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jediprincess's reviews
373 reviews
Bonesmith by Nicki Pau Preto
Did not finish book. Stopped at 3%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 3%.
have to return to the library but tbh it didn’t really grab me anyway so I might just leave it for awhile
Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.
this is just not catching my attention… maybe I’ll try some other time
Wren Martin Ruins It All by Amanda DeWitt
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Wren Martin Ruins It All is an adorable love story that pulled the heartstrings. Wren Martin is asexual and has given up on dating anytime soon. He becomes the president of student council due to a (high school level) scandal and vows to end the big Valentine’s Day dance (it’s not fair to students who can’t afford ticket price/formal clothes, a “social minefield” for poor, gay, & trans kids, and the money that goes towards it could help the whole school instead of being used for a single night). This falls through when a suggestion by the perfect Leo Reyes has an app that promotes platonic friendship, Buddy, sponsoring the big dance. Wren reluctantly agrees and on the sky downloads the app to do some “research.” I think we all know where this is going!
The story is fairly predictable, I think there was only one major thing that caught me off guard (in a good way!) but it was such a cute read that that fact didn’t ruin the book for me! It was refreshing to have a main character who knew he was asexual and had a positive relationship with that part of himself and not agonize over his sexuality. It is ultimately a story about queer joy! It felt like a queer-norm world in the way that high school feels so insular to the rest of the world sometimes.
The characters were all wonderful — I loved how grumpy Wren was and how Ryan was always bribing him to do things/go places. The character growth from Wren was spectacular, I felt like he really matured. Their friendships and interactions definitely felt real and as if I were back in high school, it is written really well!
Overall I truly enjoyed this novel and hope others love it! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for the ARC in exchange for a honest review!
The story is fairly predictable, I think there was only one major thing that caught me off guard (in a good way!) but it was such a cute read that that fact didn’t ruin the book for me! It was refreshing to have a main character who knew he was asexual and had a positive relationship with that part of himself and not agonize over his sexuality. It is ultimately a story about queer joy! It felt like a queer-norm world in the way that high school feels so insular to the rest of the world sometimes.
The characters were all wonderful — I loved how grumpy Wren was and how Ryan was always bribing him to do things/go places. The character growth from Wren was spectacular, I felt like he really matured. Their friendships and interactions definitely felt real and as if I were back in high school, it is written really well!
Overall I truly enjoyed this novel and hope others love it! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for the ARC in exchange for a honest review!
Dark Water Daughter by H.M. Long
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I was disappointed by this. I was expecting a lot more from it, esp with all the hype surrounding it. It took me over two months to read because the first 80% of the book was so slow. I kinda think it would have been better as a novella. The magic system was fun, the romance barely made sense, and the best characters were not the two main POV characters. Tbh would have DNF’d if not for it being a book club read.
Rouge by Mona Awad
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Mirabelle, — a half-Egyptian, half-French Canadian, dress shopkeeper in Montreal, obsessed with her skin-care routine — returns to her mother’s home in California for her funeral. There she is drawn into a mysterious, elite spa where her mother seems to have been a member in her final months.
This took me a long time to read. I think that I wasn’t sure where the story was going and couldn’t see the vision on how it was to become a horror, but once I did, wow! The descent into Mirabelle’s involvement with the spa crept up on me and each chapter had me more and more invested. The horror elements of Rouge are spectacular, I was so uncomfortable as I continued reading.
Rouge is ultimately a story of grief surrounding the mother-daughter relationship. Mirabelle’s past and present intertwine to showcase the impossible beauty standards pressed upon young girls, how white supremacy shows itself in the beauty industry (and from your own family), desire, envy, and obsession (it wouldn’t be a Mona Awad novel without those three!) to create a surreal horror that was captivating to read!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This took me a long time to read. I think that I wasn’t sure where the story was going and couldn’t see the vision on how it was to become a horror, but once I did, wow! The descent into Mirabelle’s involvement with the spa crept up on me and each chapter had me more and more invested. The horror elements of Rouge are spectacular, I was so uncomfortable as I continued reading.
Rouge is ultimately a story of grief surrounding the mother-daughter relationship. Mirabelle’s past and present intertwine to showcase the impossible beauty standards pressed upon young girls, how white supremacy shows itself in the beauty industry (and from your own family), desire, envy, and obsession (it wouldn’t be a Mona Awad novel without those three!) to create a surreal horror that was captivating to read!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Racism
Network Effect by Martha Wells
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
dark
emotional
tense
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
5.0
Do You Remember Being Born? by Sean Michaels
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Do you remember being born is a wonderful story about an elderly poet, Marian, being asked to co-write a historic poem with an AI, Charlotte. It's a poetic (who would have thought!) piece on loneliness and regret.
I loved the characters and their interactions. Marian's thoughts felt real, if at times a bit too arrogant. Her relationships with family, Charlotte, other poets, and the likes felt intensely vivid - I could imagine a little old lady in a fancy hat making funny comments and "swooping" to music. Charlotte stole the show though. Her poetry and questions had me in tears at points. The idea of AIs experiencing loneliness is something I'm sure we all think about since we tend to anthropomorphize robots and AIs, so I found Charlotte's journey working with Marian to be especially moving.
The format of this book was excellent, the dialogue between Marian and Charlotte was heart-wrenching at times. The use of second person was delightful, it felt as though the conversations between Marian and Charlotte were continued with its use, as if Charlotte was narrating Marian's life, feelings, joys, and failures from the moment of her birth, which Marian, as a human, is incapable of remembering completely, unlike Charlotte.
My one complaint about the book was when Marian would go introspective and have these thoughts about her reactions to others/events being gendered, like "am I only reacting this way because I am a woman" type thoughts. They were heavy handed and jolted me out of the story sometimes because they didn't feel natural to her thought process. Although perhaps it was a bias on my part learning the author is a younger man writing the POV of an elderly woman.
Overall I quite enjoyed the novel, the pacing was a bit slow but I think that lent to the drawn out feeling of the week going by and life being reminisced upon. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the characters and their interactions. Marian's thoughts felt real, if at times a bit too arrogant. Her relationships with family, Charlotte, other poets, and the likes felt intensely vivid - I could imagine a little old lady in a fancy hat making funny comments and "swooping" to music. Charlotte stole the show though. Her poetry and questions had me in tears at points. The idea of AIs experiencing loneliness is something I'm sure we all think about since we tend to anthropomorphize robots and AIs, so I found Charlotte's journey working with Marian to be especially moving.
The format of this book was excellent, the dialogue between Marian and Charlotte was heart-wrenching at times. The use of second person was delightful, it felt as though the conversations between Marian and Charlotte were continued with its use, as if Charlotte was narrating Marian's life, feelings, joys, and failures from the moment of her birth, which Marian, as a human, is incapable of remembering completely, unlike Charlotte.
My one complaint about the book was when Marian would go introspective and have these thoughts about her reactions to others/events being gendered, like "am I only reacting this way because I am a woman" type thoughts. They were heavy handed and jolted me out of the story sometimes because they didn't feel natural to her thought process. Although perhaps it was a bias on my part learning the author is a younger man writing the POV of an elderly woman.
Overall I quite enjoyed the novel, the pacing was a bit slow but I think that lent to the drawn out feeling of the week going by and life being reminisced upon. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0