Wrigley's Updates en-US Wed, 09 Apr 2025 05:03:13 -0700 60 Wrigley's Updates 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg ReadStatus9289052100 Wed, 09 Apr 2025 05:03:13 -0700 <![CDATA[Wrigley has read 'Bungo Stray Dogs. Dead Apple, Vol. 1']]> /review/show/7474920780 Bungo Stray Dogs. Dead Apple, Vol. 1 by Gun_Zi Wrigley has read Bungo Stray Dogs. Dead Apple, Vol. 1 by Gun_Zi
]]> ReadStatus8989269151 Mon, 27 Jan 2025 20:43:34 -0800 <![CDATA[Wrigley is currently reading 'Girls with Razor Hearts']]> /review/show/7264803729 Girls with Razor Hearts by Suzanne Young Wrigley is currently reading Girls with Razor Hearts by Suzanne Young
]]> Review2765017762 Fri, 24 Jan 2025 09:33:03 -0800 <![CDATA[Wrigley added 'Girls with Sharp Sticks']]> /review/show/2765017762 Girls with Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young Wrigley gave 5 stars to Girls with Sharp Sticks (Girls with Sharp Sticks, #1) by Suzanne Young
]]> ReadStatus8957103505 Tue, 21 Jan 2025 13:48:44 -0800 <![CDATA[Wrigley is currently reading 'A Tempest of Tea']]> /review/show/7242026449 A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal Wrigley is currently reading A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal
]]> GiveawayRequest663153577 Wed, 08 Jan 2025 20:35:27 -0800 <![CDATA[<a href="/user/show/75977812-wrigley">Wrigley</a> entered a giveaway]]> /giveaway/show/403380-chaos-magic Chaos Magic by Jen Knox ]]> Review6655741325 Wed, 08 Jan 2025 20:09:53 -0800 <![CDATA[Wrigley added 'A Witch in Time']]> /review/show/6655741325 A Witch in Time by Constance Sayers Wrigley gave 3 stars to A Witch in Time (Kindle Edition) by Constance Sayers
Ever since I got my first job in high school, I’ve been a sucker for Barnes & Noble’s buy one get one 50%. A Witch in Time is one I distinctly remember buying with A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos in 2021. I remember back then being a little unsure if these were the books I wanted, but hey, I was 17 and had money burning a hole in my wallet. Finally just now getting a chance to read A Witch in Time, I found that my hesitation was warranted, however, I can give credit where credit is due. There were a few parts of Helen’s story that seemed to be written almost entirely differently than the other lives. Rather than being almost poetic and greatly detailed, it felt a bit campy. On the flip side, I will give this a pass because this book, with a respectable amount of grace, talks about a lot of serious issues women face and have faced since practically the beginning of time. So if a part of the story was written a manner that’s a little over-the-top feminism girlbossy to give the main female character a bit more agency, then go for it.
Normally if a story is a plot that’s less a bit lackluster, I’m able to forgive it due to the characters, assuming I like them. Unfortunately, I feel as if A Witch in Time was a little unforgiving to its characters as we never really got to know anything outside of Helen and her love interest (though interesting he was not outside the first two lifetimes). Rather than telling us who these characters were and their relationships to one another, it left much to be only assumed or guessed.
Until the very end, I thought the book was very well-paced. It was a good nighttime read for me that was interesting enough to keep me up past my self-designated bedtime but gave me opportunities to put it down at a reasonable hour. When I picked it back up the next night, it was easy to get lost in again. One of the things I thought the book did very well was how Helen began remembering her past lives and the toll it took on her. Rather than coming to her all at once, it spread itself out, which allowed the various plotlines to have a healthy amount of page time to develop.
By the time I got past the introduction of the third life, I felt as if I had lost interest in the story. Rather than the life being broken up into different chapters that were interwoven with Helen’s current one, they began appearing in giant chunks. It completely took all intrigue out for me and felt like they were just placeholders to keep the story around novel length rather than a novella. Once Helen’s power began becoming more relevant to the story, it solidified that I did not really care how the book ended. It was almost as if the story had lost its direction, and instead of being refocused, it was swerved and called a “twist�. Which is greatly unfortunate to me because the book had a really strong beginning and middle. ]]> Review7091110927 Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:48:49 -0800 <![CDATA[Wrigley added 'Scarlet Witch, Vol. 1: The Last Door']]> /review/show/7091110927 Scarlet Witch, Vol. 1 by Steve Orlando Wrigley gave 3 stars to Scarlet Witch, Vol. 1: The Last Door (Paperback) by Steve Orlando
]]> Review3026890459 Sun, 17 Nov 2024 19:44:59 -0800 <![CDATA[Wrigley added 'The Beautiful']]> /review/show/3026890459 The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh Wrigley gave 4 stars to The Beautiful (The Beautiful, #1) by Renée Ahdieh
General Thoughts
When I was in high school, I had a problem of buying practically any and every book I thought would be good. Now, over halfway done with college, I have a lot of books that have been collecting dust. So at the end of this past summer, I decided I would start going through all of my books to get rid of the ones I no longer want on my shelf. The first two books of The Beautiful series were one of these. When I first read, the first book, I rated it three stars. However, as I am older, I seem to have a better understanding of the material than I did years ago. Though it may not be by much, my rating went from a 3 star to a 4 star.
Characters
Depending on the day, I tend to go back and forth on if I think the characters in this book were well done. Admittedly, I may be a little biased as I think this story would have worked better for a standalone. If this book was the only entry, the characters were not fleshed out, but I can see how they were being set up for future installments. In that case, I think the potential they showed was very good as the audience can get a hint at what everyone’s character arc will be. The downside of this is that for most of the story, the characters often seem to be driven by one character trait/one defining detail for the reader to get comfortable with them.
Pacing
For being the first book in a fantasy novel, I had no issue with the pacing. Normally in this genre, there’s the issue of establishing the world, which is necessary, but slows down the rest of the story to do world/magic building. I’m glad to say that Ahdieh can balance the need for both incredibly well.
Ending & Book 2
The ending of the book left much to be desired. It was rather dark and almost unexpected in a pleasant way. Even though I have owned books 1 and 2 since around when they first came out, I hadn’t read the second one until recently. This time around, I picked Book 2 off my shelf immediately. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the second book, and from what I’ve heard from others, the following books continue similarly. I believe this book would have done better as an open-ended standalone, imagining it had been longer and the loose ends that prompted a sequel had been tied up. Which makes these two books ones that I will be donating. ]]> Review6956925339 Sat, 16 Nov 2024 16:29:24 -0800 <![CDATA[Wrigley added 'The Lightning Bottles']]> /review/show/6956925339 The Lightning Bottles by Marissa Stapley Wrigley gave 5 stars to The Lightning Bottles (Hardcover) by Marissa Stapley
General Thoughts
Overall I loved this book and it easily climbed the ranks of my favorite books, as do most of my 5 star ratings. I believe part of this is due to how easily I could see what was happening. Rather than reading like a book, I could see it playing out like a TV show. I hadn’t realized how deep of a reading slump I was in until I picked up The Lightning Bottles and got through it within ~3 days.
Characters
In my mind, the three main characters were fantastic ones. Jane and Elijah were the best developed, but Elijah stole the show. As someone who has known a great many people who struggle with drug addictions, Stapley did a great job with his character and his journey. Though Jane was developed in a very different manner, I greatly enjoyed her narration and found that she is the best one the story could have provided. Of those three, I would have liked to see more of a deep dive into Hen. She had a lot of potential, but she ended up being rather bland. However, I can see her being a mirror to Jane herself. Where Jane needs someone or something to define her, and that is her fatal flaw. This is a double-edged sword however as Jane is our cold, closed-off narrator and Hen is not, making her more of a challenge than a reflection.
Pacing
Even though The Lightning Bottles looks to be a small book when you first pick it up, there is so much happening and it goes by incredibly fast during the flashbacks—which is most of the book. Though I would have liked it if the reader was able to stay in the moment longer, it almost seems part of the narrative for the pacing to be so fast. Jane, our narrator, wasn’t able to stay in the moment, so we as the audience aren’t able to either. When it comes to the chapters that are set in the current day, I do fully wish there was more we had gotten from those chapters. There were certainly things happening and I know each chapter had a purpose, but compared to the flashback scenes, I would have just liked more. However, I feel this change in narration and things happening could have been resolved with a little self-reflection from Jane. Perhaps she could have been self-aware of how disconnected she’s become and nothing in life is remotely as it was now that Elijah is gone.
Ending
Though I do think the ending was interesting and executed in a way that made sense with how the rest of the story had gone, I’m not sure if it was the best ending the story could have landed on. I wouldn’t say it came out of left field, but I was a little confused that I had to backtrack pages at one point. Once it was established the ending had gone the route it had, it was easy to follow and get behind. ]]> Review3026890459 Sat, 16 Nov 2024 15:48:22 -0800 <![CDATA[Wrigley added 'The Beautiful']]> /review/show/3026890459 The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh Wrigley gave 4 stars to The Beautiful (The Beautiful, #1) by Renée Ahdieh
General Thoughts
When I was in high school, I had a problem of buying practically any and every book I thought would be good. Now, over halfway done with college, I have a lot of books that have been collecting dust. So at the end of this past summer, I decided I would start going through all of my books to get rid of the ones I no longer want on my shelf. The first two books of The Beautiful series were one of these. When I first read, the first book, I rated it three stars. However, as I am older, I seem to have a better understanding of the material than I did years ago. Though it may not be by much, my rating went from a 3 star to a 4 star.
Characters
Depending on the day, I tend to go back and forth on if I think the characters in this book were well done. Admittedly, I may be a little biased as I think this story would have worked better for a standalone. If this book was the only entry, the characters were not fleshed out, but I can see how they were being set up for future installments. In that case, I think the potential they showed was very good as the audience can get a hint at what everyone’s character arc will be. The downside of this is that for most of the story, the characters often seem to be driven by one character trait/one defining detail for the reader to get comfortable with them.
Pacing
For being the first book in a fantasy novel, I had no issue with the pacing. Normally in this genre, there’s the issue of establishing the world, which is necessary, but slows down the rest of the story to do world/magic building. I’m glad to say that Ahdieh can balance the need for both incredibly well.
Ending & Book 2
The ending of the book left much to be desired. It was rather dark and almost unexpected in a pleasant way. Even though I have owned books 1 and 2 since around when they first came out, I hadn’t read the second one until recently. This time around, I picked Book 2 off my shelf immediately. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the second book, and from what I’ve heard from others, the following books continue similarly. I believe this book would have done better as an open-ended standalone, imagining it had been longer and the loose ends that prompted a sequel had been tied up. Which makes these two books ones that I will be donating. ]]>