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manikahemmerixh's Reviews (220)
I liked that this book followed the same format as The Housemaid without feeling terribly repetitive. This one did feel a little bit more predictable to me, but it's equally as engaging as the first. I noticed in the first Housemaid book that Frieda McFadden tends to go for characters that are on the extreme side of certain stereotypes, and that is even more obvious in the second. In the context it works somehow though, once I start one of these books I don't want to put it down until I've finished it.
This story is super fast paced and I never got bored reading it. I knew before going in that it was a series but didn't understand how until the very end - and I appreciate the vision and do plan on reading the next book.
This book still has a couple of the things I didn't love about the other Freida McFadden book that I've read, like the way that some of the thoughts and things that the characters say just seem a bit too fictional and some aspects require me to drift into a "if you say so, I'll believe it" mindset. But I did enjoy this one and I think that while these aren't books that I'll think about constantly, I trust that Frieda is a consistent author who provides thrilling, quick reads, if that's what I'm in the mood for.
This book still has a couple of the things I didn't love about the other Freida McFadden book that I've read, like the way that some of the thoughts and things that the characters say just seem a bit too fictional and some aspects require me to drift into a "if you say so, I'll believe it" mindset. But I did enjoy this one and I think that while these aren't books that I'll think about constantly, I trust that Frieda is a consistent author who provides thrilling, quick reads, if that's what I'm in the mood for.
To try and explain this story would sound so convoluted that you couldn't possibly get across just how painfully beautiful it is. It is almost so complicated that it shouldn't work, and yet it was so carefully crafted that I had no trouble following the winding narrative.
From our main characters, to the tortoises, to the Three Terrors, the character work in this alone is something to rave about. The description calls this an epic fantasy, and it delivers. That being said, think Ancient Greece and other mythological stories and remember that many of them are pretty messed up in graphic and perverse ways. The same is true here, so if you aren't a fan of depictions of gore or things that cross moral thresholds, this probably isn't one you should pick up. Part of the power of this book is its ability to make you uncomfortable.
I think the less you know about this story before going in the better, so I don't want to include any specifics, but even having just finished, there's a part of me that already wants to pick it back up again.
From our main characters, to the tortoises, to the Three Terrors, the character work in this alone is something to rave about. The description calls this an epic fantasy, and it delivers. That being said, think Ancient Greece and other mythological stories and remember that many of them are pretty messed up in graphic and perverse ways. The same is true here, so if you aren't a fan of depictions of gore or things that cross moral thresholds, this probably isn't one you should pick up. Part of the power of this book is its ability to make you uncomfortable.
I think the less you know about this story before going in the better, so I don't want to include any specifics, but even having just finished, there's a part of me that already wants to pick it back up again.
The DRAMA. I can't think of a more obvious example that the girls have always loved a love story that gets a little messy. The characters are so well pronounced in their personalities (neurotic mother, bleeding heart sister, slightly out of touch father, etc.) and that really makes the story so enjoyable to read. Elizabeth and Darcy's romance is full of twists and turns but how poignant was it for Jane Austen to write this when women had so little autonomy, and here's Lizzy who technically turns down not one proposal, but two. Feels redundant to give a classic like this a raving review when everything that could be said about it has already been said, but oh well.
I think that I was expecting to feel the drama of this book a bit more, but somehow it was just a bit empty for me. There were a lot of things that were introduced that I was like woah, I'd like to unpack that a lot more, and then it was just on to the next. Especially in the last half of the book. I think most of my problems narrow down to that I wasn't a huge fan of the perspective being grown adult Rachel narrating the story. I suppose grown adult Rachel would have worked through those things and tampered them in her memory, but the raw emotion of these complicated events would have been really interesting. I did like how much personality was given to the characters though, and the overall concept is compelling.
Ex. Rachel and Deenie both seem to believe they have some sort of friendship, which would add a layer to the betrayal of her knowing Fred is sleeping with James and doing nothing about it, but I didn't feel that friendship. If anything I felt more embarrassed for Rachel every time she inserted her life into the Harrington-Byrnes' than sympathetic. And I don't think that enough emphasis was put on just how messed up it is for Fred to throw Rachel under the bus to protect himself. She was complicit in knowing about his affair, and "reaping it's benefits" and not saying anything (how could she, really??) and that somehow makes it ok for him to effectively ruin her life?
After an accident leaves Fredrick, the vampire MMC, asleep for 100 years, he's left like a fish out of water in the 21st century and who better to help him learn more than Cassie, the FMC and a down-on-her-luck hard working artist.
I really appreciate how zany this is. It has a lot of the typical rom-com structure you'd expect from this type of novel, but with a fun twist. It doesn't take vampirism too seriously, and adds a touch of regency feel. You get varying mediums throughout the book, texts, letters, etc. which helps add character to the story. I've grown kind of wary of the repeated romance structure that lies behind books with cartoon covers, but this one (while not incredibly different from that) was enjoyable.
I really appreciate how zany this is. It has a lot of the typical rom-com structure you'd expect from this type of novel, but with a fun twist. It doesn't take vampirism too seriously, and adds a touch of regency feel. You get varying mediums throughout the book, texts, letters, etc. which helps add character to the story. I've grown kind of wary of the repeated romance structure that lies behind books with cartoon covers, but this one (while not incredibly different from that) was enjoyable.
This one kind of brought me back to my Wattpad days due to the style of the writing. It could be cringey at times (ex. "I am a twig. He is an oak tree.", "I cross my legs. It isn't wet undergarment time."). There are also many different POVs in the story and to give them a unique "voice" the language changes slightly between characters. One in particular didn't fit for me, as the way he was written made me suddenly feel like I was reading about a New York mobster.
It's also very insta-lovey. Within the first interaction between two characters, one of them is saying that just brushing the others hand made them feel like home. Relationships grow but with no real development. Everything is very surface level. This may be exacerbated by the fact that I had a bit of trouble following the timeline of the story. The novel has its own language for time, but the terminology isn't made very clear, and regular time verbiage like month is also used so it was confusing.
I liked the premise of the story though. The idea of all these characters who have their strong motivations for being a part of this dangerous plot, never knowing who they can trust, but needing to find a way to work together. There are also many subplots and elements that keep the story moving in different directions. It has good bones.
It's also very insta-lovey. Within the first interaction between two characters, one of them is saying that just brushing the others hand made them feel like home. Relationships grow but with no real development. Everything is very surface level. This may be exacerbated by the fact that I had a bit of trouble following the timeline of the story. The novel has its own language for time, but the terminology isn't made very clear, and regular time verbiage like month is also used so it was confusing.
I liked the premise of the story though. The idea of all these characters who have their strong motivations for being a part of this dangerous plot, never knowing who they can trust, but needing to find a way to work together. There are also many subplots and elements that keep the story moving in different directions. It has good bones.
I don't have a whole lot to say about this memoir other than I enjoyed reading it. As a whole it doesn't have strong re-readability for me, but there are certain passages I highlighted that will stay with me for a long time. I think that the way that Alderton verbalizes [her] human experience is beautiful.
I'm struggling to decide how I want to rate/review this book. I loved Night's Edge and it was undoubtedly one of the best things I read last year. I thought Liz Kerin's voice and take on vampires was unique and distinct and I appreciated the coming-of-age of it all. This novel still has Kerin's distinct voice, and I wouldn't say it's a bad book. The issue is that I didn't like it as a sequel.
I felt little to no of the same emotional complexity I was so moved by in Night's Edge. The scenes are there to set up for it but none of it really landed. Huge things happen to Mia, and she's still navigating the emotional monstrosity that comes with being a neglected/abused child turned adult, but I barely felt a thing. I didn't feel bad for her, I wasn't proud of her. I was indifferent to nearly all of the book. It felt like too many things were introduced without enough time to reflect the depth of them. Whereas Night's Edge gave me succinct and memorable plot points executed in detail.
I did like the ending, and I felt like the last two pages were reminiscent of what I saw in Night's Edge, but overall I think I would have been just as happy if Mia's story remained as the ambiguous ending in book 1.
I felt little to no of the same emotional complexity I was so moved by in Night's Edge. The scenes are there to set up for it but none of it really landed. Huge things happen to Mia, and she's still navigating the emotional monstrosity that comes with being a neglected/abused child turned adult, but I barely felt a thing. I didn't feel bad for her, I wasn't proud of her. I was indifferent to nearly all of the book. It felt like too many things were introduced without enough time to reflect the depth of them. Whereas Night's Edge gave me succinct and memorable plot points executed in detail.
I did like the ending, and I felt like the last two pages were reminiscent of what I saw in Night's Edge, but overall I think I would have been just as happy if Mia's story remained as the ambiguous ending in book 1.
3.75-4 ⭐️ but I’m going to round up to four.
The writing style itself wasn’t my favorite, it tells you what’s happening more often than it shows you, and even despite the considerable length parts of it felt a bit rushed. The enemies to lovers in this though??? *chefs kiss* Liam and Dianna are two people who genuinely have every reason in the world not to like one another, and yet so much more in common than it would seem. This is also definitely a slow burn and a delicious one. I was giggling and kicking my feet and for that I will give it four stars. Yeah it’s not a literary masterpiece and maybe altogether not even that unique in the grand scheme of romantasy but once things picked up between Liam and Dianna I could not get enough. I’ll be starting the second book now.
The writing style itself wasn’t my favorite, it tells you what’s happening more often than it shows you, and even despite the considerable length parts of it felt a bit rushed. The enemies to lovers in this though??? *chefs kiss* Liam and Dianna are two people who genuinely have every reason in the world not to like one another, and yet so much more in common than it would seem. This is also definitely a slow burn and a delicious one. I was giggling and kicking my feet and for that I will give it four stars. Yeah it’s not a literary masterpiece and maybe altogether not even that unique in the grand scheme of romantasy but once things picked up between Liam and Dianna I could not get enough. I’ll be starting the second book now.