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dbguide2's Reviews (863)
Scorpio Hates Virgo #2
Anyta Sunday
Year published: 2017
Publisher: Anyta Sunday
Genre: Contemporary Romance ~ LGBT+ ~ New Adult ~ Humour
Stars: 4
I received this e-arc from Netgalley and Anyta Sunday in exchange for my free and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Leo Loves Aries Review (#1) ~ Gemini Keeps Capricorn Review (#3)
I love how Anyta writes characters – I fall in love with them the second they appear on a page or open their mouth – and I love it when I fall in love with the character within the first chapter. It allows the reader to root for the character from the get-go. Not that rooting for the character/loving the character in the middle of the book or near the end is anything less than loving the character from the beginning, but you get what I mean, right? Yes, no, carry on? Okay.
The plot sounds simple – Percy Freedman returns to his aunt’s house to sell it (after she passes away) but sees his ‘nemesis’, (like extreme extraness, tell me more tell me more) Callaghan Glover, (I mean we all know why the enemies-to-lovers trope exists and I am here for all of it – it exists because the characters don’t actually hate each other, they’re just ‘nemeses’ – please note the quotation marks) and because his aunt used to live in a cul-de-sac where the neighbours are super friendly, the result is a game that I don’t fully understand? Like do they just allow their neighbours to go into each other’s houses?
I think I loved Cal more than I loved Percy (Cal likes dinosaurs, I like dinosaurs – it just makes sense). Anyta also writes characters who are family-orientated – they have loving relationships with their families and I love this!
P.S. I thought what’s really funny is that even though Percy claims Cal is his nemesis, Cal really isn’t? So, it’s even funnier because Percy’s trying to maintain the fact that he dislikes Cal when it’s actually him (Percy) just trying not to give into his insane crush on Cal – which just makes it so much better.
Anyta Sunday
Year published: 2017
Publisher: Anyta Sunday
Genre: Contemporary Romance ~ LGBT+ ~ New Adult ~ Humour
Stars: 4
I received this e-arc from Netgalley and Anyta Sunday in exchange for my free and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Leo Loves Aries Review (#1) ~ Gemini Keeps Capricorn Review (#3)
I love how Anyta writes characters – I fall in love with them the second they appear on a page or open their mouth – and I love it when I fall in love with the character within the first chapter. It allows the reader to root for the character from the get-go. Not that rooting for the character/loving the character in the middle of the book or near the end is anything less than loving the character from the beginning, but you get what I mean, right? Yes, no, carry on? Okay.
The plot sounds simple – Percy Freedman returns to his aunt’s house to sell it (after she passes away) but sees his ‘nemesis’, (like extreme extraness, tell me more tell me more) Callaghan Glover, (I mean we all know why the enemies-to-lovers trope exists and I am here for all of it – it exists because the characters don’t actually hate each other, they’re just ‘nemeses’ – please note the quotation marks) and because his aunt used to live in a cul-de-sac where the neighbours are super friendly, the result is a game that I don’t fully understand? Like do they just allow their neighbours to go into each other’s houses?
I think I loved Cal more than I loved Percy (Cal likes dinosaurs, I like dinosaurs – it just makes sense). Anyta also writes characters who are family-orientated – they have loving relationships with their families and I love this!
P.S. I thought what’s really funny is that even though Percy claims Cal is his nemesis, Cal really isn’t? So, it’s even funnier because Percy’s trying to maintain the fact that he dislikes Cal when it’s actually him (Percy) just trying not to give into his insane crush on Cal – which just makes it so much better.
Broadcast
Liam Brown
Year published: 2017
Publisher: Legends Press
Genre: Science Fiction
Stars: 3 and a half
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from Legend Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
The image used for the post header is my own. All links in the post link to the books’ respective Goodreads page. Quotes given in this review might not add up to quotes given in the published version.
The idea of another reality, whether it be virtual, alternative, or augmented has always ensnared me. Maybe its because of augmented reality – well, not really the glasses that go with it because they’re always bulky and fit uncomfortably over my glasses (I actually have to hold the AR glasses otherwise it’ll make my normal glasses cut into my nose) – but what you can see with the glasses amaze me – roller coasters, haunted houses, shark cage diving, that’s super cool.
I liked the concept of Broadcast – the whole thing of a person’s thoughts being broadcasted – which would be a nightmare for me because my ADD just brings about 2000 thoughts and they’re all over the place.
Even though I thought I wouldn’t like David when starting out, I actually do like him. I mostly didn’t like him because of his attitude, which I think is exacerbated by his celebrity status. But think about it. If they gave us someone unknown or relatively unknown, we would’ve liked them straight away; but instead we get David; a pompous elitist celebrity. But it works. Because even though I didn’t like him at the beginning, I began to root for him when everything started going wrong for him.
The story pulls the reader in, sucks you in, and makes you focus on the main character and his main plot so much that you don’t really notice the actual plot of the story – which is very sneaky and well-done.
Oh and something I had in my mind throughout the novel – is the moral of the story to always read the terms and conditions?
Quotes:
But the main reason, I believe, or at least the most important reason people still read, is because books are the only opportunity we ever get to experience true empathy with another human being. To see the world through their eyes. To walk in their shoes. Even celebrity crap like I churn out, when it’s done well, offers a unique insight, a new perspective. The chance to get inside someone else’s head.
Liam Brown
Year published: 2017
Publisher: Legends Press
Genre: Science Fiction
Stars: 3 and a half
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from Legend Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
The image used for the post header is my own. All links in the post link to the books’ respective Goodreads page. Quotes given in this review might not add up to quotes given in the published version.
The idea of another reality, whether it be virtual, alternative, or augmented has always ensnared me. Maybe its because of augmented reality – well, not really the glasses that go with it because they’re always bulky and fit uncomfortably over my glasses (I actually have to hold the AR glasses otherwise it’ll make my normal glasses cut into my nose) – but what you can see with the glasses amaze me – roller coasters, haunted houses, shark cage diving, that’s super cool.
I liked the concept of Broadcast – the whole thing of a person’s thoughts being broadcasted – which would be a nightmare for me because my ADD just brings about 2000 thoughts and they’re all over the place.
Even though I thought I wouldn’t like David when starting out, I actually do like him. I mostly didn’t like him because of his attitude, which I think is exacerbated by his celebrity status. But think about it. If they gave us someone unknown or relatively unknown, we would’ve liked them straight away; but instead we get David; a pompous elitist celebrity. But it works. Because even though I didn’t like him at the beginning, I began to root for him when everything started going wrong for him.
The story pulls the reader in, sucks you in, and makes you focus on the main character and his main plot so much that you don’t really notice the actual plot of the story – which is very sneaky and well-done.
Oh and something I had in my mind throughout the novel – is the moral of the story to always read the terms and conditions?
Quotes:
But the main reason, I believe, or at least the most important reason people still read, is because books are the only opportunity we ever get to experience true empathy with another human being. To see the world through their eyes. To walk in their shoes. Even celebrity crap like I churn out, when it’s done well, offers a unique insight, a new perspective. The chance to get inside someone else’s head.
Jay Reguero, a Filipino-American teenager, travels to the Philippines after the death of his cousin. His aunt and uncle are not at all willing to talk about what happened, leaving him to piece together the mystery of how his cousin died, what the country’s going through, and how that all connects to his identity.
Content/Trigger Warning: Drug use, addiction, death, death of an animal, human trafficking (discussion of).
FIRST OF ALL, I am not Filipino, so therefore I am unable to speak about the issues addressed in the book. I recommend you search for ownvoices reviews about this book, because it deals with a very real and current and intense issue, which I do not have much knowledge of it. But I did absolutely love and adore this book, which is why I wanted to review it and talk about it.
I LIKED how the book took me along with Jay – I could feel myself sitting in the same room as him, felt his pain, shared his feelings about Jun. And that’s always a way to tell if a book is a favourite – if I am able to be in the same place as the character, if I feel what they feel. I liked seeing the Philippines, I like seeing new places and this book also deals with having to claim your identity, who you are, and what all that means. And while I can’t exactly connect with all of that, I can try to understand it.
JUN was definitely my favourite character, I did really like Jay, but the letters Jun wrote to Jay just took my heart and ran with it. There was so much of Jun that I absolutely loved – his personality, his way of speaking, the way he looked up to Jay, how he started to look at the world as he grew up. And the letters, oh my goodness, I could literally go on for about hours about the letters he wrote. Jun had so much going for him and I think one of the reasons why I like him so much is because this is a case of the character having a lot (to do in their life or a lot to look out for etc) and then by circumstances (whether they be beyond their control or social-environmental); those plans begin to fall apart.
THERE’S this trope – well, it’s sort of a trope but maybe more like a subgenre, or a subject if you will – I like (and I think I usually come across it in movies and series) where the kids/teens get justice or try to get justice. Like they see something’s wrong and they try to fix it. It’s probably because I grew up with Enid Blyton and all her books about kids solving mysteries. And this is important because so often we see things happen and adults do nothing about it and it’s the kids who decide to take action, it’s the kids who see something wrong and want to fight for the right thing. And especially now – in a world where people try to put kids or teens down because
JAY – oh my goodness this boy. I felt so much for him and he just needed to be held!! Like just let someone hold him. He wanted to know more about his family and the culture and what’s all going on. And that even though not everything in his family might be good or that the country has its wrongs and faults, he still wants to claim that identity. He still wants to learn more.
I ALREADY mentioned I spoke about the letters, but I’m going to speak about it again. I loved reading Jun’s letters to Jay. They’re little parts of him (Jun) and then you get to see Jay’s reactions to the letters – rereading them, and how he feels about Jun now and everything going on around him and it’s so good. They deserved to spend more time with each other and I’m sad they didn’t get to do that.
Content/Trigger Warning: Drug use, addiction, death, death of an animal, human trafficking (discussion of).
FIRST OF ALL, I am not Filipino, so therefore I am unable to speak about the issues addressed in the book. I recommend you search for ownvoices reviews about this book, because it deals with a very real and current and intense issue, which I do not have much knowledge of it. But I did absolutely love and adore this book, which is why I wanted to review it and talk about it.
I LIKED how the book took me along with Jay – I could feel myself sitting in the same room as him, felt his pain, shared his feelings about Jun. And that’s always a way to tell if a book is a favourite – if I am able to be in the same place as the character, if I feel what they feel. I liked seeing the Philippines, I like seeing new places and this book also deals with having to claim your identity, who you are, and what all that means. And while I can’t exactly connect with all of that, I can try to understand it.
JUN was definitely my favourite character, I did really like Jay, but the letters Jun wrote to Jay just took my heart and ran with it. There was so much of Jun that I absolutely loved – his personality, his way of speaking, the way he looked up to Jay, how he started to look at the world as he grew up. And the letters, oh my goodness, I could literally go on for about hours about the letters he wrote. Jun had so much going for him and I think one of the reasons why I like him so much is because this is a case of the character having a lot (to do in their life or a lot to look out for etc) and then by circumstances (whether they be beyond their control or social-environmental); those plans begin to fall apart.
THERE’S this trope – well, it’s sort of a trope but maybe more like a subgenre, or a subject if you will – I like (and I think I usually come across it in movies and series) where the kids/teens get justice or try to get justice. Like they see something’s wrong and they try to fix it. It’s probably because I grew up with Enid Blyton and all her books about kids solving mysteries. And this is important because so often we see things happen and adults do nothing about it and it’s the kids who decide to take action, it’s the kids who see something wrong and want to fight for the right thing. And especially now – in a world where people try to put kids or teens down because
JAY – oh my goodness this boy. I felt so much for him and he just needed to be held!! Like just let someone hold him. He wanted to know more about his family and the culture and what’s all going on. And that even though not everything in his family might be good or that the country has its wrongs and faults, he still wants to claim that identity. He still wants to learn more.
I ALREADY mentioned I spoke about the letters, but I’m going to speak about it again. I loved reading Jun’s letters to Jay. They’re little parts of him (Jun) and then you get to see Jay’s reactions to the letters – rereading them, and how he feels about Jun now and everything going on around him and it’s so good. They deserved to spend more time with each other and I’m sad they didn’t get to do that.
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This books is not as good as The Mortal Instruments, but good nonetheless.
