ginalucia's reviews
496 reviews

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

 The Maidens was absolutely brilliant, until it wasn’t.

In general, I had a lot of fun listening to The Maidens as an audiobook. I was immediately hooked and enjoyed the dark academia vibes immensely. It made you feel on edge right from the get-go. Like you’re unsure who the threat actually is.

The writing is beautiful, with a very thoughtful inner monologue that draws you in. You really feel like you know the character, almost as if you are her.

It's sad, deep, unsettling, and slightly scary. Crime fiction but for the dark academia lover. Plus, with a whole host of Greek Myth references, you know I had fun.

I just didn’t vibe with the end, like at all. 

For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 
Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

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adventurous challenging dark funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 Empire of a Vampire is gothic, gritty, and filled with atmosphere and humour. I read it as an audiobook, which only added to this.

If you enjoyed The Witcher series, but particularly the TV series version, you’ll love this. It’s got those same vibes. Immaculate world-building, gritty characters that feel real, twists and turns, and slow reveals. 

To make it even better than The Witcher (in my opinion), although it’s written by a man, the women within the book are empowering, real, and not abused for the sake of plot.

The storytelling model in this book is a mix between 3rd person and 1st person POV. It works well and lends itself to time jumps and the slow drip of information.

It has everything: vampires, battles, some spice, swearing, gritty morbid horror, a fun and complicated magic system, and great world-building that isn't a rambling lesson, but gradually handed to you through the plot.

Can’t wait to read the next book.

For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 
 
The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

 These Deathless Girls was not what I expected, and honestly, that’s probably my fault for not reading the blurb.

Let’s just say without reading the blurb, the book starts as one thing and transforms into something else. It’s not exactly a bad thing, but it did throw me for a loop.

Aside from that, this book contains some beautiful relationship-building and sweet sapphic romance. 

I very much enjoyed the world-building and wanted more of it, which is why I was surprised when the book wasn’t made into at least a duology. It felt as though it were building to one, but instead, it ended quite abruptly.

It’s a fairly short read, so if you want a quick hit of gothic sapphic romance with a very intriguing magic system, I’d give it a go. Although it may well leave you wanting more of something you’ll likely never get.

For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 
The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Chalice of the Gods was my jump back into the Percy Jackson universe after maybe 17 years, and I had a great time.

This book does a good job of getting you back into the swing of the story and characters but weaving in information to catch you up.

Percy's POV-style inner monologue is as fun as it ever was. Although I feel slightly more adult, that makes sense, considering he's a bit older.

It’s filled with sarcastic humour, pop culture references, and tongue-in-cheek adapted Greek Myth. Created for a younger audience, of course. It's good fun 

For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 
Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 Goddess of the River is a brilliant retelling of an Indian epic and one I very much enjoyed, with a few thoughts. 

Note: As I said with Kaikeyi, my opinion and feelings about this book come from my Western perspective. I know very little about ancient Indian epics, so take that into consideration.

Vaishnavi Patel has a brilliant way of mixing the divine with humanity by showing the world from different perspectives. Particularly when it comes to our main character Ganga, seeing how her mind shifts depending on her situation is done so subtly, you see her character evolve even as a divine being. 

Just like Kaikeyi, it’s beautifully written, if a little slower. As an impatient reader, I didn’t feel the impact of this at all. Instead, I enjoyed being able to sink into the world.

There was one thing that threw me off the story, though, and that was the shift in perspective and time jumps. They’re a little jarring, and when they first appear, the sheer number of names and new characters are hard to contend with.

The chapters with Ganga are much stronger because we’ve grown with her. We know her. The other chapters are less so. 

Having said this, I’m keeping this book at 4 stars. The shifts and jumps did throw me for a loop and took some time to get used to, but the writing and story are done so well that I can’t bring it down further.

Please check the content warnings on this one!

For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 
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Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel

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adventurous emotional reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 It took me way too long to read Kaikeyi!

Note: My opinion and feelings about this book come from my Western perspective. I know very little about ancient Indian epics, so take that into consideration.

Kaikeyi is very reminiscent of the mythology retellings I enjoy so much. It tells a well-known story from an alternative perspective and weaves in elements of feminism.

The language is emotive, focusing on Kaikeyi navigating her power, relationships, and the societal limits of her gender.

If you’re a fan of retellings like Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati or Medea by Rosie Hewlett, this has similar vibes.

The magic we see most in this book is something called the Binding Plane. It was so detailed and vivid that when the story started to slow, this fantasy element kept me hooked. It provided a way to see how relationship dynamics worked and Kaikeyi’s place in them all.

And let's give a nod to that asexual rep because it's not only brilliant, it's subtle yet solid, and blended right into the story with ease. 

The pace was slower, but even for an impatient reader like me, I enjoyed it. It gave me room to appreciate the relationships and the slow build instead.

Kaikeyi was a joy to read. It’s one of those books you don't want to put down and are excited to get back to. 

For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 

 
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The End Crowns All by Bea Fitzgerald

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emotional hopeful tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 
The End Crowns All is bold, creative, and clever.

If you think you’re getting a gritty, dark, and true retelling of the Trojan War, you’re not. Instead, you’re getting a sapphic reimagining with asexual representation and a twist. 

I’m going to be honest, it took me a while to get into this one. It starts slow, takes time to build, and perhaps could be a little faster. But once I got going, I got it.

Dialogue is the main attraction, Bea has a fantastic way of showing you character personality through conversation. This book is less about atmosphere and more about relationships. At first, that stumped me, but once the winding plot picked up, I was in.

This is YA, so it leaves out some of the reality of the war, especially when it comes to women. But this doesn’t make the book feel any less heavy, it just shows you a different perspective. 

The one thing that did feel missing for me, was a clear distinction between mortals and the Gods. They’re written to feel more human, which could be intentional, but I wanted more distinction to give you that earth-shaking feeling when they turn up.

Regardless, I grew to really enjoy this unique take on the story, and yet again, I’m left surprised at another retelling of Troy that somehow manages to be different.

For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 
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A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 
This is the type of book I want more of. I want it to go deeper, I want it to last longer, I just want more.

A Magical Girl Retires was so fun. It took the concept of a magical girl and made it modern yet kept some of that whimsical fun I remember from actually watching magical girl anime.

It took me a little while to get into the story, mostly because it was so fast. Instead of that speed, I wanted to know more, to sink into the world and place myself within it.

I ultimately couldn’t do that and now I can only hope another story like it finds its way to me.

For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 
Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newport

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informative medium-paced

3.0

Let me start by saying I’m a fan of Cal Newport. But I do wonder if there’s a limit to how many times you can write a book about such similar topics and make it unique. In this case, I don’t think this is it.

Slow Productivity interested me because I tend to be one of those overly productive people who struggles to prioritise myself over just being productive all the time.

So let’s just say I had a specific need I hoped the book would help me work through. 

It didn’t.

Cal does a great job of breaking down specific topics via credible stories, but in this case, these stories were so unrelatable I struggled to think my way into them. He’s very self-aware of this and acknowledges their unrealisticness. But as he does so, the alternative solutions he comes up with are also pretty unrealistic and inflexible.

He seemed quite unsure of his own advice. Like the principles in the book weren't as fleshed out or as confident as they were in Deep Work or Digital Minimalism.

Instead of feeling motivated to do less, or be productive in a slow way, I now feel motivated to work more. Which seems counterintuitive. 

For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 
Epilogues for Lost Gods by Cat Rector

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 36%.
The modern references just didn't quite work for me sadly. Still fantastic writing though!