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yas_sezer's reviews
205 reviews
All In by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
4.0
3.85 stars
- on a positive note, sloane finally got the attention she deserves. this girl needed a lot more screen time and i was very curious about her backstory and we finally learnt heaps more about her. i really care for her, she’s so pure and innocent and she genuinely needs to be protected (ps aaron (‘:, this girl got an ounce of family and hope anddddd it got stolen)
- the casino las vegas environment i ate up. i enjoyed this location the most out of the books thus far and found myself very invested in the mystery. i was getting more confused and was unable to predict much of it like the other books. in saying that, i don’t really know if that’s entirely positive
- we now have a cult in the picture. everything is linking to this cult that exists, lorelai is alive and the pythia? 7 masters, one pythia and nine? can’t say i expected this route and can’t say im loving it. we’ll see if my view changes in bad blood
- on a positive note, sloane finally got the attention she deserves. this girl needed a lot more screen time and i was very curious about her backstory and we finally learnt heaps more about her. i really care for her, she’s so pure and innocent and she genuinely needs to be protected (ps aaron (‘:, this girl got an ounce of family and hope anddddd it got stolen)
- the casino las vegas environment i ate up. i enjoyed this location the most out of the books thus far and found myself very invested in the mystery. i was getting more confused and was unable to predict much of it like the other books. in saying that, i don’t really know if that’s entirely positive
- we now have a cult in the picture. everything is linking to this cult that exists, lorelai is alive and the pythia? 7 masters, one pythia and nine? can’t say i expected this route and can’t say im loving it. we’ll see if my view changes in bad blood
Bad Blood by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
4.0
4 stars
- as i mentioned in ‘all in’ i didn’t really want to go down the cult route and was enjoying the more classic murder mystery storyline, but i tried to ignore that and take it for what it was and really ended up enjoying my time
- we finally learnt more about our lia, even though it was not as much as i expected. i think, amongst all the new characters and connections being made in this book, it was harder to focus on our family as much as the previous books; which is slightly annoying considering lia is just as important.
- our little small town location was a fun one actually. i eat up anything small town related (apparently even cults
- as i mentioned in ‘all in’ i didn’t really want to go down the cult route and was enjoying the more classic murder mystery storyline, but i tried to ignore that and take it for what it was and really ended up enjoying my time
- we finally learnt more about our lia, even though it was not as much as i expected. i think, amongst all the new characters and connections being made in this book, it was harder to focus on our family as much as the previous books; which is slightly annoying considering lia is just as important.
- our little small town location was a fun one actually. i eat up anything small town related (apparently even cults
Twelve by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
3.0
3 stars seems fitting for a short novella, right?
this didnt really add too much to the story for me, and i would have preferred to have left it at bad blood. sometimes we dont have to know everything, we dont need to see exactly where the characters are, we dont need to get MORE. i was satisfied with the ending of bad blood giving the idea that their lives will only continue to grow and change - we didnt need a novella to show it.
in saying this, it is very rare for me NOT to need to know everything there is to know about everything - but that is why i am kinda disappointed this novella exists. of course i was going to read it, i must. but what did i gain?
i guess it was nice to see a little bit of everyone at 12 years old, get an extra insight into what we already knew. seeing where they were at when they were the same age as mackenzie was a cute idea. but thats about where my feelings for it end.
the entire plot felt like something we just needed to have goin on in the background just so we could get the "12 years old" timelines. it felt rushed and meaningless really. the characters didnt even feel like themselves while they were trying to solve the case. ive been blocking it out of my memory. do not taint these characters for me.
overall, meh. didnt love, didnt hate, didnt like, didnt not like. just meh. its there, its not bad, its not great. if youre like me and need to know everything, then read it, but theres not really too much to gain here.
this didnt really add too much to the story for me, and i would have preferred to have left it at bad blood. sometimes we dont have to know everything, we dont need to see exactly where the characters are, we dont need to get MORE. i was satisfied with the ending of bad blood giving the idea that their lives will only continue to grow and change - we didnt need a novella to show it.
in saying this, it is very rare for me NOT to need to know everything there is to know about everything - but that is why i am kinda disappointed this novella exists. of course i was going to read it, i must. but what did i gain?
i guess it was nice to see a little bit of everyone at 12 years old, get an extra insight into what we already knew. seeing where they were at when they were the same age as mackenzie was a cute idea. but thats about where my feelings for it end.
the entire plot felt like something we just needed to have goin on in the background just so we could get the "12 years old" timelines. it felt rushed and meaningless really. the characters didnt even feel like themselves while they were trying to solve the case. ive been blocking it out of my memory. do not taint these characters for me.
overall, meh. didnt love, didnt hate, didnt like, didnt not like. just meh. its there, its not bad, its not great. if youre like me and need to know everything, then read it, but theres not really too much to gain here.
Tithe by Holly Black
2.0
2 stars.
well, aint that a rating we did not expect to see given that the folk of the air is a 5 stars series to me.
i will note that i realised later on that these this book came out in 2002. much earlier than the cruel prince. miss holly black you have improved your writing and storytelling ill say that much.
the entire time i was questioning what in the world i was reading. what actually happened. what was the plot? even now, i couldnt tell you and ive let this sit with me for a minuteee. one second we are trying to conceal our peeling green skin, the next we are getting our ass kissed in a diner by a faerie bc we asked for it. then the next, we are trapped in an underground faerie world where tiny pixies are being crushed and slurped up. i dont even know.
it had the elements of a fantasy thati would normally like but just did not execute them to my personal preference. we had friendship dynamics with their issues and peaks, difficult topics like SA, familial issues, rival kingdoms, shadow vs light, powerful fae whipped for us. but nah. it didnt work. i tried to appreciate these topics and themes as i was reading, but found myself getting over it.
it is a "modern faerie tale", so i also tried to just take it for what it is meant to be, but it doesnt even have a fairy tale atmosphere or vibe to it at all. the storytelling doesnt feel nostalgic or magical or even fast-paced. i feel like each moral fell flt, it just doesnt work.
in saying this, i will continue the rest in this mini series, but it seems i will only be doing so to complete the whole backstory. this isnt something i would really recommend. if you can go without needing to know everything, i would skip this.
the cruel prince tho... that series has my whole heart. cardan imy.
well, aint that a rating we did not expect to see given that the folk of the air is a 5 stars series to me.
i will note that i realised later on that these this book came out in 2002. much earlier than the cruel prince. miss holly black you have improved your writing and storytelling ill say that much.
the entire time i was questioning what in the world i was reading. what actually happened. what was the plot? even now, i couldnt tell you and ive let this sit with me for a minuteee. one second we are trying to conceal our peeling green skin, the next we are getting our ass kissed in a diner by a faerie bc we asked for it. then the next, we are trapped in an underground faerie world where tiny pixies are being crushed and slurped up. i dont even know.
it had the elements of a fantasy thati would normally like but just did not execute them to my personal preference. we had friendship dynamics with their issues and peaks, difficult topics like SA, familial issues, rival kingdoms, shadow vs light, powerful fae whipped for us. but nah. it didnt work. i tried to appreciate these topics and themes as i was reading, but found myself getting over it.
it is a "modern faerie tale", so i also tried to just take it for what it is meant to be, but it doesnt even have a fairy tale atmosphere or vibe to it at all. the storytelling doesnt feel nostalgic or magical or even fast-paced. i feel like each moral fell flt, it just doesnt work.
in saying this, i will continue the rest in this mini series, but it seems i will only be doing so to complete the whole backstory. this isnt something i would really recommend. if you can go without needing to know everything, i would skip this.
the cruel prince tho... that series has my whole heart. cardan imy.
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
4.5
4.5 stars - kicking my feet, giggling, but also why am i crying?
i was not surprised when i found myself really enjoying this right from the beginning - ive read 3 of abbys books so far and all have been a hit.
- i really connected to our main characters emma and justin. as usual, there are some serious topics explored alongside their romance. their hurdles are real hurdles, not just "i love him but refuse to tell him haha now we havent spoken in 10 years how did this happen". no, theres none of that. emma dealing with PTSD and trauma and emotional abuse from her mum, but also justin trying to balance a whole new life that gets thrown on him consisting of raising 3 kids for 6 years! safe to say i was invested.
- maddy is such a great friend. i really resonated with her anger and tough love mentality when it came to emma, particularly in relation to amber (ugh). she is the constant support for her, is her sister no doubt, but seeing her exhaustion is important too. its difficult to see someone you love repeat the same mistakes over and over because they are so blinded by the manipulation or simply just in denial. despite that difficulty, i respected that she never gave up on her, gave justin guidance on how to support emma, and always showed up even when everything was pushing her not to. mad respect for maddy.
- amber is a whole shit show, and unfortunately people like her really exist haha how fun. the toxicity, manipulation, gaslighting, rejection of help, the lies- there is nothing this woman has that can justify her actions or give a reason for emma to keep her around honestly. i did feel sorry for her at the beginning, but then as i read on i just couldnt do it anymore. i emotionally disconnected from her and then that was it for me. i couldnt wait till she was gone.
- i was not expecting the family history plotline to come back and especially not in that much detail, but i am glad it did. daniel is emmas half brother?? she has an entire family with nieces, aunts, cousins, sister-in law, she had grandparents she missed out on all because her mum lied for SELFISH reasons. i dont know why i didnt connect the dots between daniels story and emmas, but i was jaw on the floor when we found out about the relation. i also liked that emma went to live with them for 6 months while she actively worked on healing and becoming a better person, not only for herself, but for justin.
- i loved the actual relationship. justin is a bundle of sunshine and i instantly connected with his character. the banter, the sexual tension, the open and honest communication, the vulnerability, the SHOWING UP - i ate it all up thank you. even the tiny bit of smut we get feels so emotionally driven. i did shed many tears purely because of how nice he is and how he loves her
i was not surprised when i found myself really enjoying this right from the beginning - ive read 3 of abbys books so far and all have been a hit.
- i really connected to our main characters emma and justin. as usual, there are some serious topics explored alongside their romance. their hurdles are real hurdles, not just "i love him but refuse to tell him haha now we havent spoken in 10 years how did this happen". no, theres none of that. emma dealing with PTSD and trauma and emotional abuse from her mum, but also justin trying to balance a whole new life that gets thrown on him consisting of raising 3 kids for 6 years! safe to say i was invested.
- maddy is such a great friend. i really resonated with her anger and tough love mentality when it came to emma, particularly in relation to amber (ugh). she is the constant support for her, is her sister no doubt, but seeing her exhaustion is important too. its difficult to see someone you love repeat the same mistakes over and over because they are so blinded by the manipulation or simply just in denial. despite that difficulty, i respected that she never gave up on her, gave justin guidance on how to support emma, and always showed up even when everything was pushing her not to. mad respect for maddy.
- amber is a whole shit show, and unfortunately people like her really exist haha how fun. the toxicity, manipulation, gaslighting, rejection of help, the lies- there is nothing this woman has that can justify her actions or give a reason for emma to keep her around honestly. i did feel sorry for her at the beginning, but then as i read on i just couldnt do it anymore. i emotionally disconnected from her and then that was it for me. i couldnt wait till she was gone.
- i was not expecting the family history plotline to come back and especially not in that much detail, but i am glad it did. daniel is emmas half brother?? she has an entire family with nieces, aunts, cousins, sister-in law, she had grandparents she missed out on all because her mum lied for SELFISH reasons. i dont know why i didnt connect the dots between daniels story and emmas, but i was jaw on the floor when we found out about the relation. i also liked that emma went to live with them for 6 months while she actively worked on healing and becoming a better person, not only for herself, but for justin.
- i loved the actual relationship. justin is a bundle of sunshine and i instantly connected with his character. the banter, the sexual tension, the open and honest communication, the vulnerability, the SHOWING UP - i ate it all up thank you. even the tiny bit of smut we get feels so emotionally driven. i did shed many tears purely because of how nice he is and how he loves her
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
3.75
well well well, here we are. eva, i hope you are happy because i read this one for you.
and i had a great time being here. super fast paced despite the long chapters... 3.75 stars.
now i know what youre thinking. 3.75 is not the highest rating in the world BUT do not let that sway your view on how fun this book is. because it is truly a great experience.
i started reading a chapter on my lunch breaks, got to around 50% of the book, then binged the rest in one sitting. do what you will with that information.
this book raises a few BIG questions that got me sitting there questioning my entire existence:
- am i truly happy? what makes me happy?
- what if i didnt make the choices i have made up until now? where would i be?
- am i really grateful for what i have in my life? how much of it flies by without me appreciating it?
quite heavy topics, but going along this journey with jason dessen (<3) was eyeopening and comforting almost. i felt like i was learning with him, and coming to the same realisations as he was. he is a logical, relatively calm-headed, compassionate, loving man. emphasis on loving. i have not read about this type of love maybe ever? this aint even a romance.
INFINITE realities, INFINITE opportunities to start new with someone else, another dani, but no. our jason spent weeks on end looking for OUR dani. because it had to be her. not some other version of her. HER, with all her imperfections and quirks. HER with her mundane regular life which he realised is exactly what he dreams of. its his perfect life. are you kidding me???????????
jason2 coming in and stealing our jasons life was such a shock for me. i did not expect another version of us to be the reason we got in this mess. if anything i expected it to be ryan at the beginning, or another version of leighton. nope, just another version of us who achieved everything in his life in relation to his career and thought "hm, wonder what a family is like, lemme get a taste".
but more than that shock, my heart broke for dani who realised small changes in jason that she couldnt explain, jumping to conclusions like him cheating on her with a young student. there is no way she couldve thought of her jason being yoinked into another universe. i cant imagine her confusion. her realisation at the end that no other jason could ever replace HER jason was heartwarming. unconditional love fr. but also charlie??? 'he is not my father', even he only wants HIS dad. where do i find this type of love.
side note for amanda. girl? i wanted to see her back wdym she just disappears into some alternate reality somewhere. i kinda hoped that the end would be us going into her reality because of jasons subconscious contributing to the reality we open the door to. but nope, we got basically no info.
i was concerned that jason would give up and just go for amanda, and i kept saying that i hope their relationship stays as a friendship, and gets really strong kinda like harry and hermione vibes. well he didnt go for her (woohoo) but also their friendship essentially ended too so i lose.
lets talk about the alternate worlds we went to????? the snow?? the post-apocalyptic world? POOR JASON. first he is stolen from his world, then sees another version of his wife shot in the head, then almost starves/freezes to death in a world where he LOST THE BOX, ANDDD he has to put another dani down bc shes diseased and dying. my god, the trauma this would bring, idk how he would recover. and throughout all this, we dont even know if he is going to find a way home. man
nowww the reason this isnt a 4-5 star for me.
the multiple jasons in our reality? didnt do it for me. hear me out.
personally, i would have found there to be heaps more depth if the conflict was between jason2 and us. i think there couldve been heaps more done with jason2's character since he was the polar opposite to us (science vs family). the main points couldve been achieved with only his character. we didnt need the whole hunt and chase with all of them wanting dani and charlie, it felt messy and pretty random. i couldnt help feeling disappointed when it went down that route instead.
even dani battliing with the concept that all these jasons want her, and she could essentially take her pick. this could have been done without all jasons coming into our reality. if anything, i would have liked to see her battle with dealing with the unknown. finding out theres heaps of jasons out there in other worlds, the curiosity it could spark that maybe SHE could have better, and the potential resentment that couldve built for our jason. i dont know, i wouldve liked to see it go down that route because we watched jason fight till the end to find her, but when it came down to it, would she? couldve been explored without all the jasons.
SIDE SIDE NOTE. them both cheating on each other with alternate versions of the other? damn. i agreed with their perspectives, and was sort of worried with what their views were going to be prior to them discussing it. i found their confessions heartwarming to be honest. we love couples that communicate honestly.
anyway, so my enjoyment started dwindling towards the end with the route it took, and also i did not connect with the characters to my core, which to be fair i didnt expect either. but i would have liked to.
overall, id recommend this for a niche group of people. i dont see this being for everyone, but its worth giving it a shot. im happy i read it for sure.
and i had a great time being here. super fast paced despite the long chapters... 3.75 stars.
now i know what youre thinking. 3.75 is not the highest rating in the world BUT do not let that sway your view on how fun this book is. because it is truly a great experience.
i started reading a chapter on my lunch breaks, got to around 50% of the book, then binged the rest in one sitting. do what you will with that information.
this book raises a few BIG questions that got me sitting there questioning my entire existence:
- am i truly happy? what makes me happy?
- what if i didnt make the choices i have made up until now? where would i be?
- am i really grateful for what i have in my life? how much of it flies by without me appreciating it?
quite heavy topics, but going along this journey with jason dessen (<3) was eyeopening and comforting almost. i felt like i was learning with him, and coming to the same realisations as he was. he is a logical, relatively calm-headed, compassionate, loving man. emphasis on loving. i have not read about this type of love maybe ever? this aint even a romance.
INFINITE realities, INFINITE opportunities to start new with someone else, another dani, but no. our jason spent weeks on end looking for OUR dani. because it had to be her. not some other version of her. HER, with all her imperfections and quirks. HER with her mundane regular life which he realised is exactly what he dreams of. its his perfect life. are you kidding me???????????
jason2 coming in and stealing our jasons life was such a shock for me. i did not expect another version of us to be the reason we got in this mess. if anything i expected it to be ryan at the beginning, or another version of leighton. nope, just another version of us who achieved everything in his life in relation to his career and thought "hm, wonder what a family is like, lemme get a taste".
but more than that shock, my heart broke for dani who realised small changes in jason that she couldnt explain, jumping to conclusions like him cheating on her with a young student. there is no way she couldve thought of her jason being yoinked into another universe. i cant imagine her confusion. her realisation at the end that no other jason could ever replace HER jason was heartwarming. unconditional love fr. but also charlie??? 'he is not my father', even he only wants HIS dad. where do i find this type of love.
side note for amanda. girl? i wanted to see her back wdym she just disappears into some alternate reality somewhere. i kinda hoped that the end would be us going into her reality because of jasons subconscious contributing to the reality we open the door to. but nope, we got basically no info.
i was concerned that jason would give up and just go for amanda, and i kept saying that i hope their relationship stays as a friendship, and gets really strong kinda like harry and hermione vibes. well he didnt go for her (woohoo) but also their friendship essentially ended too so i lose.
lets talk about the alternate worlds we went to????? the snow?? the post-apocalyptic world? POOR JASON. first he is stolen from his world, then sees another version of his wife shot in the head, then almost starves/freezes to death in a world where he LOST THE BOX, ANDDD he has to put another dani down bc shes diseased and dying. my god, the trauma this would bring, idk how he would recover. and throughout all this, we dont even know if he is going to find a way home. man
nowww the reason this isnt a 4-5 star for me.
the multiple jasons in our reality? didnt do it for me. hear me out.
personally, i would have found there to be heaps more depth if the conflict was between jason2 and us. i think there couldve been heaps more done with jason2's character since he was the polar opposite to us (science vs family). the main points couldve been achieved with only his character. we didnt need the whole hunt and chase with all of them wanting dani and charlie, it felt messy and pretty random. i couldnt help feeling disappointed when it went down that route instead.
even dani battliing with the concept that all these jasons want her, and she could essentially take her pick. this could have been done without all jasons coming into our reality. if anything, i would have liked to see her battle with dealing with the unknown. finding out theres heaps of jasons out there in other worlds, the curiosity it could spark that maybe SHE could have better, and the potential resentment that couldve built for our jason. i dont know, i wouldve liked to see it go down that route because we watched jason fight till the end to find her, but when it came down to it, would she? couldve been explored without all the jasons.
SIDE SIDE NOTE. them both cheating on each other with alternate versions of the other? damn. i agreed with their perspectives, and was sort of worried with what their views were going to be prior to them discussing it. i found their confessions heartwarming to be honest. we love couples that communicate honestly.
anyway, so my enjoyment started dwindling towards the end with the route it took, and also i did not connect with the characters to my core, which to be fair i didnt expect either. but i would have liked to.
overall, id recommend this for a niche group of people. i dont see this being for everyone, but its worth giving it a shot. im happy i read it for sure.