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811 reviews
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
4.0
This was so atmospheric and lovely! Although, it was slow at a few parts. Overall, a wonderful read! I am looking forward to my book club's discussion!
-Book Hugger
-Book Hugger
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
3.0
The Hazel Wood is weird and I feel like there's no better way to say it than that, honestly. I think I anticipated it being more magic-realism like, but it felt too grounded in reality for that. So I'm not entirely sure what genre I would put it in, something in between urban fantasy and magic realism.
Anyway, there's three main reasons this got three stars: the writing, the plot twist, and Alice's personality.
In my opinion, the writing was mediocre. Sometimes it was written well and interesting, but at other points, it was cheesy and disjointed. She went into long tangents about things I didn't find important, but were also written in really strange ways. I think it was trying to hard, honestly, like she was overcompensating for a less interesting and atmospheric writing style. For the most part, the writing kept me intrigued and interested, but I think it was fairly obvious this is Melissa Albert's first book. But I also think she has the ability to improve, which is a good sign.
The plot twist I can't specifically say, but it felt extremely out of character. Unfortunately, it also didn't really get resolved at the ending either, and Alice and Finch act as though it never happened. This really irritated me because it was such a pivotal point in the arc of their characters and their friendship, so I thought they'd touch upon it more. I didn't honestly think the plot twist made any sense at all (so I can safely say I did not see it coming), and I'm still upset. I don't actually know why it was necessary, because I think there could have been alternative ways of bringing Alice to the Hazel Wood.
Lastly, Alice was very, dare I say, "not like other girls". She prided herself in being wholesome and all that, while trashing on her step-sister who wore a lot of lipstick and wasn't as intelligent. It felt very much like fake-feminism to me. I really, really hate the "not like other girls" trope because women are supposed to support each other and build each other up. We're not enemies and we're not better than each other for being less stereotypically female. We support each other for who we are, whether that be feminine, less feminine, promiscuous, into make-up, smart, and whatnot. So I really, really, didn't appreciate Alice. She did go through character development and I think somewhere toward the ending she realized how absolutely selfish and conceited she was, but I wished she never started out that way. I'm kind of tired of the terrible-person-becomes-a-somewhat-decent-human-being development. When I think of character flaws, I think of things that don't make me seethe with anger at another, but maybe...wish they were slightly different, like someone who cares too much about other people and not enough about themselves or someone who's prideful. In my opinion, Alice wasn't redeemable, and she sure didn't deserve the precious human that is Finch.
(Speaking of which, I love Finch).
So I think that sums up why it went down two stars, but as for the things I loved...
The plot was fascinating. It's unique to anything I've ever read and had so many quirks to it, I couldn't help but feel drawn into the story constantly. Sure, it was weird, and totally unlike anything else I've ever read, but I loved it for that. The last half was especially better and I almost considered giving it four stars until we got to the very messy plot twist.
Also, it was devoid of romance, which I thought was really interesting! I kind of expected something to come between Alice and Finch, but it was really freeing for nothing to happen with them. Though, I think Alice wanted to, but it was nice to see it unreciprocated.
Anyway, I think it was a really interesting debut and I'm looking forward to seeing where Albert goes with her books! It had its flaws, but it wasn't a complete mess, and had enough redeemable qualities for three stars.
-Book Hugger
http://bookhuggerreviews.com
Anyway, there's three main reasons this got three stars: the writing, the plot twist, and Alice's personality.
In my opinion, the writing was mediocre. Sometimes it was written well and interesting, but at other points, it was cheesy and disjointed. She went into long tangents about things I didn't find important, but were also written in really strange ways. I think it was trying to hard, honestly, like she was overcompensating for a less interesting and atmospheric writing style. For the most part, the writing kept me intrigued and interested, but I think it was fairly obvious this is Melissa Albert's first book. But I also think she has the ability to improve, which is a good sign.
The plot twist I can't specifically say, but it felt extremely out of character. Unfortunately, it also didn't really get resolved at the ending either, and Alice and Finch act as though it never happened. This really irritated me because it was such a pivotal point in the arc of their characters and their friendship, so I thought they'd touch upon it more. I didn't honestly think the plot twist made any sense at all (so I can safely say I did not see it coming), and I'm still upset. I don't actually know why it was necessary, because I think there could have been alternative ways of bringing Alice to the Hazel Wood.
Lastly, Alice was very, dare I say, "not like other girls". She prided herself in being wholesome and all that, while trashing on her step-sister who wore a lot of lipstick and wasn't as intelligent. It felt very much like fake-feminism to me. I really, really hate the "not like other girls" trope because women are supposed to support each other and build each other up. We're not enemies and we're not better than each other for being less stereotypically female. We support each other for who we are, whether that be feminine, less feminine, promiscuous, into make-up, smart, and whatnot. So I really, really, didn't appreciate Alice. She did go through character development and I think somewhere toward the ending she realized how absolutely selfish and conceited she was, but I wished she never started out that way. I'm kind of tired of the terrible-person-becomes-a-somewhat-decent-human-being development. When I think of character flaws, I think of things that don't make me seethe with anger at another, but maybe...wish they were slightly different, like someone who cares too much about other people and not enough about themselves or someone who's prideful. In my opinion, Alice wasn't redeemable, and she sure didn't deserve the precious human that is Finch.
(Speaking of which, I love Finch).
So I think that sums up why it went down two stars, but as for the things I loved...
The plot was fascinating. It's unique to anything I've ever read and had so many quirks to it, I couldn't help but feel drawn into the story constantly. Sure, it was weird, and totally unlike anything else I've ever read, but I loved it for that. The last half was especially better and I almost considered giving it four stars until we got to the very messy plot twist.
Also, it was devoid of romance, which I thought was really interesting! I kind of expected something to come between Alice and Finch, but it was really freeing for nothing to happen with them. Though, I think Alice wanted to, but it was nice to see it unreciprocated.
Anyway, I think it was a really interesting debut and I'm looking forward to seeing where Albert goes with her books! It had its flaws, but it wasn't a complete mess, and had enough redeemable qualities for three stars.
-Book Hugger
http://bookhuggerreviews.com
What If It's Us by Adam Silvera, Becky Albertalli
4.0
I was listening to "Only Us" (which inspired the title) while I finished the epilogue and the book and the song ended at the exact same time. That's...something.
-Book Hugger
-Book Hugger
The Wicker King by K. Ancrum
3.0
I'm rating this higher than I expected to tbh, but I still have so many issues with it and am still pondering it all. Review to come.
-Book Hugger
-Book Hugger
The Red Scrolls of Magic by Wesley Chu, Cassandra Clare
5.0
I'm going to be honest: this was not perfect. But, since all I was expecting was pure Malec fluff and hilarious banter, I wasn't disappointed, and that's why it's still 5 stars to me. Yes, it's clear that Cassandra Clare is just churning out books at this point (because I see a clear quality difference between previous books and QoAaD and RSoM). Not to mention, the stakes in this aren't high because we all know Magnus and Alec live to tell the tale! They're in The Dark Artifices, the rest of the TMI trilogy, and whatnot. So...in that sense, it wasn't frightening or worrisome, but it showed how strong their love is.
Lastly, before this turns into the full review I intend to write at a later date, I'd like to say that Magnus and Alec give me hope for my personal future. They remind me that love exists even when everyone is fighting against it, and to me, that's pretty dang beautiful.
-Book Hugger
I swear I will write more, but I just got to my hotel and I want to Sleep
Lastly, before this turns into the full review I intend to write at a later date, I'd like to say that Magnus and Alec give me hope for my personal future. They remind me that love exists even when everyone is fighting against it, and to me, that's pretty dang beautiful.
-Book Hugger
I swear I will write more, but I just got to my hotel and I want to Sleep
The Rose & the Dagger by Renée Ahdieh
4.0
“It was because they were two parts of a whole. He did not belong to her. And she did not belong to him. It was never about belonging to someone. It was about belonging together.”
I'm beginning to see the story of Shahrzad and Khalid as told my Renée Ahdieh as one of the most iconic and beautiful love stories ever have I read. They strive to have an equal relationship, a balance between them that does not usurp the other, that does not threaten the other. This is how all relationships should be, I believe, romantic or platonic. There should never be one person in the relationship who has control, it should be equal. My inner feminist loves their relationship to infinity and beyond.
I will admit, The Wrath & the Dawn was a far better novel. I still loved The Rose & the Dagger, don't get me wrong, but so much of the book was spent with Khalid and Shahrzad split. At times it became a little tedious and I didn't care as much about the side plots.
I did like that Ahdieh explored the magic more (if you remember from my TW&TD review, I found it rather underdeveloped), but some parts of it still seemed flawed and untouched. In all honesty, I would have preferred this book to have avoided material magic and stuck to the idea of a curse and its impact on Khalid. I think that would have been a much more effective way of going about fantasy without magic carpets and flame-throwing lessons.
“That is not the way of it. Your future is not set in stone, my dearest star. A coin turns on itself a number of times before it lands.”
It's been awhile since I actually did finish this book--more than a month--but I still remember how breathtakingly emotional that ending was. There were tears in my eyes. I don't cry often, so I think that says a lot, doesn't it?
As well, it must be acknowledged that this novel explores some wonderful themes about family, love, and commitment. It touches upon what people will do to obtain power and the lengths they will go to. Without going into spoilers, I found the conflict between Shahrzad and her father both tragic and riveting. I often love when books explore characters who believe what they are doing is right for everyone (similar to the concept of the greater good), but actually isn't. I especially loved the way Ahdieh handled this portion of the plot.
In all, The Rose & the Dagger was more of a social exploration of the effects of the events in book one while still tying up loose ends and building up to a whole lot of climactic action. It was slow at times, but still rather wonderful. I'll admit, I'm a sucker for this duology...I just wish it were longer.
“Destiny was for fools. Sharzad would not wait for her life to happen. She would make it happen.”
I highly recommend picking this duology up. I have yet to see a single bad review of it. Ahdieh's words are magical, truly, and I wish to be blessed by more of them in the future. She is such a talented author with such a talented mind. Hopefully I can read A Flame in the Mist soon!
-Book Hugger
I'm beginning to see the story of Shahrzad and Khalid as told my Renée Ahdieh as one of the most iconic and beautiful love stories ever have I read. They strive to have an equal relationship, a balance between them that does not usurp the other, that does not threaten the other. This is how all relationships should be, I believe, romantic or platonic. There should never be one person in the relationship who has control, it should be equal. My inner feminist loves their relationship to infinity and beyond.
I will admit, The Wrath & the Dawn was a far better novel. I still loved The Rose & the Dagger, don't get me wrong, but so much of the book was spent with Khalid and Shahrzad split. At times it became a little tedious and I didn't care as much about the side plots.
I did like that Ahdieh explored the magic more (if you remember from my TW&TD review, I found it rather underdeveloped), but some parts of it still seemed flawed and untouched. In all honesty, I would have preferred this book to have avoided material magic and stuck to the idea of a curse and its impact on Khalid. I think that would have been a much more effective way of going about fantasy without magic carpets and flame-throwing lessons.
“That is not the way of it. Your future is not set in stone, my dearest star. A coin turns on itself a number of times before it lands.”
It's been awhile since I actually did finish this book--more than a month--but I still remember how breathtakingly emotional that ending was. There were tears in my eyes. I don't cry often, so I think that says a lot, doesn't it?
As well, it must be acknowledged that this novel explores some wonderful themes about family, love, and commitment. It touches upon what people will do to obtain power and the lengths they will go to. Without going into spoilers, I found the conflict between Shahrzad and her father both tragic and riveting. I often love when books explore characters who believe what they are doing is right for everyone (similar to the concept of the greater good), but actually isn't. I especially loved the way Ahdieh handled this portion of the plot.
In all, The Rose & the Dagger was more of a social exploration of the effects of the events in book one while still tying up loose ends and building up to a whole lot of climactic action. It was slow at times, but still rather wonderful. I'll admit, I'm a sucker for this duology...I just wish it were longer.
“Destiny was for fools. Sharzad would not wait for her life to happen. She would make it happen.”
I highly recommend picking this duology up. I have yet to see a single bad review of it. Ahdieh's words are magical, truly, and I wish to be blessed by more of them in the future. She is such a talented author with such a talented mind. Hopefully I can read A Flame in the Mist soon!
-Book Hugger
Autonomous by Annalee Newitz
3.0
I'm going to do a quick review here because I don't have the patience to review this on my blog and tack it to the long list of Reviews I Should Have Done A Week Ago.
Okay, so. This book is actually pretty good. It's really well written and the plot is super original. I think my main issue with it was the last hundred or so pages (not as interesting). I also thought it was completely unnecessary to have those robot/human sex scenes. Uh...no thanks, not for me. And along with that, is it really necessary to use the derogatory f-word for a gay person on page?? Seriously?? It was really painful to read that so. many. times.
But anyway, if you're looking for something really original that's science-y and robot-y and has weird futuristic drugs, this is the book for you!!
And I highkey loved that history was still important even though it's 100 years in the future...like YES. And I actually knew what they were talking about?? Whoa there.
Last thing, I loved the diversity in this book. But I do think in 100 years, homophobia will be a l i t t l e less rampant.
-Book Hugger
http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com
Okay, so. This book is actually pretty good. It's really well written and the plot is super original. I think my main issue with it was the last hundred or so pages (not as interesting). I also thought it was completely unnecessary to have those robot/human sex scenes. Uh...no thanks, not for me. And along with that, is it really necessary to use the derogatory f-word for a gay person on page?? Seriously?? It was really painful to read that so. many. times.
But anyway, if you're looking for something really original that's science-y and robot-y and has weird futuristic drugs, this is the book for you!!
And I highkey loved that history was still important even though it's 100 years in the future...like YES. And I actually knew what they were talking about?? Whoa there.
Last thing, I loved the diversity in this book. But I do think in 100 years, homophobia will be a l i t t l e less rampant.
-Book Hugger
http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com
Let it Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green, Lauren Myracle
2.0
The Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson-2 stars
This story was very unrealistic honestly, and I think that's why I had issues with it. The story itself was fairly cute, but I never connected to the characters or the plot. Though, I do have to say Stuart was really adorable. All in all, this one was just unremarkable.
A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle by John Green-1 star
This was a mess, to say the least. For starters, I predicted the ending within the first few pages, which is never good. On top of that, the blatant sexism was disgusting. I expected so much more from John Green that the "she's not like other girls" trope. I'm not kidding, there was an entire paragraph about The Duke (also what a stupid nickname) being Not Like Other Girls™.
"'You know, that you're not, like, a threat. Like, most girls, if they have a boyfriend, they don't want their boyfriend hanging out all the time with another girl. And Brittany didn't get that you, like, aren't really a girl.'
'If by that you mean that I dislike celebrity magazines, prefer food to anorexia, refuse to watch TV shows about models, and hate the color pink, then yes. I am proud to be not really a girl.'"
Um. Excuse me?
And beyond that, this entire story was about the two guys wanting to go to the Waffle House miles away in the snow just to see cheerleaders. What. The. Heck. That's not plot, that's sexism. And then later, there was a homophobic remark. By that point, I had already decided this story was and is trash.
The Patron Saint of Pigs by Lauren Myracle-1 star
And if this book couldn't get any worse, we get 100+ pages of a bratty girl being bratty and wanting for boyfriend to take her back after cheating because she's "changed". To be effective, she would have actually had to change by the end of the story, but in my honest opinion, she was a brat at the end too. Just because she did something nice for her friend and an old lady doesn't mean she's a kind soul forever now. And also her boyfriend sort of changed? I feel like this story radiated the idea that you have to change for love and that's definitely not true. He really didn't need to change at all; she needed to learn to accept him as he is.
Ugh.
This set of stories was a waste of my time honestly. And it's also gotten to the point where if I don't see LGBTQ+ representation I get kind of sad. I know not all books will have it, but I'm just hopeful...
Anyway, take this as you want, for all I know, you could be the next big fan of this story. It just wasn't for me.
-Book Hugger
For actual reviews that I post on a pretty little blog, check out my site at http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com
This story was very unrealistic honestly, and I think that's why I had issues with it. The story itself was fairly cute, but I never connected to the characters or the plot. Though, I do have to say Stuart was really adorable. All in all, this one was just unremarkable.
A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle by John Green-1 star
This was a mess, to say the least. For starters, I predicted the ending within the first few pages, which is never good. On top of that, the blatant sexism was disgusting. I expected so much more from John Green that the "she's not like other girls" trope. I'm not kidding, there was an entire paragraph about The Duke (also what a stupid nickname) being Not Like Other Girls™.
"'You know, that you're not, like, a threat. Like, most girls, if they have a boyfriend, they don't want their boyfriend hanging out all the time with another girl. And Brittany didn't get that you, like, aren't really a girl.'
'If by that you mean that I dislike celebrity magazines, prefer food to anorexia, refuse to watch TV shows about models, and hate the color pink, then yes. I am proud to be not really a girl.'"
Um. Excuse me?
And beyond that, this entire story was about the two guys wanting to go to the Waffle House miles away in the snow just to see cheerleaders. What. The. Heck. That's not plot, that's sexism. And then later, there was a homophobic remark. By that point, I had already decided this story was and is trash.
The Patron Saint of Pigs by Lauren Myracle-1 star
And if this book couldn't get any worse, we get 100+ pages of a bratty girl being bratty and wanting for boyfriend to take her back after cheating because she's "changed". To be effective, she would have actually had to change by the end of the story, but in my honest opinion, she was a brat at the end too. Just because she did something nice for her friend and an old lady doesn't mean she's a kind soul forever now. And also her boyfriend sort of changed? I feel like this story radiated the idea that you have to change for love and that's definitely not true. He really didn't need to change at all; she needed to learn to accept him as he is.
Ugh.
This set of stories was a waste of my time honestly. And it's also gotten to the point where if I don't see LGBTQ+ representation I get kind of sad. I know not all books will have it, but I'm just hopeful...
Anyway, take this as you want, for all I know, you could be the next big fan of this story. It just wasn't for me.
-Book Hugger
For actual reviews that I post on a pretty little blog, check out my site at http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
2.0
I guess I never wrote a review about this, but long story short, the main character enjoys being raped, and it's so blatantly obvious this is written by a man.
I'm so done with this trope.
I'm so done with this trope.