And I Darken switches narratives between Lada and Radu, a brother and sister who are polar opposites but who love each other fiercely. They are foAnd I Darken switches narratives between Lada and Radu, a brother and sister who are polar opposites but who love each other fiercely. They are forced to endure multiple tragedies, as they are ripped from the only home that they know and forced into enemy territory. All they have are Radu's wits and Lada's fierceness. Slowly, painfully, they each start to carve out a life for themselves in this foreign land. But at what cost?
I put off reading this novel because a couple people on my update feed described this as a long, boring political drama. Thank goodness I gave this a shot during a recent kindle daily deal, because I loved this book! I wasn't bored for a second. In fact I was up all night, reading this is one sitting and am paying the price today. Of course it was totally worth it though.
I have read a lot of epic young adult series, but I can't remember the last time I have read a single young adult book with so much intrigue,suspense,romance, and heart all packed into a single tome. It's very impressive how much the author managed to include in this novel without it ever feeling too busy.
I was at the edge of my seat for the entire novel, and I loved how much of a love/hate relationship I felt towards so many of the characters. It made them all that more genuine. I loved all of the different settings in the book, they breathe life off of the page. In short, I loved it all and then some. Already on to the sequel.
Highly recommend for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J. Mass, even though this is not a fantasy, it is just as magical.
Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Blurb: Growing up as best friends in small-town New Hampshire, Jon and Chloe are the only ones who truly understand each other, though they Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Blurb: Growing up as best friends in small-town New Hampshire, Jon and Chloe are the only ones who truly understand each other, though they can never find the words to tell one another the depth of their feelings. When Jon is finally ready to confess his feelings, he's suddenly kidnapped by his substitute teacher who is obsessed with H.P. Lovecraft and has a plot to save humanity.
When Jon finally escapes, he discovers he now has an uncontrollable power that endangers anyone he has intense feelings for. He runs away to protect Chloe and find the answers to his new identity--but he's soon being tracked by a detective who is fascinated by a series of vigilante killings that appear connected.
My Musings: While lacking the "edge-of-your-seat suspense" of Kepnes's previous novel, You, I still really enjoyed Providence. Both Jon and Chloe were very complex and realistic characters. The confusing and conflicting feelings Jon suffers, as well as the intrigue of his new powers made for a great story. Kepnes succeeds so well at grey characters.
I wish that there were not so many loose threads at the end of the novel, but at the same time I also didn't feel like I was left hanging. This novel is one of the few that worked so well with multiple narratives. Everything was great, I hope we get a sequel!
Our Homesick Songs is about a family of four, who live in a faltering and nearly abandoned fishing village. It follows Aiden and Martha Conners, the pOur Homesick Songs is about a family of four, who live in a faltering and nearly abandoned fishing village. It follows Aiden and Martha Conners, the parents stretching themselves to a breaking point by working alternate month shifts at a faraway work camp, and their children Cora (determined and desperate to create a life with purpose and joy for herself and her younger brother), and Finn a dreamer of a boy who just wants things to go back to the way they were.
The atmosphere of the novel is highly realistic, I could practically feel the salt spray on my face when the family would be out on their boats. I felt the raw loneliness throughout the pages, and the tiny sparks of hope deep within each character.
While at times the pace moved a little too slow for my liking, overall I did enjoy this and felt that the alternate narratives (something I normally do not like) worked well for this story. Just as I might be getting frustrated with one character, or feeling too much dread at their situation it would switch to another family member and it was like a breath of fresh air.
Great book for a rainy day and would highly recommend.
Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Buy Check out more of my reviews
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I really enjoyed this book, it was unsettling at times but that was only because everything was so realistic. Even during the more surreal moments, it I really enjoyed this book, it was unsettling at times but that was only because everything was so realistic. Even during the more surreal moments, it felt true. Like when you're trapped in a bad dream that you can't wake up from.
That's what mental illness can feel like, and to have the main characters real life and dream life became so blurred was both chilling and intriguing.
I will admit that I did like the “real life� scenes the most, but I was still very impressed by how imaginative the narrative became throughout the story.
Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Buy Check out more of my reviews ...more
I didn't enjoy this book, the art is not really ideal for a Childrens' book its very plain and almost ugly. The writing itself was annoyingly repetiti I didn't enjoy this book, the art is not really ideal for a Childrens' book its very plain and almost ugly. The writing itself was annoyingly repetitive, the whole book was basically terrible “rhymes� coupled with the main line of the book about counting to disperse your anger.
I know that Childen's books often rhyme and are repetitive, I know this. However, while others leave the feeling of trying to hammer home an ideal or moral this just felt lazy.
Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Bin Check out more of my reviews ...more
Wow, I'm breathless. I can't remember the last time I devoured a book with such relish. It was as if the author reached into my brain, picked o[image]
Wow, I'm breathless. I can't remember the last time I devoured a book with such relish. It was as if the author reached into my brain, picked out everything I love in a book and put it all together in one story, just for me! It's insane, not even does it have all the elements that I love in a book, but it also has the right amount of each. And to think this sat so long on my tbr list because the cover didn't grab me!
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If you like any of the following things read this book now!
Magic! Ancient mysterious monsters! Great, well developed friendships and relationships! Love Triangles! (Not a large part of the book, if that's not your thing) Quirky Teachers! Victorian London! Mystery! Prophesies! Cute boys!
Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Buy I can't wait to read the next book immediately! Check out more of my reviews ...more
Aw what a cute, mushy, adorable collection of meet cutes! There is a huge range of stories in here, bursting with originality and tons of diversity. S Aw what a cute, mushy, adorable collection of meet cutes! There is a huge range of stories in here, bursting with originality and tons of diversity. Some of the stories were a little cheesy for my taste, but most left me with a smile on my face, and the characters fondly in my thoughts long after I finished the story. I think this book would make a very cute valentines day gift.
Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Buy
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If you think short stories are not for you, read this book.
From the first page I was instantly immersed in the magical and vibrant worlds of Wicked WIf you think short stories are not for you, read this book.
From the first page I was instantly immersed in the magical and vibrant worlds of Wicked Wonders. The author has this amazing talent of writing short stories that leave you with enough closure to feel satisfied, but also include an intriguing enough premise to have you musing and daydreaming about the stories for weeks on end! Only a master storyteller could make glimpses of other worlds feel so complete.
I also really enjoyed the end chapters, where the author explained why she writes short fiction and the included blurb about her inspiration for each short story in the collection. I wish more books did this as it was so interesting to read about.
Overall this is great collection from an award winning author, and while not every story includes magic, every story is magical.
Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Buy
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Sonya is an Auraseer, which means she can sense peoples emotions and intents. After a devastating loss, she is conscripted into the service of a tyran Sonya is an Auraseer, which means she can sense peoples emotions and intents. After a devastating loss, she is conscripted into the service of a tyrant king. There she must navigate the complex emotions of complicated nobels and servants alike as she tries to control her wild gift that often leaves her overwhelmed.
This book started off really strong, the relationships between Sonya and Pia were always charming and fun, and the complex dance between Sonya and the King was well choreographed. However the pace was very slow, by the 50% mark not much had happened, and there was a lot of repetitiveness regarding a will-they-won't-they romance. Any who hate love triangles, beware.
Despite the slow pace and slightly juvenile love triangle, I was still enjoying this for the unique settings and interesting relationships, but sadly the nail in the coffin ended up being the finale. It felt very rushed after the meandering pace of the first 75% and while I am not against neat endings this felt...disingenuous.
Despite my grumblings, overall this was a decent story and there were large parts of this that I did enjoy. I got this as a kindle daily deal for $2 and for that price I have no regrets with this book. I think that this author has great potential and in time could be an amazing writer.
My thoughts are very divided on this novel. I loved the premise, a resourceful group of people decide to abandon a failing land and live on a ship in My thoughts are very divided on this novel. I loved the premise, a resourceful group of people decide to abandon a failing land and live on a ship in the midst of the end of the world. A ship setting for a post apocalypse book is pretty unique and rare, and it did live up to its potential in that regard.
Where I struggled with the story was with the main character, on the one hand I want to commend the author for writing a very relatable and realistic teenager...but that realism is what makes her so bloody annoying! She was constantly going around in circles, contradicting herself, making hers and the people around hers life so much harder than necessary.
However the back and forth did allow for some deep thinking, and I love when you can see both sides of a very complicated situation. The writing flowed nicely and I flew through the story. Even when I was annoyed at the main character I couldn't stop reading because I was desperate to know what happened next. I would enjoy reading a sequel for this.
Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Buy
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If you only ever read one self-help book let it be this one. It's almost a five for one deal in that the author has painstakingly researched and ferreIf you only ever read one self-help book let it be this one. It's almost a five for one deal in that the author has painstakingly researched and ferreted out the best of the best in various areas of psychology that is vital for a healthy marriage.
I think that many, if not most women can relate to the cover image of this book. The harried, flustered mother just trying to get by day by day with as much sanity as she started with, while her frustratingly nonchalant husband casually lives life by the seat of his pants. Probably because he has what we don't...a wife looking out for everything!
I loved how thorough this book was. Everything that could be affecting a marriage was included in here, from chore distribution to sex life and date nights (or lack thereof), to child discipline to anger issues and ostrich syndrome (hiding your head under the sand). There really are so many moving parts in a marriage, and so many seemingly small things that can make a huge difference. I loved that they were all addressed in a very genuine and thoughtful manner.
The author was so honest in this book, I was very impressed. I think that honesty is what made this book impossible to put down. You can't help but trust in her genuine desire to fix her marriage. That raw desire for improvement seeps off of the page and you find your own ember for change and happiness reignited.
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Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Buy (This would also make a great baby shower gift!)
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*imitates the most interesting man in the world* I don't often read romances, but when I do I read KA.Tucker. This was once again another great offeri *imitates the most interesting man in the world* I don't often read romances, but when I do I read KA.Tucker. This was once again another great offering from the queen of New Adult. Young mother and waitress Catherine, is thrust into the limelight following her heroic actions which saved a famous hockey players life. They soon find themselves falling for eachother, but Catherine's dark past threatens to undo everything.
The book is split between the past and the present, and I definitely preferred the present sections. The past was a bit of a downer. I loved the romance between Catherine and Brett, even if at times their issues were purely a result of Catherine's stubbornness, which was a bit frustrating. While I have yet to find a romance novel that isn't at least a little predictable, I did have a lot of fun reading this and felt that it was a well done, relatively light read. 3.5/5
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Okay, let me start by saying that despite all my qualms with this novel I do think that it is a great middle grade book! I imagine that there are veryOkay, let me start by saying that despite all my qualms with this novel I do think that it is a great middle grade book! I imagine that there are very few 500+ paged books that could keep a young mind so enthralled. However this is not marketed as a middle grade book, it is marketed as a Young Adult book and as such I thought it was much too kiddy.
While the banter may have been cute and even witty for a twelve year old, for the protagonists later teen years it came across as rather juvenile. I also found that the book was much bigger than it needed to be, but perhaps that is also simply because I found the story somewhat predictable and therefore the dragging out of certain elements to be rather tedious.
Overall while not my cup of tea, I think this is a great book for younger children.
Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Borrow Check out more of my reviews
Wow I just realized that this book took me nine months to finish!...more
I loved how unique this book of poems was. Anyone that has ever dealt with grief and self-doubt will get a lot from this. The idea of setting each poe I loved how unique this book of poems was. Anyone that has ever dealt with grief and self-doubt will get a lot from this. The idea of setting each poem to a song was brilliant. Of course it worked a lot better for me when I was actually familiar with the song. For this reason I think it would be a cool idea if the book came with a cd of its playlist, or if in the audio version the poems song played after each poem.
There are many books that I have loved, but few that felt like they were written just for me. The writing was beautiful without being flowery, raw without being harsh. The author feels like a kindred spirit. These poems make me want to cry and smile at the same time. Alicia Cook is a master in the balancing act of bittersweet prose.
The only thing that was a little disappointing for me was that the black-out poetry in the second half of the book was not visible at all in my advance reader copy. I know this is not an issue in the finished work so I won't take off a star for that. I am just sad that I couldn't fully experience this book of poetry, but even just the first half of the book was worth five stars to me.
This is poetry for everyone. Well done Ms.Cook.
Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Buy
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As a new(ish) mother, I have been having a lot of fun reading about the “perils of parenthood�. In truth I enjoyed these works long before I was a mot As a new(ish) mother, I have been having a lot of fun reading about the “perils of parenthood�. In truth I enjoyed these works long before I was a mother, but now that I am one they are even more relatable, and therefore even more amusing/intimidating.
I'm not gonna lie, some of the comics I see of the terrible twos are indeed terrifying. However Lunarbaboon always levies these stressful situations with the funny and bizarre. These quick sketches/comics were great fun to read, and while a couple of them left me scratching my head, most had me giggling with delight.
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Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Buy
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Note: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. ...more
As expected, this bathroom reader was packed to the brim with interesting tidbits, everything from weird laws to wacky products to crazy criminals was As expected, this bathroom reader was packed to the brim with interesting tidbits, everything from weird laws to wacky products to crazy criminals was covered. Apart from a very long and slightly tedious section on Lego pieces, I enjoyed everything in this book.
The good thing about it's mammoth size is that there is truly something for everyone in here, and you can skip whole sections whilst still having hours of interesting facts left to read. Highly recommend as a coffee table or porcelain throne read, it sure beats scrolling 9gag.
Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Buy
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Eve Schaub has a secret room that no one outside of the family is aware of. Always firmly glued shut. Most people, if stumbled upon the room would surEve Schaub has a secret room that no one outside of the family is aware of. Always firmly glued shut. Most people, if stumbled upon the room would surely gasp in horror. What does this room contain you may wonder? Dead bodies (well, mostly not), gruesome monstrosities? Well perhaps only to Marie Kondo (famed organizational expert). You see Eve's aptly named “Hell Room� is packed to the brim with clutter.
“So it goes with my roomful of belongings: most of the objects in there have at one point or another brought me something positive: happiness, joy, satisfaction, or simply a connection to various memories. Collectively, however, they morph into something entirely different:something heavy and obstructing and unclean and mortifying.�
And so begins Eve's very ambitious project of The Year of No Clutter. Of finally getting through this room and making it livable again. I think the subject of clutter and the fear of letting go of objects is something that so many people can relate to. Eve explains it rather on point when she says � Each object was a teeny-tiny reference point to a moment in my life, big or small- like a million stars in the sky, each one connecting in an invisibe line back to me.�
Eve's Year of No Clutter was an indulgent read for me. How often can we pick up a book that we identify so precisely with? Seemingly every page I was raising my hands in the air going
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As a pack rat/clutter prone/sentimental person myself, Eve's struggles were achingly familiar.
I found The Year of No Clutter to be very well written, with Eve coming across as an authentically personable and humorous friend. I was disappointed that there was no before and after picture at the end . However the author does stress at the end of the book that the story ended up being more about the journey than the destination. Which is perhaps why a before and after picture was omitted.
I also found that while this book was all about a woman's organizational journey, there was actually not a lot of advice on how to get rid of and reorganize your own personal hell room. This book is definitely more about Eve's personal journey and growth rather than an actual organizational how-to book. Nevertheless I still got great enjoyment out of it. 4/5
“That's the whole meaning of life, isn't it? Trying to find a place for your stuff.� - George Carlin
Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Buy
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Socially awkward semi-hermit wins a trip of a life time, but the catch is that to redeem his vacation prize he must bring a companion with him! And soSocially awkward semi-hermit wins a trip of a life time, but the catch is that to redeem his vacation prize he must bring a companion with him! And so begins the Extraordinary Adventures as Edsel goes out of his comfort zone to find the girl of his dreams...or at least a girl to bring on vacation with him. Sounds interesting right? Well...sadly this was me for much of the novel.
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I had high hopes for this romantic comedy. The blurb had me hoping for something along the lines of The Rosie Project, you know socially awkward guy searches for love and finds it in equally weird but perfect girl for him. Unfortunately this just felt like the poor mans Rosie Project.
The main character Edsel, was always just slightly too odd to be realistically whimsical and quirksome. I feel like there has been this trend lately, with socially awkward characters becoming very popular (I think the popularity of Sheldon Cooper is what ignited this trend). However not every author can find the right balance between quirky and serial killer creepy. The main character in Extraordinary Adventures straddled that line rather precariously.
The novel started off strong in my opinion. With Edsel being a somewhat relatable character with a bit of a boring existence, which was levied with strong side characters. However it quickly teetered to the unbelievable when we got to the love interest...or I suppose I should say love interests. Which in itself was a bit unbelievable as well, since Edsel was far from a catch. And while his inner monologue was at times interesting, all these other women certainly were not aware of it. I just find it hard to believe that three women would be giving googly eyes to a watered down Don Tillman (The hero of The Rosie Project).
Maybe it is unfair of me to compare this so much to the Rosie Project but I can't help but recognize so many knock offs of the same variety that have been released since its debut. The love interest herself was so annoying that I had trouble enjoying any aspect of this. The moment when the awkward nerdy guy with a heart of gold finally meets the one special woman that really “sees� him is a trope that I am a true sucker for. But this only works if the love interest is actually worthy of such love.
Sheila was intended to be this cardboard cutout of the popular manic pixie dream girl, but she turned out to be more of a (view spoiler)[ manic depressive compulsive liar (hide spoiler)] The annoying part is that if she wasn't so hot no one would consider putting up with this shit! Guess its like Barney Stinson Says... [image]
Overall while just interesting enough to keep me reading, I can't in good faith recommend this book. There is just so much better writing out there. Extraordinary Adventures is a decent time killer, but not much more than that.
Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Bin
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Big Mushy Happy Lump is another entertaining offering from Sarah Andersen. While it lacks a tiny bit of the magic that was found in Adulthood Is a MytBig Mushy Happy Lump is another entertaining offering from Sarah Andersen. While it lacks a tiny bit of the magic that was found in Adulthood Is a Myth, I still got a lot of enjoyment out of this book. Many of the comics included were laugh out loud funny, and you will still find yourself showing everyone you know the farcical stories that anyone can relate to. Great read, bring on the next one!
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Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Buy Check out more of my reviews
Note: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. ...more
The best of Adam Sharp is another interesting offering from the author of the Rosie Project. While a story of multiple adulterers is certainly not as The best of Adam Sharp is another interesting offering from the author of the Rosie Project. While a story of multiple adulterers is certainly not as heartwarming or whimsical as the The Rosie Project, I still found it to be a unique and introspective read.
The protagonist, who seemingly wakes up one day and realizes how stale and boring his life is as he pines for the lost love of his youth, is certainly relatable to an extent. I found him to be a likable character, although admittedly as the novel continued on I found myself less fond of him.
There is a lot of inner dialogue in the book, and for a novel about infidelity and lost love it became tedious at times. For characters nearing half a century old I found them to all be rather frustratingly fickle. The back and forth, and back and forth started to grate on my nerves.
Overall though this was a decent read, but I'm not sure if I would recommend it. What drew me to the authors previous works is not found here, and the characters inability to sort out their lives (however relatable) was still annoying. Worth a read but I wouldn't recommend a buy. Middle of the road 3/5.
Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Borrow
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