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joriereads's reviews
51 reviews
Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer
5.0
it deserves a billion stars but edward cullen deserves a punch from me right now.
STEPHENIE DROP ECLIPSE IN EDWARDS POV AND MY LIFE IS LITERALLY YOURS.
STEPHENIE DROP ECLIPSE IN EDWARDS POV AND MY LIFE IS LITERALLY YOURS.
The Troop by Nick Cutter
cons:
3.0
the only thing i can think to say is wtf.
would i read this again? no absolutely not. did i enjoy reading this? no. but i didnt enjoy it because it freaked me out so much. at times it felt like it was overly detailed and tended to drag the story, but the details really put me in the situation.
the ending was interesting and watching the children devolve into madness and terror and survival was frightening and heartbreaking all at once.
i tend to lean towards liking horror stories about ghosts/demons/the occult and this was something very different for me. it was enjoyable but not something i think i would ever pick up and read again.
the rating is this high because i had such a visceral reaction towards it the entire way.
the ending was interesting. critique of characters "doing the wrong thing" is boring and tired. 1- its how stories progress and 2- it felt realistic for the circumstances. i think its loser behavior when people who never will and never have experienced anything like this sit on their high horse of morality and say what they would and wouldnt do.
i think this story was extra freaky for me cause i read the majority of it while camping, at night, by a campfire.
pros:
would i read this again? no absolutely not. did i enjoy reading this? no. but i didnt enjoy it because it freaked me out so much. at times it felt like it was overly detailed and tended to drag the story, but the details really put me in the situation.
the ending was interesting and watching the children devolve into madness and terror and survival was frightening and heartbreaking all at once.
i tend to lean towards liking horror stories about ghosts/demons/the occult and this was something very different for me. it was enjoyable but not something i think i would ever pick up and read again.
the rating is this high because i had such a visceral reaction towards it the entire way.
the ending was interesting. critique of characters "doing the wrong thing" is boring and tired. 1- its how stories progress and 2- it felt realistic for the circumstances. i think its loser behavior when people who never will and never have experienced anything like this sit on their high horse of morality and say what they would and wouldnt do.
i think this story was extra freaky for me cause i read the majority of it while camping, at night, by a campfire.
pros:
- it was really scary
- felt like it could be real
- the book started off fast and jumped into the story, the build-up didnt feel like a waste of time
cons:
- it was a gross horror and i do not enjoy gross horror
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and Vomit
With Love, from Cold World by Alicia Thompson
4.0
asa is my newest bestest cutest pookie wookie book boyfriend. plus it was fun seeing the mmc be bi and not just the fmc. i loved the dual povs. it was so cute.
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
cons:
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book had all of the makings to be really interesting and engaging: from plot, thematic elements, the author, and even aesthetics. Unfortunately, it was an overwhelming letdown from weak characters, to unfinished world building. Ray Bradbury has an expectation of being good and thought-provoking within his books and unfortunately this one was lackluster and bland.
To begin, the world was half baked at best. A carnival theme should be super cool, set in October and around Halloween. The kids talked about having school but there was no timeline of events for me to figure out the days of the week. If it was close to Halloween, there was no mention of decorations or general enjoyment of the holiday. In 1962 they were still celebrating Halloween and decorating, trick or treating, etc.
Because of this there were no real rules defined with the carnival. It felt like Ray took a line of coke and began writing, then threw ideas out in order to solve the problem. Was it supposed to be love and acceptance that drove the carnival workers away? Or was it meant to be laughter? Was it both? What was the point of the carnival being in town? To make money? To get new workers? To feed on misery? That needed to be defined well.
Ray wrote over-prosey. Prose and beautiful writing is important, but knowing when to stop is crucial. There were several scenes where he was using metaphor after metaphor in order to explain things (the jewel stealing scene comes to mind specifically) where he over did it and it became confusing and tedious to read.
The characters were unfinished and boring. There should have been better juxtaposition against Will and Jim. Additionally, the father was a loser. He spent his time lamenting and whining about being old, having a young hot wife, and not knowing his son. Him not knowing his son is only directly his fault. I do not feel pity and will not feel pity over absentee fathers who are bad to their wives and children. He got a hero arc he did not deserve. That being said, I do appreciate that an adult was the one to really figure everything out to save the day. That alone was a good thing.
It was not scary and it was not tense. There was no vibes. I wish that Ray committed to at least one of his million ideas he tried to shove down our throats in this book.
TLDR:
pros:
To begin, the world was half baked at best. A carnival theme should be super cool, set in October and around Halloween. The kids talked about having school but there was no timeline of events for me to figure out the days of the week. If it was close to Halloween, there was no mention of decorations or general enjoyment of the holiday. In 1962 they were still celebrating Halloween and decorating, trick or treating, etc.
Because of this there were no real rules defined with the carnival. It felt like Ray took a line of coke and began writing, then threw ideas out in order to solve the problem. Was it supposed to be love and acceptance that drove the carnival workers away? Or was it meant to be laughter? Was it both? What was the point of the carnival being in town? To make money? To get new workers? To feed on misery? That needed to be defined well.
Ray wrote over-prosey. Prose and beautiful writing is important, but knowing when to stop is crucial. There were several scenes where he was using metaphor after metaphor in order to explain things (the jewel stealing scene comes to mind specifically) where he over did it and it became confusing and tedious to read.
The characters were unfinished and boring. There should have been better juxtaposition against Will and Jim. Additionally, the father was a loser. He spent his time lamenting and whining about being old, having a young hot wife, and not knowing his son. Him not knowing his son is only directly his fault. I do not feel pity and will not feel pity over absentee fathers who are bad to their wives and children. He got a hero arc he did not deserve. That being said, I do appreciate that an adult was the one to really figure everything out to save the day. That alone was a good thing.
It was not scary and it was not tense. There was no vibes. I wish that Ray committed to at least one of his million ideas he tried to shove down our throats in this book.
TLDR:
pros:
- relatively quick read
- at times cool aesthetics
cons:
- this is a book that men read and rave about to feel like they are intellectuals
- it dragged and was boring in different areas
- no world building
- plot was boring
- a waste of aesthetics
- disappointing characters
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
4.0
my favorite one from ali so far. i fell in love with this mmc and will be thinking about him longingly for a while.
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
cons:
4.0
oh this had me giggling and kicking my feet!!!! it was so cute and such an easy fun read!!!
pros:
pros:
- i enjoyed the characters. this was my favorite mmc that ali has written and i had such a little crush on him.
- the book got me interested in chess.
- i enjoyed the break from the STEM part from most of her other novels.
- i related alot to the main character and was able to place myself.
- good positive and natural bi character.
cons:
- i have noticed a trend in ali’s books where the girl is always viewing herself as unlovable and the mmc loves her like it’s easy. it’s not bad it’s just repetitive. i’d like to see a fmc who just knows her worth and loves herself.
- the third act break up trope is wearing on me but that’s not a fault of this book specifically but rather a genre issue.