three star review

Book Review: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne ★★★

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“Love and hate are visceral. Your stomach twists at the thought of that person. The heart in your chest beats heavy and bright, nearly visible through your flesh and clothes. Your appetite and sleep are shredded. Every interaction spikes your blood with a dangerous kind of adrenaline, and you’re on the brink of fight or flight. Your body is barely under your control. You’re consumed, and it scares you.”

This one was pretty good. Cute, surprisingly touching in certain areas, and funny. Overall, it was solid and I enjoyed it. However, for some reason I just didn’t connect with the romance all that much. I liked the characters well enough and really felt for them during some scenes, but I just never 100% committed to them. Three stars.

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Book Review: Montana 1948 by Larry Watson ★★★

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“That’s not the way it works. You know that. Sins—crimes—are not supposed to go unpunished.”

I’m really glad I finally read this book! You know when a cover just sticks out to you and you can’t seem to help but get drawn to a book, because of it? That was Montana 1948 for me. I saw it so many times at thrift stores and finally picked it up, because I just love that cover! I am very happy I got to it quickly after that and I enjoyed the story. I ended up giving it 3 stars.

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Book Review: Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff ★★★

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“My father used to say the art of telling a good story lies in knowing when to stop. Keep talking long enough, you’ll find there’s no such thing as a happy ending.”

Welp. I tried the second book in hopes that it would be amazing and that this series would become a new favorite of mine. Instead, it was a run of the mill middle book, entertaining enough, but kind of boring. A bit of filler. I found this one even less compelling than the first novel, unfortunately 😭. 3 stars.

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Book Review: The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski ★★★

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“I started to turn from the poems, then paused before a page almost entirely white, with only a few bare black words.

Gold-sandaled dawn

Fell like a thief

Upon me

I wondered what kind of night was so precious that when morning came it felt as if you had been robbed, as if what you wanted most had been cut from you like a bloody tithe.

I had never had a night worth stealing.”

My first Goodreads giveaway win!! Heck yeah! I was so super excited for this book when I first heard about it, because the author’s Winner’s Trilogy is one of my all-time favorite YA fantasy series. When I won an ARC of The Midnight Lie, I was ecstatic! I knew I had to read it right away. This one comes out in March.

While I did really enjoy this story, it’s LGBTQ+ romance, and the author’s writing, there were a few things that I felt were just a bit lacking. Overall, a very nice start to a new duology and I gave it 3 stars.

*Some spoilers at the end of the review*

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Book Review: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah ★★★

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“She was crying for it all at last–for the pain and loss and fear and anger, for the war and what it had done to her and to all of them, for the knowledge of evil she could never shake, for the horror of where she’d been and what she’d done to survive.”

Hmm I liked this book. I liked it, but it certainly wasn’t the best thing I have ever read and it didn’t really meet my expectations – expectations that were heightened because of all of the hype surrounding it. Overall, I would give the book 3 stars.

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Book Review: The Grownup by Gillian Flynn ★★★

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“I’m a self-didact. (Not a dirty word, look it up.) I read constantly. I think. But I lack formal education. So I’m left with the feeling that I’m smarter than everyone around me but that if I ever got around really smart people—people who went to universities and drank wine and spoke Latin—that they’d be bored as hell by me. It’s a lonely way to go through life.”

This was an okay little novella. I picked it up on a whim and I really enjoyed the beginning, but the end fell kind of flat for me.

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Book Review: The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker ★★★

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“Nobody looks him in the face now, it’s as if his grief frightens them. What are they afraid of? That one day they’ll have to endure pain like this? Or that they never will, that they’re incapable of it, because grief’s only ever as deep as the love it’s replaced.”

I am not sure how I feel about this book, to be honest. I was really excited about it, when I first heard of it. I have loved the character of Briseis for years and enjoyed her complicated dynamic with Achilles (from what I have encountered in both the Iliad and various adaptations/retellings). So this book instantly caught my eye. On the one hand, it was very interesting and beautifully written. But on the other hand….I don’t know. It felt like something was missing.

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Book Review: The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman ★★★

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“Her brother had not yet learned that, in the end, nothing ever stayed the same. Least of all people.”

I liked this one quite a bit! It did have a slower start; it wasn’t boring, but it did take its time to set up the story and establish the characters. It read pretty much like a classic YA Fantasy story, definitely good and I am looking forward to the next installment! It was a solid 3 stars for me, perfectly decent, but nothing spectacular.

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Book Review: The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye ★★★

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“”There’s actually an old Kazakh proverb that says, ‘There are three things a real man should have: a fast horse, a hound, and a golden eagle.'”

Vika wrinkled her nose. “And what about a real woman?”

Nikolai laughed. “A real woman should have those things, too.””

Hello, friends! It looks like I am going steady with the 3-star books right now! Ever since I saw this one on Goodreads, I was really excited to read it. Set in Russia with magic, hellooooo?? And, after finishing it, I am happy to say that I enjoyed it! The Crown’s Game is a fun, light, and very charming novel. So, read more about it below!

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Book Review: Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor ★★★

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“”Life won’t just happen to you, boy,” [Master Hyrrokkin] said. “You have to happen to it. Remember: The spirit grows sluggish when you neglect the passions.” 

“My spirit is fine.”

“Then you’re going sadly wrong. You’re young. Your spirit shouldn’t be ‘fine.’ It should be effervescent.””

This book was extremely frustrating to review. Some parts were so good, but other parts were not good at all, not even in realm of good. And sadly, those parts clashed with what I loved about it. Ultimately, it balances out around 3 stars, with most of those points going to writing quality alone. That score is way lower than I was expecting to give, when I first started reading. I thought for sure this was going to be a 4.5/5 star read and I am disappointed in how it turned out. But, I could not overlook its flaws. Hopefully, I can articulate exactly how I feel about Strange the Dreamer for you guys.

This review contains spoilers!

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