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writervid's reviews
129 reviews
What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
3.0
3.5/5
Sarah Dessen's books, at least in the order I'm reading them, just keep getting better.
What Happened to Goodbye is much better than the other Dessen novels I've read. I'm at the point where I'm noticing tropes within her writing that are always there (the friend group at the new school, food as a plot point, everything is tied up way too neat with side characters coupled up by the end, that kind of thing), which is a little annoying, because it feels like it's often different ideas from the same book. But here, there was less emphasis on the swoon and sigh than on the identity and the character arc of the main character, as well as her relationship with her parents. I loved how her familial relationships played a bigger role in her life than almost anything, and I loved how that was instrumental to her character arc. Do I read Sarah Dessen novels for the romance? I mean, yeah, but I'll drop that at a hat if there's a character that feels like a high schooler. It's all about figuring out who you are and trying to like that person, and that's a message I'll take over swooning any day. There are points off for not always building up emotion super well, the recycling of tropes, not the most developed side characters, and not always having the most active character--Mclean felt very reactive, even if that was the point--but I enjoyed the main character thoroughly and I'm happy I'm on an upward spin!
Sarah Dessen's books, at least in the order I'm reading them, just keep getting better.
What Happened to Goodbye is much better than the other Dessen novels I've read. I'm at the point where I'm noticing tropes within her writing that are always there (the friend group at the new school, food as a plot point, everything is tied up way too neat with side characters coupled up by the end, that kind of thing), which is a little annoying, because it feels like it's often different ideas from the same book. But here, there was less emphasis on the swoon and sigh than on the identity and the character arc of the main character, as well as her relationship with her parents. I loved how her familial relationships played a bigger role in her life than almost anything, and I loved how that was instrumental to her character arc. Do I read Sarah Dessen novels for the romance? I mean, yeah, but I'll drop that at a hat if there's a character that feels like a high schooler. It's all about figuring out who you are and trying to like that person, and that's a message I'll take over swooning any day. There are points off for not always building up emotion super well, the recycling of tropes, not the most developed side characters, and not always having the most active character--Mclean felt very reactive, even if that was the point--but I enjoyed the main character thoroughly and I'm happy I'm on an upward spin!
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
2.0
2/5
Let's keep it simple:
The themes attacked are well done, even if they make me feel increasingly more nihilistic. Its motifs and ice-nine are more relevant than ever. I loved the structure of the book, like little vignettes coming together to paint a picture.
I hated the characters. I know the point of satire isn't to have likable characters, but characters (especially a main character) with some motivation would be nice, instead of watching them float aimlessly through life with little buildup to actions and feelings (especially when it comes to the MC's perception of Mona, who read like a form of twisted wish fulfillment without development. What the hell?). Also, and this may just be me, but the ideas of imperialism seemed to ring through this book clearer than Bokonism rang through San Lorenzo. Why is Jonah being placed as leader of an island he's been on for what, a week? Why not someone who's lived there?
I don't feel like I gained much from reading this outside of a sense of pointlessness in the world. Kurt Vonnegut wants to shove me over the edge with metaphor and making me think, but I don't want to have to read a book six times to get a vague semblance of what the author is saying (and I fully prescribe to the "read it three times to fully understand it rule"). You have to care first to think.
I'll be reading it again in fall. We'll see if I prefer it then, but for now, I'm sticking to 2 stars.
I much preferred Slaughterhouse 5.
Let's keep it simple:
The themes attacked are well done, even if they make me feel increasingly more nihilistic. Its motifs and ice-nine are more relevant than ever. I loved the structure of the book, like little vignettes coming together to paint a picture.
I hated the characters. I know the point of satire isn't to have likable characters, but characters (especially a main character) with some motivation would be nice, instead of watching them float aimlessly through life with little buildup to actions and feelings (especially when it comes to the MC's perception of Mona, who read like a form of twisted wish fulfillment without development. What the hell?). Also, and this may just be me, but the ideas of imperialism seemed to ring through this book clearer than Bokonism rang through San Lorenzo. Why is Jonah being placed as leader of an island he's been on for what, a week? Why not someone who's lived there?
I don't feel like I gained much from reading this outside of a sense of pointlessness in the world. Kurt Vonnegut wants to shove me over the edge with metaphor and making me think, but I don't want to have to read a book six times to get a vague semblance of what the author is saying (and I fully prescribe to the "read it three times to fully understand it rule"). You have to care first to think.
I'll be reading it again in fall. We'll see if I prefer it then, but for now, I'm sticking to 2 stars.
I much preferred Slaughterhouse 5.
Ink by Alice Broadway
4.0
3.5/5
A total cover read. Happy I read it, but not entirely sure if I'll continue with the series.
This was such a unique concept, and I loved how the themes of legacy and remembrance tied into this society. I also LOVED the worldbuilding; I thought it was unique how every aspect of society could be tied back to those myths and ideas from its foundation, and enjoyed how clearly it was done. I think the indoctrination of society was extremely well portrayed. This society feels extremely relevant when we look at our own, and felt almost Giver-esque.
However, I felt like a voyeur into Leora's story, not like I was inside her head. She isn't another teenager I might meet. Because of this, I felt extremely disconnected from the emotional high points of her arc, and also felt quite a bit like she didn't HAVE an arc. Similarly, not many of the characters made an impression on the page, and the built up romance felt like it was happening without any indication of feelings on Leora's side.
I enjoyed what I felt I was reading it for: the society and the cover. I wish the characters and the emotional heart of the story had been stronger, and maybe the next few books will change that, but as of right now, this stands as a solid read with a major flaw for me.
A total cover read. Happy I read it, but not entirely sure if I'll continue with the series.
This was such a unique concept, and I loved how the themes of legacy and remembrance tied into this society. I also LOVED the worldbuilding; I thought it was unique how every aspect of society could be tied back to those myths and ideas from its foundation, and enjoyed how clearly it was done. I think the indoctrination of society was extremely well portrayed. This society feels extremely relevant when we look at our own, and felt almost Giver-esque.
However, I felt like a voyeur into Leora's story, not like I was inside her head. She isn't another teenager I might meet. Because of this, I felt extremely disconnected from the emotional high points of her arc, and also felt quite a bit like she didn't HAVE an arc. Similarly, not many of the characters made an impression on the page, and the built up romance felt like it was happening without any indication of feelings on Leora's side.
I enjoyed what I felt I was reading it for: the society and the cover. I wish the characters and the emotional heart of the story had been stronger, and maybe the next few books will change that, but as of right now, this stands as a solid read with a major flaw for me.
The Wicked King by Holly Black
4.0
I was waiting to read this because I felt that Holly Black might leave me waiting in sick anticipation for the next installment again...and she did. All the strengths of the first book remain, with many expanded upon (like Jude and Cardan's relationship and their power dynamic), and I'm a sucker for court intrigue. Why is it not five stars? Because there was sometimes too much going on. That sounds picky, but since Black did so well at continuing the threads of the first book, there was often not enough time to go into them in depth while maintaining pacing, and oftentimes the places she expanded were not the most dynamic or interesting. Simultaneously, some threads got repetitive. I feel less attached to the characters this time around than the first, although I'm still plenty attached. An excellent read, just a few nitpicks that, when all put together, knock off some points.
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett
4.0
The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron
3.0
2.75/5
I have so many feelings about this book? Many negative, many positive. Let's start with the positive.
First of all, the voice. While the execution here strays in so many ways, I loved the flow of Nadia's inner mind, and that was one of the things that kept me reading. The simple descriptions worked well and kept me hooked.
The second thing I really loved was the premise, and how it attempted to go into a theme. I love the concept of remembering something set in a society where everyone forgets. I like the way that this book skimmed over the ideas of what makes truth, and how do we know things (it definitely reminds me of my Theory of Knowledge class, though).
However: emphasis on skimmed.
I don't think this book went deep enough into the concepts it tried to cover. I think there could have been fascinating questions about the state of the human psyche, what makes humans human, how much of what we do is memory based: all of that. The world wasn't explored enough, making the *big reveal* at the end feel sloppy and not built up to. The plot felt like there were too few stakes for me to care. Similarly, the romance was skimmed over, told to us rather than shown, and because of that, I didn't feel anything for it (which made me so sad; I loved the romance in Rook and was hoping I'd find something that even halfway measured up here).
Am I happy I read this book? Yes, because it got me thinking. Do I think this book could have done with a few more rounds of edits and rewrites? 100%.
I have so many feelings about this book? Many negative, many positive. Let's start with the positive.
First of all, the voice. While the execution here strays in so many ways, I loved the flow of Nadia's inner mind, and that was one of the things that kept me reading. The simple descriptions worked well and kept me hooked.
The second thing I really loved was the premise, and how it attempted to go into a theme. I love the concept of remembering something set in a society where everyone forgets. I like the way that this book skimmed over the ideas of what makes truth, and how do we know things (it definitely reminds me of my Theory of Knowledge class, though).
However: emphasis on skimmed.
I don't think this book went deep enough into the concepts it tried to cover. I think there could have been fascinating questions about the state of the human psyche, what makes humans human, how much of what we do is memory based: all of that. The world wasn't explored enough, making the *big reveal* at the end feel sloppy and not built up to. The plot felt like there were too few stakes for me to care. Similarly, the romance was skimmed over, told to us rather than shown, and because of that, I didn't feel anything for it (which made me so sad; I loved the romance in Rook and was hoping I'd find something that even halfway measured up here).
Am I happy I read this book? Yes, because it got me thinking. Do I think this book could have done with a few more rounds of edits and rewrites? 100%.
That Summer by Sarah Dessen
2.0
2.25/5
I'm very ready to get into Sarah Dessen this summer. I know people say not to start with her first book, but I did, and now I'm here. I think most people's complaints with this book stem from a dislike of the characters and the sense that nothing is happening. And maybe I'm in the minority here, because I liked Haven plenty--I found her internal monologue and feeling relatable, even if she was unlikeable at times--and I got the sense that stuff was happening in Haven's mind that make it almost a coming of age novel. But the issue with this book for me was that too little was happening presently. I felt what was happening in Haven's head, and even in Ashley's. But the consequences of those feelings weren't fully realized because the feelings and their causes weren't fully brought to the surface, and therefore, neither were the messages and the nuances in them.
I'm still headed down the Dessen catalogue of books. Saint Anything is next!
I'm very ready to get into Sarah Dessen this summer. I know people say not to start with her first book, but I did, and now I'm here. I think most people's complaints with this book stem from a dislike of the characters and the sense that nothing is happening. And maybe I'm in the minority here, because I liked Haven plenty--I found her internal monologue and feeling relatable, even if she was unlikeable at times--and I got the sense that stuff was happening in Haven's mind that make it almost a coming of age novel. But the issue with this book for me was that too little was happening presently. I felt what was happening in Haven's head, and even in Ashley's. But the consequences of those feelings weren't fully realized because the feelings and their causes weren't fully brought to the surface, and therefore, neither were the messages and the nuances in them.
I'm still headed down the Dessen catalogue of books. Saint Anything is next!
Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
3.0
2.75/5
I really wanted to like this as much as Big Little Lies. I really did. And some of Moriarty's strengths are evident; for the most part, her characters are well developed, they have arcs, and she, as always, fills her niche of "things happen to normal people." I was fascinated by Erika and Clementine and how their relationship with each other had been changed by their relationships with their mothers, which I think was done very well.
The issue with this book is that there is a huge buildup with very little payoff. There is so much emphasis on what happened at the barbecue and then what happened at the barbecue isn't as huge as you'd expect--and it's not enough for the characters to keep harping on it in such an explicit way throughout the book. It was also the main reason I kept reading. Towards the end, I found myself ambivalent. There are at least 15 chapters in this book that could be cut without much consequence. The story in present day felt like more of a leadup to the story in the past.
Disappointed, but not every book by every author can be incredible. Depending on whether I feel inclined to read Nine Perfect Strangers, we'll see.
I really wanted to like this as much as Big Little Lies. I really did. And some of Moriarty's strengths are evident; for the most part, her characters are well developed, they have arcs, and she, as always, fills her niche of "things happen to normal people." I was fascinated by Erika and Clementine and how their relationship with each other had been changed by their relationships with their mothers, which I think was done very well.
The issue with this book is that there is a huge buildup with very little payoff. There is so much emphasis on what happened at the barbecue and then what happened at the barbecue isn't as huge as you'd expect--and it's not enough for the characters to keep harping on it in such an explicit way throughout the book. It was also the main reason I kept reading. Towards the end, I found myself ambivalent. There are at least 15 chapters in this book that could be cut without much consequence. The story in present day felt like more of a leadup to the story in the past.
Disappointed, but not every book by every author can be incredible. Depending on whether I feel inclined to read Nine Perfect Strangers, we'll see.