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kelsbookzone1's reviews
242 reviews
The Red Grove by Tessa Fontaine
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Not invested and it was due back at the library- small chance I may revisit
Hearts That Cut by Kika Hatzopoulou
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Razorbill Publishing for an early release copy
Io is back, and we are immediately thrown back into following her and mob queen Bianca back on their quest to follow the golden thread. As a second book, you are immediately launched into the story and I almost forgot how many moving parts there were. I probably needed a little more of a recap or to have some kind of synopsis. I was lost.
Io is back, and we are immediately thrown back into following her and mob queen Bianca back on their quest to follow the golden thread. As a second book, you are immediately launched into the story and I almost forgot how many moving parts there were. I probably needed a little more of a recap or to have some kind of synopsis. I was lost.
But much like the enjoyment of the first one, the author’s world building is detailed and immersive and such an enjoyable feat. Surprisingly as someone who is not a romance reader, I found myself craving Io’s romance from the first novel and maybe that dynamic was just more interesting intriguing than the dynamic created between Io and Bianca in the first half of this one. I would also have enjoyed more character focus on the sisters, giving more development on their relationship.
As a young adult duology, I wish this was on more people’s radars and got the credit it deserved. Beneath the fantasy, it’s an intricate crime puzzle, leaving you wondering who to root for till the end. I would love to see this author explore into adult detective novels in future.
Honey by Isabel Banta
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for an early release copy.
Include a quote from a Britney Spears song? Say less. I adored the line comparing mother’s and daughters to Russian dolls, so poetic when referring to young daughters getting their big break and mother’s living in their shadows- much like the show Gypsy.
Include a quote from a Britney Spears song? Say less. I adored the line comparing mother’s and daughters to Russian dolls, so poetic when referring to young daughters getting their big break and mother’s living in their shadows- much like the show Gypsy.
Amber’s journey includes many things expected from a wannabe pop star- Star Search, a troubled family with an alcoholic mom, and the failure of the beginning with a girl group. A little too played out at times. From the girl group she meets Gwen, who also begins a solo career very much mirroring a Christina vs Britney vibe. A little too on the nose. The men are all pretty creepy and cringey in this one. Amber and the first love interest are so excruciating to read and awkward, I was prepared to skip all those parts. The story is so much better when focusing on Amber coming into her own and her career.
Even though the story lacks quite a bit of depth, maybe that’s the point in reflecting teen pop in the early 2000s, Amber’s transformation was the real “star” of the book. Even lacking points for me for creativity, this could be a good book for you if drawn to any stories of Hollywood and follow girly pop idols of the 90s and early 2000s.
When Among Crows by Veronica Roth
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
3.75
Not bad, pretty creepy, specifically in the descriptions. Story would have been kore suiting as a novel- I felt a little short changed in the story as a novella
Devil Is Fine by John Vercher
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an early release copy
The beginning opens up Like a letter written to his now deceased son, our protoganist recounts his life as both a father and a son, with interweaving timelines and moments that you leave you feeling, don’t we all just become our parents?
The beginning opens up Like a letter written to his now deceased son, our protoganist recounts his life as both a father and a son, with interweaving timelines and moments that you leave you feeling, don’t we all just become our parents?
A heartfelt and personal story mixing literary with magical realism of a biracial man who inherits what appears to be a plantation from the white grandfather on his mother’s side. We as readers watch the grief over loss of a son start to unravel him and I wish the main character had been written a little more like I wanted to root for.
But it was enjoyable to watch his flashbacks, how he had fathered, or not fathered, his young son before he passed where the honesty became uncomfortable to read. The flashbacks of him fathering his son through the years, particularly after he and his wife separated were the highlights of the story for me. I wish the back of the book hadn’t explained the first half of the book as in the first 100 pages was really the book jacket.
This is a unique story, if at times overly lofty but I encourage readers to pick it up on their own to interpret it as they will.
Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Thirsty by Jas Hammonds
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Can Jas Hammonds write a book a month for me to read? Thanks.
Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
After about half way through, I realized I hadn’t been paying close enough attention and didn’t want to start over. So returned to the library
You Dreamed of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue
Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.
Couldn’t get myself in the right mood for a story that read like a history book and had to go back to the library
Daughter of the Merciful Deep by Leslye Penelope
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Thank you to NetGalley and RedHook books for an early release copy
What a historical journey- if you enjoy taking an adventure into mythology and learning something new, this could be the literary novel for you.
What a historical journey- if you enjoy taking an adventure into mythology and learning something new, this could be the literary novel for you.
Get to know Jane and her family and the detailed written small towns facing destruction as a dam is about to collapse and a flood is about to take their whole town. Little did I know, this was actually based in n true events and I love how the author not only gives a face but heart to a fictional telling of those events. Adding in also a little fantasy with Moses, who rises out of the water with remembrance of someone from her past to guide Jane to find her inner strength or her magic in this tale.
The detail of the fantasy world Grace and Jane stepped into halfway through the story was written very detailed but left me curious why neither character seemed in disbelief to have been in this world. The set up was a little lacking unfortunately. Once stepping into this different world, I was taken out of the current plot and thrown into what felt like an entirely different book. This felt almost unnecessary to the story. The story took a pretty religious turn and how to pulled me out of the story had been enjoying, almost like it didn’t belong were it was inserted. Overall, great writing and storytelling, very sad. Just wished it hadn’t pulled in so much Christian mythology