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misslexisaurus's reviews
78 reviews
The First Ethereal by E.L. Williams
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
I'm struggling to put into words how much I loved this book and why. The First Ethereal is so relevant and rooted in reality while still being full of real magic, with a sprinkle of hocus pocus for good measure!
The underlying message is so beautiful and made me cry at various points through the book. It threads hope into the most painful, hopeless situations and highlights the beauty of humanity without ignoring the awful parts of it.
The underlying message is so beautiful and made me cry at various points through the book. It threads hope into the most painful, hopeless situations and highlights the beauty of humanity without ignoring the awful parts of it.
The characters are relatable and, despite having clear goodies and baddies, the plot manages to expose the shades of grey in each situation.
After luring you in with its light, warm and fuzzy opening, The First Ethereal suddenly kicks up several gears which serves to ensure the reader understands the confusion and overwhelm of the characters. From the opening chapters I would never have guessed we could have landed in those final chapters and yet, in a very natural way, we do.
I was so moved by the story, it made me think and really look at my own beliefs and the way I've been acting simply by showing the complexity of the human experience.
I can't wait for the sequel!
How to Keep House While Drowning: 31 Days of Compassionate Help by KC Davis
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
I can't recommend this enough. Whether you regularly struggle with housework, finding yourself unable to keep on top of it or spending all your spare time cleaning, or if you just hit a period where life has happened and you find yourself drowning in endless chores, this book is a revelation.
I've been working on self care and self love for a few years now and this was a perfect next step for me. Reminding me of some things I had forgotten (like that it's OK for functioning to be the only aim sometimes) and teaching me new methods to make functioning easier on the really hard days.
Also, I cleaned my bathroom after reading the chapter on bathrooms!
I've been working on self care and self love for a few years now and this was a perfect next step for me. Reminding me of some things I had forgotten (like that it's OK for functioning to be the only aim sometimes) and teaching me new methods to make functioning easier on the really hard days.
Also, I cleaned my bathroom after reading the chapter on bathrooms!
Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
The objectively false statements about the nature of rape in "violence" angered and upset me so much I had to stop reading. I was expecting a book of wisdom and advice to warm the heart and inspire me to keep going, what I got was judgement and preaching.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Physical abuse
Moderate: Rape
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
Way too sci-fi and futuristic for me.
Redemption by J.M. Darhower
dark
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I still had such bad book hangover weeks after finishing Sempre that I bought the sequel and I'm so glad I did! All my favourite characters continued their complicated, tense and heartwarming journeys, taking me on a roller-coaster of emotions along with them.
Haven's growthand seeing her build her own life and get to live her dream was so hopeful and inspiring. I love that even in the epilogue her roots are honoured and are still impacting her. I have a space in my heart for Haven; she's so strong and determined and never lets the world jade her. I also love that when she moved to Chicago, she didn't give up art school.
The "meant to be" plot might be a bit much for some but I thought it was really well done and not overplayed.I actually thought it was nice to see Carmine, the man, self-destruct without her, while she tried to build a life of her own after her initial mourning period. So often we see women portrayed as unable to live without their love but she made a real go of it and I believe that, had Vincent not died, she would have moved on eventually.
I just loved being back with the characters again; I find them really well written and lovable. Darhower kept me guessing right up until the end about what was going to happen with Carmine and Haven's future and I cried when I finally found out.
Once again I had the problem of having to ask American friends what the different guns were; at one point in particular it seemed important to be familiar with the type of gun to understand what was going on.
Honestly I loved both these books so much and the message from the author at the end about being proud of your passions was just an extra touch of awesome.
Haven's growth
The "meant to be" plot might be a bit much for some but I thought it was really well done and not overplayed.
I just loved being back with the characters again; I find them really well written and lovable. Darhower kept me guessing right up until the end about what was going to happen with Carmine and Haven's future and I cried when I finally found out.
Once again I had the problem of having to ask American friends what the different guns were; at one point in particular it seemed important to be familiar with the type of gun to understand what was going on.
Honestly I loved both these books so much and the message from the author at the end about being proud of your passions was just an extra touch of awesome.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Grief, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Minor: Animal cruelty
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is an absolutely incredible book and, at the same time, not at all my kind of book and one I had to really work at reading. I'm glad I did push through because it's a powerful, important and moving book but my complete lack of interest in celebrities made it very slow going.
Evelyn is an icon. She is strong, complex, smart, ruthless, loving. She is a character I admire and respect, and I could certainly learn a lot from her!
I appreciated that the book lives in the shades of grey, there is no good or bad person, no good or bad deed. Evelyn has always known that and she has made peace with it, putting her in a powerful position to live her life with no regrets.
I'm not sure I have the words to really talk about the book itself because it is so many things so beautifully done. Friendship, love, ambition, desire, heartbreak and so much more.
Through Evelyn we are forced to consider our own beliefs about life and people, and to see that nothing is ever black and white.
Even if you, like me, are not remotely interested in celebrity drama, it has so much to say about so many important topics that I would still recommend it without hesitation.
Evelyn is an icon. She is strong, complex, smart, ruthless, loving. She is a character I admire and respect, and I could certainly learn a lot from her!
I appreciated that the book lives in the shades of grey, there is no good or bad person, no good or bad deed. Evelyn has always known that and she has made peace with it, putting her in a powerful position to live her life with no regrets.
I'm not sure I have the words to really talk about the book itself because it is so many things so beautifully done. Friendship, love, ambition, desire, heartbreak and so much more.
Through Evelyn we are forced to consider our own beliefs about life and people, and to see that nothing is ever black and white.
Even if you, like me, are not remotely interested in celebrity drama, it has so much to say about so many important topics that I would still recommend it without hesitation.
Love Hope Repeat by Vivyan Lynne
5.0
That was a RIDE! I loved it, I'm sad it's over but perfect ending!
Overall I really, super enjoyed this book. Definitely my favourite of the trilogy, mostly cos I'm a sappy shit! I loved how the mental health and relationship issues were an ongoing thing. There was no attempt to minimise them as the book went on, or to wrap them up and tie a bow on them. I really appreciated that because mental health and relationships are absolutely things you have to work on and we need more media that makes that clear.
On the mental health front it did annoy me that the characters referred to struggling with mental illness or needing therapy as "weakness" and that never really changed. While it was definitely true to Damian's character, I would liked to have seen Kell grow a little more and start seeing therapy as a proactive, strong way to take care of himself.
The family dynamics were so well portrayed. I loved how Kell and Damian's families were juxtaposed. I also enjoyed that the families represented Kell and Damian's relationship themselves, eventually as a before/after. I thought it cleverly reinforced the flaws, solutions and points being made.
The shades of grey in the whole trilogy are wonderful; there is a focus on humans doing good/bad things or making decisions and then dealing with the consequences, rather than individual people being good/bad.
It's also definitely a book that depicts personal growth and the capacity we all have for change. I found it powerfully depicted how anyone is just a few decisions away from a different life. Which is such a cliché but still true.
The trilogy as a whole was a really well written and pretty brutal exploration of relationships; the power of communication and the importance of retaining your own identity. It made some very strong points without preaching, especially as I think most of us can relate to making one or more of the terrible decisions, small or large, and seeing the fall out from them.
Overall I really, super enjoyed this book. Definitely my favourite of the trilogy, mostly cos I'm a sappy shit! I loved how the mental health and relationship issues were an ongoing thing. There was no attempt to minimise them as the book went on, or to wrap them up and tie a bow on them. I really appreciated that because mental health and relationships are absolutely things you have to work on and we need more media that makes that clear.
On the mental health front it did annoy me that the characters referred to struggling with mental illness or needing therapy as "weakness" and that never really changed. While it was definitely true to Damian's character, I would liked to have seen Kell grow a little more and start seeing therapy as a proactive, strong way to take care of himself.
The family dynamics were so well portrayed. I loved how Kell and Damian's families were juxtaposed. I also enjoyed that the families represented Kell and Damian's relationship themselves, eventually as a before/after. I thought it cleverly reinforced the flaws, solutions and points being made.
The shades of grey in the whole trilogy are wonderful; there is a focus on humans doing good/bad things or making decisions and then dealing with the consequences, rather than individual people being good/bad.
It's also definitely a book that depicts personal growth and the capacity we all have for change. I found it powerfully depicted how anyone is just a few decisions away from a different life. Which is such a cliché but still true.
The trilogy as a whole was a really well written and pretty brutal exploration of relationships; the power of communication and the importance of retaining your own identity. It made some very strong points without preaching, especially as I think most of us can relate to making one or more of the terrible decisions, small or large, and seeing the fall out from them.