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themoonwholistens's Reviews (698)
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*All of my reviews are as spoiler-free as possible unless states otherwise*
— overall thoughts: 3.5 —
This was honestly a pleasant read.
As any self-help book, it’s goal is to make you see things in a different light and I’m glad to say that it helped do that for me. I really like the overall metaphor of the flower blooming in the dark which branched out into the other messages.
I would definitely recommend this self-help book to people (especially writers!!) who are finding themself in a dark place or to people that are looking to try to understand what this means to people who experience it. Reading Michelle Pearce’s story (as well as the featured people) did that for me. She was able to convey her life and experiences in the book really well. Which helped me somewhat see a new perspective when it comes to people who experience these kinds of hardships. While making me look towards myself at the same time.
Even though the introduction was a little too long for my taste but perhaps that’s just my short attention span :3
Personally, I prefer self-help books that focus on somewhat different topics and as a current pre-med college student (and where I am in life right now) I just don’t think this was the perfect specific help-book for me but there was still a lot of helpful messages that was conveyed to me as I am a reviewer.
There are SOOO many tips and details that it was kind of impossible for me to not get anything out of it HAHA ♡
Each chapter is basically a guide to one of the 12 principles and even has a “blooming tip” and “blooming check-in” at the ends which personally was one of my favourite parts. The format was a little different to what I'm used to but it did make it easier to pull messages.
There are also “night bloomers” featured in every chapter which was really cool. Even “writing prompts” sections which I think would be especially helpful for writers reading. So much thought was put into this and definitely worth my read.
*Thank you to the author and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
“The best decision I ever made was to bloom in the dark.”
*All of my reviews are as spoiler-free as possible unless states otherwise*
— overall thoughts: 3.5 —
This was honestly a pleasant read.
As any self-help book, it’s goal is to make you see things in a different light and I’m glad to say that it helped do that for me. I really like the overall metaphor of the flower blooming in the dark which branched out into the other messages.
I would definitely recommend this self-help book to people (especially writers!!) who are finding themself in a dark place or to people that are looking to try to understand what this means to people who experience it. Reading Michelle Pearce’s story (as well as the featured people) did that for me. She was able to convey her life and experiences in the book really well. Which helped me somewhat see a new perspective when it comes to people who experience these kinds of hardships. While making me look towards myself at the same time.
Even though the introduction was a little too long for my taste but perhaps that’s just my short attention span :3
“I was both fascinated and disturbed by how easy it was for me to miss something right before my eyes simply because my brain didn’t know it was there, didn’t know it was an option. “
Personally, I prefer self-help books that focus on somewhat different topics and as a current pre-med college student (and where I am in life right now) I just don’t think this was the perfect specific help-book for me but there was still a lot of helpful messages that was conveyed to me as I am a reviewer.
There are SOOO many tips and details that it was kind of impossible for me to not get anything out of it HAHA ♡
Each chapter is basically a guide to one of the 12 principles and even has a “blooming tip” and “blooming check-in” at the ends which personally was one of my favourite parts. The format was a little different to what I'm used to but it did make it easier to pull messages.
There are also “night bloomers” featured in every chapter which was really cool. Even “writing prompts” sections which I think would be especially helpful for writers reading. So much thought was put into this and definitely worth my read.
*Thank you to the author and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
I read in 2 minutes just because XD I actually liked the writing even with it being as short as it is. caution: dark humor
http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/DeatScra.shtml
http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/DeatScra.shtml
THE THEMES !!! THE ATMOSPHERE !!!
It's about bravery and reality, and at the core: the fact that even though our parents may not be perfect, at least they are real and here.
— overall thoughts: 4.5 —
*All of my reviews are as spoiler-free as possible unless stated otherwise*
Middle grade books like this remind me why I love reading so much. To write middle grade books that even adults enjoy and find conflicting is what makes a great one for me.
I’m going to paint that quote across my room at my uni condo.
Coraline reminds me of a horror version of alice in wonderland with the “other people” and how she finds this whole other weird and parallel world.
A snarky and sarcastic cat always means a good story. The voices of the rats and the cat are so eerie that I actually got chills. Not yet considering the soundtrack that sounded so good but the best explanation would just be plain out: weird.
Conflicts that even as an adult I would have been torn between for Coraline. This scared and creeped me out more than most other horror books, which says a lot for an MG.
I actually got confused with "Coraline" and "Caroline" a lot before reading this so it was funny that it was canon.
Neil Gaiman’s writing is just so hauntingly beautiful. The way he creates deep themes with out of the box concepts and details (don't tell me that buttons as eyes isn't creepy to you) while still making you emotional....how??? I have read The Graveyard Book, one of my favorite books of all time and what ultimately got me into reading, so I might just be custom made for his style.
I can’t believe I’m crying over horror books.
If you want a shorter story that both adults and children would be able to enjoy this is one for you. A perfect spooky season tale that is enough to give you goosebumps but at the end will warm your heart.
It's about bravery and reality, and at the core: the fact that even though our parents may not be perfect, at least they are real and here.
— overall thoughts: 4.5 —
*All of my reviews are as spoiler-free as possible unless stated otherwise*
Middle grade books like this remind me why I love reading so much. To write middle grade books that even adults enjoy and find conflicting is what makes a great one for me.
“No one is ever given more to shoulder than he or she can bear.”
I’m going to paint that quote across my room at my uni condo.
Coraline reminds me of a horror version of alice in wonderland with the “other people” and how she finds this whole other weird and parallel world.
A snarky and sarcastic cat always means a good story. The voices of the rats and the cat are so eerie that I actually got chills. Not yet considering the soundtrack that sounded so good but the best explanation would just be plain out: weird.
“I don’t want, whatever I want. Nobody does. Not really. What fun would it be if I just got everything I ever wanted?”
Conflicts that even as an adult I would have been torn between for Coraline. This scared and creeped me out more than most other horror books, which says a lot for an MG.
I actually got confused with "Coraline" and "Caroline" a lot before reading this so it was funny that it was canon.
Neil Gaiman’s writing is just so hauntingly beautiful. The way he creates deep themes with out of the box concepts and details (don't tell me that buttons as eyes isn't creepy to you) while still making you emotional....how??? I have read The Graveyard Book, one of my favorite books of all time and what ultimately got me into reading, so I might just be custom made for his style.
I can’t believe I’m crying over horror books.
If you want a shorter story that both adults and children would be able to enjoy this is one for you. A perfect spooky season tale that is enough to give you goosebumps but at the end will warm your heart.
“Take comfort in this. Th'art alive. Thou livest.”
“When I first learned the truth, I thought Sebastian's life would be ruined. But seeing you, I realized everything would be fine. Because someone still loved him.”
FORMAT READ: eBook
SIMILAR VIBES: Little Moments of Love
READ FOR: cute, diverse and beautifully drawn novel
READING LEVEL: Level 2 out of 5
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*All of my reviews are as spoiler-free as possible unless states otherwise*
OVERALL THOUGHTS: 4.75
✧ THIS IS MY READING RUSH BOOK #2 ✧
/ read a book in the same spot the entire time
It’s diverse, it’s cute, I LOVED IT. READ IT.
FUTURE ALTHEA HERE (8/10/20): I just need to mention that if you are planning to read this you should probably know that the queer mc gets outed in a really emotional and upsetting way so please be prepared. This is something that I would've wanted to know going in so I'm just putting that out there for other people who see this.
PLOT: ★★★☆☆
DRAWING STYLE: ★★★★☆
CHARACTERS: ★★★★☆
THEMES: ★★★★★
PACING: ★★★★★
PAGE TURNER: ★★★★★
"There are monsters in the sea"
I'm the human-turned-monster-by-this-book in the sea
This is like a 4.8 for me.
The diversity of this book was shown and written so well, the quotes made me nostalgic, the theme was something intriguing, the moral of the story was heartfelt, the writing style made me so hooked into everything
. . . It's just all great.
That's why it was such a bummer that the thing that let me down:
I probably would have finished this book within 24 hours if it weren't for that part that just annoyed me to bits that I couldn't handle reading it for a couple of days.
I am also a sucker for good endings, but sadly, I did not like this ending. It was not nostalgic enough for me (not including the comics at the end because that just made my heart swell). I needed something more pizzazz. I was literally screaming love for this book by like 50% but I died at around 70%.
I needed something to make me really miss the book. There was just really something missing.
Maybe it's just me, personally, with the last 25% who had problems with it but I'm sorry but I just can't seem to look past it for a 5 stars. UPDATE: I have since rated this book 5 stars because I think it still deserves it
Nonetheless, Wallace and Eliza were a good pair in the first half of this book and I was so engaged in it and I really do see what all the hype is about. I cannot get enough of The Monstrous Sea and I would totally read a graphic novel about Amity and her world.
MAX AND EMMY and everything about them. There is just something about their trio-relationship that just touches me. Max kept me laughing throughout the book and Emmy is just such a typical best friend. The great thing about it is that they live countries, cities and ages apart but they still seem to be able to find time for each other. Their age doesn't matter to them even though they give Emmy a hard time about it. This shows such a great portrayal of friendship. They are just so wonderful and I really think it was one of the strong points of the book, plot-wise.
I would definitely more of Francesca Zappia's books in the future though. I really needed this book at this time. This was a great novel, to YA Contemporary readers, pick this up if you want something heartfelt with layers and layers and layers of writing and story telling.
"Our stories have lives of their own—and it’s up to us to make them mean something."
I'm the human-turned-monster-by-this-book in the sea
This is like a 4.8 for me.
The diversity of this book was shown and written so well, the quotes made me nostalgic, the theme was something intriguing, the moral of the story was heartfelt, the writing style made me so hooked into everything
. . . It's just all great.
That's why it was such a bummer that the thing that let me down:
Spoiler
was that ending and how petty Wallace was at the end. First of all, Wallace's character wasn't even written out to be that petty. This was such a downgrade from the whole book. It was a let down. I love him and all but what happened?? AND THE WAY THEY MADE UP!! They weren't minding each other for so long and then they make up so easily. . .? Well. It makes me sad just to think about it. . .I couldn't even look over it enough to just rate this 5 stars.I probably would have finished this book within 24 hours if it weren't for that part that just annoyed me to bits that I couldn't handle reading it for a couple of days.
I am also a sucker for good endings, but sadly, I did not like this ending. It was not nostalgic enough for me (not including the comics at the end because that just made my heart swell). I needed something more pizzazz. I was literally screaming love for this book by like 50% but I died at around 70%.
I needed something to make me really miss the book. There was just really something missing.
Maybe it's just me, personally, with the last 25% who had problems with it but I'm sorry but I just can't seem to look past it for a 5 stars. UPDATE: I have since rated this book 5 stars because I think it still deserves it
Nonetheless, Wallace and Eliza were a good pair in the first half of this book and I was so engaged in it and I really do see what all the hype is about. I cannot get enough of The Monstrous Sea and I would totally read a graphic novel about Amity and her world.
MAX AND EMMY and everything about them. There is just something about their trio-relationship that just touches me. Max kept me laughing throughout the book and Emmy is just such a typical best friend. The great thing about it is that they live countries, cities and ages apart but they still seem to be able to find time for each other. Their age doesn't matter to them even though they give Emmy a hard time about it. This shows such a great portrayal of friendship. They are just so wonderful and I really think it was one of the strong points of the book, plot-wise.
I would definitely more of Francesca Zappia's books in the future though. I really needed this book at this time. This was a great novel, to YA Contemporary readers, pick this up if you want something heartfelt with layers and layers and layers of writing and story telling.
"Our stories have lives of their own—and it’s up to us to make them mean something."
"You can go wherever you want, see whatever you want to, but a place is only as good as the people you know in it. I think this is a pretty good place."
~ Number Four
This book is more on the romance side compared to the rest of the series and more focused on Four individually. This book might not be my favorite but it was enough for me to continue on the series and I LOVE THIS SERIES OHMYGOD!! Trust me when I say that this gets better the closer you get to the end.
It made me fall in love with Urban Fantasy and Sci Fi types of stories.
This book is about a group of loric "kids" who was sent to earth and assigned a number each. They can only be killed in the order of the number they were assigned to. The story follows Number 4 and his journey in accepting his fate.
I just have to repeat and say that this series is another one of my all time favorites mainly for the writing style, the characters and the originality.
I know a lot of YA readers, especially lovers of fantasy, sci-fi, urban fantasy and dystopian books.
