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simplyalexandra's Reviews (890)
Wow. What a wild ride. There is a lot going on in this one that's not meant to be understood just yet. Crazy premise. Very eerie. Pretty steamy. Agonizingly unsettling. Very interested in where the plot will go. There's something about reading from an unstable POV that makes you as a reader feel even more confused, but intrigued. Did not particularly enjoy the main character toward the end.... But otherwise enjoyed.
4 Stars - I recommend if you like horror, or YA Fantasy novels. This book wasn't too scary, but is a bit spooky. I also recommend if you like Supernatural.
This book follows 17 year old Cas, who moves around the country with his mom hunting and killing ghosts. When they move to a town in Ontario, and Cas seeks out the local legend "Anna Dressed in Blood" he immediately realizes that Anna is not like other ghosts he's hunted. As he finds out more about Anna's past and curse, he realizes that Anna's situation may not be something he can handle on his own.
This book was a lot of fun. Cas is pretty sarcastic, which I think is fun to read. I enjoyed the concept of the ghost hunting, I enjoyed a lot of the characters. I don't read a lot of horror, so I can't say how "original" the themes and plots are, but I found it a nice change of pace. It wasn't quite as romantic as I would have liked... but that's just me! haha I might read the second book, but I am not in a hurry. Excited to read more of Blake's work in general though!
This book follows 17 year old Cas, who moves around the country with his mom hunting and killing ghosts. When they move to a town in Ontario, and Cas seeks out the local legend "Anna Dressed in Blood" he immediately realizes that Anna is not like other ghosts he's hunted. As he finds out more about Anna's past and curse, he realizes that Anna's situation may not be something he can handle on his own.
This book was a lot of fun. Cas is pretty sarcastic, which I think is fun to read. I enjoyed the concept of the ghost hunting, I enjoyed a lot of the characters. I don't read a lot of horror, so I can't say how "original" the themes and plots are, but I found it a nice change of pace. It wasn't quite as romantic as I would have liked... but that's just me! haha I might read the second book, but I am not in a hurry. Excited to read more of Blake's work in general though!
4 Stars - I recommend if you enjoy mysteries or thrillers. This one is also a classic so it is a little more subtle. I found this quick to read, unlike Rebecca, and I also just generally liked this one quite a lot more than Rebecca.
Philip Ashley has been raised by his cousin Ambrose. He wants to be everything Ambrose is, the man of the estate, a hard worker, interesting, and a bachelor. When Ambrose is taken ill, the doctors suggest that he spend the damp English winters in warmer sunnier Italy. There Ambrose meets Rachel and subsequently marries her. Before Ambrose makes it home to England, he starts writing letters to Philip saying that he is very sick, and suggesting that Rachel is his "torment". Philip races to Italy but it is too late. He's convinced that Rachel is a monstress and killed Ambrose. When Rachel later arrives in England, he invites her to stay with him, with the intention of calling her out... but she's not what he expected.
I would like to start by saying that while I wanted to love Rebecca, I didn't. It drove me bonkers that the main character didn't even have a name (to start). I was worried I wouldn't like this one... but I loved it. For one it is much more romantic, but it also read more quickly. I found the psychological bit to be very subtle, I definitely saw it as one thing happening and not another... but I enjoyed it quite a lot. I did not see the ending coming (aside from the fact that I may have read something spoilery with 10 pages to go.) *whistles innocently* I'm really excited to see the film adaptation!! *update* The film adaptation was really well done! It definitely was more psychologically confusing. It sort of leaned the other way from how I felt about the book in terms of what actually "happened".
I really enjoyed this. I can't wait to see the movie. :)
Philip Ashley has been raised by his cousin Ambrose. He wants to be everything Ambrose is, the man of the estate, a hard worker, interesting, and a bachelor. When Ambrose is taken ill, the doctors suggest that he spend the damp English winters in warmer sunnier Italy. There Ambrose meets Rachel and subsequently marries her. Before Ambrose makes it home to England, he starts writing letters to Philip saying that he is very sick, and suggesting that Rachel is his "torment". Philip races to Italy but it is too late. He's convinced that Rachel is a monstress and killed Ambrose. When Rachel later arrives in England, he invites her to stay with him, with the intention of calling her out... but she's not what he expected.
I would like to start by saying that while I wanted to love Rebecca, I didn't. It drove me bonkers that the main character didn't even have a name (to start). I was worried I wouldn't like this one... but I loved it. For one it is much more romantic, but it also read more quickly. I found the psychological bit to be very subtle, I definitely saw it as one thing happening and not another... but I enjoyed it quite a lot. I did not see the ending coming (aside from the fact that I may have read something spoilery with 10 pages to go.) *whistles innocently* I'm really excited to see the film adaptation!! *update* The film adaptation was really well done! It definitely was more psychologically confusing. It sort of leaned the other way from how I felt about the book in terms of what actually "happened".
I really enjoyed this. I can't wait to see the movie. :)
OMG. I continue to love the Lunar Chronicles. This book is based upon Rapunzel. Cress is made to live in a satellite by herself, and hack into Earthen news feeds and secure documents to feed Queen Levana information. Little does she know, Cinder is looking for her. When things go wrong upon her rescue she and Thorne end up living out my life's worst nightmare. (ok maybe not worst... but it sounds AWFUL). During this book, you learn about Cress and various things going on on Luna, the plot develops between the other characters, you meet Jacin (a Lunar), and just very briefly... Winter. This one kept me so hooked, I immediately ran out to buy Winter. (even though I was not planning on reading it next!)
Wow you guys, this is a long book. It is best enjoyed consistently, unfortunately I had quite a few days where I didn't do any reading, so it was a tad disjointed for me. Overall though, I really liked this one. The final installation in The Lunar Chronicles, where the characters battle to put Princess Selene back in power on Luna. There were times when I laughed, gasped, cried... I was an emotional mess. No spoilers from me though, you'll have to read it yourselves.
3.5 stars - I recommend if you like snarky characters, unique plots, and things that are just a wee bit creepy or strange.
This book surround Jacob who grew up with a grandfather who told tall tales of a home he lived in once, filled with odd children. Jacob doesn't believe him, and until his grandfather is gruesomely murdered, he doesn't seek to understand what he meant. With his grandfather's last words, Jacob and his father head to a remote island in Wales to uncover his this mysterious place and solve some mysteries. If only for Jacob's own mental health.
This has been around for quite a while, and with the movie coming out in September I wanted to give it a read. Overall, I think this book is pretty neat. I like that all of the photographs that are in the book are actual found photos, and how they work with the story. That was so unique, creepy, and fun. I really liked Jacob's character in the beginning of the book... very snarky. Very fun to read. However, that lets up not too far into the book. I wanted to LOVE this, but it was a little bit slow for me. I'm not feeling drawn to read more of the books at this point in time.
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3 stars - this was a little slow for me. Full review to come.
This book surround Jacob who grew up with a grandfather who told tall tales of a home he lived in once, filled with odd children. Jacob doesn't believe him, and until his grandfather is gruesomely murdered, he doesn't seek to understand what he meant. With his grandfather's last words, Jacob and his father head to a remote island in Wales to uncover his this mysterious place and solve some mysteries. If only for Jacob's own mental health.
This has been around for quite a while, and with the movie coming out in September I wanted to give it a read. Overall, I think this book is pretty neat. I like that all of the photographs that are in the book are actual found photos, and how they work with the story. That was so unique, creepy, and fun. I really liked Jacob's character in the beginning of the book... very snarky. Very fun to read. However, that lets up not too far into the book. I wanted to LOVE this, but it was a little bit slow for me. I'm not feeling drawn to read more of the books at this point in time.
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3 stars - this was a little slow for me. Full review to come.
2 - 3 Stars - I recommend if you like classic novels, fluffy books, and the notion of gold diggers. This one wasn't my favorite, but I'm trying to appreciate it for what it is.
This book is set in the 1920's and follows Lorelei Lee a pretty, young gold digger living in New York. This book is a compilation of her diary entries, and records her exploits across New York and Europe alike. She has a desire to "improve her mind" and also a taste for a life of luxury. She uses her wiles to get what she wants.
I have really mixed feelings on this book. On the one hand - it's really written in a very cute kind of way. It has a sweetness and a little bit of a look into the 1920's to it. The version I have has fun illustrations as well. However, I have a really hard time with Lorelei's character. She always says she is "improving her mind" but she is bored with academics, abandons books frequently, finds the best part of travel is visiting the Ritz, etc. She is also making all kinds of spelling errors in her diary. But I can't tell how much of that is the character vs. slang/spelling from the 1920's. She's also just really mean. Obviously, the point of a gold digger is to use others to get what you want. I'm not about that. So it's not very fun to read. There is one part where her and a friend are just harassing this other lady. Kinda makes me cringe. Maybe there is a fabulous historical/social context I am missing here. But I don't really like reading fluffy books about horrible people. : /
This book is set in the 1920's and follows Lorelei Lee a pretty, young gold digger living in New York. This book is a compilation of her diary entries, and records her exploits across New York and Europe alike. She has a desire to "improve her mind" and also a taste for a life of luxury. She uses her wiles to get what she wants.
I have really mixed feelings on this book. On the one hand - it's really written in a very cute kind of way. It has a sweetness and a little bit of a look into the 1920's to it. The version I have has fun illustrations as well. However, I have a really hard time with Lorelei's character. She always says she is "improving her mind" but she is bored with academics, abandons books frequently, finds the best part of travel is visiting the Ritz, etc. She is also making all kinds of spelling errors in her diary. But I can't tell how much of that is the character vs. slang/spelling from the 1920's. She's also just really mean. Obviously, the point of a gold digger is to use others to get what you want. I'm not about that. So it's not very fun to read. There is one part where her and a friend are just harassing this other lady. Kinda makes me cringe. Maybe there is a fabulous historical/social context I am missing here. But I don't really like reading fluffy books about horrible people. : /
3 - 3.5 Stars - I recommend this for fans of regency era books, as well as comedic present day fiction. If you have seen the movie already - it's a little bit of a toss up... because I think it's less exciting having knows what happens in advance.
This book follows Jane Hayes who is obsessed with Mr. Darcy. Because of her obsession all of her "relationships" were doomed to fail from the beginning. To kick the habit, (with a little help from a wealthy relative) she heads off to Austenland, a regency resort for grown ups. While she is there she mingles with colorful guests, charming actors, and one very refreshing gardener.
I read this as a part of the Semi Charmed Summer Reading Challenge. I had already seen this movie (which is rare for me to watch before reading...) so it wasn't the most exciting read. I already knew the little twists etc. Overall it was light, fluffy, funny, and cute. I recommend it if you have not seen the movie, or if you really love Austen and regency. Either way, it is a very short book and I read it in just two evenings. It helped to read this in between bits of The Cuckoo's Calling... which was dragging on quite a bit at that point. All that being said, I would definitely consider reading more of Hale's books including other books from this series. :)
This book follows Jane Hayes who is obsessed with Mr. Darcy. Because of her obsession all of her "relationships" were doomed to fail from the beginning. To kick the habit, (with a little help from a wealthy relative) she heads off to Austenland, a regency resort for grown ups. While she is there she mingles with colorful guests, charming actors, and one very refreshing gardener.
I read this as a part of the Semi Charmed Summer Reading Challenge. I had already seen this movie (which is rare for me to watch before reading...) so it wasn't the most exciting read. I already knew the little twists etc. Overall it was light, fluffy, funny, and cute. I recommend it if you have not seen the movie, or if you really love Austen and regency. Either way, it is a very short book and I read it in just two evenings. It helped to read this in between bits of The Cuckoo's Calling... which was dragging on quite a bit at that point. All that being said, I would definitely consider reading more of Hale's books including other books from this series. :)
3.5 Stars - I recommend if you enjoyed the other To All They Boys I've Loved Before books, and if you like contemporary YA.
This book follows Lara Jean and her family as they navigate her senior year of high school. I don't want to give spoilers. :)
Overall I liked this book, I loved having more to read. I feel like Lara Jean is my book character soul mate. She scrapbooks, bakes, crafts, loves costumes... even likes a lot of the same movies. So it's fun to read about her. heheh I didn't like this book quite as much as the others, the pre-college stress was pretty forefront in the book, and I felt like it changed the dynamics a bit. I guess it was meant to, but it was kind of odd. I liked how most things ended, but it's weird to have it feel so open ended at the end of the book. Overall I definitely recommend the series. I read this in just 1 day. :P
Hmmm not quite a 4? But I loved Lara Jean as always. I'm sad it's over.
This book follows Lara Jean and her family as they navigate her senior year of high school. I don't want to give spoilers. :)
Overall I liked this book, I loved having more to read. I feel like Lara Jean is my book character soul mate. She scrapbooks, bakes, crafts, loves costumes... even likes a lot of the same movies. So it's fun to read about her. heheh I didn't like this book quite as much as the others, the pre-college stress was pretty forefront in the book, and I felt like it changed the dynamics a bit. I guess it was meant to, but it was kind of odd. I liked how most things ended, but it's weird to have it feel so open ended at the end of the book. Overall I definitely recommend the series. I read this in just 1 day. :P
Hmmm not quite a 4? But I loved Lara Jean as always. I'm sad it's over.