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coralinejones's Reviews (556)
I love when teachers write books. You'd think this was Lattimore's several novel, and yet, it's just her debut. Absolutely stunning. An atmospheric, intelligent, worthwhile read.
Charlotte, Nell, and Evie, though similar, have such distinct differences that their individual chapters just get more and more interesting as you read. Each perspective gives the reader an insight on what it was like living in a so-called "free state" as a black person. So many similarities between back then and now, and much to hold onto to; there's only so much money you can throw at a cause before you have to show up physically. There's more to community than town-hall meetings and word of mouth. We need action! Such a good message to remember. Change occurs when action occurs!
I'll admit the middle chapters were a little slow for me but once the story picked up again I could not put this down.
Charlotte, Nell, and Evie, though similar, have such distinct differences that their individual chapters just get more and more interesting as you read. Each perspective gives the reader an insight on what it was like living in a so-called "free state" as a black person. So many similarities between back then and now, and much to hold onto to; there's only so much money you can throw at a cause before you have to show up physically. There's more to community than town-hall meetings and word of mouth. We need action! Such a good message to remember. Change occurs when action occurs!
I'll admit the middle chapters were a little slow for me but once the story picked up again I could not put this down.
I'm so disappointed.
I thought I was going to adore this. I have been follow this author and the development of This Ravenous Fate for MONTHS via Twitter, and now that it's finally here, I can't help but sigh from sadness.
Firstly, I think this novel has an audience, it's just not me. I didn't know this novel was going to be YA, and I'm not opposed to reading YA, I just assumed it would be aimed towards adults. Immedately upon reading I had to adjust my expectations. No harm, no foul. My projections were higher than the realities of what I got and I can fully stomach and accept that.
I didn't really like any character in this novel. I couldn't connect or empathize with anyone. I don't believe in the romance depicted here, even though I really want to, and I don't believe in their past relationship as described in the many pages throughout the duration of this book.
The world building was lackluster to me and I didn't quite understand why any of the events were going on until about 80% of the way through, also of which, the story actually got interesting to me and I really honed in after 11 hours of straight reading.
The setting was supposed to be 1920s Harlem but felt like it could've taken place anywhere. There wasn't much to draw me into the ambiance of that time period. Someone else had mentioned these characters talk and feel like they know what an iPhone is and I agree entirely.
There's tons of potential here, and I'm super proud of the author, and I'm sure this will go on to be fairly successful; I can only hope the best for her next release (I believe this is a duology), however I don't think I will be moving forward with this series.
I thought I was going to adore this. I have been follow this author and the development of This Ravenous Fate for MONTHS via Twitter, and now that it's finally here, I can't help but sigh from sadness.
Firstly, I think this novel has an audience, it's just not me. I didn't know this novel was going to be YA, and I'm not opposed to reading YA, I just assumed it would be aimed towards adults. Immedately upon reading I had to adjust my expectations. No harm, no foul. My projections were higher than the realities of what I got and I can fully stomach and accept that.
I didn't really like any character in this novel. I couldn't connect or empathize with anyone. I don't believe in the romance depicted here, even though I really want to, and I don't believe in their past relationship as described in the many pages throughout the duration of this book.
The world building was lackluster to me and I didn't quite understand why any of the events were going on until about 80% of the way through, also of which, the story actually got interesting to me and I really honed in after 11 hours of straight reading.
The setting was supposed to be 1920s Harlem but felt like it could've taken place anywhere. There wasn't much to draw me into the ambiance of that time period. Someone else had mentioned these characters talk and feel like they know what an iPhone is and I agree entirely.
There's tons of potential here, and I'm super proud of the author, and I'm sure this will go on to be fairly successful; I can only hope the best for her next release (I believe this is a duology), however I don't think I will be moving forward with this series.
I'll probably come back to this. It sounds interesting. I just don't care for it currently.
This was good! I kind of wanted more from it but I can't complain too much. I admittedly didn't read the description of the novel and went off the cover alone (it's so pretty and inviting, isn't it?) so I assumed this would have something to do with black mermaids. Because of that, the fantasy aspects lost me a bit. Despite that, the historical elements were done really, really well. You can tell the author did a lot of research and is very knowledgeable about what they're talking about. Even though this wasn't it for me, I can absolutely see others enjoying this a lot.
Don't quite understand the hype of this book. Don't get me wrong, it's a good book, it tells a pretty warm, though bittersweet story, but Cameron... He truly rots the good this novel has to offer. I'd even argue he's the reason I'm giving this 3 stars and not 5; the only real negative critique I have to give about this novel.
Considering such a huge chunk of this story takes place in his point-of-view, and he in question is a giant man-child, it makes readers like myself eager to skip every time Cameron's chapters appear and move on to the other characters, particularly Marcellus (<3).
If Cameron was, I don't know, 16-18, I could excuse his personality. But finding out he was a 30 year old man?! And he acts like a whiny brat unable to take accountability for ANYTHING? Yeah, I could not stand that. I did not care about him. Not even a little bit.
I wish this story was just about Tova and Marcellus... Or just a book through Marcellus' point of view. That would've been interesting. That would've been a 5 star book for sure.
All-in-all, we needed more octopus and less humans.
Considering such a huge chunk of this story takes place in his point-of-view, and he in question is a giant man-child, it makes readers like myself eager to skip every time Cameron's chapters appear and move on to the other characters, particularly Marcellus (<3).
If Cameron was, I don't know, 16-18, I could excuse his personality. But finding out he was a 30 year old man?! And he acts like a whiny brat unable to take accountability for ANYTHING? Yeah, I could not stand that. I did not care about him. Not even a little bit.
I wish this story was just about Tova and Marcellus... Or just a book through Marcellus' point of view. That would've been interesting. That would've been a 5 star book for sure.
All-in-all, we needed more octopus and less humans.
"I pounded his pink plum." Is quite literally one of the silliest lines in a novel I have ever read.
I'm so conflicted here. Both entertaining enough, but also a bit disappointing. There was admittedly a lot going on between the three timelines and only two of the three were interesting to me. The smut felt purposeful to the story, until the very end at least, but the verbiage used was getting on my last nerve. "He wrapped his length around my influence." YOUR INFLUENCE?
I also wouldn't consider this a "romance" story by any means. Technically there's romance in here but it doesn't follow the genres typical heresay. Which is not necessarily an issue! But, again, the romance in this novel didn't feel like romance. Not to mention trying to follow along with who was who from the different timelines was not a fun task.
I'm so conflicted here. Both entertaining enough, but also a bit disappointing. There was admittedly a lot going on between the three timelines and only two of the three were interesting to me. The smut felt purposeful to the story, until the very end at least, but the verbiage used was getting on my last nerve. "He wrapped his length around my influence." YOUR INFLUENCE?
I also wouldn't consider this a "romance" story by any means. Technically there's romance in here but it doesn't follow the genres typical heresay. Which is not necessarily an issue! But, again, the romance in this novel didn't feel like romance. Not to mention trying to follow along with who was who from the different timelines was not a fun task.
I usually really dislike King's writing but I enjoyed this story so much I overlooked how much he enjoys unnecessary descriptive words. Maybe It's because I'm already familiar with the movie but... Wow.
This was the most dog water, poorly written, misogynistic, wannabe Harry Potter ass shit ai have ever read in my entire life. Zodiac Academy is literally horrific and full of tropes I absolutely despise. These characters are deplorable, including Tory and Darcy.
However, this was fun in a terrible supernatural CW, early 2010s MTV teen drama kind of way. Zodiac Academy reminded me heavily of Pretty Little Liars, Teen Wolf, Twilight, and of course Harry Potter, in the worst ways imaginable. Is the book good? No. Not even a little bit. Is it overwhelmingly entertaining? Well, yes!
It helps that I read this through GraphicAudio, a style of audiobooks that implements sound effect and a full cast to stylize the story being told. They say it's "a movie for your ears" and I couldn't agree more. These type of audiobooks happen to be my favorite, utilizing radio theater from the 1950s / 1960s, making this read not as bad as it truly could've been. Had I read this fully on my own I would probably rate Zodiac Academy a 0-2 stars instead of 3. But, personal enjoyment over literary substance took over.
There are so many negative things to note about this book.
The main male leads are horrible. They're not "bullies", they're straight up abusive and unlikeable. They're cocky, overpowered pricks who get away with entirely too much. Why did one of them strip Tory bare in front of everyone? Why did one of them post nude pictures of her publicly? Why does everyone sexually abuse them verbally throughout the novel? Talking about twincest and having sex with them all the time? Give me a break.
The faculty treating Tory and Darcy the way they do is unacceptable. This aspect reminded me of Pretty Little Liars, especially. IYKYK. "You're mine." Get a GRIP!
It's tiring how many negative events happen to the twins throughout the duration of this novel. There's no room to breathe. Nobody gets reprimanded for their actions. It's one shit event after the other. These twins are begging for mercy and they either get laughed at, ignored, or provoked further. Is this Degrassi?
Zodiac Academy is supposed to be for adults, given the sex scenes, but it feels painfully YA. Corny 2011 Wattpad YA. Just learning how to be a teenager YA. Assuming what college would be like based off TV YA. Experiencing adulthood through fiction and Facebook YA. Growing up on the internet unsupervised YA. This was not good. I cannot say this enough.
What's unfortunate is that had the male leads been nonexistent this would've been genuinely enjoyable. I hate the term, "turn your brain off" but... Yeah, just that. Silly slop to laugh at in between your more serious reads. Low grade, Disney fantasy, nonsense. A show that would premiere on Teen Nick for a season or two before getting cancelled. You get what I'm saying.
I am curious as to what happens next but I cannot overstate how TERRIBLE this is. Three stars for being entertaining and nothing else.
However, this was fun in a terrible supernatural CW, early 2010s MTV teen drama kind of way. Zodiac Academy reminded me heavily of Pretty Little Liars, Teen Wolf, Twilight, and of course Harry Potter, in the worst ways imaginable. Is the book good? No. Not even a little bit. Is it overwhelmingly entertaining? Well, yes!
It helps that I read this through GraphicAudio, a style of audiobooks that implements sound effect and a full cast to stylize the story being told. They say it's "a movie for your ears" and I couldn't agree more. These type of audiobooks happen to be my favorite, utilizing radio theater from the 1950s / 1960s, making this read not as bad as it truly could've been. Had I read this fully on my own I would probably rate Zodiac Academy a 0-2 stars instead of 3. But, personal enjoyment over literary substance took over.
There are so many negative things to note about this book.
The main male leads are horrible. They're not "bullies", they're straight up abusive and unlikeable. They're cocky, overpowered pricks who get away with entirely too much. Why did one of them strip Tory bare in front of everyone? Why did one of them post nude pictures of her publicly? Why does everyone sexually abuse them verbally throughout the novel? Talking about twincest and having sex with them all the time? Give me a break.
The faculty treating Tory and Darcy the way they do is unacceptable. This aspect reminded me of Pretty Little Liars, especially. IYKYK. "You're mine." Get a GRIP!
It's tiring how many negative events happen to the twins throughout the duration of this novel. There's no room to breathe. Nobody gets reprimanded for their actions. It's one shit event after the other. These twins are begging for mercy and they either get laughed at, ignored, or provoked further. Is this Degrassi?
Zodiac Academy is supposed to be for adults, given the sex scenes, but it feels painfully YA. Corny 2011 Wattpad YA. Just learning how to be a teenager YA. Assuming what college would be like based off TV YA. Experiencing adulthood through fiction and Facebook YA. Growing up on the internet unsupervised YA. This was not good. I cannot say this enough.
What's unfortunate is that had the male leads been nonexistent this would've been genuinely enjoyable. I hate the term, "turn your brain off" but... Yeah, just that. Silly slop to laugh at in between your more serious reads. Low grade, Disney fantasy, nonsense. A show that would premiere on Teen Nick for a season or two before getting cancelled. You get what I'm saying.
I am curious as to what happens next but I cannot overstate how TERRIBLE this is. Three stars for being entertaining and nothing else.