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Dessi and Ky Go Poof by Candice Pedraza Yamnitz
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
This book was such a cute and fun adventure!
I loved how Dessi and Ky had to learn how to be a team and share ideas in order to accomplish their task. They bickered, but they ultimately learned how to rely on each other's strengths in order to get back home. The adventure is also very unique and very supportive of imaginative thinking. Educational aspects include a couple of dinosaur names (with pronunciation guides) and a few Spanish words and phrases (with a definition guide as well as a pronunciation guide).
Overall, Dessi and Ky Go Poof is great for early readers (8-10 years old) and a great intro to chapter books!
I received this book from the author for free. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is voluntary.
I loved how Dessi and Ky had to learn how to be a team and share ideas in order to accomplish their task. They bickered, but they ultimately learned how to rely on each other's strengths in order to get back home. The adventure is also very unique and very supportive of imaginative thinking. Educational aspects include a couple of dinosaur names (with pronunciation guides) and a few Spanish words and phrases (with a definition guide as well as a pronunciation guide).
Overall, Dessi and Ky Go Poof is great for early readers (8-10 years old) and a great intro to chapter books!
I received this book from the author for free. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is voluntary.
The Last Carolina Girl by Meagan Church
emotional
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
5.0
"Sometimes, you gotta love even when it don't make sense."
The Last Carolina Girl is the perfect mixture of bitter and sweet. It's a beautiful story of acceptance and love while not leaving out the pains of rejection, hate, and loss. Very masterfully told.
This book is obviously being compared to Where The Crawdads Sing and I agree with this comparison a lot; there was a strong sense of familiarity as I was reading this book and I often compared Leah's story to Kya's. But while they are similar, there are some very stark differences. For one, I loved how simple and to the point The Last Carolina Girl is. It's a much shorter book and wasn't quite as heavy (topically) as Where The Crawdad's Sing was, but it is still a very emotional story and I highly recommend keeping tissues close.
I also really appreciated the underlying tone of suspense in basic, everyday life. While Where the Crawdads Sing was suspenseful for *other* reasons, The Last Carolina Girl presented suspense in a realistic way that we could relate to. Sending a letter. Riding the Farris Wheel. The things that made Leah's heart race, made my heart race right along with her and I think that's why I cared so deeply for her and her story. I could imagine myself in her shoes and the writing brought her to life with vivid beauty.
"Sometimes, tears are the only words worth sharing."
This book is also very clean. There's no cursing, gore, or explicit content. The trigger warnings include mental/physical abuse at the hands of eugenics and discrimination against the poor, however, these are not described in detail.
Overall, The Last Carolina Girl is a painstakingly heartfelt story that I won't soon be forgetting. I give it an easy 5 stars and recommend it to readers who both loved Where the Crawdads Sing and those who may *think* they would like Where the Crawdads Sing but don't want to encounter all of the extra content of that book.
I received this book for free from NetGalley. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is voluntary.
The Last Carolina Girl is the perfect mixture of bitter and sweet. It's a beautiful story of acceptance and love while not leaving out the pains of rejection, hate, and loss. Very masterfully told.
This book is obviously being compared to Where The Crawdads Sing and I agree with this comparison a lot; there was a strong sense of familiarity as I was reading this book and I often compared Leah's story to Kya's. But while they are similar, there are some very stark differences. For one, I loved how simple and to the point The Last Carolina Girl is. It's a much shorter book and wasn't quite as heavy (topically) as Where The Crawdad's Sing was, but it is still a very emotional story and I highly recommend keeping tissues close.
I also really appreciated the underlying tone of suspense in basic, everyday life. While Where the Crawdads Sing was suspenseful for *other* reasons, The Last Carolina Girl presented suspense in a realistic way that we could relate to. Sending a letter. Riding the Farris Wheel. The things that made Leah's heart race, made my heart race right along with her and I think that's why I cared so deeply for her and her story. I could imagine myself in her shoes and the writing brought her to life with vivid beauty.
"Sometimes, tears are the only words worth sharing."
This book is also very clean. There's no cursing, gore, or explicit content. The trigger warnings include mental/physical abuse at the hands of eugenics and discrimination against the poor, however, these are not described in detail.
Overall, The Last Carolina Girl is a painstakingly heartfelt story that I won't soon be forgetting. I give it an easy 5 stars and recommend it to readers who both loved Where the Crawdads Sing and those who may *think* they would like Where the Crawdads Sing but don't want to encounter all of the extra content of that book.
I received this book for free from NetGalley. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is voluntary.
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
This book was even better than Cinder!
While Cinder took half of the book for me to feel interested, Scarlet had me in the first chapter! I felt as if I related to Scarlet as a character a lot more than I related to Cinder, so experiencing the world through Scarlet's eyes not only held my attention throughout the whole book but also had me emotionally invested. And while I love Prince Kai... Wolf and *Captain* Thorn really just made this series even better. I mean, we have three of my favorite fictional male tropes in one series: a literal prince charming, a rogue werewolf, and a snarky, morally gray "pirate"; come on. I mean, "perfection" is a strong word but it's necessary for this context.
This book had a lot more action in it than the first one did too, so maybe that's why I couldn't put it down. But basically, I loved this book, and Scarlet and Wolf are my OTP. I hope I can snag the next book from my library soon *fingers crossed*.
"I realized that I would rather die because I betrayed them, rather than live because I betrayed you."
Content warnings: No cursing. Gore is pretty high with t0rtur3 and lots of fight sequences that are disturbing in nature. Romance consists of mildly detailed kissing (no spice). One questionably forced kiss may disturb some readers however in the context of the situation, I had no issues with it. As always, my DMs are open if you'd like more details.
While Cinder took half of the book for me to feel interested, Scarlet had me in the first chapter! I felt as if I related to Scarlet as a character a lot more than I related to Cinder, so experiencing the world through Scarlet's eyes not only held my attention throughout the whole book but also had me emotionally invested. And while I love Prince Kai... Wolf and *Captain* Thorn really just made this series even better. I mean, we have three of my favorite fictional male tropes in one series: a literal prince charming, a rogue werewolf, and a snarky, morally gray "pirate"; come on. I mean, "perfection" is a strong word but it's necessary for this context.
This book had a lot more action in it than the first one did too, so maybe that's why I couldn't put it down. But basically, I loved this book, and Scarlet and Wolf are my OTP. I hope I can snag the next book from my library soon *fingers crossed*.
"I realized that I would rather die because I betrayed them, rather than live because I betrayed you."
Content warnings: No cursing. Gore is pretty high with t0rtur3 and lots of fight sequences that are disturbing in nature. Romance consists of mildly detailed kissing (no spice). One questionably forced kiss may disturb some readers however in the context of the situation, I had no issues with it. As always, my DMs are open if you'd like more details.
The Disappearance of Emily Downs by C.J. Redwine
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
"I don't have many people left to love me and I can't lose you too."
A friend of mine listened to this audiobook sometime last year and recommended it to me. I finally made time to read it before it left Audible Plus and I'm glad that I did!
The Disappearance of Emily Downs is a well-written story that has just enough spooks to keep it nail-biting while never going overboard for its middle-grade audience. Joey was a fun main character and I especially enjoyed her and Ray's enemies-to-friends trope. I feel like it's relatable for many middle-graders to realize that often their "enemies" are misunderstood and have the possibility of becoming friends, so I love seeing that in literature.
I do wish the ending had more resolution than it currently does. It took so long for us to finally get answers to what was happening and then suddenly it was over and I still had so many questions. I know this is the first book in a series, so of course I'm hooked for the rest of the series, but I do wish that there had been just a bit more resolution at the end of this one.
Overall, I really enjoyed it and recommend it to older middle grade readers who might be interested in a more spooky and action-packed read.
~No cursing nor sexual content of any kind. Action and gore is more present than most middle grade books with some mentions of d3ad bodies and bl00d in some places, however it isn't gruesome. I would exercise caution to young readers based on their maturity level.
A friend of mine listened to this audiobook sometime last year and recommended it to me. I finally made time to read it before it left Audible Plus and I'm glad that I did!
The Disappearance of Emily Downs is a well-written story that has just enough spooks to keep it nail-biting while never going overboard for its middle-grade audience. Joey was a fun main character and I especially enjoyed her and Ray's enemies-to-friends trope. I feel like it's relatable for many middle-graders to realize that often their "enemies" are misunderstood and have the possibility of becoming friends, so I love seeing that in literature.
I do wish the ending had more resolution than it currently does. It took so long for us to finally get answers to what was happening and then suddenly it was over and I still had so many questions. I know this is the first book in a series, so of course I'm hooked for the rest of the series, but I do wish that there had been just a bit more resolution at the end of this one.
Overall, I really enjoyed it and recommend it to older middle grade readers who might be interested in a more spooky and action-packed read.
~No cursing nor sexual content of any kind. Action and gore is more present than most middle grade books with some mentions of d3ad bodies and bl00d in some places, however it isn't gruesome. I would exercise caution to young readers based on their maturity level.
Lifeforce by Annie Rodriguez
dark
fast-paced
3.0
Lifeforce feels like a classic, early 2000s vampire/werewolf teen romance.
It's a very easy read, I read it in a single morning and felt committed to Gillian's story and her perilous situation. While I do love a good werewolf romance, the entire reason for my interest in this book, I am not a huge fan of the teen angst style of romances.
I felt like the characters were all just super childish and in their own little worlds. Addie and Forrest both had really interesting backstories and obviously had lived for quite a while, yet they acted like 16-year-olds. Plus, they were doctors so I expected adults who had the maturity accompanied by their life experiences to handle situations better than they did. I was completely shocked when Gillian--who had hardly lived through anything drastic at all--had to explain very simple things to both of them like they weren't war doctors who literally had the knowledge to perform surgeries and saved lives on a daily basis. It just felt inconsistent, one minute they were these war hero adults and the next they were very naive children. (Some people may hate me for this comparison, but it reminded me of Grey's Anatomy, but with vampires, werewolves, and witches. So if you like the doctor drama plus supernatural romance, this may be right up your alley.)
The story progressed well, like I said, it's a very easy read. It has a great illustration of sacrificial love and I think it portrays the angry type of grief accurately. Overall, if you'd like a nostalgic trip back to the early 2000s and want to experience a brand new teen werewolf romance, you may like this book.
Content warnings: Cursing- A few minor curse words accompanied by some f-bombs towards the end of the book. Gore- very present, the vampires carry around thermoses with...well their "lifeforce". Romance- primarily just spicy kissing scenes, this is a teen romance after all, but there is a connection of "euphoric feelings" when the vampires feed on people, so there is a not-so-subtle s*xual undertone even though things are never shown on paper.
It's a very easy read, I read it in a single morning and felt committed to Gillian's story and her perilous situation. While I do love a good werewolf romance, the entire reason for my interest in this book, I am not a huge fan of the teen angst style of romances.
I felt like the characters were all just super childish and in their own little worlds. Addie and Forrest both had really interesting backstories and obviously had lived for quite a while, yet they acted like 16-year-olds. Plus, they were doctors so I expected adults who had the maturity accompanied by their life experiences to handle situations better than they did. I was completely shocked when Gillian--who had hardly lived through anything drastic at all--had to explain very simple things to both of them like they weren't war doctors who literally had the knowledge to perform surgeries and saved lives on a daily basis. It just felt inconsistent, one minute they were these war hero adults and the next they were very naive children. (Some people may hate me for this comparison, but it reminded me of Grey's Anatomy, but with vampires, werewolves, and witches. So if you like the doctor drama plus supernatural romance, this may be right up your alley.)
The story progressed well, like I said, it's a very easy read. It has a great illustration of sacrificial love and I think it portrays the angry type of grief accurately. Overall, if you'd like a nostalgic trip back to the early 2000s and want to experience a brand new teen werewolf romance, you may like this book.
Content warnings: Cursing- A few minor curse words accompanied by some f-bombs towards the end of the book. Gore- very present, the vampires carry around thermoses with...well their "lifeforce". Romance- primarily just spicy kissing scenes, this is a teen romance after all, but there is a connection of "euphoric feelings" when the vampires feed on people, so there is a not-so-subtle s*xual undertone even though things are never shown on paper.
When We Were Very Young by A.A. Milne
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
4.0
I forgot that I had this in my Audible library, so I broke up my hefty reading with this collection of children's poems. It's charming and the narrator made it fun to listen to. A few of the poems confused me and didn't quite make sense, but overall, it's a cute collection :)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
adventurous
slow-paced
5.0
This took me a lot longer to get into than the other books, but I did enjoy it immensely in the end. Higher stakes, more twists, and still the same wonderful world. I think the second book is still my favorite, but this one came very close in the end to stealing that spot. I also loved listening to this in light of playing Hogwarts Legacy, because I've been able to wander the Hogwarts grounds in the game and it really made the experience that much better.
I did notice an increase in cursing in this book, which shocked me.
Overall though, I'm excited to continue reading!
I did notice an increase in cursing in this book, which shocked me.
Overall though, I'm excited to continue reading!
Wolves of Adalore by Morgan Gauthier
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
3.0
"Impressive, Salome, you almost fight as well as a man." "Funny, I was thinking the same of you."
This storyline is very interesting and exciting. The Wolves of Adalore is cast with characters who all play vital roles in this political treachery as wrongs are righted in Adalore. The story is fast-paced and cuts around to different scenes in a similar way that a TV show would, making for a wide array of knowledge.
While I really enjoyed the story and do see myself continuing the series (which is now complete, YAY), I did have a very hard time getting to know the characters which made the story difficult to follow at first. There are just so many points of view (POVs). I was still meeting new characters well past 45% and this made it very hard for me to get to know each one and how their stories connected to each other. Especially since many of the chapters are only one or two scenes at most (anywhere between 3-7 pages), I just felt like I was speed-reading through the story and therefore missed a lot of depth.
Some other things that I liked were:
-Sibling bond
-Villain POV
-No-spice romance(s)
-royal politics
-beautiful fantasy world
-epic fight scenes
Overall, I wish I hadn't struggled so much at the beginning of the book, but hopefully, now that I know the characters, the rest of the series will be a breeze!
Content warnings: The romance isn't described on-page as in many books, however, there are several casual mentions of characters sleeping together and making suggestive remarks to each other. Cursing is moderate with frequent, minor curse words. Gore/action content is high, with mentions of torture, detailed fight scenes, and the use of dark magic.
I received this book from the author for free. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is voluntary.
This storyline is very interesting and exciting. The Wolves of Adalore is cast with characters who all play vital roles in this political treachery as wrongs are righted in Adalore. The story is fast-paced and cuts around to different scenes in a similar way that a TV show would, making for a wide array of knowledge.
While I really enjoyed the story and do see myself continuing the series (which is now complete, YAY), I did have a very hard time getting to know the characters which made the story difficult to follow at first. There are just so many points of view (POVs). I was still meeting new characters well past 45% and this made it very hard for me to get to know each one and how their stories connected to each other. Especially since many of the chapters are only one or two scenes at most (anywhere between 3-7 pages), I just felt like I was speed-reading through the story and therefore missed a lot of depth.
Some other things that I liked were:
-Sibling bond
-Villain POV
-No-spice romance(s)
-royal politics
-beautiful fantasy world
-epic fight scenes
Overall, I wish I hadn't struggled so much at the beginning of the book, but hopefully, now that I know the characters, the rest of the series will be a breeze!
Content warnings: The romance isn't described on-page as in many books, however, there are several casual mentions of characters sleeping together and making suggestive remarks to each other. Cursing is moderate with frequent, minor curse words. Gore/action content is high, with mentions of torture, detailed fight scenes, and the use of dark magic.
I received this book from the author for free. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is voluntary.
Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival by Velma Wallis
adventurous
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
Very easy read with an inspiring survival story. This was a book club read, so definitely not one that I would’ve picked up on my own, but it was good.
It reads like someone telling a story, so there’s not a lot of depth in the characters’ feelings or plot. I read it in about two hours (while watching the survival show Alone which made for an interesting reading experience since many of the people on the show were experiencing the same survival dilemmas as these women were).
There’s no cursing or anything explicit within the pages and if you’re looking for an easy read to hit that reading goal, I’d recommend it!
It reads like someone telling a story, so there’s not a lot of depth in the characters’ feelings or plot. I read it in about two hours (while watching the survival show Alone which made for an interesting reading experience since many of the people on the show were experiencing the same survival dilemmas as these women were).
There’s no cursing or anything explicit within the pages and if you’re looking for an easy read to hit that reading goal, I’d recommend it!
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
5.0
When I say that my rating surprises me, I mean that I expected to DNF this book within the first 10%. I waited to borrow it from the library so that I wouldn't have to pay for a book that I just *knew* (based on other reviews) that I was going to hate. So, considering that this book crashed through my expected 0 star rating and made it all the way to 5 stars is pretty impressive. Very few books make it past my predetermined mindset.
I will preface this review by saying that I knew going into it that it is a spicy, open-door romance and it does get decently explicit in one scene; however, it's not at all what I expected from the descriptions I've heard. Because I knew in advance, I'm not going to deduct stars for what I willingly chose to read, especially when it ended up being far, far less explicit than I thought it was going to be. Plus, I enjoyed this book way too much to rate it anything less than 5 stars because of the maybe 5-10 pages of spice out of 447 (less than 2% of the book).
What did I love?
Feyre. I can literally count on one hand the number of female MCs that I actually like and Feyre is now at the top of that list. I loved her development throughout this book; it was natural. She is so spunky, courageous, and just a very well-written character. Following her and her story was exciting and I genuinely wanted her to succeed in everything she did.
The Plot. I didn't realize that this was a Beauty and the Beast retelling when I started reading it, but I quickly picked up on it! It's a very good one at that, with just enough of the original story to be recognizable, but being so new and different that I truly had no idea what would happen. I also loved the pacing of the plot, taking place over a couple of years (I think I read that correctly). The rise and fall of the different acts kept me constantly interested and I truly held my breath through a lot of this book. It is masterful.
The Writing. 447 pages is a pretty hefty book, but Maas's writing style made it feel like the blink of an eye. I was swept away by her descriptions and understood exactly what I was supposed to learn. I never felt overwhelmed with information, nor did I ever feel bored or as if I didn't have enough information to understand. Her writing is just like a seamless flow of honey and I'm in love with her style. I'm a huge fan of high/epic fantasy--I want all the details of the world--so Maas's style was very nearly flawless to my taste.
FEYRE & LUCIAN'S PLATONIC FRIENDSHIP. Do you know how difficult it is to find male/female platonic friendships that don't turn into a romance in fiction? VERY, VERY DIFFICULT. So I adored Feyre and Lucian's friendship, as well as Tamlin and Lucian's friendship. This was honestly one of my favorite aspects of this book.
What did I hate?
Reysand. I know, I know, "keep reading" someone will say, but he committed some pretty unforgivable acts (by my standards) and I don't like him. He's awful. I don't think I'll be able to forgive him, despite his intentions. (I don't actually *hate* him upon finishing the book...just a high dislike; but there for a while, it was a solid "hate") #TeamTamlin.
I did not like the explicitness of the romance, and I did skip over it. I think this story would've been just as good without the door flung open but to each their own. It was very tame compared to some scenes I've stumbled on in other books, with a spice level of 6 out of 10 (two on-page scenes with tame descriptions). I would just like to reiterate that this is not YA and I would never recommend it to anyone younger than 18, but for an adult fantasy, this book is surprisingly clean.
Other content warnings: Language is much cleaner than expected with only a few very minor curse words. Gore content, however, is high with detailed murder and torture scenes, as well as having dark themes. I would not call it "horror" by any means, though.
Overall, I loved this book and could not read it fast enough.
I will preface this review by saying that I knew going into it that it is a spicy, open-door romance and it does get decently explicit in one scene; however, it's not at all what I expected from the descriptions I've heard. Because I knew in advance, I'm not going to deduct stars for what I willingly chose to read, especially when it ended up being far, far less explicit than I thought it was going to be. Plus, I enjoyed this book way too much to rate it anything less than 5 stars because of the maybe 5-10 pages of spice out of 447 (less than 2% of the book).
What did I love?
Feyre. I can literally count on one hand the number of female MCs that I actually like and Feyre is now at the top of that list. I loved her development throughout this book; it was natural. She is so spunky, courageous, and just a very well-written character. Following her and her story was exciting and I genuinely wanted her to succeed in everything she did.
The Plot. I didn't realize that this was a Beauty and the Beast retelling when I started reading it, but I quickly picked up on it! It's a very good one at that, with just enough of the original story to be recognizable, but being so new and different that I truly had no idea what would happen. I also loved the pacing of the plot, taking place over a couple of years (I think I read that correctly). The rise and fall of the different acts kept me constantly interested and I truly held my breath through a lot of this book. It is masterful.
The Writing. 447 pages is a pretty hefty book, but Maas's writing style made it feel like the blink of an eye. I was swept away by her descriptions and understood exactly what I was supposed to learn. I never felt overwhelmed with information, nor did I ever feel bored or as if I didn't have enough information to understand. Her writing is just like a seamless flow of honey and I'm in love with her style. I'm a huge fan of high/epic fantasy--I want all the details of the world--so Maas's style was very nearly flawless to my taste.
FEYRE & LUCIAN'S PLATONIC FRIENDSHIP. Do you know how difficult it is to find male/female platonic friendships that don't turn into a romance in fiction? VERY, VERY DIFFICULT. So I adored Feyre and Lucian's friendship, as well as Tamlin and Lucian's friendship. This was honestly one of my favorite aspects of this book.
What did I hate?
Reysand. I know, I know, "keep reading" someone will say, but he committed some pretty unforgivable acts (by my standards) and I don't like him. He's awful. I don't think I'll be able to forgive him, despite his intentions. (I don't actually *hate* him upon finishing the book...just a high dislike; but there for a while, it was a solid "hate") #TeamTamlin.
I did not like the explicitness of the romance, and I did skip over it. I think this story would've been just as good without the door flung open but to each their own. It was very tame compared to some scenes I've stumbled on in other books, with a spice level of 6 out of 10 (two on-page scenes with tame descriptions). I would just like to reiterate that this is not YA and I would never recommend it to anyone younger than 18, but for an adult fantasy, this book is surprisingly clean.
Other content warnings: Language is much cleaner than expected with only a few very minor curse words. Gore content, however, is high with detailed murder and torture scenes, as well as having dark themes. I would not call it "horror" by any means, though.
Overall, I loved this book and could not read it fast enough.