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embodyingmysticalmac's reviews
68 reviews
The Sacrifice by Shantel Tessier
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.
Just genuinely couldn’t get myself to care. Regardless of the world surrounding them, there needs to be some sense of mutual magnetism and emotional investment between the couple for me to care about what they go through and this book just didn’t do that.
When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.
The writing was far too YA while seemingly trying too hard to be high fantasy. Even the audiobook wasn’t able to get me to ignore the juvenile nature of the prose. This was exacerbated by the fact that the content seems to be intended for new adult fantasy. Maybe this book gets good but the writing bothered me too much for me to find out.
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
guy who ends up with her sees her as an object and as a means to an end. He is endlessly creepy and predatory towards her and even incites violence against her but they end up together anyway 😒
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
The writing style was not done well enough to warrant it imo and appeared like the author was trying to be stylistic but came across as simply gimmicky. A book that does what this tried to do but actually succeeded is Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. I have also seen who the love interest was gonna be (thanks book tok 😅) and he is irredeemably abusive which I am just not interested in. Unless the abuse serves an actual purpose for a redemption arc it simply didn’t need to come from the love interest, even if it is necessary, then it’s up to the writer to not create a character that is genuinely irredeemable. I am over YA books encouraging young women to end up with their abusers. This series can stay far away from my romance shelf 🙅🏻♀️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
The characters were very flimsy as was the world building. I fully threw the book across the room when it was mentioned that her traumatic nightmares just “suddenly” disappeared because the future love interest happened to make out with her the night before. That is the most ludicrous and irresponsible portrayal of PTSD I’ve ever read. If I could rate it negative 10 stars I would but then I’d have to finish it and I’m just not gonna abuse myself like that 🤷🏻♀️
The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.
This book came highly anticipated and I was disappointed in how it felt like YA regarding the writing and characters. The author didn’t manage to ground me in the characters or the story. The world was interesting but the building of it felt like it was lacking for me (part of why it felt like YA as well). I also sensed that the romance was gonna involve toxicity in ways that I just don’t care to read anymore and wasn’t down to find out if I was right. It was okay but everything I just mentioned put together made for a reading experience I just didn’t care to continue.
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Did not finish book. Stopped at 1%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 1%.
I tried to read this many times and every time I could not get past the 5th page because I just didn’t care about anything I read. It read like very bad fanfic to me (telling, never showing) and I am already not a fan of SJM due to her immature craft and horrific glorification of abusive relationship dynamics. The names were also a NIGHTMARE and WoT (The Wheel of Time) is one of my favs so it’s not because I can’t deal with fantasy names (if you were gonna make them this hard to look at and read then at least give us a pronunciation guide). I was also told that the series doesn’t get better till books later and I don’t care because from my experience with SJM even if it gets a little better it will not be worth it for me. Additionally, imo, if your series fails to be good from the first book you’ve already lost me. I’m not suffering for the potentiality of a better story from a writer I already wholeheartedly distrust. All in all, no thank you.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I believe going into this book blind is the best way to enjoy it. With that said DO NOT pick this up unless you like to think and piece things together while you read. It is a magnificent work of art but it will go over non-critical readers’ heads. Wait till you are ready to read something like this and enjoy everything it has to offer. You may not understand much at first but it will be a hell of a ride. The writing is masterful and unique. Susanna is a master of breadcrumbing info just enough that you feel trusted as a reader but never too much that things are given away too early. Finished this in a few days. Suffice to say, the book hangover is real. Lastly, Piranesi is one of the most lovable characters I’ve ever encountered. We must protect him at all costs 🥺