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literarywreck's reviews
183 reviews
Talpig rózsaszínben by Meg Cabot
2.0
Significantly less fun than the other books in the series (which I love! the series as a whole is one of my comfort reads), but not due to tackling any more complex or difficult issues in a decent way. Compared to the others, this book is boring and a bit puerile and, even, at times, offensive. It deals with Mia researching Asperger’s in an uncomfortably out-of-touch way, even for when the book was written.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
3.0
This book is beautiful. It is, however, not enough to convince me to jump on the contemporary romance bandwagon.
I read it initially for the queer romance — frankly, I jumped on the opportunity to buy a WLW book — and was not disappointed. Jane and August's connection was the type that demands an audience, their chemistry was off-the-charts and their sweet moments were riveting.
Perhaps even as lovely as the main love story — equal parts as beautiful and heart-wrenching — was the found family that welcomed the two MCs wholeheartedly.
My three star rating is only because of how hard I found it to trudge through the first half of the book and my general need to pull myself back into the story. But, contemporary romance is not my usual read. I reckon it would be higher for fans of the genre.
I read it initially for the queer romance — frankly, I jumped on the opportunity to buy a WLW book — and was not disappointed. Jane and August's connection was the type that demands an audience, their chemistry was off-the-charts and their sweet moments were riveting.
Perhaps even as lovely as the main love story — equal parts as beautiful and heart-wrenching — was the found family that welcomed the two MCs wholeheartedly.
My three star rating is only because of how hard I found it to trudge through the first half of the book and my general need to pull myself back into the story. But, contemporary romance is not my usual read. I reckon it would be higher for fans of the genre.
All of Us Villains by C.L. Herman, Amanda Foody
3.0
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
In the quaint town of Ilvernath hides the last store of high magick— the type of devastating power that manipulates history. It remained hidden, under the control of one of Ilvernath's seven most notable families, until a treasonous tell-all spills the town's secrets. Suddenly, these seven families are thrust into the spotlight as the world discovers their curse: once a generation, each family must put forth a child to compete in the Blood Veil, a brutal, to-the-death tournament whose one surviving champion claims the final reserve of high magick for their family. All of Us Villains introduces you to the first generation of Blood Veil champions to become media spectacles and drags you along on their fight for life and ultimate power— a fight that, unfortunately, none of them asked for.
Foody and Herman's story is full of complicated and incredibly damaged characters. Their characters continuously make poor decisions in an attempt to act out roles assigned to them that none of them truly fit. This leads, on occasion, to the characters driving you mad with their flip-flopping around. Luckily, Foody and Herman's compelling writing will keep you enjoying the read, even if you, like me, can't stand some of the POV characters.
All of Us Villains wooed me with its strong near-gothic moods and stunning emotional portrayals of adolescence. Its careful balance between being plot- or character-driven is more often moving than stale, but still lacks some of the emotional depth and the backbone of social commentary I hoped for. Unfortunately, its comparison to the Hunger Games— an annoying gimmick— is not apt.
My biggest disappointment lies in having heard quite a bit about this book having queer representation, when, in fact, only one of the champions is mentioned as queer, and, even then, only in passing. The main characters are actually, as a whole, significantly lacking in diversity.
In the quaint town of Ilvernath hides the last store of high magick— the type of devastating power that manipulates history. It remained hidden, under the control of one of Ilvernath's seven most notable families, until a treasonous tell-all spills the town's secrets. Suddenly, these seven families are thrust into the spotlight as the world discovers their curse: once a generation, each family must put forth a child to compete in the Blood Veil, a brutal, to-the-death tournament whose one surviving champion claims the final reserve of high magick for their family. All of Us Villains introduces you to the first generation of Blood Veil champions to become media spectacles and drags you along on their fight for life and ultimate power— a fight that, unfortunately, none of them asked for.
Foody and Herman's story is full of complicated and incredibly damaged characters. Their characters continuously make poor decisions in an attempt to act out roles assigned to them that none of them truly fit. This leads, on occasion, to the characters driving you mad with their flip-flopping around. Luckily, Foody and Herman's compelling writing will keep you enjoying the read, even if you, like me, can't stand some of the POV characters.
All of Us Villains wooed me with its strong near-gothic moods and stunning emotional portrayals of adolescence. Its careful balance between being plot- or character-driven is more often moving than stale, but still lacks some of the emotional depth and the backbone of social commentary I hoped for. Unfortunately, its comparison to the Hunger Games— an annoying gimmick— is not apt.
My biggest disappointment lies in having heard quite a bit about this book having queer representation, when, in fact, only one of the champions is mentioned as queer, and, even then, only in passing. The main characters are actually, as a whole, significantly lacking in diversity.