#3.75 Stars

[literatureaesthetic]

“a beautiful voice that haunted people”

― Anaïs Nin, Little Birds

[yourfavebooklrsfavebooklr]

Parasite by Mira Grant

3.75 stars

I’ve been really loving sci fi horror lately, and this book was no exception. Sal was an intriguing main character- I did guess the main ‘twist’ before the end of the second chapter, but I thought the story was interesting enough to keep reading anyway. That being said, it felt like Grant almost overly foreshadowed the twists and overdid the establishment of certain details- I think this book didn’t really need to be as long as it is and ultimately more could’ve been left to the reader to decipher. It did make sense for the main character to take so long to figure it out however. Anyway, this didn’t ruin the book for me at all. I especially liked the various evil scientists- symbogen is the medical corporation you love to hate, while Shanti is the somewhat sympathetic mad scientist without morals, which made for some fun characters to read about.  This book was really fun and I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to read a unique take on zombies.

[andreai04]

I wondered why it was that places are so much lovelier when one is alone.

It's funny, I thought, how the routine of life goes on, whatever happens; we do the same things, go through the little performance of eating, sleeping, washing. No crisis can break through the crust of habit.

[maybeclever]

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros- Book Review (Spoilers after the cut)

Rating: 3.75/5

I adored the first book in this series. I thought Violet was a strong, relatable character, and it was refreshing to have disabled MC in a high fantasy setting-especially a setting so focused on violence and warfare.

Going into this book, I was worried by its turn around time. I understand that novels can be drafted for years before they reach a publisher, but it's always a warning sign in my head when sequels come out so quickly. And I'm afraid, to a certain extent, time was not on Iron Flame's side. I love the epic fantasy genre, so length doesn't scare me away, but for what happened in this novel, it was WAY too long.

Plotwise, it was just fine. I liked some of the things that were done, and others I did not. And, like all novels, the climax built up the tension and there's epic scenarios, but the resolution left me just… fine.

That's not to say there was stuff I didn't enjoy. There was a lot I did. There was great growth in side characters, and we saw the introduction of great new characters and got to explore new signets. That said, a lot of what I did like contains spoilers so I need to save that for under the cut.

Overall, it's the second book in a five book series. It suffered from major second book syndrome, and I just worry that there's not enough substance to sustain a five book series. What I enjoyed, I enjoyed a lot, but we'll see how far that carries the series.

SPOILERS BELOW FOR PLOT SPECIFIC LIKES AND DISLIKES

Likes: Violet had a conflicted reaction to Brennan's survival. Violet chose to believe in her friends over keeping secrets. Violet called Xaden out when his protective instincts turned smothering rather than supportive. Andarna being disabled was surprising, but rooted in character decision which made it so impactful. The idea to offer representation this way was bold, and refreshing, and I adored it. Secret 7th dragon type. Lilith Sorrengail was a flawed person and mother, but she loved her children until the end. Most of Part 1 as a whole

Dislikes: It felt like Yarros knew what story beats she wanted Vi and Xaden's relationship to hit at the beginning and end, but because the book was so long, they moved in circles CONSTANTLY. Any growth was always immediately forgotten for the sake of drama. Varrish was a terrifying and horrible man that was built up to be a terrible villain and road block for the characters. He only lasted half the novel. I wish we had more time to come to terms with Lilith's love for her children. Even if she died early book 3 instead, it would have felt more impactful. It still was emotional, but I didn't find it to be as heart wrenching as she was aiming for. I'm gonna say it. I wasn't a die hard Xaden fan after the first book, his refusal to see Vi's side in this book annoyed me, and his "sacrifice" at the end didn't affect me. Is he endgame? Yes, probably. Am I excited by that prospect? Not if it's all going to be like this.

[leserattevirginie]

Earls Trip by Jenny Holiday

Genre: Historical Romance Star Rating: 3,75 ⭐️

Plot: ⬜️ Plot holes big enough for a herd of elephants ⬜️ I think I’ve read this before. (Unoriginal to the max.) ✅ No plot, just vibes ⬜️ Enjoyable but not super memorable. ⬜️ You have my undivided attention. ⬜️ Mind = Blown

Characters: ⬜️ Mary Sue is in the house! ⬜️ These are cardboard cut-outs. ✅ Good main cast, but the rest is forgettable at best. ⬜️ Generally well written. ⬜️ Complex ⬜️ What do you mean characters? These feel like real people!

Personal Enjoyment: ⬜️ DNF ⬜️ Somebody free me from this hell (but also no, I won’t DNF) ⬜️ WTF did I just read??? ⬜️ I don’t like it, but I also don’t hate it. ⬜️ It’s a good book but I just never want to pick it back up. ⬜️ No strong feelings either way. ✅ Enjoyable read ⬜️ What a page turner! This is fun! ⬜️ I think I’m in love ⬜️ (new) all time favourite

World Building: ✅ This takes place in our world. ⬜️ Worldbuilding what worldbuilding? ⬜️ This feels like a TV set. ⬜️ Not super deep, but present. ⬜️ Detailed, believable. ⬜️ You bet every single ant has its own 100 page backstory!

Pacing: ⬜️ drags/is rushed in all the wrong places ⬜️ Inconsistent ⬜️ something undefinable feels off ⬜️ I don’t love it it but it fits the book perfectly. ✅ Good/no complaints ⬜️ Amazing! Could not put this down!

Writing: ⬜️ This is painful ⬜️ I’m cringing ⬜️ Not great, but not bad either. ✅ Neutral (Didn’t really notice.) ⬜️ Elegant but not overly flowery. ⬜️ So beautiful I actually stopped and noticed it. ⬜️ I’m not sure if this is just a bad translation. ⬜️ I’m not confident enough in my language skills for this language to comment on the quality of the writing.

[somewherelostinbooks]

Can't Let Her Go- Review

Can’t Let Her Go By Kianna Alexander Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQIA Romance Publication Date: June 20,2023 Source: Received an ARC in exchange for an honest review Rating: 3.75 Stars Amazon Indiebound Description: Friends to lovers? There’s a lot to consider, a lot to hope for, and a lot at risk in a steamy and emotional romance by the bestselling author of Can’t Resist Her. Peaches Monroe…

[the-worlds-between-pages]

The Architect by: Jonathan Starrett

Published by: Tyndale House Publishers I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to them and the publisher. So, at the beginning of this book, I had no idea where it was going and that was fun. We’ve got a spunky main character in Charlie who lives in Phantom City as an orphan. She lives on the streets and has no memories of her family. There’s also a zeppelin…

[theamazingian]

Reminder that the Xbox 360 Marketplace will shut down in 3 months on July 29th, 2024.

Now I know what you’re thinking-

I gotta hop on my old Xbox 360 and download Sonic 06 for $5 along with it’s crunchy DLC

[geryone]

Listen poetry taste is completely subjective & I understand that but the man who gave Traci Brimhall’s new collection a 2 star review on goodreads is my mortal enemy

[c-kiddo]

for people who asked about tmn comic reviews, i put some vry basic vry casual text ones on my storygraph account. just for the cad and beau ones. kind of would like to do more in depth reviews and talk abt all of them and the art etc etc but i know people are a bit touchy about art critique so . i just remembered the beau one is negative about the art so theres your warning

[a2zillustration]

August Baking 2024

Oreo Cakesters - 5/5

Genuinely impressed these turned out as good as they did because SOMEONE (me) used twice as much butter as necessary for the cookies. Can't wait to try this one again the right way!

Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies - 3.75/5

These taste good but they're so much effort to make. Just find a really good snickerdoodle recipe you like more tbh, unless you want cookies that look cuter.

[kraftykelpie]

Eouehehe

[yourfavebooklrsfavebooklr]

Jackal by Erin E. Adams

3.75 Stars

Definitely an interesting read! Honestly, I thought it was a bit boring at first, but I stuck through it and I’m glad I did! I thought that the main character was compelling and I liked how it almost felt like an unreliable narrator at times. It’s not the type of book I usually like (I’m not a huge fan of mysteries) and honestly I wasn’t a huge fan of all the red herrings but that’s not the book’s fault lol. I really loved how Jack’s chapters were written. Not a book I think I would’ve picked up unprompted but definitely still an enjoyable read!

I’d recommend this to fans of mysteries with supernatural components & people who like a book with a lot of dark-ish psychological components.

[andreai04]

“People could only hurt you if you cared enough to let them.”

[wakingupnexttoyou]

Okay wow. That ending was insane.

I'm still not 100% sure what movies they all were? They're listed under fictional names. I'm gonna make my best guess.

1. Gnomecoming - possibly homecoming? But someone said leprechaun and that makes a little more sense I think.

2. Slay bells - pretty sure this one is silent night deadly night but I've never seen it. Someone said black Christmas but that one is a sorority? And that doesn't fit.

3. Panhandle meat hook - Texas chainsaw massacre.

4. Deadly dreams - nightmare on elm street.

5. The babysitter murders - the title is a little misleading but the movie described is Halloween. But the title keeps making me think of whatever movie it is when "the call is coming from inside the house" 😂 is that one called the babysitter? I don't think so...but I can't remember the title at all. I remember that movie though.

6. Summer slaughter - Friday the 13th.

7. Stab - this one is very clearly scream lol

I didn't find this book as great as the others of his I've read. Lynnette was absolutely batshit crazy paranoid lol maybe that's why? The plot twist was fantastic. The ending was a little weird. I get the sentiment? But It was a stretch for sure!

I think overall I'm gonna rate it like.... 3.75⭐.

It was good. I'd probably go back and read it again eventually to see if it made more sense after knowing the whole story.

Going into another Grady Hendrix book! I LOVE 80s horror movies so hopefully this is a good one!!!

Depending on how this starts I might live read this one too cuz that was fun last time!

[leserattevirginie]

Evocation by T.S. Gibson (Synopsis and longer, rambly thoughts under the cut)

Genre: Urban Fantasy Romance Star Rating: 3,75 ⭐️

Plot: ⬜️ Plot holes big enough for a herd of elephants ⬜️ I think I’ve read this before. (Unoriginal to the max.) ✅ Enjoyable but not super memorable. ⬜️ You have my undivided attention. ⬜️ Mind = Blown

Characters: ⬜️ Mary Sue is in the house! ⬜️ These are cardboard cut-outs. ✅ Good main cast, but the rest is forgettable at best. ⬜️ Generally well written. ⬜️ Complex ⬜️ What do you mean characters? These feel like real people!

Personal Enjoyment: ⬜️ DNF ⬜️ Somebody free me from this hell (but also no, I won’t DNF) ⬜️ WTF did I just read??? ⬜️ I don’t like it, but I also don’t hate it. ⬜️ It’s a good book but I just never want to pick it back up. ⬜️ No strong feelings either way. ⬜️ Enjoyable read ✅ What a page turner! This is fun! ⬜️ I think I’m in love ⬜️ (new) all time favourite

World Building: ✅ This takes place in our world. ⬜️ Worldbuilding what worldbuilding? ⬜️ This feels like a TV set. ⬜️ Not super deep, but present. ⬜️ Detailed, believable. ⬜️ You bet every single ant has its own 100 page backstory!

Pacing: ⬜️ drags/is rushed in all the wrong places ⬜️ Inconsistent ⬜️ something undefinable feels off ✅ mostly fine but the ending feels rushed ⬜️ dragged a bit in the beginning but picked up eventually ⬜️ I don’t love it it but it fits the book perfectly. ⬜️ Good/no complaints ⬜️ Amazing! Could not put this down!

Writing: ⬜️ This is painful ⬜️ I’m cringing ⬜️ Not great, but not bad either. ✅ Neutral (Didn’t really notice.) ⬜️ Elegant but not overly flowery. ⬜️ So beautiful I actually stopped and noticed it. ⬜️ I’m not sure if this is just a bad translation. ⬜️ I’m not confident enough in my language skills for this language to comment on the quality of the writing.

Synopsis (fair warning, imo the synopsis pretty much sums up the entire plot):

As a teen, David Aristarkhov was a psychic prodigy, operating under the shadow of his oppressive occultist father. Now, years after his father’s death and rapidly approaching his thirtieth birthday, he is content with the high-powered life he’s curated as a Boston attorney, moonlighting as a powerful medium for his secret society. But with power comes a price, and the Devil has come to collect on an ancestral deal. David’s days are numbered, and death looms at his door. Reluctantly, he reaches out to the only person he’s ever trusted, his ex-boyfriend and secret Society rival Rhys, for help. However, the only way to get to Rhys is through his wife, Moira. Thrust into each other’s care, emotions once buried deep resurface, and the trio race to figure out their feelings for one another before the Devil steals David away for good…

Thoughts

Don't read this book for the magic! Yes, it is there, but honestly it is mostly decorative. The focus is definitely on the relationship between the three main characters. You could take out the occultism, change a thing or two, and it would work just fine as a contemporary romance novel. Personally, I found the parts related to the curse to be the weakest - the loophole in the contract was obvious, ffs. And the way they dealt with it in the end may have been great for the relationship building, but otherwise it just felt a bit rushed and convenient. I did like the romance, I just wish it had taken them all more than one month (?? or maybe I misread?) to get to where they got in the end. Nonetheless, Watching these three idiots bounce off each other was definitely the highlight of the book for me. I'm not sure I like any of them very much by themselves (maybe Moira) but I do like them together. The book is written in triple POV, and we get a fairly good sense of who they are and what makes them tick, especially David and Moira. (As for the side characters, I unfortunately have to admit I've already forgotten most of their names and what they brought to the plot.)

One thing that struck me as a bit odd was a sort of tonal shift towards the middle of the book. Maybe I imagined it, but in the beginning there was some subtle humour that was slowly phased out. Personally I think that's a shame, because I was sure I'd found a new favourite in Evocation. In the end it is just a book I liked, but didn't love as much as I had hoped I would.