heddas_bookgems's Reviews (490)

TW: review mentions depression and mental health

“‘No man is a failure who has friends”’

George Pratt is depressed. He is the classic example of experiencing daily grind. He thinks he is nothing if he is failing in life. When George comes across an older man he even wishes that he never was born. Never knowing that he might get what he wished for.

The Greatest Gift is a short story that inspired the ultimate classic Christmas movie It’s a Wonderful Life starring Jimmy Stewart. A favorite of many during Christmas. I never was the biggest fan of the movie, but I love reading books that inspire classic movies. So when I discovered that this novel by Philip Van Doren Stern was the source to this movie I thought I would give it a go.

The story came to be in 1938 in a dream by the author and it almost never got published. It was only after sending out seasonal greetings with this short story attached to it, that it got picked up. And I get why people fell in love with it. This short story has a wonderful positive message. It tells you that we sometimes need to take a step back to appreciate what we do have instead to focus on the things we are missing in life. I enjoyed the story, it was quick, it had funny moments and some nice motivational quotes. And in its essence it’s heartwarming. It’s not a book with multilayered characters or with attention to mental health. It even looks like you don’t have to work for your mental health. But besides that its a fun and quick seasonal classic read.

“'When people asked for my autograph, I used to write, “Stay Solid, Daisy J.” But when it was a young girl—which wasn’t often but it did happen from time to time—I used to write, “Dream big, little bird. Love, Daisy.”

This book by Taylor Jenkins Reid reads like an interview with the band members from Daisy Jones & the Six. All tell their side of their journey of becoming the biggest band of their time and the costs of achieving it.

When I started this book my expectations were sky high. I wanted to know if this book was as good as the hype made me believe. And although I needed some adjustment with reading almost a transcript kind of novel, I immediately felt the music. I saw the characters changing in rock ‘n roll stars, heard them performing and was witness of the struggles surrounding the music industry and world fame. And all the while I saw the image of Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks while reading this book; hence my reel from a few days ago.

So I did enjoyed this book a lot. It transported me to that period and I really felt submerged in the seventies surrounding their music. And still… I did miss certain things.

The romance was painfully complex and I knew I had to feel all the feels, but I didn’t completely. Maybe because of the way this novel has been told; as I did missed some multilayers into the characters.

But besides these minor details I liked it a lot. In fact I long for more books with the seventies or a rock ‘n roll band at its core. Because that, that was the strength of this book. A recording of a of stars rising and being witness of that.

“‘One must never begin a game by conceding,” he warned. “Play to win, my dear, always.”’

After Kitty’s parents have died, she and her sisters are drowning in debt. As the oldest she is responsible to take care of her family. Fortunately there has been an arranged marriage for her. But then Mr. Linfield informs her he’s not going to marry her and Kitty has to think of another plan to save her family from ruin.

A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting starts off with an epigraph from Pride and Prejudice. “Without thinking highly either of men or of matrimony, marriage had always been her object; it was the only honourable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want.” A characteristic for that period of time. And while it’s not possible to compare a classic with this novel, it does come close with a modern and quirky twist.

You know those comfort movies you watch to just believe in love and a happily ever after? Well, this is it! Reading this book it gave me the exact same feelings. It had the same structure: problem, fixing problem, surprise, bonding, conflict and…. Well no fun in spoiling the ending.
Plus side, to this book: it has a lovely, smart ahead of time female, siblings, a charismatic love interest and it’s just written excellently.
Pacing was consistent, it was funny and to the point. Was this a masterpiece like Pride and Prejudice? Maybe not, but who cares! It did the job in feeling entertained, amused and more importantly it made me feel romantic.

“There are no monsters in the world, and no saints. Only infinite shades woven into the same tapestry, light and dark. One man’s monster is another man’s beloved. The wise know that.”

After leaving the previous book The Girl in the Tower, Moscow is in flames. The only one to blame is Vasilisa. To save her self she has to flee, but then a powerful demon resurrects and they need Vasya more than ever to save her. But is she capable of saving her people?

Snow is blazing around you, you flee, leaving smoke behind you as the city burns. You feel betrayed and alone. This book started off so emotional. It completely took me by surprise and ripped my heart out. And then it started mending it and it took me on a enchanted, mythological journey of personal growth with new chyerti, a long lost love and the strength of family.
This conclusion was clearly more adult themed. Just as Vasaya had aged so had the book. And because of it the book was darker, more brutal and had more difficult and mature themes like finding oneself, getting more secure of one’s capabilities, strengthening of a romantic life, but also war and torture or philosophical themes like Christianity versus paganism.
Downside to this book was the midnight section that dragged on a bit to long for my taste and the absence of my most beloved character for almost the whole of the book, but besides this it was a wonderful cold and snowy conclusion filled with a very strong, but charming character, wonderful sibling relationships and some major battles. Highly recommend it to anyone in search of a wintery young adult/adult fantasy.

“One moment the sky above me was empty. Then there was a great golden light on everything and the noise of great wings beating, like the whirring of a pheasant’s wings in flight.”

In Assassins Quest we follow Fitz, in his, with interspersed feelings of revenge, adventure. Trying to save the Six Duchies from his brutal uncle Regal.

My last review for the already finished Readathon: my buddyread with @booksandrollercoasters, Assassins Quest. I know that quite a few fantasy readers don’t like this last installment of the Farseer Trilogy. And I get the criticism. It’s a chunker (this book is even bigger than Royal Assassin), it’s maybe even too long, it’s overly descriptive and the pacing is slow, to very slow. And yet… I never had the feeling reading a book thinking “I don’t want it to end!” until now. Because I simply adore these characters. They are forever embedded in my heart. The always so loyal and even funny wolf Nighteyes, the grumpy ‘old’ Burrich with his heart of gold, the newly introduced mysterious, but so quirky, Lady Kettle and the charming minstrel Starling and off course the philosophical Fool and Fitz himself.
Besides, the book knew to surprise me with answers to questions I wanted to see answered and even discussing themes like gender, which I didn’t expected in high fantasy from the nineties.
Did we get all the answers or were the answers elaborate. Maybe not, but where others might see plotholes I see potential for more exploration of the Elderling Universe. And to be honest I can’t wait to dive into this universe again.

“The thing about the Mirror is that no one knows where it is. In fact, no one knows what it is.”"It’s a mirror,” Simon said. “You know – reflective, glass. I’m just assuming.”

In City of Glass we continue the story of a love that cannot be, the search for a remedy to awaken Clary’s mother, chaos due to the rise of power from Valentine and a hard decision that has to be made in Idris about fighting with or against the so detested downworlders.

I have been saying I want to read further in The Mortal Instruments OVER and over and because of our Unfinished Business Readathon I finally made some progress again. And I must say, this was my favorite of the serie up until now. Maybe that a change of scenery did the trick, or the introduction of new characters or maybe because we got more answers in the why and how of Valentines schemes.
Besides, I loved the big portion of storylines we got with Simon, Jace and Sebastian. All of these characters have a certain humor that I just thrive on. I know that a lot of you aren’t big fans of Jace, but I love that sarcastic kind of humor that is just a mask for a big, big insecurity.
In addition to the characters o found that the pacing of this book just was in point. It took enough time to explain, it had a lot of twists, some tears, some mild spice and it had huge battles too. All in all I enjoyed this book and can’t wait to start the next one.

“She was a goddess. She was a monster. She‘d nearly destroyed this country. And then she‘d given it one last, gasping chance to live.”

After major battles against foreign invaders, Rin wants to return to the southern provinces, her home village Tikany, to save them from oppression. But when she finally returns, Rin is confronted with hard decisions and interesting chances.

I finally did it! I finished it! And I did it all alone. Joking aside, finishing this monster of a book and with it the complete Poppy War Trilogy, did feel like a little victory. Because these books are huge, mortal, they hack and slash on your heart and in the meanwhile confuse you with battle war tactics and who to trust.
The Poppy War have been a praised series. It was groundbreaking how Kuang combined Chinese history with a thrilling fantasy that doesn’t shy of terrors, war crimes and betrayal. And while this is the case, I have wondered why this series needed three volumes. Yes, it resulted in a very deep connection to the characters, but it also felt repetitive at some times. I get that the real Opium Wars lasted like forever, but sometimes it felt like these books established the same war fatigue.
But yes, this book tied up all lose ends, it had major plot twists, it had a fast pace and was action packed. And because of this I quite enjoyed it. And still I wondered couldn’t it be a bit shorter?

“Every person in the crowd presses the three middle fingers of their left hand against their lips and extends them to me. It’s our sign from District 12, the last good-bye I gave Rue in the arena.”

Catching Fire, the sequel in The Hunger Games Trilogy. After Katniss and Peeta survived the arena, the Capitol fears an uprising. To prevent this president Snow threatens Katniss’ family. She has to convince whole of Panem that her action in the arena wasn’t meant as an rebellious act, but only to save the love of her life.

When I read the first book in this trilogy I completely fell in love and loved it even more than the movies. It was such a good dystopian book about oppression and even feminism in young adult form. And this second book in the trilogy didn’t disappoint either. Even despite it being more character driven. Because it had a even bigger cast of characters then next time. It had (almost) all of my favorite characters and it introduced all new ones too.
Next to the characters, it kindled the fire for the rebellion and dived deeper into the aspects of revolution. It showed about the fear for the oppressor, desperation of oppressors to loose grip on the population and the hunger for resistance despite being afraid. And this all with a young adult sauce. I loved every bit of it, but because the balance felt a little off, starting the arena bit only in the last third of the book it resulted in four stars instead of five. But even with this minor disappointment it was a marvelous read.

“She did not know that the wolf was a wicked sort of animal, and she was not afraid of him.”

Who’s scared of the big bad wolf? Well, in this case Red Riding Hood aka Scarlet isn’t. In the second book from The Lunar Chronicles we follow the farmers Scarlet Benoit and her grandmother. But soon her grandmother, is suddenly gone missing. Scarlet will do anything to find her. Even team up with Wolf, someone she just met that looks dangerous and mysterious. Can he even be trusted?

This book was a quick and easy read. That kind of book that doesn’t really demands much from you, but is still very enjoyable. It had everything from fairytale magic, sci-fi, glamor, to cute crushes and snarky banter. Although this felt somewhat different than Cinder, Scarlet being totally different than Cinder, it still breathed the same atmosphere. Because of that, it still felt like coming home to a cozy and snug place.

Besides this we also met some new, fun characters. Like, can we have a moment for how fun Thorne and Wolf were? I loved the snarky and arrogant Thorne and the chemistry he and a Cinder had. And I also adored the sort of timid and loyal Wolf.

Usually I love retellings and this book was a lovely one. It was so much fun to see all the elements that we know off Red Ridding Hood come to life in such a different, but still so much fun and thrilling way. Ans the ending makes you want to read the next part immediately. I can’t wait to see how the story further develops in Cress.

“Happy endings can be caught, but they are difficult to hold on to. They are dreams that want to escape the night. They are treasure with wings. They are wild, feral, reckless things that need to be constantly chased, or they will certainly run away.”

In the sequel of Once Upon a Broken Heart, Evangeline Fox has but one wish. Cure her poisoned husband, Prince Apollo in a chance off true love. A dilemma arises when the Prince of Hearts, Jacks, offers her the solution in exchange for help with the Valory Arch. But she is certain, she can’t ever trust Jacks again.

Once Upon a Broken Heart was magical and whimsical, but I felt I missed something. I needed more worldbuilding, more character building and I wanted more depth. And in the second book I got a little what I asked for.
The fairytale history of Valor and Jacks was broadened. There still was only a small backstory from Jacks or the portal, but I did love the extra bits we did get. Jacks got more multilayered, discovering more and more of his past.
Besides that, this fairytale had magic, it was mysterious, it was eerie, it had vampires and court intriges, it had a scavenger hunt a hint of a love triangle and enemies to lovers.
And yeah, Evangeline, her heart was fickle. Some might even say “girl, get it together”, but when I was as young as her I loved every boy that gave me the feeling that they liked me in a minute too. So, considering this is YA, this felt very fitting and true to reality.
Did this book surprise me with its plot twists? Not really, I felt it coming from a distance, but sometimes we don’t need oohs and aahs to enjoy a book. Because The Ballad of Never After was just great. An enjoyable read with a nice fairytale of true love.