dlrosebyh's Reviews (773)

First of all, I would like to thank NetGalley for providing me an e-ARC of The Modern Girl’s Guide To Magic in exchange for an honest opinion.

Is it too controversial to say that I did not quite enjoy this? Witches are one of my favorite fantasy elements, and with a sprinkle of romance, I thought it would be everything that I wanted, but it was just not the book for me.

If you’ve read some of my reviews, you’ll know that I’m not a huge fan of the age gap trope. This novel had an icky age gap trope as Aria was only seventeen when she met Callan. As far as I could remember, the age gap was stated as a large one. So, that means Callan was already an adult (which is pretty obvious because by that time he was already a billionaire). Although nothing romantic happened with them during the first meet, Callan already described Aria as one of the most beautiful women he has ever met— and that fact alone unsettled me.

Their romance is supposed to be enemies to lovers, but again, it wasn’t. Callan already was infatuated with Aria when they met— only Aria hated Callan. And for an enemies to lovers romance, I thought their relationship was not angsty enough. Yeah, there were glances, and there was pining, walking away, but I really just didn’t feel the chemistry between the two characters. Sure, there was chemistry, but it wasn’t strong enough to make me root for them two.

For an adult novel, this felt very YA, which isn’t bad in any sort. I do love YA, so the writing style being a little YA? I didn’t mind at all. However, one trope that I noticed that this novel and almost a lot of YA novels have is the “male hero fixing the female main character” trope— and if you don’t know me, I detest that trope. I think that that trope is lazy characterization and writing in build up for a good romance. 

I know this book was supposed to be low stakes and cozy— and yeah, it was. But too low stake for my preference. I would forget that they have powers when it wasn’t mentioned. The author tried to make the ending dramatic, but it was a fail for me. Maybe the author could have added a little grain of drama before the ending (which I thought was too rushed). 

Overall, I think this book was just not for me, although it felt like a novel that BookTok will definitely adore. Although I did had a lot of critics for this novel, it wasn’t all bad. Personally, I thought that one of its strengths is its humor. I thought there were too many pop references, but it wasn’t thrown every three pages like other novels, which I appreciate.

First of all, I would like to thank NetGalley for providing me an e-ARC of Pedro and Daniel. 

Pedro and Daniel centers on two gay Mexican-American brothers who were raised in a Catholic house set during the 1960s to the 1990s. Despite the fact that the two brothers have quite different personalities, they both battle with homophobia, colorism, and abuse from their mother since she continues to hold them both to unattainable standards. 

While the other wants to be a doctor, one of the brothers wants to be a priest. They vary in that one has steadfast convictions and rarely questions much in life, while the other is enquiring. This has a significant impact on the plot because the HIV and AIDS epidemic will ultimately be the main source of conflict, and the way they looked on things will drastically change.

Character-driven stories are always hit or miss for me, but this one is clearly a hit. Reading the book was a lot like going through their thoughts. Despite the similarities between the brothers, it is clear which brother's perspective you are reading from. You watch them develop as two young brothers, drift away, and ultimately come together to battle the epidemic. Be aware that there is no romance in this book; yet, prepare to shed many tears because this is such a tearjerker.

Rose Owens is determined to keep her distance from Martin Krause when he visits her high school. Unfriendly? Maybe. Understandable? Yes, a hateful administrator intentionally harmed Rose by giving Martin her favourite world history lectures.

Even for a stubborn, guarded icy girl, keeping her distance from a guy as warm and loving as Martin will be difficult. Particularly once she starts to recognize him for the man he really is—a man who has never been taught his own worth. Fortunately, Rose is the best teacher there is, and Martin could use one.

Rose needs to learn her own lessons about vulnerability, trust, and her past. The two of them will discover over the course of one academic year just how hot it can become when an ice queen melts.

It was a terrible novel. If only I could give it 0, but even that doesn't do it justice. I want to change my nickname  right now to something other than "Rose" because it is so awful. I can't believe I have the same name as Rose Owens, who is one of the most unbearable characters I've ever read, if not the most unbearable. And I've read a lot of books. 

First of all, the fact that its previous cover was bad was already cause for concern. I know they say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but in this case, sloppy, messy, annoying, you name it, sums up the novel precisely. 

Second, do thorough study before writing about a poor character. What do you mean they wore designer clothes? Wasn’t Rose supposed to be poor? Clearly the author has white privilege. The issues at hand were "spoiled, bratty, rich, unappreciative, white girl" issues rather than "poor girl" issues.

Thirdly, despite having already ranted about Rose, I'm not yet finished. Although the author made an attempt to make her a feminist, all I perceive is white feminism. So her coworkers' sexual assaults are acceptable? And she doesn’t care due to her "cold, icy heart"? But she preaches about misogyny. It baffles me. I love grumpy characters, but if they're simply outright jerks, I’ll be the first to leave. 

Fourthly, it goes without saying that we won't forget about Martin, who is actually more of my life's antagonist rather than the novel hero (Rose and him are currently fighting for that spot). He attempted to appear so woke, yet he fell short. He made me irritated the entire book. You're telling me that this dude is 40 years old? I've encountered cis men who are fifteen years old who act more mature than him. He gave a lengthy speech about how much he loved Rose, but then abruptly left? Speak of hypocrisy. 

Finally, the writing style was just awful. Directioners from 2012 had a better writing style. The headache it gave me was severe. 

The Martial Empire punishes disobedience with death. Those who do not promise their bodies and blood to the Emperor run the possibility of seeing their loved ones put to death and losing everything they cherish. Laia lives in this harsh, ancient Rome-inspired environment along with her grandparents and older brother. The family makes do in the squalid underbelly of the Empire. They don't take the Empire on. They know what occurs to those who do it.

However, Laia is compelled to select a choice when her brother is detained for treason. She will risk her life to spy for the rebels from the Empire's top military academy in exchange for their assistance in rescuing her brother. Elias, the best soldier at the school—and secretly its least eager—meets Laia there. Elias merely wants to be free from the oppression he is being prepared to impose. He and Laia will soon understand that their fates are interwoven and that their decisions will affect the Empire's course as a whole.

I can't believe I let so much time pass before reading this book, even though I knew I would adore it. I absolutely adored it; Laia and Elias are some of the most resilient people I know, and I would die for them.

I am aware that Laia has been criticized for caving to Mazen, but how could you expect someone without a support system to respond? It goes without saying that they will turn to a kind person because their survival depends on it.

I did find Helene and Keenan fascinating because I enjoy moral ambiguity, but I despised practically everyone else. I need the next book in my hands right away since I'm so eager to read it.