maxines_obsessions's Reviews (701)

DNF at almost 50%

DNF at 20%

I absolutely loved the premise and the setting. It was vivid and lush. I loved the characters at the beginning. I just guess it didn't go where I expected. By the end the characters seemed very inconsistent in their behaviour and I absolutely hate when the conflict could have been sorted out by just having one bloody conversation.

Let me repeat though - the setting was bloody awesome.

I loved it. Well written, complex, super sciencey (yes, that's a word now), found family, learning to find yourself and love yourself, full of hope and shady corporations.
This was like a drink that you have to sip slowly and savour every flavour. I paced myself reading it, so I could take it all in.
It was an absolute masterpiece.

I was tossing up on the rating for this one. Either a 4 or 5 star read, and then I realised this book achieves exactly what it set out to do. It made me laugh out loud so many times, I couldn't put it down. I was thoroughly entertained.
As someone who has never read the original, I have no idea how much this, parody? Piss take?, stuck to the original story, but I recognised the movie Troy in it a little so imaging Brad Pitt as a fat old wanker who was so pompous and full of himself that he couldn't walk up a hill, had me giggling.
This is told from the point of view of someone who was there and couldn't shut his mouth. Every time he said something someone else would decide they wanted to kill him.

If you are after some hilarious "history", this is well worth a read.

Amari and the Night Brothers is a richly woven tale of familial love, bravery and self acceptance. This wonderful story has the power to wrap you in it's world, keeping you reading for much longer than you meant to.¶я

Amari is a driven character that has lived much of her life in her brothers shadow so she really has no idea just how exceptional she is. We get to watch her grow, learn and be brave. I think the wonderful thing about Amari is that although she faces all of these hurdles she still finds the wonder and excitement in the world. She forms deep connections with those willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, she doesn't let the hatred she faces stop her from making hard choices and getting to the bottom of the mystery. Her friendships were the absolute highlight.¶я

Full of monsters and magic B.B. Alston brings this alternate world to life, the city is vibrant, the academy is full of wonder and delight. I loved being in Amari's world with her. I was blown away by the depth of the world and the academy. The history was wonderful and written into the story in such an organic way that it never felt like a slog.¶я

There are lots of twists and turns and while I think an experienced reader will pick most from a mile away, it didn't take away from the enjoyment. Sometimes the dialogue was a little clunky, but again I still enjoyed the read.

I have to comment on this cover. It is possibly my favourite cover of 2020, even though technically it isn't released until 2021. On a side note it has been picked up and the movie is getting ready to be made. The actress Marsai Martin is such an awesome pick to play Amari.¶я

I can't do this book justice, it is an absolute treat and I hope you enjoy it with your kids.¶я

Black Witch Magic is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed and I'm not even sure why I didn't get a proper review for it out when I read it in October. It was the perfect Christmas read. The characters were adorable, the romance was sweet and fun. But it wasn't light and fluffy, the mystery throughout kept me on my toes, it was really dark in places and the way Selene is treated by the community is downright horrible.

One of my favourite things about the book is that Selene and Aiden's relationship is so awkward in places. Like the second hand embarrassment was huge in places. And they get past hard spots with conversation. That is refreshing, I hate when things could be fixed with a conversation but it never happens. It felt a lot more real than many insta love scenarios, even with all the magic thrown in.

Magic - Mystery - Romance - Libraries - Revenge

I've had a weird hankering for horror recently (very unlike me) and as I do in times of book need, I turned to NetGalley. Imagine my excitement when I got approved for The Door. I've been obsessed with short stories lately so this collection was perfect.

The Door contained some brand new stories and a couple of previoulsy released tales.

Most of the stories were set in Victoria, which is where I'm from, so it was really cool to read the fantastic descriptions of Melbourne and a couple of other beautiful towns. I will admit, the creepy level was raised because I knew the places that were mentioned. Also there is a warning at the start of the book as some pretty heavy topics are covered, like domestic abuse, child abuse and attempted suicide. Most of these stories are centred around a child, so just a heads up.

As for the stories, they started out strong. The Door was intriguing, creepy and I turned the light on at one point. Note to self, reading horror is not best saved for night time.

"The eye withdrew from the keyhole and, almost instantly, a face appeared in the frosted glass above."

This was the moment I said Get Fucked, and put the book down for five minutes because it scared the shit out of me. Just for clarification, it was a painting, there should have been no one behind the door, it wasn't a real door.
The Door was a deep dive into what it means to be alive, to actively live instead of passively existing. I thought it was a well written, inclusive story, that seemed to dive deep, considering how short the story was.

The collection continued with several beautifully written stories that I found engaging and horrifying. The slow build creep factor was high. I was really glad to have picked this one...

Until I came to the story Light in her Eyes and look, I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt, I tried to figure out if I was reading it the wrong way, but I just couldn't get passed it. I was fucking horrified and kind of disgusted. I was going to share a quote from this one just so I don't have to be the only person whose retinas were burnt, but I decided that wouldn't be fair on any unsuspecting person that reads this. I'm not even going to dive into the last story because there was a scene in it that made sure I would never ever read this author again. Not for me.

Also I feel like I should mention that besides maybe 2 of the stories, I didn't find the others scary.

So overall a couple of really well written stories followed by two stories that were beyond fucked and they tainted the entire collection for me.