Take a photo of a barcode or cover
isabellehendo's Reviews (228)
i don’t know how i could rate this book anything other than five stars.
when i moved away from home for college, i came to the realization that the place i came from was very rural and very poor. that’s not to say i didn’t realize it at the time, but in contrast to the city and those who grew up in it, it really was a totally different world.
reading this book gave me that same contrast, and it was so powerful. i grew up in rural and poor area, but was very fortunate in my experience within it. seeing a place like that, through the lens of a person who had this experience felt life-changing.
that is the only way i can summarize this book for you; life-changing. the book is exceptionally written, with Demon being a wonderful and witty narrator. i felt like i was being sat down and told a story. i gained a tremendous amount of empathy, largely with addicts. being able to experience addiction through Demon’s eyes is something i will never forget. not only do you experience life as one who loves an addict, but you are also able to experience addiction (as much as you can in a book).
Demon is a character that will stick with me for the rest of my life.
when i moved away from home for college, i came to the realization that the place i came from was very rural and very poor. that’s not to say i didn’t realize it at the time, but in contrast to the city and those who grew up in it, it really was a totally different world.
reading this book gave me that same contrast, and it was so powerful. i grew up in rural and poor area, but was very fortunate in my experience within it. seeing a place like that, through the lens of a person who had this experience felt life-changing.
that is the only way i can summarize this book for you; life-changing. the book is exceptionally written, with Demon being a wonderful and witty narrator. i felt like i was being sat down and told a story. i gained a tremendous amount of empathy, largely with addicts. being able to experience addiction through Demon’s eyes is something i will never forget. not only do you experience life as one who loves an addict, but you are also able to experience addiction (as much as you can in a book).
Demon is a character that will stick with me for the rest of my life.
I absolutely live for books with characters developed this well. Although there was a large cast of characters, they were not difficult to keep up with. I was incredibly invested in the outcome of this book - with each of the characters.
The ending absolutely took me by surprise - but the 1/2 star deduction was due to the ending, in part. Backman did a great job building suspense and intrigue, but I found that the ending of this book did not live up to the suspense that was built. The ending was satisfying, and I am looking forward to starting the next book, I just wish it ended with a little more oomph.
The ending absolutely took me by surprise - but the 1/2 star deduction was due to the ending, in part. Backman did a great job building suspense and intrigue, but I found that the ending of this book did not live up to the suspense that was built. The ending was satisfying, and I am looking forward to starting the next book, I just wish it ended with a little more oomph.
medium-paced
medium-paced
Every time I read a book from BookTok, one that is raved about to no end, I am reminded that books, and book reviews, are a subjective thing. Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli was simply one of those books for me, one that reminded me just how different opinions can be.
I heard countless positive reviews about Heartless Hunter, most of which the book was rated 4-5 stars and raved about. This is not the first time that BookTok has gotten my hopes very high, only to let me down with reality.
My Thoughts and Opinions
My Thoughts and Opinions
The plot sounds interesting, which is why I picked up the book in the first place. A slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers YA Romance novel is so often my bread and butter (Legendborn remains one of my favorite [unfinished] novels to date). But by the time I finished this book, I felt incredibly let down.
The characters were okay. I felt as if the book lacked a tremendous amount of depth with the characters.
Rune was not the most compelling FMC that I have read, but she was certainly not the worst. I enjoyed her inner monologue for the most part and could appreciate her motivations and backstory. What was truly lacking, though, was action. The most interesting part of this book was Rune’s moonlighting as the Crimson Moth. Being a witch, one who had evaded the Blood Guard for two years and saved the lives of witches, was easily the most interesting thing about Rune (as it should be, that’s badass). But as a reader, you never really feel her badassery. A few times in the book you glimpse her in action, but never truly doing anything that seems all that exceptional. You are witness to her failing in her task not once, but twice. After seeing her fail the first time, you then must watch her do something so naive and foolish, that you simply cannot grasp how she has evaded the Blood Guard for this long. For me, it was very hard to put the image of Rune that Ciccarelli was trying to paint (a strong, powerful, badass), with the Rune she was showing us (naive and a bit stupid).
Gideon was one of the better characters, but his development suffered in much the same way Rune's did. Although his backstory was compelling, and he fit much of the “ideal MMC” vibes, I just couldn’t reconcile the picture that Ciccarelli was painting of Gideon, with the picture that formed. He is supposed to be dangerous and cunning. And while you might’ve gotten glimpses of that in the book, it never seemed to develop into anything that had me believing it. To put it plainly, the two never felt enough like enemies for me to believe it before they became lovers.
The main supporting characters, Alex and Verity were fine. They did their jobs as supporting characters and were interesting enough.
Final Thoughts
This book was not bad, it was not particularly good either. There is much that could be improved, and I surely hope that it will be improved in the second book (Rebel Witch).
I rated this book ⅗ stars when it came down to it. It is above average, but not by much. I would recommend it to someone looking for an easy read, one that is quick to get through and takes very little brain power. It would be a good “pallet cleanser,” if you need a break in between more complicated, detailed books (maybe some books with some depth?). I might also recommend this book to someone who would not consider themselves an advanced reader, or someone who is just beginning to take up reading for pleasure (everyone has to start somewhere!).
i was looking for a new audiobook, and this one was available at my library. that is the only reason i read it. but, ms nora roberts was an unexpected necessity for me.
i’ve read one trilogy by her, so this is the fourth book of hers i have read. unless i have just happened to pick out the random chances (unlikely), she definitely writes in a pattern - woman takes a chance of some kind and follows a dream to work by herself (in this case, a freelance graphic designer), she has a wonderful canine companion, has a funny best friend, and meets a kind man. essentially, for a 23 year old woman trying to figure out her life, this book (and her previous ones i have read) feels like a warm and comforting hug.
this storyline was interesting enough, and i like the idea of this haunted house full of, mainly, friendly ghosts. i cannot lie that i mainly enjoyed this story because i got to read about someone having this life that i would really enjoy to live. that is the beauty of roberts’ books, i think.
individually, i found there was nothing exceptional about the plot, characters, or setting. but when you put them together, this book just feels like a hug.
i’ve read one trilogy by her, so this is the fourth book of hers i have read. unless i have just happened to pick out the random chances (unlikely), she definitely writes in a pattern - woman takes a chance of some kind and follows a dream to work by herself (in this case, a freelance graphic designer), she has a wonderful canine companion, has a funny best friend, and meets a kind man. essentially, for a 23 year old woman trying to figure out her life, this book (and her previous ones i have read) feels like a warm and comforting hug.
this storyline was interesting enough, and i like the idea of this haunted house full of, mainly, friendly ghosts. i cannot lie that i mainly enjoyed this story because i got to read about someone having this life that i would really enjoy to live. that is the beauty of roberts’ books, i think.
individually, i found there was nothing exceptional about the plot, characters, or setting. but when you put them together, this book just feels like a hug.
disappointing.
bardugo is such a hit or miss author for me (six of crows - BANGER, ninth house - banger, shadow and bone - mediocre). and now i add the familiar into her list as mediocre.
the plot, characters, and writing were flimsy and uninteresting. there was absolutely nothing in this book that truly felt entertaining. i find that bardugo’s strength as a writer (in her books/series that i loved) are in her characters. this novel fell so short, as i simply did not care about the characters. so much of it felt cobbled together and rushed, yet it also somehow dragged.
overall, not a fan.
bardugo is such a hit or miss author for me (six of crows - BANGER, ninth house - banger, shadow and bone - mediocre). and now i add the familiar into her list as mediocre.
the plot, characters, and writing were flimsy and uninteresting. there was absolutely nothing in this book that truly felt entertaining. i find that bardugo’s strength as a writer (in her books/series that i loved) are in her characters. this novel fell so short, as i simply did not care about the characters. so much of it felt cobbled together and rushed, yet it also somehow dragged.
overall, not a fan.
this was a unique 5 star read experience, for sure
i started reading it, thinking it was gonna be a 3.5-4 star read, then as i got past 50% i thought okay this is definitely at least a 4 star. immediately after finishing it, my reaction was to give it 4.5 stars. then my boyfriend asked me to tell him about it, and i got so engulfed into it, and recounting the story made me realize just how intricate, well done, and engaging the book really was. i got so excited in my recount of the story, i realized that not rating this book 5 stars would be an injustice.
the beginning is slow, simply because the world, magic system, and political sphere are intricate and take a large part of the beginning to build. when you progress into the book, though, the payoff for the first half is well-worth it. the second half of this book was genuinely enthralling and i’m so excited for book 2.
i started reading it, thinking it was gonna be a 3.5-4 star read, then as i got past 50% i thought okay this is definitely at least a 4 star. immediately after finishing it, my reaction was to give it 4.5 stars. then my boyfriend asked me to tell him about it, and i got so engulfed into it, and recounting the story made me realize just how intricate, well done, and engaging the book really was. i got so excited in my recount of the story, i realized that not rating this book 5 stars would be an injustice.
the beginning is slow, simply because the world, magic system, and political sphere are intricate and take a large part of the beginning to build. when you progress into the book, though, the payoff for the first half is well-worth it. the second half of this book was genuinely enthralling and i’m so excited for book 2.