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literarycherub's reviews
80 reviews
A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A Dowry of Blood was our first Wilted Rose Book Club pick! I don’t think we could have had a more perfect start. The writing was so hauntingly beautiful and I could have easily read hundreds of more pages! I wish this was a full novel instead of a novella, but I heard the author plans to give us bonus content in her newsletter. I signed up immediately!
“You could have kissed me or slit my throat and either would have made as much sense.”
I loved the way this was written in second person in the form of a letter to a former abuser. Constanta never names him and I felt that was such a powerful move. Watching her go back to the start and showing how she slowly woke up to the situation she was truly in had me in awe. The strength she had to stand up to her abuser was inspiring and I feel so many will relate to her situation. I am happy it starts off with her finally free and writing this letter because I was able to look forward to the abuser’s downfall. It made it all the more satisfying.
Now I want to get into the other brides. I absolutely loved Magdalena and Alexei! They turned Constanta’s relationship into a polyamorous one. I really enjoyed how smart and witty Magdalena was. She was always glowing when she was fully herself. Alexei was so creative and social. The definition of charismatic. I loved seeing how quickly the loved and protected each other, especially against the abusive one. My favourite moments were the time the three of them spent together. I really wish we got to see more once they were finally free.
“You did not let me keep my name, so I will strip you of yours. In this world, you are what I say you are, and I say you are a ghost, a long night’s fever dream that I have finally woken up from. I say you are the smoke-wisp memory of a flame, thawing ice suffering under an early spring sun, a chalk ledger of debts being wiped clean. I say you do not have a name.”
I respected Constanta by not naming her abuser, but I will now mention him as part of my review. Obviously, this is Dracula. I really liked that he wasn’t romanticized and stayed true to the manipulative character we learned about from Stoker. It was refreshing to see him as the abusive person he is and to not even give him a perspective. I liked that this was all about his brides and his downfall. Honestly iconic.
If you have always been interested in Dracula’s brides and love polyamorous relationships with hot badass vampires, please read this beautiful novella with its stunning prose! Also if you love Deathless, definitely give this a read! I plan to read more from this author.
Thank you to Nyx Publishing for the arc! This title was released January 31, 2021.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.5
Reid really knows how to bring characters to life. I still feel like Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones are real people to this day! When I saw Reid was publishing another historical fiction novel, I had to request it right away. Malibu Rising follows the Riva family (we met the most famous one in previous novels) in dual timelines. One timeline is leading up to the Riva sibling’s annual house party in 1983 and the other is following the story of their parents relationship and the siblings adolescence.
The novel really started off strong. I quickly became invested in the past story line of June and Mick. I really felt for June and was rooting for her happiness along with her children. Mick is the worst husband and father ever. I couldn’t care less about what happens to him. The Riva siblings were so multidimensional and had a really great bond. I have three sisters myself, so I really related to the sibling relationships. I absolutely loved Nina, the oldest, and was rooting for her the whole time. She is at a crossroads where she can repeat her mother’s fate and it was so beautifully written. Jay and Hud are “twins” who are inseparable in all areas of life. Unfortunately, Hud falls for Jay’s ex-girlfriend and is trying to figure out a way to break it to him without ruining their relationship. Then there is the youngest, Kit. I absolutely adored Kit and wish we saw more of her. She is struggling with her identity and really trying to find a way to express herself authentically. The moments she had with Nina were my favourite.
The current timeline was great in the first half, but in the second half it became a bit too much. In Part Two we ditch the dual timeline and follow an hour by hour account of the events unfolding at the famous Riva party. Every big name star is present and things get crazy. My issue was that we were introduced to so many new characters explaining their relevancy in the industry and why they were there. I understand introducing a couple of people that have relationships with the Riva family but a lot had no affiliation and were just famous people hanging out. Did I really need to know their life story for a couple of pages just to never hear from them again? On the other hand, a couple did sound fascinating, so I could only theorize that maybe one of them is going to be the main character in a future novel..
Overall, I was so satisfied in the ending and happy with how the family dynamics were handled. While this is the eighties with an industry not that diverse, I understand the lack of representation. However it is still a fictional story, so I did hope there would be some diversity. Taylor Jenkins Reid is easily one of my favourite authors, though, so I would love more diverse main characters like Evelyn Hugo in the future. If you like historical fiction or any of Reid’s past novels, you will definitely enjoy this!
Thank you to Hutchinson for the arc! This title releases May 27, 2021.
From Little Tokyo, with Love by Sarah Kuhn
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
From Little Tokyo, with Love was such a charming and heartfelt read. I loved seeing so much representation in this book. Rika is biracial (Japanese and White) as well as Henry who is Filipino and Chinese. Just want to say Henry is the softest angel of a love interest and should be protected at all costs!
Kuhn really showed the heart of Los Angeles. Growing up there made it fun for me to read through the eyes of Rika and Henry. It made me a little homesick but I really loved it. I also enjoyed learning more about Little Tokyo, as I only ever visited a handful of times. What really stood out to me was the wholesomeness use of fairy tales in this story. I loved that Rika’s cousins were named after Disney princesses and I adored how the outro of every chapter was written in a classic story book style. It was very cute without being cringe! It added a lot of whimsical and light hearted feels.
Another aspect I appreciated was having a character that dealt with anger issues and another deal with body image and anxiety. It isn’t something that is commonly explored in young adult novels. There was also some racism and internal identity conflicts. Rika, is biracial and would have white “friends” would feel comfortable to claim they are spiritually Asian while some Japanese people don’t want to claim her because of not looking “Japanese enough”. As a “white passing” minority, I related a bit to the struggles explored in this book. White people would want me to share my culture while Mexicans wanted me to prove I am one of them. I don’t want to get off topic into my own struggles as we are talking about different cultures and identity in this novel, but this is why this aspect resonated with me somewhat.
A large part of the story was tracking down Rika’s famous biological mother. I enjoyed the clues arounf Los Angeles and how the history of Grace (the mother) was explored and revealed. The ending was so satisfying and it made my heart swell. Perfect to read so close to Mother’s Day in America!
If you love young adult contemporary romances, pick this up! It is a quick read filled with the magic of fairy tales and Little Tokyo. I will definitely read more from Kuhn in the future!
Thank you to Penguin Random House US for the arc! This title was released May 11, 2021.
Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Last Night is the first book I read of McFarlane’s, but it most certainly won’t be the last! I absolutely fell in love with this story and the narration of our main character, Eve. I love how much I related, since I am closer to her age and also still a goth at heart. Going into this, I did expect a fun contemporary romance, and while there is romance and funny moments, this is definitely more on the serious side since it does deal with a lot of grief. As I said, there were light moments and I believe it balanced it out beautifully. I loved the romance and was very pleased with the direction it went.
I liked learning about her friend group and all the dynamics. It is wild how much friend groups can shift once feelings are involved. With relatable characters and development, this easily became one of my favourite contemporaries and I plan to work down the Mhairi McFarlane backlist. I also just have to mention that I am a HUGE Twin Peaks fan and loved the references all throughout the novel!
Since there is a major spoiler in the first half, I can’t go into much detail, but please pick this up and message me to talk about it! I am obsessed with a certain brother..
Thank you to Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for the arc! This title was released April 1, 2021.
The Girls Are All So Nice Here by L.E. Flynn
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Girls Are All So Nice Here was a dark and wild ride. The girls were definitely not so nice. I was shocked how far these characters went for the sake of entertainment. I instantly thought of the infamous quote from Abbott’s Dare Me.
“There’s something dangerous about the boredom of teenage girls.”
Amb is eager to impress ultimate mean girl, Sully. Sully is looking to find someone willing to come to her level. Things get dangerous fast. We follow two timelines. One is during Amb’s college days and the other is 10 years later to the present time. I personally loved the two timelines and was equally invested in both.
While I was really interested in what was happening throughout the book, I was a little bothered by the lack of motivation. Boredom and finding people annoying really wasn’t reason enough for some of the things these girls did. Still, I was somehow invested. There are obviously some twists and turns and you are left feeling dizzy by the end! I really enjoyed this roller-coaster of a ride, but please be aware, there are very triggering topics!
If you were a fan of Dare Me, Mean Girls, or Pretty Little Liars growing up, then this is the perfect adult version to sink your teeth into!
Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for the arc! This title was released April 1, 2021.
“There’s something dangerous about the boredom of teenage girls.”
Amb is eager to impress ultimate mean girl, Sully. Sully is looking to find someone willing to come to her level. Things get dangerous fast. We follow two timelines. One is during Amb’s college days and the other is 10 years later to the present time. I personally loved the two timelines and was equally invested in both.
While I was really interested in what was happening throughout the book, I was a little bothered by the lack of motivation. Boredom and finding people annoying really wasn’t reason enough for some of the things these girls did. Still, I was somehow invested. There are obviously some twists and turns and you are left feeling dizzy by the end! I really enjoyed this roller-coaster of a ride, but please be aware, there are very triggering topics!
If you were a fan of Dare Me, Mean Girls, or Pretty Little Liars growing up, then this is the perfect adult version to sink your teeth into!
Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for the arc! This title was released April 1, 2021.
Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This novel really surprised me. It could be because I went in with low expectations after being let down by Wilder Girls. I decided to give Rory Power another chance and I am so glad I did.
Thrillers are definitely my least read genre, but I do enjoy them from time to time! With that said, this is one of those times! Power had me on the edge of my seat the whole time and I had to find my bearings again once it ended. I loved the mystery and the female characters, especially the different dynamics between them. It is certainly best to go into this blind as I did because you really don’t know where anything is going!
This was such a deliciously weird book and I absolutely devoured it. My only issue is that the pacing changed towards the end and was wrapped up a bit quickly. I wanted to stay in this story a little longer and to know more about the relationships Margot had left by the end.
Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Books and Netgalley for the arc! This title was released January 7, 2021.
Thrillers are definitely my least read genre, but I do enjoy them from time to time! With that said, this is one of those times! Power had me on the edge of my seat the whole time and I had to find my bearings again once it ended. I loved the mystery and the female characters, especially the different dynamics between them. It is certainly best to go into this blind as I did because you really don’t know where anything is going!
This was such a deliciously weird book and I absolutely devoured it. My only issue is that the pacing changed towards the end and was wrapped up a bit quickly. I wanted to stay in this story a little longer and to know more about the relationships Margot had left by the end.
Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Books and Netgalley for the arc! This title was released January 7, 2021.