kellysrambles's Reviews (619)

3.5 stars 

A short, fast-paced horror story that had me gripped. In a short number of pages, Cynthia Murphy manages to create a creepy atmosphere at the camp, provides characters with layers and produces a good plot twist.

How is it possible to enjoy a book SO much whilst simultaneously despising the protagonist? 

I’m not sure I’ve enjoyed disliking someone as much as June. She is relentlessly self-centred and her ability to convince even herself that she has done no wrong was unbelievable. But there was something absolutely addictive about this book - I couldn’t put it down! 

Kuang doesn’t hold back with insights into how the world of publishing works and the influence of social media and blogging communities. There is a huge amount of discussion that is triggered from this book and I don’t doubt it will be talked about for years to come - an exceptionally clever novel! 

Thank you to Borough Press, R F Kuang and NetGalley for my early review copy in exchange of a fair and honest (late) review. 

You Could Be So Pretty is a dystopian novel which is scarily similar to our own society. I was hooked from the very beginning as I learned to navigate the world of the Doctrine. 

This book is addictive, fast-paced and doesn’t hold back. A world where misogyny is both accepted and encouraged at the expense of women - of course it’s the woman’s fault if she is sexualised for  looking so good, in fact, it’s a compliment, right? 

You can be a Pretty and spend your time endlessly applying your Mask, uploading images to the Ranking and making sure you keep up with Body Prayer and don’t eat too much Sin. Or you can be an Objectionable and choose not to indulge in a life of Masking. 

The power of being either Pretty or Objectionable is what is so well explored in this book. The idea that looking a certain way is the only way to be successful. The idea that being Pretty means people will listen but being an Objectionable means people can barely look at you, let alone listen to what you have to say. 

Joni and Belle are two of my new favourite protagonists and I feel like I’ve been on a real journey with them both in this book. From being opposites to needing each other more than they think, their journey into friendship really gets you thinking as they both need to face up to societal expectations in different ways. 

This is a book which will provoke numerous emotions: awe, sadness, anger, guilt, envy. It is so cleverly written and one I will be sharing with as many people as possible! 

Thank you to Usborne, Holly Bourne and NetGalley for my early review copy in exchange of a fair and honest review. 

A magical adventure from start to finish, packed full of action, myths, legends and Earth magic. I adored the power of nature in this book and how this is woven so tightly through this first book in what is sure to be an epic trilogy from Kiran Millwood Hargrove. 

The world is brought to life on the page with vivid descriptions and characters to love, loathe and root for. I loved the relationships and respect between animals and humans from Nara the sea hawk to the many wolves. There were definitely a few tear jerking moments too! 

Ysolda is a wonderful protagonist: ambitious, determined and loving. I also really liked many of the side characters and hope we’ll see more of Eira and Hari in future instalments! 

The Welsh person in me does also need to say how much I enjoyed there (unexpectedly) being so many Welsh links to names and vocabulary in this book too - things like this always make my heart sing! 

Fast-paced and magical from beginning to end, I loved this new adventure and can’t wait to see what will happen next! 

Thank you to Hachette, Kiran Millwood Hargrave and NetGalley for my early review copy in exchange of a fair and honest review. 

There were definitely things I liked about this book:

- it is diverse
- the Podcast
- the mystery itself is interesting and keeps you reading
- there are plenty of twists and turns
- I didn’t see the reveal coming

For me the characters just fell a little flat and I didn’t really find myself caring a huge amount for them which meant I felt less invested in the actual plot. 

I am sure plenty of people will really enjoy this YA thriller but in my opinion there are better ones out there. 

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my early copy in exchange of a fair and honest review. 

Every Exquisite Thing is exactly as it says on the cover: exquisite in every way. A sapphic, dark academia retelling of Dorian Gray which delivers a real punch to the gut. Think mysterious school, sentient portraits, compelling mystery and complex characters with powerful emotion. 

Penny is starting at the magnificent Dorian Academy in her pursuit to become an actress. Having lived in the shadow of her famous actress mom all her life, this is Penny’s chance to really make her mother proud. A mother who is cold and quite frankly callous to her daughter, showing little care or love no matter how hard Penny tries to impress her. 

Upon securing a lead role in Macbeth, Penny starts mentoring with the infamous Orlagh Camran who offers Penny an opportunity not to be missed: to have her portrait painted by the mysterious Masked Painter. A portrait that will immortalise Penny forever - but at what cost? 

From here Penny’s world unravels as she comes to terms with the consequences of her deal with the ‘devil’. Little does she know how much her own fate will become intertwined with her new enemy: the ‘barbed wire’ Davina. 

“I was so perfect before the world told me otherwise.” 

I loved the exploration of beauty standards, power and self-worth in this book. Penny’s journey through self-loathing and self-loving made me feel so many different emotions and I think Laura Steven has done a spectacular job with her character. 

Full of complex, layered characters with a compelling, addictive storyline, I can confidently say that Every Exquisite Thing is going to be HUGE when it hits shelves in September. Get your preorders in now - you won’t want to miss this! 

Thank you to Farshore Books, Laura Steven and NetGalley for my early review copy in exchange of a fair and honest review. 

There’s always a danger with such a hyped book that it won’t live up to expectations but Fourth Wing absolutely managed it and even exceeded them! 

🐉 Military training school 

🐉 Ferocious dragons

🐉 Loyalty and betrayal

🐉 Magical powers

🐉 Breathtaking battles

Violet is a fantastic protagonist and I loved reading this from her POV. She forges loyal friendships, makes multiple enemies, gets down and dirty, has complicated family relationships and ultimately proves everyone wrong (even herself). Her and Tairn were definitely my favourites from beginning to end! 

Needless to say I flipping LOVED this book! It has everything I love about a fantasy novel: dragons, magic, friendships, rivalries, lust, mythology, battles and a jaw dropping ending! Give me Iron Flame NOW! 🐉🔥

First up, this book is fantastic. It is a timely look at our society, violence against women, finding your inner strength and voice alongside the fear and rage felt by many women. 

Em is having what can only be described as a seriously bad day. Every time I thought it couldn’t get worse, it did. Whether it was losing her job, missing a flight, tube strikes or the sexist remarks, men pushing their weight around, not to mention the serial killer on the loose… it is a BAD day. Whilst this book doesn’t shy away from the negatives, there are still moments of kindness and certain characters who come to Em’s rescue. 

I liked the inclusion of social media posting scattered throughout the novel too. It made it feel so real and of course added in the element of people sharing their online views about things - the good, the bad and the very ugly. 

The writing is excellent. I could feel Em’s desperation in my own chest as she stumbled her way across London in the stifling heatwave. I felt her frustration at the little things and when she finally snapped, I got it. There is only so much one woman can take after all. 

You can feel Em’s anger emanate through each page of this book. As the story develops things become increasingly tense, culminating in one of those WOW endings that has me wanting more! 

Thank you to Headline, Natali Simmonds and NetGalley for my early review copy in exchange of a fair and honest review. 

I was really hopeful for this one but found it kind of underwhelming. I couldn’t decide if this was supposed to be entirely parody/outrageous humour or a series murder mystery. I’d have loved either separately but the mix of both together just didn’t work for me on this occasion. 

There were definitely moments that had me chuckling but also moments that I found entirely cringey or kind of boring. I found myself skimming over sections as I wanted to see how it would all pan out but I also didn’t feel very invested. 

A brilliant wrap up to this fab series! A final adventure with Billy, Spark and all of their human and dragon friends. Messages of friendship and kindness are seamlessly woven into this series and I love it. There are new baddies and plenty of action across the realms as they fight to bring humans and dragons together!