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rhi_g's reviews
567 reviews
Deadendia: The Broken Halo by Hamish Steele
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Anger Is a Gift by Mark Oshiro
1.0
there is some spoilers below but this is copy pasted from my notes app and it’s 230am so i don’t want to read through my rant to find where they are
i’m angry. i’m angry because this book should’ve been a five star, because is should have been an impactful story about police brutality and resistance and instead i got a mess. my first issue is the sheer number of characters, all of which have literally zero personality. every character exists to further moss’ growth and do not exist on their own. also this book gets praise for its great queer rep. like i think i should feel seen by this book as a nonbinary ace lesbian but no, the side characters just list of their sexualitities and genders like checking off boxes. it lacks any real emotion mostly because the side characters have again, literally no personality. my next problem is how the book treated Esperanza. moss treats her terribly all the time and i have a genuinely hard time believing they are friends. moss implies she deserves abuse she’s endured and the panic she feels in the final protest because “maybe now she understands it”. page 427 of the hardcover is the worst of it. she says “i’m sorry i never understood until now” and his thoughts “now you know…This was what it took. this was the line she had to cross. he didn’t know if it was enough” wtf. he acts like she’s super privileged, but she was taken from her mother as an infant, adopted by a well meaning but not understanding white couple and then is also a latina lesbian. the worst part though is that this book seems to want to bring light to the atrocities that the police force commits and fails so miserably because it felt the need to exaggerate. as far as i know this book is set in modern day/roughly the year it came out and is not a near future dystopian. the silent guardian, the heat ray weapon that terrorized the crowd in the final chapters, has never been used in the history of the world. the silent guardian is a smaller version of a non-lethal weapon known as the Active Denial System. by smaller i mean it’s still massive. it weights like 10000 pounds. the active denial system developed by raytheon was created in the early 2000s. specifically from 2002-2007. it has been deployed once. in afghanistan where it was sent back without ever being used. that was in 2010. the silent guardian was supposed to be installed in an LA jail but that never ended up happening either. and that’s it. there has never been an instance of this weapon being used at all, never mind to disperse a US protest. my question is why did the author feel the need to exaggerate, to paint a reality that is not our own when the world already has seen so much injustice. i didn’t need pain rays in the book, i wanted a real reflection of the horrible ways power is abused by police and about the real weapons used against peaceful protesters. i wanted to feel angry about the world and not about this book
i’m angry. i’m angry because this book should’ve been a five star, because is should have been an impactful story about police brutality and resistance and instead i got a mess. my first issue is the sheer number of characters, all of which have literally zero personality. every character exists to further moss’ growth and do not exist on their own. also this book gets praise for its great queer rep. like i think i should feel seen by this book as a nonbinary ace lesbian but no, the side characters just list of their sexualitities and genders like checking off boxes. it lacks any real emotion mostly because the side characters have again, literally no personality. my next problem is how the book treated Esperanza. moss treats her terribly all the time and i have a genuinely hard time believing they are friends. moss implies she deserves abuse she’s endured and the panic she feels in the final protest because “maybe now she understands it”. page 427 of the hardcover is the worst of it. she says “i’m sorry i never understood until now” and his thoughts “now you know…This was what it took. this was the line she had to cross. he didn’t know if it was enough” wtf. he acts like she’s super privileged, but she was taken from her mother as an infant, adopted by a well meaning but not understanding white couple and then is also a latina lesbian. the worst part though is that this book seems to want to bring light to the atrocities that the police force commits and fails so miserably because it felt the need to exaggerate. as far as i know this book is set in modern day/roughly the year it came out and is not a near future dystopian. the silent guardian, the heat ray weapon that terrorized the crowd in the final chapters, has never been used in the history of the world. the silent guardian is a smaller version of a non-lethal weapon known as the Active Denial System. by smaller i mean it’s still massive. it weights like 10000 pounds. the active denial system developed by raytheon was created in the early 2000s. specifically from 2002-2007. it has been deployed once. in afghanistan where it was sent back without ever being used. that was in 2010. the silent guardian was supposed to be installed in an LA jail but that never ended up happening either. and that’s it. there has never been an instance of this weapon being used at all, never mind to disperse a US protest. my question is why did the author feel the need to exaggerate, to paint a reality that is not our own when the world already has seen so much injustice. i didn’t need pain rays in the book, i wanted a real reflection of the horrible ways power is abused by police and about the real weapons used against peaceful protesters. i wanted to feel angry about the world and not about this book
my rating 0/5
final thoughts: read the hate u give
The Shadow Hour by Melissa Grey
3.0
I loved the first book in this series, Caius and Echo's relationship was a joy to read about and uncovering this secret world felt magical. The world is complex and the characters diverse so it was a given I'd pick up the second book to see where the story leads.
I'll start by saying that I enjoyed the book. But I can't help but feel disappointed after completing this one. I enjoyed a significant portion of the chapters. Ivy had some great development, Jasper and Dorian had some great moments, and any part that had Caius and Rowan interacting was quite entertaining, but some glaring pacing issues kept me from loving it. Pretty much every chapter followed a different character from the previous and this made transitions very jarring, I kept getting pulled out of the story. The biggest problem for me though was the ending. It felt so rushed. The whole book leading up to (view spoiler) just for it to me over in a couple pages. I needed more payoff and that ending just didn't do it for me.
It's a good book, but for me, the pacing prevents this from being a great one. It's definitely still worth the read if you love these characters and I'm looking forward to picking up the final book in this trilogy.
I'll start by saying that I enjoyed the book. But I can't help but feel disappointed after completing this one. I enjoyed a significant portion of the chapters. Ivy had some great development, Jasper and Dorian had some great moments, and any part that had Caius and Rowan interacting was quite entertaining, but some glaring pacing issues kept me from loving it. Pretty much every chapter followed a different character from the previous and this made transitions very jarring, I kept getting pulled out of the story. The biggest problem for me though was the ending. It felt so rushed. The whole book leading up to (view spoiler) just for it to me over in a couple pages. I needed more payoff and that ending just didn't do it for me.
It's a good book, but for me, the pacing prevents this from being a great one. It's definitely still worth the read if you love these characters and I'm looking forward to picking up the final book in this trilogy.
Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli
4.5
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an ARC of "Heartless Hunter" by Kristen Ciccarelli. This book is utterly addictive. Once I picked it up, I literally couldn't put it down until it was over. The greatest strength of this book lies in its compelling characters. Each one is distinct and memorable, and the dynamics between them keep you hooked. Rune herself is an incredible main character. She's clever and strong, but what truly shines is her compassionate motivation that drives her to put herself in perilous situations for others.
Of course, the romance is the primary draw for many readers (myself included), and boy, does it deliver. There's nothing quite like a dramatic slow burn, spiced up with a healthy dose of enemies-to-lovers tension. The witch/witch-hunter dynamic is always a favorite of mine (shoutout to "Serpent and Dove" for getting me hooked on this trope). The relationship between Rune and Gideon is complete with witty banter and genuine emotion that kept me turning the pages late into the night.
Overall, "Heartless Hunter" stands out among recent YA titles and delivers a powerful and addictive storyline. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone even remotely intrigued by the synopsis.
Of course, the romance is the primary draw for many readers (myself included), and boy, does it deliver. There's nothing quite like a dramatic slow burn, spiced up with a healthy dose of enemies-to-lovers tension. The witch/witch-hunter dynamic is always a favorite of mine (shoutout to "Serpent and Dove" for getting me hooked on this trope). The relationship between Rune and Gideon is complete with witty banter and genuine emotion that kept me turning the pages late into the night.
Overall, "Heartless Hunter" stands out among recent YA titles and delivers a powerful and addictive storyline. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone even remotely intrigued by the synopsis.