At first I thought this was too straightforward -no buildup to the intentions of The Guests. But as it went on it got more complex. There are POVs for most of the family &guests, the author did a great job of keeping each voice unique. 

A quick read too.

Did I need this much Tom Cruise? No. (But it was pretty fascinating) 

I loved the metaphor &dark fairytale elements.  It took a while to set up where it was going &got by on creepy vibes for a while but the 2nd half was great.

Loved LOVED LOVED the way the MCs played off of eachother. The premise, the politics, the charming side characters were all splendid. 

I like that it wasn’t cut &dry for the political aspect, everyone had their own motivations/perceptions. 

Also I love a well written YA that got me keyed up when …his breath hitches as she touches his face… or something & this hit. 

Only complaint

not a lot in the way of big reveals, an early 1 was very obvious I don’t even know if it could have been called a reveal

Soft pick. It started off with a bang, dragged in the middle as the timing for the start of the pandemic approached… & while I usually avoid pandemic storylines like the plague (haha) it could have been played up MORE here to enhance the claustrophobic/trapped feeling. 

Good but not great.

Another quickly consumable thriller from Lapena. 

This might be my favorite of hers, usually the characters are unlikable to the point that you can’t really cheer for anyone, but while many of these characters are deeply flawed, I really felt for a few of them. The twists were as wild as I’ve come to expect from her.

Really good, a shockingly quick read considering the length. Sapkowski did not need to add so many POVs to get the story across, but when it was good it was great. 

This mixed in a famous Arthurian legend, & I would be lying if I didn’t have to do a little homework to make my own sense out of that ending as it is left to some interpretation. 

Fitting conclusion to the saga

Soft pick. 

I’m not overly familiar with the myth. I enjoyed the resolution & the way the author played with gender identity (but, again, not being familiar with the myth, I’m not sure the ultimate impact). The flowery prose or unconventional POV shifts didn’t bother me as it had some other readers but it felt a bit long.

“A cage full of wonder is still a cage”

Set in 1950s Los Angeles, 4 young women rent an apartment, living as roommates &struggling to make ends meet. A friendly stranger introduces them to a form of witchcraft in order to help them with their dreams, but they find their dreams have a price. 

 

I liked Cordi & company, seeing her work through what was her talent &what was because of the magic, what they were willing to sacrifice for success. Glamorous & weird. 

Found many artists to research further. The methodology &structure of this book is very well done. The focus was on painters & sculptors, there were also notations for fiber art, photographers, performance art & more 

The answer to The Story of Art by Ernst Gombrich (published in 1950, included no women until the 16th edition which added 1 woman) the intro might be a lil “Girl Power 101” feminism but the art, &stories behind the art, are still good