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breannalynn's reviews
124 reviews
The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
4.0
Most of this book was very entertaining and a joy to read, up until the last few chapters. Lily is smart, cunning, definitely morally-grey (or more so than that), and knows how to plan a murder. For this, I appreciate her presence in the book, because past part III I found myself slipping into disengagement. It wasn’t bad by any means, it just felt anti-climactic—like we were forced to read as the author tied up the loose ends.
Other than that, I found the twists in the book well done—the first one actually made me gasp— and with each chance of misfortune I was interested in how Lily was going to smooth over the edges. I expected the ending to go pretty much as it did, so I’m glad the story just ended there and let us imagine the next steps.
4/5
Other than that, I found the twists in the book well done—the first one actually made me gasp— and with each chance of misfortune I was interested in how Lily was going to smooth over the edges. I expected the ending to go pretty much as it did, so I’m glad the story just ended there and let us imagine the next steps.
4/5
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
4.0
4/5
I haven’t had this much fun with a book in a long time. Every page was a treat to read, and the magic of Maia’s story completely swept me off of my feet.
I wasn’t expecting it to become a romance in the second half, but I thought it was sweet. I’ve seen people say it’s very vanilla, and it definitely is, but it’s also wholesome and was a nice break from the more intense books I’ve read lately.
Downsides:
As much as I enjoyed the book, Maia did fall flat for me as a character. It wasn’t that she was a damsel in distress, necessarily, but that she seemed clueless for half her journey.
It was very convenient that Edan knew every step of what she had to do to craft the three dresses, and felt as if her having to take from the sun, moon and stars without his help was meant to show that she wasn’t just some girl who could sew well. It would have been nice if she had maybe chosen to read ancient books or talk to locals in a market and learned secrets of what she had to do, rather that allow Edan to guide her from point to point like a puppy.
I think part of the issue is pacing. I understand that this book is written to be read like a fairytale, where plot points aren’t lingered on for very long and the emphasis is on the sequential nature of the journey (she did A, then accomplished B, and because of that she executed C successfully and lived happily every after) so that it could be told around a fireplace at grandma’s house, but I wish some of the critical moments were strung out a tad longer.
Despite these things, I had a fun time reading about Maia and Edan and the mythology. If you enjoy wholesome stories that deal in magic and would make a fantastic studio ghibli film, check out Spin the Dawn.
I haven’t had this much fun with a book in a long time. Every page was a treat to read, and the magic of Maia’s story completely swept me off of my feet.
I wasn’t expecting it to become a romance in the second half, but I thought it was sweet. I’ve seen people say it’s very vanilla, and it definitely is, but it’s also wholesome and was a nice break from the more intense books I’ve read lately.
Downsides:
As much as I enjoyed the book, Maia did fall flat for me as a character. It wasn’t that she was a damsel in distress, necessarily, but that she seemed clueless for half her journey.
It was very convenient that Edan knew every step of what she had to do to craft the three dresses, and felt as if her having to take from the sun, moon and stars without his help was meant to show that she wasn’t just some girl who could sew well. It would have been nice if she had maybe chosen to read ancient books or talk to locals in a market and learned secrets of what she had to do, rather that allow Edan to guide her from point to point like a puppy.
I think part of the issue is pacing. I understand that this book is written to be read like a fairytale, where plot points aren’t lingered on for very long and the emphasis is on the sequential nature of the journey (she did A, then accomplished B, and because of that she executed C successfully and lived happily every after) so that it could be told around a fireplace at grandma’s house, but I wish some of the critical moments were strung out a tad longer.
Despite these things, I had a fun time reading about Maia and Edan and the mythology. If you enjoy wholesome stories that deal in magic and would make a fantastic studio ghibli film, check out Spin the Dawn.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
4.0
4/5
I did not go into this book expecting a large chunk of it to include (substantial) alien life, so I honestly wasn’t so fond of the idea when it first presented itself. Rocky, however, is such a cute little guy like I couldn’t help but rearrange my expectations.
This book was a lot of fun, and also my first real dive into science fiction, so there’s that!
I LOVED the first chunk of the story before Blip-A entered the picture. The premise of waking up in a spaceship with two dead crew mates and no idea where you are or why you’re there is such a horrifying ordeal. I loved every moment of it. Learning about astrophage was fun because it was not only a great antagonist, but also realistic (in a magical-realism kind of way; science-fiction realism?).
If I had known this was going to be a story about teaming up with an alien to save two planets, I might have been interested but my expectations would have been completely different. Although there were copious amounts of discussion about Eridian biology, I still had to suspend my disbelief quite a bit. I just wasn’t expecting the story to take that kind of turn (I have never read AW before, but I saw The Martian as a movie so I was thinking more along the lines of that type of plot).
Aside from the expectation shift, I still enjoyed my time here. I honestly don’t know how to feel about the ending, but that’s more because of how much it freaked me out. The idea of 13 earth years passing in 4 Hail Mary years is genuinely so terrifying to me. Let alone landing on rocky’s planet and staying there for 16 years, learning that Sol is back to full luminosity, and knowing that even if he wanted to return, Grace wouldn’t return until who knows how many earth years passed again. And EVERYONE HE KNEW WOULD BE VERY OLD OR DEAD. So he would be leaving his new planet and Rocky, his BFF, to return to a new Earth with NO FAMILIAR FACES. Also, wtf happened while he was gone? Did millions die? Billions? What about Stratt?!? And isn’t being the only human on Erid lonely? Alienating(lol)? I was not expecting to be so horrified by the end of the book. I know ambiguity was the goal here but I’m freaking the fuck out.
This kind of thing really does terrify me. The passage of time is probably my biggest fear, so sorry for venting. What I’m trying to say is, there’s nothing necessarily wrong with the ending but it tore me apart both in terms of emotions and fears, so it dampened my post-book sentiments. Thinking about it any more might make me panic so I’m going to ignore the fact that Grace is living on Erid at 53 while he would have been in his 70s if he had stayed on Earth. As much as I enjoyed this book, I’m going to choose to leave and not look back for my own emotional well-being.
I did not go into this book expecting a large chunk of it to include (substantial) alien life, so I honestly wasn’t so fond of the idea when it first presented itself. Rocky, however, is such a cute little guy like I couldn’t help but rearrange my expectations.
This book was a lot of fun, and also my first real dive into science fiction, so there’s that!
I LOVED the first chunk of the story before Blip-A entered the picture. The premise of waking up in a spaceship with two dead crew mates and no idea where you are or why you’re there is such a horrifying ordeal. I loved every moment of it. Learning about astrophage was fun because it was not only a great antagonist, but also realistic (in a magical-realism kind of way; science-fiction realism?).
If I had known this was going to be a story about teaming up with an alien to save two planets, I might have been interested but my expectations would have been completely different. Although there were copious amounts of discussion about Eridian biology, I still had to suspend my disbelief quite a bit. I just wasn’t expecting the story to take that kind of turn (I have never read AW before, but I saw The Martian as a movie so I was thinking more along the lines of that type of plot).
Aside from the expectation shift, I still enjoyed my time here. I honestly don’t know how to feel about the ending, but that’s more because of how much it freaked me out. The idea of 13 earth years passing in 4 Hail Mary years is genuinely so terrifying to me. Let alone landing on rocky’s planet and staying there for 16 years, learning that Sol is back to full luminosity, and knowing that even if he wanted to return, Grace wouldn’t return until who knows how many earth years passed again. And EVERYONE HE KNEW WOULD BE VERY OLD OR DEAD. So he would be leaving his new planet and Rocky, his BFF, to return to a new Earth with NO FAMILIAR FACES. Also, wtf happened while he was gone? Did millions die? Billions? What about Stratt?!? And isn’t being the only human on Erid lonely? Alienating(lol)? I was not expecting to be so horrified by the end of the book. I know ambiguity was the goal here but I’m freaking the fuck out.
This kind of thing really does terrify me. The passage of time is probably my biggest fear, so sorry for venting. What I’m trying to say is, there’s nothing necessarily wrong with the ending but it tore me apart both in terms of emotions and fears, so it dampened my post-book sentiments. Thinking about it any more might make me panic so I’m going to ignore the fact that Grace is living on Erid at 53 while he would have been in his 70s if he had stayed on Earth. As much as I enjoyed this book, I’m going to choose to leave and not look back for my own emotional well-being.
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
4.0
Listened to the audiobook with my mom on a roadtrip.
My Rating:
3.5/5
Had a hard time connecting with the characters at the beginning, the mom was frustrating but obviously justifiably so, it just made for an irritating read. Overall, it was pretty good. I just wish the whole love aspect wasn’t as essential as it was to be honest. I wanted to read about a family, not a corny teenage love fest.
My Mom’s Rating:
4/5
She feels that she connects to the mom more at her age, in regards to the love for her daughter and how she would have responded to the same situation. She started really
enjoying from about chapter 20 onwards.
My Rating:
3.5/5
Had a hard time connecting with the characters at the beginning, the mom was frustrating but obviously justifiably so, it just made for an irritating read. Overall, it was pretty good. I just wish the whole love aspect wasn’t as essential as it was to be honest. I wanted to read about a family, not a corny teenage love fest.
My Mom’s Rating:
4/5
She feels that she connects to the mom more at her age, in regards to the love for her daughter and how she would have responded to the same situation. She started really
enjoying from about chapter 20 onwards.
A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos
5.0
I looooved this book. The world building is so enchanting and really pulls you in to the story. Absolutely loved it. Starting book 2 as we speak!
Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
2.0
2/5
The best part of this book is the beginning. The descriptions of this family’s middle class vacation is so familiar that in a way it is comforting, and I wouldn’t mind reading an entire novel where they continue their trip as planned. Instead, there is a blackout, and as the reader you suspect something intense on the horizon to shock or stupify you.
Instead, you get a hazy hypothetical with prose that doesn’t really say anything. I was so disappointed by the last 3/4 of this book, I can’t believe I even finished it. Some of these sentences are so abstract that you read an entire page of them without really knowing what just happened. And I’m aware that the lack of real explanation for what caused this disaster is intentional, to bring awareness to our own climate, both political and natural, but what’s the point of cheekily saying “hey… that could be you!” without decisively knowing what it is you want us to think about! The characters don’t know anything, I don’t know anything, the author probably doesn’t even know anything! You’re teased with the reveal of just how screwed this family is, and you’re left absolutely disappointed. I mean really. Scrotums are explained with more conviction than the main plot of the book.
The best part of this book is the beginning. The descriptions of this family’s middle class vacation is so familiar that in a way it is comforting, and I wouldn’t mind reading an entire novel where they continue their trip as planned. Instead, there is a blackout, and as the reader you suspect something intense on the horizon to shock or stupify you.
Instead, you get a hazy hypothetical with prose that doesn’t really say anything. I was so disappointed by the last 3/4 of this book, I can’t believe I even finished it. Some of these sentences are so abstract that you read an entire page of them without really knowing what just happened. And I’m aware that the lack of real explanation for what caused this disaster is intentional, to bring awareness to our own climate, both political and natural, but what’s the point of cheekily saying “hey… that could be you!” without decisively knowing what it is you want us to think about! The characters don’t know anything, I don’t know anything, the author probably doesn’t even know anything! You’re teased with the reveal of just how screwed this family is, and you’re left absolutely disappointed. I mean really. Scrotums are explained with more conviction than the main plot of the book.