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manikahemmerixh's Reviews (220)
I had to spend some time thinking about my review for this one. Rainbow Black has a lot of complicated themes and events. I felt very strongly for a lot of the characters, especially young Lacey. I appreciated the honest depiction of a girl who's pretty well adapted (if not a bit misunderstood) to a girl who's basically been completely let down by the system. Her thoughts and actions get more and more inappropriate, but could anyone really expect her to know better?
To me, it got pretty obvious from the narration where the end was heading and that got me thinking a lot about reformation and what it means to face the consequences of something that happened so long ago. I enjoyed reading this book and the way that it made me feel (even if sometimes that was dread or frustration) but I didn't love the last 100 or so pages. I don't think this is the kind of story that requires a pretty ending, but it doesn't really end so much as it's put to an end, and I would have liked something more concrete.
To me, it got pretty obvious from the narration where the end was heading and that got me thinking a lot about reformation and what it means to face the consequences of something that happened so long ago. I enjoyed reading this book and the way that it made me feel (even if sometimes that was dread or frustration) but I didn't love the last 100 or so pages. I don't think this is the kind of story that requires a pretty ending, but it doesn't really end so much as it's put to an end, and I would have liked something more concrete.
STG has a unique writing style, using stream of consciousness for the majority of the book. I'm not sure if this is the case for all of his novels, or an artistic choice for this series specifically. Sometimes it works really well (the chapter titled The Burning stood out to me especially, as it provided a deeper insight to two of the characters that I thought was quite meaningful), but other times it can be pretty confusing and disjointed. I understand that under the circumstances that the characters are in, their thoughts probably would be all over the place, but it made the story hard for me to digest. It's too easy to miss things or lose track, and sometimes I honestly just didn't have a clue what was going on.
By the last 100ish pages, I was pretty weary of the long chapters and flow of the book so I switched to the audiobook, and that did help. I liked seeing Jade's growth from 17 to 22, and I think that the introduction of a new "history project" and the included e-mails were cool. There are a lot of overlapping story lines though, and more questions than you want as a reader at the end of a book, even if it is setting up for another book (and I doubt I'll be picking that one up anyway). It's not for me, but I do see how other people could find these book really exciting and unique.
A final note; in my review of the first one, I noted that all the slasher references weren't super reader-friendly, this one doesn't have that issue as much. As a sequel, though, it isn't one that holds your hand. You need to have a pretty fresh understanding of the content of the first book in order to follow this one.
By the last 100ish pages, I was pretty weary of the long chapters and flow of the book so I switched to the audiobook, and that did help. I liked seeing Jade's growth from 17 to 22, and I think that the introduction of a new "history project" and the included e-mails were cool. There are a lot of overlapping story lines though, and more questions than you want as a reader at the end of a book, even if it is setting up for another book (and I doubt I'll be picking that one up anyway). It's not for me, but I do see how other people could find these book really exciting and unique.
A final note; in my review of the first one, I noted that all the slasher references weren't super reader-friendly, this one doesn't have that issue as much. As a sequel, though, it isn't one that holds your hand. You need to have a pretty fresh understanding of the content of the first book in order to follow this one.
This book is a GEM. It's heavy (I've never come so close to crying within the first 50-pages of a novel) but I never wanted to put it down. In fact I was torn between savoring it and devouring each line as quickly as I could. The characters are so alive. How Boyne managed to flesh them all out and give them each such distinctive voices is a mystery to me, but I think that their quirks play a large role in brightening a story that at it's core is pretty serious, and can be quite dark.
I was endeared to Cyril Avery immediately and wanted so badly to give that lonely child a hug. He's a flawed protagonist (as anyone good human protagonist should be, because all humans have flaws) but his life is a complicated one, and his mistakes multi-faceted. I was always rooting for him.
When I cried as I read the epilogue I'm not sure if it was for the characters, or because I was so sad that the story was over. Probably a bit of both. I rarely find a book without flaw, but I don't have single criticism for this one.
I was endeared to Cyril Avery immediately and wanted so badly to give that lonely child a hug. He's a flawed protagonist (as anyone good human protagonist should be, because all humans have flaws) but his life is a complicated one, and his mistakes multi-faceted. I was always rooting for him.
When I cried as I read the epilogue I'm not sure if it was for the characters, or because I was so sad that the story was over. Probably a bit of both. I rarely find a book without flaw, but I don't have single criticism for this one.
It's important to start by saying that if I rated books on vibes alone, this one would be close to a full 5 stars. It turns out I really have a thing for books about mortals getting pulled into crazy situations involving the gods (think Masters of Death), and because of that, the beginning of this book really captured my interest.
Sadly, it didn't stay that way the entire time. It's an incredibly interesting concept but the way that it's executed left me desiring more. There are a lot of unanswered questions, and the end of the book was unfortunately too cliché and transparent to feel very satisfying. Frankly, I think if you removed the spice, and the emphasis on the importance of physicality in their relationship (which I think is more there to give the spice scenes a reason to be in the book, rather than the other way around) then this would make a great story for young readers.
Sadly, it didn't stay that way the entire time. It's an incredibly interesting concept but the way that it's executed left me desiring more. There are a lot of unanswered questions, and the end of the book was unfortunately too cliché and transparent to feel very satisfying. Frankly, I think if you removed the spice, and the emphasis on the importance of physicality in their relationship (which I think is more there to give the spice scenes a reason to be in the book, rather than the other way around) then this would make a great story for young readers.
I have mixed feelings about this book. The writing is good, and Jade brings the story a lead that is complex and definitely driven. That being said, I found her kind of annoying. Which I think is probably somewhat intentional (at times it seems like Jade finds herself annoying). The ending is also a little rushed to the point where the "big reveal" didn't really come as a shock to me even though I hadn't fully figured out what was going on.
My main dilemma with this book though is all of it's horror cinema references. I'm not a Jade level slasher movie expert, but I did know enough to mostly keep me afloat with this read. I can imagine it would be really frustrating to read if you hadn't seen even a few of the many movies that are referenced to in the novel. On one hand, I suppose you can skim over them and still enjoy the story, and then on the other the references are pretty non-stop and most of them are pretty specific as well.
My main dilemma with this book though is all of it's horror cinema references. I'm not a Jade level slasher movie expert, but I did know enough to mostly keep me afloat with this read. I can imagine it would be really frustrating to read if you hadn't seen even a few of the many movies that are referenced to in the novel. On one hand, I suppose you can skim over them and still enjoy the story, and then on the other the references are pretty non-stop and most of them are pretty specific as well.
Gut wrenching, honestly. You couldn't pay me to climb Mt. Everest (let alone would I pay the many tens of thousands that it costs to try to best the mountain) but even almost 30 years after publication, this is an insightful peer into the minds of those who do dare to climb to the top of the world, and the harrowing experience that awaits them there. I can only barely imagine what it must have felt like to be there on top of that mountain, delirious, freezing, scared, and knowing all the while that there were others worse off than you. Nor can I imagine what it must have been like to write and publish this book afterwards.
This book has so many things that I love (vampires, queerness, haunting/lyrical prose), but I have to admit that I was underwhelmed. The book isn't bad by any means, it was just much simpler than I was expecting. It does a good job of establishing an abusive power dynamic, manipulation, and what that can do to someone. That dynamic is made even more complex when attributed to vampires because he did, after all, give them whole new life (and in Constanta's case, saved hers).
However, there just wasn't anything drawing me to the book. I picked up and finished two other books in the course of reading this one, and if not for my KU subscription ending I may have kept putting off finishing it. The character's are well described and have life breathed into them, but not much else is particularly memorable.
However, there just wasn't anything drawing me to the book. I picked up and finished two other books in the course of reading this one, and if not for my KU subscription ending I may have kept putting off finishing it. The character's are well described and have life breathed into them, but not much else is particularly memorable.
This was a random grab at the library for me. I was intrigued by the description on the back, but got more than I thought I was going to. I've never read a book like this before, and for me it was very well done. It can be a bit wordy, but I didn't mind that. I saw some complaints that the "main story" (the novel being written) was bland with underdeveloped characters but I think that added to my enjoyment of the book. I both enjoyed the story, and felt like I was reading the drafts of an author's manuscript. I did notice some typos, though, which I somehow doubt were intentional (since they're never mentioned in the letters).
As for the overall story, I was immediately suspicious of Leo , at first thinking that maybe he was a stalker, sending messages to Hannah unsolicited. Which is cleared up by the way he addresses her in the letters and the way that she changes the writing in response to his letters (at first positively and then negatively as he becomes more unhinged) The author, Hannah, say so much in response despite us never reading one of her letters. I do think that the story requires you to pay pretty close attention, and also maybe fill in blanks for yourself.
As for the overall story, I was immediately suspicious of
This is a tough one. When I started this book, I thought I was going to love it, and coming to the end I think that instead I just liked it. To start, I really liked the characters because they were real. Not everything in their life was perfect, and they each had some pretty clear things they were dealing with when it came to relationships and romance. Unfortunately, that got stretched a bit far for me around the climax of the novel.
The spice, while well written, was almost uncomfortable because all I could think is "this is two people who should not be having sex right now". They were so clearly not on the same page, in a way that was impossible to avoid as a reader. Of course people still deserve to be in love and be happy even if they aren't at their best mentally, but I'm not sure that I can believe that months away not confronting her feelings, would magically make Ari ready for love in a way that she wasn't before.
Over all it's a well written book. I loved the aspect of the passing of years between their initial encounters and what it means when someone keeps popping back up into your life. It just wasn't quite all the way there for me.
Over all it's a well written book. I loved the aspect of the passing of years between their initial encounters and what it means when someone keeps popping back up into your life. It just wasn't quite all the way there for me.
I could not have been rooting for Anne and Thomas more. I actually teared up a bit at the end. Outside of being heartwarming, this story was well written and had a nice flow to it. I also enjoyed the added touch of the Yeats poem at the beginning of each chapter.