simonlorden's Reviews (1.38k)

A paranormal thriller with twins and Native American beliefs (although I can't speak for the accuracy). I liked the plot and the mystery and the characters, but the issue of adoption was handled horribly, I think. These two white people adopt a half-Native girl who clearly doesn't look like them and their biological kids, and then just don't tell her that she's adopted for 17 years? And then they get upset when she wants to know more about her sibling that she was separated from? Of course, this was written in the 80s, where I suppose this mindset towards adoption was more common, but it still really sucks.

??????!!!!!!!

Magyar szerzős Aladdin feldolgozás, gyönyörű mesés borítóval. A tolvaj beleszeret a hercegbe, a herceg beleszeret a tolvajba, de Jasminenal ellentétben a hercegnek itt sok testvére van, akik különféle szerepet játszanak a cselekményben és a királyság sorsában. Igazából azt kaptam amire számítottam, szórakoztató volt, de annyira nem ragadott magával, sokáig is tartott végigolvasni. A testvéri kapcsolatok tetszettek benne, és sajnálom hogy így lett vége ahogy, szívesen láttam volna még a végső jelenet folytatását. 

I started out being really annoyed by the characters, but it passed. They're just messy teens with big hearts trying their best, even among a fuckton of familial trauma and even some sexual harassment by a boss. Of course they think fake dating and then dramatically breaking up is a good way to shut their friends up, and of course they end up really caring about each other instead.

Both the mains are bisexual boys, and among the side characters are an asexual teen girl and a little trans girl as well.

Dora and Nora Chance are the illegitimate twin daughters of famed Shakesperian actor, Melchior Hazard, who has been married three times but never to their mother. In fact, they are legally claimed by Melchior's brother, Peregrine, which is only one way this family is a mess of relations. This book is a comedic retelling of the life of the twins from when they are 75, full of family and celebrity drama, scandal, adultery, illegitimate children, and occasional incest.

I gotta say, I read this based on a specific recommendation (uncle/niece relationship), and I was disappointed by how little that was part of the story. But I liked Peregrine a lot, even if he's as messy as everyone else in this damn book.

Couldn't put it down, even when I felt like some chapters dragged a bit too much. Nobody is what they seem and it really is full of twists until the very end. I'm curious about some of the author's other books now.

Exciting YA thriller in a boarding school, with murders and ancient secret societies. I liked how November seems so innocent and normal compared to the others at first, then you gradually you realize that nah, her childhood was NOT normal at all. Weirdly the hardest part to believe for me was that she just immediately knew the meaning of any name across many languages and cultures.

Mixed feelings. I liked the concept of the Library and its agents traveling through worlds, and I especially liked being able to do magic with the Language. But the world they entered in this book was kind of standard urban fantasy, and it seems that they'll be staying in the same world in the next book, so that takes away some of my interest. I would love to know more about the dragons, though.

The author made this book available for free on Kobo and on the author's website, so I recommend it to everyone who is interested in light-hearted asexual romances. Be warned that there are some explicit sex scenes, that are consensual but a bit uncomfortable (Liv consented but she's not really enjoying it).

I did make a wrong assumption based on the blurb, since Cam is a neutral name and there are no pronouns, so I thought this would be an F/F story but it's actually M/F with an ace female character. I love Cam though, so once I got over my surprise I enjoyed him a lot.

Liv's best friend is a lesbian witch, and there is a nonbinary character with their own little sideplot about their identity, which was also really nice.

Liv is also a fashion designer who makes patterns for clothes and dresses, which was very interesting to read about. And Cam is a biologist who is really into birds.

I love fake dating stories, and this one has a beautiful cover and sounded really fun from the blurb. A historical fake engagement story, that happens because this guy has been lying to his mother about having a fiancé for TWO YEARS. Amazing.

Unfortunately it was kind of ruined by the two sisters being annoying, and by taking the situation a bit too seriously, I think. Like, these three women have been living in poverty, barely being able to afford to live somewhere, and they can't handle living in an Earl's house for a few months to get enough money to pay their rent for two years? THEY don't even have to pretend to be the guy's fiancée. I know Vee is only 17, but she honestly felt like maybe 12.

I also found Hugh's worry about his familial trauma and then the eventual solution to it kind of... lacking.