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feralnebulous's reviews
108 reviews
Tangerine by Edward Bloor
5.0
It's been a while since I last read this book, so my review might not be the most accurate, but that's how it's going to be.
I first read this book in my eighth grade English class and after finishing it, everyone complained about how much they absolutely hated it. Honestly, I don't blame them, I've never been the biggest fan of books I was required to read for school (with maybe two exceptions), but I decided to go back and revisit this book when I was in high school. It's an absolute masterpiece. It has its flaws, as most middle grade books do, but there's something about the way that it was written that just captivated me. The ambiance and atmosphere of it all is pretty grim (which I LOVED) and it complements the story so well. I understand that this wouldn't be appealing to everyone, but it really helped me get into the story more. I love how Bloor isn't afraid to explore the darker side of human nature with this book and I'll definitely be re-reading it again soon.
I first read this book in my eighth grade English class and after finishing it, everyone complained about how much they absolutely hated it. Honestly, I don't blame them, I've never been the biggest fan of books I was required to read for school (with maybe two exceptions), but I decided to go back and revisit this book when I was in high school. It's an absolute masterpiece. It has its flaws, as most middle grade books do, but there's something about the way that it was written that just captivated me. The ambiance and atmosphere of it all is pretty grim (which I LOVED) and it complements the story so well. I understand that this wouldn't be appealing to everyone, but it really helped me get into the story more. I love how Bloor isn't afraid to explore the darker side of human nature with this book and I'll definitely be re-reading it again soon.
The King of Crows by Libba Bray
3.0
My thoughts on this are very mixed. I liked this book, honestly I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed this series, but it still left something to be desired. I loved the character development (I no longer absolutely loathe Evie as a protagonist! Yay!) and the relationships the characters had with each other. I just felt that there was something more that could have been done to make it actually exciting. I found the ending poetic and beautiful, but still very anticlimactic. I still never saw the King of Crows as a big threat. Most of the time he just sat around. Best part of the book was probably when Isaiah dies, that was absolutely heartbreaking, and it was a sweet moment when he came back. Honestly, the second book is still the best one in the series. Those are my final thoughts, though I'm still processing all the feelings I have about this series.
Entwined by Heather Dixon Wallwork
3.0
I'm surprised I haven't written a review for this yet since I've probably read it upwards of 5 times, but I truly don't know why I keep reading it. I'd give it a 2.5 stars at best, every time I decide to pick it up again, it gets a bit worse. In usual fashion, I'll talk about some pros and cons.
PROS:
1. The atmosphere. I think the author does a phenomenal job with how the book really makes you feel. Something about the whole wintery, snowed in, dark castle vibe really gets me going.
2. The dancing. I liked it well enough.
3. I'm writing this after having not read this in a WHILE, but as far as I can remember, I think I liked the main protagonist well enough, she was alright in my book.
CONS:
1. The NAMES. Holy wow I get that we're sticking with the alphabetical order thing, but who in their right mind names a child Bramble? Or Evening Primrose? I guess we really challenged ourselves with the whole floral thing. I will absolutely never get over the naming premise of this book.
2. The villain. I really can't remember a ton about him, but he was just kind of mediocre to me.
3. The overall book. It just leaves something to be desired for whatever reason, I really can't explain this one. I just didn't like it enough I guess.
In conclusion, go watch Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses, it's much better.
PROS:
1. The atmosphere. I think the author does a phenomenal job with how the book really makes you feel. Something about the whole wintery, snowed in, dark castle vibe really gets me going.
2. The dancing. I liked it well enough.
3. I'm writing this after having not read this in a WHILE, but as far as I can remember, I think I liked the main protagonist well enough, she was alright in my book.
CONS:
1. The NAMES. Holy wow I get that we're sticking with the alphabetical order thing, but who in their right mind names a child Bramble? Or Evening Primrose? I guess we really challenged ourselves with the whole floral thing. I will absolutely never get over the naming premise of this book.
2. The villain. I really can't remember a ton about him, but he was just kind of mediocre to me.
3. The overall book. It just leaves something to be desired for whatever reason, I really can't explain this one. I just didn't like it enough I guess.
In conclusion, go watch Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses, it's much better.
The Night Shift by Alex Finlay
3.0
I do like that I finished this book in just about 1 sitting, it's been a while since I've had a book that was engaging enough for me to sit there with it. Maybe this is my fault for always skimming when I read, but honestly I feel like I missed a lot of detail during this book and then just got wildly confused whenever some big reveal happened. The story was fine enough, some of the twists did catch me a little by surprise though I had already sort of guessed them, just with the wrong people substituted in. The red herrings in this were absolutely maddening, too many of them just seemed out of left field for no good reason. All of this being said, the book was still fine, engaging enough for me.
(men try to accurately write a pregnant woman character challenge (impossible))
(men try to accurately write a pregnant woman character challenge (impossible))
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
2.0
Maybe. Just maybe. If I wrote all my papers. Like this. They, too, would be critically acclaimed.
All jokes aside, maybe I'm being too harsh on the writing but the fragmented sentences just would not stop. I think this really just made me a bigger fan of run-ons. As for the story itself, it was fine. The slow buildup did not give a satisfying payoff, but the biggest thing for me was things happened in this book that are not physically possible (those who know will get it). I'm always glad to have something to read, but this one was a chore to get through.
All jokes aside, maybe I'm being too harsh on the writing but the fragmented sentences just would not stop. I think this really just made me a bigger fan of run-ons. As for the story itself, it was fine. The slow buildup did not give a satisfying payoff, but the biggest thing for me was things happened in this book that are not physically possible (those who know will get it). I'm always glad to have something to read, but this one was a chore to get through.
Ghost Virus by Graham Masterton
2.0
This feels like an evil version of The Pale Green Pants by Dr. Seuss, but much worse. It had me hooked for a little bit, but the premise was too silly to be scared of. Not only that, but I found this to be a bit of a slog to get through towards the end.
Trust Me When I Lie by Benjamin Stevenson
2.0
There were a lot of choices made in this book!
To start, you can definitely tell the author is first a comedian, then an author. I didn't find this book to be particularly clever, especially when I was trying to find a mystery with shocking twists and turns. The way that flashbacks and descriptions were woven in with the regular story progression/dialogue was confusing, though I probably read too fast. A few more thoughts in a list:
1. How old is Jack supposed to be in this? I'd assume in his 30s or so, just based on general descriptions and my gut feelings, so why are there scenes with some strange romantic subtext between him and the 20-year-old sister of the man he was just able to get out of jail? Worse yet, Jack describes her as a "20-year-old teenager", referring to the fact that he was most familiar with her 16-year-old self when her brother initially went to jail. Strange behavior, that's all I'm saying, but it could also be written off as manipulation on her part, given what we see in the last page.
2. The "Nail-Biter Killer" could possibly the worst made up name a book has come up with. You couldn't possibly sit at the drawing board a little bit longer to cook up something that rolls off the tongue a bit better, could you buddy?
3. While the final reveal (of sorts) was finally what I was begging this book for, the revalations leading up to it felt awfully rushed. Again, could be my fault for reading too quickly.
4. Jack is both complex and entirely uncompelling as a protagonist. He does have some things going for him, but it seems to be a large case of "me me me" with him. "An acquaintance is murdered? I'm going to go make this situation about ME because MY very successful TV show is definitely the thing that got her killed! (watch it Sundays at 7/8 central)" Also, somehow almost every woman around him is attracted to him. Author self-insert? Definitely a possibility.
5. The atmosphere is actually pretty good, I haven't been to Australia but now I feel like I could convincingly pretend I have been.
All of my complaints aside, I'm just glad for a book I could breeze through over the span of 15 or so hours. I would say that counts as a win.
To start, you can definitely tell the author is first a comedian, then an author. I didn't find this book to be particularly clever, especially when I was trying to find a mystery with shocking twists and turns. The way that flashbacks and descriptions were woven in with the regular story progression/dialogue was confusing, though I probably read too fast. A few more thoughts in a list:
1. How old is Jack supposed to be in this? I'd assume in his 30s or so, just based on general descriptions and my gut feelings, so why are there scenes with some strange romantic subtext between him and the 20-year-old sister of the man he was just able to get out of jail? Worse yet, Jack describes her as a "20-year-old teenager", referring to the fact that he was most familiar with her 16-year-old self when her brother initially went to jail. Strange behavior, that's all I'm saying, but it could also be written off as manipulation on her part, given what we see in the last page.
2. The "Nail-Biter Killer" could possibly the worst made up name a book has come up with. You couldn't possibly sit at the drawing board a little bit longer to cook up something that rolls off the tongue a bit better, could you buddy?
3. While the final reveal (of sorts) was finally what I was begging this book for, the revalations leading up to it felt awfully rushed. Again, could be my fault for reading too quickly.
4. Jack is both complex and entirely uncompelling as a protagonist. He does have some things going for him, but it seems to be a large case of "me me me" with him. "An acquaintance is murdered? I'm going to go make this situation about ME because MY very successful TV show is definitely the thing that got her killed! (watch it Sundays at 7/8 central)" Also, somehow almost every woman around him is attracted to him. Author self-insert? Definitely a possibility.
5. The atmosphere is actually pretty good, I haven't been to Australia but now I feel like I could convincingly pretend I have been.
All of my complaints aside, I'm just glad for a book I could breeze through over the span of 15 or so hours. I would say that counts as a win.
Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson
2.0
I feel the narrator thought he did something in this book, but it was setting us up to expect an unreliable narrator the entire time, but maybe the book expected that the reader would expect that, which leads me in the circle of thought I've been stuck in while reading this.
On another note, one thing this book does not do well is momentum. I found myself begging at the author's feet for another flashback scene instead of "I got up, I ate some breakfast, I went to the bookstore, I read this book, I thought about things, I went home, I ate some dinner, I stayed up reading." I understand that it's important to set up things like that, and it's supposed to be some sort of memoir (I'm sure mine would sound equally as boring), but I didn't like it so it didn't work for me. All in all, I find myself at a loss for words for how to describe my thoughts on this book. It wasn't satisfying, but it wasn't a waste of time either, I just found it rather bland.
On another note, one thing this book does not do well is momentum. I found myself begging at the author's feet for another flashback scene instead of "I got up, I ate some breakfast, I went to the bookstore, I read this book, I thought about things, I went home, I ate some dinner, I stayed up reading." I understand that it's important to set up things like that, and it's supposed to be some sort of memoir (I'm sure mine would sound equally as boring), but I didn't like it so it didn't work for me. All in all, I find myself at a loss for words for how to describe my thoughts on this book. It wasn't satisfying, but it wasn't a waste of time either, I just found it rather bland.