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hollyplebeau's reviews
655 reviews
Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli
5.0
This was the perfect book to get me out of my fantasy slump. Quick, easy, fun read with loveable characters and plot. The setting of an English/london regency was not expected but I loved it. It's kind of a predictable witch hunt plot but the end twist still had me surprised! Really enjoyable read.
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
1.75
I didn't quite connect to this one as much as I hoped. But the characters were cute and the setting was cute too. It's a cute contemporary YA and if it were a TV show/movie I'd still watch it.
Imagine Me by Tahereh Mafi
5.0
This was all excitement the entire book. I thought maybe I was missing the last book cause with the way things were going I wasn't sure how they were going to wrap it up because things kept happening!! What a way to end the series. I'm shocked they haven't brought this dystopian to television yet - they need to!!
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
1.5
"I want a patch for this shit, Violet [Rebecca]. A quest squad patch. Understand?"
I feel like I need something to show for the fact I made it through this book alive. Why did I struggle so much. I think I read more of my college textbooks than I did this book. A 500 page book does not take me 3 weeks to finish. I finished and was invested in many other fantasy/romantasy books than this.
I went into this book with an open mind and zero expectations and it was just....bad. I stopped taking notes of my thoughts because I kept getting frustrated with the book. It was incredibly repetitive. The chapters followed a pattern of battle talk one chapter, Xaden and Violet drama or love scene next chapter, random attack next chapter, repeat after the other. Everything felt incomplete and underwhelming. Something would happen, and I would get excited, and then it would be resolved a page later. The pacing was hard to endure. Things started to pick up around 300 pages? But it should not take 300 pages/35 chapters for me to get interested finally in the plot.
So many people did rereads to remember what happened and to get familiar with characters and places. Many created guides. A good book should not require a study guide to get through. There was way too much being thrown at you. I felt like there was also a lot of information, details, people, thrown in as useless tidbits or for shock value but it didn't amount to anything.
Speaking of characters.... I feel like the dragons lost their personalities. I felt like many of the main characters lost their personalities and were all casted as background. There was too much going on to get actual character development or story with any of them - including Xaden and Violet. But I will say, Ridoc and Mira stayed loveable characters for me.
This book really should have been a third person multiple pov, in my opinion. Especially since she did a multiple pov switch at the end, I think the book would have felt more well rounded and information to the plot (whatever it was) could have been easily followed. OR this book would have made a great trilogy. 5 books seems like too much for whatever is happening.
The cliff hangers at the end of the book don't even get me excited or angry, I'm just overall annoyed with this book and don't see myself in a hurry to continue the series. Huge disappoinment.
~~
"Pain isn't always a competition," I assure him. "There's always enough to go around."
"You look tired."
"Just what every man wants to hear from the person he loves."
"I mean it. Whiners don't wear black,"
"In a life without magic, he best medicine is time,"
"Oh, and just so we're clear, that strike up there wasn't" - Ridoc gestures between us - "you know. Us." He flinches.
"Well aware," Xaden replies. "First because I trust Violet, and second" - he glances at Ridoc in a dismissive once-over- "it wasn't a big enough strike."
I feel like I need something to show for the fact I made it through this book alive. Why did I struggle so much. I think I read more of my college textbooks than I did this book. A 500 page book does not take me 3 weeks to finish. I finished and was invested in many other fantasy/romantasy books than this.
I went into this book with an open mind and zero expectations and it was just....bad. I stopped taking notes of my thoughts because I kept getting frustrated with the book. It was incredibly repetitive. The chapters followed a pattern of battle talk one chapter, Xaden and Violet drama or love scene next chapter, random attack next chapter, repeat after the other. Everything felt incomplete and underwhelming. Something would happen, and I would get excited, and then it would be resolved a page later. The pacing was hard to endure. Things started to pick up around 300 pages? But it should not take 300 pages/35 chapters for me to get interested finally in the plot.
So many people did rereads to remember what happened and to get familiar with characters and places. Many created guides. A good book should not require a study guide to get through. There was way too much being thrown at you. I felt like there was also a lot of information, details, people, thrown in as useless tidbits or for shock value but it didn't amount to anything.
Speaking of characters.... I feel like the dragons lost their personalities. I felt like many of the main characters lost their personalities and were all casted as background. There was too much going on to get actual character development or story with any of them - including Xaden and Violet. But I will say, Ridoc and Mira stayed loveable characters for me.
This book really should have been a third person multiple pov, in my opinion. Especially since she did a multiple pov switch at the end, I think the book would have felt more well rounded and information to the plot (whatever it was) could have been easily followed. OR this book would have made a great trilogy. 5 books seems like too much for whatever is happening.
The cliff hangers at the end of the book don't even get me excited or angry, I'm just overall annoyed with this book and don't see myself in a hurry to continue the series. Huge disappoinment.
~~
"Pain isn't always a competition," I assure him. "There's always enough to go around."
"You look tired."
"Just what every man wants to hear from the person he loves."
"I mean it. Whiners don't wear black,"
"In a life without magic, he best medicine is time,"
"Oh, and just so we're clear, that strike up there wasn't" - Ridoc gestures between us - "you know. Us." He flinches.
"Well aware," Xaden replies. "First because I trust Violet, and second" - he glances at Ridoc in a dismissive once-over- "it wasn't a big enough strike."
Barely Even Friends by Mae Bennett
1.25
I wanted to like this because who doesn't love a fairytale retelling, especially for our number one bookworm, Belle. Unfortunately, it didn't hit for me at all, so was pretty disappointed. I didn't like the characters or the plot but thought the effort was there.
The pet name "Petal" was also too much for me to handle. Even after the explanation at the end it is just too cringe for me.
The pet name "Petal" was also too much for me to handle. Even after the explanation at the end it is just too cringe for me.
Find Me by Tahereh Mafi
5.0
I love that these novellas were all Kenji's pov. He's such a loveable character and love what he brings to the series.
Defy Me by Tahereh Mafi
5.0
Holy crap. This was the best book of the series by far. I loved that it included povs from Juliette, Warner, and Kenji, and it made the full story come alive. So many plot points came to light and it was so interesting and well done and exciting.
Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen
3.5
I love that in LKJ's books the Chinese culture is so clearly represented. I wanted alllllll the chinese pastries since the first chapter! I think the setting/usage of the Chinese zodiacs and compatibility was cute and creative.
~~
“Maybe there is beauty in opening yourself up to the love you don't expect and traits that will keep you guessing. Because compatible or incompatible, we're all just trying to love and be loved, however that might look.”
“Remember, our greatest qualities can also be our most inhibiting.”
“All we can do is act on what we know in this moment in time.”
~~
“Maybe there is beauty in opening yourself up to the love you don't expect and traits that will keep you guessing. Because compatible or incompatible, we're all just trying to love and be loved, however that might look.”
“Remember, our greatest qualities can also be our most inhibiting.”
“All we can do is act on what we know in this moment in time.”
Happily Never After by Lynn Painter
3.25
This one had a cute setting and setup for the characters - wedding objectors?! So fun and kinda funny. But I didn't click to it as much as I thought I would. However, Larry & Rose were so hilarious and made this book so much better.
~~
"The truth is that who gives a flying fuck if you've been hurt in the past? Who cares if you've been cheated on? You have to get hurt to get to the good stuff, don't you see?"
"When you're a baby, you don't stop taking steps jus because you've fallen once, or you'd never walk. The falls help you learn how to walk, for fuck's sake, to make balance and gait adjustments."
~~
"The truth is that who gives a flying fuck if you've been hurt in the past? Who cares if you've been cheated on? You have to get hurt to get to the good stuff, don't you see?"
"When you're a baby, you don't stop taking steps jus because you've fallen once, or you'd never walk. The falls help you learn how to walk, for fuck's sake, to make balance and gait adjustments."
Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi
4.5
Yesssss!!! Oh my gosh so many great things happened in this book! I am so in this journey! All the characters are still so loveable and am excited for the new characters introduced and ones that were mentioned that will appear in future books.