ariel937's reviews
477 reviews

i don't get the hype tbh :/ i know that there's an audience for this, and i can kind of understand why people might like it?? kind of? but it just felt really rushed, the characters aren't very well-developed, and mentioning that the main character is obsessed with russian literature every other second was a bit too much. it's really not that bad, but i just...really didn't like this. i might still continue on to the second book and try to read the beard books (whatever they're called LOL) since i have them both.

this honestly wasn’t that bad. the writing was definitely repetitive - like we get it, he’s vicious lol - and very bland. there was only one line in the whole book that made me laugh and it had to do with a painting and Napoleon Bonaparte, lmao. there were so many times when i rolled my eyes or cringed from second hand embarrassment because i felt as if the author was really trying too hard. sometimes the bad assery worked, sometime it fell completely flat.

this is a dark romance, and it was pretty compulsively readable. tbh i would probably read most of the rest of the books in this series. because what the bad writing is bad up for by the compelling plot and intriguing characters. i would recommend it as a quick read, but it’s not absolutely spectacular or mind blowing and i’m honestly surprised by how popular it is.

"English could never replace / the land's unfolding song, nor the ocean's / ancient oli, giving us use again."

this poetry book is the first book i've read by a native hawaiian author, and it was truly amazing. obviously, the poetry wasn't written for me, and there was a language barrier (google translate wasn't super helpful) that made it difficult for me to fully understand, but that didn’t take my enjoyment away. but the words were still beautiful and captivating. it was a really heartfelt, heartbreaking, and raw book. i highly recommend it!

"So now, though the television and radio instruct us to Speak / American. Think American. Act American, as the 50th state, I / know better than to think that such goodness could ever be / rewarded. But, like I tell my daughter, if you keep your na'au / Hawaiian it is easier to accept our bitter inheretence - we / must become them to overcome them."

my favorite poems include: po, the history of this place, pele, how i learned to write my name, tiny rebellions from the kamehameha tales, ku’ulei 1960, natives wanted, on cooking captain cook, kukui, and ka 'olelo.

here's a link to brandy mcdougall giving a ted talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K69_kuqBiX8

what can i say - this book is just plain great. this series is pretty old but i would say it still holds up! the writing can be basic and some of the jokes are corny BUT the magic and the world is really unique and i just LOVE emma and eadric (and grassina ofc). even though disney movie was already created inspired by this book, i’d love for there to be a short mini series adaption of this series. there are so many quirky and cute characters! rereading this book has really made me fall back in love with it!!

(spoilers!!!)

this was my favorite book in the series when i was younger and the same is true today. the world in these books are much bigger, and i wish ED Baker gave us more time exploring the magical world instead of flossing it over. the fast-pace action made it difficult to believe it happened within 3 days and i feel like the impact of (SPOILERS) Grassina turning into a wicked witch would have been stronger if we were given more time with her. i also feel like Emma was given more time to grow in her magic instead of just making it so that she was perfect out of nowhere. but will say that Baker knows how to write a compelling fantasy book, and im excited to continue on their adventure

this is such a good series!!! i’m surprised how much i remember but there were still one or two things that surprised me. i’m lowkey still annoyed that Baker thinks it’s funny for Eadric to have wandering eyes tho lol. it wouldn’t effect the story at all of you just cut those out tbh. overall, this is still a very imaginative and exciting story. i kind of wish the series ages up with the characters - while this was written in the time before “YA” was really a thing, it’s hard to believe a 16 yr old would act like this

this was one of the shortest books in the series but draaaaagged on forever lol. tbh i enjoyed this book the least. the adventures were cute, and the a couple of the newer characters were charming. there was also a scene involving vampires that actually gave me the creeps!

i didn’t know anything about this book when i picked it up, and it obviously is controversial. however, i do think Yoko’s perspective and experiences are valid (though she did admit to not knowing a lot of japan’s history and involvement in korea - which she probably should have consulted before writing this book as many facts are fabricated to fill in the gaps.) i read this to see if it would be appropriate for a middle school classroom, and i think as long as you give context, it is. all that being said, i was gripped by Yoko’s story and flew through this. i don’t agree with people comparing this to “night” or Anne Frank’s diary, because this is very VERY different from the holocaust. i did enjoy this and would recommend people to read this as this can offer a really unique and complicated perspective on a part of history that is often ignored. it has obviously flaws and inconsistencies but as long as you are mindful of them, i think this can still be something worthwhile.

here‘s a link i found while searching for more info on this book: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2871981

this is something i encourage everyone to read.

this was such a fascinating and informative book! i really appreciated how open and honest she is about her experiences and the realities of death, especially our culture’s reception to death. basically if you’ve watched and enjoyed any of her youtube videos, you will definitely enjoy this. i only wish she talked more about mortuary school! also, she’s a fantastic narrator of her own book - i recommend the audiobook!

to be honest, it is really terrifying to realize that one day i am going to die, and it will probably take a long time for me to be at peace with it. i’m not sure if i’ll ever get over my fear of dying. but it’s important to be informed of the realities of death and what to do to prepare for your inevitable death. this book did make me think a lot about my own death, but even if that's an uncomfortable thing for you, i would still encourage you to read it. it's not all doom and gloom - if you're ever curious about what Doughty might talk about in here, i recommend watching a few of her youtube videos to get a feel it. it also challenged some beliefs i had about morticians, and funeral practices in other cultures. this was an overall fascinating book !