greyys_libraryy's Reviews (184)

 I had already known about the troubled teen industry before reading this book. I had heard the stories of survivors on TikTok, but I hadn’t heard of an account in such detail until this book. it was an eye-opener for me about how easily parents can be misguided in the hopes of helping their children and that there are people truly willing to profit off of that manipulation. Elizabeth went through horrors for years, and in the end, her parents were still under the belief that they might have benefitted her. Toward the end of the story you began to realize the toll that it had on her through her own traumas and experiences, but also of the friends she had made while she was there. 

I would give this a 5/5 and encourage everyone, especially parents, to give this a read. 

This book was better than i expected it to due to how much i live the movie. I found that the movie had been pretty spot on which made the book all that more enjoyable. I liked the characters and Caspian a lot as well as the overall plot of the book.

it was kind of boring

 Cafè Con Lychee was such a sweet and simple read. I thought the development of the plot and the characters was amazing and true. I loved the nods to culture and traditional norms. There was the dad that was masculine and felt that femininity in men was negative, but also with the other family the standards that many younger siblings feel to live up to their older ones. There was a struggle between both families as the two kids worked together to save each other's shops. I can’t say too much without spoiling the book, but it’s worth the read. I was so into it that I read it all over a weekend. 

I would read this again, especially in the summer. Even though it’s primarily set in the fall, it feels like a summer book. I give it a solid 4/5. 

The Secret history is a book that I didn't enjoy the first time around, but LOVED the second. The premise of the book was interesting, but the execution could have been better done. I think some of the details and scenes in the book were thoroughly uneeded, and give nothing towards either plot not characterization. It does raise an interesting question though would you do something just because you can get away with it? I liked how we s refers learned more about the characters and working dynamics within the group as Richard did, and growing to the same feelings and opinions as him.

To start off, Babel was an insanely dense read. The beginning of the book is relatively slow, starting with Robin's time with Professor Lovell and his studies. The readers learn about languages with Robin, making it at times feel like a textbook disguised as a fiction book. It will eventually morph into Robin’s time at Oxford and at Babel. Again, it feels as though you are being force-fed linguistics having a little background on the subject, but you can’t skip it because it still is integral to the plot. Once Robin becomes wrapped up in the mysterious Hermes group is when the book really starts to pick up. Robin begins to hear conflicting stories and is able to think for himself. 

Kuang does an excellent job showing the themes of the book. While I would not have written the themes of racism and colonialism as strongly as she did, I think it was important for the plot and for readers who may not relate to Robin to understand where he is coming from. 

All of Kuang’s characters are so well-written and three-dimensional. Each character has their own backstory. While many Babel scholars of color all have similar stories of being taken from their homeland by white Professors strictly for their language skills, they still have a uniqueness to their stories. Their stories aid them in the choices they make throughout the book, and the differences can be seen more and more the closer you get to the end. 

The pacing is much like a movie. it is slow at the beginning, getting you equipt to the characters, the magic laws, and the themes. But as you get closer to the end the pace begins to get quicker and quicker. 

This book would be a good read for anyone who likes historical settings but can handle the difficult topics of racism and colonialism. I think it’s a good book, especially for people who may not understand the significance of the experience of people of color, especially in predominantly white areas.

I give the book a solid 5/5

Radio Apocalypse exceeded my expectations. I picked up the book because I thought it was a cool concept and because the cover looked cool. I hadn't even read the full synopsis before buying it. But as soon as I started reading it, it was hard to stop. I would become so involved in the story that I couldn't feel time passing around me.

The plot and formatting were so well written. I liked being able to read what was happening from Rachel's point of view and being able to hear her inner thoughts. And then being able to hear Lauren’s point of view through her broadcast as Lota. it was a good perspective because through each it was an uncensored thought process, while with Lots it was a tad more censored only because she was broadcasting on the radio. 

The plot of the two slowly learning about each other was something that I welcomed, but hadn't expected. For some reason I had gone into the book expecting them to both still think they're the last person alive by the end of it. Maybe it was because I had recently finished The Picture of Dorian Gray and was still stuck in the mindset of a semi-morbid ending.

The world-building was amazing, as were the monsters described throughout. I would have LOVED to see some sketches of the monsters on the pages.

I rate this a 5/5 and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in sci-fi, horror, queer romance read.

The Horse and His Boy was honestly more enjoyable than i thought it would be. I liked seeing how Narnia was through the Golden Age, but also making it clear that Narnia was only one section of the world rather than the whole world. I honestly didn't love any of the characters, i felt that they were kind of flat. But it was still an enjoyable read with a nice plot. The idea of the plot was this boy and his horse escaping to Narnia. It was a fun little adventure read. I think it would be most enjoyable for young kids due to the flat characters, but I still liked it.

 The Picture of Dorian Gray wasn’t what I was expecting it to be, but it was good nonetheless. I thought the story was medium-slow-paced, and there were areas where it lulled. Some chapters were, in my opinion, filler and unnecessary. Despite this, the book was still very enjoyable. I believe that many of the characters were made to specifically be unlikeable, to show the time that it took place in. During that time period, the nihilism period was beginning. That was the idea that life had no real meaning and that there was no true value to it. I think this can be seen in the behaviors of Dorian. 

To me, Dorian was an unlikeable character, but I loved the story anyways. The themes of art and youth went hand in hand with the portrait that changed as he became older. I think the misconception is that the photo aged with him, but from what I figured out the photo aged with his “sins”. 

The theme of homosexuality was not as blatant as I had expected and as people made it out to be. It is not an erotic gay love story as many people say it is, it’s a very subtle theme that you would miss if you weren’t looking for it. I thought it almost made it more intimate than some of the stories now that have more of that theme. 

I would recommend this book to anyone. I think it’s a good classic to start with.