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squids_can_read's Reviews (712)
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is an African-American Great Gatsby retelling that I think would have worked better as a book inspired by The Great Gatsby. There are two main plot lines in this book, which I will refer to as the Great Gatsby plot and the lawsuit plot. These plots are very, very slightly related and don’t actually intertwine much.
I actually really liked the lawsuit plotline. I thought that the discussion of the law around the time and the views of the people in the community were really interesting. I don’t know much about Sugar Hill(the place this book took place), but I thought that it was an interesting place. It also seemed like the author researched for this portion of the novel, which I think is why it was so interesting to me. Reading the differing perspectives was also interesting. (I use interesting a lot but I really did enjoy reading this plotline because it made me think and learn about things that I didn’t know before).
On the other hand, I really didn’t like the Great Gatsby plotline. I thought that it was a very close rendition of the original Great Gatsby plotline, which I thought did a disservice to the book. The lawsuit plotline was more original, though still based on something, but the Great Gatsby plotline was a regurgitation. It made me sad because I thought that the rest of the book was super interesting and thought-provoking. I will say that I didn’t enjoy The Great Gatsby, the book, that much so maybe this book just wasn’t for me but it fell much flatter than the lawsuit plotline.
Another thing that I didn’t super enjoy was some of the sexual scenes that were in this book. They seemed to come out of nowhere and didn’t seem to have a real impact on the book. I think they could have been left out and the story would have been the same. It just didn’t seem to match the vibe of the book in my opinion.
The final thing is that this book was really easy to get through. The chapters are super short and the sentences aren’t super complex. The overall crafting of the novel is done well in my opinion.
I think that people who loved The Great Gatsby, who like to learn about African American history, and like messy people, will like this book. Since I only really liked learning about African American history, this book really wasn’t for me.
I actually really liked the lawsuit plotline. I thought that the discussion of the law around the time and the views of the people in the community were really interesting. I don’t know much about Sugar Hill(the place this book took place), but I thought that it was an interesting place. It also seemed like the author researched for this portion of the novel, which I think is why it was so interesting to me. Reading the differing perspectives was also interesting. (I use interesting a lot but I really did enjoy reading this plotline because it made me think and learn about things that I didn’t know before).
On the other hand, I really didn’t like the Great Gatsby plotline. I thought that it was a very close rendition of the original Great Gatsby plotline, which I thought did a disservice to the book. The lawsuit plotline was more original, though still based on something, but the Great Gatsby plotline was a regurgitation. It made me sad because I thought that the rest of the book was super interesting and thought-provoking. I will say that I didn’t enjoy The Great Gatsby, the book, that much so maybe this book just wasn’t for me but it fell much flatter than the lawsuit plotline.
Another thing that I didn’t super enjoy was some of the sexual scenes that were in this book. They seemed to come out of nowhere and didn’t seem to have a real impact on the book. I think they could have been left out and the story would have been the same. It just didn’t seem to match the vibe of the book in my opinion.
The final thing is that this book was really easy to get through. The chapters are super short and the sentences aren’t super complex. The overall crafting of the novel is done well in my opinion.
I think that people who loved The Great Gatsby, who like to learn about African American history, and like messy people, will like this book. Since I only really liked learning about African American history, this book really wasn’t for me.
Reading this book was a slightly strange experience. The characters were written kind of weirdly because the guy would be possessive of the woman one minute then pushing her away the next. I know it was explained in the book but I think that the hot and cold got to be a little bit much. Also the guy kept saying “my woman” or “our women”. It was weird and his mindset was extremely old which was explained but the explanation didn’t make sense because people can change as they interact with the world. I think the worst part of this book was that the big battle was completed partially of page and what was on page was only like 20 pages. It just didn’t meet the buildup. I think that I’m just not the demographic for this book. The writing was okay, I just didn’t love some of the plot points.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you, Viking Books, for the ARC.
This book came at the perfect time. This young adult thriller was just so amazing. The characters were developed throughout the book, and each characterization made sense with the knowledge the reader had of the characters. The setting was super interesting, and I was so excited to keep learning more about it through the book. The story was the most amazing part. I really had no idea where it was going(I don’t typically try to guess the ending, so keep that in mind). The twists were mind-blowing, and the writing kept me on my toes. I devoured this book; it was so good!
I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes thrillers and commentary on the world as it is today. I would recommend it to basically anyone because I absolutely loved this book, but I think that if you really aren’t a fan of thrillers, I would skip this one. Otherwise, give this a read! You won’t regret it!!
This book came at the perfect time. This young adult thriller was just so amazing. The characters were developed throughout the book, and each characterization made sense with the knowledge the reader had of the characters. The setting was super interesting, and I was so excited to keep learning more about it through the book. The story was the most amazing part. I really had no idea where it was going(I don’t typically try to guess the ending, so keep that in mind). The twists were mind-blowing, and the writing kept me on my toes. I devoured this book; it was so good!
I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes thrillers and commentary on the world as it is today. I would recommend it to basically anyone because I absolutely loved this book, but I think that if you really aren’t a fan of thrillers, I would skip this one. Otherwise, give this a read! You won’t regret it!!
dark
emotional
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:
Complicated
Thank you NetGalley and Del Ray for the ARC.
I really wanted to like this book. The world was super interesting, and the magic system was intricate and new. But I truly think that this author tried to fit too much into one book. There were so many different tropes in this book that the characterization and world-building got a little muddled. I also think that the author focused too much on the main romance instead of the world-building, including explaining the magic system. The magic system was so interesting, but I have so many more questions about how it works and how it affects society. There were also some questions that I had about the way the main character’s special attribute works because it is described one way but behaves another way, and the reader doesn’t really get an answer as to how it truly works. There was also a type of magic that was introduced that I think cheapened the story by its inclusion, but that may just be me and my preferences. Sorry if I am being vague, but I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone who wants to read this.
I think that this book would probably be good for romance readers who are looking to get into fantasy because it is much more romance-heavy than fantasy-heavy. I also think that romantasy readers who like their books with more romance will enjoy this one. I, however, as someone who would rather have the fantasy element be more prominent, did not really enjoy this book.
Also, I thought that the ending was both predictable and came out of nowhere. It was not how I expected the story to end, and I will not be continuing the series.
I really wanted to like this book. The world was super interesting, and the magic system was intricate and new. But I truly think that this author tried to fit too much into one book. There were so many different tropes in this book that the characterization and world-building got a little muddled. I also think that the author focused too much on the main romance instead of the world-building, including explaining the magic system. The magic system was so interesting, but I have so many more questions about how it works and how it affects society. There were also some questions that I had about the way the main character’s special attribute works because it is described one way but behaves another way, and the reader doesn’t really get an answer as to how it truly works. There was also a type of magic that was introduced that I think cheapened the story by its inclusion, but that may just be me and my preferences. Sorry if I am being vague, but I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone who wants to read this.
I think that this book would probably be good for romance readers who are looking to get into fantasy because it is much more romance-heavy than fantasy-heavy. I also think that romantasy readers who like their books with more romance will enjoy this one. I, however, as someone who would rather have the fantasy element be more prominent, did not really enjoy this book.
Also, I thought that the ending was both predictable and came out of nowhere. It was not how I expected the story to end, and I will not be continuing the series.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
Selene’s whole life has been dedicated to killing demons. Jules life has been dedicated to the same. However, Selene choose this life and Jules was thrown into it. But when demons start to invade Rome and the tides of the war start turning, Selene and Jules are thrown together to try to save everything they love.
I really wanted to love this book. An alternative history where god came to earth and deamons haunt the streets of Rome. But I think that this book falls into the pitfall that many different romantasy books fall into which is a bad balance of romance and plot. Personally, if a book is high stakes, I would rather focus on the high stakes than a budding romance. This book is also being advertised as a young adult book and I don’t think that this is accurate. This book basically feels like an adult romantasy book except the characters are teenagers which a young adult book that does not make.
I also thought that the world-building was a little sloppy. I think that the world is extensive and that the author tried to include bits and pieces of that but focused on the romance instead. The characterization I think also fell victim to the romance focus. We got almost no characterization for any characters besides Jules and Selene and their characterization was focused on their romance.
Overall, if you romantasy that is really romance heavy, I think you’d like this book. If you want to more about the actual world, I would skip this one.
Selene’s whole life has been dedicated to killing demons. Jules life has been dedicated to the same. However, Selene choose this life and Jules was thrown into it. But when demons start to invade Rome and the tides of the war start turning, Selene and Jules are thrown together to try to save everything they love.
I really wanted to love this book. An alternative history where god came to earth and deamons haunt the streets of Rome. But I think that this book falls into the pitfall that many different romantasy books fall into which is a bad balance of romance and plot. Personally, if a book is high stakes, I would rather focus on the high stakes than a budding romance. This book is also being advertised as a young adult book and I don’t think that this is accurate. This book basically feels like an adult romantasy book except the characters are teenagers which a young adult book that does not make.
I also thought that the world-building was a little sloppy. I think that the world is extensive and that the author tried to include bits and pieces of that but focused on the romance instead. The characterization I think also fell victim to the romance focus. We got almost no characterization for any characters besides Jules and Selene and their characterization was focused on their romance.
Overall, if you romantasy that is really romance heavy, I think you’d like this book. If you want to more about the actual world, I would skip this one.