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manikahemmerixh's Reviews (220)
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
More or less, this is kind of a book about nothing, but it’s an easy read that kept me engaged.
The majority of the pages follow our FOC as she flitters in and out of a drug induced sleep haze (and sometimes black outs). She convinces herself that she can sleep long enough to be reborn into a new person - and then genuinely tries. Quite a bit of it makes no sense (I can’t imagine that even in 2000, it was that easy to get your hands on this many prescription drugs and frankly some of her descriptions of what she’s taking are alarming and I’m not sure she’d survive them), but i think the whole prospect of the book is to forget what’s real and makes sense anyway.
I’m not surprised some people really liked this and some really hated it. I think it’ll appeal more to a subset of people who find it unfortunately relatable than it will to just anybody.
The majority of the pages follow our FOC as she flitters in and out of a drug induced sleep haze (and sometimes black outs). She convinces herself that she can sleep long enough to be reborn into a new person - and then genuinely tries. Quite a bit of it makes no sense (I can’t imagine that even in 2000, it was that easy to get your hands on this many prescription drugs and frankly some of her descriptions of what she’s taking are alarming and I’m not sure she’d survive them), but i think the whole prospect of the book is to forget what’s real and makes sense anyway.
I’m not surprised some people really liked this and some really hated it. I think it’ll appeal more to a subset of people who find it unfortunately relatable than it will to just anybody.
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
This book grew on me the more I read it. The writing style is a bit basic, and at times a little cliché (spoiler warning: her spine tingles and her body shivers everytime the MOC looks at her or touches her in the slightest), but the content it so much more than that and makes it easy to overlook.
The first thing I really appreciated about this book is that the pacing feels natural and not too slow but not too hurried. The author isn’t afraid to let months pass as the story plays out, and I was really rooting for Thayer and Salem as a result. There’s a lot of dramatic content and while the book didn’t completely break me, it’s hard stuff. The ending I couldn’t see coming from a mile away, and I’m not typically one to rate unhappy endings or cliffhangers particularly high, but in this case I understand why there is one. Hopefully book two won’t let me down as this one left me with a bit of heartache for the characters.
The first thing I really appreciated about this book is that the pacing feels natural and not too slow but not too hurried. The author isn’t afraid to let months pass as the story plays out, and I was really rooting for Thayer and Salem as a result. There’s a lot of dramatic content and while the book didn’t completely break me, it’s hard stuff. The ending I couldn’t see coming from a mile away, and I’m not typically one to rate unhappy endings or cliffhangers particularly high, but in this case I understand why there is one. Hopefully book two won’t let me down as this one left me with a bit of heartache for the characters.
fast-paced
I’ve been hearing about this book for a long time and knew I would never buy it (aliens aren’t really my thing), but then I saw it at the library and decided to see what the hype was about.
On one hand I get it, and on the other I wonder if I should have just followed my gut and left the book alone. It’s a very easy read, and spurs you along. For 90% of it, I had no problem staying engaged with the book, but I didn’t love a lot of the content. The only time I wasn’t sure I was going to make it through this book was when she’s on the alien space ship. I don’t find the inclusion of what happened to Dominique, even if it isn’t described in any detail to be crucial to the plot, and could have lived without it. Same goes for Vektal’s enthusiastic greeting for Georgie. It made me uncomfortable even if the author tried to assuage that by making Georgie recount the memory in a mostly positive light later in the book ( this just didn’t make sense to me. you’re freezing on an unfamiliar planet after watching someone else be assaulted, covered in human waste, and wake up with a creature you can’t even recognize with their head in your private parts. pleasure or not I feel like she couldn’t be in the right mindset to consent? ). I also was kind of annoyed by the attempt to write out their inability to communicate. Initially I thought it was just a keyboard smash before I figured out how to decipher the English words in Vektal’s perspective. I don’t think I would’ve finished the book had Georgie not learned how to speak with Vektal. Especially since everything was moving so fast between them.
Everything else about the book was alright. Dixon does a good job of setting the scene and making it so I could picture Georgie’s surroundings and the planet “Not-Hoth”. The spice is frequent and maybe a little repetitive but both characters are certainly enthusiastic for each other which is nice enough. I’m still glad I didn’t buy it (I’d feel like I wasted my money) but it didn’t feel like a complete waste of time to read and I will say the cover is gorgeous.
On one hand I get it, and on the other I wonder if I should have just followed my gut and left the book alone. It’s a very easy read, and spurs you along. For 90% of it, I had no problem staying engaged with the book, but I didn’t love a lot of the content. The only time I wasn’t sure I was going to make it through this book was when she’s on the alien space ship. I don’t find the inclusion of what happened to Dominique, even if it isn’t described in any detail to be crucial to the plot, and could have lived without it. Same goes for Vektal’s enthusiastic greeting for Georgie. It made me uncomfortable even if the author tried to assuage that by making Georgie recount the memory in a mostly positive light later in the book (
Everything else about the book was alright. Dixon does a good job of setting the scene and making it so I could picture Georgie’s surroundings and the planet “Not-Hoth”. The spice is frequent and maybe a little repetitive but both characters are certainly enthusiastic for each other which is nice enough. I’m still glad I didn’t buy it (I’d feel like I wasted my money) but it didn’t feel like a complete waste of time to read and I will say the cover is gorgeous.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I just recently found and read Blood Orange a few weeks ago and was desperate for the rest of Dracula’s story, and checking for a publication date for this book consistently (needless to say I was very excited when I found the release announcement).
That brings me to the book itself though. I enjoyed the character of Rose just as much as I enjoyed reading about Dahlia in book one, she felt like her own character while reflecting those before her, and I was spurred on by her relationship with Valtu and finding its resolution. However, the writing and plot had some shortcomings for me.
I’m pretty anti-memory loss used in a love story, but I could understand it in this case. Halle does a good job of explaining Valtu’s grief and inability to see any other way to keep going. I still don’t love it, but I could believe it. The second time he takes the potion though, causing Rose to destroy the book in a fit of pain and thereby reverse both potions, didn’t feel as believable and all happened so fast. .
The whole book felt a bit rushed to me. In comparison to Blood Orange, I didn’t feel it flowing as naturally, and sometimes it felt forced. There were things that happened never to be mentioned again, ( the demon baby which quite frankly I’ll never forget reading about but after that night of Rose’s initial fear, is never brought up again. nor are any of the other bad presences thought to guard the book after Rose kills the bad thing ) and the final battle scene felt like it read way too quickly in my opinion, which made it a little underwhelming. All that being said, I’m glad to have finished the Dracula duet and that the author still chose to publish it in the wake of the things she had going on personally. It’s still nice to have closure to the story of Dracula and his reincarnated lover.
That brings me to the book itself though. I enjoyed the character of Rose just as much as I enjoyed reading about Dahlia in book one, she felt like her own character while reflecting those before her, and I was spurred on by her relationship with Valtu and finding its resolution. However, the writing and plot had some shortcomings for me.
The whole book felt a bit rushed to me. In comparison to Blood Orange, I didn’t feel it flowing as naturally, and sometimes it felt forced. There were things that happened never to be mentioned again, (
This was a fun, easy to read thriller that did keep me on my toes. I liked the short chapter format as it helped to keep all the action digestible. While I had inklings of where the story might be going, I wasn’t expecting the supernatural aspect. Up until the end when Emma finally pieces together not only who is after her family, but what caused herself and her mother to go "mad”, I thought it was just a regular psychological thriller. I love a bit of a preternatural aspect so it was welcome to me, though tragic to think of all the consequences. Especially for Emma’s poor mom, who was trying her best. . Things that lowered my overall rating were the way the people around emma treated her and regarded her, (but I could see how it drove the story), however I don’t know if the tryst between the 17 yr old and the 30 yr old man then being used to invoke slut shaming was needed.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I think that this book could be a 5 star read for me in the future. To really appreciate it, I think I’d have to slow down, ruminate with it, and maybe even mark passages or take notes. I can pretty confidently say that I think this book may get better the more that you’ve read it. That being said, I did enjoy reading it, and there were definitely passages and moments that stood out to me. The book didn’t devastate me, but it did make me feel things. I was rooting for Aldo and Regan not even despite the volatility of their relationship, but I think because of it. It’s not easy, and unlike a lot of other romance books, much of the conflict in their relationship comes from within the characters rather than outside forces, but "broken” people deserve love too and you can feel Regan and Aldo’s yearning to love one another in a way that benefits them both.
The best written part about this book is the spice. The rest of it is meh. I wasn’t really rooting for the characters or convinced that the power of their love was so strong it erased the borderline inappropriate nature of their whole relationship. Some of the lines felt so cliché and overdone, and it wasn’t a very well-rounded story imo. There are some gaps and holes and things that made me feel like ??. Not the worst book I’ve ever read though.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced