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imme_van_gorp's Reviews (778)
I love Hunt, but no one can convince me that this wasn’t actually a true love story about the friendship between Bryce and Danika. Those two loved each other so fiercely; their love could withstand anything and it was one in which each would sacrifice everything for the other. I can honestly say that a lot of the selfless, brave, and tragic things they did for each other genuinely brought tears to my eyes. They are the definition of ride or die, and thus, Danika’s own motto described them best:
Through love, all is possible.
For me, all of this book’s characters really came to life and I truly began to care for them. I could feel their grief, their longing, and their struggle but also their joy, bravery and perserverance (especially when it came to Bryce, of course). I became so invested in all of their feelings and in all of the complex relationships Bryce had with people; I could never, for a second, say that I got bored of it.
I mean, take her relationship with her brother, Ruhn, for example; it really had me in a chokehold from beginning to end and each interaction had me completely in its grip! I just loved all the different kinds of love that Bryce was developing and grieving and slowly understanding; familial, platonic, or romantic; old or new.
In all truth, though, I do understand why some people struggled with this book because of its immense length. Its pacing isn’t always the best and it even drags at times. Nonetheless, I was completely sucked into this murder-mystery story with all its twist and turns, this brutal yet also fantastical world, and, most of all, these complex but loveable characters. Thus, I can’t deny I was fully engaged from beginning to end.
And wow, what a truly fantastic beginning and end it was!! Both had me completely shocked and at the edge of my seat!
I mean, I did not see the course of the first part of this book coming at all, and so when we… lost certain people, I was completely heartbroken and shattered. I had already formed a really strong connection to a lot of those people and to then see them… suffer that fate… Damn. That really hit me unexpectedly and therefore all the more strongly.
But then, of course, the last part of this book was also so strong in the way it truly felt like a culmination and climax of everything that had been building, and it didn’t fail to satisfy in a single regard.
In summary, this book is a big commitment and long journey, but one that’s worth it in my opinion.
Genuine question: If he truly desired her so much, why didn’t he just ask her to marry him from the get go? Like, the disrespect of him continuously offering for her to be his mistress got on my damn nerves, but it was also just so silly, since he knew he could have had her through marriage, if only he asked. She would have said yes. So what was the point of him pining after her in such a useless and stupid way, only ever talking about a mistress position instead of simply offering marriage? It really reinforced my idea that they only had lust between them, not love.
And then, when at the halfway point of the book they do, in fact, marry (because apparently he was capable of that after all… shocker), I wasn’t sure what I was even still reading this for. It should have basically been the end. The game was over. They were together. They were happy. They were settling down, finding a place together. It was an epilogue that lasted forever.
All in all, I was just pretty damn bored.
And then, when at the halfway point of the book they do, in fact, marry (because apparently he was capable of that after all… shocker), I wasn’t sure what I was even still reading this for. It should have basically been the end. The game was over. They were together. They were happy. They were settling down, finding a place together. It was an epilogue that lasted forever.
All in all, I was just pretty damn bored.
There are absolutely no strong personalities or big events in this book, and nobody even feels like a truly living person, which, surprisingly, is exactly what makes the anti-war message this book wants to portray so strong.
There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most of the people are so sick and so much the listless playthings of enormous forces. One of the main effects of war, after all, is that people are discouraged from being characters.
Instead of another story filled with brotherhood and heroism that one often finds when it comes to these kinds of stories, this shows a (more realistic?) side of war where all people have turned into empty, weak shells and are all just staring gloomily ahead, trying to live day to day without a single thought going on inside their brains. This book shows how war truly destroys people; not through fear, rage or tragedy (which are the stories we already know), but through utter and complete emptiness.
How nice — to feel nothing, and still get full credit for being alive.
When I started this book, I was expecting a story exactly as I have just mentioned we have seen plenty of times before; I expected a story of fear, rage and tragedy. Afterall, it’s about one of the biggest massacres of European history, namely the Bombing of Dresden during World War II. Obviously I would expect a grand and emotional and intense story with that, but instead… I got this. And somehow, that might be exactly the kind of war stories we actually need. Even if they aren’t as “entertaining” as the stories we are used to… After all, why would we like to see beauty or bravery or entertainment in war? Isn’t that, in a way, romanticizing the very thing we proclaim to hate and loathe?
”You’ll pretend you were men instead of babies, and you'll be played in the movies by Frank Sinatra and John Wayne or some of those other glamorous, war-loving, dirty old men. And war will look just wonderful, so we'll have a lot more of them. And they'll be fought by babies like the babies upstairs.”
In any case, I think this book definitely brings forth an interesting thing to consider about how we write war stories.
This was so darn cute. It follows Lady Patience and Mr. Woodsworth in their unconventional journey towards love, and it really put a smile on my face the whole way through.
It’s a story of hidden identity, as these two meet when Lady Patience arrives at Mr. Woodsworth’s home under the guise of looking for work as a maid. She has always been a happy and carefree kind of woman, but after having been berated by her older brother for not understanding the hardships of life, she decides she will leave her titles behind for a month and pretend to be a regular woman of unnoble birth who no one will have any qualms about putting to some hard work. She believes this is what will make her understand what real life is like.
However, Patience soon realises that the most important task in that house should be to bring joy and laughter to the serious, stoic, and generally unhappy Mr. Woodsworth. He is a gentle and kind employer to her from the beginning who she believes is truly deserving of her help at finding love, and they come up with a hairbrained scheme that will involve Patience having to pretend to be a Lady (oh, the irony) to achieve that.
During all of this scheming they, of course, spend a lot of time together, but the bulk of it is spend during Patience’s tasks as a maid in which Mr. Woodsworth is nothing but patient and kind in explaining everything to her. She is entirely ignorant, yet this man does not berate her for it even once, even though he knows nothing of her noble birth and you would certainly expect a maid to know how to start a fire or properly clean a table.
It doesn’t take long for these two to form a tentative but beautiful friendship that slowly turns into more. Yet, both remain in denail about this for a while due to neither of them thinking that a romance between them could ever work, as both believe their stations to be insurmountably disparaging… Which is what leaves them to answer these questions for themselves: Can Lady Patience somehow set aside her duty to marry a Lord if it means marrying the man she loves instead? And can Mr. Woodsworth let his passion take over from his sense (for once) and let himself pursue a woman he thinks is only a maid if it means he would finally be able to find happiness in life?
I think the reason this novel worked so very well for me was because of how supremely likable both main characters were. Although you could somewhat describe their dynamic to resemble that of grumpy/sunshine, I wouldn’t want to go that far because of how gentle and sweet he is to her from the very beginning. He was extremely serious, but not necessarily grumpy. Honestly, he was just such a good guy, and she was such a charming and shining girl; which meant that all of their scenes together were just lovely and so fun to read about.
It’s a story of hidden identity, as these two meet when Lady Patience arrives at Mr. Woodsworth’s home under the guise of looking for work as a maid. She has always been a happy and carefree kind of woman, but after having been berated by her older brother for not understanding the hardships of life, she decides she will leave her titles behind for a month and pretend to be a regular woman of unnoble birth who no one will have any qualms about putting to some hard work. She believes this is what will make her understand what real life is like.
However, Patience soon realises that the most important task in that house should be to bring joy and laughter to the serious, stoic, and generally unhappy Mr. Woodsworth. He is a gentle and kind employer to her from the beginning who she believes is truly deserving of her help at finding love, and they come up with a hairbrained scheme that will involve Patience having to pretend to be a Lady (oh, the irony) to achieve that.
During all of this scheming they, of course, spend a lot of time together, but the bulk of it is spend during Patience’s tasks as a maid in which Mr. Woodsworth is nothing but patient and kind in explaining everything to her. She is entirely ignorant, yet this man does not berate her for it even once, even though he knows nothing of her noble birth and you would certainly expect a maid to know how to start a fire or properly clean a table.
It doesn’t take long for these two to form a tentative but beautiful friendship that slowly turns into more. Yet, both remain in denail about this for a while due to neither of them thinking that a romance between them could ever work, as both believe their stations to be insurmountably disparaging… Which is what leaves them to answer these questions for themselves: Can Lady Patience somehow set aside her duty to marry a Lord if it means marrying the man she loves instead? And can Mr. Woodsworth let his passion take over from his sense (for once) and let himself pursue a woman he thinks is only a maid if it means he would finally be able to find happiness in life?
I think the reason this novel worked so very well for me was because of how supremely likable both main characters were. Although you could somewhat describe their dynamic to resemble that of grumpy/sunshine, I wouldn’t want to go that far because of how gentle and sweet he is to her from the very beginning. He was extremely serious, but not necessarily grumpy. Honestly, he was just such a good guy, and she was such a charming and shining girl; which meant that all of their scenes together were just lovely and so fun to read about.
Oh wow, what a sad yet beautiful story this was…
This story follows the life of a depressed, lonely and miserable young man who spends all his days dreaming of fantasies and love, because he has nothing and no one to fall back on in real life. He imagines strangers he passes on the pavement as his friends and he imagines himself the closest confidant to the houses he sees standing along the streets. He calls himself a dreamer, and he speaks in the most fanciful and intricate sentences as if he really were a poet from another realm, but nothing he says can distract from the fact that he is beyond miserable and would wish for nothing more than a second of happiness or a moment of tenderness with another soul.
When he meets a woman who shows him even the tiniest of affection and the slimmest chance at a possibility of connection, he grasps it with both hands and tries to clutch it to himself as strongly as he can. Yet, as the unlucky and isolated soul he has always been and seemingly might remain forever, he is cast aside for another. His dreams and his fancies made him see a story of love and happy endings that was never going to be there in reality…
In all honesty, this story moved me so much more than I would have imagined. The protagonist was so unequivocally good and selfless and noble, it just hurt one’s heart to see a person so underserving of pain and misery live in a constant state of it with no expectancy of any change in the future.
The writing was also so individual and particular, and it really did seem to flow so seemlessly despite being undeniably complex and wordy (for which the translator undoubtedly deserves some major credit as well). It was truly beautiful.
There was just something about this… It moved me.
This story follows the life of a depressed, lonely and miserable young man who spends all his days dreaming of fantasies and love, because he has nothing and no one to fall back on in real life. He imagines strangers he passes on the pavement as his friends and he imagines himself the closest confidant to the houses he sees standing along the streets. He calls himself a dreamer, and he speaks in the most fanciful and intricate sentences as if he really were a poet from another realm, but nothing he says can distract from the fact that he is beyond miserable and would wish for nothing more than a second of happiness or a moment of tenderness with another soul.
When he meets a woman who shows him even the tiniest of affection and the slimmest chance at a possibility of connection, he grasps it with both hands and tries to clutch it to himself as strongly as he can. Yet, as the unlucky and isolated soul he has always been and seemingly might remain forever, he is cast aside for another. His dreams and his fancies made him see a story of love and happy endings that was never going to be there in reality…
In all honesty, this story moved me so much more than I would have imagined. The protagonist was so unequivocally good and selfless and noble, it just hurt one’s heart to see a person so underserving of pain and misery live in a constant state of it with no expectancy of any change in the future.
The writing was also so individual and particular, and it really did seem to flow so seemlessly despite being undeniably complex and wordy (for which the translator undoubtedly deserves some major credit as well). It was truly beautiful.
There was just something about this… It moved me.
This was a brutal and grim story about conflicting moral ambiguity, the power of gods, the overpowering need for revenge, the conflict of the poor versus the elite, the all-consuming effect of rage, and the horrific atrocities commited during wars and ethnic cleansings.
It’s not a story where there’s truly one good guy and one bad guy; it’s realistic in that sense, where everyone is led by their own viewpoint, which means everyone is someone’s enemy, someone’s idea of evil; it just depends who you ask.
Despite inviting interesting moral questioning within the readers, I do think this book lacked a little bit of an emotional punch. There was so much pain and suffering in this book, yet I can’t say I ever truly felt sad. Somehow the writing didn’t quite manage to convey enough emotional depth for me and neither did it enable me to feel a true connection to the characters or narrative.
Not even the main character, who should be beautifully complex in theory, made me feel entirely connected to her or allowed me to fully understand her actions or thought-processes; I did in a way, just not fully. I simply wish I would have felt more for her, because if I had, I know this book could have wrecked me.
Lastly, I was surprised to realise that I actually prefered the first part over the second and third. Rin’s journey to and training at Sinegard was more intriguing and engaging to me than the actual war itself, which is odd since the story became more shocking at that point with much higher stakes… I just feel like the first part was more character-driven with more emotional detail, whereas the writing became more distanced and sterile when the plot took a turn.
It’s not a story where there’s truly one good guy and one bad guy; it’s realistic in that sense, where everyone is led by their own viewpoint, which means everyone is someone’s enemy, someone’s idea of evil; it just depends who you ask.
Despite inviting interesting moral questioning within the readers, I do think this book lacked a little bit of an emotional punch. There was so much pain and suffering in this book, yet I can’t say I ever truly felt sad. Somehow the writing didn’t quite manage to convey enough emotional depth for me and neither did it enable me to feel a true connection to the characters or narrative.
Not even the main character, who should be beautifully complex in theory, made me feel entirely connected to her or allowed me to fully understand her actions or thought-processes; I did in a way, just not fully. I simply wish I would have felt more for her, because if I had, I know this book could have wrecked me.
Lastly, I was surprised to realise that I actually prefered the first part over the second and third. Rin’s journey to and training at Sinegard was more intriguing and engaging to me than the actual war itself, which is odd since the story became more shocking at that point with much higher stakes… I just feel like the first part was more character-driven with more emotional detail, whereas the writing became more distanced and sterile when the plot took a turn.
I’m not sure what to say; I actually wasn’t really into the romance in this book, but there were other parts I did like well enough.
I think the main reason the romance wasn’t working for me was because their relationship was honestly a little too lust-focused. With the couples in the first two books I could really feel the emotional connection and support, whereas with Kai and Miller I felt like their supposed connection was rather forced and mostly based on their mutual sexual attraction. There was no real chemistry or depth.
Actually, the best part about this book were the family bonds. Miller and her adoptive dad, Monty, but also baby Max with literally everyone around him (even an entire team of testosterone-filled athletes) had my heart melting a bit. The found family vibes were what kept me somewhat invested throughout this book when the romance felt so lacking and boring.
I mean, for example, when Max called Miller “mama”? Yea, I’m not going to lie, that had me near to damn tears. Seeing that little boy love her so much, and her being split in two over it because she’s supposed to leave at the end of the summer? Absolutely heartbreaking.
I think the main reason the romance wasn’t working for me was because their relationship was honestly a little too lust-focused. With the couples in the first two books I could really feel the emotional connection and support, whereas with Kai and Miller I felt like their supposed connection was rather forced and mostly based on their mutual sexual attraction. There was no real chemistry or depth.
Actually, the best part about this book were the family bonds. Miller and her adoptive dad, Monty, but also baby Max with literally everyone around him (even an entire team of testosterone-filled athletes) had my heart melting a bit. The found family vibes were what kept me somewhat invested throughout this book when the romance felt so lacking and boring.
I mean, for example, when Max called Miller “mama”? Yea, I’m not going to lie, that had me near to damn tears. Seeing that little boy love her so much, and her being split in two over it because she’s supposed to leave at the end of the summer? Absolutely heartbreaking.
“Mmm…Mama.”
Miller’s face falls. “What did you say?”
“Mama.” Max grins, so proud of himself for saying a name I now realize he’s been trying to say for weeks. “Mama! Mama!”
Miller’s head whips in my direction. She’s on the brink of an emotional meltdown while holding my son, who is looking at her as if every missing puzzle piece in his life has been put back together.
He settles himself back on her chest, quietly repeating the word over and over again while Miller rocks him and cries her fucking eyes out.
And I watch her heart break from the doorway while mine breaks for both me and my son.
All that said, I have to come to the conclusion that although there were some things about this book that worked for me, the overall result just wasn’t hitting the way I wanted it to. The romance felt so bland and unconvincing, I couldn’t find it in me to truly ever become invested in this book. I felt kind of bored most of the time.
Just like the first book, I really liked these characters and I actually loved them together, but it just felt too long.
Ryan and Indy are both extremely likable and loveable people, who truly deserve to be loved and find happiness. Seeing people like that finally get exactly what they have secretly always wanted never fails to be sweet and heartwarming, but I can’t honestly say that this book really stood out for me. It was endearing and definitely swoon-worthy at times, but I wasn’t exactly reading this with a belly full of butterflies or eyes filled with hearts in them; it was cute, but that’s about it.
The most important thing, though, is that these books are just too long. When the story starts to drag and get repetitive like this, it slowly makes you loose a bit of interest in the couple, and eventually the spark you were feeling between them fades a bit as well. It’s a shame, because some good editing could have made me feel a lot more invested in this book, I’m sure of it.
Ryan and Indy are both extremely likable and loveable people, who truly deserve to be loved and find happiness. Seeing people like that finally get exactly what they have secretly always wanted never fails to be sweet and heartwarming, but I can’t honestly say that this book really stood out for me. It was endearing and definitely swoon-worthy at times, but I wasn’t exactly reading this with a belly full of butterflies or eyes filled with hearts in them; it was cute, but that’s about it.
The most important thing, though, is that these books are just too long. When the story starts to drag and get repetitive like this, it slowly makes you loose a bit of interest in the couple, and eventually the spark you were feeling between them fades a bit as well. It’s a shame, because some good editing could have made me feel a lot more invested in this book, I’m sure of it.
This was cute, albeit a little drawn out. I did like it, but there was no reason for this book to be so long, and its length did take some of the spark out of the story. I wouldn’t quite go as far as to say this really dragged or even had me feeling bored, but I know for a fact that I would have loved this book more if some unneccessary or repetive scenes would have been edited out.
That said, I really did like these characters and I did think their relationship was sweet. Zee and Stevie both suffered from some serious insecurities and a deep-rooted inability to feel loved, so it was quite heartwarming to see them find that comfort and peace with each other after such a long time of feeling alone and unworthy.
There were quite a few scenes where I could really feel the chemistry and connection between them, and I truly believed they made each other their best selves. The genuine support and uplifting between these two was what made me love them together most.
That said, I really did like these characters and I did think their relationship was sweet. Zee and Stevie both suffered from some serious insecurities and a deep-rooted inability to feel loved, so it was quite heartwarming to see them find that comfort and peace with each other after such a long time of feeling alone and unworthy.
There were quite a few scenes where I could really feel the chemistry and connection between them, and I truly believed they made each other their best selves. The genuine support and uplifting between these two was what made me love them together most.
Ohh, this was so insanely adorable! The second half was much more heartwarming and sweet than I was expecting based on the beginning.
It started out as true enemies to lovers with perfect banter, animosity, and tension, which all slowly grew into more and more chemistry based on genuine affection, trust and connection they built over time.
I especially liked that their relationship was always so balanced: when they were enemies, they were both throwing out the sass and insults at each other in equal measure (it wasn't just him being rude, while she takes it like a doormat: never that), but when they grew closer, they both gave each other true support, understanding and care in equal measure as well. They each gave as much as they got at every stage of their journey.
It was actually super endearing to see how much attention they both paid to the other’s needs and wants; they were both such truly nice and likable people, and it was really charming to see them both open up to and comfort each other.
It was a genuine connection, but not one that was sickeningly sugary; they constantly kept their banter and tension, they never lost that. Therefore, I feel like they constantly kept that spark and chemistry alive, and I never ever grew bored with them.
Also, once he let go of his guarded grumpiness, he genuinely became the perfect guy; he was so in-tune with her, constantly made sure she was okay or comfortable, always wanted to spoil her, did the cutest and most thoughtful (little and big) things for her, and was honestly just downright obsessed with her (and her cat). He straight-up went from a menace from literal Hell to a sensitive golden retriever who simply wanted to be loved (but just by her, no one else would do).
I don’t want to praise only him, though, because the heroine was truly awesome too. She could read him so well and could give him just what he needed to heal from his past trauma and accept love again. The way she would give him words of affirmation about how loveable he was while she wat petting his hair and giving him little kisses was just about the cutest scene I’ve read in a while; she was exactly what he had always wanted even though he never dared to admit that to himself before he met her.
All in all, I can confidently say that while I was reading this I constantly had a giant smile on my face, experienced more than a few heart flutters, and actually laughed out loud at certain points as well. In general, I just had a really good time.
It started out as true enemies to lovers with perfect banter, animosity, and tension, which all slowly grew into more and more chemistry based on genuine affection, trust and connection they built over time.
I especially liked that their relationship was always so balanced: when they were enemies, they were both throwing out the sass and insults at each other in equal measure (it wasn't just him being rude, while she takes it like a doormat: never that), but when they grew closer, they both gave each other true support, understanding and care in equal measure as well. They each gave as much as they got at every stage of their journey.
It was actually super endearing to see how much attention they both paid to the other’s needs and wants; they were both such truly nice and likable people, and it was really charming to see them both open up to and comfort each other.
It was a genuine connection, but not one that was sickeningly sugary; they constantly kept their banter and tension, they never lost that. Therefore, I feel like they constantly kept that spark and chemistry alive, and I never ever grew bored with them.
Also, once he let go of his guarded grumpiness, he genuinely became the perfect guy; he was so in-tune with her, constantly made sure she was okay or comfortable, always wanted to spoil her, did the cutest and most thoughtful (little and big) things for her, and was honestly just downright obsessed with her (and her cat). He straight-up went from a menace from literal Hell to a sensitive golden retriever who simply wanted to be loved (but just by her, no one else would do).
I don’t want to praise only him, though, because the heroine was truly awesome too. She could read him so well and could give him just what he needed to heal from his past trauma and accept love again. The way she would give him words of affirmation about how loveable he was while she wat petting his hair and giving him little kisses was just about the cutest scene I’ve read in a while; she was exactly what he had always wanted even though he never dared to admit that to himself before he met her.
All in all, I can confidently say that while I was reading this I constantly had a giant smile on my face, experienced more than a few heart flutters, and actually laughed out loud at certain points as well. In general, I just had a really good time.