brimelick's reviews
347 reviews

When I read I try to space the book out so I can take my time and really delve into the book. This was not the case with this book. From the moment I started the series, I was intrigued to see what Anthony's story would have in store for him. I was NOT disappointed. Much like with Simon, traumatic events of Anthony's past really held him back from throwing himself into a relationship for love but I was glad his brother talked home out of it by the end. I really enjoyed the vulnerability that we were able to see with both Anthony and Kate, it really added a sort of realistic touch to see the fears from these characters come out in such raw moments throughout the story. As I mentioned earlier, I inhaled this book and had to force myself to read-only have of it yesterday and the last half today. I am thoroughly enjoying the tales of the Bridgerton family and I am very excited to see what the rest of the series has in store. Also, can March 25th come any sooner? I very much need to see this story on the screen.

I picked this book up on a whim at the Dollar Tree and it sat on my shelf for two years before I decided to pick it up. I was so afraid that this was going to butcher Ancient Roman history and was very pleasantly surprised to find out it was actually quite accurate. This book started off by introducing you to one of the most badass main characters leads in historical fiction books. It depicted a fascinating picture of what it was like to live in Rome as a slave after their homes were ravaged by Roman soldiers. The romantic aspect of the story was a nice touch that didn't take over the leads, instead, it just made them better as a duo. I initially thought this was a standalone novel but when I found out there was a sequel I got so excited to read more. I love the genderbending of the classic character of Spartacus and how none of the scholars now can agree on who he was and where he came from. Making it a female character who came from a warrior culture made the story so much better. I am very excited to see what the next book has in store.

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I was expecting I would. I did not hate it but I did not love it. I think that even though I a, fascinated by religion and Mary herself is an amazing character to study, I think to fully grasp this book you need to be more spiritual than I am. It is an interesting read about the relationship between Mary, Joseph, and Pilate. It was something that I definitely did not expect to see in a novel about Mary's life.

First thought, Stunning. I love everything about Leigh Bardugo's writing and the Grishaverse is one of my top five fictional worlds. I really liked how she was able to finish the story in a way that didn't rush it and left you feeling like you know what will happen after but there is also room for thinking. I'll be the first to admit that I usually go for the villainous and morally gray characters and as much as I simp for Ben Barnes I think that Alina really did need to end up with Mal. I was not his biggest fan until I re-read the series a few times and now that I'm 23 and not in middle school, he's grown on me. Absolutely love David and Genya's characters in this book and I really started to like Zoya more this time I read it. But let's be honest, Oncat is the best character in the book hands-down. I know a lot of people are not huge fans of Alina losing her power and leaving the world of the Grisha entirely but I honestly think it was the best choice that Leigh could've made. I think she would have been miserable if she had to stay and lose Mal in exchange for keeping her power and staying with Nikolai (as much as I love him). I just wish she would've been able to keep some of her powers. All in all, this is a fantastic book. Amazing conclusion to a wonderful story and I cannot wait to re-read the Six of Crows duology and begin the King of Scars series.

Something about the month of January made me feel really nostalgic. So I began finishing my re-read of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series that I started at the end of last year. I'm hyping myself up for the new series and manifesting new updates on the daily. This was one of my favorite book series in middle school and that hasn't really changed. I love the dynamics between the characters and Rick writes the found family trope in a way that just works (same as Leigh Bardugo with her Grishaverse). I love a good-found family and the Camp Half-Blood family is just *chefs' kiss*. This series definitely inspired me to get my degree in Classics and it's given me such a different view when re-reading the books. The research that went into this is just amazing. Uncle Rick writes well for middle grade so it was pretty quick to get through, not too strenuous, just a nice little nostalgic trip. And I'll say it now as I said it when I was younger. Thalia and Annabeth woulda have been such a power couple. (I still love Percy tho.)

As a fan of Tudor History, I was interested to see that there was a trilogy written with Thomas Cromwell as the main character rather than a female character. I have read a lot of novels about this period but they were all focusing on the female side. From my experience with books and shows like the Tudors that are all done to show the rise and fall of his wives you really only see sympathy for Katherine and Anne but you don't get to focus on the players in the background. I've read a lot that shows Thomas More like the good guy and Thomas Cromwell as a power-hungry man who just cares for himself but I think Hilary did a phenomenal job introducing us to what his life was like and how easy it was for things to change for men as well as women. No one was safe in the Tudor court. It definitely took a bit to get into but once I got the hang of what was happening in King Henry's timeline it was really easy to follow. I loved getting to see all of what happens within a royal court and how people rose and fell in their positions, and just how easy it was to fall and fall hard. I am very interested to see what happens in the next two books as Henry begins to stray from Anne and how Cromwell handles the backlash for being on both sides of her rise and fall and his massive failure with his support of Anne of Cleves. Also being a massive fan of Hans Holbein's art especially those he did for Henry and his wives, it was fantastic being able to see him in action as a painter and scholar. He was EXACTLY how i'd picture him being.

I received this book in my Owlcrate box this year and I have just been waiting for it to be pulled out of my mystery tbr jar. I just recently moved to Virginia and needed a little bit of home this book takes place in Upstate NY and it was a perfect reminder of home. It was also cool to have the nickname of a character be the same as mine. This was just all in all a great book. It took me a minute to get into it to the point where I couldn't put it down but trust me, it gets there. I love the diverse group of characters and the mystery just kept getting more mysterious. I think the second book is just going to get better. There was a great mix of humor and angst when it gets to the later parts. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes YA and mystery but doesn't want either of those genres to overload the other. I loved the mix of both.