Kat's bookshelf: buddy-read en-US Sat, 30 Nov 2024 03:48:40 -0800 60 Kat's bookshelf: buddy-read 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Disappoint Me 217482843
Enter Vincent, corporate lawyer and hobby baker. His trad friendship group may as well speak a different language to Max, and his Chinese parents never pictured their son dating a trans woman. It’s uncertain terrain, but Vincent cares for Max in a way she’d long given up on as a foolish fantasy. Yet he is carrying his own baggage. On his gap year in Thailand a decade prior, Vincent vies for the attention of a gorgeous traveller, Alex, with secrets of her own. Is he really the new face of the Enlightened Man, or will the ghosts of his past sabotage his and Max’s happiness?]]> 277 Nicola Dinan 1529930642 Kat 3
new lit fic novel by Bellies author Nicola Dinan WHO'S WITH ME?!]]> 4.32 2025 Disappoint Me
author: Nicola Dinan
name: Kat
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/30
date added: 2024/11/30
shelves: 2024-reads, aapi-authored, books-white-people-should-read, buddy-read, dont-know-how-i-feel-about-you, e-arc, ebook, feminist, girlfailure-lit, lgbtqia-author, lgbtqia-book, netgalley, no-bullshit-romance
review:
Update: ARC SECURED

new lit fic novel by Bellies author Nicola Dinan WHO'S WITH ME?!
]]> Brutes 179849975 "This season's most-anticipated first outing." (Vogue)

"A Lynchian reinterpretation of The Virgin Suicides." (Observer)

"An astonishing debut that will burrow under your skin." (Sunday Times)

In Falls Landing, Florida - a place built of theme parks, swampy lakes, and scorched bougainvillea flowers - something sinister lurks in the deep. A gang of thirteen-year-old girls obsessively orbit around the local preacher's daughter, Sammy. She is mesmerizing, older, and in love with Eddie. But suddenly, Sammy goes missing. Where is she? Watching from a distance, they edge ever closer to discovering a dark secret about their fame-hungry town and the cruel cost of a ticket out. What they uncover will continue to haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Through a darkly beautiful and brutally compelling lens, Dizz Tate captures the violence, horrors, and manic joys of girlhood. Brutes is a novel about the seemingly unbreakable bonds in the 'we' of young friendship, and the moment it is broken forever.]]> 240 Tate Dizz 057137445X Kat 3 3.29 2023 Brutes
author: Tate Dizz
name: Kat
average rating: 3.29
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/16
date added: 2024/10/16
shelves: 2024-reads, buddy-read, debut-novel, dont-know-how-i-feel-about-you, feminist, girlfailure-lit, no-romance-no-drama
review:
girlhood is confusing, so is this novel!!
]]> <![CDATA[Mansfield Park (Wordsworth Collector's Editions)]]> 54210902 432 Jane Austen 1840227974 Kat 2 3.55 1814 Mansfield Park (Wordsworth Collector's Editions)
author: Jane Austen
name: Kat
average rating: 3.55
book published: 1814
rating: 2
read at: 2022/05/24
date added: 2024/09/09
shelves: 2022-reads, you-let-me-down, buddy-read, books-on-screen
review:
2.5 stars, oh man, what a bore
]]> Paradise Rot 176729907
Jo is in a strange new country for university and having a more peculiar time than most. In a house with no walls, shared with a woman who has no boundaries, she finds her strange home coming to life in unimaginable ways. Jo’s sensitivity and all her senses become increasingly heightened and fraught, as the lines between bodies and plants, dreaming and wakefulness, blur and mesh. This debut novel from critically acclaimed artist and musician Jenny Hval presents a heady and hyper-sensual portrayal of sexual awakening and queer desire.]]> 148 Jenny Hval 1804294527 Kat 5 3.52 2009 Paradise Rot
author: Jenny Hval
name: Kat
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/29
date added: 2024/08/29
shelves: 2024-reads, buddy-read, feminist, girlfailure-lit, let-me-entertain-you, lgbtqia-book, no-bullshit-romance, no-romance-no-drama, debut-novel
review:
not as much piss as i thought, five stars
]]> <![CDATA[The Fragile Threads of Power (Threads of Power, #1)]]> 123211147 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and set in the world of A Darker Shade of Magic, V. E. Schwab opens a new door into perilous adventure and tangled schemes with The Fragile Threads of Power.

Once, there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power, and connected by a single city: London. Until the magic grew too fast, and forced the worlds to seal the doors between them in a desperate gamble to protect their own. The few magicians who could still open the doors grew more rare as time passed and now, only three Antari are known in recent memory―Kell Maresh of Red London, Delilah Bard of Grey London, and Holland Vosijk, of White London.

But barely a glimpse of them have been seen in the last seven years―and a new Antari named Kosika has appeared in White London, taking the throne in Holland's absence. The young queen is willing to feed her city with blood, including her own―but her growing religious fervor has the potential to drown them instead.

And back in Red London, King Rhy Maresh is threatened by a rising rebellion, one determined to correct the balance of power by razing the throne entirely.

Amidst this tapestry of old friends and new enemies, a girl with an unusual magical ability comes into possession of a device that could change the fate of all four worlds.

Her name is Tes, and she's the only one who can bring them together―or unravel it all.]]> 656 Victoria E. Schwab 0765387514 Kat 3
Yes, I was very glad to be back in the shades verse yadidadeedahh blah blah literally every second review of this book will start with that same sentence but your honour, it’s true, I ain’t lying!! and I’m saying that even after I reread the shades series late last year and found that actually, Lila Bard is a misogynistic piece of shit, and that ve schwab has difficulties writing female characters that aren’t, but who cares abt Lila when there’s KELL, RHY, ALUCARD!!!!!! my booboos, my best of boys.]]> 4.37 2023 The Fragile Threads of Power (Threads of Power, #1)
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Kat
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/02
date added: 2024/08/22
shelves: 2024-reads, buddy-read, dont-know-how-i-feel-about-you, let-me-entertain-you, lgbtqia-author, lgbtqia-book, no-bullshit-romance
review:
3.5 stars � I only just finished this, so bear with me, my emotions are still all over the place, so I can’t guarantee a very well-thought-through review.

Yes, I was very glad to be back in the shades verse yadidadeedahh blah blah literally every second review of this book will start with that same sentence but your honour, it’s true, I ain’t lying!! and I’m saying that even after I reread the shades series late last year and found that actually, Lila Bard is a misogynistic piece of shit, and that ve schwab has difficulties writing female characters that aren’t, but who cares abt Lila when there’s KELL, RHY, ALUCARD!!!!!! my booboos, my best of boys.
]]> The Memory Police 50349968 A haunting Orwellian novel about the terrors of state surveillance, from the acclaimed author of The Housekeeper and the Professor.

On an unnamed island off an unnamed coast, objects are disappearing: first hats, then ribbons, birds, roses--until things become much more serious. Most of the island's inhabitants are oblivious to these changes, while those few imbued with the power to recall the lost objects live in fear of the draconian Memory Police, who are committed to ensuring that what has disappeared remains forgotten.

When a young woman who is struggling to maintain her career as a novelist discovers that her editor is in danger from the Memory Police, she concocts a plan to hide him beneath her floorboards. As fear and loss close in around them, they cling to her writing as the last way of preserving the past.

A surreal, provocative fable about the power of memory and the trauma of loss, The Memory Police is a stunning new work from one of the most exciting contemporary authors writing in any language.]]> 274 Yōko Ogawa 1101911816 Kat 3 to conclude, men are shit 3.83 1994 The Memory Police
author: Yōko Ogawa
name: Kat
average rating: 3.83
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/30
date added: 2024/07/30
shelves: 2024-reads, asian-authored, books-on-screen, buddy-read, dont-know-how-i-feel-about-you, japanese-authored
review:
to conclude, men are shit
]]> Iron Widow (Iron Widow, #1) 52459864
When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.�

To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia�. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.]]> 394 Xiran Jay Zhao 0735269939 Kat 3 Pacific Rim x The Handmaid's Tale we also live in the year 2022 and I’m tired of storylines and characters touted as the real deal while they are surface level feminist at best.

I can’t even imagine how the author managed to pitch this story; I already have trouble trying to give a non-spoilery synopsis that isn’t two pages long but still gives you an idea of what this novel is about.
Set in an imperial China-inspired country named “Huaxia�, girls like Zetian serve as nothing but human batteries male fighter pilots need to fight Huaxia’s greatest enemy, the Hunduns. Hunduns are huge metal beasts who many decades ago nearly obliterated the human population. To stop them from destroying villages and settlements, the government trains male pilots who, together with their female concubines, pilot Chrysalis � think Pacific Rim-like robots � the only kind of machinery that can kill the Hunduns. But every time a Chrysalis is powered up, a girl dies, their life energy drained to help sustain the energy of the male pilot and his battle robot. After her sister falls victim to “the natural losses of war�, Zetian offers herself up with the plan to kill the pilot responsible for her death.


The idea behind this world and characters that are inspired by historical figures across Chinese history is awesome and completely unique. It feels like the perfect blend between dystopian sci-fi and fantasy with a focus on misogyny and thereby also on women’s rights, femicides, imperialism, and a dash of environmentalism.

However: the descriptions and world-building were entirely lacking considering the scope of that world. I buddy-read this with a friend and we both struggled immensely trying to picture what the Hunduns and Chrysales looked like. I had to imagine the Hunduns looking like huge metal rhinoceroses and the Chrysales like the battle armours from Pacific Rim because there was nothing to hang on to.

This continued throughout the whole book. There was so much talk about what the heroine was thinking and feeling and smelling but God forbid we would get any detailed descriptions of battles or the characters� surroundings. I even had trouble picturing the characters� armour and crowns. The only reason I could picture them at all was thanks to fanart.

The characters themselves seemed at times like total caricatures, at times like really compelling figures:

Don’t get me wrong, Zetian is the MOST unhinged main character I have ever encountered. We’re talking full-on unhinged, like 20/10. She beats Rin (The Poppy War) by miles (don’t get me wrong, I love Rin). And I LOVED it. Female characters in YA (fantasy) novels are too often way too sensible for my taste. Give me the crazy bitches and loony toons women, I beg you.

However, Zetian, for all her ‘feminist� ideals and dreams of making the world a better place for young girls so they are not just seen as objects to be sold by their families to the army, too often came across as being “NoT lIke oTHeR gIRlS.� If there is one thing I knew about the book before I started reading it, it’s that people always seemed to mention its title and “feminist� in the same sentence.

This book is a lot of things, but not “feminist�.

Surface-level feminism at best, it’s trying to sell us a female protagonist who rebels against the patriarchy, who wants to save young girls, who knows that what men are and have been doing to her grandmother's, mother’s and her generation is wrong and that basically, the system is fucked.

Yes, it IS a fucked system but I do expect a book labelled and extensively promoted by its author as ‘feminist� to put its money where its mouth is because there is not a single female character in this book that means well by Zetian. Every woman Zetian encounters is immediately heavily judged by her. They are either weak or bitches or backstabbing snakes, meant to be her rival, betray or kill her.]]> 4.03 2021 Iron Widow (Iron Widow, #1)
author: Xiran Jay Zhao
name: Kat
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/08/19
date added: 2024/05/24
shelves: 2022-reads, book-box-read, buddy-read, let-me-entertain-you, lgbtqia-book, no-bullshit-romance, lgbtqia-author, aapi-authored
review:
Reading this book was certainly an � experience � and while I’m very much on board with saying that the setting and fictional universe created in this book are super unique in their blend of Pacific Rim x The Handmaid's Tale we also live in the year 2022 and I’m tired of storylines and characters touted as the real deal while they are surface level feminist at best.

I can’t even imagine how the author managed to pitch this story; I already have trouble trying to give a non-spoilery synopsis that isn’t two pages long but still gives you an idea of what this novel is about.
Set in an imperial China-inspired country named “Huaxia�, girls like Zetian serve as nothing but human batteries male fighter pilots need to fight Huaxia’s greatest enemy, the Hunduns. Hunduns are huge metal beasts who many decades ago nearly obliterated the human population. To stop them from destroying villages and settlements, the government trains male pilots who, together with their female concubines, pilot Chrysalis � think Pacific Rim-like robots � the only kind of machinery that can kill the Hunduns. But every time a Chrysalis is powered up, a girl dies, their life energy drained to help sustain the energy of the male pilot and his battle robot. After her sister falls victim to “the natural losses of war�, Zetian offers herself up with the plan to kill the pilot responsible for her death.


The idea behind this world and characters that are inspired by historical figures across Chinese history is awesome and completely unique. It feels like the perfect blend between dystopian sci-fi and fantasy with a focus on misogyny and thereby also on women’s rights, femicides, imperialism, and a dash of environmentalism.

However: the descriptions and world-building were entirely lacking considering the scope of that world. I buddy-read this with a friend and we both struggled immensely trying to picture what the Hunduns and Chrysales looked like. I had to imagine the Hunduns looking like huge metal rhinoceroses and the Chrysales like the battle armours from Pacific Rim because there was nothing to hang on to.

This continued throughout the whole book. There was so much talk about what the heroine was thinking and feeling and smelling but God forbid we would get any detailed descriptions of battles or the characters� surroundings. I even had trouble picturing the characters� armour and crowns. The only reason I could picture them at all was thanks to fanart.

The characters themselves seemed at times like total caricatures, at times like really compelling figures:

Don’t get me wrong, Zetian is the MOST unhinged main character I have ever encountered. We’re talking full-on unhinged, like 20/10. She beats Rin (The Poppy War) by miles (don’t get me wrong, I love Rin). And I LOVED it. Female characters in YA (fantasy) novels are too often way too sensible for my taste. Give me the crazy bitches and loony toons women, I beg you.

However, Zetian, for all her ‘feminist� ideals and dreams of making the world a better place for young girls so they are not just seen as objects to be sold by their families to the army, too often came across as being “NoT lIke oTHeR gIRlS.� If there is one thing I knew about the book before I started reading it, it’s that people always seemed to mention its title and “feminist� in the same sentence.

This book is a lot of things, but not “feminist�.

Surface-level feminism at best, it’s trying to sell us a female protagonist who rebels against the patriarchy, who wants to save young girls, who knows that what men are and have been doing to her grandmother's, mother’s and her generation is wrong and that basically, the system is fucked.

Yes, it IS a fucked system but I do expect a book labelled and extensively promoted by its author as ‘feminist� to put its money where its mouth is because there is not a single female character in this book that means well by Zetian. Every woman Zetian encounters is immediately heavily judged by her. They are either weak or bitches or backstabbing snakes, meant to be her rival, betray or kill her.
]]> The Palace of Eros 199797883
When Eros, nonbinary deity of desire, sees Psyche, she cannot fulfill her promise to her mother Aphrodite to destroy the mortal young woman. Instead, Eros devises a plan to sweep Psyche away to an idyllic palace, hidden from the prying eyes of Aphrodite, Zeus, and the outside world. There, against the dire dictates of Olympus, Eros and Psyche fall in love. Each night, Eros visits Psyche under the cover of impenetrable darkness, where they both experience untold passion and love. But each morning, Eros flies away before light comes to break the spell of the palace that keeps them safe.

Before long, Psyche’s nights spent in pleasure turn to days filled with doubts, as she grapples with the cost of secrecy and the complexities of freedom and desire. Restless and spurred by her sisters to reveal Eros’s true nature, she breaks her trust and forces a reckoning that tests them both—and transforms the very heavens.

Told in bold and sparkling prose, The Palace of Eros transports us to a magical world imbued by divine forces as well as everyday realities, where palaces glitter with magic even as ordinary people fight for freedom in a society that fears the unknown.]]> 320 Carolina De Robertis 1668035235 Kat 2
I’m not the biggest Greek Mythology fan out there, I didn’t know the original myth before diving into this novel, but I do know that I will always be here for a queer retelling of ANYTHING. As a queer reader myself, keeping a balance between “I’m just glad this queer story exists no matter how good or bad� and “telling queer stories isn’t an end in itself, they need to accomplish something� isn’t easy. This novel will, for some people, undoubtedly be exactly what they needed and have always looked for, and that’s great, but I wish it had at least been GOOD.

I know taste and enjoyment are subjective, but I buddy-read this with a friend of mine and we were both in agreement that this book is severely lacking in almost every major department, including writing (style), plot, and dialogue.

PSA: I received a digital reader advanced copy of this novel and can’t say what changes this will go through before being published. However, while it’s very likely that small details will change, I don’t think the writing style will.

If there is one thing I will forever do it’s comparing every Greek Mythology retelling to The Song of Achilles. It’s unfair, it’s biased, but I can’t help it. Madeline Miller set a gold standard that many writers will struggle to achieve. However, when comparing De Robertis’s writing to Miller’s, it falls flat on its nose. Where Miller’s prose is just the right shade short of purple, De Robertis’s takes elaborate and flowery to a whole new level. Similes follow metaphors follow too luscious imagery follows hyperboles on every page, constantly, so that the plot itself, the words� meaning is completely lost, and needs to be uncovered before one can even attempt to understand it.

There are nuggets of gold to be found, for sure:

“All of time collapses in the immediacy of desire.�

“Those of us who’ve been broken have more shards inside us than we know � and who among us has not been broken, as women in this world?�

Beautiful quotes, no notes!! ]]> 3.67 2024 The Palace of Eros
author: Carolina De Robertis
name: Kat
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2024
rating: 2
read at: 2024/04/18
date added: 2024/05/17
shelves: 2024-reads, buddy-read, e-arc, ebook, feminist, lgbtqia-author, lgbtqia-book, netgalley, no-bullshit-romance, you-let-me-down
review:
Believe me when I say I so wish I could have liked this more. When I was approved for an e-arc that I requested based on the very basic premise of this novel being a queer sapphic retelling of a Greek myth, I was HOOKED, but this was such a disappointment that I’m having trouble finding anything positive to say about it apart from the fact that it exists.

I’m not the biggest Greek Mythology fan out there, I didn’t know the original myth before diving into this novel, but I do know that I will always be here for a queer retelling of ANYTHING. As a queer reader myself, keeping a balance between “I’m just glad this queer story exists no matter how good or bad� and “telling queer stories isn’t an end in itself, they need to accomplish something� isn’t easy. This novel will, for some people, undoubtedly be exactly what they needed and have always looked for, and that’s great, but I wish it had at least been GOOD.

I know taste and enjoyment are subjective, but I buddy-read this with a friend of mine and we were both in agreement that this book is severely lacking in almost every major department, including writing (style), plot, and dialogue.

PSA: I received a digital reader advanced copy of this novel and can’t say what changes this will go through before being published. However, while it’s very likely that small details will change, I don’t think the writing style will.

If there is one thing I will forever do it’s comparing every Greek Mythology retelling to The Song of Achilles. It’s unfair, it’s biased, but I can’t help it. Madeline Miller set a gold standard that many writers will struggle to achieve. However, when comparing De Robertis’s writing to Miller’s, it falls flat on its nose. Where Miller’s prose is just the right shade short of purple, De Robertis’s takes elaborate and flowery to a whole new level. Similes follow metaphors follow too luscious imagery follows hyperboles on every page, constantly, so that the plot itself, the words� meaning is completely lost, and needs to be uncovered before one can even attempt to understand it.

There are nuggets of gold to be found, for sure:

“All of time collapses in the immediacy of desire.�

“Those of us who’ve been broken have more shards inside us than we know � and who among us has not been broken, as women in this world?�

Beautiful quotes, no notes!!
]]> <![CDATA[Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe, #2)]]> 39296212
The Thunderhead cannot interfere in the affairs of the Scythedom. All it can do is observe—it does not like what it sees.

A year has passed since Rowan had gone off grid. Since then, he has become an urban legend, a vigilante snuffing out corrupt scythes in a trial by fire. His story is told in whispers across the continent.

As Scythe Anastasia, Citra gleans with compassion and openly challenges the ideals of the “new order.� But when her life is threatened and her methods questioned, it becomes clear that not everyone is open to the change.

Will the Thunderhead intervene?

Or will it simply watch as this perfect world begins to unravel?]]> 515 Neal Shusterman 1406379530 Kat 4
Picking up roughly a year after the events of Scythe, Thunderhead sees Citra being a fully-ordained Scythe now, who, at the side of her former teacher and mentor, Scythe Curie, spends her days gleaning the way she chooses to while trying to not spend too much time thinking about her friend Rowan, who has now gone rogue, setting himself the task to kill all those Scythes not worthy of carrying the title.

While the novel provides two different narrative strands by separating Citra and Rowan and focusing on their individual arcs that eventually end up becoming one, readers are also introduced to Greyson, an exhonoured and ultimately disgraced former Nimbus agent in service of the Thunderhead. By introducing a new main character of sorts who has nothing to do with the Scythedom, Shusterman broadens the scope of his previously established world and extends it in ways that flesh out his dystopian society as well as the lives of the people in it.

The novel starts with a bang that sees both Citra’s and Scythe Curie’s life in danger, and while some of the focus then shifts to the political and the internal conflicts of the Scythedom, new perspectives are offered alongside, such as an insider view of the world of the Unsavouries as well as an introduction to the ways and lives of the Tonists.

Most importantly, though, this novel does what its title says and intimately familiarises the readers with the great AI, the Thunderhead. There have been a couple of unique and interesting artificial intelligence in sci-fi literature and visual media (hello, HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey; AIDAN from Illuminae, M-Bot from Skyward), and it would be insane to not count The Thunderhead among such icons after reading this book. Not only does Shusterman give him what feels like a unique personality, but its interactions with Greyson and the “diary entries� we get from his point of view help in turning the Thunderhead into an entity with a singular voice.

It's hard to talk about the actual plot twists this novel offers without spoiling anything, but as someone whose jaw already dropped several times!! while reading book #1, rest assured that this one made me gasp, say “oh shit� out loud at least twice, shake my head in disbelief, and stay awake until half past midnight (late for me) to finish the book because Shusterman IS. JUST. THAT. GOOD when it comes to writing an ending that will blow your socks off, set your house on fire, and make you feel like you have just watched GOT’s “Red Wedding� all over again.

Thankfully, this novel’s fatphobia was dialled down almost to zero in comparison with its predecessor, and I can recall only two remarks which I thought were fatphobic/in which a fat character was described negatively because of their weight.

The characters� emotional turmoil, however, still does not translate well onto the page. Shusterman remains a tell-don’t-show writer when it comes to his characters� feelings. Not a single ounce of emotional connection between me and the characters, unfortunately. On top of that, he continues writing them as always only reacting TO something instead of divulging what is going on inside of them at times when they are not triggered by an outside event. He reminds me of Christopher Nolan in a way that he can create intriguing characters that, for all that we care about them, possess no emotional intelligence whatsoever. Now, if this were any other story it would not only annoy the hell out of me but majorly influence my rating, too.

However, as this novel is mainly plot-driven, I found I didn’t mind that much as those fantastic twists kept coming, and Shusterman kept me entertained.]]> 4.37 2018 Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe, #2)
author: Neal Shusterman
name: Kat
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/27
date added: 2024/03/28
shelves: 2023-reads, black-authored, buddy-read, let-me-entertain-you, no-bullshit-romance, suspenseful
review:
After an exciting first book that provided readers with a fresh take on a dystopian future but which was nevertheless bogged down by a considerable amount of fatphobic comments and a lack of emotional insight, Shusterman proves that he can easily outdo himself by writing a sequel that keeps your eyes glued to the page, always in the anticipation of the next great plot twist and with an ending that is nothing short of explosive.

Picking up roughly a year after the events of Scythe, Thunderhead sees Citra being a fully-ordained Scythe now, who, at the side of her former teacher and mentor, Scythe Curie, spends her days gleaning the way she chooses to while trying to not spend too much time thinking about her friend Rowan, who has now gone rogue, setting himself the task to kill all those Scythes not worthy of carrying the title.

While the novel provides two different narrative strands by separating Citra and Rowan and focusing on their individual arcs that eventually end up becoming one, readers are also introduced to Greyson, an exhonoured and ultimately disgraced former Nimbus agent in service of the Thunderhead. By introducing a new main character of sorts who has nothing to do with the Scythedom, Shusterman broadens the scope of his previously established world and extends it in ways that flesh out his dystopian society as well as the lives of the people in it.

The novel starts with a bang that sees both Citra’s and Scythe Curie’s life in danger, and while some of the focus then shifts to the political and the internal conflicts of the Scythedom, new perspectives are offered alongside, such as an insider view of the world of the Unsavouries as well as an introduction to the ways and lives of the Tonists.

Most importantly, though, this novel does what its title says and intimately familiarises the readers with the great AI, the Thunderhead. There have been a couple of unique and interesting artificial intelligence in sci-fi literature and visual media (hello, HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey; AIDAN from Illuminae, M-Bot from Skyward), and it would be insane to not count The Thunderhead among such icons after reading this book. Not only does Shusterman give him what feels like a unique personality, but its interactions with Greyson and the “diary entries� we get from his point of view help in turning the Thunderhead into an entity with a singular voice.

It's hard to talk about the actual plot twists this novel offers without spoiling anything, but as someone whose jaw already dropped several times!! while reading book #1, rest assured that this one made me gasp, say “oh shit� out loud at least twice, shake my head in disbelief, and stay awake until half past midnight (late for me) to finish the book because Shusterman IS. JUST. THAT. GOOD when it comes to writing an ending that will blow your socks off, set your house on fire, and make you feel like you have just watched GOT’s “Red Wedding� all over again.

Thankfully, this novel’s fatphobia was dialled down almost to zero in comparison with its predecessor, and I can recall only two remarks which I thought were fatphobic/in which a fat character was described negatively because of their weight.

The characters� emotional turmoil, however, still does not translate well onto the page. Shusterman remains a tell-don’t-show writer when it comes to his characters� feelings. Not a single ounce of emotional connection between me and the characters, unfortunately. On top of that, he continues writing them as always only reacting TO something instead of divulging what is going on inside of them at times when they are not triggered by an outside event. He reminds me of Christopher Nolan in a way that he can create intriguing characters that, for all that we care about them, possess no emotional intelligence whatsoever. Now, if this were any other story it would not only annoy the hell out of me but majorly influence my rating, too.

However, as this novel is mainly plot-driven, I found I didn’t mind that much as those fantastic twists kept coming, and Shusterman kept me entertained.
]]> <![CDATA[Murtagh (The Inheritance Cycle, #5)]]> 123206298 Master storyteller and internationally bestselling author Christopher Paolini returns to the World of Eragon in this stunning epic fantasy set a year after the events of the Inheritance Cycle. Join Dragon Rider—and fan favorite—Murtagh and his dragon as they confront a perilous new enemy!

The world is no longer safe for the Dragon Rider Murtagh and his dragon, Thorn. An evil king has been toppled, and they are left to face the consequences of the reluctant role they played in his reign of terror. Now they are hated and alone, exiled to the outskirts of society.

Throughout the land, hushed voices whisper of brittle ground and a faint scent of brimstone in the air—and Murtagh senses that something wicked lurks in the shadows of Alagaësia. So begins an epic journey into lands both familiar and untraveled, where Murtagh and Thorn must use every weapon in their arsenal, from brains to brawn, to find and outwit a mysterious witch. A witch who is much more than she seems.

In this gripping novel starring one of the most popular characters from Christopher Paolini’s blockbuster Inheritance Cycle, a Dragon Rider must discover what he stands for in a world that has abandoned him. Murtagh is the perfect book to enter the World of Eragon for the first time . . . or to joyfully return.]]> 688 Christopher Paolini 1774882965 Kat 3
"releasing on Nov 7th", as if I wasn't going to bed every night BEGGING God for Nasuada/Murtagh crumbs]]> 4.10 2023 Murtagh (The Inheritance Cycle, #5)
author: Christopher Paolini
name: Kat
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/03
date added: 2024/03/27
shelves: 2024-reads, buddy-read, dont-know-how-i-feel-about-you, ebook, let-me-entertain-you, no-bullshit-romance, no-romance-no-drama, you-let-me-down
review:
EDIT: please someone tell me I’m not the only one who caught that Bon Jovi reference??

"releasing on Nov 7th", as if I wasn't going to bed every night BEGGING God for Nasuada/Murtagh crumbs
]]> I Kissed Shara Wheeler 58864196 From the New York Times bestselling author of One Last Stop and Red, White & Royal Blue comes a romantic comedy about chasing down what you want, only to find what you need...

Chloe Green is so close to winning. After her moms moved her from SoCal to Alabama for high school, she’s spent the past four years dodging gossipy classmates and the puritanical administration of Willowgrove Christian Academy. The thing that’s kept her winning valedictorian. Her only prom queen Shara Wheeler, the principal’s perfect progeny.

But a month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe and vanishes.

On a furious hunt for answers, Chloe discovers she’s not the only one Shara kissed. There’s also Smith, Shara’s longtime quarterback sweetheart, and Rory, Shara’s bad boy neighbor with a crush. The three have nothing in common except Shara and the annoyingly cryptic notes she left behind, but together they must untangle Shara’s trail of clues and find her. It’ll be worth it, if Chloe can drag Shara back before graduation to beat her fair and square.

Thrown into an unlikely alliance, chasing a ghost through parties, break-ins, puzzles, and secrets revealed on monogrammed stationery, Chloe starts to suspect there might be more to this small town than she thought. And maybe—probably not, but maybe—more to Shara, too.

Fierce, funny, and frank, Casey McQuiston's I Kissed Shara Wheeler is about breaking the rules, getting messy, and finding love in unexpected places.]]> 368 Casey McQuiston 1250244463 Kat 3
Chloe Green is smart. Smart enough to win valedictorian of the class of �22. The only person standing in her way is Shara Wheeler: prom queen, the principal’s daughter, a good Christian girl and the only one who can hold a candle to Chloe’s brains. That is until Shara vanishes and leaves behind nothing but a trail of pink envelopes that for Chloe, Shara’s jock boyfriend Smith, and Rory, her emo/bad-boy next-door neighbour, swiftly turns into a game of Cluedo. Now it’s about putting together the pieces, solving riddles, and trying to find out where, and most importantly, who, Shara really is. Because if Shara is gone, that’s a forfeit and Cloe Green does not win by default.

I have two, no, three, major complaints regarding this book:

First, I would have given this a higher rating if it hadn’t been for the excruciatingly regular use of brand names that left me feeling like the author received a commission for every mention of Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, Walmart and almost every kind of American candy brand you can think of. Seriously, was there some kind of agreement between the author and half of every beverage and candy brand in Alabama that they received a dollar for every time they brought up their names?
“Taco Bell?� Georgia says, like always. “God, my left boob for a Shake Shack� I dunno what a Shake Shack is but it’s not worth your left boob, Chloe.

“She bought a red Bama shirt� � okay, so, a red shirt? � “sampled each item on the Bojangles menu� � Bojangles?? � “she roasted a chicken by shoving a can of Miller Lite up its ass� � first of all, gross; second of all, I have no clue what you’re saying.

“…the bottom half of her uniform traded for […] Tevas.� Traded for what?

“…were rumoured to have had an explosive breakup in the parking lot that ended in a Baja Blast to the face.� Is that a drink? Ice-cream? Some kind of explosive? A water bomb?

“…both exuding an air of affection that suggests they’d rather be hotboxing Rory’s Beemer right now.� Please don’t let that be a euphemism.

“Didn’t you get fifteen flavors of Laffy Taffy? It was Airheads. That’s right. And I bought a Super Soaker.� Good lord, I don’t even have the energy to look these up. They could be talking about different hoover brands for all I know.

I don’t think I would have bothered looking up what these funky names stand for even if this had been a different book. Is it too much to ask for a single page without a Dairy Queen, Powerade, White Claw or Tootsie Roll being mentioned? Not to mention the shoe brands, the clothing brands, the Urban Outfitters, the Starbucks stores, the-

Second, Chloe is sooooo smart but for ¾ of the book she possesses the emotional self-awareness of a goldfish. She thinks of herself as the only girl in town to be immune to Shara, but whenever Chloe thinks of her and the reader is getting a memory flashback, it’s always “she stared at Shara’s face, […] and the lock of hair tucked there behind her ear and her lip balm catching the light from the window when her mouth moved� and “Chloe recognized her by her delicate quarter profile and the way her blond hair fanned behind her shoulders.� like gurrrrl, we know what you are

Bestie, if you notice how the sunlight illuminates another girl's face and if you notice her lip balm catching the light from a nearby window whenever she says sth, idk, sounds pretty gay to me. ]]> 3.95 2022 I Kissed Shara Wheeler
author: Casey McQuiston
name: Kat
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2022/06/17
date added: 2024/02/27
shelves: 2022-reads, buddy-read, ebook, haters-to-lovers, lgbtqia-author, lgbtqia-book, dont-know-how-i-feel-about-you, no-bullshit-romance
review:
kudos to the myquiston's mind-numbing brandification of youth language and teenage slang that made me feel like I was being brainwashed into buying every pop-tart-cheeto-peanut-butter-marshmallow-fluffy-tuffy-flavoured sweet or drink that ever existed.

Chloe Green is smart. Smart enough to win valedictorian of the class of �22. The only person standing in her way is Shara Wheeler: prom queen, the principal’s daughter, a good Christian girl and the only one who can hold a candle to Chloe’s brains. That is until Shara vanishes and leaves behind nothing but a trail of pink envelopes that for Chloe, Shara’s jock boyfriend Smith, and Rory, her emo/bad-boy next-door neighbour, swiftly turns into a game of Cluedo. Now it’s about putting together the pieces, solving riddles, and trying to find out where, and most importantly, who, Shara really is. Because if Shara is gone, that’s a forfeit and Cloe Green does not win by default.

I have two, no, three, major complaints regarding this book:

First, I would have given this a higher rating if it hadn’t been for the excruciatingly regular use of brand names that left me feeling like the author received a commission for every mention of Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, Walmart and almost every kind of American candy brand you can think of. Seriously, was there some kind of agreement between the author and half of every beverage and candy brand in Alabama that they received a dollar for every time they brought up their names?
“Taco Bell?� Georgia says, like always. “God, my left boob for a Shake Shack� I dunno what a Shake Shack is but it’s not worth your left boob, Chloe.

“She bought a red Bama shirt� � okay, so, a red shirt? � “sampled each item on the Bojangles menu� � Bojangles?? � “she roasted a chicken by shoving a can of Miller Lite up its ass� � first of all, gross; second of all, I have no clue what you’re saying.

“…the bottom half of her uniform traded for […] Tevas.� Traded for what?

“…were rumoured to have had an explosive breakup in the parking lot that ended in a Baja Blast to the face.� Is that a drink? Ice-cream? Some kind of explosive? A water bomb?

“…both exuding an air of affection that suggests they’d rather be hotboxing Rory’s Beemer right now.� Please don’t let that be a euphemism.

“Didn’t you get fifteen flavors of Laffy Taffy? It was Airheads. That’s right. And I bought a Super Soaker.� Good lord, I don’t even have the energy to look these up. They could be talking about different hoover brands for all I know.

I don’t think I would have bothered looking up what these funky names stand for even if this had been a different book. Is it too much to ask for a single page without a Dairy Queen, Powerade, White Claw or Tootsie Roll being mentioned? Not to mention the shoe brands, the clothing brands, the Urban Outfitters, the Starbucks stores, the-

Second, Chloe is sooooo smart but for ¾ of the book she possesses the emotional self-awareness of a goldfish. She thinks of herself as the only girl in town to be immune to Shara, but whenever Chloe thinks of her and the reader is getting a memory flashback, it’s always “she stared at Shara’s face, […] and the lock of hair tucked there behind her ear and her lip balm catching the light from the window when her mouth moved� and “Chloe recognized her by her delicate quarter profile and the way her blond hair fanned behind her shoulders.� like gurrrrl, we know what you are

Bestie, if you notice how the sunlight illuminates another girl's face and if you notice her lip balm catching the light from a nearby window whenever she says sth, idk, sounds pretty gay to me.
]]> <![CDATA[Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)]]> 23437156 Alternate cover of ISBN 9781627792127

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.]]> 480 Leigh Bardugo 1627792120 Kat 5 Oh boy, had I been wrong.

After I recently finished the Shadow and Bone series I decided it was time to give Six of Crows a shot.

I didn't know what to expect, but I sure as hell didn't foresee the way Leigh's writing style had changed since her first series. Everything had twice as much depth, every character fleshed out to a point where I could just sit and gasp at what I was reading. The girls in this book are not your typical YA heroines with one too many tropes, the boys are not your typical YA mysterious, sassy stranger characters, oh bloody no.
We get to know - really know - teenagers that are wicked and brutal and dirty and flawed. And Leigh Bardugo makes us love them despite their flaws.

Different to Leigh's first series there is real diversity, inclusiveness. And it's marvelous.
The cripple with a cane. The girl who fled a brothel to become a thief. The Grisha who sold out her lover. The stone-cold Fjerdan. The pampered boy who ran from home. The trickster who can't resist a single bet.

This book is about as addicting as it gets and had me hooked like I was on jurda parem. I crave more. Pray my skin won't wither until I get what I need. More of this crew, more of Kaz Brekker and more of stinking, dirty, dangerous, glorious Ketterdam and its Dregs.]]> 4.47 2015 Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Kat
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2021/03/22
date added: 2024/02/07
shelves: 2019-reads, i-love-thee, let-me-entertain-you, made-me-feel-all-the-feels, why-i-love-literature, 2021-reads, lgbtqia-book, buddy-read
review:
When I had been told that this book was one of the greatest fantasy books ever written I didn't want to believe it. I'd snorted at those comments, I'd passed it in bookstores, not deeming it worth a second glance.
Oh boy, had I been wrong.

After I recently finished the Shadow and Bone series I decided it was time to give Six of Crows a shot.

I didn't know what to expect, but I sure as hell didn't foresee the way Leigh's writing style had changed since her first series. Everything had twice as much depth, every character fleshed out to a point where I could just sit and gasp at what I was reading. The girls in this book are not your typical YA heroines with one too many tropes, the boys are not your typical YA mysterious, sassy stranger characters, oh bloody no.
We get to know - really know - teenagers that are wicked and brutal and dirty and flawed. And Leigh Bardugo makes us love them despite their flaws.

Different to Leigh's first series there is real diversity, inclusiveness. And it's marvelous.
The cripple with a cane. The girl who fled a brothel to become a thief. The Grisha who sold out her lover. The stone-cold Fjerdan. The pampered boy who ran from home. The trickster who can't resist a single bet.

This book is about as addicting as it gets and had me hooked like I was on jurda parem. I crave more. Pray my skin won't wither until I get what I need. More of this crew, more of Kaz Brekker and more of stinking, dirty, dangerous, glorious Ketterdam and its Dregs.
]]> Last to Leave the Room 75570360
As Tamsin becomes obsessed with the distorting dimensions of the room at the bottom of the stairs, she finds a door that didn’t exist before - and one night, it opens to reveal an exact physical copy of her. This doppelgänger is sweet and biddable where Tamsin is calculating and cruel. It appears fully, terribly human, passing every test Tamsin can devise. But the longer the double exists, the more Tamsin begins to forget pieces of her life, to lose track of time, to grow terrified of the outside world.

With her employer growing increasingly suspicious, Tamsin must try to hold herself together long enough to figure out what her double wants from her, and just where the mysterious door leads…]]> 320 Caitlin Starling Kat 3
�Last to Leave the Room� is one of those books I picked up on a whim. I heard speculative science fiction meets horror, and I hear queer, and I was like, let’s buddy-read this because why not.

Set in an undetermined feature, in an undetermined society, the novel takes place in the fictional Silicon Valley-inspired San Siroco, LA. Headed by the arrogant and headstrong Dr. Tamsin Rivers, a team of researchers are looking into why the entire city is sinking more and more every day. What Tamsin is keeping a secret from her colleagues? Her basement is sinking too, and at a far more alarming rate. What she doesn’t tell them, too? That a door has appeared in her basement, a door out of nowhere and leading to nowhere since it refuses to open. When, one night it opens to allow a genetically exact doppelgänger of her to enter the world, Tamsin’s world, her life as she knows it begins to change drastically. The doppelgänger has its uses, sure, but soon Tamsin begins to forget pieces of her life, lose track of time, to grow terrified of the outside world� and since when did she own two cats?

I very much agree with other readers in saying that the novel’s pacing is its biggest flaw. Its first half is as tedious as it is repetitive, consisting of nothing but Tamsin going to work and coming home, taking measurements of her basement, then going to work again, coming home to perform tests on her doppelgänger, then going to work again. The build-up is so excruciatingly slow, pages upon pages of the same stuff repeating itself, that the sudden plot twist around the 50% mark occurs much too late to keep readers less willing to persevere from possibly DNF-ing the book.

The first few chapters consisted of a lot of tell, don’t show, and the author left readers completely in the dark not only about what year the story is set in but about what kind of futuristic society the story takes place in, we don't get to know anything about the political and social landscape or indeed what the world looks like beyond the city itself. Given that 70% of the book takes place in Tamsin’s house, it made for a very confined reading experience, which, yes, might have been the author's goal all along, but I would have needed more background knowledge to be more fully invested.

Thankfully, the novel’s pacing picks up in the second half, and that’s where I finally got invested. The fear and the excitement of having a doppelgänger take over your life (for better or worse) are thoughtfully explored, and the author spends a lot of time pondering the ethics of what is moral and what isn't when it comes to how you treat a thing, a person (?) who talks, acts, thinks, behaves as you do, who basically IS you, while still being an extraterrestrial being.

I LOOOOVED Tamsin’s dynamic with Lachlan Woodfield, her tech company’s supervisor and watchdog. While she was barely in the first half of the book, her character became more important to the story and to Tamsin as the narrative progressed. The bathroom scene between those two? The intimacy? WHHHEEEEEWWWW. Still, their relationship came a bit out of nowhere and was left very open, dare I say, hanging, at the end of the novel, making me wonder why it was included in the first place.

While the introduced concepts of sinking cities, doppelgängers and parallel universes are both intriguing and spooky, I was only left with a vague sense of dread and wouldn’t have categorised this as horror had I not known its genre. In comparison, Jackson’s �The Haunting of Hill House� which I read only shortly after, left me much more shaken. All in all, I don’t regret having read this, but I highly doubt I’ll ever pick it up again.

]]> 3.68 2023 Last to Leave the Room
author: Caitlin Starling
name: Kat
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/11/12
date added: 2023/11/23
shelves: 2023-reads, buddy-read, dont-know-how-i-feel-about-you, ebook, lgbtqia-book, no-bullshit-romance, no-romance-no-drama, suspenseful
review:
There were lesbians, but the first half of the book dragged immensely, there were lesbians, but there was simultaneously too much info dumping and not enough world-building going on, but there were lesbians!

�Last to Leave the Room� is one of those books I picked up on a whim. I heard speculative science fiction meets horror, and I hear queer, and I was like, let’s buddy-read this because why not.

Set in an undetermined feature, in an undetermined society, the novel takes place in the fictional Silicon Valley-inspired San Siroco, LA. Headed by the arrogant and headstrong Dr. Tamsin Rivers, a team of researchers are looking into why the entire city is sinking more and more every day. What Tamsin is keeping a secret from her colleagues? Her basement is sinking too, and at a far more alarming rate. What she doesn’t tell them, too? That a door has appeared in her basement, a door out of nowhere and leading to nowhere since it refuses to open. When, one night it opens to allow a genetically exact doppelgänger of her to enter the world, Tamsin’s world, her life as she knows it begins to change drastically. The doppelgänger has its uses, sure, but soon Tamsin begins to forget pieces of her life, lose track of time, to grow terrified of the outside world� and since when did she own two cats?

I very much agree with other readers in saying that the novel’s pacing is its biggest flaw. Its first half is as tedious as it is repetitive, consisting of nothing but Tamsin going to work and coming home, taking measurements of her basement, then going to work again, coming home to perform tests on her doppelgänger, then going to work again. The build-up is so excruciatingly slow, pages upon pages of the same stuff repeating itself, that the sudden plot twist around the 50% mark occurs much too late to keep readers less willing to persevere from possibly DNF-ing the book.

The first few chapters consisted of a lot of tell, don’t show, and the author left readers completely in the dark not only about what year the story is set in but about what kind of futuristic society the story takes place in, we don't get to know anything about the political and social landscape or indeed what the world looks like beyond the city itself. Given that 70% of the book takes place in Tamsin’s house, it made for a very confined reading experience, which, yes, might have been the author's goal all along, but I would have needed more background knowledge to be more fully invested.

Thankfully, the novel’s pacing picks up in the second half, and that’s where I finally got invested. The fear and the excitement of having a doppelgänger take over your life (for better or worse) are thoughtfully explored, and the author spends a lot of time pondering the ethics of what is moral and what isn't when it comes to how you treat a thing, a person (?) who talks, acts, thinks, behaves as you do, who basically IS you, while still being an extraterrestrial being.

I LOOOOVED Tamsin’s dynamic with Lachlan Woodfield, her tech company’s supervisor and watchdog. While she was barely in the first half of the book, her character became more important to the story and to Tamsin as the narrative progressed. The bathroom scene between those two? The intimacy? WHHHEEEEEWWWW. Still, their relationship came a bit out of nowhere and was left very open, dare I say, hanging, at the end of the novel, making me wonder why it was included in the first place.

While the introduced concepts of sinking cities, doppelgängers and parallel universes are both intriguing and spooky, I was only left with a vague sense of dread and wouldn’t have categorised this as horror had I not known its genre. In comparison, Jackson’s �The Haunting of Hill House� which I read only shortly after, left me much more shaken. All in all, I don’t regret having read this, but I highly doubt I’ll ever pick it up again.


]]> Brisingr 18627580


Following the colossal battle against the Empire's warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still there is more at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep.



First is Eragon's oath to his cousin Roran: to help rescue Roran's beloved, Katrina, from King Galbatorix's clutches. But Eragon owes his loyalty to others, too. The Varden are in desperate need of his talents and strength - as are the elves and dwarves. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes from every corner, Eragon must make choices - choices that take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice.



Eragon is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once-simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king?]]> 817 Christopher Paolini Kat 4 4.14 2008 Brisingr
author: Christopher Paolini
name: Kat
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/19
date added: 2023/10/28
shelves: 2023-reads, buddy-read, ebook, let-me-entertain-you, made-me-feel-all-the-feels, made-my-childhood, no-bullshit-romance, no-romance-no-drama
review:
I’m asking everyone to respect my privacy during this difficult time of grief
]]> Inheritance (Inheritance, #4) 11711765 It began with Eragon . . . It ends with Inheritance.

Not so very long ago, Eragon - Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider - was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now, the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.

Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances.

The Rider and his dragon have come farther than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

Featuring spectacular artwork by cult artist John Jude Palencar, this stunning book brings the bestselling Inheritance cycle to a breathtaking conclusion.

]]> 897 Christopher Paolini Kat 3 partial slay, rtc 4.50 2011 Inheritance (Inheritance, #4)
author: Christopher Paolini
name: Kat
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/24
date added: 2023/10/28
shelves: 2023-reads, ebook, let-me-entertain-you, made-my-childhood, no-bullshit-romance, no-romance-no-drama, buddy-read
review:
partial slay, rtc
]]> <![CDATA[Eldest (The Inheritance Cycle, #2)]]> 11225530
New magic and new threats take flight in Book Two of the Inheritance Cycle, perfect for fans of Lord of the Rings! This New York Times bestselling series has sold over 40 million copies and is an international fantasy sensation.

"Christopher Paolini is a true rarity." � The Washington Post

Darkness falls� despair abounds� evil reigns� Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix. Now Eragon must travel to Ellésmera, land of the elves, for further training in the skills of the Dragon magic and swordsmanship. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and nothing is what it seems. Before long, Eragon doesn’t know whom he can trust.

Will the king’s dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life. . . .]]> 706 Christopher Paolini Kat 4 4.44 2005 Eldest (The Inheritance Cycle, #2)
author: Christopher Paolini
name: Kat
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/01
date added: 2023/09/26
shelves: 2023-reads, buddy-read, ebook, let-me-entertain-you, made-my-childhood, no-bullshit-romance, no-romance-no-drama
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi, #1)]]> 123269809 Shannon Chakraborty, the bestselling author of The City of Brass, spins a new trilogy of magic and mayhem on the high seas in this tale of pirates and sorcerers, forbidden artifacts and ancient mysteries, in one woman’s determined quest to seize a final chance at glory—and write her own legend.

Amina al-Sirafi should be content. After a storied and scandalous career as one of the Indian Ocean’s most notorious pirates, she’s survived backstabbing rogues, vengeful merchant princes, several husbands, and one actual demon to retire peacefully with her family to a life of piety, motherhood, and absolutely nothing that hints of the supernatural.

But when she’s tracked down by the obscenely wealthy mother of a former crewman, she’s offered a job no bandit could refuse: retrieve her comrade’s kidnapped daughter for a kingly sum. The chance to have one last adventure with her crew, do right by an old friend, and win a fortune that will secure her family’s future forever? It seems like such an obvious choice that it must be God’s will.

Yet the deeper Amina dives, the more it becomes alarmingly clear there’s more to this job, and the girl’s disappearance, than she was led to believe. For there’s always risk in wanting to become a legend, to seize one last chance at glory, to savor just a bit more power…and the price might be your very soul.]]> 489 Shannon Chakraborty Kat 2 it’s been a month and I have retained next to nothing except for the fact that the MC’s love interest was insanely annoying and Chakraborty took her little easter egg hunt for pop culture references a little too seriously! ]]> 4.30 2023 The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi, #1)
author: Shannon Chakraborty
name: Kat
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2023/05/13
date added: 2023/09/25
shelves: 2023-reads, arab-authored, book-box-read, buddy-read, if-cover-pretty-why-book-so-bad, intolerable-male-protagonist, lgbtqia-book, muslim-authored, you-let-me-down
review:
Before we jump into the deep, dark, troubled waters of this novel, let me just inform you that Miss Picky (me), is extremely generous in giving this two stars instead of one because it’s been a month and I have retained next to nothing except for the fact that the MC’s love interest was insanely annoying and Chakraborty took her little easter egg hunt for pop culture references a little too seriously!
]]> <![CDATA[Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle #1)]]> 113436 An alternate cover edition for ISBN 9780375826696 can be found here.

One boy...
One dragon...
A world of adventure.

When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.

Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds.

Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands.]]> 503 Christopher Paolini 0375826696 Kat 3 3.96 2002 Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle #1)
author: Christopher Paolini
name: Kat
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at: 2023/08/06
date added: 2023/09/07
shelves: 2023-reads, buddy-read, books-on-screen, ebook, i-love-thee, let-me-entertain-you, made-my-childhood, no-romance-no-drama, debut-novel
review:
WE'RE GETTING AN ERAGON DISNEY+ SERIES, AN ERAGON SERIES!!!
]]> <![CDATA[The Toll (Arc of a Scythe, #3)]]> 44771022
Everything has changed in the world of the scythes. Citra and Rowan have disappeared. The floating city of Endura is gone. It looks like nothing else stands between Scythe Goddard and absolute power. Now that the Thunderhead is silent, the question remains: Is there anyone left who can stop him?

The answer lies in the Tone, the Toll and the Thunder.]]> 631 Neal Shusterman 1406385670 Kat 3 checks goodreads stats* 6 WEEKS? This definitely says a lot about just how much I’ve enjoyed the series as a whole and even though I enjoyed �The Toll� less than its predecessor (which is undoubtedly still the strongest book in the series), I believe that it has serious flaws, I think it’s a fitting conclusion to a banging series.

After the thrilling showdown that went down at the end of book #2, I just had to pick up this one ASAP. It’s super hard to give a summary without spoiling anything of what happened before where this novel picks up, so proceed with caution.

Safe to say that the world is in shambles. Chaos reigns in a Scythedom that continues to fall prey to the ideals of the New Order scythes. More and more regions decide to abandon the high standards and rules the Scythedom has followed for centuries, letting themselves go and falling into lawlessness. What happened to Citra and Rowan, no one knows, and now that the [spoilers removed], who will have the power and dare to stand up to the rising New Order?

Similar to �Thunderhead�, Shusterman introduces a swath of new characters that add either very little, or a lot to the story. Given that both Rowan and Citra are out of the picture for large chunks of this book, the main attention lies on Greyson Tolliver, and Scythe Possuelo (whom we briefly met in book 2), as well as Jerico, the genderfluid captain of a salvage crew who spends most of their time on sea.

Regarding Jerico’s genderfluidity� I� *sighs* Am I happy to see a queer character in this book? Yes. Did *checks sky* her inclusion feel tokenistic? Yes. We do not nearly get enough queer, let alone non-binary characters in YA books, but then to have that one non-binary character (coincidentally also the only queer person in the whole series) say that *checks sky again* she identifies “as a woman in the sun and under clear skies, and as a man under the cover of clouds�?? I am STARVED for more queer rep but not starved enough to accept a form of non-binary representation this flawed and ill-considered. As some other goodreads user said, “[t]he first error is representing gender as something so fickle as to be changed by the weather, and the second is showing it as a choice.� People don’t choose to be trans or non-binary, or cis, for that matter (fuck you, Elon Musk).

When I first read the “reason� for Jeri’s “non-binarism� (and that’s unfortunately how it comes across in the book) I thought it was a bit odd, but then didn’t think much of it until I started reading reviews in preparation for writing my own review. Taken out of context, you’d think the character of Jeri was a parody of the transgender and non-binary community. Furthermore, Madagascar, the place Jeri is from, is made out to be a non-binary utopia where children are raised genderless, and idk, the rest of the world coming across as heteros only, and that there’s a certain place people move to to live queerly feels so wrong, like, why would queers need an extra place in a utopian society in which religious differences and ethnic minorities no longer exist??? There was no way they could live among the straight population?? Why the exclusionist thinking, Mr. Shusterman? His inclusion of Jerico might have been well-intentioned, but it came across as awkward (also check out the comment by Santosh, a non-binary reviewer, under this review).

Two whole ass paragraphs on Jerico, and I haven’t even talked about the rest yet, lol. All in all, the book starts very strong. While the beginning wasn’t necessarily action-packed, I was hooked on the simple premise that I wanted to know what THE FUCK happened with Rowan and Citra. I NEEDED answers, so my eyes were glued to the page. However, I do agree that the book lacked the sharpness and intense pacing of its two predecessors. Even though it was the longest book in the series, it could have used a firmer hand in the editing process since 50-100 pages could have been cut to make the whole reading process more enjoyable and exciting.

The middle part, in particular, dragged more than I would have liked it to, also due in part to its occasional heavy-handedness of political matters. Even more so than �Thunderhead�, this book was intent on drawing parallels to the US presidential election of 2016, Donald Trump, and the present-day American political climate in general. These parallels weren’t hard to spot, with one character even saying “Only idiots build walls.� We always love a good Trump drag, but I enjoyed Shusterman’s hidden and not-so-hidden pop culture references better. There’s Star Wars in here, Jaws, and some more I didn’t catch, but that would make re-reading the series a lot of fun.

While the ending was mostly satisfying and every character you care about gets the send-off (literally!) they deserve, I was disappointed with the meandering dissolution of [spoilers removed]

Final thoughts: the finale was average in comparison with what Shusterman pulled off in books #1 and #2. The writing was good and finally totally free of the disgusting fatphobia that so heavily polluted �Scythe�. On the whole, I would still recommend the series to readers who love plot twists and prefer plot-driven YA novels over character-driven ones.]]> 4.13 2019 The Toll (Arc of a Scythe, #3)
author: Neal Shusterman
name: Kat
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/16
date added: 2023/06/27
shelves: 2023-reads, black-authored, buddy-read, let-me-entertain-you, lgbtqia-book, no-bullshit-romance
review:
I can’t believe I read an entire series from beginning to end within the span of *checks goodreads stats* 6 WEEKS? This definitely says a lot about just how much I’ve enjoyed the series as a whole and even though I enjoyed �The Toll� less than its predecessor (which is undoubtedly still the strongest book in the series), I believe that it has serious flaws, I think it’s a fitting conclusion to a banging series.

After the thrilling showdown that went down at the end of book #2, I just had to pick up this one ASAP. It’s super hard to give a summary without spoiling anything of what happened before where this novel picks up, so proceed with caution.

Safe to say that the world is in shambles. Chaos reigns in a Scythedom that continues to fall prey to the ideals of the New Order scythes. More and more regions decide to abandon the high standards and rules the Scythedom has followed for centuries, letting themselves go and falling into lawlessness. What happened to Citra and Rowan, no one knows, and now that the [spoilers removed], who will have the power and dare to stand up to the rising New Order?

Similar to �Thunderhead�, Shusterman introduces a swath of new characters that add either very little, or a lot to the story. Given that both Rowan and Citra are out of the picture for large chunks of this book, the main attention lies on Greyson Tolliver, and Scythe Possuelo (whom we briefly met in book 2), as well as Jerico, the genderfluid captain of a salvage crew who spends most of their time on sea.

Regarding Jerico’s genderfluidity� I� *sighs* Am I happy to see a queer character in this book? Yes. Did *checks sky* her inclusion feel tokenistic? Yes. We do not nearly get enough queer, let alone non-binary characters in YA books, but then to have that one non-binary character (coincidentally also the only queer person in the whole series) say that *checks sky again* she identifies “as a woman in the sun and under clear skies, and as a man under the cover of clouds�?? I am STARVED for more queer rep but not starved enough to accept a form of non-binary representation this flawed and ill-considered. As some other goodreads user said, “[t]he first error is representing gender as something so fickle as to be changed by the weather, and the second is showing it as a choice.� People don’t choose to be trans or non-binary, or cis, for that matter (fuck you, Elon Musk).

When I first read the “reason� for Jeri’s “non-binarism� (and that’s unfortunately how it comes across in the book) I thought it was a bit odd, but then didn’t think much of it until I started reading reviews in preparation for writing my own review. Taken out of context, you’d think the character of Jeri was a parody of the transgender and non-binary community. Furthermore, Madagascar, the place Jeri is from, is made out to be a non-binary utopia where children are raised genderless, and idk, the rest of the world coming across as heteros only, and that there’s a certain place people move to to live queerly feels so wrong, like, why would queers need an extra place in a utopian society in which religious differences and ethnic minorities no longer exist??? There was no way they could live among the straight population?? Why the exclusionist thinking, Mr. Shusterman? His inclusion of Jerico might have been well-intentioned, but it came across as awkward (also check out the comment by Santosh, a non-binary reviewer, under this review).

Two whole ass paragraphs on Jerico, and I haven’t even talked about the rest yet, lol. All in all, the book starts very strong. While the beginning wasn’t necessarily action-packed, I was hooked on the simple premise that I wanted to know what THE FUCK happened with Rowan and Citra. I NEEDED answers, so my eyes were glued to the page. However, I do agree that the book lacked the sharpness and intense pacing of its two predecessors. Even though it was the longest book in the series, it could have used a firmer hand in the editing process since 50-100 pages could have been cut to make the whole reading process more enjoyable and exciting.

The middle part, in particular, dragged more than I would have liked it to, also due in part to its occasional heavy-handedness of political matters. Even more so than �Thunderhead�, this book was intent on drawing parallels to the US presidential election of 2016, Donald Trump, and the present-day American political climate in general. These parallels weren’t hard to spot, with one character even saying “Only idiots build walls.� We always love a good Trump drag, but I enjoyed Shusterman’s hidden and not-so-hidden pop culture references better. There’s Star Wars in here, Jaws, and some more I didn’t catch, but that would make re-reading the series a lot of fun.

While the ending was mostly satisfying and every character you care about gets the send-off (literally!) they deserve, I was disappointed with the meandering dissolution of [spoilers removed]

Final thoughts: the finale was average in comparison with what Shusterman pulled off in books #1 and #2. The writing was good and finally totally free of the disgusting fatphobia that so heavily polluted �Scythe�. On the whole, I would still recommend the series to readers who love plot twists and prefer plot-driven YA novels over character-driven ones.
]]> <![CDATA[The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch, #1)]]> 31140295 Let me be clear: I never intended to raise my brother from his grave, though he may claim otherwise. If there's anything I've learned from him in the years since, it's that the dead hide truths as well as the living.

When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she's a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.

In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha-one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles...and make a powerful choice.]]> 432 Rin Chupeco 1492635839 Kat 1 wasn't my cup of TEA*
description

If it hadn’t been for the fact that this book was a book-club read, it might have become my first DNF in years. The only reason I sped through it is that I wanted to be done with it.

A 12-year-old girl named Tea accidentally raises her brother Fox from the dead. She is discovered to be a dark asha, a Bone Witch that can summon dark powers and, well, raise the dead. She is whisked away by another Bone Witch to begin her training at a magic school that trains asha (females who wield magic). The whole setting is Asian-inspired.

This book had me confused from beginning till the end, like thoroughly confused. I have no idea what the names of the countries are that they travel through. Mysterious-sounding names like “the Faceless� would be dropped without being explained. Apparently, they are the villains who trained monsters called daeva to fight for them? I have no idea.

The magic and world-building felt so underdeveloped in this book. The magic system makes zero sense! Everyone wears a heart-shaped (??) necklace called a heartsglass that changes colour depending on one’s mood (so it’s basically just like a mood ring). Some people’s heartsglasses are completely silver or completely black (why and what does that mean? I have no idea). You can also give your heartsglass away (haha, like giving your real heart away), but you would still keep your necklace only that it is empty from then on. You can pay heartforgers to make you a new heart (???), or you can try and find your old one.
description

Normal asha that are not necromancers can wield the elements like fire, earth, wind, water etc. How do they do that? At what cost? I have no idea, and I read the whole damn book.

The pacing was all over the shop. In the first chapter, Tea raises her brother from the dead. In the second chapter, she is visited by an older Bone Witch taking her away to train her as a dark asha. In the third chapter, they are already on the road? Everything happens so fast, and Tea’s connection with her family, parents, and siblings is never fully explored.

The rest of the book covers Tea’s two years at the asha school. It bored the hell out of me because nothing really happened. It was just Tea’s training and her attending tea parties and scrubbing the toiletries. It’s also weird that this book is marketed as young adult when Tea is only 12-15 throughout the book? The cover and synopsis of this book are so misleading! I read about a literal child who always blushes in the presence of the prince she has a crush on.
description

The plot was bogged down by overly descriptive writing. Every single hua (sort of like a kimono) the characters wear was described in great detail. After a while, I stopped trying to imagine what their outfits and food looked liked because it was just too much, too often, and too repetitive, and I simply didn’t care.

I wasn’t a fan of the narrative either. It altered between the past and the present. In the present, a 17-year-old Tea recounts her story to an unnamed Bard and in the past, we get to see 12-year-old Tea learning to be a Bone Witch. It made for a choppy reading experience, and the flow of the story was heavily disrupted.

The ending provided a twist (that I didn’t see coming but wasn’t awed by either) and a cliff-hanger which seems to have been put there for the sole purpose of getting people to pick up the next book in the series.

This book left me thoroughly confused for lack of explanation in places where it would have mattered and annoyed for the over-descriptive writing in places where it didn’t matter at all.]]> 3.83 2017 The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch, #1)
author: Rin Chupeco
name: Kat
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2017
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2022/09/12
shelves: 2021-reads, asian-authored, buddy-read, ebook, if-cover-pretty-why-book-so-bad, i-would-rather-eat-dirt, why-were-you-published
review:
*I guess you could say: this book wasn't my cup of TEA*
description

If it hadn’t been for the fact that this book was a book-club read, it might have become my first DNF in years. The only reason I sped through it is that I wanted to be done with it.

A 12-year-old girl named Tea accidentally raises her brother Fox from the dead. She is discovered to be a dark asha, a Bone Witch that can summon dark powers and, well, raise the dead. She is whisked away by another Bone Witch to begin her training at a magic school that trains asha (females who wield magic). The whole setting is Asian-inspired.

This book had me confused from beginning till the end, like thoroughly confused. I have no idea what the names of the countries are that they travel through. Mysterious-sounding names like “the Faceless� would be dropped without being explained. Apparently, they are the villains who trained monsters called daeva to fight for them? I have no idea.

The magic and world-building felt so underdeveloped in this book. The magic system makes zero sense! Everyone wears a heart-shaped (??) necklace called a heartsglass that changes colour depending on one’s mood (so it’s basically just like a mood ring). Some people’s heartsglasses are completely silver or completely black (why and what does that mean? I have no idea). You can also give your heartsglass away (haha, like giving your real heart away), but you would still keep your necklace only that it is empty from then on. You can pay heartforgers to make you a new heart (???), or you can try and find your old one.
description

Normal asha that are not necromancers can wield the elements like fire, earth, wind, water etc. How do they do that? At what cost? I have no idea, and I read the whole damn book.

The pacing was all over the shop. In the first chapter, Tea raises her brother from the dead. In the second chapter, she is visited by an older Bone Witch taking her away to train her as a dark asha. In the third chapter, they are already on the road? Everything happens so fast, and Tea’s connection with her family, parents, and siblings is never fully explored.

The rest of the book covers Tea’s two years at the asha school. It bored the hell out of me because nothing really happened. It was just Tea’s training and her attending tea parties and scrubbing the toiletries. It’s also weird that this book is marketed as young adult when Tea is only 12-15 throughout the book? The cover and synopsis of this book are so misleading! I read about a literal child who always blushes in the presence of the prince she has a crush on.
description

The plot was bogged down by overly descriptive writing. Every single hua (sort of like a kimono) the characters wear was described in great detail. After a while, I stopped trying to imagine what their outfits and food looked liked because it was just too much, too often, and too repetitive, and I simply didn’t care.

I wasn’t a fan of the narrative either. It altered between the past and the present. In the present, a 17-year-old Tea recounts her story to an unnamed Bard and in the past, we get to see 12-year-old Tea learning to be a Bone Witch. It made for a choppy reading experience, and the flow of the story was heavily disrupted.

The ending provided a twist (that I didn’t see coming but wasn’t awed by either) and a cliff-hanger which seems to have been put there for the sole purpose of getting people to pick up the next book in the series.

This book left me thoroughly confused for lack of explanation in places where it would have mattered and annoyed for the over-descriptive writing in places where it didn’t matter at all.
]]> <![CDATA[Viper (Isles of Storm and Sorrow, #1)]]> 42606745 He will make me a killer. Or he will have me killed. That is my destiny.

Seventeen-year-old Marianne is fated to one day become the Viper, defender of the Twelve Isles.

But the reigning Viper stands in her way. Corrupt and merciless, he prowls the seas in his warship, killing with impunity, leaving only pain and suffering in his wake.

He's the most dangerous man on the ocean . . . and he is Marianne's father.

She was born to protect the islands. But can she fight for them if it means losing her family, her home, the boy she loves - and perhaps even her life?]]> 400 Bex Hogan Kat 1 1.5 stars
This was garbage. G-A-R-B-A-G-E.

Marianne is the daughter of the most dangerous pirate sailing the Eastern Isles. His crew call themselves “Vipers�, and they are all merciless killers. Marianne has been trained to join them since she was a little girl, but, in her heart, she knows she isn’t a killer. She doesn’t want to join her father’s crew. She’d rather learn to hone her healing skills and help people instead of murdering them.
Upon the day of her initiation, she makes her choice and runs away. Leaving behind her life spent on board a ship and her once-trusted friend and companion Bronn. But she knows she can’t run forever because her father will have his revenge.

First of all: the writing.
I felt like I was reading a badly-written fanfic most of the time. Here are just a few examples that made me cringe:

“Across the meadow, using the height of the flowers for cover, a she-wolf is prowling towards us, her intent clear. We’re lunch.�

“Hunger I hadn’t realised I had roars to take over.�

“� beady of sweat trickle down my forehead to hang like diamonds from my lashes.�

And one of my personal favourites:
“Darkness has me in its unrelenting grip. Revenge is my mistress and I will be obedient.�

To top this, sometimes an incredibly graphic death would follow a cheesy and cringe-worthy paragraph and vice versa. I do love a bit of gore, but it felt like characters were killed for shock factor? Just for the hell of it? One character got their eyes gouged out by Marianne’s father towards the end of the book. Like we needed a reminder that he is the ultimate baddie.

Second: world-building, which was non-existent.
We don’t even know how big the world/continent/country the plot takes place in is. All we know is: there is the sea (it doesn’t have a name, okay) and twelves isles. Those twelves isles were once united under one banner, but a war tore them apart. The six Eastern Isles are ruled by a King, but no one really knows what happened to the six Western Isles. No one dares to venture too deep into the Western Isles� waters. The Isles themselves have different names like “Mist Isle� or “Rock Isle� (you see where this is going, don’t you?). We are told about the different isles in little paragraphs of info-dumping, but they are often only described by one characteristic. Like hey, King’s Isle is where the King lives, the Third Isles grows flowers, the Rock Isles is where they mine for minerals. YAWN, YAWN.

Oh, magic also exists in this world/realm/whatever, but it has supposedly disappeared alongside those who know how to wield it. But being the special snowflake Marianne is, of course, she can wield it (which she does by having read a few books and afterwards mumbling a few words). BAM! Of course, the magic system and how it works wasn’t explained.

Third: the plot. Bro, where do I start?
The storyline jumped around a lot. Six months go by within a single chapter. Characters are introduced and killed within a dozen pages, broken relationships are repaired, and love is rekindled. The book still felt too long! The ending was very predictable, so when I’d finished the book, I was like: “so?� I simply didn’t care.

Fourth: the characters.
They were so flat, haha; it was almost ridiculous. Marianne was very soft and weak, and her “I can’t kill another human being, uwuuu, please don’t make me� attitude annoyed the hell out of me. But then she went on and on about how she had to stop her father and that she would do what she must. All tell, now show. She was a very generic YA characters (lost princess to another kingdom, dead mother, arranged marriage to save the kingdom, in love with her best friend etc.).

The rest of the characters were so one-sided as well. How do you recognise a baddie? Easy: when they are either ugly (missing teeth, eye-patch) or want to rape Marianne within the first few minutes of meeting her, you know exactly who they are. Well done, now you know what all baddies in this book have in common!

Fifth: the love story.
There was zero tension between Marianne and her former best friend “who only betrayed her to save her� Bronn. Zill. Null. Nada. At the beginning of the book, Marianne’s father forces her into an arranged marriage with Prince Torin. This, of course, makes Bronn jealous, but Marianne doesn’t yet know he is in love with her. The only relief to this situation was that it wasn’t really a love-triangle, for the prince is in love with his bodyguard (called “Sharpe� damn, that name sucks), which means�

� THE ONLY GOOD THING ABOUT THIS BOOK WERE THE TWO GAY SIDE CHARACTERS.]]> 3.83 2019 Viper (Isles of Storm and Sorrow, #1)
author: Bex Hogan
name: Kat
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2019
rating: 1
read at: 2021/03/26
date added: 2022/09/12
shelves: 2021-reads, buddy-read, why-were-you-published, you-let-me-down, ebook, i-would-rather-eat-dirt
review:
1.5 stars
This was garbage. G-A-R-B-A-G-E.

Marianne is the daughter of the most dangerous pirate sailing the Eastern Isles. His crew call themselves “Vipers�, and they are all merciless killers. Marianne has been trained to join them since she was a little girl, but, in her heart, she knows she isn’t a killer. She doesn’t want to join her father’s crew. She’d rather learn to hone her healing skills and help people instead of murdering them.
Upon the day of her initiation, she makes her choice and runs away. Leaving behind her life spent on board a ship and her once-trusted friend and companion Bronn. But she knows she can’t run forever because her father will have his revenge.

First of all: the writing.
I felt like I was reading a badly-written fanfic most of the time. Here are just a few examples that made me cringe:

“Across the meadow, using the height of the flowers for cover, a she-wolf is prowling towards us, her intent clear. We’re lunch.�

“Hunger I hadn’t realised I had roars to take over.�

“� beady of sweat trickle down my forehead to hang like diamonds from my lashes.�

And one of my personal favourites:
“Darkness has me in its unrelenting grip. Revenge is my mistress and I will be obedient.�

To top this, sometimes an incredibly graphic death would follow a cheesy and cringe-worthy paragraph and vice versa. I do love a bit of gore, but it felt like characters were killed for shock factor? Just for the hell of it? One character got their eyes gouged out by Marianne’s father towards the end of the book. Like we needed a reminder that he is the ultimate baddie.

Second: world-building, which was non-existent.
We don’t even know how big the world/continent/country the plot takes place in is. All we know is: there is the sea (it doesn’t have a name, okay) and twelves isles. Those twelves isles were once united under one banner, but a war tore them apart. The six Eastern Isles are ruled by a King, but no one really knows what happened to the six Western Isles. No one dares to venture too deep into the Western Isles� waters. The Isles themselves have different names like “Mist Isle� or “Rock Isle� (you see where this is going, don’t you?). We are told about the different isles in little paragraphs of info-dumping, but they are often only described by one characteristic. Like hey, King’s Isle is where the King lives, the Third Isles grows flowers, the Rock Isles is where they mine for minerals. YAWN, YAWN.

Oh, magic also exists in this world/realm/whatever, but it has supposedly disappeared alongside those who know how to wield it. But being the special snowflake Marianne is, of course, she can wield it (which she does by having read a few books and afterwards mumbling a few words). BAM! Of course, the magic system and how it works wasn’t explained.

Third: the plot. Bro, where do I start?
The storyline jumped around a lot. Six months go by within a single chapter. Characters are introduced and killed within a dozen pages, broken relationships are repaired, and love is rekindled. The book still felt too long! The ending was very predictable, so when I’d finished the book, I was like: “so?� I simply didn’t care.

Fourth: the characters.
They were so flat, haha; it was almost ridiculous. Marianne was very soft and weak, and her “I can’t kill another human being, uwuuu, please don’t make me� attitude annoyed the hell out of me. But then she went on and on about how she had to stop her father and that she would do what she must. All tell, now show. She was a very generic YA characters (lost princess to another kingdom, dead mother, arranged marriage to save the kingdom, in love with her best friend etc.).

The rest of the characters were so one-sided as well. How do you recognise a baddie? Easy: when they are either ugly (missing teeth, eye-patch) or want to rape Marianne within the first few minutes of meeting her, you know exactly who they are. Well done, now you know what all baddies in this book have in common!

Fifth: the love story.
There was zero tension between Marianne and her former best friend “who only betrayed her to save her� Bronn. Zill. Null. Nada. At the beginning of the book, Marianne’s father forces her into an arranged marriage with Prince Torin. This, of course, makes Bronn jealous, but Marianne doesn’t yet know he is in love with her. The only relief to this situation was that it wasn’t really a love-triangle, for the prince is in love with his bodyguard (called “Sharpe� damn, that name sucks), which means�

� THE ONLY GOOD THING ABOUT THIS BOOK WERE THE TWO GAY SIDE CHARACTERS.
]]> <![CDATA[The Girl in the Tower (Winternight Trilogy, #2)]]> 34731459 The Bear and the Nightingale continues as brave Vasya, now a young woman, is forced to choose between marriage or life in a convent and instead flees her home—but soon finds herself called upon to help defend the city of Moscow when it comes under siege.]]> 384 Katherine Arden 1101885971 Kat 4 4.44 2017 The Girl in the Tower (Winternight Trilogy, #2)
author: Katherine Arden
name: Kat
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/05
date added: 2022/01/02
shelves: 2021-reads, buddy-read, feminist, i-love-thee, let-me-entertain-you, ebook
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sense and Sensibility (Wordsworth Collector's Editions)]]> 54210905 336 Jane Austen 1840228008 Kat 4
It is true that the plot of this book is overshadowed by the not-so-hidden social commentary that Jane Austen has cleverly woven in-between the lines. The recurring themes of vanity, selfishness, class difference and greed turn the book into a far more interesting piece of literature than it would have been without them, for the will-they/ won’t-they theme did get a bit tiresome.

The story of the Dashwood sisters Marianne and Elinor and their love lives seems very superficial at first glance. Marianne, the younger of the two, is excessive in showing and displaying her emotions. When she is sad, she cries for days. When she is happy, the whole world will know and nothing can dampen her spirits. But where Marianne is unguarded in her display of emotions, Elinor keeps to herself. Where Marianne is “sensibility�, Elinor is “sense�. The latter is devoted, kind and reasonable � always aware of what society expects of her. The contrast between the two sisters and their views and expectations of love could not be more different. The duality of how they approach the events happening in their life is what moves the plot forward.

Marianne’s behaviour is often fatiguing at best and Elinor’s restrain can drive you up the walls, but this is what makes the character development occurring towards the ending of the book so rewarding. As with any other Austen book, Sense and Sensibility has a great assortment of supporting characters that as always, seem to reflect society as a whole. Everything that can be wrong with society, every fault that can possibly be found within the human psyche is examined, pulled apart, frowned upon or at least commented upon and all this is done in such a witty and clever manner. Jane Austen’s observations are razor-sharp and spot-on. To quote another reviewer: “Jane Austen did not suffer fools gladly�.

While Austen’s writing style allows for a lot of insights into what the characters and especially Elinor are feeling and thinking, the book lacks direct speech and characters directly interacting with each other. This is one of the main reasons why Marianne getting married to Colonel Brandon seems to come out of nowhere. The reader isn’t granted any window into their relationship at all, it all seems to take place “off-stage� and is executed rather poorly and hastily. The two husbands-to-be (Edward and Brandon) have very little ‘on-page� dialogue, they are always talked about instead of doing the talking themselves. The only reason why they don’t appear flat and lifeless is because of Austen’s commentary and descriptions. I, however, felt very removed from them and think it’s a pity that a character as worthless as Willoughby was granted more direct speech than either Edward or the Colonel.

The best things about this book are not to be found on its surface, but rather underneath it. Enduring Marianne’s teenage fits of emotional despair and Elinor’s distanced observations are worth it for the overall hilarious cast of characters and Austen’s on-point social commentaries.

- This was buddy-read with the awesome Isabell -]]> 3.98 1811 Sense and Sensibility (Wordsworth Collector's Editions)
author: Jane Austen
name: Kat
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1811
rating: 4
read at: 2020/11/09
date added: 2021/07/01
shelves: 2020-reads, feminist, buddy-read, books-on-screen
review:
Jane Austen truly said: “If you mansplain things to women you’re a piece of dirt; try and be forgiving, loving, kind, generous and gentleman-like instead� and that’s why we have no choice but to stan her.

It is true that the plot of this book is overshadowed by the not-so-hidden social commentary that Jane Austen has cleverly woven in-between the lines. The recurring themes of vanity, selfishness, class difference and greed turn the book into a far more interesting piece of literature than it would have been without them, for the will-they/ won’t-they theme did get a bit tiresome.

The story of the Dashwood sisters Marianne and Elinor and their love lives seems very superficial at first glance. Marianne, the younger of the two, is excessive in showing and displaying her emotions. When she is sad, she cries for days. When she is happy, the whole world will know and nothing can dampen her spirits. But where Marianne is unguarded in her display of emotions, Elinor keeps to herself. Where Marianne is “sensibility�, Elinor is “sense�. The latter is devoted, kind and reasonable � always aware of what society expects of her. The contrast between the two sisters and their views and expectations of love could not be more different. The duality of how they approach the events happening in their life is what moves the plot forward.

Marianne’s behaviour is often fatiguing at best and Elinor’s restrain can drive you up the walls, but this is what makes the character development occurring towards the ending of the book so rewarding. As with any other Austen book, Sense and Sensibility has a great assortment of supporting characters that as always, seem to reflect society as a whole. Everything that can be wrong with society, every fault that can possibly be found within the human psyche is examined, pulled apart, frowned upon or at least commented upon and all this is done in such a witty and clever manner. Jane Austen’s observations are razor-sharp and spot-on. To quote another reviewer: “Jane Austen did not suffer fools gladly�.

While Austen’s writing style allows for a lot of insights into what the characters and especially Elinor are feeling and thinking, the book lacks direct speech and characters directly interacting with each other. This is one of the main reasons why Marianne getting married to Colonel Brandon seems to come out of nowhere. The reader isn’t granted any window into their relationship at all, it all seems to take place “off-stage� and is executed rather poorly and hastily. The two husbands-to-be (Edward and Brandon) have very little ‘on-page� dialogue, they are always talked about instead of doing the talking themselves. The only reason why they don’t appear flat and lifeless is because of Austen’s commentary and descriptions. I, however, felt very removed from them and think it’s a pity that a character as worthless as Willoughby was granted more direct speech than either Edward or the Colonel.

The best things about this book are not to be found on its surface, but rather underneath it. Enduring Marianne’s teenage fits of emotional despair and Elinor’s distanced observations are worth it for the overall hilarious cast of characters and Austen’s on-point social commentaries.

- This was buddy-read with the awesome Isabell -
]]> Pride and Prejudice 1886 This is an alternative cover edition for ISBN 9780141439518

Since its immediate success in 1813, Pride and Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen called this brilliant work "her own darling child" and its vivacious heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print." The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. And Jane Austen's radiant wit sparkles as her characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England.]]> 367 Jane Austen Kat 4 4.29 1813 Pride and Prejudice
author: Jane Austen
name: Kat
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1813
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/12
date added: 2021/07/01
shelves: 2021-reads, buddy-read, feminist, books-on-screen
review:

]]> Vicious (Villains, #1) 38087912 420 Victoria E. Schwab 1785658670 Kat 4
By now, I simply want to build a VE Schwab shrine, add some candles and multiple copies of all of her books and then make my neighbours walk past it, bowing their heads ever so slightly when they pass it. This is my ultimate goal.

description

"Vicious" was perfect from start to finish. I wasn't 100% emotionally invested, but Schwab's writing, the way the plot unfolded before my eyes and her oh so original and raw characters made up for it.
Man, Schwab's characters and their motives are something else. They always feel so free of stereotypical YA tropes, so utterly original and creative; it literally never seizes to amaze me.

The story is set in modern day Merit, USA and alternately switches between past and present tense. It felt like a mix between Frankenstein, Dead Poet's Society and, well, can't think of a third one right now.

Eli and Victor are neither friends nor enemies. They just happen to share a dorm and get tasked to do a research paper on an interesting scientific topic. Eli chooses to focus on EO. Victor doesn't believe in ExtraOrdinaries. Until they decide to start experimenting on themselves.

Trust me, you need this book (and all of Schwab's other books for that matter) in your life.]]> 4.37 2013 Vicious (Villains, #1)
author: Victoria E. Schwab
name: Kat
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2019/08/07
date added: 2021/06/08
shelves: 2019-reads, buddy-read, let-me-entertain-you, i-love-thee, lgbtqia-author
review:
4.5 stars

By now, I simply want to build a VE Schwab shrine, add some candles and multiple copies of all of her books and then make my neighbours walk past it, bowing their heads ever so slightly when they pass it. This is my ultimate goal.

description

"Vicious" was perfect from start to finish. I wasn't 100% emotionally invested, but Schwab's writing, the way the plot unfolded before my eyes and her oh so original and raw characters made up for it.
Man, Schwab's characters and their motives are something else. They always feel so free of stereotypical YA tropes, so utterly original and creative; it literally never seizes to amaze me.

The story is set in modern day Merit, USA and alternately switches between past and present tense. It felt like a mix between Frankenstein, Dead Poet's Society and, well, can't think of a third one right now.

Eli and Victor are neither friends nor enemies. They just happen to share a dorm and get tasked to do a research paper on an interesting scientific topic. Eli chooses to focus on EO. Victor doesn't believe in ExtraOrdinaries. Until they decide to start experimenting on themselves.

Trust me, you need this book (and all of Schwab's other books for that matter) in your life.
]]> <![CDATA[The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy, #1)]]> 30046915 'Frost-demons have no interest in mortal girls wed to mortal men. In the stories, they only come for the wild maiden.'

In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, an elderly servant tells stories of sorcery, folklore and the Winter King to the children of the family, tales of old magic frowned upon by the church.

But for the young, wild Vasya these are far more than just stories. She alone can see the house spirits that guard her home, and sense the growing forces of dark magic in the woods...]]> 336 Katherine Arden 1473528054 Kat 4 3.76 2017 The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy, #1)
author: Katherine Arden
name: Kat
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2020/12/29
date added: 2020/12/29
shelves: 2020-reads, buddy-read, ebook, let-me-entertain-you
review:

]]> Skyward (Skyward, #1) 36642458 513 Brandon Sanderson 1473217857 Kat 4 This certainly was a rollercoaster!

Sanderson takes his pace with building up his world and characters and it is so worth it. He got me invested in the story because it really felt like he wants his readers to learn, just like Spensa and her flight. He wants us to know just how difficult it is to perform an Ahlstrom Loop and most importantly, he wants us to understand and thus successfully managed to make me feel like I was there with Spensa, in her cockpit, witnessing the battles.

Sanderson latest work is an up-beat, funky space adventure that is a lot of fun. It is original and funny and for that I can even forgive its one or two, more or less, stereotypical tropes. There were a few foreseeable plot twists but even those were handled in a way which was still surprising and just *awesome* (and luckily there‘s more plot twists I could not foresee).

This book was funny, entertaining and I low-key can‘t wait for the next!]]> 4.45 2018 Skyward (Skyward, #1)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Kat
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2019/04/01
date added: 2020/12/26
shelves: 2019-reads, buddy-read, let-me-entertain-you
review:
So I finished this book today and all I can say is SCUDDD (those who read it will be able to relate, haha).
This certainly was a rollercoaster!

Sanderson takes his pace with building up his world and characters and it is so worth it. He got me invested in the story because it really felt like he wants his readers to learn, just like Spensa and her flight. He wants us to know just how difficult it is to perform an Ahlstrom Loop and most importantly, he wants us to understand and thus successfully managed to make me feel like I was there with Spensa, in her cockpit, witnessing the battles.

Sanderson latest work is an up-beat, funky space adventure that is a lot of fun. It is original and funny and for that I can even forgive its one or two, more or less, stereotypical tropes. There were a few foreseeable plot twists but even those were handled in a way which was still surprising and just *awesome* (and luckily there‘s more plot twists I could not foresee).

This book was funny, entertaining and I low-key can‘t wait for the next!
]]> <![CDATA[Emma (Wordsworth Collector's Editions)]]> 54210901 432 Jane Austen 1840227966 Kat 4 4.04 1815 Emma (Wordsworth Collector's Editions)
author: Jane Austen
name: Kat
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1815
rating: 4
read at: 2020/12/09
date added: 2020/12/11
shelves: 2020-reads, let-me-entertain-you, buddy-read, feminist
review:

]]> Starsight (Skyward, #2) 45159464 From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Reckoners series, Words of Radiance, the Mistborn trilogy, and the Stormlight Archive comes the second book in an epic series about a girl with a secret in a dangerous world at war for humanity's future.

All her life, Spensa has dreamed of becoming a pilot. Of proving she's a hero like her father. She made it to the sky, but the truths she learned about her father were crushing. The rumors of his cowardice are true--he deserted his flight during battle against the Krell. Worse, though, he turned against his team and attacked them.

Spensa is sure there's more to the story. And she's sure that whatever happened to her father in his starship could happen to her. When she made it outside the protective shell of her planet, she heard the stars--and it was terrifying. Everything Spensa has been taught about her world is a lie.

But Spensa also discovered a few other things about herself--and she'll travel to the end of the galaxy to save humankind if she needs to.]]> 480 Brandon Sanderson 147321792X Kat 3 4.47 2019 Starsight (Skyward, #2)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Kat
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2020/11/22
date added: 2020/12/11
shelves: 2020-reads, you-let-me-down, buddy-read
review:

]]>