omnombailey's reviews
95 reviews

 
This was what I wanted the book Fangirl to be like - a good balance between fandom and real life. It was a refreshing read, surprising me when I thought some points would turn out to be predictable. And while I'm not a fan of miscommunication as drama, Eliza's need for anonymity along with her struggles to connect with her family were genuine. I loved watching Eliza evolve as an individual struggling with some serious mental health problems and come into her own healthy habits. Some things did make me raise an eyebrow, like how absolutely clueless her parents were about the success of her webcomic. I know they opened a bank account for her, but like... really? The new computer, tablet, software, and all of that wasn't a hint? Geez, if had all of that at her age, my mom would have been hounding me as to how much all of it cost and where I got the money to pay for it. Her parents' obliviousness might have made sense set in the early 2000s, but for a modern story? Not so much. Thankfully, those details weren't the central focus of the story, but it was annoying nonetheless. 

 My mom, who I rarely am ever on the same wavelength with book-wise, bought this for me. She said she loved it and wanted to share it with me. I didn't even read the summary; I just read it.

And I am so glad I did.

It's been so long since I lost myself in a good book. The poetic prose hooked me immediately with the nature imagery. I loved and related with Kya so much. I loved how the narrative bounced back and forth between present and past. I SCREAMED during that last chapter with that final reveal, because even though I assumed it halfway through the book, there was something cathartic about basking in said reveal.

Everything felt alive. I laughed, I panicked, I cried. Even when sections were predictable, I continued to second guess what I thought I knew. That uncertainty kept me turning the pages.

Yeah, there were a few hiccups. Like some of the details that should have been pointed out earlier don't come up until later or vice versa. The dialogue felt stilted now and then. But aside from that? The whimsical elements made me excited to read and see what happened next. It was like a blend of Fried Green Tomatoes and Beasts of the Southern Wild. I absolutely adore this book. 

I love bleak post-apocalypse stories and I came into this wanting exactly that. For the most part, it delivered, but I couldn't bring myself to say I actually liked this book. There were some enjoyable parts, but it wasn't enough for me to ignore the abysmal writing style and random narrative.

I didn't care for any of the characters, especially Bangley. There's a sad attempt at making him sympathetic, but it boils down to, "Cool story, you're still an asshole." I also had a hard time believing

that Cima was the first woman Hig had seen in NINE YEARS. At least that's what he makes it seem like. That whole side plot with Cima was painful to read and came across as creepy than it ever did as romantic. No sex scene should ever be described as a school of fish or whatever that line was.

The summary of the book makes it sound like the communication from the plane's radio is a huge central thing and... it's not. It gets mentioned at about 15% into the book and maybe brought up again once or twice and then Hig wants to fly out there and

gets distracted by PRETTY LADY for legit 30% of the book

and then he eventually gets there and it's like... what the hell did you expect? I wish it was made more of a deal or at least make it sound as important as the book summary does. It felt like an afterthought.

The writing got in the way more often than not. Sometimes I liked style, but most of the time it made it difficult to tell what was going on and who was saying what. I get what it was trying to do, but it didn't made for a fun or interesting read.

But there were some moments where it was interesting, like any of the flashbacks or imagery in the forest or even the last 15% was pretty solid and I couldn't put it down. But you can't stitch all those sort of good moments to make up a story. Overall, I didn't hate reading this, but I also wouldn't call it a good book or ever recommend it to anyone I know. 

 Well, this was the most overrated book I've read in some time.

The summary is beyond promising. I'm all for retellings of fairy tales, even more so when you toss it into a setting that's completely different from the source material. And I saw endless praise for this, so I at least needed to give it a shot.

If the fact that my reading history of it spanning from October 2016 to January 2019 isn't indicative of my feelings towards this book, then... well, I guess stick around for this review.

I was bored from the beginning. There was so much potential to dive into worldbuilding or themes of "what does it mean to be human" or anything... and we got nothing. There's a quick mention of New Beijing being a mix of cultures in the beginning and... that's it. I couldn't tell you what the city looked like. Or anything that actually made it feel like it was in East Asia. Hell, I found more random references that nodded towards Japanese culture than I did for Chinese. Yes, I get it, it's supposed to be a blend of cultures, but when the only "blending" I'm seeing is one culture over another, especially when said culture isn't even where the story takes place, it comes off more like lazy writing and research than anything deeper than that. Seriously, a ten-second Google search can do wonders.

Also wow, you really had to make Cinder the special snowflake and not let her be Asian. While surrounded by Asians. Cool. Real original.

And all the themes which make cyborgs interesting are absent throughout this story. Cyborgs are "lesser" in comparison to humans and we as readers are reminded that multiple times... but why? I found myself asking that for various topics. There's something to be said about a sense of mystery and not revealing everything at once, but things that seemed common knowledge to the characters was just never explained. The cyborgs, the Lunars... I get that it's a series and this will probably all get explained down the road, but wow, give us a clue maybe? The moon having some evil queen who brainwashes her people isn't enough for me to buy into all of that.

The characters were ok, I guess. I didn't love any of them, nor did I care for the canned, typical young adult romance. Cinder had her salty moments, which I loved. Her wicked stepmother was an amazing antagonist and you just wanted to smack her. Queen Levana belonged in a Saturday morning cartoon. Kai was... eh. Not memorable. Which seems to be par for the course. I did, however, enjoy the interactions with the characters. There was some solid writing whenever there were moments of introspection. But the characters on their own? Not so much.

And the story wasn't terrible, outside of the bare-bones (even that's putting it nicely) worldbuilding. It followed the tale of Cinderella though wasn't overly predictable. It was slow in the beginning, picked up a bit, got boring in the middle again, and since Queen Levana showed up, I wasn't able to put it down. And then everything at the ball happened and... wow, it didn't unravel the way I thought it did, which is good, but how it did unfold was borderline cringe-worthy. And then it slammed on the brakes and gave me serious mental whiplash with how abruptly it ends. Like really? That's where you stop? I'm all for cliffhangers, but with everything that happened in the last 5% of the book, that... didn't seem like the place to stop it. Though at least the one obvious plot point since the beginning was revealed before the book ended. That was like ripping off a bandage.

I doubt I'm going to read the rest of the series. I just don't care enough about the characters to get any more invested than I already am. The writing's good, but the structure of the story and world leaves little to be desired. 

Yikes, what a garbage book.

I will admit that I am not the intended audience for this story, which (if I had to guess) is meant for middle-aged straight cis women. The book is covered in casual instances of sexism and heteronormativity, from a big ol' manly man constantly telling the main character what to do, sometimes with "woman" added at the end (because that's hot???) to said main character preaching about being a virgin and holding out for true love,

even to the point of not inserting her vibrator into her vagina..... AND YET WHEN THE LOVE INTEREST GOES DOWN ON HER AND FINGERS THE FUCK OUT OF HER, THAT WASN'T SEX AT ALL?????

I honestly questioned if the author ever had sex, which is completely fine either way, but mentions of

this guy's dick slamming into her cervix AS PLEASURABLE made me want to vomit.

Combined with the rushed pacing, inconsistent characterization, questionable plot, and vague as hell worldbuilding, this was legitimately awful. But I guess I shouldn't expect much thought in a story where a supposedly 23-year-old girl talks more like a lonely housewife and calls her boobs "beamers" and sex "the horizontal mambo" along with dressing like the Google image search result of "sexy school girl costume".

Please do yourself a solid and don't read this book. If you want to read filthy sex, go find some PWP smut on AO3. Trust me - it's better.

 This would be five stars if it wasn't for the last 20% of the book.

I picked this up because I wanted to read something about long-distance communication. I also had this recommended after reading Fangirl. And I was immediately hooked, too. I'm not one for epistolary stories, but it made sense. It reminded me of the friendships I've made via fandom. I was able to relate with both of the characters for completely different reasons and I loved that.

And then you get to That Part of the book and I just couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to keep enjoying it. Had I not been so far into the book, I would have stopped reading it.

Honestly, the incident itself took me off guard, which was delightful, because I love being able to read something and have the story surprise me. But then I had too many questions circulating the event. The utter disregard to how hospitals and mental health work together and on their own was baffling. I can't imagine what happened in the book to actually happen in real life.

Some people complained about Gena's poetry towards the end. I actually loved it, but then again, I grew up writing a lot of poetry similar to hers, so it made a lot of sense to me. What didn't make sense, however, was what the hell happened to Gena and Finn's relationship after That Part of the book. I feel like there was a scene or twenty missing in between all of that and the final scene.

Are things better? Are they not? Are they magically in some awkward and possibly unhealthy poly thing with Charlie?

I don't know. The book is never explicit about it and while I appreciate some things being left to my imagination, the fact none of this is addressed just pissed me off.

And that's the other thing. Apparently, this book is tagged as a LGBTQ+ book. I didn't realize that until after I read it and I would never call it that. Yeah, there are moments when Gena and Finn say they love each other, but it felt no different from the strong platonic love I have for some of my close fandom friends. It never felt like there was any romance or even sexual attraction. They were just really good friends. Friends can say "I love you." That's ok. I got zero vibes between them outside of that. Maybe if there was more shown than just text messages and journal posts, it would have been evident, but in its current state, the book isn't a LGBTQ+ story imo.

I still thoroughly enjoyed reading this. It was a quick read and I was attached immediately, only to be super turned off by the third part of the story. I feel like this did a better job at diving into fandom than Fangirl did by a long stretch and if it wasn't for the last part of the book, this would have a much higher rating. 

 So we made it. The final book in this series. Or at least the final chapter in Meg's story, considering Anne Bishop is doing some side stories in this same universe. I've had mixed feelings about this series as a whole. The first book was stellar, but it was all mediocre at best after that. There were some characters I absolutely adored and loved the overall interactions. And then there were others who were more like glorified cardboard cutouts than actual individuals.

I had high hopes with this book after what happened in the previous book, though I feel like most of it was forgotten. The Elders more or less massacred a shit ton of humans. That's horrifying. And yet it feels less post-apocalyptic and more like it actually wasn't that big of a deal. I thought there would have been more rebuilding or something, but nope, just going back to work like it's any other day. Hell, even the college is apparently still functional like no big deal. It just felt out of place considering how grave the situation was previously.

And I wish Anne Bishop would just stop with the constant reminders of who is who and what happened three books about when you are literally almost halfway through the damn book. Yes. We get it. We wouldn't have come this far into the series without this information. We don't need it beaten into our heads.

I have mixed feelings about the overall plot of this book, if we even want to call it that. It did feel fluffier than some of the previous books and some of the slice of life moments were fun, but I could have lived without this book existing. It didn't add anything to Meg and Simon's story; if anything, it was a shallow attempt at tossing both into danger in hopes to bring them closer. And I like stories like that, but again, considering what happened in the previous book, this just felt like it wasn't even trying. The constant reminder of the food shortages was like a migraine that wouldn't go away. The drama with Monty's family was interesting (and I especially love Twlya), though I couldn't help but feel like Jimmy was a bad, one-dimensional caricature of The Black Thug. Also everything with the Elders wanting to keep him around? That... felt so stupid. I didn't buy that one bit. Like the whole scenario painted the Elders to be way stupider than they what they were initially depicted as.

Also what the hell was up with introducing characters and then doing nothing with them? I wanted to know more about Jana. Or the Intuit who showed up in the Courtyard. Or the potential courtship that was hinted at for Nyx from the previous book. But nope, gotta focus on Meg and Simon, who I lost interest in two books ago. I know a lot of people were upset with how their relationship wrapped up, but I thought it was perfect. Leave it to the imagination and move on.

I still gobbled this up, though. For as shallow and sometimes forced as the drama was, it had me hooked. I had a hard time putting this book down once Jimmy showed up. I loved everything with the Crowgard, per usual, and Nyx and Tess being badass together are forever the highlights for me in each installment of the Others. I hope they get their own spin-off novel together. Honestly, I was way more interested in seeing those two kiss than Meg and Simon.

This book was simultaneously disappointing, but fun. It's like a snack that doesn't fill you up when you're hungry, but it's tasty enough and will hold you over until you find something more satisfying. 

 Ho boy, where do I even begin with this.

I had a massive love/hate relationship with this book for a variety of reasons. I picked it up during a sale and the summary of two ladies falling in love enticed me, plus the reviews looked good. I hated this book initially. It wasn't until the halfway point in the story that I gained interest again, only to have the abrupt, rushed ending tick me off. So let me focus on the bits I did like before I start yelling at clouds.

I really enjoyed Wyck as a character. I related with most of her sentiments and I was more or less rooting for her well-being the entire story. The scene with her in the forest at night was hands down the best part of the whole book. Sadly, I didn't feel like she had much in terms of character development. Sure, after one particular incident in the book, she has some trauma, but once she gets over that, she's back to how she usually is.

I also loved the narrative

once Wyck and Margaret were separated by distance. They both were able to focus on themselves and heal, Margaret way more so than Wyck. I had a hard time putting this book down during that part of the story due to how engaging it was. Muriel was also stellar, as was Michaela. Both of them stole the show each time they appeared.

...and that's kind of it in terms of what I enjoyed.

The first half of this story is torture. And not like a good torture that you'd get out of a slow burn romance, but just painful to read. It would be awesome if there could be a LGBTQ+ romance without all the angst and Tragic Backstory tied to one's sexual identity. It makes more sense from Margaret's end, considering she's older and grew up with not that open-minded of a family (though her badass mom did come around, so kudos to her), but Wyck's from New England? And in her 30s? And this book isn't that old timeline-wise? I had a really hard time believing that as someone who is also from New England, queer, and in their 30s. And I get it. That shit happens, unfortunately and it's awful, but it felt way less about a romance and more about the two of them (ok, again, Margaret more so than Wyck) coming to terms with who they are. I didn't come here for the sap story of why's it is So Hard to like women; I came here for the ladies to smooch and be lovey-dovey together and... yeah, didn't get that. Hell, I was even game for most of the story being about how they can't be together due to

Gavin being around, but then he dies halfway through and then... they don't... get together??? Margaret is too damn worried about, oh no, the house, and oh no, my job... and it's like, bitch, just shut up and move in with your cute new girlfriend? Fuck the horrible place you work at that has never appreciated your work? Fuck your even shittier "family" for pulling all that crazy bullshit? WHY IS THIS SO HARD TO COMPREHEND YOU'RE THE ADULTIER ADULT IN THIS SCENARIO WOW.

And Tragic Backstories aside, I just... didn't care for them as a couple. Like I just wanted Wyck to flip off Margaret and go do her own thing, maybe with finding someone else along the way. Wyck deserved better. Like SO MUCH BETTER. Every time they kissed, I was going, "But why?" Even when they

banged before Margaret headed out

, I was just sighing and rolling my eyes.

Also, WOW, how hard is it to write a LGBTQ+ story without making said queer characters out to be Bad People. Legit, the two gay guys are 1) an absolute asshole (who semi redeems himself, but the transition into that was bumpy at best) who is a shitty friend to Margaret until the plot requires him to come out of nowhere and save her and also is

forced out of his job for getting arrested for having sex with a dude in a public bathroom

and 2) an actual pedophile who was released from jail and is violently attacked when Dickbag McDickface tips of a local newspaper that he's out and about. Aside from the fact I had zero sympathy for either of them the entire story, it would have been nice, for a change of pace, if the only gay guys in the book weren't painted as such disgusting individuals. Geez, even when Wyck was trying to reason with herself that David couldn't have been that bad because he had a consensual relationship with one of his teenage students just... nope. I don't even care if these two characters exist, but at least let another gay guy exist in the story who isn't abhorrent so it comes across less like The Gays Be Evil. Hell, even with Muriel's friend, who had her lady lover die without anyone knowing they were together... like really? REALLY??? And don't even get me started on Gavin's backstory (cool story bro, you're still a homophobic asshole, and fuck you Margaret for trying to convince Wyck otherwise). The shit with Margaret and Wyck is already enough of a dose of woe is me. We really didn't need the bonus round of melodrama.

And it's hard, because I understand a lot of this is sadly still present in the LGBTQ+ community. I understand wanting to capture the raw truth of that. But wow, it does not do this story any favors when it ends up painting a picture that makes you wonder if the author even gives a shit about queer individuals.

The only thing worse than that was the writing style. So many people have written reviews stating how lovely the writing was and I can't help but think if I even read the same book as everyone else. Everything felt so stale and stiff and bleh. The pacing is horrible, constantly jumping from place to place without so much as a hint. One chapter could be one month and then it skips to the next season in the following chapter. And half the time I didn't know where the characters were until the next page or so. Everything is going by so fast and I wish the author just SLOWED DOWN and basked in a couple of moments. It felt like there were so many ideas for scenes that needed to be shoved in quickly. The inner monologues were so jarring with how they were implemented. Sometimes thoughts are just italics and make sense, while other times it's an actual in quotes conversation WHILE ALSO IN THE MIDDLE OF ACTUAL DIALOGUE. Literally every chapter has at least one (1) case of, "*insert snarky thing here*," was what she wanted to say, but didn't. Why... why can't that be in italics. She didn't say it. Stop making it look like she said it.

And the telling... dear freaking lord, the telling.... A vast majority of the time, the descriptions are just telling you what someone sees or does or feels. So few times I'm shown how the rain is washing over a window or how the flowers smell in spring or how the characters just want to scream or whatever. It was boring to read. I didn't feel engaged with the characters or the setting or the anything. It came off like sloppy, lazy writing than anything I could lose myself in.

I started this off as three stars, only to realize halfway through my review that I had way too many issues with this book. I did enjoy it, though only for a portion of the book. Even then, the poor writing made it less enjoyable than I wanted it to be. I guess on the plus side, if it wasn't for the bits I honestly enjoyed, this would have been a one-star rating. And even then, I would never recommend this book, especially not to my fellow queer friends. 

 This was a gorgeous book, both in visuals and narrative. I originally sought it out due to looking for more LGBT+ stories, especially with ladies. This definitely scratched that itch. Not only did it have two lovely ladies in love, but there were layers of stories told within that demonstrated all sorts of women. It made for a diverse and deep read. The humor in it mixed with the serious themes was great and I loved how expressive the illustrations were. 

 I don't even know how I finished this book, let alone WHY. This was by far one of the worst books I've read in a long time. I guess there were slivers of plot I found intriguing, but they all dangled on threads, so it was more like watching a twenty car pile up never ending and waiting for it to blow up.

This is the first book in the series and it read more like the second or third. The reader is immediately thrown into this story with no explanation of anything and it's like you're expected to understand everything. The things that need to be explained never are and the things that make sense are rammed into your head to no end. The pacing is extremely choppy. I had to reread way too much to have a clue as to what was going on. I never felt on edge; I had to keep myself from yawning and skimming.

The synopsis of this book is a million times better than the actual plot. I feel like the plot changed five times throughout this story. Not in a "it developed and evolved" type of change, but that it came off as one thing, then derailed, then derailed again, and then again. The magic and supernatural stuff were never fully explained, thus I didn't care for it. There was no excitement or danger with the council or SANCTUS. All the characters are very one note and when try to come off as badass, just fall flat. Sara is a boring protagonist and I did not care about any of the "sexy" men coming into her life.

Speaking of that... what the hell was up with that? Who the hell read this book and thought "sexy" was an accurate description? Rapey is way closer than any semblance of sexy. Sara visibly - and sometimes verbally - expresses she wants nothing to do with these guys pursuing her and yet they continue to slam her into walls and kiss her and try to convince her that yes, she wants this. Fucking gag me with a spoon. I did NOT care. And I'd be fine if there were a bunch sexy bits in there that a) made sense and b) were even halfway consensual on both parties, then I'd be so game. But this story can't even decide if it's paranormal romance/erotica or urban fantasy. It's like it constantly gets confused every other chapter and just tries shit out, because why not.

I'm glad this was a free book, because I would have been pissed if I spent money on this. I have no intention of reading the rest of this series. And I love "dark" stories, especially fantasies, but there is zero depth or intrigue in this. There are better dark tales out there. Don't waste your time or money on this.