readingduckling's reviews
144 reviews

I bought this book for two reasons. First of all, because it is a tinitiny hardcover edition about half as tall and long as the original version.  And second of all, i read this book when it was first released and loved it back than (i think I was about 16), know back than i would have given it 5 Stars. 
But after reading it now, I sadly must say, it's not that great. And even partially problematic. 
But let's start with some lighter more nit-picky critic points I have of this book. The first thing is something the author could not have for seen, but now it's very distracting, one of the side characters (who is just mentions some times because he died before the story started) is called "Tom Holland". Every time he is mentioned I just think "Oh, Spiderman!" because he is always, always mentioned with his full given name. It was very difficult to read. I know that the real life Tom Holland was not really the world wide known actor he is today but is now really annoying to read. 
 But there was a name the author could have known was not a 100% appropriate  if you want this story to be readable in general. Because the man that is the new Boyfriend of our main characters mother has the last name Spencer, he is a wealthy Londoner his late wife had a place in the britisch succession. And I was wondering the entire book if the connection to Princess Diana was on purpose or if it was just a stupid accident due to bad research. This was something that is just a small thing but it annoyed me and i definitely deducted points for that. But it wasn't the worst thing this book did. 
The last nit-picky thing i have it is the writing style, the writing was generic and not quite exiting I was missing being taken captive by the way the book is written and being emerged in the story. I first wanted to excuse it because it's a middle great/young adult book but I read so many books of that genre, and there were able to pull me right in to the story. So it can't be that. 
But one thing in the writing impressed me, she really knows how to write a man that feels like he was written by a man not a woman. All the seemingly romantic scenes were the love interest said something it always made me gag or audible say "Ewww" and a well written man and relationship never have that effect on me. And i found that so sad, because I am a absolute sucker for romantic scenes/books. 
Then there were the horrible tropes, first of all the early 2000 "I'm ugly because I wear glasses and my hear in my Ponytail and im skinny... But when I open my hair and don't use my glasses I look gorgeous". Furthermore there were plenty of fat phobic parts with parts like; you already have eaten so much, are you sure you want to eat more? And it was presented as completely normal, and it should not be in a book mainly read by teenagers. 
In addition to that the book was filled with "I'm not like other girls...", in the most cliche thing  because it was something what was a pretty normal thing because the ting that makes her sooo special is, that she likes "Dark haired intelligent boys" the kind of boy every teen girl protagonist wants. 
One of the most problematic things in the story was in combination with the "Tattle-Tale Blog" a Website used as a plot device to further the story and ad mystery. In the sentence were the Blog was described it was said, that the anonymous writer of this Blog liked sharing spicy secrets, like outing gay students before they were ready. And that in an english private school with is full with kids with tory parents. So kids that will probably get disowned as soon as the parents find out. (I know britisch conservative people are often not as extreme as american conservative people, but when push comes to shove all conservatives will disown their nonconforming kids). So in the end it's not a spicy secret to share, it can be a death sentence especially in a conservative setting. 
I also have some other smaller points but they are not that important, like the forced cliffhanger at the end. And it had the opposite effect on me because that was the nail in the coffin for me, now i absolutely don't want to buy the other books.
If you are asking now why the 2.25 Stars if I have so many critics of the book there are two points I really like and they absolutely bump up my rating. First of all I just like the physical book because it is so small and cute and i just love it. 
The other thing is that i really love the premise of the book, its so interesting, i would love to read more stories with this theme. But please a better written one. 

I would have never thought I would give a romance book 5 stars but here I am. First of all it wasn't hard to out do the other books I read in the last week's. And second of all the story and writing definitely lives up to the hype. 
Sadly I needed longer than I wanted to, because I had so much going on. But I still managed to read every day so I needed about 7days for 20% of the book and the last about 80% I read in 3 days. And is was always so hard to put that book away. 
It was so nice to read a romance novel with two partners who aren't toxic to each other. And who can communicate in a healthy way, when they have problems. That made the smut scenes even better. 

At first I thought the relationship between Anastasia and her skating partner would be a "we have to forgive the narcissist" relationship. But I was so glad it wasn't. And how the author resolved it That was one of my main reasons I wanted to give the books 5 Stars. 

 
It was a palat cleanser book, and I will definitely read it again, when I need positive vibes. 

Ich bin sehr froh das ich dieses Buch nicht richtig gekauft habe. Sondern Thalia hatte einen Mängelexemplar Sale mit kaufe zwei und bekomme drei. Ich hatte schon zwei gefunden die ich gerne haben wollte und habe das das noch dazu genommen um auf die drei zu kommen. Ich habe mich für diese Buch entschieden, da es in meiner Kindheit viele Kinder gerne gelesen und gehört haben. Aber nach dem ich es gelesen habe frage ich mich echt wieso. 
Mir ist absolut klar, das ich nicht mehr in die Standart Zielgruppe dieses Buches gehöre, da es ein Kinderbuch ist. Aber ich finde ein gutes Kinderbuch gefällt jedem gleich gut unabhängig vom alter. Allein nach dieser Logik ist diese Buch kein gutes Kinderbuch. 
Die Autorin ist weder eine gute Schreiberin noch ist sie sonderlich Fantasiereich oder in der Lage sich spannende Geschichten auszudenken. Was man dem Buch lassen muss ist, dass es super einfach zu versehen und zu folgen ist. Eventuell sogar zu einfach, ich weis hätte ich das während meiner Grundschulzeit gelesen wäre ich mir verarscht vorgekommen und hätte das Gefühl gehabt die Frau hält mich für dumm. Vor allem wenn ich es mit anderen Büchern vergleiche die ich in dieser Zeit gelesen habe wie zum Beispiel die Wilden Hühner. 
Außerdem hat die Frau einen unglaublichen drang sich 1000x zu wiederholen. Sobald sie eine Phrase gefunden hat die ihr gefällt wiederholt sich die im Kapitel und dem danach bis zum erbrechen. Das gleiche gilt für Kapitel Überschriften, jede Überschrift kommt mindestens einmal auch das Satz oder als Satzteil im Kapitel vor. Und ich frage mich wieso? Was denkt sich die Frau dabei? Es ist so unpassend und stört den Lesefluss. 
Auch der Plot und das World building ist echt nicht lesenswert. Erstens ist störend das die Person die man als Hauptperson vermuten könnte definitiv nicht die Hauptperson ist. Ich persönlich bin der Meinung wenn ein Charakter auf dem Cover als Titel seht sollte er auch der Hauptcharakter sein.  Aber der Kleine Vampir ist halt definitiv nicht der Hauptcharakter dafür taucht er viel zu wenig vor. Der Hauptcharakter ist ganz eindeutig der kleine Junge der so Vampir besessen ist. 
Nun zu den Eltern des Hauptcharakters. Sie sind absolut schlechte Eltern, ich würde sogar behaupten sie sind die schlechtesten Eltern, die man sein kann ohne richtig Abusive zu sein (mental/körperlich). Also erst mal scheinen sie absolut kein Interesse an ihrem Kind zu haben. Wenn das Kind unglücklich ist schicken sie auf sein Zimmer. Und als das Thema des gemeinsamen Urlaubs aufkommt ist Anton (der Junge) sich sicher das er die zweite Geige spielen wird und seine Eltern vollständig mit einander beschäftigt sein werden, was darauf schließen lässt, dass das in deren Haushalt die Regel ist. Denn das ist nicht der erste Gedanke eines Kindes welches eine gute Beziehung zu seinen Eltern hat. 
Zu dem ist unser Hauptcharakter Anton besessen von Vampiren, man könnte sagen er hat einen Hyperfocus auf diese besonderen Fabelwesen. Was seine Eltern scheinbar verstörend finden. Aber anstatt sich mal mit ihrem Sohn zusammen zusetzen sagen sie nur wie verstört sie von seinem Hobby sind und reden mit ihrem Psychiater darüber. Das ist einfach nur dumm, anstatt zu versuchen ihr Kind zu versehe sind sie besessen von sich selber. Würden sie sich mal mit ihrem Kind beschäftigen wäre Antons Obsession eventuell gar nicht so groß oder zumindest für die Eltern nicht mehr so verstörend. Und Anton hätte nicht mehr das Bedürfnis mit seinem Hobby gegen seine Eltern zu rebellieren. 

Aber leider scheinen die Eltern generell nicht in der Lage zu sein Verantwortung zu übernehmen. Denn als sie auf anraten ihres Psychologen mit Anton in der Wildnis Campen gehen wollen Springt nicht nur die Mutter auf den letzten Drücker noch ab. Nein der Vater verlässt sich (ohne es vorher zu erwähnen) darauf das Anton das Buch darüber mitnimmt wie man in der Wildnis Campt und überlebt, hat selber anscheinend nicht den Blassesten Schimmer davon wie das funktioniert. Zu dem ist der Vater selber unvorsichtig  wie ein Kind wo durch er sich selber in Lebensgefahr bringt.

Ich persönlich finde das dieses Buch eines ist, welches gerne aussterben kann zusammen mit der gesamten Buchreihe. Zu dem hoffe ich, dass dieses Buch niemals einem Kind in die Hand gegeben wird. 

THIS REVIW CONTAINS SPOILERS EVERY WERE
I was so glad, that I finally finished this book. It was so difficult to end this book and it almost put me in to a reading slump, because it was so boring. And in general this book did not provoke any kind of positiv emotion. Mostly this book gave me the ick. 
What I think is very important to mention is that I really want to like the twisted tales books and there are some that I really enjoy. Like for example the snow withe and the frozen one. 
But let's start with my main critic point the "What if...." prompt is wrong! The prompt that is written on the cover of the book is: "What if the Sleeping Beauty never woke up?"

But she wakes up! Sure the main part of the Story happens in a Dreamworld of Aurora and apparently in the world a long time passes. But stilly she woke up. And if you look at the time in the world were Aurora is sleeping she wakes up after one day! Thats not never wakes up! The correct prompt would have bin: " What if the princes kiss didn't break the curse?" What is so difficult about using the correct prompt.

Liz Braswell is also not a very good author. She very often utilizes telling the audience whats happening, instead oft "Showing". What makes the book not very fun to read. She often utilizes a story telling style that feels like list making. 
I also hated how Aurora was presented, because it always gave the vibe of "dumb blonde" even thou in her signature "telling" writing style she made clear that the opposite thing was the goal. Because oft sentences like "But I'm not just a dumb princess" (loosely quoted). But she never was able to see throu any evil plot or trap maleficent had in store for her. She always needed someone to help her. 

In this book where so many very very pointless death. For maleficent to keep control over Auroras dream she needs to kill people in the dream and when they are killed in the dream they also die in real life. But the death are so meh it didn't make me feel any emotions not even when the king and queen were killed by her.

But there was one fun easter egg in the book from the movie. It was the drunk minstrel who was in the movie in the scene were two kings dring wine together. 
But still most of the text felt like gab fillers and like you could take it or leave it. And if you would have cut them all maybe it would have bin a passable read. But it also would be not even a half as long book. 

Because I enjoyed that book so little I hat a very difficult  reading it and I think with out the Storygraph streak feature I would have started a serious reading slump with this book just like last year with the Drath Plagueis book. 

I started reading this book, because of booktok. I thought it sounded really interesting to read, and I still think if you are in the right headspace and stable mental health wise you should try to read it. 
But as someone with depression and anxiety it's not the best book. It made me experience panic attacks and made my overall mental health worse when I read the book. 
Maybe I'll revisit this book when my mental health gets better. 

Well I didn't expected much, I read the other one and it still didn't meet the expectations. This book is also misogynistic und has horrible and sexist illustration. But at least I didn't hate all of them I liked one. 
It's really shocking to think about that the guy got money for that and is a professor.
If you on trust the epilogue he wrote the book because a friend told him to I'm a 100% sure she just didn't want to listen to his crap anymore. 

All in all is a horrible book and no one should read it. 

This book was the last one of the Padme book series I have read. But in my opinion it was one of the best Star wars books. The book was existing and mostly very fun to read. There were some parts were I was a bit bored but not to much. The book made me feel all the feelings. I was quite impressed how good the book fit in to the timeline of the movies. I rewatched the first episode to compare and I can not complain. 
Mrs Johnson managed to describe the first grownup relationships very good. And how hard it can bee for teenagers to develop them especially when there is a special situation and power imbalance involved. 
I also liked that there was a little bit of shuttle queer representation in this book. Even some relationships that get deeper and more intense/grownup in the other books. 
The book also talked about menstruations and did it quite well it didn't feel forced and award it just was normal. Sure it once lead to one or two strange situations but it just felt right. 

What I especially loved about this book was the connection that was drawn between Padmé and Princess Leia. In the Prologue and the epilogue with the girl in the white dress.
A real nice book I definitely recommend it. 

This was one of my very rare rereads. The first time I read it when the movie first came out because our class wanted to see the movie in cinema and I like to read a book before I watch the movie. Now I'm reading it is because tiktok made me want to read them again. When I first read the book years ago I thought this book would be stupid but I loved it sooo much and it's still amazing. 
When I first read the book the main draw of the book was the Lovestory between Katniss and Peeta and I still love this part of the book (I a sucker for almost all lovestorys) but now reading it again, the main focus of the book shifted for me, now it was the political situations. And the parallels to politics and happenings around the world to day. It's quite shocking. 

I think Suzanne Collins is an amazing writer and I know that I will buy the new book of her "the ballad of songbirds and snakes" I know it's supposed to get a movie in the near futur and I want to read it before the movie comes out. 

This book was almost a reread. But I never read it my self (my mom read it to me when I was younger) and I completely forgot what happened in this book. I cloud just remember about two plot points and they were very minimal: like that I knew, that the main people in this book were a boy and a girl.
I enjoyed reading this book but it was not an amazing experience. It was fast paced and easy to read. I think this book fits with the other Narnia books. But in the end the book didn't sweeped me of my feet or made me feel or think as much as other books I read this year. 
It was ok but it was just ok. But that didn't surprise me because I know even back in the day it wasn't m favourite Narnia story. 
The illustrations were nice, even though they were quite simple.

This book is more than bad. It's objectifying, gross and misogynistic. I know the author thinks he shows his love for women and different places in this book. But he doesn't! Every word and phraseses in this book show that he views women a just accessories and pretty trinkets to look at and maybe collect.
Not even his writing style good in anyway. He sound like a mix of a teenager who just discovered his sexualities and an incel in or after his midlife crisis. 
The illustrations in the book are equally as bad. Bad quality and objetifing women. 
I'm glad I didn't pay any money for this book. I read it because my mother in law asked me to, and to summarise it for her because she doesn't have the patience to read it. She wanted to know how the book was because she knows the author personally. 

I recommend to just not read this book.