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776 reviews by:
bebocarrick
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
DAMN, VERONICA ROTH!
GUYS.
I must admit, I completely hated the Divergent series. A lot. I really cannot begin to go into all the negative emotions I feel about it. I saw the cover of this book and thought it was nice, saw Veronica Roth's name on the cover, and was like oh..... no. But I read the description anyways and was like hmmmmm, this does sound up my alley though, so maybe I'll give Mrs. Roth another try.
THIS BOOK FLOORED ME. I don't think I'll ever be over how incredible the world-building is (evil holy knights with swords in their SPINES???) and how fantastic the characters are. I got so attached to them over the course of the book. It's incredible how much depth (character growth, world-building, etc) was packed into such a short story.
All this to say, I've learned you can't judge an author based on their first book series. I really need to check out more of Mrs. Roth's repertoire it seems!
A note on the audiobook: As much as I loved this story, I HATED the audiobook version. It seems as though the three narrators did not have consistency among their accents (one gave Nico a Polish accent and the other two didn't). I also disliked Nico's narrator immensely as his voice felt very flat compared to the other two. I would not recommend the audiobook as it is, but I would HELLA recommend the paper copy.
Publication Date: 14 May 2024
DAMN, VERONICA ROTH!
GUYS.
I must admit, I completely hated the Divergent series. A lot. I really cannot begin to go into all the negative emotions I feel about it. I saw the cover of this book and thought it was nice, saw Veronica Roth's name on the cover, and was like oh..... no. But I read the description anyways and was like hmmmmm, this does sound up my alley though, so maybe I'll give Mrs. Roth another try.
THIS BOOK FLOORED ME. I don't think I'll ever be over how incredible the world-building is (evil holy knights with swords in their SPINES???) and how fantastic the characters are. I got so attached to them over the course of the book. It's incredible how much depth (character growth, world-building, etc) was packed into such a short story.
All this to say, I've learned you can't judge an author based on their first book series. I really need to check out more of Mrs. Roth's repertoire it seems!
A note on the audiobook: As much as I loved this story, I HATED the audiobook version. It seems as though the three narrators did not have consistency among their accents (one gave Nico a Polish accent and the other two didn't). I also disliked Nico's narrator immensely as his voice felt very flat compared to the other two. I would not recommend the audiobook as it is, but I would HELLA recommend the paper copy.
Publication Date: 14 May 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
As a classics fan, there was much about this novel I enjoyed. I liked all the little things this novel taught me about the Shelley's life, particularly in regards to their writing collaboration. It was clearly meticulously researched, and I enjoyed the author's end note discussing their writing process as this project morphed from a more academic piece to a full fledged historical novel.
Unfortunately, the writing style was not for me, largely because it was written in present tense. For whatever reason, using present tense and full names for the characters for the first few chapters made the novel feel impersonal and difficult to visualize. However, putting aside my personal biases, this novel is clearly a formidable feat, both academically and literarily, and I'd like to give a hats off to Harker Shaw for all the work they put into this piece.
Publication Date: May 7, 2024
As a classics fan, there was much about this novel I enjoyed. I liked all the little things this novel taught me about the Shelley's life, particularly in regards to their writing collaboration. It was clearly meticulously researched, and I enjoyed the author's end note discussing their writing process as this project morphed from a more academic piece to a full fledged historical novel.
Unfortunately, the writing style was not for me, largely because it was written in present tense. For whatever reason, using present tense and full names for the characters for the first few chapters made the novel feel impersonal and difficult to visualize. However, putting aside my personal biases, this novel is clearly a formidable feat, both academically and literarily, and I'd like to give a hats off to Harker Shaw for all the work they put into this piece.
Publication Date: May 7, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I thoroughly enjoyed this account of the Golden Age of Piracy! This account was very detailed and I learned so many cool things about specific pirates and about the practice of piracy through reading it. I also didn't find it to be too dense, which I do worry about with nonfiction accounts sometimes.
Would highly recommend to anyone doing historical research on piracy or just interested parties (like myself!) who are interested in learning more about piratical history.
Publication date: May 7, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed this account of the Golden Age of Piracy! This account was very detailed and I learned so many cool things about specific pirates and about the practice of piracy through reading it. I also didn't find it to be too dense, which I do worry about with nonfiction accounts sometimes.
Would highly recommend to anyone doing historical research on piracy or just interested parties (like myself!) who are interested in learning more about piratical history.
Publication date: May 7, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Oh my goodness, this was such an incredibly fun book! I came for the queer pirates and stayed for the lovable characters and utter hilarity! I truly can't remember the last time I laughed so hard at a book. I also adored the cool little details of the world, such as the island-sized turtles, the glowing blue dogs, the ghosts who needed sexy little dances to be appeased and leave people alone, and the herald cards with descriptions at the beginning of each chapter! All of these things added so much depth to an already endearing and wildly funny cast of characters.
The audiobook narration was incredible and added to the humor rife in this book. I really enjoyed how easy it was to tell which character was which from the accents and inflections the narrator added.
I am looking forward to seeing what comes next from this author and exploring her already established series!
Publication date: June 11, 2024
Oh my goodness, this was such an incredibly fun book! I came for the queer pirates and stayed for the lovable characters and utter hilarity! I truly can't remember the last time I laughed so hard at a book. I also adored the cool little details of the world, such as the island-sized turtles, the glowing blue dogs, the ghosts who needed sexy little dances to be appeased and leave people alone, and the herald cards with descriptions at the beginning of each chapter! All of these things added so much depth to an already endearing and wildly funny cast of characters.
The audiobook narration was incredible and added to the humor rife in this book. I really enjoyed how easy it was to tell which character was which from the accents and inflections the narrator added.
I am looking forward to seeing what comes next from this author and exploring her already established series!
Publication date: June 11, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
As a fan of the original Carmilla and just vampires in general, this was such a welcome addition to the genre! This book distinctly felt like a love letter to the original, while adding a fun dark academia background and a more explicit sapphic relationship (definitely more explicit, like is anyone else feeling the HEAT in here or is it just me?).
The development of Carmilla and Laura's relationship was also wonderful. The enemies to lovers (or academic rivals to lovers) trope is one that is fairly uncharted territory for me because I do feel like in some circumstances it can lead to glorifying abuse from one party to another. However, this relationship did not give me any of those vibes, and I absolutely loved their chemistry!
I also really enjoyed the ending!
Publication Date: Feb 13, 2024
As a fan of the original Carmilla and just vampires in general, this was such a welcome addition to the genre! This book distinctly felt like a love letter to the original, while adding a fun dark academia background and a more explicit sapphic relationship (definitely more explicit, like is anyone else feeling the HEAT in here or is it just me?).
The development of Carmilla and Laura's relationship was also wonderful. The enemies to lovers (or academic rivals to lovers) trope is one that is fairly uncharted territory for me because I do feel like in some circumstances it can lead to glorifying abuse from one party to another. However, this relationship did not give me any of those vibes, and I absolutely loved their chemistry!
I also really enjoyed the ending!
Spoiler
Sometimes more open-ended books absolutely kill me, but leaving Laura with the choice to turn at the very end felt very hopeful and not like an annoying cliffhanger like these endings often do to me.Publication Date: Feb 13, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I was so pleasantly surprised by the depth of this book. Behind the campiness and the fun horror iconography was an incredibly sincere commentary on queer representation, trauma, repression, internal homophobia, the destructive nature of capitalism, corporate greed, and compulsory heterosexuality. As much as I adored the campier moments, these more serious topics were what made the book stand out so much to me.
The story was very well done, and I enjoyed the more meta moments that Misha had where he pondered his actions as the protagonist of a story. I thought that the connections that each of Misha's monsters had to his past and trauma he faced were also incredible, and this felt like such a wonderful tribute to horror writers who include biographical elements in their stories.
I also caught a couple of references to the author's previous novel, Camp Damascus, and I am even more excited to read that novel now!
As a multi-voiced audiobook, this production fell short to me, because most actors only got a few lines of dialogue while the narrator performed most of the work. I have no complaints with the quality of the narration, it just felt disingenuous to call the production a full cast audiobook.
Publication date: July 9, 2024
I was so pleasantly surprised by the depth of this book. Behind the campiness and the fun horror iconography was an incredibly sincere commentary on queer representation, trauma, repression, internal homophobia, the destructive nature of capitalism, corporate greed, and compulsory heterosexuality. As much as I adored the campier moments, these more serious topics were what made the book stand out so much to me.
The story was very well done, and I enjoyed the more meta moments that Misha had where he pondered his actions as the protagonist of a story. I thought that the connections that each of Misha's monsters had to his past and trauma he faced were also incredible, and this felt like such a wonderful tribute to horror writers who include biographical elements in their stories.
I also caught a couple of references to the author's previous novel, Camp Damascus, and I am even more excited to read that novel now!
As a multi-voiced audiobook, this production fell short to me, because most actors only got a few lines of dialogue while the narrator performed most of the work. I have no complaints with the quality of the narration, it just felt disingenuous to call the production a full cast audiobook.
Publication date: July 9, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This book felt very fresh and new while simultaneously feeling like a timeless fairy tale. The classic fairy tale elements of quests and magic made it feel familiar, while everything else gave it a wonderfully modern spin. The best comparison I can make is to Neil Gaiman's American Gods. I adored each of these characters for their own reasons, despite each of them being very flawed and downright dislikable at times. I think Mo is my favorite because I am drawn to his simultaneous selfless devotion to his family and his selfish focus on his own desires and wants.
Now for the complaints. The first is that portions of the book seemed irritatingly repetitive. I realize that part of this was due to each character having different pieces of the puzzle, however, it became a little frustrating how many times certain events happened. The next (and related) complaint is that there were too many perspectives. I lost count after 7. These differing perspectives didn't add a whole lot to the story, as most of the time they just rehashed the events/revelations of the previous chapter from a new character's point of view.
Publication Date: 8 February 2024
This book felt very fresh and new while simultaneously feeling like a timeless fairy tale. The classic fairy tale elements of quests and magic made it feel familiar, while everything else gave it a wonderfully modern spin. The best comparison I can make is to Neil Gaiman's American Gods. I adored each of these characters for their own reasons, despite each of them being very flawed and downright dislikable at times. I think Mo is my favorite because I am drawn to his simultaneous selfless devotion to his family and his selfish focus on his own desires and wants.
Now for the complaints. The first is that portions of the book seemed irritatingly repetitive. I realize that part of this was due to each character having different pieces of the puzzle, however, it became a little frustrating how many times certain events happened
Spoiler
(looking at you, Susannah's splinter and accompanying explanation)Publication Date: 8 February 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Oh. My. God. This book was incredible! I cannot stress enough how well-written and immersive it was, how emotional and heartbreaking it was, and how eerie and atmospheric it was. The characters are brilliant in all their broken goodness (or complete villainy in Evangeline's case). It has been a loooong time since I cheered for a protagonist more than I have for Cordelia. She starts off the book in such hopeless circumstances and to see her gain some hope and agency as the book went on made me want to see her succeed more than ever.
I'm still quite emotional about this book and the journey it took me on. The audiobook narration only contributed even more to these emotions. I am looking forward to revisiting it in the future and experiencing this story again.
Expected publication date: August 6, 2024
Oh. My. God. This book was incredible! I cannot stress enough how well-written and immersive it was, how emotional and heartbreaking it was, and how eerie and atmospheric it was. The characters are brilliant in all their broken goodness (or complete villainy in Evangeline's case). It has been a loooong time since I cheered for a protagonist more than I have for Cordelia. She starts off the book in such hopeless circumstances and to see her gain some hope and agency as the book went on made me want to see her succeed more than ever.
I'm still quite emotional about this book and the journey it took me on. The audiobook narration only contributed even more to these emotions. I am looking forward to revisiting it in the future and experiencing this story again.
Expected publication date: August 6, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This book was wonderful! I absolutely adored the found family vibes and the way the characters all interacted with each other without it being romance-y. I also loved the world building and lore present throughout the story. It was all very cohesive and engaging. Apart from the characters, the heists were probably my favorite element of the story. I LOVE a good heist story, and to have multiple fun museum heists in one story was so fun.
The messages about culture, humanity, diversity, and family were also incredible. Overall the story was very touching and the audiobook told it very well.
Publication date: June 11, 2024
This book was wonderful! I absolutely adored the found family vibes and the way the characters all interacted with each other without it being romance-y. I also loved the world building and lore present throughout the story. It was all very cohesive and engaging. Apart from the characters, the heists were probably my favorite element of the story. I LOVE a good heist story, and to have multiple fun museum heists in one story was so fun.
The messages about culture, humanity, diversity, and family were also incredible. Overall the story was very touching and the audiobook told it very well.
Publication date: June 11, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this audiobook for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
LOVED the concept, but the stories were a pretty mixed bag for me. I think this would be a great intro for someone into YA horror though! Here are each of the stories and my spoiler-free feelings about them.
1. "All Eyes on Me" by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé - 3 stars
While nothing in here was really twisty or scary, the characters were quite likable.
2. Hedge by Kalynn Bayron - 2 stars
Really unsatisfied with everything about this one. Felt pointless.
3. The Golden Dragon by Kendare Blake - 4 stars
The voice acting here was my favorite out of all the stories. Good mean girls-esque vibe but like with ghosty stuff.
4. "Best Served Cold" by H.E. Edgmon - 5 stars
Super cool take on indigenous skinwalker tales. In a tie with "Break Through Our Skin" for my favorite of the bunch.
5. "The Protege" by Lamar Giles - 2 stars
Felt out of place in a horror collection, more thriller vibes for me, and not a really interesting thriller at that.
6. "Docile Girls" by Chloe Gong - 3 stars
A fun slasher story!
7. "Gray Grove" by Alexis Henderson - 4 stars
True crime podcast girlies will love this one, especially when they also like confronting racists.
8. "Everything's Coming Up Roses" by Tiffany D. Jackson - 3 stars
I love a good epistolary-style story with an unhinged narrator, but this one didn't strike any new chords for me.
9. "Heaven" by Adiba Jaigirdar - 3 stars
The underwater post-apocalyptic world was a cool concept, but could use some expansion and perhaps a feature in a sci-fi collection rather than a horror one.
10. "Break Through Our Skin" by Naseem Jamnia - 5 stars
EXCELLENT nonbinary/trans rep with a super cool ancient entity. Love love LOVE.
11. "Wasps" By Mark Oshiro - 3 stars
Wanted to like this one more than I did. Enjoyed the generational aspects of the story, but that was about it.
12. "Hell is Other Demons" by Karen Strong - 2 stars
Really hated the ear-jarring sound used in place of the demon's name in this audiobook. This one just didn't hook me.
13. "The Road to Hell" by Terry J. Benton-Walker - 4 stars
Super fun haunted house read from the perspective of the haunted house!!
Publication Date: July 16, 2024
LOVED the concept, but the stories were a pretty mixed bag for me. I think this would be a great intro for someone into YA horror though! Here are each of the stories and my spoiler-free feelings about them.
1. "All Eyes on Me" by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé - 3 stars
While nothing in here was really twisty or scary, the characters were quite likable.
2. Hedge by Kalynn Bayron - 2 stars
Really unsatisfied with everything about this one. Felt pointless.
3. The Golden Dragon by Kendare Blake - 4 stars
The voice acting here was my favorite out of all the stories. Good mean girls-esque vibe but like with ghosty stuff.
4. "Best Served Cold" by H.E. Edgmon - 5 stars
Super cool take on indigenous skinwalker tales. In a tie with "Break Through Our Skin" for my favorite of the bunch.
5. "The Protege" by Lamar Giles - 2 stars
Felt out of place in a horror collection, more thriller vibes for me, and not a really interesting thriller at that.
6. "Docile Girls" by Chloe Gong - 3 stars
A fun slasher story!
7. "Gray Grove" by Alexis Henderson - 4 stars
True crime podcast girlies will love this one, especially when they also like confronting racists.
8. "Everything's Coming Up Roses" by Tiffany D. Jackson - 3 stars
I love a good epistolary-style story with an unhinged narrator, but this one didn't strike any new chords for me.
9. "Heaven" by Adiba Jaigirdar - 3 stars
The underwater post-apocalyptic world was a cool concept, but could use some expansion and perhaps a feature in a sci-fi collection rather than a horror one.
10. "Break Through Our Skin" by Naseem Jamnia - 5 stars
EXCELLENT nonbinary/trans rep with a super cool ancient entity. Love love LOVE.
11. "Wasps" By Mark Oshiro - 3 stars
Wanted to like this one more than I did. Enjoyed the generational aspects of the story, but that was about it.
12. "Hell is Other Demons" by Karen Strong - 2 stars
Really hated the ear-jarring sound used in place of the demon's name in this audiobook. This one just didn't hook me.
13. "The Road to Hell" by Terry J. Benton-Walker - 4 stars
Super fun haunted house read from the perspective of the haunted house!!
Publication Date: July 16, 2024