sshelbyreadss's reviews
476 reviews

This was so fun. I read this book in about a day and while it was peak millennial in its pop culture references and phrases, it worked for me instead of taking me out of the story. 

I forgive Alexandria for naming her FMC Truly, now that I know the names origin, but the theater references went a little too hard for me 😂

I loved the spice in this book and how Colin basically worshiped at the alter of Truky. Their relationship was so sweet and he was so steadfast and patient in the midst of the turmoil she was going through. Don’t we all want a partner like that to rely on!? 

I wasn’t crazy about the parent trap situation—and it would have loved to have the parents explain themselves and their separation a little more. Especially with it being a major factor in the plot. 

Initial thoughts. Coming back to edit. 

This was good but I felt like there were three different focuses: opal and her character, the sentient house, and the local legend and mythology. 

The first chunk of the book is about opal and sets the stage for her meeting the sentient house. 

Next is the house and the world building surrounding it. Last is the local legend. 

These three things could have been woven together a bit more tightly, but instead felt more separate. 

I wish the the storybook that was an important part of the local legend was threaded through the stores more consistently. A couple great examples of this are One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig and The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert. The books and songs are referenced and repeated from the start so that when we get to the final reveal it feels complete. 

Here the book was referenced once in the beginning and then ends up being pivotal in the plot resolution which felt like a twist. It made sense, but also felt disruptive. 

And the house, this great character that’s built up for a third of the book is not really involved in the resolution? Sad! I mean the book is titled Starling House!

Overall, I loved our characters: opal, Arthur, and the house! But I wasn’t crazy about the resolution. 

DNF @ 37% 

This is slow. And I thought based on the synopsis that this would be more of a historical romance and the vibes are feeling more just historical fiction. Between that and the pace, I’m just not committed enough to finish. 

This was incredible. The story, the characters, the illustrations! I loved everything about this. 

This was so fun! I love Ocean and I love Phoenix’s band of criminals. I also love the torture of a will-they-or-won’t-they. 

Space- geopolitics- and romance!? So so fun! Loved this story and characters and hope we get to see more of them. 

This story was so gripping and powerful. I was on the edge of my seat during the climax and about had to pull my car over while listening. The number of times I was clutching my chest and holding my breath with hope! Dear god!

DNF for now at page 147. I really loved the first couple stories but some of these ones in the middle are weird as hell and not in a way that’s capturing my interest. 

This one was just okay for me.