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lisashelves's Reviews (976)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars
The Kingdom of Back is a historical fiction about Nannerl Mozart, the older sister of Wolfgang, who has the wish to be remembered forever.
This story is super fascinating! From the very first sentence I was hooked. The book has been on my shelves for some time, and I’ve read it as part of a readathon this month. I had completely forgotten what it was about, and I was pleasantly surprised when I started this book. Since I knew nothing of Mozart having a sister, I thought it was complete fiction, but after learning he really did have a sister, I looked at the book different. The fact that this book is based on the fantasy world the siblings had come up with during the long traveling days was amazing to me.
This book combines historical fiction, the feelings of a woman in 18th century Europa and all that happened around her, with fantasy. The fantasy aspect came later in this book and was woven in quite beautifully. I didn’t understand why she did this fairy tale like quests at the beginning, but it came together wonderfully at the end.
The unfairness of being a woman and all the things you couldn’t do “as a woman” in that time really made me keep on reading. I kept hoping for Nannerl that everything would come together, and her dream would come true. I was angered, frustrated and saddened reading about the struggles she went through.
Overall, I really liked this book and had a hard time putting it away. The magical feeling reading about the music the Mozart sibling made in this book had me playing classical music throughout reading it. I also think not knowing what to expect when starting this book really made it that much better!
The Kingdom of Back is a historical fiction about Nannerl Mozart, the older sister of Wolfgang, who has the wish to be remembered forever.
This story is super fascinating! From the very first sentence I was hooked. The book has been on my shelves for some time, and I’ve read it as part of a readathon this month. I had completely forgotten what it was about, and I was pleasantly surprised when I started this book. Since I knew nothing of Mozart having a sister, I thought it was complete fiction, but after learning he really did have a sister, I looked at the book different. The fact that this book is based on the fantasy world the siblings had come up with during the long traveling days was amazing to me.
This book combines historical fiction, the feelings of a woman in 18th century Europa and all that happened around her, with fantasy. The fantasy aspect came later in this book and was woven in quite beautifully. I didn’t understand why she did this fairy tale like quests at the beginning, but it came together wonderfully at the end.
The unfairness of being a woman and all the things you couldn’t do “as a woman” in that time really made me keep on reading. I kept hoping for Nannerl that everything would come together, and her dream would come true. I was angered, frustrated and saddened reading about the struggles she went through.
Overall, I really liked this book and had a hard time putting it away. The magical feeling reading about the music the Mozart sibling made in this book had me playing classical music throughout reading it. I also think not knowing what to expect when starting this book really made it that much better!
⭐️⭐️/ 2 stars
The Hole is a psychological thriller about Oghi, a man who has lost everything in a car crash that leaves him unable to move.
The story feels more like fiction than horror to me. For me, a horror story makes me feel fear and often makes my heart race. This book didn't, I often times felt unpleasant by whatever was happening. The supposed horror, I think, was really subtle and shown through the actions of some.
The story is also really short and the way of telling the story didn't really work for me. Oghi is the only character who has a name and is spoken to by that name. All the others have a "title" instead; the wife, the mother-in-law etcetera. Because of this the characters seemed like people mentioned in passing instead of important characters to the story.
I also really feel like I was missing an important point of this book. I understood the part about loneliness and dark truths we sometimes want to bury, but it still feels like I missed it. Like their was an underlying point to this book that I should've understood and didn't. Maybe some point were a bit lost in translating the book to English. Also the ending came really abrupt to me and for me, it felt like that shouldn't have been the end. It almost felt like the story ending in the middle of a sentence.
Overall, the book didn't really work out for me. I wanted to try something different from my normal reads, and sadly it didn't really work out. While it was still interesting to read, it just didn't click for me.
The Hole is a psychological thriller about Oghi, a man who has lost everything in a car crash that leaves him unable to move.
The story feels more like fiction than horror to me. For me, a horror story makes me feel fear and often makes my heart race. This book didn't, I often times felt unpleasant by whatever was happening. The supposed horror, I think, was really subtle and shown through the actions of some.
The story is also really short and the way of telling the story didn't really work for me. Oghi is the only character who has a name and is spoken to by that name. All the others have a "title" instead; the wife, the mother-in-law etcetera. Because of this the characters seemed like people mentioned in passing instead of important characters to the story.
I also really feel like I was missing an important point of this book. I understood the part about loneliness and dark truths we sometimes want to bury, but it still feels like I missed it. Like their was an underlying point to this book that I should've understood and didn't. Maybe some point were a bit lost in translating the book to English. Also the ending came really abrupt to me and for me, it felt like that shouldn't have been the end. It almost felt like the story ending in the middle of a sentence.
Overall, the book didn't really work out for me. I wanted to try something different from my normal reads, and sadly it didn't really work out. While it was still interesting to read, it just didn't click for me.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars
Where Dreams Descend is the first in a new fantasy series about a fierce female magician abandoning everything she’s ever known for a shot at greatness.
This book is fun, it’s daring, it’s dark and has everything that you’d expect from a book about magic shows. I loved the showmanship and magic in this book! The magic was super interesting
The manipulation, secrets, the mystery, everything had me hooked from the beginning. The chapters from the master giving only glimpses and little hints kept me on my toes and turning the pages! And don’t get me started on the ending! I kept hoping for the book to have more pages, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case and I have to wait until the second book releases. All the questions you gave swimming in your head don’t get answers with the ending, you get even more questions about everything!
Kallia is an ambitious skilled magician who knows what she wants and doesn’t let anyone stop her. I loved her confidence, sass, and the vibes she gives. Just ready to prove anyone wrong, she’s amazing. Jack was someone I thought would be more in the book but didn’t miss. He was and wasn’t what I had expected, and I loved that. I also really enjoyed Aaros’ mischievousness and quick thinking. Also, the romance in this book *chef’s kiss*!
The writing was just stunning, and the aesthetic of this book is super rich. The setting, emotions, tension and writing all contributed to this being an amazing read. I loved how the show magic wasn’t the magic we’re used to when we think of magicians doing magic shows. The world-building was quite vague, but in a way that made the world spectacular and more mysterious than it already seemed.
Overall, Where Dreams Descend is a promising, exhilarating, mysterious and dazzling read that I couldn’t put down. It gave me endless questions and I can’t wait for the second book to finally give me answers!
Where Dreams Descend is the first in a new fantasy series about a fierce female magician abandoning everything she’s ever known for a shot at greatness.
This book is fun, it’s daring, it’s dark and has everything that you’d expect from a book about magic shows. I loved the showmanship and magic in this book! The magic was super interesting
The manipulation, secrets, the mystery, everything had me hooked from the beginning. The chapters from the master giving only glimpses and little hints kept me on my toes and turning the pages! And don’t get me started on the ending! I kept hoping for the book to have more pages, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case and I have to wait until the second book releases. All the questions you gave swimming in your head don’t get answers with the ending, you get even more questions about everything!
Kallia is an ambitious skilled magician who knows what she wants and doesn’t let anyone stop her. I loved her confidence, sass, and the vibes she gives. Just ready to prove anyone wrong, she’s amazing. Jack was someone I thought would be more in the book but didn’t miss. He was and wasn’t what I had expected, and I loved that. I also really enjoyed Aaros’ mischievousness and quick thinking. Also, the romance in this book *chef’s kiss*!
The writing was just stunning, and the aesthetic of this book is super rich. The setting, emotions, tension and writing all contributed to this being an amazing read. I loved how the show magic wasn’t the magic we’re used to when we think of magicians doing magic shows. The world-building was quite vague, but in a way that made the world spectacular and more mysterious than it already seemed.
Overall, Where Dreams Descend is a promising, exhilarating, mysterious and dazzling read that I couldn’t put down. It gave me endless questions and I can’t wait for the second book to finally give me answers!
⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 3 stars
Witches Steeped in Gold is about two rival witches forming an alliance to take down a common enemy.
I loved the Jamaican influence, diversity and representation that give the story its power and the world building was stunning albeit a bit lacking. I would’ve loved to explore the world and its magic system more. The orders and some terms didn’t make much sense to me until the latter half of the book. Maybe if a glossary was added that wouldn’t have been a problem.
The writing was okay, but I had issues in the beginning keeping the POV’s apart. Maybe this was one of the reasons this book was such a slow read. I sometimes had trouble concentrating and had to reread pages more times than I can count. The plot was also so slow, and a lot of chapters felt like fillers. I’d expected more action and twists throughout the book, not only at the end, which felt rushed.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the ending. The twist made no sense to me, and the characters seemed to act out of character. It was very confusing for me. It almost made me wonder if they acted like that on their own or “had help”.
I liked how the characters were more like antiheroes and mortally grey. I can’t help but root for Jazmyne. Ira was a bit annoying and made many decisions I didn’t understand. I would’ve liked to see more of them working together or even being in the same room and conversion together, as that didn’t really happen.
Overall, it was an average book for me that I had more hope for. I will be picking up the sequel and see where the story goes.
Witches Steeped in Gold is about two rival witches forming an alliance to take down a common enemy.
I loved the Jamaican influence, diversity and representation that give the story its power and the world building was stunning albeit a bit lacking. I would’ve loved to explore the world and its magic system more. The orders and some terms didn’t make much sense to me until the latter half of the book. Maybe if a glossary was added that wouldn’t have been a problem.
The writing was okay, but I had issues in the beginning keeping the POV’s apart. Maybe this was one of the reasons this book was such a slow read. I sometimes had trouble concentrating and had to reread pages more times than I can count. The plot was also so slow, and a lot of chapters felt like fillers. I’d expected more action and twists throughout the book, not only at the end, which felt rushed.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the ending. The twist made no sense to me, and the characters seemed to act out of character. It was very confusing for me. It almost made me wonder if they acted like that on their own or “had help”.
I liked how the characters were more like antiheroes and mortally grey. I can’t help but root for Jazmyne. Ira was a bit annoying and made many decisions I didn’t understand. I would’ve liked to see more of them working together or even being in the same room and conversion together, as that didn’t really happen.
Overall, it was an average book for me that I had more hope for. I will be picking up the sequel and see where the story goes.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars
K-POP Confidential is a story about Candace, a Korean American teen going to Seoul to follow her dream of becoming an idol.
This book is fast-paced and engaging. I flew through this book and loved every minute of is. I loved the genuine look at K-POP trainee programs and the real, raw reality of what it’s like. This book doesn’t sugarcoat anything, and I loved that about it. Everything felt real. Candace’s narrative was witty and raw, and I enjoyed reading from her perspective.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the love triangle happened in this book but liked the end pairing. It was sweet and refreshing to read, although I would’ve liked for it to be a bit less Insta-love.
I loved the characters. Candace was witty and funny. Helena was savage, Binna was fierce and YoungBae was sweet. I loved the dynamics and how the characters fit together. They all had their distinguished personality and were well developed.
The drama, as typical in Korean drama’s, was amazing. The intensity of it all was amazing. There was a bit girl-on-girl hate that wasn’t really necessary. The clichés and everything made the whole book more complete, and I loved it. The book was a bit predictable, but it didn’t bother me. I liked that most of my guesses were correct, but the twist at the end was the best of all. I didn’t see it coming and the
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. It was funny, exciting and the ending nearly killed me. Having to wait for the sequel to come out is going to be torturous!
K-POP Confidential is a story about Candace, a Korean American teen going to Seoul to follow her dream of becoming an idol.
This book is fast-paced and engaging. I flew through this book and loved every minute of is. I loved the genuine look at K-POP trainee programs and the real, raw reality of what it’s like. This book doesn’t sugarcoat anything, and I loved that about it. Everything felt real. Candace’s narrative was witty and raw, and I enjoyed reading from her perspective.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the love triangle happened in this book but liked the end pairing. It was sweet and refreshing to read, although I would’ve liked for it to be a bit less Insta-love.
I loved the characters. Candace was witty and funny. Helena was savage, Binna was fierce and YoungBae was sweet. I loved the dynamics and how the characters fit together. They all had their distinguished personality and were well developed.
The drama, as typical in Korean drama’s, was amazing. The intensity of it all was amazing. There was a bit girl-on-girl hate that wasn’t really necessary. The clichés and everything made the whole book more complete, and I loved it. The book was a bit predictable, but it didn’t bother me. I liked that most of my guesses were correct, but the twist at the end was the best of all. I didn’t see it coming and the
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. It was funny, exciting and the ending nearly killed me. Having to wait for the sequel to come out is going to be torturous!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars
The Cousins is a story where three cousins, who haven’t spoken for years, suddenly get together to work the summer at their estranged grandma’s resort.
As to be expected, it was full of twists and turns all the way through! The over-the-top drama was compelling and I was so into finding out all the deepest secrets.
The multiple twists exposed during the story were amazing and kept me on my toes. I loved how not only the ending was one bit explosion but the whole book in itself. From the very beginning you’re thrown into the deep secrets of the Story family. I loved the pace, story telling and well developed characterisations.
Milly, Aubrey and Jonah were each unique, with their own insecurities and hang-ups. I liked how their relationship evolved during the book.
There are also chapters from Milly’s mom, in the summer leading up to them being disinherited. At first I didn’t understand the significance of these chapters, but at the end it all came together perfectly in a startling conclusion.
Overall, it was a super quick and fun read. As expected of McManus’ novels, it was twisty and had me guessing until the very last second!
The Cousins is a story where three cousins, who haven’t spoken for years, suddenly get together to work the summer at their estranged grandma’s resort.
As to be expected, it was full of twists and turns all the way through! The over-the-top drama was compelling and I was so into finding out all the deepest secrets.
The multiple twists exposed during the story were amazing and kept me on my toes. I loved how not only the ending was one bit explosion but the whole book in itself. From the very beginning you’re thrown into the deep secrets of the Story family. I loved the pace, story telling and well developed characterisations.
Milly, Aubrey and Jonah were each unique, with their own insecurities and hang-ups. I liked how their relationship evolved during the book.
There are also chapters from Milly’s mom, in the summer leading up to them being disinherited. At first I didn’t understand the significance of these chapters, but at the end it all came together perfectly in a startling conclusion.
Overall, it was a super quick and fun read. As expected of McManus’ novels, it was twisty and had me guessing until the very last second!