dana_reads_travels's Reviews (2.39k)

Well this was a lot of fun! I enjoyed this story more than I thought I would. I am so happy this was recommended to me! 

The first part of this novel was just not great. The last 20% of the novel was where it was at.

So happy to be back in this universe. The writing is on point as always. Though Schwab said this can be read as a standalone,  I do not recommend that. Read the trilogy. So much more will make sense. 

Only reason I gave this is 4 and not 5 was because there was a lot of building that needed to happen setting up the new characters. And a lot of flashbacks. The writing was great, but sometimes the flashbacks were a tad disruptive. 

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for a Netgalley of this one. 

This is hands down my favorite Hawkin's books. I really enjoyed the plot of this one. I am not saying every idea here was super fresh, but the story telling was really well done. I was turning pages extremely quick as I was fully engaged in the story. I really enjoyed the characters-- even the unlikable ones. 

Highly recommend.

Betty is a story that mixes smiles and heartache together. Reading the story of the author's mother growing up put me through a range of emotions. Betty, unlike her siblings, took after her Cherokee father. So while growing up she faces many racist comment and actions directed towards her, which made me cringe. Even her siblings did not truly defend her when with her. 

But reading about Betty, her five living siblings, her father and mother made for an absolute page turner. Reading the stories her father told, the highs and lows of this family, and Betty's eventual coming of age. 

Beautifully written. A tough read at times, but highly recommend.

Thank you to the publisher for a fee Netgalley. 

I love Marrs' books. I have read many of them, and usually devour them. This one however is not doing it for me at all. I find the intertwining of past and present to be annoying especially with such short chapters. There are also a ton of characters and to be honest, I just don't care what happens to them. I never really like Marrs' characters, as he is a genius at writing unlikable characters that you still read to find out what happened. But not these ones. I prefer Marrs' sci-fi thrillers myself. 

Liked, but did not love. 

I cannot quite pinpoint what it was, but I had different expectations on where this one was going to go!