danteandvirgil's reviews
131 reviews

Been wanting to read more nonfiction this year (read none last year!!) 

This was a great audiobook and the narrator did a great job making the book read so fluidly and engaging. I’ve walked away with a growing interest in the way language is used to influence. 

I also eat up any content about cults. 

A bite sized read that I enjoyed! The gothic atmosphere is really well set up and described in an impactful way. The art paired with the book were appropriately distressed and almost uncomfortable. 

I enjoyed this book! I’m left feeling sad but also like gays still win even in sadness. I went in having barely any information bc idk anything about Greek mythology except what I learned from playing Hades which is still very little. 

The writing pace was too slow for me. It felt like I was dragging my feet through this entire book even in moments of high action and excitement. While I did enjoy the read, I never found myself itching to get to the next reading session. 

Also I understand that the book takes place in Ancient Greece but I still do not like how women are portrayed. We don’t get many women characters that are crucial to the plot. Briseis is an exception in terms of development for me but she’s also a captive so like have we really something to latch on to here? I wonder if more could have been done with her character. Maybe the author is limited by the source material? But even so when you’re writing an adaptation why not make some choices to change? 

Overall a good read. The writing itself is poetic and word choice is always deliberate and impactful. Miller writes slow but beautifully. 

Loved!! Listened to the audiobook read by the author which enhances the reading experience for me. 

BIG content warning for ED, fatphobia, abuse

Jeanette’s book serves a very clear purpose as a memoir. It is not filled with extraneous information but still is packed with engaging and infuriating stories about her and her mother. Awful women, he mother was. 

I highly recommend! Especially if you are a fan of her work

Overall I enjoyed this book. The ending felt like a satisfying conclusion to a sometimes irritating read. The discrimination message is a bit heavy handed and really spelled out for you. That tends to take me out of stories. 

The characters are the highlight. The children of the home are all so unique and endearing that kept me going. A bit of a slow start though. 

The romance is a slow burn and I was surprised that the kiss made the story, including its slower parts, worth it. I was joyous when we got that kiss let’s gooooo

I’m invested and have to take breaks when reading these bc I get overwhelmed at the warm feelings the story brings up. Feels real in many ways to my own experience and a story that I would have really valued when I was in high school. When I read these (and watch the show) I allow hs me to revel in the cute

At first it was hard for me to get into this book but once I did WOW. Poetic prose with two characters that display such a desperate need for each other

that I can only sit and dream of timelines where they are together, neighbors, sipping tea 🥲

Loved this!!! A second banger from Zhao. I read their middle grade book earlier this summer and also loved it. The story gripped me throughout and the enemies to lovers trope is on full display here. And wonderfully so. And the poly representation?? Wow. 

I will say that the tone and narrator voice in the opening chapter really turned me away but luckily after that it flows much better. In the first chapter, the sentences felt choppy and everything was really heavy handed but then the actual main character starts up and her voice is much more enjoyable. 

Wonderful book! Cant wait for the next one

A surprisingly great read! At first, it took time to get used to the narrator voice (still not buying that a teacher would not curse at all LOL) but the story is captivating. I appreciate all of the science woven throughout that sparked all the nerdy excitement in me.