serinas's reviews
326 reviews

This is an ARC that I read on NetGalley for free, but this will not sway my opinion.

Definitely read the trigger warnings for this book. There is no explicit gore, but lots of trauma and traumatic events that are described. There is also racism, homophobia and transphobia.

The siblings Ezri, Emmanuelle and Eve have to face their past trauma in this horror story. Will the hauntings return when they visit their childhood home again?

This review will probably be a little all over the place, as I have so much too say! So sorry in advance. 

Model Home had the depth I wanted, and worked great as a horror. It has no gore (which I like), but still leaves you on the edge of your seat. The suspense was killing me! You never knew where the story was going. The trauma the siblings endured (and still endures) is a big part of the story, so beware that this will be a hard read.

I was so uncomfy and creeped out throughout most of this book. The interactions and story is done really well, even though I don't really know what was real or not. There was no way to know what was 'fake', which made this book confusing at times. In my opinion, this was not a bad thing. Since there were no real answers, I could make my own. I had an idea of what the ending would look like, but I was wrong. This was such a good read, but a hard one.

The only negative thing, in my opinion, was that Elijahs POV felt younger than 12-14. That might be just me though.

I really liked the way it was written, and the horror aspect was well-done. This is a great read for October, the month of Halloween, and I would definitely recommend it.

This is an ARC that I read on NetGalley for free, but this will not sway my opinion. Where the Forest Meets the River will be released September 3rd 2024.

Disclaimer: This is a sequel, but you can read it as a stand-alone. I have not read the first book in the series, and my review will take that into consideration. I would also recommend to go through the trigger warnings before reading. Some mentions are: suicide, homophobia and lgbtq+ issues, grief, hoarding, abuse, and more.

I'm at a loss of words after finishing Where the Forest Meets the River. This was an amazing read, and I feel like I stumbled upon a hidden gem on NetGalley. I truly loved this book. I was hesitant about if I should even ask for the book on NetGalley, but I'm trying to expand my bookshelf with new genres, and decided to give this a try.

It reminds me in many ways of We Deserve Monuments - in the way that it was written, and the small town vibe it gave off. Where the Forest Meets the River was definitely more relaxing and didn't have a clear plot, and just 'followed' several POVs with very different characters compared to We Deserve Monuments. 

We have bisexual Greg, the widow Nate, the alcoholic Annette and Dr. Haskell (and more). This was definitely a challenge in the beginning, but I truly became invested in every POV throughout the book. Every character is unique, and I didn't have any trouble recognizing whos chapter it was.

It explores dark themes, like grief and loss - but Where the Forest Meets the River also shows that there's hope. I was on the verge of crying many times, became frustrated, happy and angry on behalf of the characters. 

I've rated it 5 stars. I can't really compare Where the Forest Meets the River to anything, as this is a genre I haven't gravitated towards before, but I will definitely try more books like this. Everything, from the writing style to characters, really resonated with me. I can't pinpoint what I loved so much about this book, but I truly loved it. You can say that I loved it based on vibes, as I didn't really notice the writing style, pace or anything else while reading. I was truly absorbed into this. I will definitely buy the first book when I have the money to do so.

Will start again at a later date, I really like it so far! I'm just not in the mood

 I rated it 3 stars. I'd say that I did read something, but I'm not sure what I feel about The Bell Jar. I couldn't stop reading it, but at the same time I can't tell you what I liked about it.

The subtle racism throughout The Bell Jar was definitely a turn-off, and made me consider putting it down several times. You could probably argue that it's a product of its time, but it's still something that I wanted to mention (and it's a poor excuse, in my opinion). Some classics are really misogynistic or racist, and that is partly why I avoid many of them, but not a single review I read mentioned the sublte racism in The Bell Jar. I wouldn't have read it if I knew.

I only continued as I was intrigued were the story was going, as at the half-way point nothing had really happened. You need to be patient if you give this a go, that's for sure.

I really liked Esther and her ramblings, but it was fairly confusing in the beginning. It's important to the story though, and I understand it's part of the plot. Her mental healths decline is reliant on these ramblings, as these ramblings truly shows how unwell she is. 

The second half was definitely the better part of the book, and this is where we see Esther becoming ill. I understand that it was revolutionary at the time it was published, but I feel like I have read this story so many times already - but it's probably because I lean towards books that deal with mental health.

All in all, it was okay. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it either. The racism makes this a no for me.

I rated it 5 stars. This book made me bawl my eyes out. Family trauma, friendships falling apart, and queer and racial discrimination makes a very sad book - but this was amazing. I loved every minute of it, even though I was crying.

It was so easy to get into - jumped straight into the story with no hesitation, which I love. We Deserve Monuments was written in a way that felt poetic, but not to the point where I couldn't understand several words or got lost in the writing. It was an easy read, as a non-native English speaker.

The pacing felt natural, and it was very well done. It's not easy to make a steady timeline of 6 months, but I had no problem keeping track of the story and time of year. I honestly have no complaints on the pacing - I loved it.

The story is definitely the best part. It's a mix of plot and a focus on the characters, which I love. Avery, Letty, Simone and Jade will always have a special place in my heart, especially mama Letty. 

We Deserve Monuments explores family drama and trauma, and in a way I feel will be healing for many with similar trauma (it was healing to me, at least). I cried so much though. This book hurt so much, but in a good way. Many things were too relateable, and got me feeling pretty emotional. I loved this book, and I will definitely recommend it to more people.

I rated it 4.75 stars. I loved this one! The plot was interesting and engaging, and the characters were amazing. I have to say, I was so angry and frustrated many times throughout this book - but in a good way. Some characters had me raging, and I got angry on behalf of the main character Silas.

The pacing was perfect - towards the end it got a little wonky, but it was great otherwise. It felt natural, and I felt like I had a pretty good overview of the events and things that happened. 

The plot was woven well with the pacing, and matched really well. The plot was interesting, new and tense - I didn't know where the story was going at first, but I was happy with the way it went. The Veil sickness and Violet eyes concept was really cool, and I enjoyed this aspect of the plot a lot. There probably could've been more explanations or theories about people with violet eyes and Veil sickness in the book, but I was satisfied with what we were presented with.

Silas will definitely hold a special place in my heart from now on - I will never forget him. I truly love him, his character was so well-written. I felt what he felt, and could relate so much to him. I got so angry and frustrated with the way people engaged with him - which was the point.

I can't speak on how historicaly accurate this book is - but many of the atrocities described has definitely happened at one point in history. Not only relating to queer and autistic people, but also people of color. I found the historical aspects well done, and they added a lot to the plot and characters. It also raised some questions about morals and what is right versus wrong.

I've also noticed a trend that I won't spoil, but the 'villain' in the books have the same characteristics in The Spirit Bares Its Teeth and Compound Fracture. This might become a problem of predictability if this is a trend that continues, but otherwise the villans were well-written.

I have read Compound Fracture earlier and did not like it that much, but this definitely was a winner. The writing style is very similar, but the plot and pacing were better in The Spirit Bares Its Teeth (in my opinion). If you weren't a fan of Compound Fracture, I would still recommend you to try this one.

Now I'll have to read Hell Followed With Us, as I loved this one.

Nell lives on a remote island with seasonal work. She used to be a fairly known artist who traveled the world and displayed her art, but that life is in the past. She dreams about her past life, but is convincing herself that this is for the better.

One day Nell gets a letter at her door from the reclusive Iníons that find refuge on her home island. They ask her to make an art piece that is based on their history, and she accepts the proposal. What unfolds after, is not at all what she imagined.

I rated it 3.5 stars. The start was confusing, as the time skips wasn't super noticeable. It wasn't that exciting either - but it picked up the pace around page 70. I felt the tension, and was always wondering what would happen next.

Since the book is only 300 pages long, I feel 70 pages in is too late for the tension and creepy vibes. The start is really slow - and it doesn't really make one connect to the main character Nell or the islanders, as it should have. You get to know more about the unnamed island, sure, but many of the earlier mentions are also mentioned later in the book. 

If you don't feel like reading 70 boring pages before the book becomes fascinating, I'd suggest to not read it. I did think it was worth it, but I know not everyone will be willing to read one third of the book before anything happens.

I did see where the mystery was going, especially towards the end - but the suspense and tension were still there. I couldn't stop reading, as I really wanted to know what would happen next.

In the beginning I found the book very confusing, as we switch POV's several times - and it's not always obvious which perspective you're reading. Later on I found it easier, but it was still confusing at times. The perspectives didn't necessarily give more depth to the story, especially a very specific POV, which was a little annoying. I think the book would have been much better with a more in-depth perspective from Nell or the Iníons, and scratch

Cleary's

POV. 

The romance was also awful and added nothing to the story - except showing that Nell was not wife material (as they called it in the book).

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It had way more potential though that was not used, which is a bummer. I wish we got to know more about the Iníons, as I think this would add more to the story and could've made the book better. Especially as we know literally nothing - some stories could've added tension and suspense, and make for a great plot. It may have explained the ending better as well - 'cus at this point, it was kind of confusing.

Unfortunatly it's too slow for me, so I'll have to DNF. I might come back to it, but I doubt it

I read Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries for my bookclub, as it was this months book, so here are some of my thoughts on it.

Emily Wilde is the first person to write an encyclopaedia about faeries, and she wants every kind of fae in her book. On her last chapter she is writing about faeries from Ljosland - and she is the first to document faeries here. While she is happy to be in Ljosland, the climate is rough and cold, and she has about 6 months to finish her research before her book gets published. She is in a rush, and things take a turn she did not expect.

I rated it 3.5 stars. The lore about faeries was interesting and intriguing, and made me curious about them. The plot was great - I was quite unsure about it, as I thought it would be more similar to an actual encyclopaedia, but the diary-like writing style really worked with the plot. 

The plot is predictable - but the way stuff happens is not always predictable. This reminds me of cozy fantasy in a way, and are a bit whimsical and silly. It's not bad of course, just be prepared for it.

The ending was underwhelming unfortunatly. I'm disappointed in the lack of action, and the feeling of it being rushed. There could've definitely been more to the ending to make it more interesting.

I honestly can't get past the bad Scandinavian stuff, as most of this is just plain wrong😅 Ljosland is an actual place in Norway, but on the main land, so I'm guessing Ljosland in the book is just fictional. The icebergs would not make sense if it wasn't fictional, as the Gulf stream heats up Norway's coast (therefor - no icebergs there!). I wish I could look past all this, but I truly can't - they speak Icelandic and use icelandic names and such as well! Only Iceland do that, and Iceland is not part of Scandinavia - only Norway, Denmark and Sweden. I know the place is fictional (most likely, at least), but all of the inconsistensies annoyed me so much.

I honestly just continued because the start was strong and had me hooked. I lost interest about 50% in, but decided to finish it because I wanted to see if my predictions were right (I was right, btw). I will not continue the series, unless I change my mind later on.

Will get back to it, hopefully! Just couldn't get into it while I'm in a reading slump