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noellesmagicallibrary's reviews
411 reviews
Bad Witches by H.B. Akumiah
4.5
The cover is so simple and yet I was instantly curious. I ended up loving this book. It felt like I was hanging out with my girlfriends the whole time.
It’s September 1 in NYC and three girls meet in a bar bathroom. They’re strangers and they’re all celebrating their 22nd birthday. On a whim, they decide to spend the rest of the night together.
After that night they loosely keep in touch but are brought back together once they find out they are witches. And really strong witches too.
With the help of a mentor-witch, they learn how to use their powers. As a final test, their mentor tells them to do a spell to bind the powers of the unloved regent witch who rules over the magical world.
I loved these characters, I wish I could hang out with Gabbie, Maya and Delali (and that I had magical powers of course).
The narrator was also amazing and I’ll definitely be picking up the next book.
It’s September 1 in NYC and three girls meet in a bar bathroom. They’re strangers and they’re all celebrating their 22nd birthday. On a whim, they decide to spend the rest of the night together.
After that night they loosely keep in touch but are brought back together once they find out they are witches. And really strong witches too.
With the help of a mentor-witch, they learn how to use their powers. As a final test, their mentor tells them to do a spell to bind the powers of the unloved regent witch who rules over the magical world.
I loved these characters, I wish I could hang out with Gabbie, Maya and Delali (and that I had magical powers of course).
The narrator was also amazing and I’ll definitely be picking up the next book.
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
5.0
This book is long and it is devastating. But it’s also incredible.
The whole time I was reading (listening) I was imagining it as an HBO mini series. It would work so well, but I personally wouldn’t want to watch scenes depicting torture and rape.
The whole time I was reading (listening) I was imagining it as an HBO mini series. It would work so well, but I personally wouldn’t want to watch scenes depicting torture and rape.
The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch
4.5
You can not get any better than a queer Halloween meets Christmas romance. I laughed my entire way through this one but it still had so much joy and sweetness.
Sara Raasch you have yourself a new fan and I’ve already preordered the next book in the series.
Thank you 100 times over for the advanced listening copy. The narration was supreme, I think it’s one of the main reasons I loved the characters (obviously the writing is the other reason).
Sara Raasch you have yourself a new fan and I’ve already preordered the next book in the series.
Thank you 100 times over for the advanced listening copy. The narration was supreme, I think it’s one of the main reasons I loved the characters (obviously the writing is the other reason).
Yoga for Pelvic Floor and Postpartum Health: An Iyengar Yoga Approach to Pelvic Healing and Integrative Wellness through Anatomy and Practice by Rebecca Weisman
I read an advanced copy of the e-book, and the formatting made for a difficult reading experience. I was not able to view the anatomy diagrams or tables, and some of the paragraphs appeared to be jumbled up.
The information provided is valuable. It's helpful to have those opening sections on the anatomy of the pelvis and I think it's written in a way that's easy to understand -- however, I am an advance care practitioner and have a good understanding of the anatomy already so people with no knowledge at all may not find it as easy.
The pictures of people performing the yoga sequences are helpful and definitely necessary to aid in performing the poses correctly. I've been practicing yoga for over a decade and I still struggled with following the written directions for these poses. I'm not sure if this is because of how they were described or how the advanced e-book presented the information.
Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who is having trouble with low back/hip pain or bowel/bladder dysfunction.
The information provided is valuable. It's helpful to have those opening sections on the anatomy of the pelvis and I think it's written in a way that's easy to understand -- however, I am an advance care practitioner and have a good understanding of the anatomy already so people with no knowledge at all may not find it as easy.
The pictures of people performing the yoga sequences are helpful and definitely necessary to aid in performing the poses correctly. I've been practicing yoga for over a decade and I still struggled with following the written directions for these poses. I'm not sure if this is because of how they were described or how the advanced e-book presented the information.
Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who is having trouble with low back/hip pain or bowel/bladder dysfunction.
You're Dead To Me by Amy Christine Parker
4.0
This YA thriller was so much fun, I honestly wish I was still reading it. It has a lot of elements you can except from the genre and it’s well written — I enjoyed the overall plot, characters and dialogue.
Ruby gets found out as the face behind the school’s gossip account @reputationkiller and now suddenly she’s seeing her own ghost, wearing a destroyed prom dress with a mangled arm and bullet wounds.
Who is trying to kill Ruby? Will she be able to stop her own death?
And if that wasn’t bad enough, there’s a serial killer in town called the Mannequin Man. Oh, and she’s trying to prevent her family’s business, The Wonderpark, from getting shut down.
Everything came together nicely in the end but initially it felt like two separate stories were taking place. There was the part about the serial killer and then the part with Ruby trying to prevent her own death. That’s my only critique really.
Ruby gets found out as the face behind the school’s gossip account @reputationkiller and now suddenly she’s seeing her own ghost, wearing a destroyed prom dress with a mangled arm and bullet wounds.
Who is trying to kill Ruby? Will she be able to stop her own death?
And if that wasn’t bad enough, there’s a serial killer in town called the Mannequin Man. Oh, and she’s trying to prevent her family’s business, The Wonderpark, from getting shut down.
Everything came together nicely in the end but initially it felt like two separate stories were taking place. There was the part about the serial killer and then the part with Ruby trying to prevent her own death. That’s my only critique really.
The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
I went into this one with high hopes and it was rather mediocre.
I like the closed-door, murder mystery aspect in a Hitchcock themed hotel. That part is awesome. And I also liked overall motive and the twist towards the end — I admit it all did catch me by surprise but it wasn’t a jaw hitting the floor kind of moment.
I did not like the characters. Not a single one. They were not different enough, I honestly couldn’t tell them apart half the time.
And now this is just a personal issue but I do not like the male narrator. Before this book I had just finished another audio by the narrator and didn’t like it so I was super disappointed when I saw his name listed again.
Overall, a fun book in the moment but not memorable.
I like the closed-door, murder mystery aspect in a Hitchcock themed hotel. That part is awesome. And I also liked overall motive and the twist towards the end — I admit it all did catch me by surprise but it wasn’t a jaw hitting the floor kind of moment.
I did not like the characters. Not a single one. They were not different enough, I honestly couldn’t tell them apart half the time.
And now this is just a personal issue but I do not like the male narrator. Before this book I had just finished another audio by the narrator and didn’t like it so I was super disappointed when I saw his name listed again.
Overall, a fun book in the moment but not memorable.
Run by Blake Crouch
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.5
Holy crap. This was a fast-paced, action-packed, sci-fi thriller. It reminded me of The Purge, The Walking Dead and Last of Us. And I loved it for that.
We follow a family of four running for their lives. Seemingly overnight, a portion of the population turned into murderous psychopaths— the electricity is gone, cell service is out, and food is growing scarce.
The only form of communication is the radio and right now a man is telling everyone a man’s home address and encouraging them to murder him.
First off I just loved the fast pace, something was always happening and I didn’t want to stop reading. I think I just also enjoy these end of humanity stories, seeing how far we can go to survive.
The reason behind the murder spree in this story was cool, and it’s not something I’ve seen before (doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist in some story somewhere, I just haven’t seen it).
There were a few times in the dialogue where I rolled my eyes— it felt dated and quite obvious it was written by a man. But thankfully it didn’t detract from my enjoyment.
Definitely recommend!
We follow a family of four running for their lives. Seemingly overnight, a portion of the population turned into murderous psychopaths— the electricity is gone, cell service is out, and food is growing scarce.
The only form of communication is the radio and right now a man is telling everyone a man’s home address and encouraging them to murder him.
First off I just loved the fast pace, something was always happening and I didn’t want to stop reading. I think I just also enjoy these end of humanity stories, seeing how far we can go to survive.
The reason behind the murder spree in this story was cool, and it’s not something I’ve seen before (doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist in some story somewhere, I just haven’t seen it).
There were a few times in the dialogue where I rolled my eyes— it felt dated and quite obvious it was written by a man. But thankfully it didn’t detract from my enjoyment.
Definitely recommend!
The Trunk by Kim Ryeo-ryeong
3.5
The Trunk was published in Korea almost 10 years ago. Just last week, Hanover Square Press published an English translation of this dark, feminist thriller.
This book was so unlike what I normally read and I enjoyed it. I’m thrilled to learn that it was made into a Netflix series that will premiere at the end of the month.
Our main character, Noh Inji, is employed by a company that creates temporary marriage contracts. Essentially, she’s a professional wife and she’s been requested for a remarriage.
The story is more character driven than plot -- each secondary character was distinct (Granny is probably my favorite). I haven’t read much contemporary Korean fiction and I can’t say I even know much about the culture. But I’ve read some reviews from more knowledgeable readers who have commented that there are elements of satire in regards to declining birth rates, sex work, and violence.
“...stop being so nice. Women need to be careful. When you’re friendly, guys will chase you. When you’re kind, they’re gonna wanna mess with you. But then if you get mad, you’re a bitch. That’s the price of being too friendly. “
Big thank you to Colored Pages Book Tours and Hanover Square Press for the gifted copy, and ultimately, for introducing me to this book. I recommend you give it a read before watching the series!
This book was so unlike what I normally read and I enjoyed it. I’m thrilled to learn that it was made into a Netflix series that will premiere at the end of the month.
Our main character, Noh Inji, is employed by a company that creates temporary marriage contracts. Essentially, she’s a professional wife and she’s been requested for a remarriage.
The story is more character driven than plot -- each secondary character was distinct (Granny is probably my favorite). I haven’t read much contemporary Korean fiction and I can’t say I even know much about the culture. But I’ve read some reviews from more knowledgeable readers who have commented that there are elements of satire in regards to declining birth rates, sex work, and violence.
“...stop being so nice. Women need to be careful. When you’re friendly, guys will chase you. When you’re kind, they’re gonna wanna mess with you. But then if you get mad, you’re a bitch. That’s the price of being too friendly. “
Big thank you to Colored Pages Book Tours and Hanover Square Press for the gifted copy, and ultimately, for introducing me to this book. I recommend you give it a read before watching the series!
Don't Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews
2.5
This book cover is killer and the synopsis sounded interesting but I couldn’t get into the story. I considered not finishing this book a few times but stuck with it since it’s rather short — and I was really hoping to love it in the end. Honestly, I'm a little confused why I had such an unfavorable reading experience when all I've seen is praise for this book.
I think the main reason I didn’t like it is because I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and I didn’t find the main characters (Andrew and Thomas) lovable. I also didn't like the narrator, that was a big drawback for me.
Monsters coming to life is a great idea. I love how the written stories and their pictures brought these twisted fairy tales to life. And most of the scenes with those monsters were descriptive and interesting. But the rest of the story fell flat.
I did also love the queer representation, especially having an asexual main character. I don’t see that in novels enough.
Maybe, just maybe, this is a case of wrong-book wrong-time and I’d give this author another chance in the future.
I think the main reason I didn’t like it is because I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and I didn’t find the main characters (Andrew and Thomas) lovable. I also didn't like the narrator, that was a big drawback for me.
Monsters coming to life is a great idea. I love how the written stories and their pictures brought these twisted fairy tales to life. And most of the scenes with those monsters were descriptive and interesting. But the rest of the story fell flat.
I did also love the queer representation, especially having an asexual main character. I don’t see that in novels enough.
Maybe, just maybe, this is a case of wrong-book wrong-time and I’d give this author another chance in the future.
Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly
2.5
Um I’m not really sure why I disliked this book. I didn’t care for the main character and I wasn’t scared. This book was more about gore than plot. Nothing felt surprising or shocking.
Tbh, I’m writing this review 20 days after finishing it so I don’t remember exactly what I didn’t like. But I saw multiple people give this 5 stars and I love horror books so I went into it with high expectations.
The narration was fine, so if you’re thinking about reading it I would suggest the audiobook.
Tbh, I’m writing this review 20 days after finishing it so I don’t remember exactly what I didn’t like. But I saw multiple people give this 5 stars and I love horror books so I went into it with high expectations.
The narration was fine, so if you’re thinking about reading it I would suggest the audiobook.