can’t wait to read more.
I’ve was homeschooled all my life, so I’m well aware that these books (this one in particular) contain strong religious overtones. Being incredibly “religious” myself, I have no problem with this. In fact, it made the book that much more enjoyable because, being the theology nerd that I am, I realized this time that the parallels go deeper than I was aware of before. For me, that made this 1000x more fun to read. For those who aren’t religious/don’t want religious allegories in their books, it wasn’t overbearing (or in most cases, even noticeable enough) to affect your experience, I promise.
Great book, Charlie. 8/10 just because I’m feeling stingy today. Sorry not sorry. Better luck next time. I love you tho, my late brother. RIP✌
I’m reading through The Chronicles of Narnia this December in a desperate attempt to increase my number of books read for 2023. (And also because I’m feeling Christmasy, whimsical, philosophical, and nostalgic all at the same time, and this series checks all of those boxes.) My goal is to eventually read through all of C.S. Lewis’ works, but I’m starting here. And I’m already having the time of my life.
These books are so easy to read, and so much fun to experience. Lewis’ writing pulls you into the story in such a rich way, yet the whole book reads like your dad telling you a bedtime story. It’s witty, epic, and sweet. And I can’t wait to read more.
I’ve was homeschooled all my life, so I’m well aware that these books (this one in particular) contain strong religious overtones. Being incredibly “religious” myself, I have no problem with this. In fact, it made the book that much more enjoyable because, being the theology nerd that I am, I realized this time that the parallels go deeper than I was aware of before. For me, that made this 1000x more fun to read. For those who aren’t religious/don’t want religious allegories in their books, it wasn’t overbearing (or in most cases, even noticeable enough) to affect your experience, I promise.
Great book, Charlie. 8/10 just because I’m feeling stingy today. Sorry not sorry. Better luck next time. I love you tho, my late brother. RIP✌
The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
4.0
OK so we're off to a real strong start here.
This is not my first time reading this book. But it's my first time in many years. And gracious, I forgot how good this book was.
I'm writing this review after finishing [b:The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe|7806720|The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia, #2)|C.S. Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1659993302l/7806720._SX50_.jpg|4790821], and I think I liked this one better. Obviously [b:The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe|7806720|The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia, #2)|C.S. Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1659993302l/7806720._SX50_.jpg|4790821] is a classic, and it's as famous as it is for a reason. But this book had the most beautiful ending,
If you've never touched the Chronicles of Narnia before, then I would probably still recommend you start with [b:The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe|7806720|The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia, #2)|C.S. Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1659993302l/7806720._SX50_.jpg|4790821]. But if you've already read that one, or have some experience with these books, I can't stress enough how much you need to read this one.
I promise you won't be disappointed.
reviews for the chronicles of narnia
book 1: The Magician's Nephew
book 2: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
book 3: The Horse & His Boy
This is not my first time reading this book. But it's my first time in many years. And gracious, I forgot how good this book was.
Spoiler
And here I'd thought the birth of Narnia was a scene you'd never quite forget.I'm writing this review after finishing [b:The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe|7806720|The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia, #2)|C.S. Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1659993302l/7806720._SX50_.jpg|4790821], and I think I liked this one better. Obviously [b:The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe|7806720|The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia, #2)|C.S. Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1659993302l/7806720._SX50_.jpg|4790821] is a classic, and it's as famous as it is for a reason. But this book had the most beautiful ending,
Spoiler
and the birth of Narnia was just magnificent to watch.If you've never touched the Chronicles of Narnia before, then I would probably still recommend you start with [b:The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe|7806720|The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia, #2)|C.S. Lewis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1659993302l/7806720._SX50_.jpg|4790821]. But if you've already read that one, or have some experience with these books, I can't stress enough how much you need to read this one.
I promise you won't be disappointed.
reviews for the chronicles of narnia
book 1: The Magician's Nephew
book 2: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
book 3: The Horse & His Boy
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
4.0
3.5 | This book really was very good for so many reasons. The only reason I give it 3.5 stars instead of 5 is because I kinda wish someone had actually, permanently died.
I feel like every terror I felt while reading this book was fake now, and I can’t truly appreciate it anymore, ya know? I hope that makes sense.
Also...that death exchange scene with Julian in the hotel was way more sexual than it had any right to be. Like, that coulda been a really cute scene where character A sacrificed something for character B. But instead, it was just really discomforting for a wide variety of reasons.
Don’t get me wrong: I will definitely be reading the rest of the series. Hopefully in those books, someone will actually die lol (and we won’t get a scene like that again).
I feel like every terror I felt while reading this book was fake now, and I can’t truly appreciate it anymore, ya know? I hope that makes sense.
Also...that death exchange scene with Julian in the hotel was way more sexual than it had any right to be. Like, that coulda been a really cute scene where character A sacrificed something for character B. But instead, it was just really discomforting for a wide variety of reasons.
Don’t get me wrong: I will definitely be reading the rest of the series. Hopefully in those books, someone will actually die lol (and we won’t get a scene like that again).
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
3.0
This was fine.
I really enjoy the atmosphere is Sarah Dessen's novels. Her books are always perfect for an easy summer read and this one was no different. I loved her exploration of womanhood, workaholism, and grief. It was honestly refreshing.
However, the ending felt rushed and the romance's resolution seemed thrown together. After a couple hundred pages of waiting for the climax, you want something that feels satisfying. And this just didn't.
Will I read more Sarah Dessen books in the future? Absolutely—she is The Author of Summery Contemporaries. Will any of her books ever make my top ten, though? Probably not. And that's OK.
I really enjoy the atmosphere is Sarah Dessen's novels. Her books are always perfect for an easy summer read and this one was no different. I loved her exploration of womanhood, workaholism, and grief. It was honestly refreshing.
However, the ending felt rushed and the romance's resolution seemed thrown together. After a couple hundred pages of waiting for the climax, you want something that feels satisfying. And this just didn't.
Will I read more Sarah Dessen books in the future? Absolutely—she is The Author of Summery Contemporaries. Will any of her books ever make my top ten, though? Probably not. And that's OK.
Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
2.0
I liked this book a lot more than I expected to. Was Rowan kind of annoying sometimes? Absolutely. Did she get offended by every little thing and turn things into issues that really shouldn't have been? Oh, most definitely. Did the author lack tact when discussing certain social issues? Yuh-huh. But overall, this book was good. I enjoyed watching the games play out and honestly, the romance was way cuter than I expected it to be when I read the first few chapters.
All that said, I probably wouldn't read this again. And I won't be picking up another Rachel Lynn Solomon book simply because it's Rachel Lynn Solomon, the same way I would with certain other authors (*cough* *cough* Rebecca Ross *cough* *cough*).
All that said, I probably wouldn't read this again. And I won't be picking up another Rachel Lynn Solomon book simply because it's Rachel Lynn Solomon, the same way I would with certain other authors (*cough* *cough* Rebecca Ross *cough* *cough*).
A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross
5.0
This book has what is usually one of my least favorite tropes of all time: the separation trope (*dun, dun, dunnnn*) Then again, who am I to question Rebecca Ross?
A fool, apparently. Because this author managed to take a trope I hate and make something I love. That's talent right there. And I am not complaining.
Beautiful conclusion. 12/10 would recommend.
A fool, apparently. Because this author managed to take a trope I hate and make something I love. That's talent right there. And I am not complaining.
Beautiful conclusion. 12/10 would recommend.