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sumsreadsalot's reviews
168 reviews
Sjena i Kost by Leigh Bardugo
3.0
3.5 stars
So a little background before i start:
I'd heard all the hype surrounding this series especially as the show had just come out so those who hadn't read it were scrambling to read it in time before binging the show...and i happen to be one of them :) I'd also heard the negatives of the series and so i had a little bit of an idea what to expect. Before i read the book I'd watched 3 episodes of the show but stopped because i felt like although i knew the ins and outs of Kaz and the gang (having read SoC), i had no idea about the characters from Shadow and Bone so i really wanted to know more before hurling myself into the show. And so i picked up the book.
Ok onto the review...so I've heard one of the main issues from the series is Bardugo's writing style here compared to SoC. Everyone seemed to want to compare the two series which is understandable as there is huge differences in the quality. SoC is far superior, one of Bardugo's best works and totally deserves the hype.
While i can understand this, i didn't find anything wrong with her style of writing here. I still enjoyed it even though it is more simplistic than SoC.
I think where she failed here is in character development. The relationship between Alina and Mal could've been written so much better in my opinion. Mal didn't seem as much protective of Alina but more jealous and controlling. I get he was worried and angry and he'd lost his friends, but i felt some of the stuff he said to her was unwarranted and hurtful.
I also felt like the Darkling was devoid of any personality traits. I get he was the aloof, standoffish type but he just seemed...bland to me. I think she could've written his character better also.
Now let's talk about Alina- i don't know why but i didn't really warm to her. I mean aside from her relationship with Genya and the confusing one with Mal, we didn't get to see her getting along with anyone else and she just seemed annoying. I hope she gets better in the next books.
The saving grace of the characters has to be Genya! I loved her and Alina's relationship and her as a whole. I'm looking forward to reading more about her and David! Fingers crossed!
All in all the storyline was good...not great but good and enjoyable and i can't wait to read the next book!
So a little background before i start:
I'd heard all the hype surrounding this series especially as the show had just come out so those who hadn't read it were scrambling to read it in time before binging the show...and i happen to be one of them :) I'd also heard the negatives of the series and so i had a little bit of an idea what to expect. Before i read the book I'd watched 3 episodes of the show but stopped because i felt like although i knew the ins and outs of Kaz and the gang (having read SoC), i had no idea about the characters from Shadow and Bone so i really wanted to know more before hurling myself into the show. And so i picked up the book.
Ok onto the review...so I've heard one of the main issues from the series is Bardugo's writing style here compared to SoC. Everyone seemed to want to compare the two series which is understandable as there is huge differences in the quality. SoC is far superior, one of Bardugo's best works and totally deserves the hype.
While i can understand this, i didn't find anything wrong with her style of writing here. I still enjoyed it even though it is more simplistic than SoC.
I think where she failed here is in character development. The relationship between Alina and Mal could've been written so much better in my opinion. Mal didn't seem as much protective of Alina but more jealous and controlling. I get he was worried and angry and he'd lost his friends, but i felt some of the stuff he said to her was unwarranted and hurtful.
I also felt like the Darkling was devoid of any personality traits. I get he was the aloof, standoffish type but he just seemed...bland to me. I think she could've written his character better also.
Now let's talk about Alina- i don't know why but i didn't really warm to her. I mean aside from her relationship with Genya and the confusing one with Mal, we didn't get to see her getting along with anyone else and she just seemed annoying. I hope she gets better in the next books.
The saving grace of the characters has to be Genya! I loved her and Alina's relationship and her as a whole. I'm looking forward to reading more about her and David! Fingers crossed!
All in all the storyline was good...not great but good and enjoyable and i can't wait to read the next book!
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
3.0
"One day you'll call me Death.
For now, Wrath will do."
Well if this book didn't have the best plot of all time! I loved the gothic halloween vibe you get from it and the description of the food! Wowee! It will make your mouth water! In fact the food was the highlight of this book actually and you might be thinking huh? How is that possible? A book about witches and demons and other fearsome monsters and the food is the main talking point? Well yes and as someone put it, 'the food had more personality than the characters'. And that is where the book fails unfortunately.
Here's where it all went wrong (and i feel like I've read a few books recently that falls into this trap)- character development. It's so disappointing that the author had a pick of the best storyline to date aswell as some awesome characters and a great setting...and chose to do barely anything with them! The execution of all these was quite lacklustre.
Let's talk about Emilia- the reckless and sometimes very annoying heroine who somehow always manages to escape unscathed in all her endeavours even though she ignores the advice of those around her and jumps to conclusions of her own will. I felt like her sister was more interesting than she was.
And then we have Wrath- the prince of hell that just turned out to be your classic broody love interest. They had barely any chemistry and what they did have was just not enough.
Then we have the many creatures and princes of hell that were just added in as fillers i guess as none of these characters added any wow factor to the story.
Every task was overcome so easily and there was no intense build up to a moment. The story just felt like it jumped from one task to the other and then surprisingly concluded on a rather interesting cliffhanger i have to say.
I did enjoy many aspects of this book, however, especially the beginning and the writing style and i would recommend reading it. I will be reading the sequel because it ended in a way that piqued my interest and i do want to find out what happens next. The next book is meant to be more romance based so that's interesting to hear! I just hope it's written better than this one!
For now, Wrath will do."
Well if this book didn't have the best plot of all time! I loved the gothic halloween vibe you get from it and the description of the food! Wowee! It will make your mouth water! In fact the food was the highlight of this book actually and you might be thinking huh? How is that possible? A book about witches and demons and other fearsome monsters and the food is the main talking point? Well yes and as someone put it, 'the food had more personality than the characters'. And that is where the book fails unfortunately.
Here's where it all went wrong (and i feel like I've read a few books recently that falls into this trap)- character development. It's so disappointing that the author had a pick of the best storyline to date aswell as some awesome characters and a great setting...and chose to do barely anything with them! The execution of all these was quite lacklustre.
Let's talk about Emilia- the reckless and sometimes very annoying heroine who somehow always manages to escape unscathed in all her endeavours even though she ignores the advice of those around her and jumps to conclusions of her own will. I felt like her sister was more interesting than she was.
And then we have Wrath- the prince of hell that just turned out to be your classic broody love interest. They had barely any chemistry and what they did have was just not enough.
Then we have the many creatures and princes of hell that were just added in as fillers i guess as none of these characters added any wow factor to the story.
Every task was overcome so easily and there was no intense build up to a moment. The story just felt like it jumped from one task to the other and then surprisingly concluded on a rather interesting cliffhanger i have to say.
I did enjoy many aspects of this book, however, especially the beginning and the writing style and i would recommend reading it. I will be reading the sequel because it ended in a way that piqued my interest and i do want to find out what happens next. The next book is meant to be more romance based so that's interesting to hear! I just hope it's written better than this one!
The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
3.0
Great read
This was a great read but i just felt like something was missing. I would recommend reading it but compared to their other work, this falls short slightly.
This was a great read but i just felt like something was missing. I would recommend reading it but compared to their other work, this falls short slightly.
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
4.0
Well what can i say about this book! How was this one better than the first?? I'll tell you how!.... it comes in the shape of a charming, sly pirate prince in the name of none other than Nikolai Lantsov! Yes! I've heard so much about everyone's infatuation with him and i can clearly understand why! He's the perfect swoonworthy male antihero. He really made the story interesting and i just couldn't put it down!
His crew was loveable aswell. Tamar and Tolya were really interesting characters and i felt drawn to them. The action in the beginning was fast paced and i felt myself turning the pages so fast because i was so engrossed.
...So that was the first half of the story. After that we get...barely anything. So the action slows down and they're all just training or preparing for the battle with the Darkling who we see very little of here. I didn't mind as much, as Bardugo writes in a way that even when nothing is happening, you still want to read on.
The downfall of the story was, in my opinion, Alina. I didnt like her in the first book and even less here. She just seems so sullen and grumpy, her two favourite moods. I loved Mal's scenes with Nikolai. I felt like if it wasn't for Alina being in the picture, they could've made for really good friends. Even though her situation is understandable as the responsibility on her shoulders was quadrupled here, i felt like her character was just so unlikeable.
That and the fact that barely anything happens in the second half of the book until the ending, this gets 3.5 stars. Can't wait to finish the series and find out how everything wraps up!
His crew was loveable aswell. Tamar and Tolya were really interesting characters and i felt drawn to them. The action in the beginning was fast paced and i felt myself turning the pages so fast because i was so engrossed.
...So that was the first half of the story. After that we get...barely anything. So the action slows down and they're all just training or preparing for the battle with the Darkling who we see very little of here. I didn't mind as much, as Bardugo writes in a way that even when nothing is happening, you still want to read on.
The downfall of the story was, in my opinion, Alina. I didnt like her in the first book and even less here. She just seems so sullen and grumpy, her two favourite moods. I loved Mal's scenes with Nikolai. I felt like if it wasn't for Alina being in the picture, they could've made for really good friends. Even though her situation is understandable as the responsibility on her shoulders was quadrupled here, i felt like her character was just so unlikeable.
That and the fact that barely anything happens in the second half of the book until the ending, this gets 3.5 stars. Can't wait to finish the series and find out how everything wraps up!
November 9 by Colleen Hoover
2.0
Insta love
I know with my heart and soul after reading this that i will never read a book about insta love again for as long as i live! Boy oh boy was this book hard to read. It's a shame because I've heard so many good things about Colleen hoover novels and I'm sure her other books are great because i do love her writing style. I think i just picked up the wrong book to start with. I don't even want to go into the details of the story but even though it was written well, i can't say i warmed to the characters at all. Fallon was great, the way she handled herself but i can't say the same about Ben. At first i loved his character but after the halfway point he just sounded controlling and everytime he kept trying to force Fallon into listening to him or doing what he wanted. I just stopped liking him more and more till after the 65% point, i started skim reading till the end because i just didn't care about any of them. Even Fallon for forgiving him againa and again. *Sigh* i really wanted to like it as it was my first Colleen Hoover novel but i just dont like the insta love trope at all so i don't think it was the right book for me. Oh well i think I'll try again with another of hers.
I know with my heart and soul after reading this that i will never read a book about insta love again for as long as i live! Boy oh boy was this book hard to read. It's a shame because I've heard so many good things about Colleen hoover novels and I'm sure her other books are great because i do love her writing style. I think i just picked up the wrong book to start with. I don't even want to go into the details of the story but even though it was written well, i can't say i warmed to the characters at all. Fallon was great, the way she handled herself but i can't say the same about Ben. At first i loved his character but after the halfway point he just sounded controlling and everytime he kept trying to force Fallon into listening to him or doing what he wanted. I just stopped liking him more and more till after the 65% point, i started skim reading till the end because i just didn't care about any of them. Even Fallon for forgiving him againa and again. *Sigh* i really wanted to like it as it was my first Colleen Hoover novel but i just dont like the insta love trope at all so i don't think it was the right book for me. Oh well i think I'll try again with another of hers.
Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover
5.0
Perfection
Oh how i laughed and smiiiiled through this book so much that my cheeks hurt! There were so many emotions flitting through me as i read it, that i had to pause at certain points and just think for a bit.
I loved Beyah and Samsons relationship. The connection they had was so strong and raw. The feelings Hoover portrays are so realistic, you feel like you are in the story with the characters watching from a distance.
There are quite a few topics that are covered so well and beautifully here. I love how nothing is wishy washy or gets resolved easily like in other airy fairy romance novels. They get their HEA but after a lot of struggle. It's very believable.
This is definitely one of my fave reads of the month and i can't wait to read something else of hers next.
Oh how i laughed and smiiiiled through this book so much that my cheeks hurt! There were so many emotions flitting through me as i read it, that i had to pause at certain points and just think for a bit.
I loved Beyah and Samsons relationship. The connection they had was so strong and raw. The feelings Hoover portrays are so realistic, you feel like you are in the story with the characters watching from a distance.
There are quite a few topics that are covered so well and beautifully here. I love how nothing is wishy washy or gets resolved easily like in other airy fairy romance novels. They get their HEA but after a lot of struggle. It's very believable.
This is definitely one of my fave reads of the month and i can't wait to read something else of hers next.
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
5.0
This book did it... it made me cry. Me... a person that NEVER cries over any story no matter how sad. This one i had to pause at certain intervals and sit and wipe my tears away because...whoa! The feels! I finished it in two days because i was dying to find out how the story unfolds!
The story just flows so well and is written so beautifully, you just don't want to put it down. I especially enjoyed Miles poetic POVs. They were just so sweet!
There's a mystery element to the story in which you have to read on to understand why the characters behave the way they do and this part almost killed me. The suspense was too much at one point and i dont know how i didn't skip to the end to find out!
But once i did! Boy did i ache for Miles pain! It felt so raw and heartbreaking! I felt for him so much and of course for Tate for having to go through everything without knowing whats going on.
I highly recommend this one if you are a fan of CoHo but be prepared with a box of tissues nearby!
The story just flows so well and is written so beautifully, you just don't want to put it down. I especially enjoyed Miles poetic POVs. They were just so sweet!
There's a mystery element to the story in which you have to read on to understand why the characters behave the way they do and this part almost killed me. The suspense was too much at one point and i dont know how i didn't skip to the end to find out!
But once i did! Boy did i ache for Miles pain! It felt so raw and heartbreaking! I felt for him so much and of course for Tate for having to go through everything without knowing whats going on.
I highly recommend this one if you are a fan of CoHo but be prepared with a box of tissues nearby!
Confess by Colleen Hoover
3.0
"It’s amazing how much distance one truth can create between two people."
Ok so I've realised CoHo's books are either hit and miss for me and this one unfortunately was a miss!
Pros: the plot was great. I loved the whole confessions and paintings theme. It was amazing! And the fact that CoHo hired a real life artist to paint Owen's work and showcased them all for us in the book was just so unique and mindblowing! I truly appreciated the artwork because i know how much effort goes into creating art and well...my art is shit!
Ok so I've realised CoHo's books are either hit and miss for me and this one unfortunately was a miss!
Pros: the plot was great. I loved the whole confessions and paintings theme. It was amazing! And the fact that CoHo hired a real life artist to paint Owen's work and showcased them all for us in the book was just so unique and mindblowing! I truly appreciated the artwork because i know how much effort goes into creating art and well...my art is shit!