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oraclereadings's Reviews (107)
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I actually enjoyed this a lot more than what I thought I would. It was such a joy having Lina experience her mother's trip in Italy, while making her own memories, and reading her mom's journal to discover her deepest secrets.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think I would have enjoyed this more if the story was more focused on Jonah. A middle child, older brother of three, struggling with the loss of a parent and the absence of another. The realness of a whole family grieving and dealing with depression, the weight of the literal world on shoulders. Yes, sign me up. I'm there.
But since the book is multiple pov between Jonah and Vivi, I just couldn't get into it as much. Well, I just could not stand Vivi. Let's be honest. She's just got that whole, "Look at me, I'm quirky" vibe. And not in a good way. Vivi goes through her own insecurities but that's not what annoyed me with her. There's a moment where Jonah is talking to another girl (not anything serious, just work and childhood stuff) and Vivi completely freaks out, accusing Jonah of having a deeper relationship with the girl. Not to mention that she's basically using Jonah as a summer romance anyway.
The descriptions of anxiety, depression, and grief are so accurate and well written. Everyone goes through their own thing and experiences everything differently and this book was a nice touch.
But since the book is multiple pov between Jonah and Vivi, I just couldn't get into it as much. Well, I just could not stand Vivi. Let's be honest. She's just got that whole, "Look at me, I'm quirky" vibe. And not in a good way. Vivi goes through her own insecurities but that's not what annoyed me with her. There's a moment where Jonah is talking to another girl (not anything serious, just work and childhood stuff) and Vivi completely freaks out, accusing Jonah of having a deeper relationship with the girl. Not to mention that she's basically using Jonah as a summer romance anyway.
The descriptions of anxiety, depression, and grief are so accurate and well written. Everyone goes through their own thing and experiences everything differently and this book was a nice touch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt
Minor: Drug use
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A thousand times yes! When I say that I want to read a retelling, this is exactly what I mean.
I admit that I was a bet hesitant to read this book and kept putting it off because I just didn't have that much interest in TSOA, so why would I be interested in Greek retelling of a lesser known goddess. But now that I've finished, I want to dive into TSOA and soak up more of Madeline Miller's beautiful words.
I admit that I was a bet hesitant to read this book and kept putting it off because I just didn't have that much interest in TSOA, so why would I be interested in Greek retelling of a lesser known goddess. But now that I've finished, I want to dive into TSOA and soak up more of Madeline Miller's beautiful words.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think the biggest issue I had with this book was that Rider completely disregarded his girlfriend for Mallory. At one point he even informs Mallory that he told his girlfriend, "If I had to choose between you or her, I'm choosing you". That's not something a girl wants to hear, whether she's your girlfriend or not.
Rider was meant to be this perfect savior of a boyfriend, but he was just so plain and boring. Even more so than Mallory. The two had no chemistry together other than their shared past.
There wasn't really a lot of plot, either. Most of the book honestly just focuses on Mallory yearning for Rider when she shouldn't (because he's still with his girlfriend). Instead of Mallory and Rider's relationship being the main focus, I would have loved to see the outcome of a lot of the side character's. Like Ainsley and Hector. Even Paige had a huge character development.
Mallory never stands up for herself unless he's somehow involved and there honestly isn't much growth like everyone claims in the book. This was another big disappointment and why I didn't enjoy the book like I thought I would. As someone that's always had speech problems, I wanted to be able to relate to Mallory and watch her make a big impression. But the story was just so dry.
Rider was meant to be this perfect savior of a boyfriend, but he was just so plain and boring. Even more so than Mallory. The two had no chemistry together other than their shared past.
There wasn't really a lot of plot, either. Most of the book honestly just focuses on Mallory yearning for Rider when she shouldn't (because he's still with his girlfriend). Instead of Mallory and Rider's relationship being the main focus, I would have loved to see the outcome of a lot of the side character's. Like Ainsley and Hector. Even Paige had a huge character development.
Mallory never stands up for herself unless he's somehow involved and there honestly isn't much growth like everyone claims in the book. This was another big disappointment and why I didn't enjoy the book like I thought I would. As someone that's always had speech problems, I wanted to be able to relate to Mallory and watch her make a big impression. But the story was just so dry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death
Moderate: Drug use
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was about what I expected it to be. I didn't hate it, but it's just also not the greatest book I've ever read. It was really interesting learning about CF, which I'm not sure if it's 100% accurate. The concept of the story was nice, but the story itself was just really slow and I found myself dozing off.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness
Moderate: Medical content
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
While I enjoyed reading a good majority of this book, I had to give less of a star than I was originally planning to do.
We have a typical “Breakfast Club” crew going on with the beginning of the detention scene. They are all very much stereotypical in their respectful ways. Some of which I felt was too obvious.
Although, to be fair, I felt like a good portion was very obvious on the outcome. It only had me guessing in the first few chapters, but it was easy to catch on. Which I’m kind of disappointed about. I was really hoping there would be a shocking twist, but it was just so painfully downplayed.
We have a typical “Breakfast Club” crew going on with the beginning of the detention scene. They are all very much stereotypical in their respectful ways. Some of which I felt was too obvious.
Although, to be fair, I felt like a good portion was very obvious on the outcome. It only had me guessing in the first few chapters, but it was easy to catch on. Which I’m kind of disappointed about. I was really hoping there would be a shocking twist, but it was just so painfully downplayed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Suicide
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm so disappointed. This book has been on my TBR list for years now and it was just not it for me. I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it five or so years ago. Maybe I'm just getting too old for these sort of things.
I was so intrigued by the paranormal story that was promised to me, and it just wasn't delivered. Half of the time I wasn't sure if I was reading a contemporary, a mystery, or a supernatural/thriller book. In actuality, there's more contemporary than anything. There was so much bouncing around back and forth that it felt like reading two or three different books at a time.
Then there's the stereotypical bad British boy that somehow always looks distinguished, despite just rolling out of bed. Oh, and he's also rich and a complete dick and somehow all of the girls fall for him. He's actually a big walking red flag, but it's okay because he had a dark past or whatever and he's deeply in love with Mara. I seen someone compare the relationship to a more pg related version of the FSOG couple and I can't stop seeing it now because it's so accurate.
Mara is such an unreliable narrator too that so many times I was just confused on what was happening. I had to go back and keep reading and rereading again; I'm not sure how to write any more without giving away too much of the plot. I am definitely confused about the ending and will probably have to go over that again before I move on to the next book. And I do plan on reading the second book, I want to like this book--this series--and give myself a reason to enjoy and appreciate it.
I was so intrigued by the paranormal story that was promised to me, and it just wasn't delivered. Half of the time I wasn't sure if I was reading a contemporary, a mystery, or a supernatural/thriller book. In actuality, there's more contemporary than anything. There was so much bouncing around back and forth that it felt like reading two or three different books at a time.
Then there's the stereotypical bad British boy that somehow always looks distinguished, despite just rolling out of bed. Oh, and he's also rich and a complete dick and somehow all of the girls fall for him. He's actually a big walking red flag, but it's okay because he had a dark past or whatever and he's deeply in love with Mara. I seen someone compare the relationship to a more pg related version of the FSOG couple and I can't stop seeing it now because it's so accurate.
Mara is such an unreliable narrator too that so many times I was just confused on what was happening. I had to go back and keep reading and rereading again; I'm not sure how to write any more without giving away too much of the plot. I am definitely confused about the ending and will probably have to go over that again before I move on to the next book. And I do plan on reading the second book, I want to like this book--this series--and give myself a reason to enjoy and appreciate it.