5/1/2022 0 Comments magician of light by j.fremontBook: Magician of Light Author: J. Fremont Release Date: May 16th, 2022 Plot Summary: One of the most innovative designers of his time, René Lalique was a leader in the decorative arts. Magician of Light begins in his adolescent years in Paris as a striving apprentice. Meanwhile, across the channel, Lucinda Haliburton is facing her own struggles, including a dysfunctional family and history of mental illness. Her grandfather, Lord Haliburton, suggests a visit to his archaeologic dig in Egypt in an effort to help her escape her difficulties at home—but the trip ends in disaster, and Lucinda returns to England with the belief that she is being preyed upon by ancient Egyptian spirits. Rene and Lucinda’s paths cross when he leaves Paris to continue his studies at a nearby art college. His fascination with Egypt sparks a connection with Lucinda, and romance blooms—but is complicated by her mental condition. Overactive imagination, insanity, or a real haunting? Will their love see them through? Magician of Light touches on the truth of Lalique’s illustrious life, the people most important to him, and the anguish of some of those personal relationships, creating a unique view of his real life and a compelling storybook love story. Critique:
Okay, so my April TBR failed...I only managed to read one book which is Magician of Light only because...well...April was a messy month for me. I fell sick, gotten COVID so that took a toll on me and I couldn't read more than two chapters without feeling so tired. Yeah...it was bad...I'm feeling better though except for my energy which is still not 100% but it's getting there; I still feel tired. But, moving on! This was a nice read despite being a bit slow at the beginning. It kinda got dragged where things didn't really interest me at that point. It did got better about halfway through the book as things got picked up. I wished that the Egyptian side was more focused as well. I'm really interested in Ancient Egypt so I got disappointed when it wasn't the main focus. However, the story with Rene Lalique, who is a real person but I don't really know much about him, was an interesting read. We got to see all the rocky road that he had to face before he rise to fame for his jewelry and glassmaker. It did focused more on Rene which I also wished we got to see more side of Lucinda who wasn't the main focus but rather a love interest to Rene. The romance was cute and it was better than with Dr. Charles and Lucinda. I couldn't really see the chemistry between Charles and Lucinda but with Rene was cute. And I didn't liked Charles at all. The ending did broke me though; it was so sad. Overall, it was good but I wish the Egyptian mythology was more focused on as well. As for my MAY TBR, I might not make one since I'm still reading the books from my April TBR. What have you read for April?
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Book: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games 0) Author: Suzanne Collins Release date: May 19th, 2020 Plot Summary: It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capital, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined -- every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes. Critique:
Okay so um...this was...yikes....this was no necessary and it honestly really ruined The Hunger Games-the original. I didn't liked where the story was going and the characters were a bit and I just didn't find Snow a compelling villain like how he was in the original books. The one thing I did kind of like was the manipulation and how he was able to use it on others. The book had a slow start and nothing really happened until people started to do the Hunger Games. I don't really know how else to feel about other characters too. Lucy was singing her songs which annoyed me but I did liked the part with the Hanging Tree song. I wished there was more telling about Panem's history but it was already told what we already knew in the original. Regardless, I liked the references to the original books and the Katniss part (if you read it then you know). But having told about Snow was just not...it. And we never did got any sort of clarification if Snow actually did killed Lucy towards the end of the book when they decided to run away or if it was just another part of "The Hunger Games". Lucy just disappeared...there was just no explanation for it. Did Snow killed her???? That was all I could think of for her sudden disappearance. Overall, this book just wasn't necessary and I actually forgot about the side characters which was why I didn't really mention them simply because I forgot about them. This book was slow and nothing interesting happened. Book: A Touch of Darkness (Hades and Persephone #1) Author: Scarlett St. Clair Release Date: May 23rd, 2019 Plot Summary: Persephone is the Goddess of Spring by title only. The truth is, since she was a little girl, flowers have shriveled at her touch. After moving to New Athens, she hopes to lead an unassuming life disguised as a mortal journalist. Hades, God of the Dead, has built a gambling empire in the mortal world and his favorite bets are rumored to be impossible. After a chance encounter with Hades, Persephone finds herself in a contract with the God of the Dead and the terms are impossible: Persephone must create life in the Underworld or lose her freedom forever. The bet does more than expose Persephone’s failure as a Goddess, however. As she struggles to sow the seeds of her freedom, love for the God of the Dead grows—and it’s forbidden. Critique:
Okay so...this book was hot. I loved this even the kinky scenes lol. I love the story and how it went. I loved the modern telling of Hades and Persephone because well...we all know that the Gods and Goddesses are dramatic and messy in Greek mythology. I loved the relationship between Hades and Persephone and there were moments where it made me giggle between the two because I thought the relationship was just done so well. Hades was great; I loved the way how Scarlett was developing his character. It was just so good!! Regardless, I'm not much of a romance reader but this was great! I also really liked Alexa. Did I hated Adonis? Yes but he was still an interesting character to read even if I hated his guts and I also didn't liked Persephone's mother Like damn... I liked how Persephone grew as a character. She did eventually found herself despite being "locked" because of her mother (even though it strongly reminds me of Mother Gothel). Overall, this was a great and easy read and it was a great retell of Hades and Persephone who are probably one of my favorites from the Greek Mythology. What did you think about this book? Have you read it? 3/7/2022 0 Comments lock every door by riley sagerBook: Lock Every door Author: Riley Sager Release Date: July 2nd, 2019 Plot Summary: No visitors. No nights spent away from the apartment. No disturbing the other residents, all of whom are rich or famous or both. These are the only rules for Jules Larsen's new job as an apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan's most high-profile and mysterious buildings. Recently heartbroken and just plain broke, Jules is taken in by the splendor of her surroundings and accepts the terms, ready to leave her past life behind. As she gets to know the residents and staff of the Bartholomew, Jules finds herself drawn to fellow apartment sitter Ingrid, who comfortingly, disturbingly reminds her of the sister she lost eight years ago. When Ingrid confides that the Bartholomew is not what it seems and the dark history hidden beneath its gleaming facade is starting to frighten her, Jules brushes it off as a harmless ghost story—until the next day, when Ingrid disappears. Searching for the truth about Ingrid's disappearance, Jules digs deeper into the Bartholomew's dark past and into the secrets kept within its walls. Her discovery that Ingrid is not the first apartment sitter to go missing at the Bartholomew pits Jules against the clock as she races to unmask a killer, expose the building's hidden past, and escape the Bartholomew before her temporary status becomes permanent. Critique:
Um, I don't really know what to feel about this story. It almost seemed flat. There wasn't almost enough suspense to keep me in but almost about half-wayish of the book, I did figured out what Bartholomew's purpose actually was and I was kinda disappointed with it. I don't understand Jules to accept the offer for Bartholomew just like that? I agreed with her friend. Like why couldn't Jules to some research to the place before signing the paper? Yes, money does stupid things to people when desperate but a little research doesn't hurt anyone. It was a little slow at first but I did like the narrative still. Jules seemed to know all the mystery and was able to solve easily but to me, Jules doesn't seem that bright....(I still don't understand why she didn't listen to her friend). And I didn't really like the ending. It wasn't really satisfying and I wish we got more of Jules's past. Regardless, I liked the setting and the easy read of this book. Book: Disney's Beauty and the Beast - Belle's Tale Author: Mallory Reaves, Gabriella Sinopoli, Studio Dice Release Date: March 15th, 2022 Book: Disney Manga: Beauty and the Beast - Beast's Tale Author: Mallory Reaves, Ginaluca Papi, Studio Dice Release Date: March 15th, 2022 So, I'm combing both of them just because they told the story in the same way although the Beast's tale is a little bit different. Either way, this review might be short as the manga pretty much follows the live-action version. That being said, I did lower a star for the Beast. I wish we got more about his past rather than his thoughts about Belle even though it was still a bit interesting to see what the Beast had been thinking seen Belle came to the castle.
Both the mangas had such pretty illustrations and I love how the colors were different from one another. For example, Belle had bright colors whereas the Beast had dark, gloomy ones. That was a nice touch. I still wish that they actually followed the classical instead of the live-action. I don't really like the live-action that much but regardless, the mangas were cute but I still wished we got more insights of the Beast's. Book: The Empire of Gold Author: S.A. Chakraborty Release Date: June 30th, 2020 Plot Summary: The final chapter in the Daevabad Trilogy, in which a con-woman and an idealistic djinn prince join forces to save a magical kingdom from a devastating civil war. Daevabad has fallen. After a brutal conquest stripped the city of its magic, Nahid leader Banu Manizheh and her resurrected commander, Dara, must try to repair their fraying alliance and stabilize a fractious, warring people. But the bloodletting and loss of his beloved Nahri have unleashed the worst demons of Dara’s dark past. To vanquish them, he must face some ugly truths about his history and put himself at the mercy of those he once considered enemies. Having narrowly escaped their murderous families and Daevabad’s deadly politics, Nahri and Ali, now safe in Cairo, face difficult choices of their own. While Nahri finds peace in the old rhythms and familiar comforts of her human home, she is haunted by the knowledge that the loved ones she left behind and the people who considered her a savior are at the mercy of a new tyrant. Ali, too, cannot help but look back, and is determined to return to rescue his city and the family that remains. Seeking support in his mother’s homeland, he discovers that his connection to the marid goes far deeper than expected and threatens not only his relationship with Nahri, but his very faith. As peace grows more elusive and old players return, Nahri, Ali, and Dara come to understand that in order to remake the world, they may need to fight those they once loved . . . and take a stand for those they once hurt. Whew, okay. So, I read this a while so I'll try to remember....
This trilogy wasn't bad although I didn't really liked the second one. It was just full of politics and nothing really happened till the endish. But with this one, whew...it was a bit tough. Manizeh is a bitch; there. I said it. I didn't like her at all and the things that she did to Dara. Like damn. Chill. Poor guy. I felt so bad for him and the things he had to do with Manizeh. I'm glad she died, as harsh as it sounds. I liked the part with how Nahri returned to Egypt, picking up where the second book left off. It felt like home again. Clearly, she misses Cairo but she manages to still fight for her magical world, which was touching and glad that she didn't gave up that piece of her because it's still apart of her. But the one relationship that I didn't liked was between Dara and Nahri. I just couldn't get myself to feel between them . It was stiff but it's just not really believable between the two. Regardless, the battle with Manizeh lost its shine. She just went mad, forgetting about her actual goal and the she got killed. If she gotten stuck with her actual goal, the battle would've been more impressive. But as I said before I'm glad she died. I REALLY didn't liked her. The ending was probably satisfying. It could've been better but maybe she might return to this world as the ending didn't felt like an ending. even though it was kind of "neatly" closed like Disney-style happy ending. Not bad but not a great one. Overall, this was a wild ride; a few ups and downs but still a good trilogy. I do hope S.A. Chakraborty returns to this world. I think there are much of the world to explore. Book: The Wrath and the Dawn Author: Renee Ahdieh Release Date: May 12th, 2015 Plot Summary: One Life to One Dawn. In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all. Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets? Critique:
Oh, boy. This one was a hot mess. Literally, nothing happened in this book??? This was nearly a copy of the original story of 1001 nights. The only thing that's "different" is the love triangle. I'm sorry but everything was bad. I hated the characters; they were dumb. She's just makes dumb choices, reveal her hands which she wasn't supposed to and takes unnecessary risks. The thing I don't understand is Shazi. She had a plan, y'all. To kill the king. So she went to the palace WILLINGLY but then...she doesn't kill the king??? What's the point of her plan then??? I don't know...but her actions and mind doesn't match up and I'm just like 'nope.' I hated the love triangle; I hate love triangles in general but this one was bad. I felt no chemistry between them. I'm sorry; I just couldn't stand the characters. They were so flat. Like, why do Shazi and Khalid love each other? What made them to fall in love??? Also, I don't think we never saw the death of Shazi's friend. We just know that Shazi wanted to kill the king for revenge--which she never does--did I mention that? Overall, this book was bad. It was boring and nothing happened although the ending was okay. But still, nothing happened. And that's sad because this book was one of my anticipated reads from 2021? 2020??? But it's just didn't meet my expectations. I hated Shazi... 2/6/2022 0 Comments final girls by riley sagerBook: Final Girls Author: Riley Sager Release Date: July 11th, 2017 Plot Summary: Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout's knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media's attempts, they never meet. Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past. That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy's doorstep. Blowing through Quincy's life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. And when new details about Lisa's death come to light, Quincy's life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam's truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and, most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished. Critique:
Ok, wow. So, I actually had to think about what to give this rating as. Originally, I gave it a four but after much thinking, I put it down to three. This book wasn't really bad. The thing that made me struggle to actually be engaged is that the beginning was slow and repetitive so nothing much was going on. I did liked more of the timeline with the teens. It was interesting than the 'current' timeline with Quincy. I found Sam to be annoying and she didn't really held my interest. I didn't liked how she was with Quincy and her behavior was bizarre. I just didn't really liked her. I also didn't like how Quincy was just able to trust a stranger who came out of nowhere all of a sudden. The mystery was fine. I was down to two suspects but I was surprised when I was wrong so I did liked the killer even if it was...kind of messed up. I didn't liked the ending. I don't know; the ending was...odd. It's nothing something I would read in a thriller. Overall, it was okay. The beginning, as I said, was just too slow and I would rather much read the past timeline at the Pine Cottage. 1/30/2022 0 Comments if we were villains by m.i rioBook: If We Were Villains Author: M.I Rio Release Date: April 11th, 2017 Plot Summary: Oliver Marks has just served ten years in jail - for a murder he may or may not have committed. On the day he's released, he's greeted by the man who put him in prison. Detective Colborne is retiring, but before he does, he wants to know what really happened a decade ago. As one of seven young actors studying Shakespeare at an elite arts college, Oliver and his friends play the same roles onstage and off: hero, villain, tyrant, temptress, ingenue, extra. But when the casting changes, and the secondary characters usurp the stars, the plays spill dangerously over into life, and one of them is found dead. The rest face their greatest acting challenge yet: convincing the police, and themselves, that they are blameless. Critique:
I really liked this book. There were times where things weren't necessary like the quotes they would use to talk. That was just wasn't necessary and was quite annoying. I loved the mystery and Richard. He had a nice mysterious aura around him and I wanted to know more about him. I was more invested with the murder then the play they were given. The ending was...ok, like wow. Not what I expected like damn. I felt bad for Oliver. I like how the story was structured into actual acts. The characters didn't felt too bad. I felt sorry for Meredith as she lost people. This was a fast-paced read but it is a dark book. If you like Shakespeare, you would like this one as this book is centered with Shakespeare's plays. Overall, this was a good book I enjoyed with its mysteries but the quotes which the characters used to talk to each other just wasn't necessary. Book: The Inheritances Games Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes Release date: September 1st, 2020 Plot Summary: A Cinderella story with deadly stakes and thrilling twists. Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why--or even who Tobias Hawthorne is. To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch--and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a con-woman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive. Critique:
So, I read this book a while ago so here's to hoping that I can remember what I liked about this book. I need to start writing down things... Okay, so, I love the fast-paced action which got me hooked. I loved the mystery, the puzzles, the riddles--basically everything. And that plot twist at the end-which I do remember slightly about it, oop. I have a memory of a goldfish so ahem, I will try my best when writing with this review. The one thing that I don't really like with books is when they have a love triangle but in this one seemed to be alright but at times, it was kind of annoying. I kinda wanted Avery to go with Jameson. But regardless, I personally enjoyed more about the puzzles that Avery had to solve. I loved the puzzle with the Grandfather's clock from what I can remember. I loved guessing that one. Overall, I loved this book and I'm a bit hesitant to read the second book just because there were a lot of mixed feelings of it and there were reviews where people didn't really enjoyed it. So, maybe? I don't know. |