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lifeofchrstnlvly's reviews
178 reviews
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
I should not have been intimidated by the thickness of this book because it was an easy read. Samantha Shannon has the power to let you be engrossed with the story.
Once you get past parts one and two, you will be rewarded with a story full of adventures. It is a high fantasy, high stakes book. You will encounter characters you will fall in love with (with the length of this book, rest assured you will fall in love with at least one). You will encounter characters that you will loathe. However, since it's a long book, be prepared to be heartbroken because anything can happen - including the death of the characters you love.
I want to share my thoughts about 2 of the main criticisms I read/watched about this book.
First, people criticize the ending because they feel it was rushed. However, the battle scene was never the book's main point. Instead, the journey of the characters was. It was all about the journey, the adventures of the characters, and how they needed to be molded before the war. While it was very plot-driven, the book was prolonged because of how fleshed out the characters were. If they didn't go through everything they went through, we would never understand why the characters were compelled to think about what they thought. Also, in hindsight, battle scenes are quick. You don't need 5 long chapters to describe who fought who and who died and survived because battles are fast, so I understood why the war was fast-paced.
Secondly, some say that when the characters faced the questions of their faith, it's like they quickly gave in and abandoned their beliefs. However, some people fail to recognize the age-old saying, "Seeing is believing." The characters saw what was against their beliefs, causing them to change their thoughts. It was not just hearsay; they saw it with their own eyes.
The Priory of the Orange Tree is about finding and being yourself. It is about friendship and found family. It is about politics and morality. It is so jam-packed that when you find yourself zoning out for 3 sentences, you must reread them because you probably missed a lot.
Yes, it is more than 800 pages, but I wanted more. I could read 800 pages more if it meant I could still live in their world.
adventurous
emotional
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
5.0
Just because something has always been done does not mean that it ought to be done.
I should not have been intimidated by the thickness of this book because it was an easy read. Samantha Shannon has the power to let you be engrossed with the story.
Once you get past parts one and two, you will be rewarded with a story full of adventures. It is a high fantasy, high stakes book. You will encounter characters you will fall in love with (with the length of this book, rest assured you will fall in love with at least one). You will encounter characters that you will loathe. However, since it's a long book, be prepared to be heartbroken because anything can happen - including the death of the characters you love.
I want to share my thoughts about 2 of the main criticisms I read/watched about this book.
First, people criticize the ending because they feel it was rushed. However, the battle scene was never the book's main point. Instead, the journey of the characters was. It was all about the journey, the adventures of the characters, and how they needed to be molded before the war. While it was very plot-driven, the book was prolonged because of how fleshed out the characters were. If they didn't go through everything they went through, we would never understand why the characters were compelled to think about what they thought. Also, in hindsight, battle scenes are quick. You don't need 5 long chapters to describe who fought who and who died and survived because battles are fast, so I understood why the war was fast-paced.
Secondly, some say that when the characters faced the questions of their faith, it's like they quickly gave in and abandoned their beliefs. However, some people fail to recognize the age-old saying, "Seeing is believing." The characters saw what was against their beliefs, causing them to change their thoughts. It was not just hearsay; they saw it with their own eyes.
The Priory of the Orange Tree is about finding and being yourself. It is about friendship and found family. It is about politics and morality. It is so jam-packed that when you find yourself zoning out for 3 sentences, you must reread them because you probably missed a lot.
Yes, it is more than 800 pages, but I wanted more. I could read 800 pages more if it meant I could still live in their world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Confinement, Kidnapping, Murder, and War
When We Were by Diana Elliot Graham
This book broke and healed me at the same time.
I need to get this out of the way: 19-year-old Arden's stupidity and childishness the "night of" infuriated me (emphasis on 19-year-old Arden, the past Arden, not the present). I was highlighting so many sentences; the only note I added for every highlight I did was "stupid."
This was precisely why I felt she was stupid that night. This perfectly captured it. I want to explain more, but I want to avoid delving into more details on what happened in this book because I want everyone to go as blindly as possible.
Yes, I cried. For how long? I do not know. I know I bawled my eyes out even after reading this book. You know a book is good when 1) the writing is good, and 2) the author can make you feel things. It is challenging to let readers feel all the emotions an author wants to convey without convincing them to feel things. However, the author made me feel things because of how raw and honest this book was written.
I was never a fan of the miscommunication trope (this is not a spoiler because it is literally in the blurb), but this book is different. While the central premise is about the miscommunication between him and her, it delves into the characters' lives more.
This book will stick with me for a long time. I will never look at Scrabble tiles the same way again.
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
But just because you don't want to hold on to something anymore, doesn't mean letting go is easier.
This book broke and healed me at the same time.
I need to get this out of the way: 19-year-old Arden's stupidity and childishness the "night of" infuriated me (emphasis on 19-year-old Arden, the past Arden, not the present). I was highlighting so many sentences; the only note I added for every highlight I did was "stupid."
Instead, she opted to stay surrounded by arrogant sycophants and aggressively drunk college students, but that's her choice.
This was precisely why I felt she was stupid that night. This perfectly captured it. I want to explain more, but I want to avoid delving into more details on what happened in this book because I want everyone to go as blindly as possible.
Yes, I cried. For how long? I do not know. I know I bawled my eyes out even after reading this book. You know a book is good when 1) the writing is good, and 2) the author can make you feel things. It is challenging to let readers feel all the emotions an author wants to convey without convincing them to feel things. However, the author made me feel things because of how raw and honest this book was written.
I was never a fan of the miscommunication trope (this is not a spoiler because it is literally in the blurb), but this book is different. While the central premise is about the miscommunication between him and her, it delves into the characters' lives more.
Just because you close the back cover on your favorite book doesn't mean it doesn't stay with you.
This book will stick with me for a long time. I will never look at Scrabble tiles the same way again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault and Toxic friendship
The Distraction by Morgan Elizabeth
I'm not going to lie: the only reason I started this series was that I found out The Playlist, book 5 in the Springbrook Hills series, is full of Taylor Swift references. As a Swiftie, I was too excited. Springbrook Hills series is an interconnected standalone, so I can opt not to read every book. Still, since I am familiar with Morgan Elizabeth's work (I enjoyed 'Tis The Season For Revenge so much), I started reading The Distraction. Besides, more books = more fun. *wink*
If I were living in a fictional world, I wouldn't fall in love with Hannah. Sadie once said Hannah is a drama magnet, and Hannah agreed, saying drama trails her. However, that's incorrect since Hannah is THE drama maker. I didn't sympathize with Hannah, even if she was hurting. She knew what she was getting into.
Another thing that irked me about Hannah's character is her kindness makes her an idiot sometimes.A specific sample was when she finally signed the contract. Maggie handed it to her, and she did not read it because she knows Maggie and trusts her (nothing against Maggie as she has a very pure soul). While nothing wrong happened, this shows her being somewhat… stupid. Hannah is my most unlikeable character in this book, which is too bad because she's the FMC.
As for Hunter, I didn't particularly appreciate how his constantly distracted issue was not addressed fully, but I liked how self-aware he was.
I wanted a palate cleanser, an easy, smutty read while reading The Priory of the Orange Tree. It served its purpose, but Hannah ruined it for me. 2 stars.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
You can’t put your life on hold chasing some ideal.
I'm not going to lie: the only reason I started this series was that I found out The Playlist, book 5 in the Springbrook Hills series, is full of Taylor Swift references. As a Swiftie, I was too excited. Springbrook Hills series is an interconnected standalone, so I can opt not to read every book. Still, since I am familiar with Morgan Elizabeth's work (I enjoyed 'Tis The Season For Revenge so much), I started reading The Distraction. Besides, more books = more fun. *wink*
If I were living in a fictional world, I wouldn't fall in love with Hannah. Sadie once said Hannah is a drama magnet, and Hannah agreed, saying drama trails her. However, that's incorrect since Hannah is THE drama maker. I didn't sympathize with Hannah, even if she was hurting. She knew what she was getting into.
Another thing that irked me about Hannah's character is her kindness makes her an idiot sometimes.
As for Hunter, I didn't particularly appreciate how his constantly distracted issue was not addressed fully, but I liked how self-aware he was.
I wanted a palate cleanser, an easy, smutty read while reading The Priory of the Orange Tree. It served its purpose, but Hannah ruined it for me. 2 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Cancer and Death of parent
The Confidence of Wildflowers by Micalea Smeltzer
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Cancer, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual content, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
Well, I didn’t see that one coming. It caught me a bit off-guard (only a bit because I suspected all of them ha ha ha).
I enjoy reading Michaelides’ books because 1) I love mystery, and 2) I like that psychology is always incorporated. However, I have yet to read a work from him that will satisfy me. He does his descriptions well (he's a good writer, no doubt about that), but the “reveal” is always unsatisfying. The ending felt rushed. I read The Silent Patient and I had the same problems.
Side note: what was the point of Henry's character? Personally, I think there will be no difference even if his character didn't exist.
I’ll still read his future books, though... because I have a lot of fun reading about crazy people.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It’s important to keep looking ahead. You mustn’t forever look back, over your shoulder. Think about the future.
Well, I didn’t see that one coming. It caught me a bit off-guard (only a bit because I suspected all of them ha ha ha).
I enjoy reading Michaelides’ books because 1) I love mystery, and 2) I like that psychology is always incorporated. However, I have yet to read a work from him that will satisfy me. He does his descriptions well (he's a good writer, no doubt about that), but the “reveal” is always unsatisfying. The ending felt rushed. I read The Silent Patient and I had the same problems.
Side note: what was the point of Henry's character? Personally, I think there will be no difference even if his character didn't exist.
I’ll still read his future books, though... because I have a lot of fun reading about crazy people.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Animal death, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Mental illness, Abandonment, Addiction, and Child abuse
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, and Suicide attempt
The Mistake by Elle Kennedy
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It was okay. I still think The Deal is better.
Grace is a bland FMC. Logan was the one who upped my rating from 2 to 3 stars.
I think the next book will be about Dean and I am really intrigued.
Grace is a bland FMC. Logan was the one who upped my rating from 2 to 3 stars.
I think the next book will be about Dean and I am really intrigued.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Sexual content
Minor: Car accident
Twisted Love by Ana Huang
funny
medium-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
2.0
REREAD REVIEW:
I still don't understand how they fell in love with each other. The book didn't explore in detail what made them fall in love. I'm still indifferent towards Ava and Alex. I was not invested in them, and I honestly didn't care if they all died. To be fair, I only started to like Alex a little bit in the other books. For me, he was unlovable in Twisted Love. As for Ava, meh. She was so bland and uninteresting (even in the succeeding books).
When I first read this, I was disappointed with the smut. After rereading it, my opinion still hasn't changed.
The last part (confrontation part) will always be funny to me because it was overly dramatic.
I'm dropping my rating to 2 stars after my reread because, let's be honest: this book is not good at all. I must admit it's entertaining, though.
-----
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
2.5 stars (3 stars on GR since it's rounded up)
Did I love the book? No. Was I entertained while reading it? Yes.
For me, reading is a way to destress. It helps me escape all the nuances of life, so I try to finish all the books I read - even if I find the story so unbelievable and preposterous. I try not to DNF books out of respect for the authors (no matter how bad the book is, authors spend their time and energy creating them). Also, I don't think I ever came across a book that really made me mad to the point of me not bearing to read it at all.
This book is both unbelievable AND preposterous. I don't mind fiction books veering away from reality (they are fiction, of course) - hello, I love fantasy books - but you just know when a book is too much fiction it's nuts. This book is it.
Let's be real: Alex is toxic. No sugarcoating. Alex is a stalker. No lies. Alex and Ava are messed up (to be fair, both MCs are very much aware of how messed up they are). That's the truth. Do I envy Ava for having someone like Alex? Definitely not. 😂
This book/The Twisted series is getting a lot of hype. Taste and preferences are subjective, so I don't question people who love this book/series. As I've said, I was entertained while I was reading it, and I read to destress. So yes, I will still read the rest of the series (I am low-key excited to read Twisted Games because Bridget piques my interest).
Do I recommend this book? No. Do I recommend it to someone who just wants to read something and who doesn't mind wasting their time? Yes. 😂
I still don't understand how they fell in love with each other. The book didn't explore in detail what made them fall in love. I'm still indifferent towards Ava and Alex. I was not invested in them, and I honestly didn't care if they all died. To be fair, I only started to like Alex a little bit in the other books. For me, he was unlovable in Twisted Love. As for Ava, meh. She was so bland and uninteresting (even in the succeeding books).
When I first read this, I was disappointed with the smut. After rereading it, my opinion still hasn't changed.
The last part (confrontation part) will always be funny to me because it was overly dramatic.
I'm dropping my rating to 2 stars after my reread because, let's be honest: this book is not good at all. I must admit it's entertaining, though.
-----
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
2.5 stars (3 stars on GR since it's rounded up)
Did I love the book? No. Was I entertained while reading it? Yes.
For me, reading is a way to destress. It helps me escape all the nuances of life, so I try to finish all the books I read - even if I find the story so unbelievable and preposterous. I try not to DNF books out of respect for the authors (no matter how bad the book is, authors spend their time and energy creating them). Also, I don't think I ever came across a book that really made me mad to the point of me not bearing to read it at all.
This book is both unbelievable AND preposterous. I don't mind fiction books veering away from reality (they are fiction, of course) - hello, I love fantasy books - but you just know when a book is too much fiction it's nuts. This book is it.
Let's be real: Alex is toxic. No sugarcoating. Alex is a stalker. No lies. Alex and Ava are messed up (to be fair, both MCs are very much aware of how messed up they are). That's the truth. Do I envy Ava for having someone like Alex? Definitely not. 😂
This book/The Twisted series is getting a lot of hype. Taste and preferences are subjective, so I don't question people who love this book/series. As I've said, I was entertained while I was reading it, and I read to destress. So yes, I will still read the rest of the series (I am low-key excited to read Twisted Games because Bridget piques my interest).
Do I recommend this book? No. Do I recommend it to someone who just wants to read something and who doesn't mind wasting their time? Yes. 😂
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, Stalking, and Toxic relationship
Alone with You in the Ether by Olivie Blake
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Two words: underwhelming and disappointing.
Yeah, it had good mental health representation. I have clinical depression and my husband has bipolar disorder. This book perfectly depicted what living with mental illness feels like. However, it was not the best book just like what most people say.
I know in the acknowledgments Olivie said "This is not a book about how pills are bad, but about finding the acceptance we need to feel both well and alive." I get that. But it's harmful to write a book about characters not willing to take their medications, then only put a one-sentence disclaimer at the end of the book. I know Olivie also suffers from bipolar disorder, so it was quite surprising for me that this is the route she chose.
Yes, acceptance is important. Yes, loving someone completely despite everything is great (though honestly, this is arguable because the book focused too much on sex that it became apparent sex equates to love). However, she had the opportunity to educate people with no mental illness how living with the disease feels like, so why did she miss to grab the opportunity to educate people who DO suffer from mental illness how vital medications and therapy are. There was a part where because of Regan's rage, she was imagining stabbing everyone, but this was not addressed at all in therapy because "love" is apparently enough.
The first 30% of this book, I was in awe of the writing. It's a character-driven book, and I love character-driven books, but it got boring. It became pretentious. There was a point where there were 2 long paragraphs in one page. I was dreading reading it because it was too much. This makes me so scared because I have a copy of The Atlas Six. If this is the way she writes, then I'm doomed.
1.5 stars (1 star because it perfectly described mental illness, 0.5 star since I enjoyed the good writing for the first 30% of the book)
Yeah, it had good mental health representation. I have clinical depression and my husband has bipolar disorder. This book perfectly depicted what living with mental illness feels like. However, it was not the best book just like what most people say.
I know in the acknowledgments Olivie said "This is not a book about how pills are bad, but about finding the acceptance we need to feel both well and alive." I get that. But it's harmful to write a book about characters not willing to take their medications, then only put a one-sentence disclaimer at the end of the book. I know Olivie also suffers from bipolar disorder, so it was quite surprising for me that this is the route she chose.
Yes, acceptance is important. Yes, loving someone completely despite everything is great (though honestly, this is arguable because the book focused too much on sex that it became apparent sex equates to love). However, she had the opportunity to educate people with no mental illness how living with the disease feels like, so why did she miss to grab the opportunity to educate people who DO suffer from mental illness how vital medications and therapy are. There was a part where because of Regan's rage, she was imagining stabbing everyone, but this was not addressed at all in therapy because "love" is apparently enough.
The first 30% of this book, I was in awe of the writing. It's a character-driven book, and I love character-driven books, but it got boring. It became pretentious. There was a point where there were 2 long paragraphs in one page. I was dreading reading it because it was too much. This makes me so scared because I have a copy of The Atlas Six. If this is the way she writes, then I'm doomed.
1.5 stars (1 star because it perfectly described mental illness, 0.5 star since I enjoyed the good writing for the first 30% of the book)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Bunny by Mona Awad
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Most people say this book reminds them of a darker Mean Girls, but it reminded me of Black Swan. It also reminded me so much of I'm Thinking of Ending Things.
I don't think I can describe to anyone what Bunny is all about. I can definitely describe how it it felt like: a fever dream. I can't categorize this under the horror genre. It's more of magical realism, with horror elements.
I liked how it sucked me into Samantha's mind. I love reading unreliable narrators, so I think the reason why I liked it was the first chapter in, I was able to realize she's mentally ill. Realizing she actually has schizophrenia perfectly explained everything. A couple of pages in and I also concluded Ava's not real, so I was sort of surprised most people who read it were shocked when this was revealed at the last part.
The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced this is 5 stars. Yes, it was messy, weird, and eccentric. But that's how the mind of someone like Samatha works. The entire book was narrated by her, so it made sense why it was written that way... why it meant it was perfect.
In the end, all I felt was sadness for Samantha.
I can't wait to read All's Well now... and I'm so happy to know that this book will be adapted into a movie. Can't wait to see the weirdness on screen.
I don't think I can describe to anyone what Bunny is all about. I can definitely describe how it it felt like: a fever dream. I can't categorize this under the horror genre. It's more of magical realism, with horror elements.
The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced this is 5 stars. Yes, it was messy, weird, and eccentric. But that's how the mind of someone like Samatha works. The entire book was narrated by her, so it made sense why it was written that way... why it meant it was perfect.
In the end, all I felt was sadness for Samantha.
I can't wait to read All's Well now... and I'm so happy to know that this book will be adapted into a movie. Can't wait to see the weirdness on screen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Animal death, Blood, Drug use, Violence, Gore, and Mental illness
Moderate: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Billy Summers by Stephen King
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
My first Stephen King book and yes, I cried.
I'm a fan of horror movies, but not a fan of horror books. I purposely didn't read any SK books growing up because of this. In movies, I don't get scared easily because I see ghosts upfront. In books, it's different. It makes your mind work. I have a wild imagination and can imagine more scary things. It can haunt me for weeks.
That's why when I found out Billy Summers is not a horror story but a thriller (which I love), I immediately grabbed the opportunity and bought it.
There's a reason why even after writing tons of books, SK is still a household name. He is a master storyteller. He knows how to keep you invested in the plot. He knows how to help you understand. He knows how to suck you in. For that, I rated it 4 stars.
I loved the first half of the book more than the second half. I loved Billy, Alice, and Bucky. Oh, Bucky. I would give everything just to hug him.
Overall, I loved the book, but it's not 5 stars because admittedly, the "love story" part put me off a bit.
I'm a fan of horror movies, but not a fan of horror books. I purposely didn't read any SK books growing up because of this. In movies, I don't get scared easily because I see ghosts upfront. In books, it's different. It makes your mind work. I have a wild imagination and can imagine more scary things. It can haunt me for weeks.
That's why when I found out Billy Summers is not a horror story but a thriller (which I love), I immediately grabbed the opportunity and bought it.
There's a reason why even after writing tons of books, SK is still a household name. He is a master storyteller. He knows how to keep you invested in the plot. He knows how to help you understand. He knows how to suck you in. For that, I rated it 4 stars.
I loved the first half of the book more than the second half. I loved Billy, Alice, and Bucky. Oh, Bucky. I would give everything just to hug him.
Overall, I loved the book, but it's not 5 stars because admittedly, the "love story" part put me off a bit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Blood, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Pedophilia