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Romanov
This Post is Spoiler Free! I made the mistake of not writing down my feelings directly after reading Romanov by Nadine Brandes, and now it’s been almost a week and I feel lost. This has nothing to do about how much I liked the book, because I liked it a lot. I just finished it at three in the morning, fell directly to sleep, and didn’t have time to write my review when I woke up. And then I procrastinated. But, it’s Tuesday, my usual blog post day, and I figured I should really, really get to this. So, here I am! Talking about Romanov! To start, I want to…
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We Are Okay
This Post is Spoiler Free! We Are Okay by Nina LaCour. I can’t even begin to describe what this book means to me. I read it sometime last year, I think in late October? I needed it then. I remember reading it all in one sitting (while I was at work one really, really slow evening). I cried a lot. Then all of the hockey guys came in and my makeup was a little streaked, but it was okay because that wasn’t the first time they had seen me in tears over a book and the hockey dudes were very understanding. I needed this book again this year, though for…
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My Rating System!
I’ve been posting so consistently this month (on Tuesdays and Fridays), and I didn’t want to lose my momentum. The only problem is that I haven’t actually finished a book since Winterwood, so I’ve decided to finally write up something that has been on my mind for some time. I was looking through my Goodreads 2020 Challenge (I’ll write up more on that closer to the end of the year), and I realized the majority of the books I read, I rated either 4 or 5 stars. There are 5 books (out of 59) that I rated 3 stars. I didn’t rate a single thing below that. This isn’t to…
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Piratica (I and II)
This Post is Spoiler Free! I’m going to be 100% honest with y’all… I forgot to write down my thoughts on Piratica by Tanith Lee before starting (and finishing) Piratica II. Normally, I’ll be fresh from finishing a book as I write my review (which is less an ordered review and more a slew of my thoughts and feelings), so this feels a little weird. Piratica But let’s look at Piratica. I’m going to start by saying that it took me nearly the whole month of November to read, however that was less because of the book and more because I was busy (and even when I wasn’t, my mind…
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The Picture of Dorian Gray
This Post is Spoiler Free! Here’s the thing. I am not a fan of reviewing classics (it reminds me of school, which was a period in my life where I genuinely wasn’t loving reading or writing). But I’ve been reviewing every book I’ve read this year, so I will do the same with The Picture of Dorian Gray, though the review will be short. Basically, I read this book because I have a really close friend who shared the soundtrack with me and made me want to watch the movie, Dorian Gray with Ben Barnes (really, I’ll watch anything with Ben Barnes). The only problem is that I really, really…
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Spoiled… How Rotten!
This Post Does NOT Contain Spoilers! Is it obvious that I’m a little salty about a spoiler I came across? Let me give you some background. So, I’m pretty good about staying away from spoilers. I somehow managed to only have ONE thing from the Avengers franchise spoiled, and I couldn’t tell you anything at all about the new Star Wars movies (I’m not joking… I’ve stayed so far away from it that all I know is the name Rey and that Adam Driver plays a bad guy and has a lightsaber that looks like a sword). I do this for a reason. I. Can’t. Stand. Spoilers. I will say…
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Ella Minnow Pea
This Post is Spoiler Free! GUYS! THIS BOOK! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I am legitimately shaking right now. Or bouncing. I’m not sure which. Maybe it’s my brain that is shaking? I don’t even know. All I know is that Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn is now my new favorite book. It is a book I will cherish for the rest of my life. I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!! This is going to be more of a fangirling session than a proper book review, but who cares? I certainly don’t. This is my blog, and I will get as excited as I please on it! Okay so here’s the deal. I picked this…
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The Blood of Stars (Duology)
This Post is Spoiler Free! Spin the Dawn So… Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim. Where to start? Well, I suppose I’ll start with the first chapter. It was interesting because the first chapter was backstory and nothing else. It almost felt like an extended prologue, but less mystical? I’ll be honest, this is the only book I can remember reading that started like that, and I actually found it useful. When the story started in the second chapter, I already liked the characters well enough and was eager to continue. Unfortunately, that eagerness didn’t remain—somewhere in the first half of the story, I got super bored. To the point…
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Fahrenheit 451
This Post is Spoiler Free! Okay this book was fascinating. I can see why it’s considered a classic. It’s the type of book that I don’t particularly want to review because I’m honestly not sure I can review it. So instead, I’ll share a list of reasons why you might want to pick it up: The language of it is beautiful. And super interesting. Between literary quotes, sentences that leave you breathless, and the occasional bout of stream of consciousness writing, the language really offers up many things for a lot of different people. It’s fairly short and to the point. It doesn’t try to push the meaning on you…
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The Girl The Sea Gave Back
This Post is Spoiler Free! Alright. Bear with me here. I have mixed feelings about The Girl The Sea Gave Back. There were parts about it that I absolutely loved, but there were also parts that nearly made me put it down, which is a bit rare. I honestly think that if I were the DNFing (Did Not Finish) type, this book would have been one of them. BUT! I hate leaving things unfinished, so I pushed through, and I’m not too upset that I did. I know… I’m going in circles… This is just how the book made me feel, okay? Let’s start with what I liked: the story.…
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Sky in the Deep
This Post is Spoiler Free Fun fact: this is the second time I’ve read Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young. Fun fact number two: this is the second time I’m reviewing Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young, but the first time I reviewed it, it was less of a review and more of a discussion starter (it included spoilers too), so this doesn’t feel too redundant. Fun fact number three: it’s a pretty good book! I’m no stranger to rereads. I love them, though I’ll only do them with certain books. Sky in the Deep is kinda on the edge of that “certain book” line… or it was…
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The Order of Time
Okay. I recently finished The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli. It’s a nonfiction book, which I generally don’t read, but whenever there is anything concerning Time and Space, I find myself inherently interested. That being said, Science in any form is not my forte, so I think Time and Space are fascinating, but sometimes I get overwhelmed reading about either. Needless to say, I was a little nervous picking up The Order of Time, but curiosity got to me and I just had to dive in. Oh boy am I glad I did. This book is fascinating! Rovelli takes a deeper look into the idea of Time (and also…
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9 From the Nine Worlds
This Post is Spoiler Free! Ah, I love Rick Riordan. I recently finished reading Magnus Chase: 9 From the Nine Worlds, which is a short story collection thingy in the Magnus Chase world. Each short story (there are nine of them) is from the perspective of a different character, including my two all time favorite characters, Heath and Alex! Each short story is connected by a little cameo from Thor, which is hilarious. Nothing is too intense. It’s just nine, lighthearted and fun stories told by the characters we all love (if you’ve read the Magnus Chase trilogy, that is). Seriously, give this collection a read. It’s fun and provided…
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The Ascendance Trilogy
This Post is Spoiler Free! I recently read the Ascendance Trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielsen. Because I’m a binge reader and read each book before managing to post the reviews, I’m posting them all together! The False Prince Oops. Apparently I only know how to read books in single sittings. I picked up The False Prince (book 1 of the Ascendance Trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielsen), planning on reading a few chapters before bed. And I read the entire book… which apparently is my normal… Let me start by saying that I was first exposed to this book in the form of an audiobook roughly six years ago. Now, if…
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The Legendary Shiver
Alright. I’m going to start this review with two disclaimers. The author sent me a free copy of The Legendary Shiver in exchange for an honest review. I’m generally not a fan of anything in the Romance genre. While this book isn’t outright Romance (it’s a Contemporary), there are a lot of Romance undertones. With that taken care of, let’s get onto the review! The Legendary Shiver by J. H. MacAl is a story about the pop music industry and all of the good and bad that comes with it. It follows William (Will) Cooper as he follows his best friend Ruby (Shiver) Magenta as she chases stardom. It was…
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Wilder Girls
Let’s talk about Wilder Girls by Rory Powers. To put it simply, it wasn’t my favorite book of the year. I’m a little bummed, because I was really looking forward to it? But, such is life! I’ll be keeping this fairly short, but here are a few of my thoughts on the book. First off, I had a hard time following the plot. I don’t always mind that, since confusion can add a lot to a story, but everything twisted just a few too many times. I have to say, though, that with the constant changing and confusion, it was a fairly quick read. Just… instead of proper investment where…
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The Starless Sea
Have you ever finished a book, stared at the last page for a moment too long, turned to scream into your pillow, then immediately opened the book again, starting from page one? Yeah, that was me with The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. It was another one suggested to me by a friend. Or yelled at me, I guess. The same friend who also suggested (yelled) that I should read Six of Crows. To be honest, I don’t exactly have the words to describe what I’m feeling right now (especially without giving spoilers… which I promise I won’t do), but I’m going to do my best. However good that may…
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Fangirl
So, here’s the thing. I recently finished Fangirl, and I wish I hadn’t. You might be thinking, “Wow, Lucy… was it that bad?” and the answer is an all caps NO! Fangirl was AMAZING! The only thing I didn’t like about it was that it ended at all. To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure what it is about this book that I find incredible. I didn’t notice any particular techniques, or character related things that stood out to me, but I think that might be because I was invested? It didn’t feel like a book to me. It felt like I was diving straight into the memories of a…
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My Favorite Peter Pan Retellings (and Some I Haven’t Read)
If you don’t already know, I absolutely love Peter Pan. So much. I’ll read ANY retelling, and gladly watch any movie. The first part of Once Upon a Time’s season three was Peter Pan themed, and it was my favorite storyline of the whole show. I just… love it. So I’m here to let you know of some of my favorite retellings (I haven’t read nearly enough), and some that I hope to read within the next year or so! Books I’ve Read: Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson This book follows Tiger Lily from Tinkerbell’s point of view. It deals with the struggles of learning to accept oneself as…
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House of Salt and Sorrows
I recently read House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin Graig, and it was the first Fantasy book I’ve read in a while that I thought was kind of… eh. Don’t get me wrong, there were a lot of things in the book that I liked (particularly in it being a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses), but the ending didn’t sit well with me. When the ending is off, it throws off the whole book. However, let’s start with the beginning. Erin Craig sets the scene, and she sets it fairly dark and dreary. It took some time, and I had the smallest amount of trouble getting into her…
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Divan of Shah
Author Shah Asad Rizvi sent me a copy of his poetry book, Divan of Shah, in return for an honest review. Well, here it is! Let me start by mentioning that I don’t usually intake poetry via an entire book. Most of my experience with poetry has been focusing on a single poem, or maybe a small selection, at a time. That being said… I’ve read a lot of poetry, so I have a decent understanding about the way a lot of people write it—and the places people tend to get stuck. The biggest trap poets fall into is making their poetry incredibly dark and depressing. I’m not saying there…