typedtruths's Reviews (1.8k)

Average rating = 3.1 stars

One Small Step by Amie Kaufman (★★★★☆):

Naww! This was such a sweet story. Usually, I am not a fan of sci-fi stories but I actually enjoyed the Mars setting. Kaufman did a great job of developing her characters over such a short page span, to the point where I would happily pick up a whole book about Zaida and Keiko's earthly adventures. Also, yay for all the diversity!

I Can See The Ending by Will Kostakis (★★☆☆☆):

I did not enjoy this one, unfortunately. It had a great premise (psychic powers) but I strongly disliked almost all of the characters. The MC was rather bland and Nina was the type of person to make fun of fairy lights because they seemed to indie and hipster... so kind of a Manic Pixie Dream Girl who made fun of anything too 'mainstream'. Ugh. I wasn't a fan. I did really like Sophie though.

In a Heartbeat by Alice Pung (★☆☆☆☆):

Well, that was awful. I tend to avoid books about pregnancies and babies in general, but it was not the plot or themes that I didn't gel with. No, it was the characters. My God, they were so judgemental, racist and just... not nice people? There was also so much girl-on-girl hate (including 'popular girl' shaming, which you know I loathe). I could not deal with them. On top of that, Luis was a dickhead and I did not feel sorry for him in the slightest.

First Casualty by Michael Pryor (★★★★☆):

This was definitely the short story I was most looking forward to (it's Michael Pryor after all) and I am happy to say I was not disappointed. It was very sci-fi and while that's definitely not my choice genre, somehow, it just worked. In fact, I would happily read a whole novel set in this world. I adored seeing aliens that were actually, well, alien. I've read too many cringy paranormal romances with human-looking aliens before so it was nice to explore another race in a genuine way. I loved the themes. I loved the characters, although it was a little more plot-focused than I am used to and as a whole, I thought it was quite realistic and wonderful.

Sundays by Melissa Keil (★★★★★):

ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! I adored this story so, so much. God, I am literally in love with the characters and their dynamics. It captured the beginnings/endings theme perfectly. I thought all of the characters were wonderful and loveable. I shipped the romance. I loved Gabe. I loved Lou. I loved them all. Loved, loved, loved.

Missing Persons by Ellie Marney (★★★★★):

Yessssss! I love friendship-y stories like this. There was no romance, just people meeting, connecting and genuinely liking to be in each other's company. It was so sweet. I thought the depth of characterisation was phenomenal for such a short story. Both Rachel and Mycroft were so fleshed out and three-dimensional. I obviously adored Mycroft - with his name, I also assume there was meant to be some sort of Sherlock thing happening? He was dorky and blunt and hilarious and just everything I love in a character.

Oona Underground by Lili Wilkinson (★☆☆☆☆):

Yeah, no. This was weird and not in a good way. I didn't get anything from it. I thought the characters were underdeveloped and odd (again, not in a good way). I did not connect to either of them and I definitely didn't ship it. The magic and witchery was so weird. Was it meant to be an Alice in Wonderland retelling? I don't know. Definitely not my thing.

The Feeling from Over Here by Gabrielle Tozer (★★★☆☆):

Meh. I didn't dislike this one but it was a bit... nothing. I don't know. I did like Cam. He was sweet and genuine, the typical 'good guy' from the love triangle trope but in the best way possible. I was not a massive fan of how snappy and kinda judgemental the female MC was (oops, I forgot her name). She was one of those people that think that if you seem popular and carefree, you obviously have no problems in your life. We all know that's bullshit so... she kind of irritated me. All in all, I just didn't get enough from this story. I wanted more feels, more... something.

Last Night at the Mount Solemn Observatory by Danielle Binks (★★★☆☆):

Well, that was incredibly depressing. I was not a massive fan of it but I did like that it focused on sibling relationships. It also really nailed the theme. It captured that awful sadness that comes from things changing and people moving on. I don't think I would read an entire novel from these characters' POVs because I was not a big fan of the writing style but it was by no means a bad story.

Competition Entry #349 by Jaclyn Moriarty (★★★☆☆):

Clever idea but I was not a fan of the juvenile tone. I liked the consept a lot but, again, there was just something missing from this one.

I loved, loved, loved the plotline of this one but - once again - struggled to connect to the characters.

More thought:

• It was eerily similar to [b:Illuminae|23395680|Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1)|Amie Kaufman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1443433956s/23395680.jpg|26653661]. Too similar. I’ve seen this complaint a lot and I have to agree with it. I do think it was better overall but the plotline and characters were too similar for me to ignore. They definitely should be pointed out and addressed. I hope the third book is able to set itself apart.
• The actual plotline was addictive. As always, it took me more time than I would have liked to get into the story in the first place but once it hit its stride, I found it hard to put down. The action was well-written - well, as well as it could be in this formatting - and I found it pretty thrilling.
• While the sciencey side of the plot was a little hard to follow, I appreciated that the authors attempted to make it as realistic as possible.
• The characters were boring. This multimedia formatting has one big drawback and that is that it is impossible to feel even remotely connected to these characters. Hanna was too stereotypical for my liking, just like every other “badass but also hella hot” female protagonist I’ve ever read about. Snooze. The same with Nik. He was the typical “bad boy who is really a teddy bear” romantic interest. I didn’t connect to either of them and I actually liked Jackson more than any other them. Nik’s cousin - I’ve forgotten her name already - was too similar to Nik for my liking. They were kinda merged in my head.
• Everyone in this entire series has the exact same sense of humour? I don’t know when no-one else seems to be commenting on this because it is something John Green is always criticised for - and IMO is also guilty of. This was glaringly obvious in Illuminae but it was not until this book that it truly got on my nerves. If a single person in the world can tell me that every single one of their friends and their family members and randoms they meet in the street share the same brand of humour, I would laugh. I get that sassiness and sarcasm like this is popular in mainstream books. It is funny… but having every single character with the exact same sarcastic tendencies is ridiculous and unrealistic.
• I do not get the hype about AIDEN, like I honestly cannot even begin to fathom what anyone seems in it. It is a computer? … and it talks in nonsense. Why are so many readers attracted to it? I also did not find its POV poetic. It was not ‘cool’ how its chapters were formatted - turning the pages around to try and read took me ages. It was not amusing. It was irritating and really, really frustrating. They were certain sections that I literally had to skim over because they were too close to the spine to even be able to read. It drove me bonkers.

Cue disappointed sigh. Kaufman’s middle-grade debut was one of most anticipated releases of next year but it was quite underwhelming. While I adore the idea of combining shapeshifting and elemental magic, the world felt generic and mild. The history of the world came across as complex and clever but in reality, I was left with only a vague impression of some kind of war and more questions than answers. The fact that Anders’ home city - and the setting of the book - was famed for being multicultural was a brilliant idea, I will say. I did love how that allowed Kaufman to create a diverse cast of characters and expand on the mythology of her world through them. It definitely had the potential to be unique but it fell into some predictable pitfalls that left me wanting.

I adored the characters. Our protagonist, Ander,s was a real sweetie and his blossoming friendships with his fellow packmates checked all the boxes. I love large ragtag friendship groups in these kinds of MG adventures, especially when they remind me of Harry Potter in the way these characters did. Lisabet was such a Hermione! I loved her tireless loyalty and dedication to doing the right thing, no matter how difficult it was for her to do so. I really hope that she plays an important role in the sequels. I will say that I was disappointed with Rayna’s character, though. I adore sibling stories but I felt like we barely got to know her before she was whisked away. Her and Anders’ close bond was mainly told to us, rather than shown.

The plot was what really did it let down for me. It was not that riveting. Honestly, I would say that I was a tad bored. Maybe I have read too many fantasy stories similar to this but I struggled to get into it. I understand that the school scenes were important for Anders’ growth and the world-building but I also just needed something more. The ending was predictable and slightly anticlimactic but it has me hoping that the sequel will direct the story in a direction that is more of my thing.

Overall? I loved the idea of the world but the execution was not as unique or engaging as I expected. Anders was a solid protagonist and I did enjoy seeing his relationships with his classmates grow throughout the story but there was something missing. The plot never quite captivated me and I was mostly left feeling underwhelmed. I will still give the sequel a chance because I think it has real potential but I would not say this is my favourite Amie Kaufman book.

Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.

Well, I did not expect to like this, let alone love it.

Frankie was one of those decent reads that I enjoyed... but it just didn’t grab me completely. I liked that the characters were unique and distinctive but to be honest, I never really connected to any of them. We got about five seconds with Xavier before he disappeared so he was kind of just this assumed figure hovering over the plot. I could understand why Frankie cared about him but I never felt it for myself. The same with Nate, her best friend (whose name escaping me at the moment), Nonna and the other secondary characters. Only Vinnie, Frankie’s aunt and guardian, was a stand out. She exactly the sort of woman that someone like Frankie needed in her life. She was strong but fair. She was funny and sweet. She completely stole the show.

The plotline itself was a little frustrating. I’m not a big fan of the trope where teenagers investigate crimes without the help of the police/adults. It’s generally unrealistic and frustrating, but this one did have a purpose: to show the bias of the police towards low socioeconomic areas. I liked that aspect of it, I did. It was just thought that there was so much effort taken to set these characters and the setting apart from other YA books that it seemed a little bit of a waste to use such boring tropes. I also thought that aspects of the ending were rather predictable… which made it rather anti-climatic. Oh, and the romance didn’t work for me completely either. I wasn’t a massive Nate fan - they hated each other 95% of the time, but then they were kissing? It was just another layer of the story that I felt was trope-y and slightly boring.

The writing style was okay but it was also a little blunt - in a way that didn’t work for me. Like a lot of reviewers before me are saying, the author relied on pop culture references to describe people - which is something that I cannot stand. The reason this is the worst possible way to describe someone is that I literally didn’t recognise any of the names she mentioned, literally any of them! I wasn’t even sure whether they were meant to be real celebrities or made-up ones… so you can imagine the struggle when a character is described as “Blah Blah and Blah Blah’s love child”. If I don’t know who that person is then how am I meant to know what that person looks like? It just feels like lazy writing when it happens multiple times.

Overall? I didn’t think was necessarily a ‘bad book’ but it certainly wasn’t for me. The characters weren’t my favourite and the plotline took a direction that I wasn’t completely into. The romance felt unnecessary and the the ending was ultimately anticlimactic. I will try more of this author’s work in the future but I was not the biggest fan of Frankie.

3.5 stars

There are some books that - no matter how much you enjoy them at the time - are just not memorable. It’s not that a particular aspect of the story was unpleasant or that the writing style was all that bad, there is just something about the story that refuses to stick with you. Unfortunately, I think Newt’s Emerald falls into that category.

I think this may have to do with the fact that I had recently read Love, Lies and Spies, a similar historical fiction story. Ignoring the fact that it had no magical twist like Newt’s Emerald, LL&S did almost every aspect of the stories slightly better: the banter with the protagonist’s romantic interest was wittier; the dialogue was more perfectly nailed with the right balance of Victorian slang and proper (Old) English; the plotline was more logical and entertaining; and, the mystery was a little more engaging. As a whole, I could not stop comparing the two in my head… and Newt’s Emerald also came in at an unfortunate second.

With that being said, I did enjoy this story. I liked both of the protagonists. Truthful was everything you look for in a female protagonist of a regency romance: she had spunk and determination, and thankfully, she was the type of girl who - sticking true to the times - was adorably naive but ready to take on more responsibilities. I did find Major Harnett harder to warm up to. I never felt that we got to know him as well as we should. While Truthful and his relationship was not poorly written or ill-suited, I just did not come to care enough about them together to ship it… especially compared to Juliana and Spencer in LL&S. I think this may have to do with the nature of their meeting. Both characters lied to each other a lot at the start of their relationship. I understand they had to but at the same time, I always find it hard to understand how characters can come to trust one another with that sort of history.

The plotline was fun. I liked the incorporation of magic into a Victorian setting but I felt that this aspect was also a tad underdeveloped. I was also not happy that we did not know the extent of Truthful’s powers. She seemed to be able to conveniently tamper with stormy weather when it suited the story and nothing more. I prefer my fantasies - particularly when it concerns a magic system - to be a little bit more fleshed out than that. Espionage is always up my alley though so I did enjoy seeing the mystery of the stolen Newington Emerald play out. I also loved seeing Truthful’s cousins help her with the mystery. I love m/f friendships, even if the characters are technically relatives! If the ending had been a smidge more climactic (or at least not so rushed), I think the plot could have been slightly more satisfying as whole but I still found it - for the most part - entertaining.

Overall?

Newt’s Emerald was an enjoyable story but not particularly memorable, especially since I had recently read and enjoyed a similar historical fiction. The plotline was a little too tame for my liking and the magic system - which was meant to set this story apart from the other books in the genre - was underdeveloped. The romance, banter, writing style and MCs were all perfectly adequate… just not quite as good as Anstey’s [b:Love, Lies and Spies|25320766|Love, Lies and Spies|Cindy Anstey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1506719083s/25320766.jpg|45053729]. I do intend on reading more of Nix’s books but I have a feeling traditional fantasy stories may be more his thing than historical fiction.

This is one of those awkward situations where I am struggling to understand the hype. Tozer is a much beloved Aussie author. I’ve been meaning to read The Intern for seemingly ever but well, I am a tad disappointed (to put it mildly). Remind Me How This Ends’s main problem was that it was boring as unbuttered toast. The characters lacked personality. The plot was stale. The writing was… just odd. It just missed so many marks and I’m crushed.

The premise of this story was really what drew me in initially, on top of all the recs from the OzYA community. There are so many books out there following characters who have their shit together and their life plan all sorted. I was keen for a different story, something more relatable that explored that awful ‘what do I do with my life now that high school is over and I realise I have no real skills or ambitions’ phase. Instead? We followed two characters who had absolutely no personality. I understand that a big part of their character arcs was the fact that they lacked ambition and were uncertain about most things in their lives but… it also made them vague and uncertain as characters. They had no real passions or interests, whatsoever. They were defined by their aimlessness and even that lacked the nuance it needed to be such a central part of the story. Milo and Layla's dullness left me feeling distanced from the story. I was not invested. I didn’t even feel like I knew the characters well enough to care.

The secondary characters were a mixed bag. Milo’s father was an actual douchebag and his brother was not much better. I could not stand either of them or the way they treated Milo. I did think that Layla’s boyfriend was well-written, however. He was not someone who I could personally relate with - or even feel empathetic at his life choices - but he was such a believable, realistic voice in a sea of blandness that he stood out. I also would have liked to see a lot more of Layla and her family, to help flesh out her characterisation.

Their romance also did nothing for me. I always struggle with love triangles and cheating. While that was note quite the case here, it was enough to dampen my spirits. It didn’t help that I struggle with them both as individuals and could not see them together. The fact that the plot revolved so much around the romantic shenanigans and, strangely, gelato did not help. It was dull. I was bored. I needed more, particularly from the ending. I was so disappointed that

when Milo finally made his decision - and went out to pursue it - it was not even something that made him happy. He did not seem all that convinced he was doing something he really wanted to be doing… which was the whole point. It felt a little anticlimactic to leave on such a sour note. I wanted more for Milo

.

Tozer's writing style was also very Aussie... to the point that it did not feel realistic. Slang was used constantly in an over-the-top manner, and it made me feel a bit uncomfortable (even as an Aussie myself). It did not feel natural or organic, at all.

Overall? I cannot say I am happy my first Tozer story was such a flop. I wanted more nuanced characters and discussions about the stress of that terrifying post-high school phase of aimlessness. I needed less drama in the romance and more… spunk, I guess. Just more. I think I will try out The Intern still but I will keep my expectations slightly lowered.

Sometimes it is easier to keep secrets than to live with our truth.

The Rattled Bones was a poignant story about grief, family and the way the past can intertwine with our present.

What I loved:

The grandmother-granddaughter relationship. It was just so sweet! I love seeing involved parents and guardians in YA but it is even nicer when those relationships are both central to the story and beautifully written. I loved their special bond over herbal remedies and teas and all their little rituals. They were open and honest with each other, even when it was difficult. I also loved that Eleanor looked out for Rilla. She made sure she never pushed herself too far but also let her have her own breathing room and never dominated her space. It was just really pleasant to read about such a positive guardian-child relationship.

Rilla and Sam’s relationship. I was worried that this story may have a love triangle but Rilla and Sam’s relationship never became romantic. For that, I am so incredibly grateful. It is possible to have an m/f friendship without romantic tension and Parker demonstrated it so well in this. Their budding relationship was sweet and genuine. I liked how supportive of they were of each other and their circumstances. Sam was also just a decent character. He was smart and kind. He had a great sense of humour and worked hard. The things he said were also so poetic and I definitely feel a little bit in love with that.

The commentary. The Rattled Bones deals with a real historical occurrence and it brought up a lot of tasteful commentary about it. Racism - or really any general discussions surrounding discrimination - are always hard topics to write about in a way that is impactful and meaningful and not preachy or one-sided. Parker truly managed to raise important topics without force-feeding a particular viewpoint to the audience, which I appreciated so much. I do not want to go into details about what this story is about because I believe it plays out well in the story itself but it was a fascinating situation. Was it a little difficult to read about? At times, definitely. However, I was very impressed with how it was handled.

The setting. Who would have thought that I would find lobster fishing so interesting! I have never read a book where the protagonist had this profession so I found it really interesting to learn about the industry. I also liked that it highlighted the sexism that is notoriously rampant in these sorts of workplaces and never tried to gloss over that.

What I didn’t love as much:

The lack of thrills. While this book is very much a contemporary about grief and family, it does have a paranormal thriller side to it. I found that subplot to be a little lacking, though. Parker has an undoubtedly atmospheric writing style that I truly enjoyed but it never quite nailed the chill factor. This was definitely my biggest problem with this book as a whole: I was never thrilled. There was just something about it that never pulled me in. The whole paranormal element to this story was lost on me. I wish I had something more concrete or point and declare as the root of my disinterest, but I am not sure where Parker went wrong exactly.

Hattie. Rilla’s best friend felt like such an underdeveloped, throwaway character. I really would have liked to see that play more of an element in the story.

Repetition. I did find it a tad irritating that Parker would repeat certain phrases when describing a particular object/person/thought. There were also times where I felt Rilla’s monologue brought up the same points over and over again. Maybe the author wanted to show her development through this? I’m not entirely sure what it was meant to achieve but I couldn’t help thinking, I already know that every time it came up.

Rilla’s intelligence. This is such a trivial thing to get bothered by but it really irritated me how everyone kept reassuring Rilla she was this incredibly intelligent young woman but... we never really saw that? She never acted or said anything in particular that exemplified it.

The ending. I was a little disheartened by the ending. I would have liked to know what Sam had decided to do with his future and a little bit more closure with Reed.

Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.