Book Review: Love Unsought

 Love Unsought

Kay Bea

2/5

For how long this book was, there weren't really that many snags. I thought it would be more problematic but the story line was nearly completely motivated by easily resolved miscommunications. The actual issues weren't really resolved, there were no punishments dealt for the characters who were truly malicious. 

I understand that the ending was kind of a segue for future books in this universe but it felt so rushed to add all of those semi-connected characters with a couple of lines. It wasn't even separated into an epilogue, it was just kind of thrown to us as the next logical action. The last hundred pages were kind of boring to me in general due to the lack of original plot action, but to throw that in like that instead of building to it really took away from my experience. 

Not terrible overall, pretty original but kind of over-reliant on trashing women. Original characters were introduced pretty much just to reinforce the idea that women are petty. There was some positive depiction with Georgiana and Anne but it wasn't enough to counteract how many times the other women were villianized.

Book Review: Falling for Mr Darcy

 

Falling for Mr Darcy

KaraLynne Mackrory

3/5

This is me trying to read as many of these P&P variations as possible before my Kindle Unlimited subscription expires. This one was okay, it starts on the premise of Darcy taking Elizabeth home after she suffers a minor injury on one of her walks. That's fine I guess, but like a couple of the other variations I read, there was no central misunderstanding. 

I'm reading these because the first one I read so artfully rewrote the central misunderstanding of pride and prejudice that the original so artfully displayed. That's the fun part about variations, seeing how far you can bring the plot away from the original while maintaining the characterizations and the struggles. Here, it was fine as a historical romance of this period, it just didn't feel very accurate to the characters. 

So it was ok, it wasn't extraordinary. The injury at the beginning didn't make as much of an impact on the plot-line as the synopsis leads you to believe, so that's annoying. But there were some good moments here and it ranks pretty average in the available variations.

Book Review: Queen of Air and Darkness (The Dark Artifices #3)

 

Queen of Air and Darkness

Cassandra Clare

5/5

Call me biased, but I base a lot of my review on how much a book makes me cry. This one had me crying at multiple points, the emotions were high through all 900 Kindle pages. This was an extremely long book, it feels like cheating that TDA is only getting three books while TMI got six, but there were like four books within this one. Every single battle had major significance to the universe, and there were major events happening on basically every page. 

I was so nervous the whole time cause I just need all of these people to be happy. I'm so invested back into shadowhunters at this point and all their lives have so much tragedy in them. Julian Blackthorn and Emma Carstairs have both won places among the top characters in my opinion. I mean, it's so difficult to pick your favorite characters in this universe because they all have such beautiful arcs that so closely relate to the rest of the universe. Cassandra Clare has become an expert at weaving these insanely complicated tapestries of events and characters together. 

The little features of Jace and Clary and Tessa and Jem killed me. Jace was never my favorite man in the shadowhunter universe, when you have Will and Jem he kind of fades away. But he was growing on me here with all his comments and his "maturity". The ending shook me too, I can't wait to see the impacts of that on him and Clary. I know the next series isn't about them, but I'm hoping for some more appearances that really extend the lives of their characters.

I could talk about the characters and relationships in this series literally all day (I won't even get into the perfection that is Blackstairs because this review would be twice as long) but if you're holding off on getting back into shadowhunters you're missing out. I can't wait to read the next series in this universe and to see what Cassandra Clare does next.  

Book Review: Watching You

 

Watching You

Lisa Jewell

4/5

I wasn't sure about this one at any point throughout the book. That's what makes a good psychological thriller, the constant questioning of where everyone stands and what everyone did. While I had a good idea of what was going on, I was still being constantly surprised. 

Psychological thrillers also have a tendency to stress me out a lot. I get attached to characters and even if they make bad decisions, I don't want them to get in trouble for them. I was afraid that my favorite characters here would get into trouble that they couldn't get out of and even for crimes they didn't commit. Luckily, even with all the miscommunications and lies, the police were able to figure out the root of the situation and arrest the real perpetrator. That was sad in its own right, especially given the twist at the end, but it was better than I thought it would end. 

But yeah, if you're into those books that aren't provided chronologically, that keep you figuring stuff out as you go, this is a great book for you. There were some weird story-lines that could get a little tedious, all in all a great read though.

Book Review: The Maze Runner (The Maze Runner #1)

 

The Maze Runner

James Dashner

2/5

I read this book for the first time maybe five or six years ago, when the movies were first coming out and a lot of people were really into them. I wasn't impressed enough to continue the series, but I own the book and decided to give it another go. I wasn't entirely disappointed by it, it had some fun moments, but it felt so much more like Lord of the Flies fanfiction than it did the first time I read it. If you loved Lord of the Flies and you love science-fiction and somehow haven't read this book yet, it really fits that niche. 

I don't understand a lot of what happened because a lot of the book felt like stalling in favor of praising and building up Thomas's character. Thomas makes a lot of poor decisions, he's sixteen and in an impossible situation so that's fair. There's a lot of idolization though, the fact that the other "geniuses" are in the maze for over two years without a hint of escape until Thomas shows up and solves it within a week kind of speaks for itself. 

Unfortunately, I think that the character deaths hit me a lot harder when I read it the first time. It goes along with building up Thomas through directly saying he's an interesting person rather than showing us it. He had "friendships" with the other boys but only because he was telling us he thought of them as friends rather than any legitimate connection between the characters. The eventual romance got off to a weak start for me too, I didn't feel any real connection between them. 

I know that this is YA and so you could argue that the actions were simplified for a purpose, but I've reread a lot of my favorite YA recently and I stay relatively up to date with what's current. YA doesn't mean you have to totally sacrifice character development in favor of making something that's kind of dark seem lighter and easier to read. I understand the angle that Dashner was going for and I appreciated it at times, I would prefer to have a better developed connection with the main protagonists though.

Book Review: Rumours & Recklessness

 

Rumours & Recklessness

Nicole Clarkston

3/5

Another Kindle Unlimited JAFF because I'm bored and these are amazingly easy to get invested into. The variation here regards Mr. Bennet, who falls from his horse and puts his family in a dangerous position. This expedites the process of Darcy's proposal and sets the stage for future misunderstandings and confusion. 

The earlier proposal took away the major conflict of the original book. There's barely any time at all when Elizabeth is actually angry at Darcy for his pride, where there's that critical misunderstanding where both think they're doing the right thing yet are completely missing each other. I'm not saying that that makes it bad, it just makes them all kind of out of characters and departed from the tropes which P&P established. I know that the point of these books is to add a twist to the original, but I'd like for it to remain relative consistent with established characterization. 

It had fun parts though, like any variation. I think these are so interesting and fun to read even if they take the characters away from who they were. It was a little long though given the content and the trials which the characters faced. It felt like it was being drawn out for no reason at certain points. I don't think it's all that historically accurate at all, Elizabeth would get into much more trouble for the scenes she and Darcy created but I also think they were fun. Not great as an accurate representation, but still an interesting read.

Book Review: Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2)

 Lord of Shadows

Cassandra Clare

5/5

This book destroyed me wow I haven't been more upset about a Cassandra Clare character death since City of Glass- which I read in like 2013. It isn't just the drama and the shock of forbidden romance/death here. Clare has created a crazily interwoven narrative that follows the lives of so many people that aren't entirely centered on any specific issue. They all have such complex issues and arcs and it's just really captivating. I was hesitant to get back into Shadowhunters because I didn't have a great experience with City of Heavenly Fire, but this series is redeeming it entirely. 

There's a lot going on here. This is a sequel series and can be read as a standalone? I suppose? But I wouldn't recommend it at all. Like TID and TMI could be on their own no problem, but these books weave in so much of that history. I'm struggling to keep up with it all cause I read TMI so long ago. It's not a bad thing it's just a difficult thing to sell people into at this point in the universe. I don't regret continuing at all though, I said this with Chain of Gold and I'm saying it again here. I'm glad that I went on because these characters are so endearing and just amazing to read about.

People have told me over the years that the newer Shadowhunter books are way more inclusive. That's totally true, she's covering a lot of bases here in terms of sexuality and orientation. It's not taking the story over though, not to say it shouldn't but I know a lot of people feel that her diversifying her characters takes something away from the universe. It doesn't at all, anything that's added to give further depth to the characters could never take away from the story. I think that Clare does it artfully and I wish more authors would actively acknowledge their constant inability to represent everyone the way that she does. 

So read it for sure. If you loved TMI or TID, you're going to love this series. I've already downloaded the last book in the trilogy and I'm ready to be even more upset in the best way.

Novella Review: In the Library at Netherfield Park

In the Library at Netherfield Park

Amelia Wood

3/5

In today's edition of randomly going through Kindle Unlimited Pride and Prejudice variations, I found this little short novella about what could've happened if Wickham had engineered Darcy's marriage with Elizabeth on the basis of his original comments. I'd like to say that the cover is a major detractor from the book, it's not very appealing and probably keeps a few people from opening the book. It's much better than the cover would lead one to believe. But it still has it's characterization issues. 

It was probably too short for what it was attempting to convey. The rise and fall of Wickham's machinations were swift and not all that impactful. The misunderstandings also felt a lot less significant for Darcy and Elizabeth than they could have been. In the synopsis of the book, it seems like there's going to be some significant damage at some point. Really though it just takes away Elizabeth's original misunderstanding of Darcy's proposal, Wickham and Lydia's elopement, and basically anything else that would cause any trouble. 

A much happier ending, but not as satisfying considering the lack of real stress. I thought for a second maybe Elizabeth would believe Wickham, that would've just been against her character though. So decent characterization, not the best AU though.

Book Review: Children of Virtue and Vengeance (Legacy of Orïsha #2)

 

Children of Virtue and Vengeance

Tomi Adeyemi

3/5

I want to start by saying that the world building, the magical elements of this series, are pretty great. It's poetically cruel for the maji to suffer so much at the hands of the politically powered ruling class after losing their magic, to suffer so much to bring the magic back, then to have to share that magic with them. It seemed so typical of the wisdom and chaotic energy of the gods to pull such a cruel joke on the maji. 

It's understandable that both sides want revenge. What got me here is how little it feels like any of the characters genuinely care about one another. Amari and Zélie are supposed to be best friends who love each other. I didn't feel that all that much in the first book, here it was practically non-existent. I will give Adeyemi credit though for confusing me on the justification of either side. They both changed their perspectives so rapidly, it felt kind of unfair on Amari's part. But it really fit in with the title here, they couldn't decide between virtue or vengeance. 

I also didn't care much for the romantic arcs. Zélie seems to fall for people kind of quickly since I didn't feel much genuine interaction between the two men who are her love interests. Amari had it better, but the ending of that made it feel similarly superficial. Hopefully there's better justification and unity in the sequel. The characters just didn't meld as well as they should have and I was a little disappointed in it.

Book Review: Always the Chaperone (Never the Bride #2)

 

Always the Chaperone

Emily EK Murdoch

2/5

This book was kind of disappointing for me. A lot of it didn't make sense historically and wasn't very satisfying even from a plot perspective. With historical fiction I feel like if you're sacrificing historical accuracy it should at least be a fun and dramatic plot, and if it's boring it should at least be historically accurate. To be neither was just a recipe for disaster. 

Lady Charlotte is 35, firmly off the marriage market in England in the 1800s. As such, she's a respectable chaperone whom many young women rely on. She's obviously not satisfied with this lot in life but feels as though she can't do much to change it at this point. I don't really understand why she's not married, she didn't make a pledge not to marry like her brother did it seems like she just accidentally ended up in this position. She's the daughter of a duke, I feel like someone would marry her on that position alone. Maybe not another duke but like a baron or something at least come on. She wasn't described as especially ugly, ugly characters were obviously not allowed. It just felt like there was no justification for it. 

Her romance with William was weak too. It was very insta-love, not a slow-burn at all. Considering she waited twenty years to get married you'd think she'd want to spend a little more time with him. And she asked to spend time with him and he was like marriage or I'm leaving Bath forever. He had no consideration for how she was feeling and the situation that she was in. I don't think that he ever really came to understand it either. He was just like I think you're desirable so you're desirable shut up and ignore everyone else. 

Not a super enjoyable regency romance. It does get some points for being short enough that I was able to finish it without DNF but at like 180 pages it shouldn't have felt so long.  

Book Review: Letter to My Daughter

 

Letter to My Daughter

Maya Angelou

4/5

More non-fiction, I've read like four this year but that's four more than I usually read without academic provocation. Maya Angelou is a phenomenal writer because of how profound yet understandable her writing is. It's not written in a way that is separated from the reader, it feels like she's actually speaking to the individuals rather than the masses. Letter to My Daughter is a collection of short essays about her life that represent her lessons to the younger generation. 

I really liked most of the individual stories. Like I said, they were profound but I also didn't feel like I was reading some hyped up events that were largely embellished. I can believe that Angelou lived through these events and I can't believe she could put all these seemingly random events into a comprehensive narrative. 

I didn't feel the impact of the larger message as much as I would like to in a book that I was expecting to have such weight. The individual essays were weighted, comical at times, and significant in their own ways. I just couldn't feel the underlying message of it all at the end despite the significance of each story. I liked them all for their own value but I don't know if it's a singular letter or more of a compilation of life lessons. Still would recommend it though if you're feeling the need for worldly wisdom or funny life stories from someone who was so experienced and thoughtful.  

Book Review: Being Mrs Darcy

 

 Being Mrs Darcy

Lucy Marin

4/5

This book is very elaborate and well-thought out Pride and Prejudice fanfiction. I discovered this subsection on Kindle Unlimited that's basically just Pride and Prejudice fanfiction and I'm honestly living. I think that if I were rating this solely on the how it made me feel at certain points I would be giving it a 5/5. There were some issues with the writing though that made me hold back on that full 5/5 though.

This is a straight AU. Instead of meeting in typical Pride and Prejudice fashion, Elizabeth and Darcy met when Elizabeth stepped in to save her from Wickham. To save both of their reputations, Darcy and Elizabeth get married. It quiets the rumors and protects everyone, but makes both parties fairly miserable. We all know the things that Darcy said at that first party about Elizabeth, they weren't exactly nice. Their marriage here follows the same awkward progression of love and misunderstandings that made me love the characters when I initially read Pride and Prejudice. 

I wish so much that I could read Pride and Prejudice again for the first time. Honestly one of my favorite reads ever and the retellings that I read are the closest I'll get to ever feeling that way. If you just watched it cause it was added onto Netflix, I'd totally recommend reading this.

Book Review: Real Men Knit

Real Men Knit 

Kwana Jackson

4/5

This was either a really high 3 or a low 4 for me, I think I liked the main female protagonist enough for it to make it over that hump though. After working at a knitting shop with her good friend and mother figure Mama Joy for most of her life, Mama Joy's sudden passing leaves the shop and Kerry Fuller without clear direction. She and Mama Joy's other three sons are shocked when Jesse decides he wants to continue the family legacy by keeping the shop open. He can't do that without Kerry's help though as she's the one who knows how things were done there. 

I liked that it was all about family. All four of the brothers were adopted out of the foster care system and raised by Mama Joy and were able to rise above the circumstances that their earlier childhood's placed them into. I also just loved the message about knitting, so many of my guy friends won't knit because they see it as something too feminine and that's just toxic. I thought it was kind of ridiculous that the four boys she adopted all sprouted into super hot guys who were over six-feet tall but I'll let it slide as she placed them into roles that they'd typically be judged for. 

The romance felt a little rushed considering the premise of it. She had been in love with him since high school, I'm pretty sure he was too, but they never really talked about that fundamental part of their relationship. I thought it was sweet how his family was so defensive of her, but the "player" role was emphasized a little too much for Jesse. I know he tried to right his wrong and that was an intrinsic piece of his transition towards a responsible shop owner, but they didn't have to demonize him so much for it he wasn't that bad. 

That sounds like I'm roasting it a lot but honestly it was a pretty sweet book. It was short, easy to get through, and though the romance wasn't the strongest it was pretty important beyond the romantic element. I'd recommend it if you're just a big fan of contemporary comeback stories.

Book Review: Murder on Amsterdam Avenue (Gaslight Mystery #17)

 

 Murder on Amsterdam Avenue

 Victoria Thompson

5/5

17 books in and I feel like the books are just getting better. There was a point where I hesitated in going on because the 23 released books is a lot to get through and a big commitment if I'm not in love with the characters. I'm in love with the characters, their arc are beautiful. The mystery in this one had me questioning everything from start to finish, just when I felt like I had figured it out it got all mixed up again. 

I think that one of my favorite things about this series is how unusually supportive her family is. Not just with her new relationship with Malloy but with her solving mysteries in general. They actually help her on multiple occasions, this novel especially. I love to see the bonding and them all getting along. I also LOVED the merging of their families at the end. Sarah's parents welcoming Malloy, Catherine calling him her father, Brian calling Sarah his mother. It was beautiful and had me crying. I don't typically like reading such older people but I guess I'm getting old or I got very committed because this one got my heartstrings.

I've said it a billion times but if you haven't started this series yet, you're missing out. I know it's a huge commitment but the individual books aren't that long and they're amazingly enjoyable.

Book Review: Vicious (Villains #1)

Vicious

V.E. Schwab

4/5

Victor is obsessed with being the best and when his friend suggests that he could gain ExtraOrdinary powers by a near death experience, he doesn't waste much time literally killing himself. The progression of events isn't chronological, I was sure I knew who the villain was at first but as events were revealed I found myself shifting sides.

I know that this book was good, maybe that's why I don't have a lot to say about it. I couldn't believe the progression of their arc, like I said I was sure I knew who the villain was until I suddenly didn't anymore. I like anti-heroes but I'm also looking for their to be a clearly identified hero and villain, Victor Vale kind of falls in the middle.

I'd recommend it for fans of science-fiction and urban fantasy. It's V.E. Schwab's first "adult" book and she really did well transitioning into the genre. I'm excited to read the sequel but I also like how she wrote it as a potential standalone. I felt like it was a little rushed at the end- a lot of planning for the midnight meeting to go the way it did but it was still ok. Still a lot of potential for a great sequel though.

Book Review: Rage and Ruin (The Harbinger #2)

Rage and Ruin

Jennifer L. Armentrout

3/5

A high 3/5, but I was kind of disappointed in this sequel. I loved Storm and Fury and so honestly I let my expectations get ahead of me. Trinity really went through it in the last book, she's lost most of the people who she thought cared for her. She has Zayne but not in the ways she really wants to have him. She's facing the inevitability of a complete apocalypse and has been told that she's really the only one who can stop it. So it's kind of a stressful time for her.

Nephilim isn't a super unique topic, I feel like I've read it a lot in YA but probably just my fixation on the shadowhunters. I don't let that stop me from enjoying a book though, especially if there are cool twists like the irony of her degrading eyesight. The book started off strong because we love a supportive male antagonist. He wasn't doing it for any reason either, he was going through his own stuff but still wanted to make sure she was ok given everything she was going through and everything she had lost. Unfortunately, the plot line of their romance was riddled with unnecessary bouts of irrational jealously and just straight anger. Then after all that anger, the resolution felt rushed and kind of unfounded.

What really got me was the ending, which I won't spoil. I saw it coming from a mile away though the foreshadowing was just way too literal. I read a line about a hundred pages from the end and I knew exactly what was going to go down. The last couple of lines confused me a bit but like not to the point where I was losing my mind. It just felt kind of lackluster compared to how much I loved the first book in this series.

I'll still recommend this series because it's fun and the first book is so much better than the second. I just hope that the next book pulls it all together because I'm honestly just too disappointed right now.

Book Review: Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3)

Clockwork Princess

Cassandra Clare

5/5

I'm not going to lie, this book had be sobbing. The nuances of the romances in this book? Unmatched, nothing has ever made me feel as hard as this book did and continues to do. I don't know why, the actual plot/war in the series isn't very good. I mean, comparative to what I'm seeing in The Dark Artifices and The Last Hours especially. But there's just something about the tragic yet satisfying manner in which things play out that really just has me crying.

The Clockwork War is still mentioned in TLH, but it really just ended as fast as it started. It spans a few months and has like three main battles with only a couple of major deaths. Rereading this seven years later really dulled down the impact of those events for me. When they referenced it in Chain of Gold, they imply that it's a super important event that continues to influence the path of shadowhunters. But really, it feels like the "revolution" of Les Mis that was super impactful on the characters but didn't make a huge difference outside of it. I mean, the Consul and attack on the Council I guess, but also not really?

But the romance, that's something that goes unmatched as time goes on. Will Herondale, Tessa Gray, and Jem Carstairs will always be a great love story in my head. Especially considering how Jem and Tessa's story continues in the newer books. I can't get over it, I don't know how I ever convinced myself that I was over it. I can't wait to get further into TLH and TDA because at this point I really just don't have enough of them and the re-read was so worth it.

Book Review: Murder in Murray Hill (Gaslight Mystery #16)

Murder in Murray Hill

Victoria Thompson

5/5

This addition to the Gaslight Mysteries felt a lot darker than the ones before. It dealt with kidnapping, rape, and emotional manipulation along with a lot of other sensitive topics. It wasn't very graphic, just mentioned in ways that present the issues and really make you think about how many times it must have happened to women without anyone really thinking about it. Like all of the Gaslight Mysteries, it made me learn about elements of history that may have been considered mundane at the time.

The emotional and harsh plot of this book was balanced with the lightness of Sarah and Malloy's confirmed feelings for each other. Their relationship now that they're engaged is so unproblematic and just sweet. I've been waiting fifteen books to get to this moment and I really am so glad that I was able to make it this far.

We're getting into some interesting topics as Malloy moves away from the police and into private detective work. There's also the money factor, excited to see how they both use their money for good since they're not typical millionaires. Overall, just excited to see where things go moving forward!