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casstalksbooks's reviews
255 reviews
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
4.0
i have a love/hate relationship with this book.
firstly, please check trigger warnings for this!
at times in this novel, i felt as though Sáenz had reached into the deep, dark depths of my thoughts and written them onto paper. it was scary, but it was comforting. the writing was also absolutely beautiful, the main characters were written so well, and the queer romance was so wholesome.
i can’t give this five stars, however, because i feel as though the author exploited problematic language (that many transgender people find extremely offensive and hurtful) for no reason other than to provide a cause for Ari’s brother being in jail (when there is a multitude of other reasons he could have used).
firstly, please check trigger warnings for this!
at times in this novel, i felt as though Sáenz had reached into the deep, dark depths of my thoughts and written them onto paper. it was scary, but it was comforting. the writing was also absolutely beautiful, the main characters were written so well, and the queer romance was so wholesome.
i can’t give this five stars, however, because i feel as though the author exploited problematic language (that many transgender people find extremely offensive and hurtful) for no reason other than to provide a cause for Ari’s brother being in jail (when there is a multitude of other reasons he could have used).
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
4.0
i really struggled through the first three quarters of this book but oh my god, the ending!!!!
the spice and the romance? SO GOOD
the characters and the diversity? SO SO GOOD
the found family!!!!!!!
the spice and the romance? SO GOOD
the characters and the diversity? SO SO GOOD
the found family!!!!!!!
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
5.0
oh. my. god.
i have never used so many tabs in a book…ever.
this story follows Liesel, a young girl who’s life has been overshadowed by death and grief. she is taken in by the Hubermann’s; Hans & Rosa. together, they deal with the struggles of WWII as a family who do not agree with the fascist ideals of Nazi Germany and its treatment of Jewish people, and the consequences that they face for being outspoken.
Hans Hubermann is now the most important fictional man that i have ever encountered (in equal standing with remus lupin of course). while both foster parents are loving, Hans adopts a genuinely nurturing and caring parenting style. i absolutely adore that man.
also having Death as a narrator was a game-changer and i found that point of view to be so interesting.
i am obsessed with this book.
i have never used so many tabs in a book…ever.
this story follows Liesel, a young girl who’s life has been overshadowed by death and grief. she is taken in by the Hubermann’s; Hans & Rosa. together, they deal with the struggles of WWII as a family who do not agree with the fascist ideals of Nazi Germany and its treatment of Jewish people, and the consequences that they face for being outspoken.
Hans Hubermann is now the most important fictional man that i have ever encountered (in equal standing with remus lupin of course). while both foster parents are loving, Hans adopts a genuinely nurturing and caring parenting style. i absolutely adore that man.
also having Death as a narrator was a game-changer and i found that point of view to be so interesting.
i am obsessed with this book.
The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox
2.0
i don’t know why this book bored me so much when i am obsessed with hallmark christmas movies, but it did.
the characters were just not that interesting. the twins irritated me with their many chances to tell the truth and their consistent decision to continue lying to everyone around them. and OF COURSE, when they finally came clean, the male protagonists didn’t really care that they had been lied to and moved on so fast.
this book, like a typical hallmark christmas movie/book, was so predictable but to the point where i just began to not care about any of it.
also the random and extremely unwarranted use of an ableist term was just like????
anyways, maybe my next christmas romance i read will be better but this one was just plain and foreseeable.
the characters were just not that interesting. the twins irritated me with their many chances to tell the truth and their consistent decision to continue lying to everyone around them. and OF COURSE, when they finally came clean, the male protagonists didn’t really care that they had been lied to and moved on so fast.
this book, like a typical hallmark christmas movie/book, was so predictable but to the point where i just began to not care about any of it.
also the random and extremely unwarranted use of an ableist term was just like????
anyways, maybe my next christmas romance i read will be better but this one was just plain and foreseeable.
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
5.0
oh. my. god.
adam carlsen, i am in love with you.
ALI HAZELWOOD IM IN LOVE WITH YOU TOO
thank you so much for this work of art. this book made me feel every emotion and furthered my “being in love with fictional chatacters” problem and for that, i’m delightfully upset
adam carlsen, i am in love with you.
ALI HAZELWOOD IM IN LOVE WITH YOU TOO
thank you so much for this work of art. this book made me feel every emotion and furthered my “being in love with fictional chatacters” problem and for that, i’m delightfully upset
Bluebird by Ciel Pierlot
3.0
FIRSTLY, a big thank you to NetGalley and to Angry Robot for giving me this ARC.
after a month of trudging through this novel, i have finally finished! overall, i enjoyed it.
here are the 4 things i liked about this story, and the 2 things i did not:
what i liked about bluebird
the world-building
i loved the world that this novel introduced me to. while the story did drag at times, i never felt as though the author was trying to info-dump in order to explain the world to me. i was, as a reader, able to follow along and gain a deep understanding of the factions and the different characters that existed in the world.
the interludes
i found the interludes to be the most interesting parts of the story. the history of Seven and X-74 was beautifully written and i was so captivated by their story.
Ginka
although not the protagonist of this story, Ginka remains my favourite character. i much preferred her over Rig. i found her story so much more interesting and i thought that her character was so much more likeable. her character growth was a pleasure to read.
the last 30% of the story (including the ending)
the action and plot of the last section of this story was what i had been hoping for throughout the first 70%. although it took a while for me to be truly interested in the plot, the last 30% did not disappoint me.
the romances
while cringy and immature at times, i did think that the romance between Rig and her librarian girlfriend, June, was cute and mostly well-written.
what i did not like about bluebird
the humour attempts
at times in this book, Rig cracked jokes that i found to be immature. some of her jokes read as though she was in middle-school, which was quite upsetting as i thought that her character was written well enough to be the comedic relief of her own story.
the length and first half of the plot
i did find this book to be longer than it needed to.
while the first half of the book was indeed action-packed, i didn’t find that it was always necessary for the plot and felt that it dragged at times.
overall, i am glad that i read this, there were just some points that made me unable to rate this book higher. thank you so much for this ARC, i’m very appreciative.
after a month of trudging through this novel, i have finally finished! overall, i enjoyed it.
here are the 4 things i liked about this story, and the 2 things i did not:
what i liked about bluebird
the world-building
i loved the world that this novel introduced me to. while the story did drag at times, i never felt as though the author was trying to info-dump in order to explain the world to me. i was, as a reader, able to follow along and gain a deep understanding of the factions and the different characters that existed in the world.
the interludes
i found the interludes to be the most interesting parts of the story. the history of Seven and X-74 was beautifully written and i was so captivated by their story.
Ginka
although not the protagonist of this story, Ginka remains my favourite character. i much preferred her over Rig. i found her story so much more interesting and i thought that her character was so much more likeable. her character growth was a pleasure to read.
the last 30% of the story (including the ending)
the action and plot of the last section of this story was what i had been hoping for throughout the first 70%. although it took a while for me to be truly interested in the plot, the last 30% did not disappoint me.
the romances
while cringy and immature at times, i did think that the romance between Rig and her librarian girlfriend, June, was cute and mostly well-written.
what i did not like about bluebird
the humour attempts
at times in this book, Rig cracked jokes that i found to be immature. some of her jokes read as though she was in middle-school, which was quite upsetting as i thought that her character was written well enough to be the comedic relief of her own story.
the length and first half of the plot
i did find this book to be longer than it needed to.
while the first half of the book was indeed action-packed, i didn’t find that it was always necessary for the plot and felt that it dragged at times.
overall, i am glad that i read this, there were just some points that made me unable to rate this book higher. thank you so much for this ARC, i’m very appreciative.
The Holiday Switch by Tif Marcelo
4.0
everything you want in a YA holiday romance.
fast-paced, short, loveable characters, and a cute romance!
fast-paced, short, loveable characters, and a cute romance!
The Freedom of Birds by Stephanie Parkyn
4.0
a powerful story of love, friendship, family, hope, and the struggle of finding somewhere you belong.
this story follows Rémi Victoire, his best friend Pascal, and a runaway orphan girl, Saskia. together they travel through fairytale lands, seeking a place to tell stories and perform for the people. however, war and conscription follow close behind, threatening to destroy the strong bonds of love and friendship that are formed along the way.
the storytelling and imagery in this novel are enthralling and while slow-paced at times, this book was never boring nor uneventful.
thank you to Stephanie Parkyn and Allen & Unwin for access to a copy of this text. i am extremely grateful.
this story follows Rémi Victoire, his best friend Pascal, and a runaway orphan girl, Saskia. together they travel through fairytale lands, seeking a place to tell stories and perform for the people. however, war and conscription follow close behind, threatening to destroy the strong bonds of love and friendship that are formed along the way.
the storytelling and imagery in this novel are enthralling and while slow-paced at times, this book was never boring nor uneventful.
thank you to Stephanie Parkyn and Allen & Unwin for access to a copy of this text. i am extremely grateful.
Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong
5.0
wow this book was astonishing. this has got to be one of the most intense books i have ever read. it had plot twist, after plot twist, after plot twist.
chloe gong, you have the brilliant ability of ripping my heart into pieces, mending it to the point of feeling whole again, and then crushing it back into pieces. i adored the character development in this book, it was a perfect sequel and ending to the story of Juliette and Roma.
trigger warnings: suicidal ideation & violence
chloe gong, you have the brilliant ability of ripping my heart into pieces, mending it to the point of feeling whole again, and then crushing it back into pieces. i adored the character development in this book, it was a perfect sequel and ending to the story of Juliette and Roma.
trigger warnings: suicidal ideation & violence