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schaebutta's reviews
24 reviews
Fang Gang 2 by Cyn
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
4.75
At least this time around the cliff hanger wasn't as intense....BUT I very much enjoyed this book as much as the first. After reading the first one, you could never guess what is to come in the second book! The old english chapters were wildly unserious and I could have gone with less of that 😂
Love is the root of everything, and we learn a lot about the history of the Fang Gang. The war is brewing very heavily and I found myself on the edge of my seat the entire way through! I can't wait to see what is in store for book 3...
Love is the root of everything, and we learn a lot about the history of the Fang Gang. The war is brewing very heavily and I found myself on the edge of my seat the entire way through! I can't wait to see what is in store for book 3...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Suicide
Fang Gang by Cyn
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
For the story being under 100 pages, I definitely found it easy to sink my teeth into (no pun intended) especially with how easy it was to fall in love with each of the characters. As much as I anticipated more "thuggish" or hostile ways of the vampires, I received the exact opposite!
Fallon is a beautiful brown skin human while Kendrick is chocolate vampire born into royalty. Their love is so strong and fierce that you can't help but to immediately support their journey. To be left on such a dramatic cliff hanger in the end though?? I'm RUNNING to the next book!
Fallon is a beautiful brown skin human while Kendrick is chocolate vampire born into royalty. Their love is so strong and fierce that you can't help but to immediately support their journey. To be left on such a dramatic cliff hanger in the end though?? I'm RUNNING to the next book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This was a super creative way to tell a ghost story! I loved the actual images that were included - they were eerie and added an extremely creative element to the plot. I consider this an "easy read" in the sense of being able to grasp all details without too much fluff and giving me the same feeling as watching a movie.
This book provokes curiosity the entire way through and you don't want to put the book down because of the building anticipation to the very end.
I still have burning questions, and I wonder if you do too! Check out the rest of the review with quotes and reflections at https://schaesplace.com/blogs/books
This book provokes curiosity the entire way through and you don't want to put the book down because of the building anticipation to the very end.
I still have burning questions, and I wonder if you do too! Check out the rest of the review with quotes and reflections at https://schaesplace.com/blogs/books
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, and Murder
The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I'm not typically a romance reader as much as I'd like to be. This not only challenged my perception of adult love in various forms, but also gave me the resolution that felt so necessary.
Being shown black nerdy love is so important to me! I found myself relating to Lily a lot with the way she battles insecurities within herself and gives grace to others who feel similar. She set boundaries, was a clear communicator, and unapologetically herself. I felt for her when things were a little icky and unsure for her and Nick, but I slowly got to see Nick's perspective and root for him as well.
Their love is genuine on each page - my stomach was in knots sometimes feeling the uncomfortableness they continued to work through. The reality of relationships is that they can be a little icky, but there is so much power in communication and reflection. We advance in life and have a partner to balance us and make us whole - that's Lily and Nick! <3
Full review with quotes and reflections: https://schaesplace.com/blogs/books/neighborfavor
Being shown black nerdy love is so important to me! I found myself relating to Lily a lot with the way she battles insecurities within herself and gives grace to others who feel similar. She set boundaries, was a clear communicator, and unapologetically herself. I felt for her when things were a little icky and unsure for her and Nick, but I slowly got to see Nick's perspective and root for him as well.
Their love is genuine on each page - my stomach was in knots sometimes feeling the uncomfortableness they continued to work through. The reality of relationships is that they can be a little icky, but there is so much power in communication and reflection. We advance in life and have a partner to balance us and make us whole - that's Lily and Nick! <3
Full review with quotes and reflections: https://schaesplace.com/blogs/books/neighborfavor
Who Can You Trust: The Family Ain't S?!T Anthology by Octavia Grant
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The most I can say is "wow" upon coming to the end of each book!
This was so dark, strange, and left no crumbs.
There were plenty of times I had to stop and think, "Did I really just read that?" and then remembered this is a fictional story and the mess continues to get messier! Each one was very fast paced and was not shy on the spicy moments..
Book 2: Sleeping with my Cousin's Grandmother may have been my favorite. The twist was super unexpected, and the epilogue left my mouth hanging wide open! Urban fiction is one of my favorite genres, and to discover Octavia Grant with this title was a miracle just falling into my lap. It got me out of a reading slump; the drama stoops to levels that I feel like could only come from Tyler Perry television. You hate all the characters and you're not quite sure who deserves one but there's one thing for sure:
These families ain't shit.
Full review with quotes and reflections: https://schaesplace.com/blogs/books/book-review-who-can-you-trust-the-family-aint-s-t-anthology-by-octavia-grant
This was so dark, strange, and left no crumbs.
There were plenty of times I had to stop and think, "Did I really just read that?" and then remembered this is a fictional story and the mess continues to get messier! Each one was very fast paced and was not shy on the spicy moments..
Book 2: Sleeping with my Cousin's Grandmother may have been my favorite. The twist was super unexpected, and the epilogue left my mouth hanging wide open! Urban fiction is one of my favorite genres, and to discover Octavia Grant with this title was a miracle just falling into my lap. It got me out of a reading slump; the drama stoops to levels that I feel like could only come from Tyler Perry television. You hate all the characters and you're not quite sure who deserves one but there's one thing for sure:
These families ain't shit.
Full review with quotes and reflections: https://schaesplace.com/blogs/books/book-review-who-can-you-trust-the-family-aint-s-t-anthology-by-octavia-grant
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy
Minor: Death
The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This is my fourth Freida McFadden book this year, and this is how I would rank them:
1. The Housemaid
2. The Locked Door
3. The Boyfriend
4. The Inmate
This one still had a really great plot twist, as expected from Freida McFadden, and had me hooked the entire way through! The Boyfriend is a little slower paced compared the others, but a strong plot.
Sydney is the biggest headache to me, but I didn't think she was as bad as the FMC in The Inmate! Her lack of common sense became increasingly frustrating, and I could find less reasons to excuse her ditsy behavior...
Freida knows how to make an unlikeable character, that's for sure. That's why I always love her books. You can't help but find ways to relate to little things the characters say/do, even if they are the "villain" of the story...kind of gives them a sense of humanity.
If you participated in our read along, thanks for coming through! The highlights will be posted at https://schaesplace.com/blogs/books/theboyfriendreview ✨
1. The Housemaid
2. The Locked Door
3. The Boyfriend
4. The Inmate
This one still had a really great plot twist, as expected from Freida McFadden, and had me hooked the entire way through! The Boyfriend is a little slower paced compared the others, but a strong plot.
Sydney is the biggest headache to me, but I didn't think she was as bad as the FMC in The Inmate! Her lack of common sense became increasingly frustrating, and I could find less reasons to excuse her ditsy behavior...
Freida knows how to make an unlikeable character, that's for sure. That's why I always love her books. You can't help but find ways to relate to little things the characters say/do, even if they are the "villain" of the story...kind of gives them a sense of humanity.
If you participated in our read along, thanks for coming through! The highlights will be posted at https://schaesplace.com/blogs/books/theboyfriendreview ✨
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Alcoholism and Stalking
Gamuchirai Receive by Nicole Tsopo
Did not finish book. Stopped at 83%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 83%.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and I soft DNF at 83% at the time of publishing. I still wanted to give an honest tell of my experience!
There were a lot of things I loved about this book, mainly the style of writing. I loved the detail, the way things were phrased and eloquently stated. I loved the representation of LGBT characters, I loved the plot itself and what it was giving, and of course the portrayal of black women being extremely powerful and leading by example...
However...
At around 30% I started to get really confused with the viewpoints and perspectives that continued to change throughout the chapters. Maybe that's my fault because I'm seeing that this is a book 2, but I also understand that this is a standalone? (plz correct me if im wrong!)
For me, I was struggling with understanding where I was in the story and whose lenses I was viewing through. It was a lot of going back, a lot of researching through Nicole's instagram, a lot of "wait...huh?" ...It usually was not until about 3/4 of the way through individual chapters that I would understand if I was Gamu, Six, Sparrow, or Osi or anyone else... then by the time I understand who/where I was, the next chapter was someone different. I felt that if maybe the titles of the chapters were the name of the character pov, I would have been able to flow a little better. Maybe an audiobook version would be really help visualize the various scenes, but I did not have access to one during this time.
I say 'soft' dnf because I do want to return back eventually. I just needed to put it down because I found myself forcing myself to make progress for the sake of being an ARC reader. Three stars to me is " I liked the book, but..." and that's perfectly okay! I look forward to finding more from Ms. Tsopo!
There were a lot of things I loved about this book, mainly the style of writing. I loved the detail, the way things were phrased and eloquently stated. I loved the representation of LGBT characters, I loved the plot itself and what it was giving, and of course the portrayal of black women being extremely powerful and leading by example...
However...
At around 30% I started to get really confused with the viewpoints and perspectives that continued to change throughout the chapters. Maybe that's my fault because I'm seeing that this is a book 2, but I also understand that this is a standalone? (plz correct me if im wrong!)
For me, I was struggling with understanding where I was in the story and whose lenses I was viewing through. It was a lot of going back, a lot of researching through Nicole's instagram, a lot of "wait...huh?" ...It usually was not until about 3/4 of the way through individual chapters that I would understand if I was Gamu, Six, Sparrow, or Osi or anyone else... then by the time I understand who/where I was, the next chapter was someone different. I felt that if maybe the titles of the chapters were the name of the character pov, I would have been able to flow a little better. Maybe an audiobook version would be really help visualize the various scenes, but I did not have access to one during this time.
I say 'soft' dnf because I do want to return back eventually. I just needed to put it down because I found myself forcing myself to make progress for the sake of being an ARC reader. Three stars to me is " I liked the book, but..." and that's perfectly okay! I look forward to finding more from Ms. Tsopo!
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
5.0
This book was one of my first reads of 2024. It pulled at my heart strings and now that "Quiet on Set" has come to light I hope that others begin tuning in to this too if they have not already. The trauma she experienced with her mother seems like something a lot of people can relate to and the way it is written makes it easy to empathize. If you are not ready to shed a few tears, keep it on your TBR until you are!
The Inmate by Freida McFadden
4.0
Okaaaaay. So basically, I think I liked this book.
For the entire way through I definitely hated all the main characters, especially Brooke. I'm not one to review a book as terrible because I don't like the characters...here were my thoughts!
At any given point along the way, even just one solid decision could have changed the entire course of the journey into a more positive note. But no, Brooke just stays the dumb airhead that ignores gut instinct and lacks all common sense! And that pissed me off nearly the entire way through. You couldn't make better choices for your son???
If you look at my updates, I definitely was on an emotional roller coaster with 100% of the choices she was making regarding these men. Girl, all these people and you gotta juggle your time between two weirdos?!?! Okay. And choosing a job literally knowing ahead of time that your assaulter is IN THAT PRISON is just a little absurd to me from the jump lol...
When I made it to about halfway I was already feeling like I was going to give this 3-stars. I don't agree with the negative reviews that it was a slow burn, but I do agree that the air-headedness was very annoying. However, I was drawn to every page and never wanted to put the book down. I put off important things I had to do in order to keep reading. A very quick read I would suggest to someone who hasn't picked up a book in a long time and needs a kick start on their journey! I love when I can say I finished a book really quickly without being distracted...
The plot twists definitely got me at the end. I felt like it was pretty predictable in the first kind of "twist" but over all, the ending shot my review from 3 to 4 simply because I was actually surprised at how it played out! The epilogue especially. Also, the crimes and murders were not super descriptive in relation to gore, which I didn't realize I would appreciate so much. It was very well inferred when certain things were going on. I do wish there was just a sprinkle of better choices along the way from Brooke BIG TIME, I mean come on....a man spent a decade in jail and you just let him in your home the first night???? and let....yeah. That was a huge no. You couldn't call him a taxi or order a hotel for him if you wanted to be nice??
Yeah okay, let me stop before I drop a real spoiler but I did end up liking this book after being in deep thought for hours. I am interested in reading another McFadden book, if not all of them! Might have to get more into thrillers because of this one...
For the entire way through I definitely hated all the main characters, especially Brooke. I'm not one to review a book as terrible because I don't like the characters...here were my thoughts!
At any given point along the way, even just one solid decision could have changed the entire course of the journey into a more positive note. But no, Brooke just stays the dumb airhead that ignores gut instinct and lacks all common sense! And that pissed me off nearly the entire way through. You couldn't make better choices for your son???
If you look at my updates, I definitely was on an emotional roller coaster with 100% of the choices she was making regarding these men. Girl, all these people and you gotta juggle your time between two weirdos?!?! Okay. And choosing a job literally knowing ahead of time that your assaulter is IN THAT PRISON is just a little absurd to me from the jump lol...
When I made it to about halfway I was already feeling like I was going to give this 3-stars. I don't agree with the negative reviews that it was a slow burn, but I do agree that the air-headedness was very annoying. However, I was drawn to every page and never wanted to put the book down. I put off important things I had to do in order to keep reading. A very quick read I would suggest to someone who hasn't picked up a book in a long time and needs a kick start on their journey! I love when I can say I finished a book really quickly without being distracted...
The plot twists definitely got me at the end. I felt like it was pretty predictable in the first kind of "twist" but over all, the ending shot my review from 3 to 4 simply because I was actually surprised at how it played out! The epilogue especially. Also, the crimes and murders were not super descriptive in relation to gore, which I didn't realize I would appreciate so much. It was very well inferred when certain things were going on. I do wish there was just a sprinkle of better choices along the way from Brooke BIG TIME, I mean come on....a man spent a decade in jail and you just let him in your home the first night???? and let....yeah. That was a huge no. You couldn't call him a taxi or order a hotel for him if you wanted to be nice??
Yeah okay, let me stop before I drop a real spoiler but I did end up liking this book after being in deep thought for hours. I am interested in reading another McFadden book, if not all of them! Might have to get more into thrillers because of this one...
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
5.0
This book was absolutely incredible start to finish!
I love it because it ignites my imagination so fiercely. It made me pick up drawing and painting again because I HAD to find a way to put what was in my head into a physical form.
While following the POV of Zelie, Amari, and Inan I definitely loved and hated everybody equally in their journey. They blossomed and disappointed me in ways I never could’ve expected which is what drew me to learn more about them throughout the book.
This is one of the longest books I’ve read in a while, and I’ve never actually gotten into fantasy books with their own worlds quite like this one so I look forward to reading the second book (which I will probably start very soon) and pre-ordering the third!
Now Tomi… if there isn’t some Idris Elba, Viola Davis, Zendaya acting going on in this movie I’m not too sure I can tune in effectively!!!
I love it because it ignites my imagination so fiercely. It made me pick up drawing and painting again because I HAD to find a way to put what was in my head into a physical form.
While following the POV of Zelie, Amari, and Inan I definitely loved and hated everybody equally in their journey. They blossomed and disappointed me in ways I never could’ve expected which is what drew me to learn more about them throughout the book.
This is one of the longest books I’ve read in a while, and I’ve never actually gotten into fantasy books with their own worlds quite like this one so I look forward to reading the second book (which I will probably start very soon) and pre-ordering the third!
Now Tomi… if there isn’t some Idris Elba, Viola Davis, Zendaya acting going on in this movie I’m not too sure I can tune in effectively!!!