- Kippa is pure and needs to be wrapped in a blanket 25/7 - The book is fricken messed up - The art is so beautiful, I sometimes forgot the plot and ju- Kippa is pure and needs to be wrapped in a blanket 25/7 - The book is fricken messed up - The art is so beautiful, I sometimes forgot the plot and just stare at the artwork - The images will haunt my nightmares forever - So much gore dud, im just a little baby - The plot is interesting, maybe if it didn’t progress into a twisted, disturbing plot, I would have enjoyed it more
2.5 stars ?? idk
Merged review:
- Kippa is pure and needs to be wrapped in a blanket 25/7 - The book is fricken messed up - The art is so beautiful, I sometimes forgot the plot and just stare at the artwork - The images will haunt my nightmares forever - So much gore dud, im just a little baby - The plot is interesting, maybe if it didn’t progress into a twisted, disturbing plot, I would have enjoyed it more
i breezed through this and couldn't stop thinking about it while i was away from it
the writing is haunting, absolutely beautiful absolutely stunning.
i breezed through this and couldn't stop thinking about it while i was away from it
the writing is haunting, absolutely beautiful but also totally gross and dark at the same time.
it's a story about family but also not, a story that has so many twists and turns you don't see coming and then an ending that makes sense but also breaks your heart
not going to forget about this one for a while...more
i love the shades of magic series so much and the art in this book is beyond phenomenal but,,,,,,,,i was so confused reading this omg do i have to reri love the shades of magic series so much and the art in this book is beyond phenomenal but,,,,,,,,i was so confused reading this omg do i have to reread the series or am i just dumb? ...more
okay right from the start, our main character is just establishing herself as this wicked, spiteful, baeveryone who enjoyed this book look away please
okay right from the start, our main character is just establishing herself as this wicked, spiteful, badass character.
she goes on and on about how she’s going to trick the shadow king, the most powerful man in the kingdom, into falling in love with her and then she'll kill him and take the crown and power for herself etc. etc.
i know this sounds like the wrath and the dawn, but it's actually the knock-off, dollarstore version of TWATD, sorry, this is me speaking my truth ...more
so new plan, we're going to pretend books 3 and 4 of this series never happened
“Beyond life, beyond death, my love for thee is eternal.�
i'm so ridiculso new plan, we're going to pretend books 3 and 4 of this series never happened
“Beyond life, beyond death, my love for thee is eternal.�
i'm so ridiculously annoyed at what happened but also i can't be bothered bc ever since i finished book 3: Escaping from Houdini, i've felt my attachment to this series begin to dwindle and ITS SO SAD BC I LOVE THOMAS AND AUDREY SO MUCH
a few reason why this totally sucked (in my honest, gracious, humble opinion)
1. !!conflict out of thin air!!!
(view spoiler)[having thomas and audrey's wedding interrupted to announce that thomas was already engaged to another girl THAT HAD NO HINTING FOR THE PAST 3 BOOKS OR ANY REMOTE POSSIBLE EXPLANATION other than to bring a ~shocking plot twist~ was sloppy at best. that specific scene took me out of the story and made me feel an instant disconnect from the book (hide spoiler)]
a grand portion of this book was us, the poor reader, being trapped in audrey rose's head while her mind turned into a broken record. honestly it was like reading the same pages on loop. all her inner turmoil over her feelings for thomas and her grief for her brother and her fear of the new Jack the Ripper repeated a BILLION times in a billion different lines and it added NOTHING to the plot or conflict's development.
it was incredibly tedious to read and i am so Exhausted
3. WHERE WAS THE PLOT
the real mystery of this book was finding the plot because she went missing ...more
i know i'm about 5 years late for the hype but this book is pure Victorian Excellence
incoherent stream of thoughts & feelings - this book follows oi know i'm about 5 years late for the hype but this book is pure Victorian Excellence
incoherent stream of thoughts & feelings - this book follows our free-spirited, know-it-all, opinionated, main character, Veronica Speedwell, a lepidopterist by trade (thats just a fancy name for someone who studies/collects butterflies) who finds her safety in danger after the passing of her aunt - she is teamed up with a grumpy, unkempt taxidermist due to unforeseen circumstances and now they're working to solve some mystery - and oH MY GOD YOU GUYS, THEY ARE THE PERFECT PAIR - they're so snarky with each other, they bicker endlessly and get on each other's nerves but at the same times they build this comradery and friendship and it's so sweeeeeettttt aaaaaaaaaaa - and ok the chemistry between the two of them is so GOOD. it's slow burn but x 32193 and it just makes it so much better jfkljdalfkjal (but i'm also annoyed bc i want them TO BE TOGETHER)
"...Perhaps some tidying up would be in order." I suggested hopefully, regarding the chaos of his surroundings. "Touch so much as a hair of a sloth's head, and I will have you shot," he said darkly.
ugh their banter really is just top tier - theyre like audrey and thomas from Stalking Jack the Ripper but older, more mature, and grumpier, it's fantastic - they literally join the circus like,,,,,,excuse me this calls to my inner clown - theyre so soft with each other like if the other one gets hurt (which happens more often than not) they're always freaking out and rushing to help and losing their mind bc THEYRE SO IN LOVE BUT THEYRE BOTH BLIND - like Stoker is an absolute grump but when he's with her, he's less of a grump and you know what, that's true love right freaking there heart emoji heart emoji - ok i've gone on about the romance far too much for a book that barely features any - so the mystery aspect isn't the greatest, probably because the main focus of the book is veronica herself - (or thats what it seemed like to me) but it is very entertaining to read and it was set up and delivered well. - the plot itself is quite slow and things take time to progress, BUT the main reveal did make me raise my eyebrows in shock !! (amazing) - BUT I JUST LOVE THE CHARACTERS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT AND ARCS SO MUCH I WOULD READ THE BOOK JUST FOR THEM - there is so much more background to learn about these characters, it seems everyone is harbouring some secrets and basically i'm going to throw myself into the next book as soon as possible - so if you like victorian detectives, character centered, and a slowburn romance, and clownery, sign right up
“You guys read romance novels?� “We call them manuals.�
28 DAYS INTO THE YEAR AND I THINK I FOUND MY FAVOURITE ROMANCE OF 2020!!!
i'm seriously so “You guys read romance novels?� “We call them manuals.�
28 DAYS INTO THE YEAR AND I THINK I FOUND MY FAVOURITE ROMANCE OF 2020!!!
i'm seriously so grossly in love with this book, it's not even reasonable
so basically it's about a bunch of big, manly baseball players.......and the romance bookclub they created to help fix their relationships/marraiges
to summarize, it was freaking adorable, your honour
my likes - i rarely EVER read books about couples after they get together, so it was incredibly refreshing to see a couple have to work at their relationship and put in effort and time to trust each other again - it was just so real, you know?? like couples go through things and the most important part is working through them but we NEVER get to see that in books - they had to communicate, talk about their problems, dive deep into their own issues and get past their childhood insecurities in order to fix it, and it was just SO PERFECT - it was cute and funny without trying too hard or coming off as cringey (there are cheesy moments but they were REALLY SWEET cheesy moments that you just have to accept ok, allow the cheese into your heart) - gavin with his daughters ...more
okay it wasn't BAD and i would totally recommend this book if you're looking for a ~*bachelorette*~ type of I WANTED TO LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH :((((((
okay it wasn't BAD and i would totally recommend this book if you're looking for a ~*bachelorette*~ type of plot with lots court politics
but i found this book to be confusing, poorly explained, and quite meandering and that's what made it hard to get through
HOWEVER, the second half of the book sneaked up on me and i honestly fell in love with torden and i am ready to FIGHT for that boy (though still time to change my mind so we shall SEE ...more
this was SO BLOODY GOOD. the creepy atmosphere, the horror aspects that freaked me out, the progression of terrible terrible acts, i was so intrigued this was SO BLOODY GOOD. the creepy atmosphere, the horror aspects that freaked me out, the progression of terrible terrible acts, i was so intrigued to find out more about this world and these characters. i was hooked
until the very end where it completely lost me with the ENDING, it feels so underwhelming, so unfinished. at LEAST GIVE US A SEQUEL OR SOMETHING I NEED ANSWERS
book #2 completed! for the reading rush, under the challenge of: "read a book with a non-human main character"�
things i didn't love about this boobook #2 completed! for the reading rush, under the challenge of: "read a book with a non-human main character"�
things i didn't love about this book: - the characters are flat, the playboy prince and the sweet prince have the some personality and are basically interchangeable - the book didn't ACTUALLY sart until 80%, honestly it felt like the same fact we knew just kept getting reiterated A MILLION TIMES - the mc is too boring to have everyone in love with her. oh!! there it is, i said it - i wish we could get a lot more 'in the sea/with the mermaids' scenes bc they were pretty much non-existent - ENOUGH of the balls and parties omg that felt like the entire book bye
things that were okay about this book: - mette's character and her ending was probably the most entertaining thing about the book - the final chapters were a good closure for the main character, i'll give it that - yeah that's all i can find
colour me sad and disappointed. how one of the most well loved standalones of the 2019 managed to fail every aspect for me is the biggest tragedy in icolour me sad and disappointed. how one of the most well loved standalones of the 2019 managed to fail every aspect for me is the biggest tragedy in itself
so basically,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,i am an emma mills stan first and a person second.
so, let's address the cover change that NO ONE was full review posted
so basically,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,i am an emma mills stan first and a person second.
so, let's address the cover change that NO ONE was expecting. i love the initial covers that she had, honestly emma mills is the LAST PERSON in the world who needed a cover change for her books but after seeing the new covers all together, i mean,,,,,,,i cannot deny that they are CUTE
(and ok maybe i'm slightly bias because i'm a graphic design in-training and illustrated covers are my favourite thing)
but LOOK HOW CUTE
[image]
okay now that we cleared that up, we can get onto the real review.
relatable characters
emma mills is always able to craft the most relatable, realistic portrayal of teenage characters. it's not even the use of current slang or references though that helps but she's able to convey such strong personalities from little clips of dialogue or internal thoughts or accounts from previous incidents
i seriously don't understand how she's able to do it. but its always SO WELL done and reading her books honestly makes me feel like i'm transported into this cute little world and i'm a part of this adorable friendship/family/life
for example, the main character is told she is going to have to team up with some classmates for her radio show and her instant thought process is SO RELATABLE TO ME: an awkward turtle who doesn't know how to make friends/approach people
"The girl sitting in front of me turned around...we weren't exactly friends, but we were friendly at least. "Want to be in a group?" she asked. I shrugged like I wasn't supremely grateful to her for initiating, like I wasn't just sitting there hoping someone would. "Sure."
^mememememmemememememme
Nina is the type of main character who feels so authentic that you can’t help but sympathize with her. She isn’t the A type kid or the one who is talented or special, she’s just kind of cruising through life and has no idea what the future holds
She makes jokes instead of showing her emotions, is her own biggest critic, and hates disappointing everyone but feels like it is inevitable
AND I JUST LOVED HOW AUTHENTIC AND RELATABLE SHE WAS
sweet, soft, precious love interest - where are these boys and why can i not find them in real life????
emma mills writes the softest, sweetest love interests. These boys are SO GOOD and SO KIND and Jamie is one of the best. he’s just so caring and sympathetic and he just CARES SO MUCH MY HEART ACHES
“I don’t really care what I do, to be honest. I just want to make a lot of money.� � “For real? You? Cutthroat businessman fueled by capitalism?� He shook his head. “Not for myself. Not for, like, cars and watches and stuff…I just want to be able to take care of them. My grandma and grandpa. Life how they’ve taken care of me. I just want them to not have to worry about anything, ever. Life, something comes up, it’s handled. Done. I got it.�
I know I’m kind of dramatic at times (more like, all the time) but after I read that conversation, I literally had to put my phone down and just stare into space, clutching my heart bc I CAN’T IMAGINE A SOFTER HUMAN
[image]
And the relationship that grows between Jamie and Nina is really freaking adorable while also being very realistic. They are childhood best friends and emma mills gives us flashbacks to their friendship. and IT’S the small, little, cute games they played on the bus or the imaginary fantasy game they played with her sister, but it’s just so real and pure and PRECIOUS
But then something happens that makes them grow apart (I refuse to tell, read to find out wink emoji) and now they are in the same podcast group at school and have to face the feelings and emotions and unsaid conversations
And that’s the base of where their relationship grows from and aaaaaaaaaa I love REALISTIC RELATIONSHIPS THAT HAVE HISTORY
Childhood friends to lovers deserves rights, there I said it
AMAZING SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS
Like always, I am an entire sucker to family and sibling relationships. If you have proper, healthy, communicative relationships between siblings (or even if you have difficult family drama that requires growth and maturity) I AM 110% GOING TO STAN YOUR BOOK, I’m sorry I don’t make the rules
So anyways, nina, the main character of the book has 2 sisters. One older and one younger. And they act EXACTLY how you would expect.
Theyre all close with each other but are going through different things at their stage of life (for example, her older sister is trying to figure out university stuff and she’s having a hard time but doesn’t want to share her problems yet)
But the way they rely on each other and joke around and have their cute inside jokes and fights, it MAKES MY HEART SO SOFT
”Oh, bummer,� she said in that sort of sibling way that’s part aggrieved for you, part relieved that they’re not the one who did the thing. � “Sorry,� I said weakly. “There was…kind of an accident.� “Nina didn’t mean to break it,� Sidney said helpfully, really cementing that she had nothing to do with it.�
sweetest friend group
So the main character doesn’t really have a solid friend group at school until she is teamed up with three other students for a podcast for their radio class (?? I didn’t take notes while reading ok im sorry) and THEY BUILD A GREAT FRIENDSHIP along with the screw-ups and mistakes and on-air blunders but it’s so FUNNY to follow them and their adventures
Joydeep is an absolute clown, he took some time to warm up but I really like the dynamic he brings to the group (but ok, him hosting the podcast alone was the biggest mistake the group made, no question)
present, realistic parents
I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY loved the parents.
Typically we see lots of unpresent parents in ya stories where the kids run wild and go on adventures and their parents just shrug and shake their heads in mild adoration/disappointment (we’re all unsure how they really feel)
But Nina’s situation is a little different. Her parents got divorced when she was younger and her mother is engaged to marry her future step-father Dan. Nina talks to her father over the phone often enough but he isn’t greatly involved in their lives
Now, The Dantist is literally the coolest parent character in the WORLD. Even though he’s their step-father to be, HES SO PERFECT AND RELIABLE and SWEET. Like the dude literally has a youtube channel where he does paint-by-numbers tutorial and it’s SO WHOLESOME aaaaaaaaaaaa
and side note, i LOVED the cameos of meagan pleasant and TION that came along. I love when books tie in with their previous ones, even if they aren't companion novels it just makes me ridiculously happy to see those references
ok now i'm going to go lie down and think about how much i love the fictional emma mills universe...more
slice of life stories that occur over the lifetime of the characters??? hell yes!
i am absolutely enchanted by the ability mary beth keane has in craftslice of life stories that occur over the lifetime of the characters??? hell yes!
i am absolutely enchanted by the ability mary beth keane has in crafting this story. it is so real, so complex, so human, i feel like i've lived with these characters, grew up next to them, saw them graduate and become adults, and witness them face trial and test and life
and my goodness, was it an experience.
it's a story of love and forgiveness and acceptance and living, im just filled with emotions and i dONT KNOW HOW TO TRANSLATE IT INTO WORDS
but if you love slow books that are deeply centered around family drama and are heavily character driven and hold SO MUCH nuance, then pick this up RIGHT NOW!!!!!! that's an order!!! (pls c: )
also, i was totally right about this having 'little fire everywhere' vibes ...more
brigid kemmerer gave me the beauty and the beast retelling that i always dreamed of, damn this was amazing.
the characters literally made this book fobrigid kemmerer gave me the beauty and the beast retelling that i always dreamed of, damn this was amazing.
the characters literally made this book for me. i love my soft son grey so much oh my heart, i want him to get his own book and live his best life and be happy and healthy 🤧🤧
harper is my queen and i refuse to associate with anyone who feels otherwise. rhen is my smol depressed emo son who is just Tired�. and even though jake was "an arrogant know-it-all" i still sympathized with him
Loading...
