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beereadsya's reviews
163 reviews
The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
3.0
this is such a difficult book to rate, for me personally. there was an absolutely wonderful plot, but the content of the book make it hard for me to know if i truly enjoyed it or not.
for starters, i really couldn't put it down once i got started. i became very invested into the storyline very quickly, so that's a positive. i became lost in this world of stuck up princesses and heartless evils, and for that i think it was a great book with great writing.
the book also shows that the line between good and evil can be very blurred, and that both sides have the capacity to be both good and evil if given the chance.
however, some things that made me very confused.
also, a personal nag is that i absolutely hate how dot, one of my personal favorite characters, was turned skinny when she turned beautiful. while i understand that much of the fatphobia in this book was used to show that good can be corrupted and cruel, this felt unnecessary. but thats just a personal nag.
however, i do wish to see what happens next, so i will be continuing on with the series. soman chainani has lured me into his world of corrupted good and bittersweet evil and i'm excited to see what's next.
book tws: violence, horror aspects, fatphobia, possible homophobia? (i say this lightly, there's only a scene or two where a character questions two princes loving each other), murder, etc.
for starters, i really couldn't put it down once i got started. i became very invested into the storyline very quickly, so that's a positive. i became lost in this world of stuck up princesses and heartless evils, and for that i think it was a great book with great writing.
the book also shows that the line between good and evil can be very blurred, and that both sides have the capacity to be both good and evil if given the chance.
however, some things that made me very confused.
Spoiler
at the end of the book, when sophie and agatha kiss as sophie is dying... this confused me deeply. this seems like it would allude to the two being in a future relationship, as would much of their time in the book, but instead, it leads up to them being... friends...? i'm not upset that they only stay friends, but i'm just confused, as well as i am incredibly confused on some of the events that led up to the quite dramatic ending of the book. what started as a fantasy book quickly escalated into some sort of twisted horror book, and at some point the ending scenes felt rushed? i couldn't entirely keep up with what was happening and why.also, a personal nag is that i absolutely hate how dot, one of my personal favorite characters, was turned skinny when she turned beautiful. while i understand that much of the fatphobia in this book was used to show that good can be corrupted and cruel, this felt unnecessary. but thats just a personal nag.
however, i do wish to see what happens next, so i will be continuing on with the series. soman chainani has lured me into his world of corrupted good and bittersweet evil and i'm excited to see what's next.
book tws: violence, horror aspects, fatphobia, possible homophobia? (i say this lightly, there's only a scene or two where a character questions two princes loving each other), murder, etc.
The Shadow of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee
4.0
i think it's a bit harder to come up with a cohesive review for this one because my brain is kind of all over the place LOL
but i did really enjoy this one, just not as much as the first book. the first book definitely takes the title for better of the two.
i'm not entirely sure if what i'm going to write next will count as spoilers because i'm not really revealing much, but in any case you've been warned!
positives!
- getting to see more of rangi and kyoshi
- fast paced action
- learning more about kuruk and his past further than what his friends revealed in the first book
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- amazing well rounded characters and growth
- the book overall was amazingly well written and had great worldbuilding
negatives
although i don't have many, my few negs about the book are:
- the ending... for this only being a duology, i was expecting something more concise, but what we got seemed a bit rushed and abrupt (atleast to me, others might enjoy the ending!)
- at times, it seemed as though there was too much or too little happening, and it got a little bit confusing.
- too little of the flying opera company!!
a really enjoyable read though, to wrap up a stunning duology! if we were to get more stories from past avatars in the future, f.c. yee definitely needs to be the one to write them.
4 stars !!
but i did really enjoy this one, just not as much as the first book. the first book definitely takes the title for better of the two.
i'm not entirely sure if what i'm going to write next will count as spoilers because i'm not really revealing much, but in any case you've been warned!
positives!
- getting to see more of rangi and kyoshi
- fast paced action
- learning more about kuruk and his past further than what his friends revealed in the first book
-
Spoiler
avatar yangchen talking to kyoshi!-
Spoiler
written prolouges and interludes from yun's pov that helped us understand his descent to anger and madness- amazing well rounded characters and growth
- the book overall was amazingly well written and had great worldbuilding
negatives
although i don't have many, my few negs about the book are:
- the ending... for this only being a duology, i was expecting something more concise, but what we got seemed a bit rushed and abrupt (atleast to me, others might enjoy the ending!)
- at times, it seemed as though there was too much or too little happening, and it got a little bit confusing.
- too little of the flying opera company!!
a really enjoyable read though, to wrap up a stunning duology! if we were to get more stories from past avatars in the future, f.c. yee definitely needs to be the one to write them.
4 stars !!
Hold Still by Nina LaCour
5.0
it’s been awhile since i’ve read this, but i had to come back and leave a little review just because of how beautiful it is. i can still remember it page by page despite not having touched it in nearly a year, and that says everything about the writing.
the book is so full yet so quiet at the same time, to the point where you truly feel everything that caitlin feels, and you truly feel everything ingrid felt despite ingrid never being truly *present* in the book. it’s moving, and it hits so close to home at times that it makes you as the reader simply want to set the book down and cry.
absolutely stunning. i’ll be fair and warn anyone who wishes to read the book that it contains quite a few mentions of self harm, and the central theme is suicide, and i truly don’t ask anyone to read it if it will trigger them. but it really truly is such a beautiful, moving book that shows the realest, ugliest parts of grief, and the beautiful parts that can start to come after.
the book is so full yet so quiet at the same time, to the point where you truly feel everything that caitlin feels, and you truly feel everything ingrid felt despite ingrid never being truly *present* in the book. it’s moving, and it hits so close to home at times that it makes you as the reader simply want to set the book down and cry.
absolutely stunning. i’ll be fair and warn anyone who wishes to read the book that it contains quite a few mentions of self harm, and the central theme is suicide, and i truly don’t ask anyone to read it if it will trigger them. but it really truly is such a beautiful, moving book that shows the realest, ugliest parts of grief, and the beautiful parts that can start to come after.
Melt With You by Jennifer Dugan
leaving an early review so i remember to get my hands on this book asap after it gets out. i loved some girls do (by this author) so i have high hopes for this.