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pastelwriter's reviews
1099 reviews
Immortal Pleasures by V. Castro
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.
This was a very peculiar book. Its target audience is out there. That audience is simply not me.
Do You Dream of Terra-Two? by Temi Oh
Did not finish book. Stopped at 24%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 24%.
No. Absolutely not. Nothing and no one could convince me to continue such a mid book.
My Summer Girl by Maeve Black
Did not finish book. Stopped at 45%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 45%.
I’ve loved the other monster romances by this author…but I couldn’t get into this one 😭 There was no reason for this to be nearly 400 pgs long. Everything was dragging way too much! The potential was there for me to love it, but I just couldn’t push myself through the awful pacing.
I Survived Capitalism and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt by Madeline Pendleton
I read this…and now have conflicting feelings because of some of the things Madeline has been saying on TikTok…guess all I’ll say is that at the time of reading it I did find it interesting. It’s definitely more of a memoir.
Love is an Illusion! - The Queen Vol. 1 by Fargo
4.0
I’m not making excuses anymore…I love this garbage. It’s mine, and I love it.
Was this absolute chaos? Yes. Did I eat up every second of it? Yes.
What can I say? I’m a simple woman. I see a female alpha, and I fall in love with the female alpha. Absolutely need the second volume like I need oxygen 😩
Was this absolute chaos? Yes. Did I eat up every second of it? Yes.
What can I say? I’m a simple woman. I see a female alpha, and I fall in love with the female alpha. Absolutely need the second volume like I need oxygen 😩
Canto Contigo by Jonny Garza Villa
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It’s a shame that I didn’t write my thoughts down for this closer to when I read it 😩 To be fair, though, I was in the absolute trenches in November. It’s a good thing that so much of it did leave a strong impression, so I still have thoughts to share!
Anyway. I absolutely loved this book! Jonny Garza Villa has done it again and given me the gift of another phenomenal novel 💖😭💖 They are truly amazing with their ability to combine both fun sweet moments with heart wrenching moments.
One of my favorite things about this novel was Rafie. I must admit that I have a weak spot for characters who are cocky but have the skill to back it up! Like my boy is so sure of himself and his talent and that he deserves the world…and damn right he does! He’s overflowing with talent. THE WORLD IS YOURS RAFIE AND DON’T YOU DOUBT IT FOR A SECOND 😭😭😭 (I fear that my growing love for this type of character is born out of my unhealthy obsession with my all time favorite book series which features this type of character 🙃)
Anyway ✨ Rey is also my beloved son. He absolutely doesn’t take any of Rafie’s shit, and we simply have to Stan for that. He doesn’t let Rafie think he can just do whatever he wants and get whatever he wants, and Rafie does need someone to keep him in check a little. I wish I could say more, but my blinding love for Rafie makes it hard to recall more about Rey 🥲
Something else incredible about this novel is how it handles the homophobia present in Latino culture. It doesn’t shy away from it, but also still gives hope for change. I really appreciated how it’s largely understood by the mariachi band Los Todos Colores that the main reason they haven’t won first place in competitions previously is because of homophobia. It was impeccable 👌🏻
The element in here that hit the hardest for me here, though, were the discussions of grief. Rafie’s abuelo has recently passed away, and this hits him really hard. He really looked up to him, and he was Rafie’s favorite person. So, he’s really struggling to make sense of his life and his future without this man he loves so much. There were so many scenes in here that hit me right in the feels with how Rafie was dealing with this grief that often felt all-consuming for him.
So, yeah, I really did love this book! It was even better Buddy reading it with my friend Steff who is now finally firmly convinced she should try more books by this author ✨ This was my mission as she doesn’t read much YA, but I was trying to show her that I know what the good shit is 😩🙏🏻
Anyway. I absolutely loved this book! Jonny Garza Villa has done it again and given me the gift of another phenomenal novel 💖😭💖 They are truly amazing with their ability to combine both fun sweet moments with heart wrenching moments.
One of my favorite things about this novel was Rafie. I must admit that I have a weak spot for characters who are cocky but have the skill to back it up! Like my boy is so sure of himself and his talent and that he deserves the world…and damn right he does! He’s overflowing with talent. THE WORLD IS YOURS RAFIE AND DON’T YOU DOUBT IT FOR A SECOND 😭😭😭 (I fear that my growing love for this type of character is born out of my unhealthy obsession with my all time favorite book series which features this type of character 🙃)
Anyway ✨ Rey is also my beloved son. He absolutely doesn’t take any of Rafie’s shit, and we simply have to Stan for that. He doesn’t let Rafie think he can just do whatever he wants and get whatever he wants, and Rafie does need someone to keep him in check a little. I wish I could say more, but my blinding love for Rafie makes it hard to recall more about Rey 🥲
Something else incredible about this novel is how it handles the homophobia present in Latino culture. It doesn’t shy away from it, but also still gives hope for change. I really appreciated how it’s largely understood by the mariachi band Los Todos Colores that the main reason they haven’t won first place in competitions previously is because of homophobia. It was impeccable 👌🏻
The element in here that hit the hardest for me here, though, were the discussions of grief. Rafie’s abuelo has recently passed away, and this hits him really hard. He really looked up to him, and he was Rafie’s favorite person. So, he’s really struggling to make sense of his life and his future without this man he loves so much. There were so many scenes in here that hit me right in the feels with how Rafie was dealing with this grief that often felt all-consuming for him.
So, yeah, I really did love this book! It was even better Buddy reading it with my friend Steff who is now finally firmly convinced she should try more books by this author ✨ This was my mission as she doesn’t read much YA, but I was trying to show her that I know what the good shit is 😩🙏🏻
A Cruel Thirst by Angela Montoya
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I had so much fun reading this book! It was yet another reminder that I’m a vampire girl through and through 💖
I absolutely adored the relationship between Carolina and Lalo in this! Both of them had me giggling and squealing like a schoolgirl. Their banter was just perfection! I was laughing every other page.
In addition, I loved that Carolina was an absolute terror! She had Lalo on his toes the whole time 😂 He loved it tho. He loved her chaos and absolute lack of chill. And I absolutely understand why! Naturally, tho, I was also putty in Lalo’s hands. He was just so sweet and delightful. I adored him too.
More thoughts can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDqME65Re9U/?igsh=MWRnN3ptcGJ6b3dtNA==
The only thing I wasn’t able to say in my review for this book over on TikTok/Instagram (because it was part of a promotional tour) was that…despite how gorgeous this cover is…there are absolute strangers on it 😭 The colorism popped off with this cover because in the novel both Carolina and Lalo are described as having brown skin. An absolute disgrace that such a stunning cover had to play the characters dirty like that 😩
I absolutely adored the relationship between Carolina and Lalo in this! Both of them had me giggling and squealing like a schoolgirl. Their banter was just perfection! I was laughing every other page.
In addition, I loved that Carolina was an absolute terror! She had Lalo on his toes the whole time 😂 He loved it tho. He loved her chaos and absolute lack of chill. And I absolutely understand why! Naturally, tho, I was also putty in Lalo’s hands. He was just so sweet and delightful. I adored him too.
More thoughts can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDqME65Re9U/?igsh=MWRnN3ptcGJ6b3dtNA==
The only thing I wasn’t able to say in my review for this book over on TikTok/Instagram (because it was part of a promotional tour) was that…despite how gorgeous this cover is…there are absolute strangers on it 😭 The colorism popped off with this cover because in the novel both Carolina and Lalo are described as having brown skin. An absolute disgrace that such a stunning cover had to play the characters dirty like that 😩
The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The books I tend to struggle with rating and talking about the most are often the ones where I feel like I have an understanding of the author’s Vision, but ultimately didn’t feel satisfied with it.
The thing about this novel was that I was excited to read more from Silvia Moreno-Garcia tackling aspects of film. I loved Silver Nitrate, which heavily has to do with film, but this book did not hit the way I was hoping it would. It just didn’t.
This felt like it was trying too hard to be too many things. This is seen alone in the narration choices. We have part of this narrated in first person from characters looking back on the time while they were involved in the filming of The Seventh Veil of Salome. We have third person narration from two key characters during the filming of The Seventh Veil of Salome. Finally, we have scenes from the “script” of The Seventh Veil of Salome. None of this blends well together. It presented a narrative structure that felt unfocused.
Personally, I would’ve preferred if we didn’t have the “script” sections of this novel. I would’ve loved if we focused exclusively on Vera and Nancy and their contrasting experiences in Hollywood. However, with that noted, it means I would’ve also preferred the removal of the first person sections. For the first person sections to work better, I think the whole novel would’ve had to be written this way in order to fully carry out the vibes suggested by it.
Regardless. I did really love the portions of this book following Vera and Nancy. I was always deeply engaged while reading those. Part of why I would’ve loved it to be focused on them was because I did like the aspects of this that explored the racism and micro aggressions actors of color experienced during this time. It felt extremely relevant and a contrast to other existing novels that explore the same time period.
Ultimately, I cannot rate this book any higher or lower than 3 stars. I still find in here evidence of what it is that can sometimes make me love a Silvia Moreno-Garcia novel. It’s why I’ll keep reading her books despite the fact that I don’t always love them.
I didn’t want to conclude this review without mentioning a key aspect of it which was the ending. Despite the fact that I found myself charmed by the relationship between Vera and Jay, it felt so real when he chose his comfort and stability over a relationship with her. It makes me feel like the ending was all the more significant. It ends with his proclamation that he has in fact chosen her, and they’ll have this incredible life of artists going forward…but then that’s abruptly ended with his murder. It begs the question of whether he was, in fact, going to follow through with that or if Vera is left with this beautiful dream that may have all been a lie. She can at least go on with the “hope” that he’d meant it, but she’ll never actually know because the opportunity was taken from them both. I don’t know. The whole thing stuck with me.
The thing about this novel was that I was excited to read more from Silvia Moreno-Garcia tackling aspects of film. I loved Silver Nitrate, which heavily has to do with film, but this book did not hit the way I was hoping it would. It just didn’t.
This felt like it was trying too hard to be too many things. This is seen alone in the narration choices. We have part of this narrated in first person from characters looking back on the time while they were involved in the filming of The Seventh Veil of Salome. We have third person narration from two key characters during the filming of The Seventh Veil of Salome. Finally, we have scenes from the “script” of The Seventh Veil of Salome. None of this blends well together. It presented a narrative structure that felt unfocused.
Personally, I would’ve preferred if we didn’t have the “script” sections of this novel. I would’ve loved if we focused exclusively on Vera and Nancy and their contrasting experiences in Hollywood. However, with that noted, it means I would’ve also preferred the removal of the first person sections. For the first person sections to work better, I think the whole novel would’ve had to be written this way in order to fully carry out the vibes suggested by it.
Regardless. I did really love the portions of this book following Vera and Nancy. I was always deeply engaged while reading those. Part of why I would’ve loved it to be focused on them was because I did like the aspects of this that explored the racism and micro aggressions actors of color experienced during this time. It felt extremely relevant and a contrast to other existing novels that explore the same time period.
Ultimately, I cannot rate this book any higher or lower than 3 stars. I still find in here evidence of what it is that can sometimes make me love a Silvia Moreno-Garcia novel. It’s why I’ll keep reading her books despite the fact that I don’t always love them.
Love Kills Twice by Rien Gray
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I absolutely adored this! It was exactly what I needed it to be 😩👌🏻
For such a short novella, it made me feel incredibly invested in both Justine and Campbell’s storylines. It felt like we got to learn quite a bit about them, and the challenges they’ve faced.
Also. The chemistry between Justine and Campbell was impeccable 🙏🏻 Truly the only flaw was the whole “I love you” at the end, but I’m willing to forgive. I have no serious qualms with it when I spent most of the novella deeply interested in their dynamic and interactions. I often found myself desperate for this novella to be longer only so that I could have them interact even more!
All in all, this was great for what it was. I’m definitely down to read more in this series but also more stories in general where a woman falls in love with the assassin she hires to kill her no good husband 🤩
For such a short novella, it made me feel incredibly invested in both Justine and Campbell’s storylines. It felt like we got to learn quite a bit about them, and the challenges they’ve faced.
Also. The chemistry between Justine and Campbell was impeccable 🙏🏻 Truly the only flaw was the whole “I love you” at the end, but I’m willing to forgive. I have no serious qualms with it when I spent most of the novella deeply interested in their dynamic and interactions. I often found myself desperate for this novella to be longer only so that I could have them interact even more!
All in all, this was great for what it was. I’m definitely down to read more in this series but also more stories in general where a woman falls in love with the assassin she hires to kill her no good husband 🤩