en-US Tue, 09 Apr 2024 11:39:01 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 56666839 A Dowry of Blood is a story of desire, obsession, and emancipation.

Saved from the brink of death by a mysterious stranger, Constanta is transformed from a medieval peasant into a bride fit for an undying king. But when Dracula draws a cunning aristocrat and a starving artist into his web of passion and deceit, Constanta realizes that her beloved is capable of terrible things. Finding comfort in the arms of her rival consorts, she begins to unravel their husband’s dark secrets.

With the lives of everyone she loves on the line, Constanta will have to choose between her own freedom and her love for her husband. But bonds forged by blood can only be broken by death.]]> 248 S.T. Gibson 1916366937 Ran 4 4.12 2021
author: S.T. Gibson
name: Ran
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/11/20
date added: 2024/04/09
shelves: 2022-books, gorgeous-prose, sapphic
review:

]]> 55858638 New York Times bestselling trilogy that began with A Deadly Education and The Last Graduate.

The one thing you never talk about while you're in the Scholomance is what you'll do when you get out. Not even the richest enclaver would tempt fate that way. But it's all we dream about, the hideously slim chance we'll survive to make it out the gates and improbably find ourselves with a life ahead of us, a life outside the Scholomance halls.

And now the impossible dream has come true. I'm out, we're all out--and I didn't even have to turn into a monstrous dark witch to make it happen. So much for my great-grandmother's prophecy of doom and destruction. I didn't kill enclavers, I saved them. Me, and Orion, and our allies. Our graduation plan worked to perfection: we saved everyone and made the world safe for all wizards and brought peace and harmony to all the enclaves of the world.

Ha, only joking! Actually it's gone all wrong. Someone else has picked up the project of destroying enclaves in my stead, and probably everyone we saved is about to get killed in the brewing enclave war on the horizon. And the first thing I've got to do now, having miraculously got out of the Scholomance, is turn straight around and find a way back in.]]> 407 Naomi Novik 0593158369 Ran 5 4.08 2022
author: Naomi Novik
name: Ran
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/11/21
date added: 2024/04/09
shelves: 2022-books, found-family-squads, smart-writing, snarky-banter, sapphic
review:

]]> 59983784
What happens after an epic tale ends?

This collection of eleven short stories picks up days after Scum Villain’s finale and follows the cast’s relationships and adventures through their pasts and futures. The first trial? A glimpse into another world, where Luo Binghe was never saved by his beloved teacher—unless he can claim this world’s Shen Qingqiu for himself. Other tales recount the riotous history of Shang Qinghua and Mobei-Jun, the bittersweet romance of Luo Binghe’s parents, and the untold tragedy of the original scum villain himself.

FINAL VOLUME]]> 432 Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù 1638585547 Ran 0 2022-books, light-novels 4.25 2014
author: Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù
name: Ran
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at: 2022/09/13
date added: 2022/09/13
shelves: 2022-books, light-novels
review:

]]> 59415239 [SATISFACTION POINTS +500!]

To save his sect from destruction, Shen Qingqiu has at last submitted to Luo Binghe—though he wishes people would stop saying it like that! Unfortunately, they’re not wrong.

Luo Binghe has finally made his desire for his old master clear. For all that Shen Qingqiu longs to return to their peaceful days together on Qing Jing Peak, he knows it’s impossible now that Luo Binghe has darkened into a true demon lord. But as Shen Qingqiu begins to uncover more of Proud Immortal Demon Way’s hidden plot, including his host body’s own backstory, he realizes he must learn to see Luo Binghe for who he truly is if either of them are to survive.]]> 400 Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù 163858253X Ran 0 2022-books, light-novels 4.38 2014
author: Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù
name: Ran
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at: 2022/09/13
date added: 2022/09/13
shelves: 2022-books, light-novels
review:

]]> 58705560 [CHARACTER DEPTH LEVEL +10]

Three years have passed since Shen Qingqiu betrayed Luo Binghe, and now there are only two years left before his “deceased�� disciple rises from the dead to claim his bloody glory as the protagonist. At least, that’s how the story is supposed to go.

In the midst of investigating a mysterious plague, Shen Qingqiu discovers that his actions have irreparably altered the plot—Luo Binghe has returned all too soon and Shen Qingqiu’s brilliant escape plan isn’t even ready yet! Worse, Shen Qingqiu can no longer predict his young disciple’s actions.

The only thing that hasn’t changed is Luo Binghe’s intense fixation on Shen Qingqiu himself, but even this obsession may be more than it seems. Not that Shen Qingqiu has the time to puzzle through all the inconsistencies. There are various parties at play in the changing plot, and if he doesn’t act fast, he may face a fate far worse than death.]]> 364 Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù 1648279228 Ran 5 2022-books, light-novels 4.41 2014
author: Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù
name: Ran
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2022/09/12
date added: 2022/09/12
shelves: 2022-books, light-novels
review:

]]> 58701909
At least, that's what Shen Yuan, online alias "Peerless Cucumber," believes as he finishes reading the final chapter in Proud Immortal Demon Way. But when a combination of rage and a poor meal choice leads to his death, Shen Yuan finds himself reborn into the world of the web novel, in the body of Shen Qingqiu—the beautiful but cruel teacher to a young Luo Binghe. Although as Shen Qingqiu, he now has incredible power and abilities as a cultivator, he’s destined to be horrifically punished for crimes against the protagonist, so this new Shen Qingqiu has only one course of action: get into Luo Binghe’s good graces before the young man’s rise to power. That’s the only way he’ll escape the awful fate of a true scum villain!]]> 352 Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù 164827921X Ran 5 2022-books, light-novels 4.40 2014
author: Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù
name: Ran
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2022/09/12
date added: 2022/09/12
shelves: 2022-books, light-novels
review:

]]> 58450416 164 Kafka Asagiri 1975337115 Ran 5 2022-books, light-novels 4.57 2018
author: Kafka Asagiri
name: Ran
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2022/08/25
date added: 2022/08/25
shelves: 2022-books, light-novels
review:

]]> 58690308 One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming....

Nora Stephens�� life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters�� trip away—with visions of a small-town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.]]> 377 Emily Henry 0593334833 Ran 4 As usual my favourite part is Emily Henry's writing...
I did like the non romance parts more in this!]]> 4.09 2022
author: Emily Henry
name: Ran
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/05/30
date added: 2022/06/01
shelves: 2022-books, romances-i-read, smart-writing, snarky-banter
review:
It was too insta lovey and somewhat similar to her previous works initially... But I was surprised at the amount of depth and drama it packed..
As usual my favourite part is Emily Henry's writing...
I did like the non romance parts more in this!
]]> 54981009
As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss, as a U.S. marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.]]> 307 Laura Dave 1501171348 Ran 4 The initial 70% is interesting, then it is just a cheesy generic ending to a very good build up.
I think almost everyone who has read the book has the similar experience.]]> 3.78 2021
author: Laura Dave
name: Ran
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/05/08
date added: 2022/05/08
shelves: 2022-books, mystery, thrillers
review:
3.5
The initial 70% is interesting, then it is just a cheesy generic ending to a very good build up.
I think almost everyone who has read the book has the similar experience.
]]> 54621094
All these things are true. And yet they are all lies...

You think you know what's inside the last house on Needless Street. You think you've read this story before. That's where you're wrong.

In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, lies something buried. But it's not what you think...]]> 337 Catriona Ward 1788166167 Ran 4 1 thing I would like to say is don't read the book for the plot twist, because the information about what is happening is gradually presented through out the book. Most people will piece it together way before the characters realise it or the author puts it straight on the page.
This is a very well written book about what it is trying to do.

Further one should be up for getting confused and experience strange things that don't make sense at 1st. Even if one can figure out what is happening, there will be a lot of elements that will not make sense.

It does what it aims to do with extreme care.



Mild spoiler!! Below..



The only reason it is not a 5 star is because of a certain story structure used. The presence of a 2nd unreliable narrator and how that storyline was handled.]]> 3.82 2021
author: Catriona Ward
name: Ran
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/05/06
date added: 2022/05/06
shelves: 2022-books, dark-and-twisted, thrillers
review:
This is a difficult book to classify or recommend. It not a horror but still horrifying, has psychological thriller elements a little past midway point of the book.
1 thing I would like to say is don't read the book for the plot twist, because the information about what is happening is gradually presented through out the book. Most people will piece it together way before the characters realise it or the author puts it straight on the page.
This is a very well written book about what it is trying to do.

Further one should be up for getting confused and experience strange things that don't make sense at 1st. Even if one can figure out what is happening, there will be a lot of elements that will not make sense.

It does what it aims to do with extreme care.



Mild spoiler!! Below..



The only reason it is not a 5 star is because of a certain story structure used. The presence of a 2nd unreliable narrator and how that storyline was handled.
]]> 52320705 A "stylish and sharp" character-driven suspense novel, "with wicked hairpin turns," about a famous novelist and a small-town striver locked in a struggle for fortune and fame. (Maria Semple, author of Where’d You Go, Bernadette?)

Florence Darrow is a low-level publishing employee who believes that she's destined to be a famous writer. When she stumbles into a job the assistant to the brilliant, enigmatic novelist known as Maud Dixon—whose true identity is a secret—it appears that the universe is finally providing Florence’s big chance.

The arrangement seems perfect. Maud Dixon (whose real name, Florence discovers, is Helen Wilcox) can be prickly, but she is full of pointed wisdom—not only on how to write, but also on how to live. Florence quickly falls under Helen’s spell and eagerly accompanies her to Morocco, where Helen’s new novel is set. Amidst the colorful streets of Marrakesh and the wind-swept beaches of the coast, Florence’s life at last feels interesting enough to inspire a novel of her own.

But when Florence wakes up in the hospital after a terrible car accident, with no memory of the previous night—and no sign of Helen—she’s tempted to take a shortcut. Instead of hiding in Helen’s shadow, why not upgrade into Helen's life? Not to mention her bestselling pseudonym . . .

Taut, twisty, and viciously entertaining, Who is Maud Dixon is a stylish psychological thriller about how far into the darkness you’re willing to go to claim the life you always wanted.]]> 324 Alexandra Andrews 0316500313 Ran 4 But the writing was very good & the atmosphere was Immersive. So the overall experience was quite good.]]> 3.79 2021
author: Alexandra Andrews
name: Ran
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/05/03
date added: 2022/05/06
shelves: 2022-books, smart-writing, thrillers, dark-and-twisted
review:
The plot twist wasn't surprising at all (atleast for me) even though I knew nothing before getting into the book. So I was kinda disappointed with the plot. And the MC certainly made a lot of stupid decisions to make the plot work.
But the writing was very good & the atmosphere was Immersive. So the overall experience was quite good.
]]> 55404546 Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever.

Malibu: August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva.

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.

Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.

And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface.

Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them... and what they will leave behind.]]> 369 Taylor Jenkins Reid 1524798657 Ran 4 2022-books, drama I love the siblings' dynamic.. That's what made this book a lot special to me.]]> 4.02 2021
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
name: Ran
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/05/02
date added: 2022/05/06
shelves: 2022-books, drama
review:
This is a very well written family drama.. Involving rich people (but subverting the rich people expectations for the most part!!)
I love the siblings' dynamic.. That's what made this book a lot special to me.
]]> 53138099 Finlay Donovan is Killing It.

Finlay Donovan is killing it . . . except, she’s really not. She’s a stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: the new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written, her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her, and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.

When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet . . . Soon, Finlay discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.

Fast-paced, deliciously witty, and wholeheartedly authentic in depicting the frustrations and triumphs of motherhood in all its messiness, hilarity, and heartfelt moment, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is the first in a brilliant new series from YA Edgar Award nominee Elle Cosimano.]]> 355 Elle Cosimano 1250241707 Ran 4 3.99 2021
author: Elle Cosimano
name: Ran
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/03/12
date added: 2022/04/15
shelves: smart-writing, snarky-banter, mystery, 2022-books
review:
This was such a fun and smart read.
]]> 57693474
On the not-so-bright side, someone out there wants her ex-husband, Steven, out of the picture. Permanently. Whatever else Steven may be, he's a good father, but saving him will send her down a rabbit hole of hit-women disguised as soccer moms, and a little bit more involvement with the Russian mob than she'd like.

Meanwhile, Vero's keeping secrets, and Detective Nick Anthony seems determined to get back into her life. He may be a hot cop, but Finlay's first priority is preventing her family from sleeping with the fishes... and if that means bending a few laws then so be it.

With her next book's deadline looming and an ex-husband to keep alive, Finlay is quickly coming to the end of her rope. She can only hope there isn't a noose at the end of it...

From Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead―the hilarious and heart-pounding follow-up to Finlay Donovan is Killing It.]]> 357 Elle Cosimano 1250242185 Ran 4 3.95 2022
author: Elle Cosimano
name: Ran
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/03/13
date added: 2022/04/15
shelves: drama, mystery, smart-writing, snarky-banter, 2022-books
review:

]]> 55196813
Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life's complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.

But Molly's orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it's too late?

A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.]]> 304 Nita Prose 0593356152 Ran 4 mystery, 2022-books 3.71 2022
author: Nita Prose
name: Ran
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/03/15
date added: 2022/04/15
shelves: mystery, 2022-books
review:
The character Molly does carry this book. So it depends if you enjoy her character. But the story does use plot conviniences which kind of brings down the rating to 3.5/5.
]]>