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ithiliens's reviews
119 reviews
Someone to Wed by Mary Balogh
4.0
My start date isn’t correct because I forgot BUT in any case I enjoyed this a lot. I don’t have much to say other than I loved all the warm family dynamics with the Westons as with the previous book (though I skipped the second for now). What was most remarkable to me though is that this is one of the few HR books I can think of with a genuinely anxious heroine. I often roll my eyes when heroines are described as wallflowers etc but don’t have any real shy characteristics—of they do, but they disappear pretty quickly. I loved that Wren was written so sympathetically and that she had so much support from her new family, and that her attempts at coming out of her shell were always portrayed as courageous. Overall very enjoyable.
Warning for references to past (emotional/verbal) child abuse.
Warning for references to past (emotional/verbal) child abuse.
The Sins of Lord Lockwood by Meredith Duran
4.0
Ended on a perfect note. Duran is so far and away the best romance writer in terms of prose and emotional acuity that it feels unfair to compare her at all. My only complaint is a bit of the introductory pacing, but there was so much ground to cover with the timeline etc that it didn't interfere much with my overall enjoyment. Angst that's worth it is very rare (imo) and this has it in spades.
Fast Minds: How to Thrive If You Have ADHD (or Think You Might) by Tim Bilkey, Karen Weintraub, Craig Surman
Despite it taking me five months to read this, I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who struggles with executive dysfunction or other ADHD-related issues. This book is structured around behaviors, so even if you've never been formally diagnosed (and in my experience and those recounted in the book, a LOT of people fall through the cracks) it has helpful strategies and is not at all alienating or overly technical. I also found the formatting very easy to read which I'm sure was on purpose lol. Reading this helped me change my thinking about myself and how I live my daily life for the better.
Almost American Girl by Robin Ha
4.0
I got an ARC of this for work (hopefully I'm allowed to say that lol) and I really loved it! The strength of the mother daughter relationship resonated a lot for me. I appreciate how the difficulties memoir writing presents for Asian Americans (since I worry about it a lot myself...lol) so the real heartfelt, warts and all nature of this book was especially moving. I also felt it was unique in that it's set mostly in the south during the mid 90s. Great read for any YA audience.
Court of Lions by Somaiya Daud
5.0
Something I want to say about this right off the bat is that I think it's very important this book never once asks us to feel empathy of colonizers. SFF fiction is, in general, absolutely miserable about this and in fact often ignores the psychological and material suffering that colonialism causes even as it's maintained as the real crux of the genre. That is a whole OTHER topic but I wanted to highlight it because it's very clear Daud knows this and works SPECIFICALLY against that history. I just think it's noteworthy to kill both main colonizer characters on page and not have the MC think "oh but they had their reasons"; and to refuse to have a "good" Vath character as if to catch out the reader on wanting them expelled from the planet they invaded. I was extremely impressed with this.
And on more general topics, the writing is so lush and lyrical it was an absolute joy to read. I lived the descriptions of clothes, buildings, scenery, food... The culture feels very lived in and alive. I always appreciate when an author is able to weave sci-fi elements (blasters!) into a more fantasy setting -- it definitely creates something very memorable and unique.
And the poetry! What else is there to say but it was beautiful and added that extra layer of world building that again really shows the care that was taken in constructing this world.
I loved the romance between Maram and Aghraas especially; the longing and connection between them was so moving. I loved Amani and Idris too, and the different kind of push and pull between them.
Overall just a lovely, sparkling, and poetic read.
And on more general topics, the writing is so lush and lyrical it was an absolute joy to read. I lived the descriptions of clothes, buildings, scenery, food... The culture feels very lived in and alive. I always appreciate when an author is able to weave sci-fi elements (blasters!) into a more fantasy setting -- it definitely creates something very memorable and unique.
And the poetry! What else is there to say but it was beautiful and added that extra layer of world building that again really shows the care that was taken in constructing this world.
I loved the romance between Maram and Aghraas especially; the longing and connection between them was so moving. I loved Amani and Idris too, and the different kind of push and pull between them.
Overall just a lovely, sparkling, and poetic read.
An Earl Like You by Caroline Linden
Not satisfied with the ending on this one. The resolution felt too quick and honestly considering that the greater part of the book had the hero lying by omission (if not outright) to the heroine... that doesn't sit right with me. Yes, Hugh was manipulated too, but at some point everything he did seemed to get swept up under that. I felt that Eliza's father got off way too easily as well. These plots are difficult to pull off and the writing and character work was top notch as always (I loved the dog!!!), it just didn't come off right for me in the end. However Georgiana being the only one truly outraged enough does make me more excited for her book so fingers crossed.
Blame It on Bath by Caroline Linden
5.0
This was sooo sweet. I was expecting to slog through the middle book on my quest to the thottie brother in the last one but I really liked this. Do you have depression and want to be loved by your local himbo... if so this is the book for you