honeycupreads's reviews
94 reviews

Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

But I’m afraid she’ll get mad at me. I can’t have another person who I love hate me—I’ve already got three. And one of them is dead.

Raquel Vasquez Gilliland writes guilt and grief in a way that is unbelievably heartbreaking. I went into this book expecting a cozy fantasy romance, but I came out with tears streaming down my face over the family dynamics and the weight of guilt portrayed in the story. My heart broke for Sage repeatedly throughout the book. Everything she has been carrying—not just over the last eight years, but for her entire life—is absolutely tragic.

Now Teal, Sky, and I will never be all together again. I take a shuddering breath as this reality sweeps over me for the millionth time in eight years, like the garnet-sharp winds of a tornado. There and gone in a moment, but leaving behind painful, devastating destruction. That’s how grief works.

I think this book had the potential to be a five-star read, but a few aspects brought my rating down. If the story had focused solely on the family dynamics, it might have become one of my favorite books of all time—that's truly the heart of this novel and what carries it. As much as I loved Tennessee and Sage, I found the romance to be subpar compared to everything else. Don't get me wrong, their relationship was adorable, and I enjoyed it, but in the end, it felt just okay. I also didn't care much for the humor; some of Sage's inner monologue and parts of the dialogue came across as a bit cringy to me.

Overall, this book had a deep emotional impact on me, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for beautifully written family dynamics paired with a fun, magical second-chance romance. I’ll leave you with one of my favorite passages—which might be a bit of a spoiler.

I do not have the gift of ghosts, so when I look up with tears falling over my cheeks and see Sky there, sitting right in front of me, her legs curled over the hardwood attic floor, pictures of the past dropped between us like autumn leaves, I want to tear open the floorboards. I want to rip apart this house, I want to destroy every connection I have to whatever it is that has punished me with this particular trait: tears that pay for the sight of my dead sister.

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You're the Problem, It's You by Emma R. Alban

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I feel like I should start off by saying that I had a lot of fun reading this book. That being said, I think that, as it is, the book is just okay. The characters are very lovable, and the chemistry between them is undeniable, but that’s pretty much the best part of this story. If I had to rate it solely on how much I liked the characters, I would probably give it 4.5/5 stars.

The plot and pacing, however, are where the book falls apart for me. There’s a lot happening outside of the relationship, but none of it feels particularly important or engaging. The most interesting part of the plot, in my opinion, is Dashiell, Albie, and James working on trying to get the Medical Act passed.

Bobby is such a wonderful character. Watching his growth from the first book to this one, where we get to see more depth, was incredible. His journey—grappling with the death of his father while trying to figure out his place in the world as a gay man and the second son with no title—is handled with so much care. You can’t help but root for him and want everything to turn out well. I honestly can’t think of anything I disliked about him.

James, on the other hand, is such a complicated character. His internalized homophobia and lack of confidence—not only as a Viscount but as a man—are heartbreaking to read. It’s clear that he’s never had anyone to tell him he is enough until he finds a place in the family Gwen and Beth have created. As a character, he was very frustrating to watch. He repeatedly sabotages himself instead of letting good things happen because he feels as though he doesn’t deserve them.

My biggest qualm with this series as a whole stems from the first book, specifically the step-sister dynamic established at the end of book one. I don’t understand why the author chose to resolve the conflict in that way. It only gets worse in this book when Gwen and Beth decide they will marry each other’s cousins. This odd choice is further compounded by the inclusion of a family tree at the beginning of the book, which actually made me laugh out loud due to how absurd it is.

Overall, I had a great time reading this, but I wouldn’t call it a great book.

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Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey

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lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

When I saw the promotion for this book I knew I would eventually have to read it because “bad boy golfer” is entirely too ridiculous for my nosy ass to pass up. There’s a lot I could say about this book, and almost none of it is good.

The characters in this book—specifically Wells—are unbearable to read about. Wells is described as a “bad boy,” but in reality, he is a manchild incapable of regulating his emotions. There are quite a few scenes to back this up, but the one that stood out to me is when Josephine is forced to fly to California a day later than Wells. In that single day, he angers their sponsor, calls another golfer a c*nt in front of everyone, and throws a reporter’s equipment into a lake.

I find it very hard to believe that we’re meant to like Wells by the end of this book when his character development is virtually nonexistent. It takes until about 90% of the story for Wells to realize that he is the problem and that the reason people keep leaving him is because he’s absolutely insufferable. Over the course of this 11-hour audiobook, I think he manages to do ONE good thing. When he tells Josephine that she needs to go back home and run the shop, I was genuinely surprised—but I refuse to applaud him for doing the bare minimum.

The argument that ensues during this scene is ridiculous, and I don’t think I’ve ever been more irritated at a FMC than I was with Josephine in that moment. When Wells does his ONE good deed, he’s thinking of her best interests, refusing to be selfish, and encouraging her to pursue her dream. And she gets mad at him for it?

There are a lot of scenes that made me squint in confusion—why would Tessa Bailey write that? I understand that she needed to set up the romance for the second book, but the idea of Tallulah meeting Burgess and him immediately offering for her to live in his house with his 11-year-old daughter—and her AGREEING—is so crazy to me.

I also don’t understand why Wells suddenly finds faith in himself mid-game because Josephine has his name painted on her toes. It literally felt like a weird episode of iCarly, and I physically gagged.

I refuse to believe that Wells and Josephine got married, much less lasted at least eight years and had two kids together. Even though Wells realizes he’s the problem, I don’t think he would’ve actually changed in a way that’s beneficial to their relationship.

At the end of the day this book just isn’t good… I think a lot of people would have benefitted from reading Harry Styles fan-fiction on Wattpad in their teen years.

Content Warnings

Animal Farm by George Orwell

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reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

“All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others”

Classics often feel daunting to me because I worry I won’t fully grasp their themes or concepts. However, Animal Farm is very straightforward in its message. I struggled a bit to stay interested in the first 20ish pages, but when this story gets going it’s incredibly difficult to put down.

When you begin reading, you can already see where things will most likely head but I don’t think this takes anything away from the story itself. You know the animals will eventually become just like the humans they initially rebelled against but how you get there is fascinating to watch. The journey this story takes from beginning to end is so important to witness. It would’ve been easy for Orwell to simply say ‘power corrupts, and history will repeat itself if we refuse to learn from it’ but he did so in a way that truly makes you take in the meaning and digest it fully. I think this book does a wonderful job showing how much of life is just history repeating itself when we are not taught or forget the road that has brought us to this place in time. I think the message is just as impactful now, if not more so, than it was when it was written 80 years ago. We are living in an age where we are truly regressing as a society and falling back into ignorant ways, like in this book we are seeing history be rewritten or scratched out all together. I worry for the state of the world today, as I’m sure George Orwell did in 1945 but I also mourn heavily for everything we stand to lose if we keep progressing in this downward spiral.

I mourn for those who lost their lives fighting for human rights, only to see those same rights up for debate less than a century later. Women are losing the rights to their own bodies. Transgender people are unable to get gender-affirming care. Black people are losing their lives as a result of police brutality and medical racism. Children are dying in their classrooms. So many hard-fought battles are now at risk of being undone because our leaders refuse to learn from the past.

Seeing the evolution of characters like Napoleon, Boxer, and Benjamin is incredibly interesting. Boxer represents so many people in the world today, working tirelessly, waiting for the promises of retirement, only to have wasted his life away at a job that never cared about him in the first place. Watching Boxer push himself harder and harder for Napoleon made me a little sick to my stomach. Benjamin, to me, is a character who clearly reflects a form of complacency—one born from deep cynicism and a belief that nothing he does will change the outcome. That being said, he ended up being one of my favorite characters in the end. I wanted him to make it out at the end, but more so because I wanted him to be forced to live with his guilt. He had all the power to help the other animals when Napoleon rose to power and yet decided to not act on it and in the end lost his best friend. Napoleon himself is so clearly an example of ‘the hero’, he comes in and claims he will save the day, making all these promises that sound perfect to those in need. When Napoleon eventually rises to power, it quickly becomes clear that he never intended to keep any of those promises. He begins rewriting the seven commandments in a way that benefits only him and the other pigs, forcing the animals to work longer and harder on the same project he refused to put in motion with Snowball around. Squealer is a perfect representation of our major news outlets today, spreading only the information that shows Napoleon in a positive light and frames anyone against him as the enemy.

In the end, I think this book will always be powerful, even when the future doesn’t feel so bleak, and I think now more than ever it is a must-read. I’ll leave you with the final line of the book, which also happens to be my favorite.

“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”

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Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I absolutely adore this series. Wendell and Emily are such lovable characters, and their dynamic is so entertaining to watch. I think it’s a testament to Heather Fawcett’s writing style—and the way she has managed to bring these characters to life—that I am able to look past the fact his name is WENDELL BAMBLEBY. The faerie folklore and little tidbits of information Emily sprinkles into her journal are such a joy to read. The idea of having ribbons to guide your way back, the search for the missing professors, and Wendell’s door are all so interesting. I loved how everything tied together in the end, and I can’t wait to see what the next book has in store. I really hope we continue to see Ariadne and Shadow in this series, because I think their addition to the story has helped Emily grow as a character and evolve in a way that is truly magnificent to watch unfold.

While I loved the narrator, I think this series is best consumed in physical or ebook format—though Wendell’s POV in this installment was a real treat to hear.

Content Warnings

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I would like to preface this review by saying that, as a 25-year-old, I understand that I am not the intended audience of this book, so please take the following with a grain of salt. I only ended up reading this book because my 12-year-old niece asked me if it was appropriate for her, and I'm terribly nosy. Spoiler: she ended up finishing it before me and was on the third book by the time I wrapped this one up.

The biggest issue I had while reading was how insanely unlikeable the characters were. The unnatural closeness between Juliet and Adam was incredibly frustrating. I understand that they knew of each other before the events of this book, however, they never even spoke and yet readers are meant to believe they're in love. Warner, as a whole, is a mess of a character and I refuse to believe that we are meant to like him by the end of this series.

My niece informed me that later in the series it’s revealed Warner actually knew Juliet before the first book and that her memories of that time were erased. But even so, I don’t think this revelation redeems him. He was literally holding her hostage.

I don't think there is anyway I would go through this series and feel as though Warner had thouroughly redeemed himself. Every conversation that takes place between him and Juliet is so frustrating because he is constantly reiterating this sentiment that Juliet will eventually see the errors of her ways" and join him. A man who refuses to take no for an answer in any scenario will always be icky to me no matter what follows in the series.

On a petty note: I genuinely thought I was losing my mind with how often Adam’s blue eyes are mentioned. WE GET IT. His eyes are blue!

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