![]() Cassidy Serhienko Stranded is a new stand-alone romance from Nicole Dykes, to be released on June 11. We were lucky enough to receive an arc from the author (someone sent us an arc?!?!?!). The story follows Everly and Cooper as they are stranded in a cabin after surviving a car accident that left two other passengers dead. This book definitely has a fast physical burn but a slow emotional one. Meaning, there’s a heavy dose of smut but the character’s are complete emotional tornados. Everly and Cooper have been dancing around each other for years and now that they’re thrown together in this high stakes situation, they have to confront the guilt of betraying their family. Sometimes it felt like Cooper and Everly were having the same fight over and over again, but considering that it was a rather huge obstacle standing in the way of their relationship this didn’t feel repetitive or frustrating. While the characters are stranded in the cabin there’s really not much to do plot-wise other than have them survive and confront their feelings (and use each other to pass the time, wink wink nudge nudge). I think it would have been very appealing for an author to leave the characters trapped because it’s really the ideal scenario to force them to confront their feelings with no outside factors, but Dykes resists the temptation. By moving the story to a new setting when she did, she prevented the storyline from feeling too drawn-out to the point that it became boring. Instead, she keeps driving the plot and the character’s relationship forward by giving them new challenges to contend with. From the start of the book I definitely had plot-twist predictions that I was absolutely positive were going to come true, and exactly none of them did. Romance novels are obviously very trope heavy, and this isn’t really an exception (hello “there’s only one bed”) but the plot was still unpredictable. When I realized none of my predictions were going to come true, I had no idea how Everly and Cooper were going to move past the baggage but I think that the author brought the story to a very satisfying conclusion. It wasn’t wrapped up with a pretty little bow, but it felt very true to the characters and the story. This was my first Nicole Dykes book but I’ll definitely be picking up more!
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![]() Once Upon a Time Cassidy Serhienko Once Upon a Time For this week’s #throwbackthursday, we’re going real old school. Hush, Hush was pretty popular in 2013-2015 (?), but seems to have since lost steam. I occasionally see it on bookstagram, but to put it in perspective, there used to be whole ass instagram accounts solely dedicated to simping over Patch Cipriano. I personally was never a huge fan, but for whatever reason I re-read them all the time. Each time I would think “hmm. I don’t really like this, it could have been so much better” and then fast-forward about 14 months and I’d wake up and decide it was time to re-read Hush, Hush again. Don’t ask me what kept me coming back, but come back I did. What a sick, masochistic lion I am. That said, I haven’t re-read these since probably grade 9 or 10 so this review should be interesting. Patch obviously has a lot of potential. He has dark hair, he’s broody, sarcastic, and it’s very unclear whether or not he’s actually the villain of the story. Snarky anti-hero = Cassidy’s dream man (I’m perfectly fine and well-adjusted, thank you very much). Actually, the entire concept is pretty interesting, and I like the combination of fantasy and mystery. That said, something about these books has always fallen a little flat for me. Maybe it’s Nora herself, who defines annoying, or the fact that the story never seems to quite know what to do with itself. It’s like Becca Fitzpatrick knew the kind of book she wanted to write but struggled to really get herself there. While I admit that Vee was usually entertaining, Patch was the only real stand-out character from this series and while he’s certainly a hottie with a body it is perhaps too much to ask that he carry an entire four books. From what I remember, which is very little, the last book is a particularly hot f-ing mess. Apart from the fact that Vee goes to England and marries a hot dude, the epilogue freaking sucks. I think the plot was just too much to stretch out across four books, it would’ve been sooo much stronger had it been a standalone or maybe a duology. All of the plotlines became too convoluted yet vague, and the books lost the suspenseful and semi-creepy vibe that was the first book’s strength. Ultimately, I think the story got too big for itself and the character/world didn’t have a strong enough foundation to support it. In complete contradiction, I think there’s obviously something to the aesthetic and the aura of the first book to make it interesting. Why else would I have kept going back? It has been noted that this review is proof positive that I should really re-read these books before I attempt to review. But I will not be doing that, so you can keep enjoying these disjointed and rambly reviews. You're welcome. ![]() Throwback Thursday Cassidy Serhienko So I’m thinking of doing a weekly (if I can keep up with it) #throwbackthursday where I review books that I read Once Upon a Time and show em’ some love on the feed. Since I recently re-read Obsidian a few weeks ago, I thought I’d make it the inaugural event. According to Goodreads, I originally rated these a 5/5 and I’m secure enough to admit that I pretty much stand by it. I haven’t read these books since high school and so I found it interesting to see how Jennifer L. Armentrout’s writing has matured with her more recent releases. I know that the woman does everything and I’ve read a few of her adult romances from about the same time period and obviously those are more scandalous and “grown up” then the lux books, but I feel it’s more fair to compare this series and FBAA since they’re both YA fantasy. The FBAA comparison is what sparked this re-read for me. I was curious to see how I would feel about Obsidian after reading FBAA and honestly, I still like them better. I think it’s a more original concept and accomplished what it set out to do more effectively. While FBAA is definitely a more mature read, I found the pacing SO slow and it took me far longer to care about the characters or the story. In fairness, I’ve only read FBAA and haven’t read the rest of the series so I reserve the right to change my fickle mind. Side Note: I also don’t get why everyone compared these books to Twilight when they were first super popular, yeah it’s a human meeting a non-human dude but that’s pretty much where the similarities start and end. I wouldn’t class the lux books with the likes of YA Giants such as ACOTAR or the Mortal Instruments because I don’t think that the writing or the world-building is as strong, but they’re so freakin’ FUN. Katy and Daemon have such a great dynamic that feels much more realistic to a romance between two teenagers. They obviously love each other and have some wonderful, tender, and passionate moments but they’re still silly and immature, which makes them so endearing. I also skimmed through the next two books in the series and my old annoyance with the whole “Blame Katy for Getting Adam Killed” storyline resurged. I remember being SO frustrated with how this played out in Katy’s dynamic with Daemon and especially with Dee. As much as I appreciated the fact that people were calling Katy out on kind of being an idiot, I really don’t think that particular moment of idiocy was really her fault. Despite moments like those, I think that Daemon and Katy are really a great book couple. They might not have the scorcher moments or the epic romances of couples like Feysand but I appreciate how the fantasy elements blend with this more contemporary-novel style of romance. Ultimately, it probably makes the world feel more real and certainly makes Katy and Daemon feel like the kind of couple you would have known in high school. Albeit overly hot. I’d also like to shout-out the brilliant idea of having Katy be a reader and book blogger. It was something that was integral to Katy as a character, but not so much the storyline and so not only made her a more well-rounded character but was a nice shout-out to fandom culture. ![]() Cassidy Serhienko And we’re back at it again with another Grishaverse book y’all While I loved the introduction of new characters (here’s looking at you, Nikolai) and genuinely enjoyed reading this book, literally nothing happens. It’s 435 pages and apart from the first and last 50 pages, it’s just Alina bopping around the Little Palace and thinking about Mal. Was this entertaining? Yeah, I never felt particularly bored. But I did find myself waiting for SOMETHING, ANYTHING to happen that would actually drive the plot forward. Looking back, this is kind of true of the first book too but at least the first book was establishing the universe and the key characters, this just felt like a whole lot of nothing. That said, I felt engaged for the entirety of the book (and yes, I realize those are contradictory statements but this is my account, I can do what I want), and I think that the plot is moving in interesting directions. And can I just say, thank God for Nikolai because without him there would not have been a single character who wasn’t constantly full of angst and anxiety. He very quickly became one of my favourite characters in this series. As much as he’s a wicked smart ruler/pirate/soldier, full of snark and chaotic energy, he’s really just a big ol’ nerd at heart. He’s definitely one of the characters with the most dimension in this series so far. I’m also still confused why everyone hates Mal so much. The way I see it, he’s pretty much in the right for every single fight or misunderstanding between him and Alina. I think people say that he’s uncomfortable with her power and wants her to be something she’s not, but in both books he literally does nothing but support her and go along with her decisions. I’m not saying that Mal handles the breakdown of their relationship or the looming danger of the Darkling’s attack with any amount of grace, but you have to admit that Alina is a pretty crap friend and girlfriend. He deserts the military (something that is clearly very important to him) and she responds by dragging him across the country without consulting him or asking where he wants to be. She just assumes that he’ll be perfectly happy to trot along after him and essentially become her servant. I don’t think she ever thanks him for any of it, and she basically ignores him for the entirety of this book. As far as resenting her power, I don’t think he has a problem with her being Grisha, or even essentially being “The Chosen One.” The only thing that he expresses any trepidation or concern about is the amplifiers. And why shouldn’t he? She’s told him that Grisha are only allowed one amplifier because any more goes against the laws of nature and Grisha power, it would change the wearer and have terrible consequences for the entire world blah blah blah. Then, like 10 pages later, she’s insisting that she needs the THREE most powerful amplifiers in existence and that he has to go fetch them for her. I would probably express some concern too and I don’t think it has nothing to do with Mal wanting to be the shiny one in the relationship. TBH I’m starting to dislike Alina more than anyone else for the aforementioned reasons. There also isn’t enough of the Darkling in this book. Not only because I’m thirsty, but you’re Big Bad Villain should actually make an appearance if he’s going to keep feeling Big and Bad. Alina’s visions were a good idea to keep him connected to the story, but nothing really happened in them. He literally just chilled in her room and made her feel uncomfortable. There was a lot of potential there that I just feel wasn’t capitalized on. This is sort of how I felt about the entire book in general. I liked all of the plot decisions like Alina becoming the leader of the second army, the growing power and fervor of the Sun Saint cult, the politics of the Little Palace, etc. etc. There just wasn’t enough actually happening for the vast majority of the book to feel satisfying. So yeah, this definitely isn’t going to be my favourite book in the series but it had a good set-up for the next one, which I will be picking up as soon as possible because the Darkling and Nikolai own me now. ![]() Cassidy Serhienko "Fine, make me your villain." Why did it take me so freaking long to read this book?! Shadow and Bone has been pretty thoroughly spoiled for me because I’ve been on the internet for the last couple of weeks, so I knew that the Darkling was going to turn out to be a baddie (not that it isn’t pretty obvious anyway). And I am here to tell you that I do not give af because I have seen Ben Barnes and I have seen that kiss. The Darkling is hot, he’s committed to his aesthetic and I respect that. I would absolutely abandon all of my faux morals to join his little band of merry men. Steals from literally everyone and gives to himself, that’s my man. I will say, the Darking is much less hot in the book because he and Alina aren’t really “A Thing.” They kiss a couple times and she spends a good part of the book a little obsessed with him, but there’s not THAT much chemistry there. He’s definitely more straight up evil than he is charismatically bad. But once again, I don’t care because Netflix realized what we would want, and what we would want is Ben Barnes. (Also I feel the need to point out that Rhys is basically the Darkling if the Darkling wasn’t evil). An unrelated note: I love Genya with my whole heart, but as someone with perpetual dark circles, I will not stand for the spotlighting and slander of Alina’s exhausted face. We look tired and we look good. As per the aforementioned spoiler-ing, I know that Zoya eventually becomes a character that I won’t want to punch in the face, but today is not that day. As it stands, I’m pretty determined to hold onto my hate. She’s snobby and self-righteous; I don’t like her and I don’t want to like her. I also do not give anyone permission to use this review against me in the future. In regards to Mal, I still don’t know why everyone hates him but I guess I’m prepared to. I’m a team player like that. Shadow and Bone has a very unique setting and magic system, I loved the idea of an alternate Russia where magic and military coexist (kind of). Obviously I’ve read books that use elemental magic before, but this still felt fresh and new. The scale of Ravka is huge, and I’m excited to explore more of this world (where is Kaz? Where is he?!). I don’t know enough about Russian folklore to categorically say if this is a good/accurate interpretation, but it was interesting and in regards to the plot and world-building it was well done. And ultimately Ravka is a fictional place, so I don’t think geographical or cultural accuracy to the real Russia is necessarily very important. I think that as the series continues, this world will feel more fleshed out and I’m looking forward to seeing how non-Grisha characters move through this universe. My only real critique is that I didn’t feel very deeply for any of the characters. I cared about them but I didn’t feel particularly connected to or invested in any of them. I’m sure that will change as I read the rest of the series, but while I found the plot and the setting of the book really exciting (I read it in one sitting), the Darkling was the only character that I found compelling. I always love a story about a young girl discovering her power, and I’m excited to see Alina coming into her own so I do have high hopes for her character development. As for the others, I think they just didn’t get enough page-time to really leave a big impression. But again, this is a trilogy and things are really only just heating up in Ravka, so I’m sure that will change. From my understanding (and this is the only Grishaverse book I’ve read, so obviously I’m an expert), this trilogy is a little lighter entry into this universe, story-telling wise, but Six of Crows and King of Scars are supposed to be much more expansive and intricate for any other adult readers. Again, complete assumptions made by mwah. While Shadow and Bone does not have the intrigue or complex plot of something like Game of Thrones (or the S&B show?), it’s still a really engaging and unique fantasy read that I would recommend to anyone who’s into that kind of thing. And who wouldn’t be, really. Since I am now allowing myself to watch the show, if you need me I’ll be thirsting over Ben Barnes and Freddy Carter. ![]() Meghan Brehon One of the reviews on the back of the book calls The Memory Police “elegantly spare”, and while I will say it did feel fairly spare, I don’t know if I would say that it added to my reading experience the way the word “elegantly” implies it should. The premise of this book sounds intriguing, but I found the actual story lacked some of the oomph I may have liked. When the characters are living in a dystopian totalitarian world I expect the novel to have a little bit more suspense and excitement, but the novel ultimately felt very one note to me, and I didn’t feel completely drawn in as I have to other books of the same type in the past. This isn’t to say I didn’t get anything out of my reading experience, it’s a good book, but it certainly didn’t knock my socks off. I feel like the way I described the book makes me sound like I didn’t get it, and perhaps I didn’t fully, but while I did appreciate the fact that the somber attitude the characters took to their world disappearing around them was a comment on loss and the way they were not only losing material objects but deeper things as well (is that a spoiler? I don’t think so? I hope not?), this kind of made it seem like nothing mattered, which didn’t make me very invested in the book. Although you may not be able to tell this from the preceding paragraphs, I did enjoy the book, and would recommend it if you’re interested in the concept and are looking for a very mellow read. ![]() Cassidy Serhienko “you can justify anything, if you do it poetically enough” This book ripped through me at least as much as I ripped through it (that sounded a lot snappier in my head but I stand by it). This is almost definitely my favourite book that I’ve read so far this year. Set in a conservatory school, a troupe of 7 aspiring Shakespearean actors are immersed in the world of theatre and in the words of their beloved playwright. They perform, compete, and live together but their delicate hold over their friendships and relationships begins to crumble when one of them turns up dead. I loved how even though the characters aren’t always likeable, your heart breaks for them anyway. The set-up could have felt very one-note considering that the driving characteristic of the novel is that everyone is keeping secrets and you aren’t sure who to trust, but instead every character is well-rounded and multi-faceted. They could easily have fallen into the tropes that they play onstage: ingenue, femme fatale, hero, villain, extra. Instead they felt like real people who’s rapidly unraveling psyches are justified and honest, despite the unironic deliverance of very melodramatic Shakespeare quotes. I really enjoyed the structure of the novel. It was well-paced, well-plotted, and even though the prologue essentially gives away a large part of the ending, we’re left with enough mystery to keep the story intriguing. It was very clever to break the book into acts and scenes instead of parts and chapters. It has pretty much no effect on how you actually read the book but it’s a fitting and somewhat amusing touch. The same goes for the Shakespeare quotes. At least half of the character’s communication is done through lines from the Bard, and this could very easily have felt overly pretentious and/or left the reader confused. However, each quote is so well-selected and placed that they give deeper meaning to the dialogue rather than making it more vague. It also felt very true to the characters. I firmly believe that these people would talk like this, and I’m not entirely convinced that actual players wouldn’t. All the world’s a stage, and all that. I am very upset that there isn’t a sequel because I NEED MORE. I also wouldn’t be opposed to a movie adaptation, if anyone wants to get on that. I’m pretty sure Timothee Chalamet was born to play James, just sayin’. If We Were Villains One of 7 actors studying Shakespeare at an elite conservatory, Oliver and his friends grapple with friendship and love in the wake of the mysterious death of one of their classmates and the ensuing investigation. They may not always have been honest with each other, but the lies seem to be growing and growing until it all falls apart in a spectacular crescendo. If you like a bunch of pretentious artists communicating almost exclusively in Shakespeare quotes then this read is for you. This is the best book that I’ve read in a very long time. Even though most of the characters weren’t especially likeable, you still felt for them and wanted them to succeed. Apart from Oliver I don’t think that we got to know the other characters very well, the nature of the story is that everyone is keeping secrets and you aren’t sure who to trust. Even so, I think that M.L Rio did a fantastic job of making the non-narrators sympathetic and well-rounded people. Opium and Absinthe Dracula has just been released and is sweeping the world (including New York) by storm, but Tillie’s beloved sister has been found dead, drained of blood, with two puncture wounds in her neck. As Tillie strives to uncover the truth about her sister’s death, she’s also fighting an addiction to opium that is rapidly spinning out of control. The parallels drawn between Tillie’s story and Dracula would greatly appeal to anyone else with a pretentious soul. This book is an ambitious (and very well-executed) amalgamation of historical fiction, fantasy, thriller, and romance. Tillie is a sympathetic heroine and I loved how her character was an interpretation of the vulnerable, trapped, damsel in distress that is common in gothic literature, but her strength, independence, and tenacity represents a more modern sensibility and view of women. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea In a dilapidated mansion in a sleepy seaside town, Violet’s yearning for something exciting to happen. Enter River West. River rents the guest house on Violet’s estate and she’s immediately enraptured by him. But River lies as often as he breathes, and he seems to like it when Violet’s head spins. The only YA book on the list, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea earns its spot. It’s actually a duology, and both books are fantastic but I think that the first perfectly captures the aesthetic of Dark Academia. The setting of the novel is as much a character as Violet, River, or any of the other strange residents of the little town. Even though Violet is drawn to River, her mounting dread and suspicion is palpable. The book is both beautiful, but terrifying and violent. Like Opium and Absinthe, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea takes inspiration from gothic literature and the result is an atmospheric and eerie read that will stay with you long after you turn the last page. Plain Bad Heroines In 1902, Clara and Flo are students at Brookhants School for Girls and become as obsessed with Mary Maclane’s scandalous memoir as they are with each other. That is, until their gruesome and mysterious deaths. Over a century later, Merritt Emmons writes a novel based on their story that inspires a horror adaptation starring lesbian it girl Harper Harper and B-lister Audrey Wells. All three girls are brought to Brookhants to film the movie, but the longer they spend on set the harder it is to tell what’s real and what’s a Hollywood stunt. More gothic lit inspo, Plain Bad Heroines is a love letter to the eerie and to Sapphic love. Even though the reader allegedly knows what’s happening the whole time, you never quite feel like you do. At 640 pages, this book is a commitment but it never feels like it lags. Considering it’s supposed to be a horror novel, would I say that it’s scary? No, but it’s certainly creepy and there are a few scenes that inspire real disgust. A little bit meta, Plain Bad Heroines weaves history, feminism, Hollywood, and literature into a book that any true nerd will love. |
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