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hippolyta_vi's reviews
142 reviews
The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom
I feel like giving this book a star rating would do it a disservice. Not because it's the best thing I've ever read, but because, even though I didn't 100% love it, I have to admit that it was expertly crafted.
This book is about hope and love and fate and despair and humanity and perseverance and music. It is a love letter to music so I highly recommend it to any musicians.
My critiques lie in how Frankie managed to meet like...every famous musician ever by coincidence, happenstance, fate, or otherwise. I don't understand what being a celebrity is like, but the way he met people seemed a bit farfetched. I definitely had to suspend my disbelief...a lot. This extended to all of the fated aspects of Frankie's own life, though this becomes clearer at the end of the novel. I can overlook this though.
The one thing I can't overlook is the characterization of Aurora and Josefa. They exist to serve Frankie - not in a blatant servitude way, but to serve his character. Aurora was just the love of his life. Just the woman he often mistreated but always came back to. She was just his guiding light. And Josefa,well her entire life was dedicated to Frankie. Almost every fortuitous thing that happens to him is by her hand. She literally follows him across the globe because of her guilt. She is his guardian angel which I guess is supposed to be beautiful but I just thought was sad.
This book is about hope and love and fate and despair and humanity and perseverance and music. It is a love letter to music so I highly recommend it to any musicians.
My critiques lie in how Frankie managed to meet like...every famous musician ever by coincidence, happenstance, fate, or otherwise. I don't understand what being a celebrity is like, but the way he met people seemed a bit farfetched. I definitely had to suspend my disbelief...a lot. This extended to all of the fated aspects of Frankie's own life, though this becomes clearer at the end of the novel. I can overlook this though.
The one thing I can't overlook is the characterization of Aurora and Josefa. They exist to serve Frankie - not in a blatant servitude way, but to serve his character. Aurora was just the love of his life. Just the woman he often mistreated but always came back to. She was just his guiding light. And Josefa,
Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Red Tower Books, publishing gorgeous garbage since 20XX.
If you're someone who doesn't really care about writing style, or if you know poor writing doesn't matter much in your reading experience, I think you'll have a great time here. The whole time I was reading this, I wanted to take a pen and edit the sh*t out of it.
This book has a really intriguing plot and characters that could've been some of my favourites, except the writing style was so incredibly juvenile. I have yet again been duped by a comparison to Six of Crows. I should just stop taking recommendations seriously when they compare a book to SOC. Nothing will ever compare to the perfection that is SOC.
The author of this book has clearly never heard the writing rule "show, don't tell" because all she did was tell. Hardly anything was strategically or artfully revealed, just blatantly told to the reader via diary-entry-like character POVs. On one hand, I can appreciate that she tried to give each character a distinct voice. On the other hand, Royo's thoughts and narration made me want to tear my hair out. I settled for visceral cringing instead.
And justice for Sora for real. Here we have an incredibly complex character who is boiled down to Pretty™. And the enemies to lovers romance does her character such a disservice. I'm actually mad.
Also, the world building was so weak. Anytime a location was mentioned, I immediately wiped the detail from my mind because I knew it would be pointless information.
(You may be thinking, why didn't you DNF it if you hated it to much? The story was still good! And I wanted to know how it ended! The journey getting there was rough)
The ending did have me gagged though.
If you're someone who doesn't really care about writing style, or if you know poor writing doesn't matter much in your reading experience, I think you'll have a great time here. The whole time I was reading this, I wanted to take a pen and edit the sh*t out of it.
This book has a really intriguing plot and characters that could've been some of my favourites, except the writing style was so incredibly juvenile. I have yet again been duped by a comparison to Six of Crows. I should just stop taking recommendations seriously when they compare a book to SOC. Nothing will ever compare to the perfection that is SOC.
The author of this book has clearly never heard the writing rule "show, don't tell" because all she did was tell. Hardly anything was strategically or artfully revealed, just blatantly told to the reader via diary-entry-like character POVs. On one hand, I can appreciate that she tried to give each character a distinct voice. On the other hand, Royo's thoughts and narration made me want to tear my hair out. I settled for visceral cringing instead.
And justice for Sora for real. Here we have an incredibly complex character who is boiled down to Pretty™. And the enemies to lovers romance does her character such a disservice. I'm actually mad.
Also, the world building was so weak. Anytime a location was mentioned, I immediately wiped the detail from my mind because I knew it would be pointless information.
(You may be thinking, why didn't you DNF it if you hated it to much? The story was still good! And I wanted to know how it ended! The journey getting there was rough)
The ending did have me gagged though.
Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall
2.75
I've never read a book that has gotten worse as it went on. Until now. This book started so promising. I thought the third-party narration would be really fun, but I just wanted to be inside the characters heads. It was cheeky, the plot was enticing, the characters were fun, but all the fun ended about halfway through. After that, it was back and forth and so many problems that were actually the same problem over and over. The pacing and plotting of this story was SO odd and made for a really boring reading experience. I think I completely skimmed the last 25%
I do have to give the author credit for writing my new favorite character. I need Miss Bickle in everything.
I do have to give the author credit for writing my new favorite character. I need Miss Bickle in everything.
Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray
I'm thoroughly enjoying this series, though I can't really put a star rating on it - a number won't die Libba Bray's storytelling justice.
I don't belong to any of the marginalized communities she includes, but it seems like she really does them justice and that there was a lot of research and consultation involved in the making of the Diviners series. It's the dedication to her craft that will make me pick up the last few book in the series.
One fault would be the length of the book. Some call for less perspectives, but I actually really enjoy multiple character perspectives. It keeps me on my toes. However, I could do with less of the POVs of random citizens falling ill or dying. I got it the first time, and the second time, I don't really need any more exposition than that. I guess it's purpose is to spook the reader?
I don't belong to any of the marginalized communities she includes, but it seems like she really does them justice and that there was a lot of research and consultation involved in the making of the Diviners series. It's the dedication to her craft that will make me pick up the last few book in the series.
One fault would be the length of the book. Some call for less perspectives, but I actually really enjoy multiple character perspectives. It keeps me on my toes. However, I could do with less of the POVs of random citizens falling ill or dying. I got it the first time, and the second time, I don't really need any more exposition than that. I guess it's purpose is to spook the reader?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Racism
Minor: Blood
A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal
Did not finish book. Stopped at 54%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 54%.
DNF'd at 50%, why not just finish it?
Oh, I did. I really, really did. I had high hopes for this book and it ended up falling flat on its face.
A lot of the other reviews here perfectly encapsulate this novel. It's just boring. Somehow, with such an intriguing idea and plot, it's so very boring. Every night I would sit down to read this and every night my mind would wander, thinking about everything except for what was on the page.
Where to begin. It seems as though the author tells when she should be showing (don't *tell* me Arthie is a hardened criminal, SHOW ME! you're trying to make me believe she's on par with Kaz Brekker and yet she's made her name in Ettenia by not being violent? What does she do, brood until people quiver?) and showing when she should be telling (the lack of description...I stg).
I failed to be immersed in any capacity into the world. Ettenia is clearly some sort of England, so I guess the author is just trusting that you can imagine a psuedo-London instead of describing the atmosphere and culture.
Why only include the POVs of 3 characters when there are 5 members involved in the heist, I do not know. Having POVs from just Arthie and Jin I could understand, but adding Flick into the mix just made me question the exclusion of Laith and Matteo:s perspectives. Additionally, I couldn't get a full grasp on the characters. The way they are portrayed in their POV didn't seem to match up to how they acted in the other characters' POVs which could actually be intriguing. It could've been purposely depicting how people are duplicitous and/or complex. Instead, it just muddled the characters and gave us incomplete portrayals.
My goal was to finish this book, but nothing about it made me want to turn another page or reach the heist. Yes. After over 50% of the book, I still did not reach any form of heist. The plotting and preparation takes up so much time and is so convoluted and dry. What I find magic about heist stories is what happens off the page. I don't want the semantics. I want action! I want to see how the meticulous planning of clever criminals and their niche skillsets unravel an excellently executed heist, even better when something goes awry and the characters have to think of their toes. Any forms of that in this novel were just so underwhelming.
TLDR: just (re)read Six of Crows
Oh, I did. I really, really did. I had high hopes for this book and it ended up falling flat on its face.
A lot of the other reviews here perfectly encapsulate this novel. It's just boring. Somehow, with such an intriguing idea and plot, it's so very boring. Every night I would sit down to read this and every night my mind would wander, thinking about everything except for what was on the page.
Where to begin. It seems as though the author tells when she should be showing (don't *tell* me Arthie is a hardened criminal, SHOW ME! you're trying to make me believe she's on par with Kaz Brekker and yet she's made her name in Ettenia by not being violent? What does she do, brood until people quiver?) and showing when she should be telling (the lack of description...I stg).
I failed to be immersed in any capacity into the world. Ettenia is clearly some sort of England, so I guess the author is just trusting that you can imagine a psuedo-London instead of describing the atmosphere and culture.
Why only include the POVs of 3 characters when there are 5 members involved in the heist, I do not know. Having POVs from just Arthie and Jin I could understand, but adding Flick into the mix just made me question the exclusion of Laith and Matteo:s perspectives. Additionally, I couldn't get a full grasp on the characters. The way they are portrayed in their POV didn't seem to match up to how they acted in the other characters' POVs which could actually be intriguing. It could've been purposely depicting how people are duplicitous and/or complex. Instead, it just muddled the characters and gave us incomplete portrayals.
My goal was to finish this book, but nothing about it made me want to turn another page or reach the heist. Yes. After over 50% of the book, I still did not reach any form of heist. The plotting and preparation takes up so much time and is so convoluted and dry. What I find magic about heist stories is what happens off the page. I don't want the semantics. I want action! I want to see how the meticulous planning of clever criminals and their niche skillsets unravel an excellently executed heist, even better when something goes awry and the characters have to think of their toes. Any forms of that in this novel were just so underwhelming.
TLDR: just (re)read Six of Crows
Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn
I feel like I just read an entire series in one book. My mind is reeling omg.
I don't love all the plot decisions made in this series but hey, I'm having fun.
also...... we're totally getting an ot3 right???
I don't love all the plot decisions made in this series but hey, I'm having fun.
also...... we're totally getting an ot3 right???