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noriboo's reviews
579 reviews
Firebond by Lina Ravenhill
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Zombies and dragons. A combination I didn't know I needed until I read this book!
Tynan is sent on a mission to retrieve a prisoner from a prison that has been overrun with crawlers as they call the zombies in this world. The prisoner is Alina. From the moment they meet there's a lot of pining. I liked the moments where they were on the run and fighting the most. Not knowing whether they were going to get out of a confrontation unscathed definitely had me holding my breath.
Things were going so well for Tynan, Alina, and their group that I naively hoped that the uneasy feeling of dread would not come to fruition. The ending had me gasping for air, and I'll be anxiously awaiting the second part of their story.
Tynan is sent on a mission to retrieve a prisoner from a prison that has been overrun with crawlers as they call the zombies in this world. The prisoner is Alina. From the moment they meet there's a lot of pining. I liked the moments where they were on the run and fighting the most. Not knowing whether they were going to get out of a confrontation unscathed definitely had me holding my breath.
Things were going so well for Tynan, Alina, and their group that I naively hoped that the uneasy feeling of dread would not come to fruition. The ending had me gasping for air, and I'll be anxiously awaiting the second part of their story.
Games of Temptation by H.N. DeFore
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Enjoyable read! Fastpaced, easy to read standalone within the Sins and Secrets series. We've seen Tyson appear as a side character in previous books, and I was curious to get to know more about him.
He always kept himself at a certain emotional distance. This time, we see a more vulnerable side of him as Kathy and he grow closer together, and he tries to help her out of the bad situation she's gotten into. While there are steamy scenes in this book, the story shines in the discussion of the more sensitive topics: imbalanced power dynamics and abuse within the kink community. Kath is never blamed as the victim, and the conversation revolves very much about what she needs to move on in a positive way.
On the romance side, the chemistry between Kathy and Tyson was spot on, and I enjoyed their interactions.
He always kept himself at a certain emotional distance. This time, we see a more vulnerable side of him as Kathy and he grow closer together, and he tries to help her out of the bad situation she's gotten into. While there are steamy scenes in this book, the story shines in the discussion of the more sensitive topics: imbalanced power dynamics and abuse within the kink community. Kath is never blamed as the victim, and the conversation revolves very much about what she needs to move on in a positive way.
On the romance side, the chemistry between Kathy and Tyson was spot on, and I enjoyed their interactions.
De bibliothecaresse van Auschwitz by Salvador Rubio
4.0
Schrijnend verhaal dat prachtig is vormgegeven.
Ik was niet bekend met het verhaal van Dita en dit was een prettige manier van kennis maken met haar geschiedenis in WOII.
Aan het einde van deze graphic novel staat er wat uitgebreider informatie over de realiteit van het leven in Auschwitz en Theresienstadt, evenals aanvullende informatie over Fredy Hirsch en de mysterieuze omstandigheden rondom zijn overlijden.
Ik was niet bekend met het verhaal van Dita en dit was een prettige manier van kennis maken met haar geschiedenis in WOII.
Aan het einde van deze graphic novel staat er wat uitgebreider informatie over de realiteit van het leven in Auschwitz en Theresienstadt, evenals aanvullende informatie over Fredy Hirsch en de mysterieuze omstandigheden rondom zijn overlijden.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Blood, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
Het geheim van de vulkaan by Bart de Wolf
4.0
Oh, wat had ik te doen met Floris en Haroen! Vooral Floris voelt zich ontzettend verloren en alleen. Net als in het eerste deel zit de vaart er goed in. Ditmaal leren we middels geheime notities van dr. Nikolai ook meer over de experimenten die zijn uitgevoerd op de kinderen.
Dit is een hele spannende serie Persoonlijk denk ik dat deze serie zich leent voor zowel zwakkere als sterke lezers omdat de zinsopbouw niet ingewikkeld is, korte hoofdstukken en er tegelijkertijd wel sprake is van rijk taalgebruik. Ook staat in deze fictieve wereld een maatschappelijk thema centraal: experimenteren op mensen en handel in kinderen ten behoeve van deze experimenten. Dit klinkt heel heftig, maar de manier waarop dit in het verhaal aan bod komt zou een opstap kunnen zijn om dit onderwerp bespreekbaar te maken met kinderen vanaf een jaar of 11.
Dit is een hele spannende serie Persoonlijk denk ik dat deze serie zich leent voor zowel zwakkere als sterke lezers omdat de zinsopbouw niet ingewikkeld is, korte hoofdstukken en er tegelijkertijd wel sprake is van rijk taalgebruik. Ook staat in deze fictieve wereld een maatschappelijk thema centraal: experimenteren op mensen en handel in kinderen ten behoeve van deze experimenten. Dit klinkt heel heftig, maar de manier waarop dit in het verhaal aan bod komt zou een opstap kunnen zijn om dit onderwerp bespreekbaar te maken met kinderen vanaf een jaar of 11.
Such a Naughty Girl by Effie Campbell
4.0
I really like this series!
Effie Campbell is an incredibly talented author. She writes these creepy men and the women that fall for them so well it'll make you question your own morals.
The rapport between Emmet and Izzy had me giggling. Good story if you're looking for a gritty holiday novella with lots of spice.
Effie Campbell is an incredibly talented author. She writes these creepy men and the women that fall for them so well it'll make you question your own morals.
The rapport between Emmet and Izzy had me giggling. Good story if you're looking for a gritty holiday novella with lots of spice.
House of Dom: Volume I - Torin by Drew A. Lennox
3.5
This isn't your typical bdsm story. It has a unique, dark, and intriguing storyline that's probably not for everyone. Without giving away too much, this story takes place in a cult-like setting that isn't friendly towards women and isn't consensual.
As such, I wasn't too fond of Torin because he didn't seem to care at all until it personally affected him. I would've liked to see him question the situation more from the beginning or more of his inner musings as to why he was okay with it. How did he end up in this position? I wanted to know more about what made him and the other people in the situation tick, and by the end of the book, I felt like I still didn't really get to know the characters.
As such, I wasn't too fond of Torin because he didn't seem to care at all until it personally affected him. I would've liked to see him question the situation more from the beginning or more of his inner musings as to why he was okay with it. How did he end up in this position? I wanted to know more about what made him and the other people in the situation tick, and by the end of the book, I felt like I still didn't really get to know the characters.
KlimAX by Charlotte Brugman
4.0
Een interessant verhaal waar het tempo goed in zit.
Finn en Dunya leven in 2123. De klimaatcrisis is in balans dankzij een AI gestuurd beloningssysteem genaamd AX.
In dit systeem ontvang je privileges afhankelijk van je status: groen, geel, oranje en rood. Hoe hoger je status, hoe fijner je het leven kunt indelen: water om te douchen, koken, maar ook beschikbaarheid tot medicatie word bepaald door je status. Punten kun je verdienen of verliezen aan de hand van de impact die de handelingen van een persoon hebben op het milieu.
Klimax zet je aan het denken over hoe wij als maatschappij met AI omgaan en welke impact dit kan hebben op de samenleving. Maar ook over de vraag wie recht heeft op bepaalde gemakken en zorg en wie bepaald waar een ander recht op heeft. Of het eerlijk is dat omstandigheden waar jij niks aan kunt doen er voor zorgen dat jij de rest van je leven 2-0 achterstaat.
Ik vond het ontzettend jammer toen ik bij het laatste hoofdstuk was aanbeland, want ik zat er helemaal in. Het is nu dus afwachten op deel 2.
Finn en Dunya leven in 2123. De klimaatcrisis is in balans dankzij een AI gestuurd beloningssysteem genaamd AX.
In dit systeem ontvang je privileges afhankelijk van je status: groen, geel, oranje en rood. Hoe hoger je status, hoe fijner je het leven kunt indelen: water om te douchen, koken, maar ook beschikbaarheid tot medicatie word bepaald door je status. Punten kun je verdienen of verliezen aan de hand van de impact die de handelingen van een persoon hebben op het milieu.
Klimax zet je aan het denken over hoe wij als maatschappij met AI omgaan en welke impact dit kan hebben op de samenleving. Maar ook over de vraag wie recht heeft op bepaalde gemakken en zorg en wie bepaald waar een ander recht op heeft. Of het eerlijk is dat omstandigheden waar jij niks aan kunt doen er voor zorgen dat jij de rest van je leven 2-0 achterstaat.
Ik vond het ontzettend jammer toen ik bij het laatste hoofdstuk was aanbeland, want ik zat er helemaal in. Het is nu dus afwachten op deel 2.
Boys Who Hunt by Clarissa Wild
4.0
I'm usually not into legacy series, but this one is off to a great start!
Now, the storyline was exciting. Ivy is as tough as she's fun, and I enjoyed seeing her letting her guard down and have genuine, vulnerable moments despite all the hardships she encounters. She deserves the world, and I appreciated that Max took the initiative in learning sign language because Ivy is deaf.
The personalities of Max, Silas, and Heath are a perfect blend of some of their parents' personality traits, but they still very much felt like their own person. The cameo parenting moments gave me the giggles: I bet their parents are now more understanding of the previous Dean of Spine Ridge U because their own kids are giving them a run for their money.
Now, the storyline was exciting. Ivy is as tough as she's fun, and I enjoyed seeing her letting her guard down and have genuine, vulnerable moments despite all the hardships she encounters. She deserves the world, and I appreciated that Max took the initiative in learning sign language because Ivy is deaf.
The personalities of Max, Silas, and Heath are a perfect blend of some of their parents' personality traits, but they still very much felt like their own person. The cameo parenting moments gave me the giggles: I bet their parents are now more understanding of the previous Dean of Spine Ridge U because their own kids are giving them a run for their money.
Vile Boys by Clarissa Wild
3.0
To me, Sick Boys was perfection, and while I enjoyed Vile Boys in general, Crystal and Ares felt hollow to me. Especially Ares got on my nerves. He acted like a jealous alphahole without the occasional charm to balance it out. The interactions between Crystal and him felt forced whenever I compared them to the connection Crystal established with Blaine and Caleb. Even when we finally come to the explanation of his behaviour, for me, it was already too little too late. My favourite parts were definitely the cameos of characters from the previous stories. They don't take themselves too seriously and realise that at the end of the day, they're all sociopaths. Where Ares and the other Tartarus guys took themselves way too serious, to the point that they were emotionally sabotaging themselves in the most obnoxious ways.
I finished the book because I do enjoy the authors writing style and the fast pace of the story. Personally, this is my least favourite in the series.
I finished the book because I do enjoy the authors writing style and the fast pace of the story. Personally, this is my least favourite in the series.
Vacationing with the Vampire in Hallow's Cove by Lyonne Riley
5.0
Lyonne Riley has managed once again to write a paranormal coupling with amazing chemistry. Barnaby is a grumpy vampire that runs a bookstore, and Maisie is a bookloving gamedeveloper in dire need of a vacation. This story is incredibly cosy, with minimal angst. Truth be told, after reading, I now want to visit Hallows Cove for a vacation in the foresty mountains!