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therivingtonreader's reviews
253 reviews
The Things We Do For Love by Madison Rose
5.0
Don't let the short length of this story fool you - it packs a PUNCH. I was hooked from the first line and I can't wait to see what Madison Rose publishes next!!
Expectant by Tessa Bowman
5.0
If you're here, thank you for checking out my first published short story!
Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
3.0
The world is changing, you know. A pity you aren’t ready to live in it.
I'm having such a hard time articulating how I feel about this book. There was SO many good, solid parts about this story. The bare bones were excellent, and so was the writing. But it was also extremely disappointing for those same reasons - because it had so many wonderful things, I'm disappointed that I didn't love it more.
The whole storyline revolving around the aliens was extremely random, disjointed, and did not feel like it fit within the story about Katrina and Satomi. If they really wanted Satomi to have a relationship, Lan could've still been that as a human. Lan's family also provided a lot of plot convenience. It felt like the author had 50 ideas and messages she was trying to portray in under 400 pages, which left many of the side stories unfinished.
What I did really love was the family that Satomi, Katrina, and even Astrid found within each other. It was obvious that Katrina had been saved by Satomi, but it wasn't so obvious that Satomi had also been saved by Katrina. I also adored how the author uses music to explain things like gender, judgement, and life in general. The part that stuck out to me the most was when she explained how people live life in "sections", like sections of music, and when a section doesn't go how they expect it, things can go off the rails.
Please don't take the negative parts of my review as a reason not to read this book. While there are very realistic parts involving hateful things people say about trans people, and there are definitely parts I liked more than others, there is also trans joy and familial love and many good, amazing things to gain from reading this story.
I'm having such a hard time articulating how I feel about this book. There was SO many good, solid parts about this story. The bare bones were excellent, and so was the writing. But it was also extremely disappointing for those same reasons - because it had so many wonderful things, I'm disappointed that I didn't love it more.
The whole storyline revolving around the aliens was extremely random, disjointed, and did not feel like it fit within the story about Katrina and Satomi. If they really wanted Satomi to have a relationship, Lan could've still been that as a human. Lan's family also provided a lot of plot convenience. It felt like the author had 50 ideas and messages she was trying to portray in under 400 pages, which left many of the side stories unfinished.
What I did really love was the family that Satomi, Katrina, and even Astrid found within each other. It was obvious that Katrina had been saved by Satomi, but it wasn't so obvious that Satomi had also been saved by Katrina. I also adored how the author uses music to explain things like gender, judgement, and life in general. The part that stuck out to me the most was when she explained how people live life in "sections", like sections of music, and when a section doesn't go how they expect it, things can go off the rails.
Please don't take the negative parts of my review as a reason not to read this book. While there are very realistic parts involving hateful things people say about trans people, and there are definitely parts I liked more than others, there is also trans joy and familial love and many good, amazing things to gain from reading this story.
Love is Trash in Hallow's Cove by Emily Antoinette
3.0
ARC review:
I've been enjoying the Hallow's Cove series so far, and I was looking forward to this one because I really enjoyed Space For Love by Emily Antoinette.
I loved the plus size rep, and I loved that Hayley and Jake were both just a couple of awkward weirdos that found each other, but some of Jake's quirky behaviour kind of crossed the line into creepy territory for me. It didn't ruin the whole story, and much of Hayley and Jake's relationship was very sweet once they got together, but the scenes involving Hayley's panties and vibrator seemed really creepy to me.
As always, I loved the tie-ins with the other Hallow's Cove couples. It's always fun to see mentions of the characters I've read about in the other 2 books.
I've been enjoying the Hallow's Cove series so far, and I was looking forward to this one because I really enjoyed Space For Love by Emily Antoinette.
I loved the plus size rep, and I loved that Hayley and Jake were both just a couple of awkward weirdos that found each other, but some of Jake's quirky behaviour kind of crossed the line into creepy territory for me. It didn't ruin the whole story, and much of Hayley and Jake's relationship was very sweet once they got together, but the scenes involving Hayley's panties and vibrator seemed really creepy to me.
As always, I loved the tie-ins with the other Hallow's Cove couples. It's always fun to see mentions of the characters I've read about in the other 2 books.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
5.0
I first read The Hunger Games when I was in high school. That's been at least 15+ years ago, and I am so pleasantly surprised by how well this book has held up. I was daydreaming about getting back home and reading it while I was at work this week 😅
This story is pretty brutal for something that is widely considered young adult, and I'm not complaining about the rating, I was just surprised that I didn't remember how gruesome some scenes were!Rue's death in particular really got me, and I'm sure part of that is because I have a kid of my own now.
I really loved Katniss so much too. I don't think I really appreciated how good her character is when I was younger, but to me she came across as a perfect main character. She's talented and brave, but also flawed, angsty, and definitely has the attitude of a 16 year old, despite her circumstances. Some of her inner thoughts really made me laugh.
I'm stoked to reread this whole series and then get to the prequels!!
This story is pretty brutal for something that is widely considered young adult, and I'm not complaining about the rating, I was just surprised that I didn't remember how gruesome some scenes were!
I really loved Katniss so much too. I don't think I really appreciated how good her character is when I was younger, but to me she came across as a perfect main character. She's talented and brave, but also flawed, angsty, and definitely has the attitude of a 16 year old, despite her circumstances. Some of her inner thoughts really made me laugh.
I'm stoked to reread this whole series and then get to the prequels!!
Piglet by Lottie Hazell
4.0
Of all the things Piglet did in this book, what shocked me the most was when she KISSED a WEEK OLD newborn that wasn't her own.
But in all seriousness, I really enjoyed this book. I can't even really say why. Not a ton happens, you're just following Piglet, a nickname this poor woman can't seem to get rid of from her parents, as she navigates the upcoming days to her wedding after her fiance confesses to something horrible he's done. Piglet is not necessarily a great person throughout this story either, but I was rooting for her in the end.
You never find out what it is that her fiance did. This is obviously a very conscious choice made by the author, and I thought it was a really interesting way to go about this story. It forces the reader to really focus on Piglet's emotions and her reaction. Is she overreacting? Underreacting? We can't really say since we don't know what he did. Reactions from other characters in the story seem to imply it was worthy of skipping out on their wedding altogether.
I felt like Piglet grew a lot over the course of this story as well. At the beginning, her concerns lie in appearances and how she thinks she's "improving" her life by marrying Kit. He's from a very wealthy family, whereas Piglet was not. She seems to look down on her family and friends as she tries to better herself. When Kit reveals his secret, a wrench is thrown in her plans to improve her life, and she's paralyzed by choosing to keep up appearances or leave.
I really loved that she finally went back to Margot at the end. She was so shitty to her friend throughout this book but I'm glad she was still there for her at the end. I think it speaks to how well Margot knows Piglet and she was sticking it out until she figured it out for herself.
But in all seriousness, I really enjoyed this book. I can't even really say why. Not a ton happens, you're just following Piglet, a nickname this poor woman can't seem to get rid of from her parents, as she navigates the upcoming days to her wedding after her fiance confesses to something horrible he's done. Piglet is not necessarily a great person throughout this story either, but I was rooting for her in the end.
I felt like Piglet grew a lot over the course of this story as well. At the beginning, her concerns lie in appearances and how she thinks she's "improving" her life by marrying Kit. He's from a very wealthy family, whereas Piglet was not. She seems to look down on her family and friends as she tries to better herself. When Kit reveals his secret, a wrench is thrown in her plans to improve her life, and she's paralyzed by choosing to keep up appearances or leave.
I really loved that she finally went back to Margot at the end. She was so shitty to her friend throughout this book but I'm glad she was still there for her at the end. I think it speaks to how well Margot knows Piglet and she was sticking it out until she figured it out for herself.
Going Au Naturale at Hallow's Cove by L.E. Eldridge
4.0
Brooks and Sydney are so CUTE they absolutely killed me!!!
This story was sweet, spicy, and really fun. I adored all of the characters, but especially Chicken; he was such a fun little addition to this book. I also loved the little callbacks to Barnaby and Maisie, and this honestly just made me more excited to read the rest of the Hallow's Cove books!!
Thank you to L.E. Eldridge for the ARC of this!!
This story was sweet, spicy, and really fun. I adored all of the characters, but especially Chicken; he was such a fun little addition to this book. I also loved the little callbacks to Barnaby and Maisie, and this honestly just made me more excited to read the rest of the Hallow's Cove books!!
Thank you to L.E. Eldridge for the ARC of this!!
Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
3.5
When it's done right, I love a thriller that waits until the last possible second to reveal what's going on. This one does just that, holding out until probably the 90% mark. I was intrigued the entire time, and my only complaint is that the twists weren't quite as big as I was hoping they would be. There were a couple of reveals that fell a little flat and had me rolling my eyes, and a couple of the "gotcha" moments didn't have any prior connections, but overall this is a great, intriguing thriller that keeps its hooks in you until the end.
Also, fuck Grady. He sucks.
Also, fuck Grady. He sucks.
Winning the Orc's Heart by Lyonne Riley
4.0
This book had me mentally screaming at Vienne and Graz in the best way. I wanted them to just talk it out and be together!! They had such strong individual personalities, but they were so cute with each other.
Graz is an inventor and can be sweet, but he's also arrogant and assertive. Vienne is a stubborn adventurer who's confident in herself, but can be a little impulsive. Their (sometimes) clashing personalities lead to some arguments, but they ultimately ended up having a very sweet relationship.
This can be read as a standalone, but there are many characters that appear in this story from the previous Trollkin stories. I'm going to have to go back and read the others because I've only read 2 so far, and I love seeing old characters in the newer books.
Thank you to Lyonne Riley for the ARC! I'm so glad I got to read this!
Graz is an inventor and can be sweet, but he's also arrogant and assertive. Vienne is a stubborn adventurer who's confident in herself, but can be a little impulsive. Their (sometimes) clashing personalities lead to some arguments, but they ultimately ended up having a very sweet relationship.
This can be read as a standalone, but there are many characters that appear in this story from the previous Trollkin stories. I'm going to have to go back and read the others because I've only read 2 so far, and I love seeing old characters in the newer books.
Thank you to Lyonne Riley for the ARC! I'm so glad I got to read this!