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readwithbee's reviews
29 reviews
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Woahhhh. Why did I let the length of this book intimidate me so much!? I don't want to provide a synopsis of this book, out of fear of spoilers and if you're like me and are only just now getting to reading this - IT'S ROUGH OUT THERE AVOIDING SPOILERS.
This book was incredible! I was definitely intimidated by all the people who told me the world building was intense, but it really wasn't hard to follow. I was very interested in this massive world and all these characters and it felt fun to me to try to keep everyone straight. I did wait until I finished to look for any kind of guide to avoid spoilers, and I found some SUPER HELPFUL info graphics about the world building and characters from yaz.the.bookish that don't spoil anything. So, if you'd like them, let me know!
This read was so packed with likeable characters, mystery (and whodunit vibes), plot twists, action, and slow burn romance. In typical SJM fashion, the last chunk of the book took me on A RIDE. I did cry because SJM also has a tendency to make us like characters only to put them through hell, or worse. I think, too, this was the first book in a long time that I genuinely felt betrayed by a character and needed to put the book down and take some space before diving back in. I'm very interested in how this experience will affect my reading of the second book!
I also wasn't sure how I'd feel about fantasy with cell phones and internet, but SJM makes it WORK in this world. It's like the foundation was urban fantasy (fantasy in an urban, city setting), but she built upon it her own fantasy world keeping only a few things from our world.
Overall - I ABSOLUTELY recommend this book for lovers of romantasy, massive world building, action, strong female characters, and books that make you question your feelings about other characters.
I cannot wait to read book 2 and I'm probably going to avoid the internet for the next week while I work on that, so I can avoid the spoilers of it. Somehow I've gone this far not knowing what happens, just that something does happen at the end. So here goes!
This book was incredible! I was definitely intimidated by all the people who told me the world building was intense, but it really wasn't hard to follow. I was very interested in this massive world and all these characters and it felt fun to me to try to keep everyone straight. I did wait until I finished to look for any kind of guide to avoid spoilers, and I found some SUPER HELPFUL info graphics about the world building and characters from yaz.the.bookish that don't spoil anything. So, if you'd like them, let me know!
This read was so packed with likeable characters, mystery (and whodunit vibes), plot twists, action, and slow burn romance. In typical SJM fashion, the last chunk of the book took me on A RIDE. I did cry because SJM also has a tendency to make us like characters only to put them through hell, or worse. I think, too, this was the first book in a long time that I genuinely felt betrayed by a character and needed to put the book down and take some space before diving back in. I'm very interested in how this experience will affect my reading of the second book!
I also wasn't sure how I'd feel about fantasy with cell phones and internet, but SJM makes it WORK in this world. It's like the foundation was urban fantasy (fantasy in an urban, city setting), but she built upon it her own fantasy world keeping only a few things from our world.
Overall - I ABSOLUTELY recommend this book for lovers of romantasy, massive world building, action, strong female characters, and books that make you question your feelings about other characters.
I cannot wait to read book 2 and I'm probably going to avoid the internet for the next week while I work on that, so I can avoid the spoilers of it. Somehow I've gone this far not knowing what happens, just that something does happen at the end. So here goes!
Black Girls Must Die Exhausted by Jayne Allen
emotional
medium-paced
2.0
I so, so badly wanted to like this book. The title is what drew me in, but this was disappointing.
I found the story itself to be frustrating, as one of the storylines was about the main character being told she has fertility issues and has six months to take action if she wants to have children. The way she treated her boyfriend/ex for him being honest from the beginning and saying that he didn't want to have kids, just blew my mind. This book definitely perpetuated some narrative that not wanting to have kids (for any reason) was a horrible thing. As someone who does not want to have kids, this was annoying and made me lose a lot of respect for the main character. Then the stereotypes that the friendships fell into with their relationships, just left me not interested in this story.
This book tackled A LOT of topics but didn't feel as though it gave any one of them the time and thought it deserved, honestly. I expected this book to be deeper and to explore some of the harder topics associated with being blacked - based on the title and the book description, even. I also found it to be weird that the title of this book is a quote from the characters white grandmother.
But alas, I have decided not to go any further into my opinions on this primarily because I am a white person. I do not have the lived experience of a black woman to be able to perhaps understand the intentions of this book. That being said, I think it would be very much worth people's time to read the reviews posted on this book by black individuals.
I found the story itself to be frustrating, as one of the storylines was about the main character being told she has fertility issues and has six months to take action if she wants to have children. The way she treated her boyfriend/ex for him being honest from the beginning and saying that he didn't want to have kids, just blew my mind. This book definitely perpetuated some narrative that not wanting to have kids (for any reason) was a horrible thing. As someone who does not want to have kids, this was annoying and made me lose a lot of respect for the main character. Then the stereotypes that the friendships fell into with their relationships, just left me not interested in this story.
This book tackled A LOT of topics but didn't feel as though it gave any one of them the time and thought it deserved, honestly. I expected this book to be deeper and to explore some of the harder topics associated with being blacked - based on the title and the book description, even. I also found it to be weird that the title of this book is a quote from the characters white grandmother.
But alas, I have decided not to go any further into my opinions on this primarily because I am a white person. I do not have the lived experience of a black woman to be able to perhaps understand the intentions of this book. That being said, I think it would be very much worth people's time to read the reviews posted on this book by black individuals.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.25
Julie and Will are getting married after only knowing each other for a short time. Their venue of choice? A remote (creepy) Irish Island. Following the perspectives of the bride, the plus-one, the bridesmaid, the best man, and the wedding planner - the guests are in for a night they won't likely forget when the lights go out thanks to a storm, and a body is found. Who is it? And who killed them - when more than one person has strong motive?
I am an absolute baby to the thriller/mystery/whodunit genre but I really enjoyed this! I found it to be a super quick read and it kept me on my toes trying to put pieces together before the end. It made me grateful I didn't get married on a remote island, I'll say that much. Within the characters, there was only one two that I actually liked and the rest definitely got annoying, but I still appreciated such a plot-driven read to keep me engaged and flipping the pages.
If you're a fan of this genre, this is what I've been told is on the lighter end of it.
CW: Abortion, Abuse, Self-harm, S*icidal ideation/attempt, murder, cheating.
I am an absolute baby to the thriller/mystery/whodunit genre but I really enjoyed this! I found it to be a super quick read and it kept me on my toes trying to put pieces together before the end. It made me grateful I didn't get married on a remote island, I'll say that much. Within the characters, there was only one two that I actually liked and the rest definitely got annoying, but I still appreciated such a plot-driven read to keep me engaged and flipping the pages.
If you're a fan of this genre, this is what I've been told is on the lighter end of it.
CW: Abortion, Abuse, Self-harm, S*icidal ideation/attempt, murder, cheating.
Butter Honey Pig Bread by francesca ekwuyasi
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Okay, okay. I know I said I didn't like to give memoir's a rating - and honestly, on bookstagram I stopped using a rating system - BUT THIS MEMOIR. The 5-star rating is for the quality of this book.
Dave Grohl is the leader of the band Foo Fighters but has a long career of many bands, performances, and mind blowing experiences. He has been someone who's interested me for about five years now (I'm late to the party). So not only did I deeply enjoy hearing about all the stories he shares from his life - the quality of the writing was just wonderful. Part of me was a little meh about the timeline not being linear and switching around from time to time, but when you look at it as a whole, you can see the grouping of stories and it all makes sense.
Dave is so emotionally intelligent and I just ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY love him. The way he talks about grief and trauma and life is absolutely beautiful. He's honestly brilliant because the way he chooses to word things is always either very funny or leaves you in awe. He's so down to earth and humble that it really reminds you that he's just a regular dude who's lived a rockstar life.
I hope many young aspiring musicians read this book and I hope it inspires them.
Even if you're not a musician (for example, I am not), or a Foo Fighters/Nirvana, etc. fan, this book is worth reading.
Dave Grohl is the leader of the band Foo Fighters but has a long career of many bands, performances, and mind blowing experiences. He has been someone who's interested me for about five years now (I'm late to the party). So not only did I deeply enjoy hearing about all the stories he shares from his life - the quality of the writing was just wonderful. Part of me was a little meh about the timeline not being linear and switching around from time to time, but when you look at it as a whole, you can see the grouping of stories and it all makes sense.
Dave is so emotionally intelligent and I just ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY love him. The way he talks about grief and trauma and life is absolutely beautiful. He's honestly brilliant because the way he chooses to word things is always either very funny or leaves you in awe. He's so down to earth and humble that it really reminds you that he's just a regular dude who's lived a rockstar life.
I hope many young aspiring musicians read this book and I hope it inspires them.
Even if you're not a musician (for example, I am not), or a Foo Fighters/Nirvana, etc. fan, this book is worth reading.
Iris Kelly Doesn't Date by Ashley Herring Blake
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0