afi_whatafireads's reviews
589 reviews

This is a trip down memory lane.
It reopened so much memories of me loving Darkling :')

RTC!

Edited : 5/10/2022

Growing up means realizing that the Darkling was manipulative and someone that had multiple chances in making a change all his life, but ended up choosing the hard truth and harsher means to survive.

But even with that said, it still didn't take away the pain of seeing this book coming to life in drawings, and it made the anger of the Darkling and why he became as he is to be.. well.. understandable.

Personal Ratings : 5🌟

I read Demon in the Woods ages ago, when it was included in the series years ago. I think I was bawling my eyes out as seeing how Darkling growing up to be the person as he is; someone who wanted to protect the Grisha and make a place for the Grisha to live in peace, but at the same time, choosing darkness as a method for that certain way. In a sense, Darkling had suffered a lot of pains in his life, and the flight or die survival mode with Baghra made him grow more, well, expectations to survive with every means necessary, that leads to the point of it being toxic to his personality as well.

Demon in the Wood shows that when in desperation, even the closest person to you can actually stab you in the back. For the means of survival, you would do even the most immoral things to stay alive, and in Darkling's case, he had survived another but like I said, could have tried choosing different means to make a world for Grisha to live in. I still like his character ARC in a sense, because he plays such a well-done morally gray character.

For this particular edition, I would say the artists did just a SPLENDID job in making Aleksander came to life. From the moment her felt betrayed and the fact that we can see how his powers works makes everything just.. well.. it felt alive. I loved it and again, the Darkling will always has a special place in my heart.

If you were to ask me whether is it a MUST for you to own the book? I would say probably not. But if you're a fan of the Grishaverse and a collector, this edition is just BEAUTIFUL. AND STUNNING. AND YES GO GET IT . The foilings and the design of the book is just worth the price!

Would like to thank Pansing Distributions (@definitelybooks) for providing this copy of the book! Its indeed beautiful and I'm forever thankful.

The ending had got me staring into space for a good 5 minutes :')

Personal Ratings : 3.5🌟

A story that is somewhat neurotic but its still addicting in a sense. I find myself wanting to know about Wendy and Ginger and their antiques. I read the book in one seating, and it was like reading a memoir-of-sorts but with added trauma and neurotic(?) aspects. I find myself doubting myself whether I had really enjoyed this book or I was just curious on how it ended.

The book started by Wendy being in jail; and the thing is, it was not her fault. 19 year old Wendy, who works as a bus driver was in a depressive state after her mother died. Then she met Ginger on her bus, a 15 year old who has charms of her own. Two people who unconventionally became friends and somewhat ended up relying up on each other. A story of female friendships set in Glascow a small town and about aspiring authors and escaping from the person that you had become.

Personal Thoughts

Ginger and Me was a novel that I read in one seating and its a tale of Female Friendships that feels incovenient but somewhat showed how two broken souls somewhat related with each other. Wendy is a person that adds the neurotic aspect to the book. She has a naiveté mindset that can be considered as mostly the people who are usually socially outcasted in a circle group. The day she met Ginger, they somehow connected with one another, but I can't help feel that they are both good and toxic for each other. The author had shown the Effects of Traumatic Childhood and how it had impaired growth for both of these characters. Wendy grew up with an alcoholic father and Ginger grew up with an absent mother. I felt both sorry and sympathy for Ginger and Wendy despite frowning at some of the actions that they did in the book. Their story is quite mundane and yet, its addictive in a sense that you would want to find out more of what happens to the fate of these two souls.

The side characters in this book, whilst its not best written, it adds drama to the story. The dynamics of Wendy and Ginger as a duo is both worrying but yet has the element of youth with it. It kind of brings to millennial aspects and how there are teens that had been abandoned acted the same things that both Ginger and Wendy did. The chapters in the book was divided into a few parts and its somewhat a flashback of what had happened before Wendy went to jail. The ending threw me off a bit but it was a read that left me a bit speechless.

Would recommend if you would like to read a book on female friendships and complex characters, set in a small town.

Biggest thank you to Times Reads for this ARC!

Such a cute and a quick easy read! Its heartwarming and tugged on your heartstrings just for a lil bit.

Personal Ratings : 4🌟

Crumbs tells the story of Ray and Laurie, two souls who met together and somehow formed a bond with each other. Ray is a seer who can see the present, practicing to oversee the future, and Laurie works is a music enthusiast who's working towards his dreams to become a musician. The one thing they had in common was going to Laurie's aunts Bakery :) Its a real depiction of a relationship, finding yourself and working towards your own goal for each other.

Personal Thoughts
This book was heartwarming at its very best. I didn't expect any magic in the book, but I loved how seers and broomsticks are a sort of your transportation system in the story which is kind of cute. This is a YA Romance that is so innocent it makes you smile with the innocence of the characters. I loved how Ray and Laurie have each their own stories and pathways to make off and that eventho they liked each other, they found ways to stay together till the very end.

One of the things that I loved was the character growth for Ray and Laurie. Ray is just an adorable character, who sticks through to herself but also puts a lot of expectations on herself. She is a hard worker and always thinks about moving forward to challenge herself, but I love how she still stumbles and seeks for others when she needs a shoulder to cry on. Laurie is a character that is somewhat a people pleaser, that does not like to show his vulnerabilities to others and wants to cater to everyone's else feelings except his own, which made he seemed that he created a wall for the people who loves him. I liked that both of them practice EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION without unnecessary drama. Its very realistic and it made me smile on how they handle their problems.

I loved how the author had shown that being in a relationship is not all just rainbows and butterflies, it needs hardwork, and constant reassurance for both sides for the relationship to work. Its a story of growth and wanting to achieve your dreams. There may be times that we will fall and would not know what to do , but at the end, hard work does pay off, even if it takes a little bit of time to achieve it.

Definitely recommended for a light read :)

Biggest thank you to Times Reads for providing me an ARC copy of this famous webtoon in paperback! Loved that I can read offline.

A coming-of-age novella, set in the timeline before Threadneedle, focusing on Rowan and her journey before she enrolled to school in Threadneedle.

Personal Ratings : 3.65🌟

The Hedge Witch tells the story of Rowan during her summer vacation at her aunt's house outside of London, who is a hedge witch. Being in a family with an affinity for plant magic, Rowan indulges in tales of friendship and self-discovery. A coming-of-age novel on a young witch trying to find her footing in life.

Personal Thoughts
This book... was not bad, and its good for a light read. I had loved Rowan in Threadneedle due to her quirkiness and her personality, and in the Hedge Witch, being in her POV with her family is such a gem. Rowan is a plus size teen with worries on her own, and I kind of liked how the whole series focused on them as teens and the dramas and worries that comes with it.

Rowan met new friends and the solving bit of the mystery at her aunt's town, makes it just a fun and light read. I definitely finished this in one seating and I just laughed at some of Rowan's antiques with her friends. The fact that Rowan is just this robust character with a brilliant personality makes this a good companion novella for the main series.

Thank you to Times Reads for providing me a gorgeous copy of this book!

Personal Ratings : 4.75🌟

The physical copy of Volume 2 contains chapters : Chapter 26 - Chapter 47

The progression of Lore Olympus from Volume 1 to Volume 2 shows more on Hades and Persephone's chemistry and how they're super CUTE with each other :')

I honestly love Hades when he's with Persephone. Yes, she could be quite childish (I mean she's 19, she's just barely legal) , but when she's with Hades, he became a version of himself that he liked in a sense. While that might seem somewhat like infatuation on her part, it just showed how he craved to be loved in a certain way that didn't have the prejudice and fear of him in the first place. Being the King of the Underworld comes with its perks, but its definitely a lonely job, and Persephone being the literal sunshine that she is makes the story so much fun to work with.

I swear Apollo is such an a**hole in here, it made me want to slap him. I know there's a redemption arc on him of sorts ,but man, he did Persephone dirty with this retelling. Lore Olympus is not quite like the conventional Greek Mythology retelling that you will get, but its the kind that showed how it is on the meaning of finding yourself and loving yourself. Persephone is naive in every way, and I honestly fear for her safety, but I liked that the author had also shown how she's growing and that growth in her characters is one of the things that I had loved about the story and the book!

Overall, Lore Olympus is a series that I would always recommend for everyone! It might differ from the retellings that we are used to for Greek Mythology, but it is a great start for anyone who would like a glimpse of who and what the Greek Myths are about, especially in the story of Hades, that has been shedded light as a villain all of his life. There are always two sides of the story, especially in tales of Greek Mythology and its great to actually dive into different retellings to really understand the characters and all of its glory.

Would always recommend this series and I am highly thankful to Times Reads for providing me a copy of this gorgeous webtoon in physical copy!

This book was literally like 2521, where the ending literally spoilt the whole premise of the story.

Personal Ratings : 3.35🌟

This book had gave me geli-geli vibes, where I was just going in for fun and I GOT THAT FUN IN THE FIRST HALF UNTIL THE LAST 30 PAGES RUINED THIS WHOLE BOOK I LITERALLY ALMOST THREW THIS BOOK AWAY.

To say I was disappointed would be an understatement.

Short Summary
Jenny Go is a Korean-American who lives in LA and is a cellist. When a night at work at her late dad's karaoke place (noraebang) which led her to meet Jungwoo, a boy who turned out to be an idol in South Korea. A chance made Jenny to fly to South Korea to be with her grandmother and in a way let her to have the romance of her own. A somewhat forbidden love in two worlds that collide with each other.

Personal Thoughts
Honestly, I don't expect much going in this book, but I wanted a quick palate cleanser and I had literally enjoyed and squealed so much at the first half of the book. For me, the premise sounds interesting, and being a fan of K-Dramas and K-Pop and K-Hip Hop for such a long time had made me reading the book like watching a very cliche romcom but you're still enjoying it anyways. The fact that is in high school makes it giddier and more fun. Per say, its not actually a bad read, but the last 30 pages literally ruined my experience with this book, and I just felt so.. unsatisfied after finishing it.

Character Wise , I liked Jenny and Jungwoo and the friends that she made in South Korea. There's a Representation of the Korean American and Subtle Racism that is shown in the book, especially after Jenny had moved to her new school. This rep is refreshing to read and it also showed that even with the people from a place that we can call 'home' there will be aggression that would be thrown at you. We also get to dive in deeper in the World of Hallyu Superstars and the pressure of keeping up with the fame, and the consequences that comes with it. With endless practice for trainees to live in the throat-cut world to reach the fame of Kpop Superstars are definitely not easy, and I loved how there are more books talking about idols and their hardships to become a star.

The problem I had the with the last 30 pages is that... it just felt bleak. It was wrapped up so fast, its like you have an assignment dateline, but you didn't out write out the results and conclusion well, which kinds of ruin the whole premise of the book. Writing-wise could've been better, and I was actually enjoying this book until everything just ended so abruptly, it literally left a bitter taste that I'm still seething when thinking about it. It just made me SO FRUSTRATED as this book had. SO. MUCH. POTENTIAL. The ending was just too abrupt, and the fact that not everything was resolved with Jenny and her mother, Jenny and her halmeoni and YOU CANT END WITH JUST THAT WITH JEONGWOO???? LIKE ... GIVE ME CLOSURE.

This book was just a huge, huge , huge, MISSED OPPORTUNITY . It could have been a stellar cliche romcom kdrama with me giving it at least a 4 stars and will somewhat rewatch it whenever I feel down, but lord the ending just felt... lazy on the author's part (lowkey sorry for being harsh but its just that). So yes, would I recommend this? Definitely. For beginners and for a light read, its good, and to explore South Korean culture, with high school drama, yes. But just dont get your hopes up towards the end. You'll be disappointed , just like me :')

Biggest thank you to Times Reads for a copy of this book!

This book is just so underrated, and I can't help feel that injustice was done to the book. It was suffocating. It was brilliant. It was raw. And my gosh did I just stare into oblivion after finishing it.

One of the most unique books I've came across for awhile. It has its own brilliance that makes this book just.....so bloody good. Its unputdownable, and you will turn the pages, wanting to know what is going on. It leaves you suffocated with the character's thoughts, dived deeper and deeper into sorrow and you're there just in the brink of exhaustion. Even with less than 150 pages, it managed to bring so much depth into a story, especially one that highlights grief and loss, in the most stifling way as possible, that makes you just feel sorry for the characters in here.

Personal Ratings : 4.5🌟

If you come in the book expecting it to be a thriller and trying to find whodunit and what are the motives are the killer, you won't be able to fully enjoy the experience that the author had laid out in the book. Lemon is somewhat a psychological portrait of characters, in the midst of grievance and acceptance of the loss of their loved ones. Its the portrayal of trauma and unresolved anger which leads to the downfall of the characters. Its the portrayal of grief in various forms and various ways in coping it. Whilst the background started with a crime mystery, the story prevails in a sequence that showed that a single even can scar so many lives, even when the particular incident had passed ages ago. Its revolting, its mysterious in its own way, and it leads you to peel of the layers to the story, to look in between the lines, and see that the story is more than just the surface .

The social commentary in this book is one that is subtly integrated but leaves you a bitter taste at the end. I loved how the author had narrated the story in such a way that we have to see in between the lines, to look through and peel different layers of the story to find how vile some humans can be, and how wealth and power will cover up even the heinous of crimes. Its a book that leaves you with so many questions but somewhat answers a lot as well. Its not a story that is comforting but wanting to show how a human mind can morph into something horrid and dark that leaves you super unhinged. There are characters in the book that I felt, deserves so much better, and that due to their low status in the social class, every horrible thing that happened to them makes them pitiful. Police brutality, the coercion of confession and social outcast makes singling out a person easier rather than finding who the real perpetrator is. It shows how broken our system is and that the law can somewhat protect a person with high social class and status.

To make me not spiral and over-analyze the book, Here are 4 Reasons you should pick up one what I feel of the most UNDERRATED books this year :

1. A Unique Crime Mystery Format

Lemon is a story that is told with the background as a crime mystery but its more of a portrayal of characters and grief, in forms that suffocates and leaves you trapped in the characters train of thought. Its not a happy book and it gives no sense of hope, (albeit in its own twisted way), but what struck it as ✨Unique✨ was how the author had written the chapters in
- Various timelines
- Various POV’s of three characters, with distinct voices

The book is a question of humans and the layers that they portray and not a book of whodunit and solving the murder mystery. Its a psychological warfare of the characters minds, in grief.

2. Portrayal of The POV of Victim’s Family with no closure

The book started with the murder of a woman during the World Cup in 2002 and it is a spiral of thoughts of the characters up till 2019. The author had portrayed the minds of the victim’s family that has no closure of the death of their loved ones. How guilt can manifests into something so dark and torrid, and how everything that we see in the surface is not as what it seemed.

3. Portrayal of Grief; in Various Forms

Grief can take shape in various forms. It can be in the form of guilt. It can be in the form of anger. It can be in the form of vengeance. But guilt, in its own twisted way, can change a normal human to something twisted and , it will eat up your conscience alive. The author had shown that grief takes place in various forms and that there are many ways to cope the feeling. Humans handle trauma in their own ways, and it can either turn you to someone good or someone entirely bad.

4. Social Commentary

The social commentary on the rich, wealthy and powerful in regards to the poor, and often mistreated are subtly integrated in the story but its so cleverly written. The case of police brutality, bullying and social ostracism makes you feel so much for the characters .

Definitely a brilliant read and one that I will remember for a very long time. Highly recommended! My biggest thanks goes to Pansing Distributions (@definitelybooks) for this gift copy!

Personal Ratings : 4.25🌟

Edit : 26th September 2022

This book has so many quotes, I literally struggle to pick one that overall represents the whole book :')

Such an eventful story that has a mix of thriller and horror combined. Nothing I can say much as I won't want to spoil you guys, because, with Alice Feeney's books, is all about the plot of the story and the twist at the ends makes the story whole in a sense. I definitely scrolled back through the first pages and going "OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I SHOULD HAVE SEEN THAT." It took me by surprise because it wasn't anything that I expected and I had loved every moment of this book.

Short Summary
This is the shortest non spoilery-summary I can give you. Daisy Darker goes to Seaglass on the eve of Halloween, a place in the middle of an island where her famous grandmother's home resides. All of the Darker family came together for Nana's 80th Birthday and strange things started to happen at the 12 midnight. A gruesome tale of a family, and a lock and key mystery where everyone is suspecting of one another.

Personal Thoughts
Honestly, I couldn't expect what was going on throughout the story. All I know is , through each chapter, it felt not only eerie but gave me the goosebumps and frights. Alice Feeney knows how to keep a reader on edge and the ending was just... a sad one at the end. The Darker family had so many secrets and Daisy is a character that is, while flawed, made me want to protect her so so much. There is a time skip and how everything is tied together till the tides came down, but definitely one of the books that made me just on edge at every page. I was just going..... fffffff... and the poems in here are so............. creepy that reading it at night literally gave me goosebumps.

An eventful story and one that made me just felt so much pain at the end. There is somewhat a bittersweet ending to the story and I liked how Feeney referenced Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None for the whole idea of the plot and referencing it even in the story itself. The whole things makes sense at the end, and it left me just... gobsmacked :')

Highly recommended and again, Alice Feeney never misses. We stan.

Thank you so much to Pansing Distributions (@definitelybooks) for providing me an ARC copy of this book!

The Mermaid's Tale is a depressing yet hopeful tale of Summer and her hopes and dreams in becoming a dancer. At the age of 30, she was in between jobs, and in no way of hopes to continue her path in dancing again. However, this tale, in its monotonous way, had struck a chord within me. It was melancholic and depressing, yet , the relatability of the characters and the mid-life crisis that she had going on along with her traumatic past that shaped her as the adult that she is, made the book just one that I will remember for a very long time.

Personal Ratings : 4🌟

This was the last book written by the author before she died of cancer, and in some ways, based on the translators note, the note of melancholy comes from the darkest days of her life, hence why the novel, albeit short, is packed with so much emotions. Summer has not had it easy when she was younger and the issues of body dysphoria comes in every part of her life as her mother gaslights her extremely on her body weight. I particularly LOATHED her mother in here, and I hated how she had made Summer doubt herself and had to somewhat survive on her own. The role of parents and especially the generational trauma that is inflicted in Asian Families had been shown in this book, which led to their children growing up becoming adults that may or may not have some midlife-crisis crashing down at a phase of their life. There is a fine line between tough love and inflicting trauma on your child, and Summer is an example of an adult who was traumatized growing up to a point that she finds herself hard to love or even appreciate what she loves.

I honestly appreciate the dancing elements in this book. Whilst I'm no dancer, I've enjoyed watching and appreciating the art, therefore, the explanations of the author for the art is not only beautiful but it has its own sort of flair. Dancing for Summer is both a blessing and a curse, and the inner conflict that she had with these feelings makes the story one that makes you smile at some parts but also showing behind the scenes on the life of a professional dancer. The author had also frequently used metaphors on the art of dancing to intimacy, relationships and the exploration of sexuality. There's a certain subtleness in her writing that makes this book both a read that makes me sad but also makes me happy at the same time.

An intriguing read and one that I had finished in one seating. There is a certain extent where reality and metaphors collides in the book, but it also makes a read that is worthwhile to pick up.

Biggest thanks to Pansing (@definitelybooks) for this copy!

Well......
This was CUTE AS HECK

I am NOT a fan of insta-love tropes, but there are some good ones that just made sense, and this falls into that category, where I JUST LOVED BOTH OF THE CHARACTERS SO MUCH . YEEP.

Personal Ratings : 4🌟

Disclaimer: If this is the first time you're going into Tessa Bailey's books, never ever be fooled by the cute cover. Its very spicy, and if that's not your cup of tea, stay away from this book or any of Tessa Bailey's books cause .. well. yeah..

Anyways, I've read a lot of Tessa Bailey's works and it sometimes works, it sometimes doesn't ; but for this one IT DEFINITELY WORKED .

First off, this book has an element of murder mystery, which the female MC, Taylor meets a bounty hunter, Myles to look for the killer. Two opposites, one with a very dark past, but both of them has INSANE chemistry between the two of them.

This is a type of a book where its SLOW BURN, but gives you ANGST VIBES. Lord I love Taylor as a character so much. She's such an adorable woman that knows what she likes and sees the good in people. I loved her relationship with her brother, and the way she handles Myles is just .. **sighs** cute :") Her chemistry with Myles is just OFF THE CHARTS , and Myles being the broody i-dont-like-humans-but-fell-in-love-with-Taylor-and-Taylor-only, was such a vulnerable character, it made me want to hug him for a bit.

There are instances of PTSD and the effects that it had one a person. It can affect your present relationship and how you see yourself, and I liked that even with the mix of mystery plot elements , we can also see a lot of character growth for the both of them which makes this a wholesome read.

For me, this book is for the fun and games. Its intimate, its about finding yourself, and its about experiencing something new in your life, even if it takes awhile to get used to it. This was such a fun read and it made me squeal, kick my legs and roll on my bed cause lord it was cute af ;') Miss Bailey Maam, you did great with this one. Loved it.

A big thank you to @definitelybooks, Pansing Distributions for providing me a review copy for this book <3