Scan barcode
jbellomy's reviews
445 reviews
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Very fun but doesn't deserve the hype! I rolled my eyes non-stop at both the characterization and the prose. Violet is the specialest girl alive -- simultaneously ~oh so weak~ but also THE STRONGEST EVER (it's giving bella from twilight), Xaden is your stereotypical bad boy with a heart of gold (it's giving every LI in an enemies-to-lovers story), the writing explains stuff in narration, then re-explains it in painfully repetitive dialogue, then explains it AGAIN in narration (it's giving low-rent 2010s YA fantasy). More than once, a character would say something in one chapter, only to fully contradict themself the next chapter -- and not in a way that was supposed to indicate complexity; these instances were clearly editing oversights. Also if anyone could tell me why she had to say the word "caress" so many times, or why she chose to cop the idea of elementally powerful sex from Sarah J Maas, that'd be swell. Hopefully later installments will have more Rhiannon, she's the only one still alive at the end of this who really interests me.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Rouge by Mona Awad
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Emmett by L.C. Rosen
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
A fantastic concept is wasted on this absolutely cursed text.
Emmett Woodhouse is a semi-professional vibe curator, menace of a twink, and full-time sociopath. And he's surrounded by freaks. The only human people in this book are Miles' moms and Miles himself (Knightley), and he needs to RUN. FAR AWAY.
Emmett's narrative voice comes across like he's ten years old, which makes it all the more disorienting when it cuts to a post-sex scene. The sentences are short, the language juvenile, the thought patterns barely past the mirror stage. The world building is even more nauseating -- think a very stupid Instagram stand-in and an ever-present string quartet playing the hits, ripped directly from Bridgerton. Worse still are the visuals of things meant to be "beautiful." We've got the ugliest school uniforms known to man, the truly unwearable jewelry collection made by Emmett's bff (a collection, mind you, that's meant to get her into FIT), and far too much zebra-print-and-pink. By the end, I imagined the author cackling as they wrote these descriptions, delighting in the truly hideous images they were creating.
Anyways. As much as I hoped this would fulfill all my queer Austen dreams, I guess it's not a huge loss. We already had a modern Emma for the girls and the gays. It was called Clueless.
Emmett Woodhouse is a semi-professional vibe curator, menace of a twink, and full-time sociopath. And he's surrounded by freaks. The only human people in this book are Miles' moms and Miles himself (Knightley), and he needs to RUN. FAR AWAY.
Emmett's narrative voice comes across like he's ten years old, which makes it all the more disorienting when it cuts to a post-sex scene. The sentences are short, the language juvenile, the thought patterns barely past the mirror stage. The world building is even more nauseating -- think a very stupid Instagram stand-in and an ever-present string quartet playing the hits, ripped directly from Bridgerton. Worse still are the visuals of things meant to be "beautiful." We've got the ugliest school uniforms known to man, the truly unwearable jewelry collection made by Emmett's bff (a collection, mind you, that's meant to get her into FIT), and far too much zebra-print-and-pink. By the end, I imagined the author cackling as they wrote these descriptions, delighting in the truly hideous images they were creating.
Anyways. As much as I hoped this would fulfill all my queer Austen dreams, I guess it's not a huge loss. We already had a modern Emma for the girls and the gays. It was called Clueless.