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theabigaillo's reviews
382 reviews
A Million Miles Away by Lara Avery
2.0
I finished this last night, and I remember literally nothing from this book. I'm not even kidding. Was Michele the one who was dead or alive? Is that even how you spell her name? It was that goddamned cover that hooked me in. Those lashes! The pose! Too pretty! So tempting! I should have known better the moment I read "for fans of Nicholas Sparks".As an actual review: This whole book is just one big, predictable, dumb decision. If you think you know how this book will end, don't worry. You definitely know.On the bright side, I read the excerpt for [b:The Memory Book|25988934|The Memory Book|Lara Avery|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1464285541s/25988934.jpg|45902883] in the back, and it's so good! Plus, that book's been getting amazing reviews, and Avery's writing was pleasant enough to make me finish the book, despite the utter meh-ness of the plot. Book, consider you
rself bought! (Except wait -- I'm still a broke high schooler with no source of income. Never mind.)
rself bought! (Except wait -- I'm still a broke high schooler with no source of income. Never mind.)
The Romantics by Leah Konen
4.0
3 stars for the romance in all its cuteness, and 1 star for Love using "af" to describe something. That pretty much made my day.
Fairy Tail, Vol. 03 by Hiro Mashima
4.0
+1 star because Erza is amazing, and her badass is off the charts. And finally! Slightly less fan service!
Red Glove by Holly Black
2.0
going into this book, i wanted to like it so much. i mean, i was promised con jobs! magic! where'd they go? and why is there now so much angsty romance in its place? of course, i'm still gonna read the next book just to find out what happens. sigh...
Spoiler
seriously, it was pretty obvious that the curse had worn off when Lila first told him off. that confession over the phone: normal people do that! that doesn't necessarily mean she's still cursed to love you! and if you're so familiar with emotion work, wouldn't you be able to tell the difference between cursed love and real love? ugh! also, the plot followed the same stereotype set out by the first book: lila's back, cassel has to solve some mystery, he cons his way through everything (still pretty awesome), and something dramatic happens with lila at the very end. at least change it up a bit!
Joshua's Island by Patrick Hodges
4.0
NOTE: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my opinion in any way.This book just made me smile like crazy! At first, reading the synopsis, [b:Joshua's Island|24380247|Joshua's Island|Patrick Hodges|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1421012215s/24380247.jpg|43534987] didn't seem like the best book for your favorite cynic, but all the glowing reviews convinced me to give it a shot. And boy am I glad I did! Joshua and Eve go from no interactions to lovebirds in 60 days, but somehow it didn't feel rushed at all. Hodges put in just the right details to make me truly believe in them as a couple. (Although I'm still not convinced that Joshua and I wouldn't make as cute a couple!) Yes, I will be the first to admit that the ending was wrapped up a tad bit too neatly, but I felt that they deserved it
after all they'd suffered. So why not five stars? It just didn't pack the emotional punch that something like [b:A Monster Calls|8621462|A Monster Calls|Patrick Ness|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387584864s/8621462.jpg|13492114], but I am still eagerly looking forward to Hodges' next work!
after all they'd suffered. So why not five stars? It just didn't pack the emotional punch that something like [b:A Monster Calls|8621462|A Monster Calls|Patrick Ness|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387584864s/8621462.jpg|13492114], but I am still eagerly looking forward to Hodges' next work!
The Seagull by Anton Chekhov
4.0
first thing i thought when i finished it was "intensely sad", and i'll leave it at that
The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson
4.0
it has a distinctly more philosophical feel than Sanderson's other works, which i really appreciated. still, everything you'd expect from a Sanderson book. also, i noticed that we didn't get the same "nothing has made sense for the past 500 pages but holy shit he pulled it all together in the end" that happens in his longer works. it's just a fast-paced tale from the very beginning.
Letter 44, Volume 1: Escape Velocity by Charles Soule
3.0
honestly, not bad. just not worth buying the second volume (yet). also, why not just call them obama & bush? if you're gonna critique them, at least be blatantly obvious about it. *sigh*
Into the Storm by Lisa Bingham
4.0
I am a sucker for great characters. Melina Marchetta, Marcus Zuzak, Laini Taylor, Susan Ee -- they've made it onto my list of favorite authors because they make each of their characters pop off the page. (If you'd like to see some of my fangirling over Angelfall by Susan Ee, just click here!) And guess what? Lisa Bingham has just made it onto my little list.Despite the insta-love between RueAnn & Charlie and Susan & Paul, their relationships felt real. I don't know, maybe I'm becoming a sappy romantic who rambles about love at first sight, but I believed in their love. I also loved how Ms. Bingham took the time to craft every character, from the heroines down to the maid. She even got me to like RueAnn's mother-in-law! God knows how awful those can be sometimes.The picture that Ms. Bingham painted of WWII London was also absolutely breath-taking. Yes, of course she's clear
ly done a lot of research into WWII, and that's lovely and all, but that's not what makes it great. What makes her writing great is how it flows together so much that I can picture it before my very eyes. Even after I stop reading and I rush to my next class (which I was late for, no thanks to Ms. Bingham), I can almost imagine that I'm walking the streets of London. That's what makes it amazing to me.So after all this praise, why not five stars? Simple: I wanted more. RueAnn and Susan's stories would have been better off as separate novels. As it is, crowded into the same novel, their stories feel incomplet
ly done a lot of research into WWII, and that's lovely and all, but that's not what makes it great. What makes her writing great is how it flows together so much that I can picture it before my very eyes. Even after I stop reading and I rush to my next class (which I was late for, no thanks to Ms. Bingham), I can almost imagine that I'm walking the streets of London. That's what makes it amazing to me.So after all this praise, why not five stars? Simple: I wanted more. RueAnn and Susan's stories would have been better off as separate novels. As it is, crowded into the same novel, their stories feel incomplet