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erin0999's reviews
188 reviews
Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
4.0
*3.5 stars*
This book was a pretty fun read. There were some things I had some problems with, but overall I enjoyed it! The first half was a little slow for me but once I hit the more interesting bits of the plot, I read most of it in one day.
One thing I think I didn’t like so much was I feel conflicted about Alosa’s character. I love a bad ass woman character who can fight and be a good leader with a good head on her shoulders, but there were times where I felt like she was more of a caricature of a strong character than a real one. Maybe this sounds cliche but I think to really see how strong a character is, we have to know their limits and that they can show weakness. I think sometimes that gets lost when writing a strong female character because we are taught that defeat and weakness are “feminine” things. Which is stupid. I don’t think the book does this on purpose obviously, but I wanted to see more weakness from Alosa, to know that she is a (mostly) human girl who suffers pain and misery and stress. I think seeing Alosa’s armor crack a little bit would’ve made me feel for her more and be more empathetic/ stressed out when she was undergoing physical and mental strain.
I also felt like the writing was mostly ok. There was a fair amount of info dump interspersed throughout and I thought sometimes situations and explanations were over explained to the point where I thought this might’ve been for a younger audience until words and insinuations were made that are definitely for an older audience than I thought. I think part of that comes with writing a debut novel, we all fall into that writing trap sometimes. Additionally, I will Alosa’s powers would have been revealed to the reader a little earlier in the novel so that when the “real” plot came in later in the book, the reader could’ve been more familiar with it. Although, I really like the method used in this book of showing the readers the extent and limits of a character’s powers by having them being experimented on for information and exploitation of the power. I thought that was really clever and worked well.
Overall, I had a good time reading this book and it really flew by once I hit the good bits of plot. There were some things I didn’t like but I still want to read the sequel because I believe there is a lot of potential for growth in both the writing and the characters, but I also really want to know what happens next in the adventure. I am a sucker for a pirate story.
My friend Clare recommended this book to me and I hope this review doesn’t sound too complain-y because I really did enjoy it and want to read book 2! Thanks Clare!
This book was a pretty fun read. There were some things I had some problems with, but overall I enjoyed it! The first half was a little slow for me but once I hit the more interesting bits of the plot, I read most of it in one day.
One thing I think I didn’t like so much was I feel conflicted about Alosa’s character. I love a bad ass woman character who can fight and be a good leader with a good head on her shoulders, but there were times where I felt like she was more of a caricature of a strong character than a real one. Maybe this sounds cliche but I think to really see how strong a character is, we have to know their limits and that they can show weakness. I think sometimes that gets lost when writing a strong female character because we are taught that defeat and weakness are “feminine” things. Which is stupid. I don’t think the book does this on purpose obviously, but I wanted to see more weakness from Alosa, to know that she is a (mostly) human girl who suffers pain and misery and stress. I think seeing Alosa’s armor crack a little bit would’ve made me feel for her more and be more empathetic/ stressed out when she was undergoing physical and mental strain.
I also felt like the writing was mostly ok. There was a fair amount of info dump interspersed throughout and I thought sometimes situations and explanations were over explained to the point where I thought this might’ve been for a younger audience until words and insinuations were made that are definitely for an older audience than I thought. I think part of that comes with writing a debut novel, we all fall into that writing trap sometimes. Additionally, I will Alosa’s powers would have been revealed to the reader a little earlier in the novel so that when the “real” plot came in later in the book, the reader could’ve been more familiar with it. Although, I really like the method used in this book of showing the readers the extent and limits of a character’s powers by having them being experimented on for information and exploitation of the power. I thought that was really clever and worked well.
Overall, I had a good time reading this book and it really flew by once I hit the good bits of plot. There were some things I didn’t like but I still want to read the sequel because I believe there is a lot of potential for growth in both the writing and the characters, but I also really want to know what happens next in the adventure. I am a sucker for a pirate story.
My friend Clare recommended this book to me and I hope this review doesn’t sound too complain-y because I really did enjoy it and want to read book 2! Thanks Clare!
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
4.0
SOOOO much of this book is fluff lol, but it’s good fluff so I kept going. Plus, I am a slut for books about fae, and on top of that, have had a special place in my heart for the legend of Tamlin since I was a literal child. I only kinda spoiled myself with the legend, but not really lol.
For a while I didn’t quite know what to make of the characters or the rather meandering plot, but Beauty and the Beast, Tamlin, and fae kept me going and I’m really glad it did. The last 120-ish pages were where all the plot was crammed and boy, was it crammed. There were no slow parts after you hit a certain point and I loved it. It had all the classic trickery, riddles, and chill of a fae story. I love the whole plot device of passing trials in order to win, I think it’s a nice change of pace from straight up fighting the enemy and it worked for Hercules and about a thousand characters in Grimm’s fairytales so I’m behind it.
I’m really excited to read the sequel because I have it on good authority that book 2 is “a masterpiece” and I want that.
(Also i did not realize this book was kinda sexy until it got sexy and then I was confused and had to have someone explain it to me but now i am prepared for it, bring it on book 2)
For a while I didn’t quite know what to make of the characters or the rather meandering plot, but Beauty and the Beast, Tamlin, and fae kept me going and I’m really glad it did. The last 120-ish pages were where all the plot was crammed and boy, was it crammed. There were no slow parts after you hit a certain point and I loved it. It had all the classic trickery, riddles, and chill of a fae story. I love the whole plot device of passing trials in order to win, I think it’s a nice change of pace from straight up fighting the enemy and it worked for Hercules and about a thousand characters in Grimm’s fairytales so I’m behind it.
I’m really excited to read the sequel because I have it on good authority that book 2 is “a masterpiece” and I want that.
(Also i did not realize this book was kinda sexy until it got sexy and then I was confused and had to have someone explain it to me but now i am prepared for it, bring it on book 2)
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
5.0
I like to think of this book as the first step in my self-education of race in America. I feel like this book taught me so much and I would believe it if I was told that I highlighted literally 75% of it.
This book explains concepts like white fragility, white tears, white solidarity, etc that POC in America have to navigate daily. This book sparked lots of understanding in me and has already resulted in several important conversations with some friends/ family. In a way, I feel more prepared to understand racism and the way race permeates literally EV-ER-Y-THING in America.
I definitely recommend this book and am glad to have read it.
This book explains concepts like white fragility, white tears, white solidarity, etc that POC in America have to navigate daily. This book sparked lots of understanding in me and has already resulted in several important conversations with some friends/ family. In a way, I feel more prepared to understand racism and the way race permeates literally EV-ER-Y-THING in America.
I definitely recommend this book and am glad to have read it.
The Rose & the Dagger by Renée Ahdieh
4.0
I don’t think I liked this book as much as the first one but this book still SLAPPED. There was so much betrayal I was getting whiplash and I loved it.
I did kind of wish there was more drama and showmanship in some events in the book and also there were some characters that showed up earlier in the book that I wished made another appearance near the end. Like, it’s a long book, but I wish there was a bit more, which feels crazy to ask for at the same time because SO much happens in this book, but I am greedy.
Additionally, I really recommend reading Jalal and Despina’s little love story novella before reading this because it makes this book hit different.
Also, I would definitely read more of Artan Temujin, he was such a cool character and I wished I could’ve seen more of his relationship with Khalid and Sharhzad. I kind of picture him as a mix between Zuko and Aang from ATLA haha.
Anyways, we stan Renee Ahdieh.
I did kind of wish there was more drama and showmanship in some events in the book and also there were some characters that showed up earlier in the book that I wished made another appearance near the end. Like, it’s a long book, but I wish there was a bit more, which feels crazy to ask for at the same time because SO much happens in this book, but I am greedy.
Additionally, I really recommend reading Jalal and Despina’s little love story novella before reading this because it makes this book hit different.
Also, I would definitely read more of Artan Temujin, he was such a cool character and I wished I could’ve seen more of his relationship with Khalid and Sharhzad. I kind of picture him as a mix between Zuko and Aang from ATLA haha.
Anyways, we stan Renee Ahdieh.
Helter Skelter by Gentry Curt, Vincent Bugliosi
5.0
This book was THICK and it needed to be tbh. I thought I had some idea of what Charles Manson’s philosophy and reasoning was behind his mass murders and creepy “family”. I was wrong. There was so much more to that batshit crazy man than I knew.
This book was really well written and I enjoyed the inside look that Bugliosi provides as the main prosecutor against Manson. Bugliosi is also just a talented writer. I didn’t expect to see so much prosaic writing in this book and yet it was there, so much scene setting and foreshadowing and character profiles. I have to admit the first few chapters of the book were kind of slow for me until we started getting Bugliosi’s perspective on things. Also I just really prefer the trial part of criminal stories like this and once we got to the trial, it was pretty easy breezy for me.
Mostly what I got out of this book was an intense respect for Vincent Bugliosi, who you would think would have an easy job of convicting Manson, but really had to battle the entire way through it. He dealt with police incompetence, an obnoxious defense attorney, death threats from Manson’s “family”, and Charles Manson himself. He was an incredible man.
This book was really well written and I enjoyed the inside look that Bugliosi provides as the main prosecutor against Manson. Bugliosi is also just a talented writer. I didn’t expect to see so much prosaic writing in this book and yet it was there, so much scene setting and foreshadowing and character profiles. I have to admit the first few chapters of the book were kind of slow for me until we started getting Bugliosi’s perspective on things. Also I just really prefer the trial part of criminal stories like this and once we got to the trial, it was pretty easy breezy for me.
Mostly what I got out of this book was an intense respect for Vincent Bugliosi, who you would think would have an easy job of convicting Manson, but really had to battle the entire way through it. He dealt with police incompetence, an obnoxious defense attorney, death threats from Manson’s “family”, and Charles Manson himself. He was an incredible man.
The Wrath & the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh
5.0
Ok, wow. This is one of those books that makes me remember how much I love reading. It is one of those books you stay up until 3 am to finish or skip lunch for. It is one of those books that you think about until you can finish it. I truly, truly loved this book.
The story of 1001 Arabian Nights has always been so fascinating and exciting to me and Renee Ahdieh really did justice to her retelling here. So many things that usually annoy me with less well written YA didn’t happen here. The characters TALKED to each other and confronted problems with each other. They talked about the way they want to be TREATED by one another. I really didn’t think I would ever come around to certain characters but then I did. Just like Shazi. I’m so excited to explore more of Ahdieh’s books because I think I’m a new fan.
Btw I watched a Webinar with Ahdieh on the panel a couple months ago and one of the other authors pointed out how much she writes about food in her writing. I love that and I noticed it too hahaha. This book was a fun read for me and is exactly the kind of book that gets me fired up about YA again. :)
The story of 1001 Arabian Nights has always been so fascinating and exciting to me and Renee Ahdieh really did justice to her retelling here. So many things that usually annoy me with less well written YA didn’t happen here. The characters TALKED to each other and confronted problems with each other. They talked about the way they want to be TREATED by one another. I really didn’t think I would ever come around to certain characters but then I did. Just like Shazi. I’m so excited to explore more of Ahdieh’s books because I think I’m a new fan.
Btw I watched a Webinar with Ahdieh on the panel a couple months ago and one of the other authors pointed out how much she writes about food in her writing. I love that and I noticed it too hahaha. This book was a fun read for me and is exactly the kind of book that gets me fired up about YA again. :)
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
5.0
This might be my favorite book I’ve read all year omg. ACOTAR was a fun read but it didn’t have a ton of plot. THIS BOOK HAD SO MUCH PLOT IT’S CRAZY. I have so much respect for Sarah J. Maas with this baby because she wrote a 600 page masterpiece it is truly *chefs kiss*.
The character growth ALONE makes this an amazing book as well as Maas’ portrayal of depression and PTSD. I don’t know what else to say besides I have a new favorite OTP and I am so happy I read this incredible, incredible book. Idk if I will buy a physical copy of ACOTAR but I am DEFINITELY buying a physical copy of ACOMAF, consider it shipped by the time you read this review. It is not enough for me to borrow it from the library, I must own it and gaze at it on my shelf and maybe reread it again and tab all my favorite bits because it’s what this book deserves.
Thank u Cat and Clare for bringing this immaculate book to my attention I love you guys and your great taste.
The character growth ALONE makes this an amazing book as well as Maas’ portrayal of depression and PTSD. I don’t know what else to say besides I have a new favorite OTP and I am so happy I read this incredible, incredible book. Idk if I will buy a physical copy of ACOTAR but I am DEFINITELY buying a physical copy of ACOMAF, consider it shipped by the time you read this review. It is not enough for me to borrow it from the library, I must own it and gaze at it on my shelf and maybe reread it again and tab all my favorite bits because it’s what this book deserves.
Thank u Cat and Clare for bringing this immaculate book to my attention I love you guys and your great taste.
Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller
3.0
*3.5 stars*
These books are a fun romp, they are very action-packed and quick reads without ever losing that almost light hearted air to them.
I liked this book a little more than the first because instead of Alosa hiding info from the readers, we now got to experience the action and drama in time with her which I usually prefer. The story was fun and interesting and I think I finally got some of that weakness and emotion from Alosa that I felt I was missing in the first book. It definitely helps that she is with her crew and chosen family much more in this book and we can see her emotions from there.
I liked this duology, it was simple and entertaining and O am a sucker for pirates.
These books are a fun romp, they are very action-packed and quick reads without ever losing that almost light hearted air to them.
I liked this book a little more than the first because instead of Alosa hiding info from the readers, we now got to experience the action and drama in time with her which I usually prefer. The story was fun and interesting and I think I finally got some of that weakness and emotion from Alosa that I felt I was missing in the first book. It definitely helps that she is with her crew and chosen family much more in this book and we can see her emotions from there.
I liked this duology, it was simple and entertaining and O am a sucker for pirates.
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
4.0
This was a really smooth, quick read for me which I wasn’t expecting but was pleasantly surprised with. I really liked the world of the four Londons I found it really original and fascinating especially in the way the worlds interact and impact each other. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel super close to the characters through most of the book until later on which would usually kind of turn me off of a novel but I found Schwab’s writing so nice that I just kept going.
I have to say some of my favorite scenes in the book were definitely the fight scenes, they were so imaginative and cool and a little Avatar the Last Airbender-y which is always good. I want to keep reading the series in the hopes that somehow, something good will happen for Holland. It is my greatest wish.
I have to say some of my favorite scenes in the book were definitely the fight scenes, they were so imaginative and cool and a little Avatar the Last Airbender-y which is always good. I want to keep reading the series in the hopes that somehow, something good will happen for Holland. It is my greatest wish.