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nicobella's reviews
667 reviews
Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered: The Definitive How-To Guide by Karen Kilgariff, Georgia Hardstark
2.0
I’m happy so many readers found value in this book. Alas, it didn’t resonate with me. I was enthralled by a couple moments, but I was ready to DNF during most of the book. My two major issues were I felt as though it was three different books from moment to moment and it felt like a missed opportunity to be so much more. To the former point, some anecdotes and subchapters were so strong, like the photography story and chapter 8 and conclusion. Then I don’t know what was in the middle, it was self-helpish plus recipes and stories that seemed rambly and the main points weak or lost on me completely. To my second issue, well more so hope going in after listening to photography story, was that it was going to compare their real world experiences to case studies or data related to safety or murder. At the end I wished this book was like “The unthinkable: who survives when disaster strikes and why.” I know Karen and Georgia are not journalists, but to me chapter 8 demonstrated to me what these two are capable of doing. I would be interested in reading a second book by them.
The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
5.0
4.5 stars. It took me about 100 pages to become completely engulfed in these character's lives (though I was quite curious from the start) and by the end of the book I has cried multiple times because I was so invested. This is not a plot-driven book, it reminds me of what a memoir would be like in some ways and is written beautifully. I did not read "Practical Magic" and picked this up because I love the movie and was curious about this book. If you're interested in character-driven books or magical realism, you might enjoy this one.
Tunnel of Bones by V.E. Schwab
3.0
As an adult, I really enjoyed the first audiobook. As someone whose spooky reading level is "wimpy" I decided to pick up the second audiobook for this spooky season. I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first; it felt slower and I didn't feel as curious or spooked out as I did with the first one. Still a recommended read for elementary-aged young ones or curious adults.
The Diviners by Libba Bray
3.0
For so long I felt like I was watching a movie or tv show. At some points early on I was thinking the book reminded me of a distant cousin to Buffy or Scream, and was very, very in and curious to see where the book was headed. I would not suggest this for readers who don’t care about reading a whole series. I don’t recall when, but something happened that seemed incredibly out of place and took me aback and out of the book. Knowing there were more books after this one, the more I read the more I realized so much of what I was consuming was not part of this book’s plot. I see so many people enjoyed this book and that’s wonderful, but in the end I felt conned and I don’t read to feel jarred to reality. So much of this book could have been left for the next for the sake of creating a solid book. But alas the whole book is a setup and I can’t rate it higher.
Storm Front by Jim Butcher
5.0
Great book amplified by an amazing narration. Can’t wait to keep going.