bookedbymadeline's reviews
929 reviews

Wow what an excellent second book!! The world building is so vivid and atmospheric, as we continue this adventure steeped in Russian Folklore. I loved getting back into this world and found the pacing to be even better than book 1! I was on the edge of my seat, equal measures reading as quickly as I could to see what happened next and wanting to slow down to savor the story. As someone relatively new to fantasy, I cannot recommend this series enough!!

I read this as a buddy read and had the best time. Can’t wait for book 3 (even though I also don’t want to leave this world) 🩷 Also this book has reignited my obsession with Morozko 🤭

Interesting exploration of the stories/legend surrounding Maria Hallet and Black Sam Bellamy! The author explores the history of 18th century cape cod and who Maria was, with many theories surrounding the lovers’ legend. Although the amount of theories that exist, it could be confusing at times. 

 I first learned about Maria and Sam’s love story through a pirate documentary and became fascinated! While this doesn’t provide much more information or answers compared to the doc, it was still an informative and interesting read. Hopefully I can find books that are more thorough in their research, as this felt like a surface level summary.

“1 realized a universal truth about folklore. Some of it is always based in fact, and most of it is created over generations of time. The beauty of these stories, however, rests in their mixture of the latter elements.”

“These men and women told a quieter tale, for they gave the witch and the pirate the ending that life had denied them. They said that on foggy evenings, one could make out the figures of Maria and Sam walking hand in hand along the shores and meadows of the Cape. No one surmised the content of their talks, for the two tragic figures had forged a tie in life that bound them forever.

So if you hear the forlorn cries of a woman in the howling night, or you spy two figures strolling in the foggy mists of Cape Cod, know that you have perhaps witnessed the ghosts of Sam Bellamy and Maria Hallett.”

The Resurrectionist follows James as he enters the world of surgical schools and body snatching in this dark academia/historical gothic novel (with a side of romance)! Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for the eARC 🎉

Atmospheric in its depictions of 19th century Scotland! The writing style/language also adds to the story and makes the characters feel more realistic. This was an interesting look at the body snatching industry for the purposes of advancing medical/scientific knowledge, and the moral questions that come along with the industry!

It started off well but the last 50% was a total slog 🙃 The novel’s pacing was all over the place, the first 30% or so was great and the last 15% exciting, but the middle slumped and the main action is at the beginning and end of the novel only. 

The seriousness of the plot mixed with the funny, loveable moments between the characters was a great balance! But at times it felt like we were missing things as we got long slow burn depictions of the events throughout the book but then we’d skip weeks at a time, coming into a new chapter at what felt like mid scene. While I loved the cast of characters and the main romance, I felt like I was missing pieces of the puzzle for their relationship.

The synopsis talks about Burke and Hare but we don’t see them until towards the end so it led to feeling rushed in that respect of the plot and I feel like the execution could have been better if the novel stuck to the body snatching industry and anatomy schools’ rivalries as opposed to shoehorning in these serial killers into the mix. 

Finally, the chapters were too long for my taste so despite how interesting the story was, I often times set it aside because I didn’t want to sit through another 30 minute chapter 😭 Even if the previous chapter ended on a cliffhanger I was preferring to scroll on my phone than continue the book.

Overall it was entertaining and has made me want to research Burke and Hare, as well as 19th century body snatching further, but it fell flat in some areas as well making it a slower read than I anticipated.

Rep: achillean romance

I read Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly for a buddy read and had so much fun! I started reading this on Everand and 4 chapters in I already wanted to buy my own copy so I can highlight all the amazing lines and moments of humor/relatability (but will be waiting until the paperback release) ☺️

I love learning about the family’s history and their relationships with one another! The characters felt so real and relatable. There were humorous moments but also moments of vulnerability and heartache. The book had me laughing out loud and also wanting to hug G and V 🩷 Also the characters were complex and flawed so I loved their journey of growing/finding themselves.

I related a lot to both MCs with their anxious overthinking and literal thinking. The anxiety and OCD rep was really well done; it made the characters feel even more realistic. The novel is all vibes no plot and felt like you were becoming part of their family, getting a glimpse into their daily lives and problems! I can’t wait to see what Reilly writes next 😍

Rep: Māori author and MCs, Gay MC and side character, Lesbian MC, Bi Side character/love interest, anxiety, OCD, queer and autistic author 

“This book is for hot autistic people, people from the city, people who have been mistaken for a different ethnicity, queer and trans people who are tired of being strong and just want to do jokes, tall girls, and haters” I loved this from the acknowledgments

Switching character perspectives could be abrupt and confusing in the beginning. Told through 3rd person narration but switches views to multiple characters throughout the chapters. We mainly hear from 4 main characters: Chola, Mchere, Catherine, and Nambe.

Most intrigued by Chola’s chapters, looking at the Malawi political landscape, as opposed to Mchere and Nambe’s home life especially with how violent and uncaring Mchere can be at times towards Nambe.

The beginning was very slow going and then the last third felt so rushed to wrap up the story. There could also be too much telling over showing at times. Most of the book explores class differences and political turmoil as dissidents (also called Subversives) are arrested, imprisoned, and tortured. 

Overall it was an interesting exploration of resistance in post-colonial Malawi but was not the easiest, most engaging read despite its short length.

Took a little while to get into it because it could be too much telling over showing at times.

I loved getting to know Mukesh and Aleisha! But I felt like we didn’t get to know Aleisha as well as we could have. There were so many loose ends with her story that just get abandoned.

and I hated the Aiden storyline!! I feel like his suicide was just a plot device used to advance Aleisha’s story when there were other things that could’ve accomplished it, the author just didn’t bother and took the easy way out.

Plus the discussions of the books felt surface level almost like looking up CliffNotes before an English class discussion about each theme.

I did skim some paragraphs, especially in the Rebecca section, because I didn’t want spoilers. I think this is one I’d recommend only if you’ve either read all the books on the list already or don’t mind having some spoilers! Some books don't spoil at all and some (little women for example) would be majorly spoiled if you've never read the book or watched the movie

There's a lot of characters to keep track of and I felt like it was almost too much at times. I understand that it was probably the author's intention to show the connection that books/reading can provide among so many different people, but it pulled me out of the main story and added to the corniness of the plot. Not to mention we can already see/understand the connection that books and reading have between Aleisha's and Mukesh's chapters!

This book was cozy and heartwarming (derogatory). It felt funny reading a book about books, community, and libraries when I'm reading this for my book club and borrowed it from my local library! Overall it had a lot of potential but fell flat in some areas for me. My curmudgeoness continues as I crave depressing stories or at least heartwarming stories with depth

Some parts can be helpful but a lot of the medical advice I knew already as I picked this book up 2.5 years into treatments. I also didn’t like the mentions throughout of BMI because it’s not backed in science!! It’s made up BS so I hate to see it being brought up in this book as a potential reason for infertility.

I liked that when the author mentions alternatives to conceiving, like adoption, she reminds readers that adoption is not a consolation prize and needs to be because of the child not because you can’t have a child yourself which a lot of people seem to forget 🙃

The sections about emotions and knowing when to step away were the most helpful for me because it’s what I struggle with the most throughout the journey.

As with any self help book grounded in medical/science related topics but not written by a Dr- it can be helpful to have someone to relate to but always consult a MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL over trusting advice from a podcaster. The emotional tips and advice were helpful but the medical stuff was overwhelming more than providing helpful info. It’s verrrrryyyy US focused so felt narrow in its scope and Unrelatable for me in many sections. 

Overall it’s an excellent guide that you can skip around and read what’s most needed for you. I skipped a lot of chapters because they didn’t apply to me but would recommend if you’re in the US. If you’re not, a memoir might be more helpful/insightful

Listened to this on audio and really felt pulled in from the start! Saints of the Household by Ari Tison is a YA contemporary novel that looks at two brothers, Max and Jay, told in alternating POVs. The book also sometimes has poems throughout. One of the only YA novels I’ve read where it’s more vibes than plot and I loved it!

The chapters are short and the book mainly explores a violent event that land Jay and Max into counseling, their family dynamics, and indigenous stories from their Bribri background. Author and characters are Bribri, which is one of the indigenous groups of modern day Costa Rica!

I loved getting to hear the stories and learn more about Bribri culture. I also loved the narration itself, the narrators did such a great job that at times you really hear the emotion in their voices!

Overall this was such a moving, unique story that I knew from the start would be a new favorite! The novel explores brotherhood, generational trauma, and healing especially how it looks different for everyone. I would highly recommend this especially on audio 🧡

This is one of those books where the synopsis sounds right up my alley, with everything I love in a litfic. But the execution fell flat for me. Nadia’s chapters were unbearable with the amount of mundane details, telling over showing, and ultimately I couldn’t continue after she assaults TWO PEOPLE. Not disclosing your STI and not using protection when you are contagious is assault and I had no desire to read this book afterwards 

Maybe I’m just a bitter curmudgeon but my god that dialogue is awful. The cheesiest dialogue I’ve ever read and the villain goes on this whole weird monologue “ooh I’m so evil” quips in the first chapter like leave some imagination for us. This god awful dumpster trash sure has the nerve to compare itself to Da Vinci Code. It’s so in your face slamming you into the point rather than being clever. I could see my brain the amount of times I rolled my eyes in a single chapter