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mousereads's Reviews (2.14k)
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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
DNF @ 50%
TW: domestic violence, irresponsible drug use
I had to DNF this for many reasons, but the primary reason being the domestic violence descriptions being personally triggering (unusual for me). The writing was hard for me to get into it, and there were too many characters. I found that any time I started to enjoy the plot or the story, another character of interest was introduced, and I felt distracted and swamped. Additionally, there’s a way to do multiple plot lines in a book, past and present, and this didn’t work well for me. Instead of adding to the interest, I found myself internally groaning anytime we switched plots. We also just sort of offhand mention our main character abusing pain killers and driving and that was weird.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
DNF @ 50%
TW: domestic violence, irresponsible drug use
I had to DNF this for many reasons, but the primary reason being the domestic violence descriptions being personally triggering (unusual for me). The writing was hard for me to get into it, and there were too many characters. I found that any time I started to enjoy the plot or the story, another character of interest was introduced, and I felt distracted and swamped. Additionally, there’s a way to do multiple plot lines in a book, past and present, and this didn’t work well for me. Instead of adding to the interest, I found myself internally groaning anytime we switched plots. We also just sort of offhand mention our main character abusing pain killers and driving and that was weird.
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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Read full review: 9/21/2020
This final conclusion made me incredibly emotional. I was sad to be saying goodbye to these characters. Seeing their growth made me feel proud, oddly, as if I had any hand in it. There were so many moments that brought me to tears. The way that Ginseng's grief was handled is an incredible example for children. Minette no longer knowing who she wants to be, and what that means, felt familiar. A lesson I learned only through experience, and not through books.
"When someone is grieving, the best thing you can do is let them heal on their own, and show them that you'll be there for them."
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Read full review: 9/21/2020
This final conclusion made me incredibly emotional. I was sad to be saying goodbye to these characters. Seeing their growth made me feel proud, oddly, as if I had any hand in it. There were so many moments that brought me to tears. The way that Ginseng's grief was handled is an incredible example for children. Minette no longer knowing who she wants to be, and what that means, felt familiar. A lesson I learned only through experience, and not through books.
"When someone is grieving, the best thing you can do is let them heal on their own, and show them that you'll be there for them."
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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book really nails it on the head with representation. Ciel addresses the things they directly experience, from the blunt way young people experience things. Additionally, this book is very much a contemporary slice of life look at Ciel. With that being said, I struggled with some aspects of this book. I was never quite sure how old Ciel and their friend group was. Sometimes they felt 12, sometimes (when discussing dating) they felt older. Additionally, I could not tell you distinctly the plot of this book. It felt somewhat aimless in that, things simply happened as moments, while rarely being tied together to any greater plot. If you simply want to read about a kid having fun with friends and experiencing some hard life stuff, then this book is great! If you want a book with a plot that can be followed and a satisfying conclusion, this won't be that book for you.
Perhaps this would have carried over better as a comic, which is what our author is known for. The dialogue was always incredibly fun, and slice of life tends to read better that way (in my opinion). If this book had a little bit more plot or character growth, I would say it's great for kids to read. Unfortunately, I just don't think they'd be as interested in slice of life content as adults.
However, I do have to give it credit for its conversations about non-binary trans experiences and how they differ from binary-trans experiences. As a non-binary person, I really appreciated the way that Ciel looked at things and brought them up to people. The way Ciel was bullied tugged on my heartstrings as something I've always worried about, even in my big adult age.
All in all, this was an interesting read, but I would give it 2.5/5 stars as my official rating.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book really nails it on the head with representation. Ciel addresses the things they directly experience, from the blunt way young people experience things. Additionally, this book is very much a contemporary slice of life look at Ciel. With that being said, I struggled with some aspects of this book. I was never quite sure how old Ciel and their friend group was. Sometimes they felt 12, sometimes (when discussing dating) they felt older. Additionally, I could not tell you distinctly the plot of this book. It felt somewhat aimless in that, things simply happened as moments, while rarely being tied together to any greater plot. If you simply want to read about a kid having fun with friends and experiencing some hard life stuff, then this book is great! If you want a book with a plot that can be followed and a satisfying conclusion, this won't be that book for you.
Perhaps this would have carried over better as a comic, which is what our author is known for. The dialogue was always incredibly fun, and slice of life tends to read better that way (in my opinion). If this book had a little bit more plot or character growth, I would say it's great for kids to read. Unfortunately, I just don't think they'd be as interested in slice of life content as adults.
However, I do have to give it credit for its conversations about non-binary trans experiences and how they differ from binary-trans experiences. As a non-binary person, I really appreciated the way that Ciel looked at things and brought them up to people. The way Ciel was bullied tugged on my heartstrings as something I've always worried about, even in my big adult age.
All in all, this was an interesting read, but I would give it 2.5/5 stars as my official rating.
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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Read full review: 09/25/2020
The wording of all of this can easily make you think you picked up a fantasy novel, but it is a simple high school thriller. The Red Court is a high school secret society, and you always owe them. Even after you've left high school. Ember's plan to seek revenge on them was realistic, and interesting. While her emotional turmoil never felt particularly in depth, I would say plotting a revenge scheme since middle school would probably change the way you deal with emotions.
The romance plot of this book seemed...unnecessary. There are many reasons girls seek revenge against one another, especially in high school. They don't always have to be romantic, and the fact that this was, felt short-sighted.
I think that the concept of the Red Court and the reason for Ember's revenge would have been a very good plot. However, we lose a lot of the thrilling potential in the high school drama, the unrealistic lack of consequences, and the romance sub plot. A lot of it made me want to roll my eyes, and, if this hadn't been an audiobook, I think I would have struggled to get through it.
This is a 3.5/5 star rating for me, because I still feel like I wanted more out of it.
Full review: 9/25/2020
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Read full review: 09/25/2020
The wording of all of this can easily make you think you picked up a fantasy novel, but it is a simple high school thriller. The Red Court is a high school secret society, and you always owe them. Even after you've left high school. Ember's plan to seek revenge on them was realistic, and interesting. While her emotional turmoil never felt particularly in depth, I would say plotting a revenge scheme since middle school would probably change the way you deal with emotions.
The romance plot of this book seemed...unnecessary. There are many reasons girls seek revenge against one another, especially in high school. They don't always have to be romantic, and the fact that this was, felt short-sighted.
I think that the concept of the Red Court and the reason for Ember's revenge would have been a very good plot. However, we lose a lot of the thrilling potential in the high school drama, the unrealistic lack of consequences, and the romance sub plot. A lot of it made me want to roll my eyes, and, if this hadn't been an audiobook, I think I would have struggled to get through it.
This is a 3.5/5 star rating for me, because I still feel like I wanted more out of it.
Full review: 9/25/2020
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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Read full review: November 30th, 2020
This book was a solid 2.5 star read, up until the final 75%. From there, the story went from “just okay” to “pretty interesting.” You spend most of the book learning about the world, Elodie’s past, and the rumors surrounding Aleida and her previous mistress, Gyssha. I really wanted to like this book, and it had all of the elements to be incredibly interesting…but it missed the mark for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Read full review: November 30th, 2020
This book was a solid 2.5 star read, up until the final 75%. From there, the story went from “just okay” to “pretty interesting.” You spend most of the book learning about the world, Elodie’s past, and the rumors surrounding Aleida and her previous mistress, Gyssha. I really wanted to like this book, and it had all of the elements to be incredibly interesting…but it missed the mark for me.
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