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hippolyta_vi's reviews
162 reviews
The Davenports by Krystal Marquis
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
This book was exactly what I needed. I've been reading a lot of mediocre books recently, but this one grasped me from the get-go and didn't let me go. It was a perfect mix of Downton Abbey's charm, Bridgerton's romance (although MUCH more PG), and Self Made's black historical excellence. I would be absolutely thrilled if this were ever adapted to television.
I can praise this book to the moon and back, but it does have its faults. Whereas most authors spend 370-odd pages on one (maybe two) romances and plots, Marquis tells us four. Because of this, everyone's plots felt rushed and occasionally inauthentic. The characters fell in love too fast, and the climaxes fell too fast. I absolutely appreciate everything Marquis was able to fit into this story, but I felt it was often lacking.
For example, it was obvious that Olivia was skirting her duties as eldest daughter, sister, and friend to pursue activism and her love interest, but she doesn't reflect on it very much besides "wow I really missed a lot huh..." It could've been interesting to see her grappling with this feeling of being torn between two worlds. I think this reflection would've foreshadowed the decision she makes in the end (which happened so fast it was jarring).
And this is going to be a series, so why not draw out the plots? Let them breathe?
I'm also not sure what we were to make of Mr. And Mrs. Davenport. Firstly, they were mostly right about...everything. Were they supposed to be villainized? Also, for a former enslaved man and a woman who grew up impoverished, they seemed like any other 1910 aristocrats. I wished we got to learn more about them and how they adapted to riches and high society. This again reflects on how much detail was left out because so many plots needed to fit into 370ish pages.
All the male love interests kinda felt the same to me...ngl. and at some points the romances felt the same because chapter to chapter, the same thing would be happening to each couple. Like I'm pretty sure 2-3 of the couples have their first kiss in the span of a few chapters. Another drawback of four straight romances happening at once. Could this not have been four separate books, a lá Bridgeton?
Lastly, I love Ruby. I was eating UP her storyline. The things I would do to see it as a Netflix show...(even though they probably wouldn't do it justice).
Did I have a lot of criticisms for this book? Yes. Will I be reading the next book in the series? Absolutely.
I can praise this book to the moon and back, but it does have its faults. Whereas most authors spend 370-odd pages on one (maybe two) romances and plots, Marquis tells us four. Because of this, everyone's plots felt rushed and occasionally inauthentic. The characters fell in love too fast, and the climaxes fell too fast. I absolutely appreciate everything Marquis was able to fit into this story, but I felt it was often lacking.
For example, it was obvious that Olivia was skirting her duties as eldest daughter, sister, and friend to pursue activism and her love interest, but she doesn't reflect on it very much besides "wow I really missed a lot huh..." It could've been interesting to see her grappling with this feeling of being torn between two worlds. I think this reflection would've foreshadowed the decision she makes in the end (which happened so fast it was jarring).
And this is going to be a series, so why not draw out the plots? Let them breathe?
I'm also not sure what we were to make of Mr. And Mrs. Davenport. Firstly, they were mostly right about...everything. Were they supposed to be villainized? Also, for a former enslaved man and a woman who grew up impoverished, they seemed like any other 1910 aristocrats. I wished we got to learn more about them and how they adapted to riches and high society. This again reflects on how much detail was left out because so many plots needed to fit into 370ish pages.
All the male love interests kinda felt the same to me...ngl. and at some points the romances felt the same because chapter to chapter, the same thing would be happening to each couple. Like I'm pretty sure 2-3 of the couples have their first kiss in the span of a few chapters. Another drawback of four straight romances happening at once. Could this not have been four separate books, a lá Bridgeton?
Lastly, I love Ruby. I was eating UP her storyline. The things I would do to see it as a Netflix show...(even though they probably wouldn't do it justice).
Did I have a lot of criticisms for this book? Yes. Will I be reading the next book in the series? Absolutely.
Herc by Phoenicia Rogerson
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It took me OVER A MONTH to finish this book. The almost-unique POV for every chapter made it hard to want to continue reading. Each chapter was like a complete little story. Some characters I liked, others I hated, and I did not care for Herc at all (shocker). That made it hard for me to care about continuing.
I still think this concept is very cool in that it communicates a significant message. Every person affects everyone else in their life in some way, either positive, negative, or both. We all mean something to someone.
I still think this concept is very cool in that it communicates a significant message. Every person affects everyone else in their life in some way, either positive, negative, or both. We all mean something to someone.
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
I have to agree with many other readers that this book is unlike Bardugo's others, and I don't necessarily mean that in a good way.
As always, her prose is delicious and her characters are interesting. That's where my praise ends — not that this book is bad by any means...just...boring? Too much happened off the page for my liking. And although I typically like books that focus on many characters, I didn't think it served this story. Or at the very least, the style of storytelling Bardugo chose did not create a page-turner.
The ending was very sweet though :)
As always, her prose is delicious and her characters are interesting. That's where my praise ends — not that this book is bad by any means...just...boring? Too much happened off the page for my liking. And although I typically like books that focus on many characters, I didn't think it served this story. Or at the very least, the style of storytelling Bardugo chose did not create a page-turner.
The ending was very sweet though :)
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
4.0
I knew I needed to read this book in 2024 because that is when it begins. Octavia E. Butler's writing is timeless and her stories are near-prophetic. This book was published in 1993, but if you'd told me it came out in the 2020s I'd believe you.
In 1999, Butler said, "I looked at the growing rich/poor gap, at throwaway labor, at our willingness to build and fill prisons, our reluctance to build and repair schools and libraries, and at our assault on the environment." TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO AND IT STILL RINGS TRUE. It honestly sort of depresses me. It's grest to know that the society I live in hasn't crumbled like it did in Parable of the Sower's 2024-2027, but could still happen?
Butler saw and wrote about a potential future. With the right people, we can rebuild the world.
In 1999, Butler said, "I looked at the growing rich/poor gap, at throwaway labor, at our willingness to build and fill prisons, our reluctance to build and repair schools and libraries, and at our assault on the environment." TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO AND IT STILL RINGS TRUE. It honestly sort of depresses me. It's grest to know that the society I live in hasn't crumbled like it did in Parable of the Sower's 2024-2027, but could still happen?
Butler saw and wrote about a potential future. With the right people, we can rebuild the world.
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.
nah I just think I'm too dumb (I'm just not a huge sci-fi reader so the beginning was a slog to get through and I've been slipping into a reading slump so better quit while I'm ahead)
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood
4.0
Ali Hazelwood has come a long way since The Love Hypothesis. No clichés here! I liked this book for what it was, although boring at times. 4 stars might be generous, but what the hey.
The Breakup Tour by Austin Siegemund-Broka, Emily Wibberley
3.0
I'm about to compile a list of faults, but this book was by no means a bad book. It was written exceptionally well (seriously there are some banger lines in here) and has excellent commentary about pop stardom and what it's like to put your emotions and heartbreak out there for all to see. That being said, I agree with most of the other reviews.
This book falls victim to the second-chance-romance tendency to not show the readers how the characters love each other, but instead just tell us that they do because they did 10 years ago so obviously there is unresolved feelings! Because of this, we didn't actually see Max and Riley fall in love but just...sorta...restart a relationship that happened off the page. For this reason, I wasn't rooting for them.
Most of this book is just the characters' thoughts instead of action so we're just stuck inside their heads. Max was so infuriating to read. If you tell Max to jump off a bridge, he'll ask "to what conclusion?" BECAUSE THE MAN JUST ASSUMES SO MUCH ABOUT RILEY AND JUMPS TO ANY POSSIBLE CONCLUSION THAT ISN'T WHAT SHE'S ACTUALLY THINKING OR DOING! You've heard of the miscommunication trope? Now get ready for the NO communication trope.
I fault the publishers for packaging and marketing this book as a fun Taylor Swift inspired romance. It has so much more depth than that and did the book a disservice. I found the resolution lackluster because of this. It felt like the typical romance ending (everything tied up in a neat bow) for a book that dealt with some complex emotions.
a much better ending would've been for Max and Riley to reconnect again in the future. To me, it seemed that their lives were still not equipped for the other person. Max wanted Harcourt Homes and Riley was meant for pop stardom. Their lives weren't aligned. It would've been interesting and different for the main couple to NOT end up together. Or idk, maybe people would've hated that.
This book falls victim to the second-chance-romance tendency to not show the readers how the characters love each other, but instead just tell us that they do because they did 10 years ago so obviously there is unresolved feelings! Because of this, we didn't actually see Max and Riley fall in love but just...sorta...restart a relationship that happened off the page. For this reason, I wasn't rooting for them.
Most of this book is just the characters' thoughts instead of action so we're just stuck inside their heads. Max was so infuriating to read. If you tell Max to jump off a bridge, he'll ask "to what conclusion?" BECAUSE THE MAN JUST ASSUMES SO MUCH ABOUT RILEY AND JUMPS TO ANY POSSIBLE CONCLUSION THAT ISN'T WHAT SHE'S ACTUALLY THINKING OR DOING! You've heard of the miscommunication trope? Now get ready for the NO communication trope.
I fault the publishers for packaging and marketing this book as a fun Taylor Swift inspired romance. It has so much more depth than that and did the book a disservice. I found the resolution lackluster because of this. It felt like the typical romance ending (everything tied up in a neat bow) for a book that dealt with some complex emotions.
Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth
4.5
Alexene, if you're reading this, What did I do to deserve that? Seriously, are you in my walls? Am I the character inspo for Viola? Never have I related to a character more :')
I really enjoyed this book. It started out slow, but the intro was quite literally about football and that's not really my jam. Once the story got nerdier I was HOOKED. All the nerdy fandom aspects of this were perfect and so intriguing. The video game sounded awesome. And the twist at the end? SHIVERS. I was so invested in the TV show. Where can I res Vi's fix-it fic? And Vi's ttrpg sounded SO fun! Where can I play it?
My only, only qualm was with how the drama with Antonia was handled. I thought the author was going to subvert the tradition of the childhood female best friends making up after a big fight that happens in like every piece of media about highschoolers. Of course I love seeing healthy female friendships but don't we all go through friend breakups? I have not once ever seen a friend breakup portrayed and this could've been IT! Maybe it's because I had a friend like Antonia who I no longer speak to, but just because you give so much of yourself to someone and you have memories with them, does not mean they earn your undying loyalty. What Antonia did SUCKED! And I didn't like that she had to suffer to realize that she'd been a bad friend. And in my eyes, Vi wasn't in the wrong at all. She was being overlooked and insulted and her best friend couldn't come to her defense? I would've been so okay if they had a fight that ended in a semi-amicable split. But what I hope for shouldn't colour how I feel about the book overall, which is positive!
This book was everything I wanted in high school, and everything I needed in adulthood.
I really enjoyed this book. It started out slow, but the intro was quite literally about football and that's not really my jam. Once the story got nerdier I was HOOKED. All the nerdy fandom aspects of this were perfect and so intriguing. The video game sounded awesome. And the twist at the end? SHIVERS. I was so invested in the TV show. Where can I res Vi's fix-it fic? And Vi's ttrpg sounded SO fun! Where can I play it?
My only, only qualm was with how the drama with Antonia was handled.
This book was everything I wanted in high school, and everything I needed in adulthood.
This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
3.75
I was originally planning on giving this book 4 stars but 2 major things bothered me:
1. Bridget
2. the ending
Bridget better be ready to catch these hands because if someone ever expected me to abandon my life on a whim and then not tell me???? Absolutely not.
The ending, while sweet and fluffy, went on far too long for my taste. The drama was over and so the last 25% was just Lucy tying up loose ends and figuring out her life. Didn't really need that many pages to do so imo but other people might love that.
Overall, it was really well written and the setting was intoxicating. Made me really want to go to PEI.
1. Bridget
2. the ending
Bridget better be ready to catch these hands because if someone ever expected me to abandon my life on a whim and then not tell me???? Absolutely not.
The ending, while sweet and fluffy, went on far too long for my taste. The drama was over and so the last 25% was just Lucy tying up loose ends and figuring out her life. Didn't really need that many pages to do so imo but other people might love that.
Overall, it was really well written and the setting was intoxicating. Made me really want to go to PEI.