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I feel broken, not sure I'll ever feel whole again. There's a helplessness Celeste Ng engenders at the end of her books; you just can't help but feel like you want to fix every character's mess once the book is ended and you've closed it. But you can't because she didn't write them to be fixed.
I'll make it known that I don't think this is a bad book, it's more that I couldn't really connect to the story or the characters and I think it mostly just reminded me why I struggle to read middle-grade. It's not objectively bad, in fact, if I were ten years younger, I probably would have adored this; just now, I look for more from the books I read! Now you're probably wondering why on earth I read this if I knew I wasn't going to enjoy it, but to be honest, I kind of thought I would. Roshani Chokshi is one of my favorite authors and I love(d?) Rick Riordan's books, so I figured her writing one of the Riordan Presents mythology books would be wonderful! And frankly, the most wonderful thing about this book was the mythology.
But anyway, another thing is that I think if I read this in a physical copy instead of an ebook on my phone, I wouldn't have found it as boring (I have a weird thing about ready fantasy as an ebook).
-Book Hugger
But anyway, another thing is that I think if I read this in a physical copy instead of an ebook on my phone, I wouldn't have found it as boring (I have a weird thing about ready fantasy as an ebook).
-Book Hugger
I'm really glad to have read this if not for the beautiful storyline, but for the history, especially as it pertains to women.
Definitely recommend!
(And thus concludes my participation in the Asian Readathon!)
-Book Hugger
Definitely recommend!
(And thus concludes my participation in the Asian Readathon!)
-Book Hugger
tbh, I'm still kind of confused about some things and I definitely preferred the first book, but this was still a lot of fun and a good, if not predictable, conclusion! def recommend :)
-Book Hugger
-Book Hugger
maybe a 4.5 if I actually did half-star ratings...
ultimately I really loved this, but it was also depressing and some parts didn't interest me as much as others.
full review to come :)
ultimately I really loved this, but it was also depressing and some parts didn't interest me as much as others.
full review to come :)
That wasn't without flaws, but it was a beautiful story and one I'm glad to have read!
I'm not going to do a really long blog review for this one, but since I received it from Netgalley, I'll sprinkle some thoughts here.
I really loved the first half, but found the transition from it to the second was a little rushed, maybe forced. The second half wasn't as interesting until the whole family was reunited at the end and then it made me tear up just a little.
This isn't the cute and sweet story I had hoped for. It's incredibly hard to read at times, especially during the graphic rape scene, and with the ultimate falling apart of their family. However, it's a beautiful story of forgiveness and love and family (blood or not) that I think is quite important. It's raw and real and I really appreciated that.
Moreover, it's also incredibly well-written. Everything feels so authentic and real and I know part of that comes from the author's personal experiences with a "second home," but also probably from innate writing skills.
But anyway, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.
-Book Hugger
I received an ARC of this from the publisher and NetGalley. This is no way impacted my review.
I'm not going to do a really long blog review for this one, but since I received it from Netgalley, I'll sprinkle some thoughts here.
I really loved the first half, but found the transition from it to the second was a little rushed, maybe forced. The second half wasn't as interesting until the whole family was reunited at the end and then it made me tear up just a little.
This isn't the cute and sweet story I had hoped for. It's incredibly hard to read at times, especially during the graphic rape scene, and with the ultimate falling apart of their family. However, it's a beautiful story of forgiveness and love and family (blood or not) that I think is quite important. It's raw and real and I really appreciated that.
Moreover, it's also incredibly well-written. Everything feels so authentic and real and I know part of that comes from the author's personal experiences with a "second home," but also probably from innate writing skills.
But anyway, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.
-Book Hugger
I received an ARC of this from the publisher and NetGalley. This is no way impacted my review.
Wow...I wasn't expecting that ending...and I'm really hoping Orso and Gregor are still alive because I'm SAD . But goodness, I love this series so much. I don't know that I fully comprehended what happened at the end so I might have to go back and reread it to get a better grasp of it. But damn.
-Book Hugger
-Book Hugger
Reading this was one of the best decisions I've ever made, holy crap
-Book Hugger
-Book Hugger
This is one of those reviews that I think really needs a note at the top. I love this book and I probably still would if I read it, but I think it's quite important to acknowledge that Rainbow Rowell is very problematic and that her LGBT+ representation in this book is quite flawed. Being bi myself, I am disappointed at her inability to use the "b" word to describe Simon's sexuality, making it seem like he can only be either gay or straight.
Also the sequel is awful, 10/10 don't recommend continuing.
--
“You were the sun, and I was crashing into you. I'd wake up every morning and think, 'This will end in flames.'”
I went into this book knowing how much I love Rainbow Rowell, knowing this is sort-of a take on Harry Potter, knowing everybody and their mom thought it was boring for the first 100+ pages. I finished it realizing that I had complete misconceptions of what it would be like.
1-It was unlike any Rainbow Rowell book I have ever read, except for the amount of kissing and romantic lines. Though, the main difference here is that those kisses and those romantic lines were said in a fantasy setting. FANTASY, GUYS. I have come to the conclusion that Rainbow Rowell can write any genre. I would read her take on a phonebook because, let's be real here, it'd be hilarious and she'd somehow make it shippable.
2-Sure, it is like Harry Potter, because essentially, this is the fan-fiction (I think?) Cath was writing in Fangirl. The book she based her fan-fiction on comes across very similar to Harry Potter, so I really was expecting a knock-off. What I wasn't expecting was a book drastically different from Harry Potter in that there are more vampires, a completely different sort-of villain, and a magic system that doesn't really resemble the Wizarding World's at all. I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe consider this a retelling of Harry Potter, given I'm 90% sure she was inspired by it (The other 10% is a safety net if I'm wrong here).
3-It was not boring. Not at all. Every second was a roller coaster I never wanted to get off. The first fifty pages are definitely an info-dump, but I didn't actually find it a boring one. Rowell's prose isn't flowery in the slightest. That means that I am not trudging through her words. The plot is simple; the writing is simple--everything I need in a book to keep the plot moving quickly.
“You have to pretend you get an endgame. You have to carry on like you will; otherwise, you can't carry on at all.”
I have a few small quibbles, but they aren't large enough for the rating to go from four to five. First, it seemed like Rowell was smashing a very long story into a box not large enough for it. That usually doesn't work. This could have been expanded into a trilogy or in the least, a duology.
Second, the spell system was just plain weird. It would have been more realistic if the spells were in Latin or at least pretty. However, I felt like Rowell just sat down to her computer and didn't put any effort whatsoever into creating the phrases.
Third, there's one thing that cannot be fixed by expanding this book: the fact that it started out too late in the story. The whole info-dump in the first fifty pages? Yeah, that's about the page seven or so years Simon and Baz spent at this school together. That can't really be fixed unless she really did copy Harry Potter and made it a seven book series. Though, my complaints about this faded once I got to the rest of the book...
So it may sound like I'm complaining here, but THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING. I couldn't put it down. Honestly, I think I carried it around with me at school that day in my arms. I finished it during my history class and could not stop grinning. One of my friends literally said, "I want a guy to look at me how she looks at her books". I was really proud of myself at that moment. God, this book though. THIS BOOK. It destroyed me, but in a good way? I don't know how to describe it. It ended so perfectly and I was just sitting there like, "I NEED MORE". Painfully, I remind the world that there is no more. No sequel. No life after this. It ended. Excuse me while I cry over a book I finished a month and a half ago. Yes, that seriously is how late I am at writing this review. I am crying over that as well.
Anyway, go read this book. There are so many mixed reviews and qualms about the plot being boring, but you might be an outlier like me! You might love the whole entire thing! Maybe the little small things won't even bother you! So give it a try!
-Book Hugger
For more reviews like this, check out my blog at http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com
Also the sequel is awful, 10/10 don't recommend continuing.
--
“You were the sun, and I was crashing into you. I'd wake up every morning and think, 'This will end in flames.'”
I went into this book knowing how much I love Rainbow Rowell, knowing this is sort-of a take on Harry Potter, knowing everybody and their mom thought it was boring for the first 100+ pages. I finished it realizing that I had complete misconceptions of what it would be like.
1-It was unlike any Rainbow Rowell book I have ever read, except for the amount of kissing and romantic lines. Though, the main difference here is that those kisses and those romantic lines were said in a fantasy setting. FANTASY, GUYS. I have come to the conclusion that Rainbow Rowell can write any genre. I would read her take on a phonebook because, let's be real here, it'd be hilarious and she'd somehow make it shippable.
2-Sure, it is like Harry Potter, because essentially, this is the fan-fiction (I think?) Cath was writing in Fangirl. The book she based her fan-fiction on comes across very similar to Harry Potter, so I really was expecting a knock-off. What I wasn't expecting was a book drastically different from Harry Potter in that there are more vampires, a completely different sort-of villain, and a magic system that doesn't really resemble the Wizarding World's at all. I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe consider this a retelling of Harry Potter, given I'm 90% sure she was inspired by it (The other 10% is a safety net if I'm wrong here).
3-It was not boring. Not at all. Every second was a roller coaster I never wanted to get off. The first fifty pages are definitely an info-dump, but I didn't actually find it a boring one. Rowell's prose isn't flowery in the slightest. That means that I am not trudging through her words. The plot is simple; the writing is simple--everything I need in a book to keep the plot moving quickly.
“You have to pretend you get an endgame. You have to carry on like you will; otherwise, you can't carry on at all.”
I have a few small quibbles, but they aren't large enough for the rating to go from four to five. First, it seemed like Rowell was smashing a very long story into a box not large enough for it. That usually doesn't work. This could have been expanded into a trilogy or in the least, a duology.
Second, the spell system was just plain weird. It would have been more realistic if the spells were in Latin or at least pretty. However, I felt like Rowell just sat down to her computer and didn't put any effort whatsoever into creating the phrases.
Third, there's one thing that cannot be fixed by expanding this book: the fact that it started out too late in the story. The whole info-dump in the first fifty pages? Yeah, that's about the page seven or so years Simon and Baz spent at this school together. That can't really be fixed unless she really did copy Harry Potter and made it a seven book series. Though, my complaints about this faded once I got to the rest of the book...
So it may sound like I'm complaining here, but THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING. I couldn't put it down. Honestly, I think I carried it around with me at school that day in my arms. I finished it during my history class and could not stop grinning. One of my friends literally said, "I want a guy to look at me how she looks at her books". I was really proud of myself at that moment. God, this book though. THIS BOOK. It destroyed me, but in a good way? I don't know how to describe it. It ended so perfectly and I was just sitting there like, "I NEED MORE". Painfully, I remind the world that there is no more. No sequel. No life after this. It ended. Excuse me while I cry over a book I finished a month and a half ago. Yes, that seriously is how late I am at writing this review. I am crying over that as well.
Anyway, go read this book. There are so many mixed reviews and qualms about the plot being boring, but you might be an outlier like me! You might love the whole entire thing! Maybe the little small things won't even bother you! So give it a try!
-Book Hugger
For more reviews like this, check out my blog at http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com
This was...better than I anticipated! Not going to do a long full review because I’m not sure I have enough thoughts for that. I definitely recommend it for fans of Radio Silence, although with that said, Radio Silence impacted me more emotionally...
I’m going to end with my two favorite quotes:
“Yeah, don’t you think that’s how high school works? You go through it with your head up your ass, making judgments about people you don’t even know, but if you can get out of your own way and make room for the people you weren’t expecting, then everything finally clicks.” She shook her head, and the smile slipped from her face. “It takes forever to find your people, and then as soon as you do, you graduate and head to different colleges. You lose each other right when you’re getting to the good stuff.”
“And I think being friends with someone should be like the concept of infinity—like you truly believe that person has no limits, and you just want to keep counting upward with them to see where they go.”
-Book Hugger
I’m going to end with my two favorite quotes:
“Yeah, don’t you think that’s how high school works? You go through it with your head up your ass, making judgments about people you don’t even know, but if you can get out of your own way and make room for the people you weren’t expecting, then everything finally clicks.” She shook her head, and the smile slipped from her face. “It takes forever to find your people, and then as soon as you do, you graduate and head to different colleges. You lose each other right when you’re getting to the good stuff.”
“And I think being friends with someone should be like the concept of infinity—like you truly believe that person has no limits, and you just want to keep counting upward with them to see where they go.”
-Book Hugger