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iveydocx's reviews
96 reviews
Had the pleasure of meeting Joseph Scapellato at a local reading. Really great guy, really phenomenal book. Definitely not the book for everyone--very quirky and existentialist, which I could see annoying people who are turned off by angsty contemplation. But I loved it.
This is a perfect example of how a little diversity to a common trope can be refreshing and revitalizing.
If I were to give a comp title for NINTH HOUSE, it would be the fantasy version of "How to Get Away With Murder", where the dead have answers instead of the living.
The first 100 or so pages I'd give a 2.5/5. Once it started getting kicked into gear--a little later than I would have liked--it blew my expectations out of the water. Docked one star simply because getting through the beginning was frustrating, and I was tempted to shelve this as DNF. Most of the reviews already mention trigger warnings, so I was fully prepared to feel nauseated from reading those scenes, but as someone who has no history relating to the trigger warnings, I didn't find them too graphic. However, someone with a different history than me may feel otherwise, and that's okay.
I never read Bardugo's YA novel, but the writing certainly felt YA style to me; it didn't feel "adult" per say BUT Alex, our protagonist, is still, technically, a young adult, forced into an adult-rated story simply by existing as she is. I found Alex fascinating, and I loved her characterization at first. The flip flopping timeline made it really, really hard to keep track of w who the real Alex Stern was. The flip flopping timeline isnt bad, per say -- and How to Get Away With Murder is an example of one that's well done -- but it was a LOT to stay on top of while also trying to understand the world Alex lives in.
I don't want to give too much away, but I thoroughly and voraciously devoured this book--even as someone who strays away from fantasy.
The first 100 or so pages I'd give a 2.5/5. Once it started getting kicked into gear--a little later than I would have liked--it blew my expectations out of the water. Docked one star simply because getting through the beginning was frustrating, and I was tempted to shelve this as DNF. Most of the reviews already mention trigger warnings, so I was fully prepared to feel nauseated from reading those scenes, but as someone who has no history relating to the trigger warnings, I didn't find them too graphic. However, someone with a different history than me may feel otherwise, and that's okay.
I never read Bardugo's YA novel, but the writing certainly felt YA style to me; it didn't feel "adult" per say BUT Alex, our protagonist, is still, technically, a young adult, forced into an adult-rated story simply by existing as she is. I found Alex fascinating, and I loved her characterization at first. The flip flopping timeline made it really, really hard to keep track of w who the real Alex Stern was. The flip flopping timeline isnt bad, per say -- and How to Get Away With Murder is an example of one that's well done -- but it was a LOT to stay on top of while also trying to understand the world Alex lives in.
I don't want to give too much away, but I thoroughly and voraciously devoured this book--even as someone who strays away from fantasy.
I read "Eight Bites" in class and it became my favorite short story we read all semester. A close second, in this collection, is "The Husband Stitch." I love Machado's writing. Didn't love the retelling of Law and Order SVU, but it was an interesting concept.
Solid YA mystery, but I didn't love it. It relied heavily on tropes and didn't have quite the punch that I expected it to, though the last line of the book was spectacular. The characters were fairly bland to me. I haven't read One Of Us Is Lying yet, but it seems like people prefer it, so I'm willing to give it a shot.
I used to love Dessen's books growing up, but ten years later her stories haven't really grown. They tend to feel rather formulaic YA to me. Her characters and their struggles tend to mirror each other from book to book, so this wasn't cutting it for me; I feel like I've read this story a million other times. The writing is still enjoyable to read, but the pace is agonizingly slow, and the plot is kind of boring.
If you're a fan of coming-of-age stories, I'm sure you'll enjoy this, which is why I'm giving this 3 out of 5. It's not the worst book I've read, and it certainly doesn't warrant anything lower than an "OK" rating.
If you're a fan of coming-of-age stories, I'm sure you'll enjoy this, which is why I'm giving this 3 out of 5. It's not the worst book I've read, and it certainly doesn't warrant anything lower than an "OK" rating.
Chanel Miller tackles such an intimate and violating series of memories with grace, and the strong clarity of someone who has gone to hell and back -- between her assault, the trial, and media coverage. Her writing is excellent, and I was worried about being disappointed by her memoir, but I was not.
