Review: The Death of Irish Nell: A Detective Lavender Short Story

The Death of Irish Nell: A Detective Lavender Short Story by Karen Charlton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Note: I received an ARC generously in exchange for an honest review.

Another Note: This is a short prequel to the full length novel The Willow Marsh Murder (releasing Feb 2020) in the Detective Lavender Mystery series. It might be a good idea to start from this one, to get a proper introduction to Lavender and Woods, the duo who try and solve their case with every obstacle within sight of their cases and fight back hard.

Honestly I have to admit that this was a very interesting and intriguing written novel, despite its short length.

The best things about this novel were 1. the fact that there's no wasting time on delving right into the case, with some flashbacks to a previous murder (which link, duhh).

2. The writing is fast-paced and kept me turning pages with intrigue over every clue they found and every obstacle they met head on.

3. Also calling out on issues such as defying the law to bring proper justice to a case that would, in most cases been ignored due to class and privilege issues (another issue the author brought forth) in the 1800s (which still happens even today, sadly), knowing how much you can exercise power to a certain degree to solve a case, age, women's clothing and their privileges and many more, all which prompt a heavy discussion and lengthy insight about how justice and the law, and certain privileges have changed the way cases and criminals have been fought and charged accordingly.

4. Supportive characters -Yes there were a couple of characters which pissed me off but in a good way (the big bad wolves heh), but all of them were nice and kind to the main protagonists and helped the case a lot. So I loved that point a lot.

5. The way the crime was committed - It wasn't so original but still the way they explained it all, I ate up every page like there was no more taste tomorrow.

Overall, I think it's definitely a sharp, swift and yet suspense-filled short prequel that you will love. A high recommend, y'all.

Until the next read,

TMR

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Review: Every Other Weekend

Every Other Weekend by Abigail Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Note: I received an ARC from Edelweiss, the publisher HarperTeen, and the author in exchange for an honest review.

*Warning*: This book does deal with heavy stuff such as separation anxiety (in a way, I think), grief, learning to get support, manipulation by families, sexual assault, teenage angst at an all time high, miscommunication (sort of between the main characters and others too). So be warned if you read this book. I already told you so.

But let's move on.

"A good destiny is two people finding each other without even looking." (Anonymous)

I think that quote up sums up Adam and Jolene's budding friendship to first love quite perfectly. This book ruined me, shattered me, pulled me up and down, wrung my emotions out every which way it could, and yet..I still loved it for doing all that.

I thank the almighty god and my goodreads pals for loving it and pushing me (not intentionally) to be curious about it and read it.

THIS IS THE BOOK WHICH MADE ME AND BROKE ME! 'Nough said.

I can't find enough words to praise and cry and praise and cry some more about how perfectly relatable, heart shattering and emotionally draining book this is.

I mean the story, yes it has been done in many other ways, but god it still never stopped me from picking it up.

Plus the cover, damn me. It's not hot, but rather quirky and cute, exactly what I wanted right now to get me up and out of my hell for the last couple of weeks which I resided in. (They (Lucifer) allowed me to rest though..so ye.)

Plus the characters were flawed in so many ways (but in such an awesome way) which made them even more relatable (despite me having a different life to theirs) with their problems, teenage angst and emotions. Yet, the good thing it was, they were more mature than any other character I ever saw in YA. Literally. No matter what problem crossed by, they solved it (even if took time)..god I loved their maturity so fucking much. Heh.

Yes, I have to admit, some of their solutions weren't best but kids are kids. (As a teenager myself, I agree with some of their solutions, but now I realize they weren't so perfect, once I started reviewing this.. But they are kids, they wouldn't know much about handling their situation without being complete dramatics about it and crying to someone they loved and not knowing how to deal right and proper.)

THEY WEREN'T ADULTS. That's the problem, I've seen with some of the goodreads reviewers who've reviewed this. Yes, they are children and yes they do a lot of things that an adult necessarily wouldn't agree with (probably reason enough you shouldn't really read this if you're an adult and you can't really go with unconventional solutions..) but they are kids in the end. People forget this a lot when they review it. They are kids and will do things that would necessarily deem them as stupid, risky even. But in the end it's just a book and they're just young, daring teenagers. That's all.

The romance. Well the romance was not fast-paced, I have to admit. (Probably would suck for people who love fast-paced plots with the romance coming in early like 100 pages or 200 pages earlier..) But it was perfect at their age, I think, as I said again, they are kids, and kids at 16 or any teenage age will never understand what it is like to love someone (on time) and want them around when you miss them. So I think it was perfect and the chemistry came at a brilliant time (and if anyone disagrees...why are we still talking?). At least they got time to act about their problematic situations and I guess..have a life? Sorry to those who think romance should always come first in these books. Y'all need more substance in life than just simple romance in books that are not like what you expected.

The ending - You know what I loved most? The ending. WHy? Because in the end, the author showed us that not everything can get better all at once or with a stick chanting words of bippity boppity boo, everything will automatically change for the good of all. She still showed us how some people don't change, but they can get on the mend. Not everything is perfect by the end, but you get there. You get there. That's all.

PLUS THAT ESSAY! Damn, I'm actually jealous of your writing, Jolene. But you're such a talented and sweet girl, so I'll let it go this time. Cheers.

The problems people had with this book - 1. Too long (people, they needed time to sort out their shit, what do you think, they're magicians?) 2. Characters didn't click romantically (well interactions needed to happen y'all, and this isn't some new adult novel where they explored their chemistry through sex..geez) 3. Characters are too childish (yeah well they're teenagers and clearly you're too mature, your wise one..*rolls eyes*)

So ignoring the petty problems of adults above..this book was one perfect package that lifted me up, up, up, up, uuuup! Gah, I've never soared high this much until today.

So thank you to the people mentioned already for landing me this book, and I sincerely hope I get to read more books by this author in the future.

PS: The character Daniel (mentioned in the book) does have his own book called If I Fix You. Up to you if you'd like to read in order. I'm eager to try it. So fingers crossed, I can find it and enjoy it as much as I enjoyed this one.

Until the next read,

TMR

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Review: Tremor

Tremor by Tonya Plank
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Note: I received an ARC generously from Netgalley, the publisher, the author in exchange for an honest review.

Another Note: This is a series. This book can be read out of order/as a standalone, but there are mentions of previous characters. So it would be advised if you read this novel in order. This is 6th in the series.

AH, this literally killed me. And not in a good way.

I mean it had the recipe to be one of my favorite novels of 2020.

1. Dance -Ballroom, yesss, my jam.

2. A chance for two people to dance together - I tell you the chemistry lies closest in dance, no question.

3. A hot male ballroom/theatrical dancer -Fuck yes. My dream come true.

4. A broken showdance/ballroom female dancer -My heart sang at the summary.

Then why the fuck did it turn it out anything but perfect?

Well let me explain. Let me start by telling you the good things first.

1. The cover (I just exploded with mushiness..)

2. THe summary - "After losing her husband and dance partner to a motorcycle accident, ballroom showdance champion Arabelle has developed a hand tremor, making it impossible to perform the beautiful balletic feats she is known for. In her devastation, she’s lost her love of dance anyway. But when she meets Jett, a theatrical dancer specializing in daredevil aerial stunts, Arabelle feels a double tremor – one producing trepidation, the other pulsing excitement, as he evokes the bad boy ways of her husband that had so enthralled her but had also resulted in his tragedy. Can Jett help Arabelle overcome the pain of her loss, cure her trembling body, and reinvigorate her passion for dance and life? And can Arabelle tame Jett’s reckless ways before they result in his own misfortune?"

Isn't it bloody perfection? I think it was too.

3. Jett. Jett my baby. Sure he was cocky as hell, but he had also his sweetness and sensitive side, which made me love him even more.

These are the reasons why I gave it three stars.

The reasons why the rest of the stars are gone - The heroine is fucking annoying.

She's constantly treating poor Jett like shit (for no coherent reason, apart from the fact that he's cocky) (she barely knows him and assumes shit...). Like I get it, he doesn't seem all that gentlemanly and all from the outside, but you shouldn't judge someone on first impressions (that's what you do in highschool and in private...geez).

She pissed me off so much that I had to DNF this. Otherwise this novel had so much promise to be great.

So it's close to being mediocre at best.

Until the next read,

TMR

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Review: Credence

Credence by Penelope Douglas
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Note: I bought this on Kindle Unlimited after I saw a couple of friends rave about it.

This book is exactly what it says in the pages.

A hot, heavy mess. (But for me, not in a good way..)

Let me explain.

1. There's no consent during her adventurous nights or mention of her being underaged (yes, I know, her birthday was going to come in a couple of weeks, but still she's underaged...)

2. The s0-called "heroes" are nothing but mere bullies and beasts (way different from the type I like..) - Look, I do prefer hot jerks in books (forgive me, a lot of people are shallow at my age) but these were over the top. These so-called jerks don't even know what being nice means. Plus what it means to seduce someone, they have no clue, WHAT-SO-FUCKING-EVER. How can you expect me to root for them?

3. The heroine apparently has no self-respect or gumption. -Every time they behave badly with her, she does "threaten to leave" but she never leaves. Like why? 3.2 She doesn't fight back, she just spreads empty words, with nothing veiling of threat. AND SHE KEEPS FORGETTING THAT SHE'S UNDERAGED? (How can anyone forget their own age, I fail to understand.) I just don't get it.

4. I don't care if they have no other woman to bang around - SHe's not a piece of meat. Plus they're so darn older than her. Two 20-something year olds, and one in his late thirties (close to being her father..geez, what the fuck.) (Are they that out of girls and women their age?....)

5. For this book to be such a hot, heavy thing, this sure is long. -Literally we never get to the main entree, we're just stuck with appetizers. Geez, like get to the point already.

5 reasons why this book should be removed from shelves altogether. 'Nough said.

Until the next read,

TMR

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Review: Circe

Circe by Madeline Miller
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Note: The dates are only skewed because of the constant interruptions and other commotions which did not help me read this on time. Hence why.

Let's move on.

..............................

Another popular book of 2019, which I yet again did not like.

This one revolves around a more "feminist" retelling of one of greek mythology's heroines, Circe, and her journey of development into "supposedly" being better.

That above was the intention of this novel.

However my interpretation of this novel was: A slightly changed but still the same play-by-play version of the events that happened in greek mythology, around Circe and in Circe's journey.

Which does not count as a retelling. At all.

Apart from the good and not at all boring writing style, this book was nothing original or even close to being an exciting retelling which would keep me turning pages and wishing for more.

If I wanted to read the original events or retold versions of the events popularly told in greek mythology, I would have read the original plays written by the likes of well-known playwrights such as Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus.

Not this.

So Cassie, my buddy reader, originally, you should be glad to have not tried this novel right now.

As for everyone else, I do not recommend it.

Until the next read,

TMR

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Review: Getting Off Easy

Getting Off Easy by Erin Nicholas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Note: An ARC was given generously by the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review. Plus this a series. Although this can be read as a standalone, advice would be to read other stories in the series too to understand the backstories.

The redeeming qualities:

The cover, oh so darn hot, hot, hot!

The summary, about a firefighter younger man trying to impress his neighbour next door for the past 6 months but unsuccessful so far. And a baby drops in, and he asks for her help again and together they both try to deal with being unofficial "parents to the baby" while figuring out their own attraction.

The characters are both charming and witty, and cute and adorable, and so darn loveable.

The writing is fast-paced, no grammatical errors, and connecting the plot in a fabulous way to keep you turning the pages and enjoy the story at every turn.

The ending -Is also loveable and funny and so darn perfect.

Only not so redeemable quality - The chapters were a bit too long, and could've been done better if she'd added more chapters, instead of making the existing chapters long.

BUT an excellent read, and definitely recommend.

Until the next read,

TMR

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Review: What Are Friends For?

What Are Friends For? by Sarah Sutton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Note: I received an ARC generously from the author in exchange for an honest review.

So to summarize y'all, it's basically a closet game gone wrong. But the good kind of wrong.

The cover - Is quirky and hints at the what story may be.

The summary - A close, easygoing friendship can all change with just one kiss. Seventeen-year-old Remi Beaufort learns this the hard way when she plays a blindfolded kissing game at a party.

She thinks she's kissing Jeremy, the totally hot basketball player she's been crushing on. And the kiss...it's amazing. Heart-stopping, world-changing, toe-curling. The kiss makes her forget about her overbearing mother, the next-door neighbor's drama, and the probability that she'll fail her senior year. The best kiss of her life makes all that fall away.

Until her blindfold falls off, and she realizes that instead of kissing her crush, she's kissing Elijah, her best friend since third grade.

Though she manages to convince Elijah that he was kissing his girlfriend, Remi can't get the thought of his lips on hers out of her head. As things between them grow more and more complicated--because it turns out her fantasizing about his mouth is more of a problem than it sounds--Remi has to make a choice: does she live the rest of her life loving her best friend in secret? Or does she tell the truth and risk ruining their friendship forever?

Cute no? I definitely thought it was.

The chemistry and easy going friendship plus the writing style -All pretty solid.

The not so good qualities though are - The characters constant whining once they realize they have chemistry (or at least one of them realizes it) aka teenage drama. The good guys being turned into villains aka her crush becoming suddenly "unsuitable" as he does not compare to her other "kissed" crush, blah, blah, blah. And the female character forgiving someone for screwing up her marks and possibly getting her kicked out of school.

Otherwise it was a decent novel. Nothing great, nothing bad.

Until the next read,

TMR

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Review: Cruel Prince

Cruel Prince by A. Jade
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Note: Do not cuss me out about my opinions. If you do, then make sure to make yourself another account or a life, because trust me I will make sure you have nowhere to run from my haunting for the rest of your miserable life.

Another Note: I received an ARC generously from the author in exchange for an honest review.

And honest, I will be.

So here we go.

The redeeming features - The summary about a rebel girl being enrolled into an academy to fix her life, and to deal with her past, including an old friend/now enemy and his clique. The cover, oh so darn swoon-worthy.

The not-so redeeming features -Kissing cousins, girl helping bully despite bully literally screwing with her all because of their "past friendship", the girl still being enrolled into a private school despite her previous experiences against her will, having friends who are attracted to jerks.

1. Kissing Cousins - Yes I know y'all thought it was incestous and oh so fucking gross. But let me give you a proper definition of incest before I drive my point home.

Incest - (according to google and many other sources): sexual relations between people classed as being too closely related to marry each other.
the crime of having sexual intercourse with a parent, child, sibling, or grandchild.

And now my point:

This NOWHERE mentions that it's wrong for cousins to be with each other.

NO-FUCKING-WHERE.

And let me tell y'all something.

Cousins are only relatives because one of their parents is directly related to each other. eg. sisters are married in different homes, and the children they have therefore are cousins.

There's no direct blood relation here at all.

AND Please FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, if another religion thinks it's right, don't insult it. Don't make your ignorant assumptions about shit, just because it's not right in your religion, doesn't mean it can't be accepted in other religions.

I don't know why other religions like to mess this entire point up eg. christians and hindus prominently. by calling the cousins "brothers" or "sisters". Oh for god's sake.

Why are you making your own presumptuous point, out of an already defined word? I fail to understand.

Just stop throwing the word "incest" around without actual proof. I've had it up to here with this whole "oh so fucking gross, they're cousins, oh my gooood!"

Literally.

I'll give you one actual example of incest: Oedipus screwing his own mom and having kids with her. That's a proper example of incest, y'all ignorant people.

So check before you try and make yourselves the next lovechild of Einstein's and figure shit out without any connecting evidence.

.........................................

Anywho, let's move on.

2. Girl helping bully despite everything else. This is the same asshole who bullied you to the point of being a cruel imbecile for example sharing personal secrets, and yet you still go around and help him, like he did nothing?

WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS GIRL? Who even allowed her to be here, yall? WHO THE FUCK?

I feel like killing the author and this girl for, ever showing up with this piece of a shit of book at all.

Literally.

3. Girl gets enrolled into private school despite BAD past experiences - How dumb is her aunt and her husband? They're bloody rich and yet they can't send her to a public school? All because of this dumb excuse of "a better education"? Seriously?

How inhuman can you be? She's suffered so much and yet you're still sending her back to the same hell? Seriously, what is wrong with this family?

4. Girl's friends get attracted to handsome jerks - Look I like handsome jerks a lot in my novels, but those who disrespect their heroines for being "overweight" or even hinting at it, they don't deserve to be ogled or be attracted to.

If this girl's friends were smart, then at least they would use their brain in their love lives too. Not just to solve other people's problems but their own too.

And.

If I was attracted to some lame hot jerk, I would at least make sure he respects me and loves me for who I am, even with my poor as hell-average looks.

THis author has given out so many wrong messages, that I feel like obliterating this book from the book world for good.

Even with illegal means.

Seriously. I've never been this pissed off about a book since last year.

It's been that long, folks. That fucking long.

So in the end, folks...

A HARD PASS.

PS: There's a sequel to this novel as well, which I will not be reading due to above mentioned problems.

Until the next read,

TMR

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Review: On the Come Up

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This one didn't hold my attention, almost the same problems I had with this one, and with the previous novel, written by this author.

That's all.

Until the next read,

TMR

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Review: The Hate U Give

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Note: There's also a film, with the same name, starring Amandla Stenberg.

I can't really remember the reasons why I would have liked this novel.

All I can remember is, that was not likeable about this novel, was the fact that there was too much teenage drama, the pacing was too slow for my poor soul, and there's some hate on other religions or misconceptions about other religions.

Another thing - I never understood why the girl's parents ever bothered sending her to an all-white-rich kid school, if 1. they're not rich. 2. they don't really trust the "white" folks.

If all this had been corrected/removed/changed, then this book would be 100+ pages shorter, and not a time waster.

Hence why, not a recommend.

Until the next read,

TMR

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Review: Normal People

Normal People by Sally Rooney
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Note: Previously, I had received my copy from the library with an alternate cover, which was definitely more cute than this plain two-shade color palette.

On to the review then, y'all.

The cover, I have to admit was the selling point for me to get this book, so was the popularity this book held among friends and everyone else on goodreads.

One and a half reasons why I got this book at all. (Could be a good title, one and a half reasons, hmm..)

Anyway. On to the not so favourable reason why I rejected this book automatically after having read several pages.

The main reason, the game changer reason for wanting to have no memory or feel of ever touching this book or reading it: The writing style.

You heard me right. The writing style.

It was so darn confusing. Disjointed and the poor narrator is not sure which path it should take. Here's how it all happened.

...............................................................

Narrator at first: Ah okay the third narrative. It's easy, it's neutral and it says all about the situation.

But then halfway through the book:

Narrator: Ah but no wait, the first pov is more used and popular. It lets you know how the character feels, and tells you the reasons why they act the way they do.

But then again through most of the book:

Narrator: But no, I really want to do the first narrative. I don't care what anyone says. Third narrative and me jam so good, I don't feel like touching anything else.

But then:

Narrator: But the first pov....the readers will kill me if they can't tell what their beloved book characters are doing. They'll come after me with...*gulps* sharpened pens and everything..

Oh fuck that's not good. Call the author, I'm sticking with the first pov.

But then finally:

Narrator: Fine, let's just jumble shit together. It's a win for me and that stupid egotistical reader who doesn't care about the way I tell the story and who just wants the character's voice and all, ungrateful brats.

Fucking call the author! Let's just do this shit once and for all.

........................................................................

That's what's been happening the entire time. The writer/narrator is not sure which path they should take. It's like they're busy playing eenie, meanie, miney, mo.

THEY CAN'T FUCKING DECIDE! It's so darn aggravating to have to keep flashing back and forth between different proses.

No one can get a faster whiplash than this.

So, totally confusing writing style just had me, at this many stars.

Sorry to the people who had loved this book, but unless the author knows which writing style she's hooking up with, I could care less about her books.

That's all.

Until the next read,

TMR

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Review: Fleishman Is in Trouble

Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A popular pick from 2019, which I'd been lucky enough to pick up recently.

The only redeeming qualities about the book are the cover (ooh upside cities..) and the summary itself.

The non-redeemable quality of this book, it sounds like a self-indulgent journal of your inner desires, after tumultuous events.

Hence no recommend here.

Until the next read,

TMR

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Review: The Bride Test

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Note: This is the second book in the series and can be read as a standalone. But if you want to understand the background of each character mentioned in this story, then reading the previous story would help. Thanks.

So this story. I was just so gosh darned excited for it.

I mean reading this was a dream come true in a way.

But oh god the many, many faults in this disaster...

Let me recount them.

1. The way his bride is selected - Which wacked out parent selects a bride in a bathroom? I just can't even. It's too hilarious to think about.

God if my mother ever found me a groom like this, I'd literally cut ties with my family.
And, she's such a controlling busybody. She's always deciding shit for him, like I get it, he's not exactly the average joe, but he's 26 years old. Trust him to have some brain for his own.

2. The "supposed" bride is actually a cleaner. Their rich as fuck family vs the poor as fuck cleaner family.

Now I don't care what everyone else thinks of love defies all. People are stupid to think that these differences don't matter, don't affect the rest of your married life. They do, god in so many ways, they influence how a person thinks, acts, behaves in a structured society. The fucking status difference kills your chance in living peacefully within society because of society pressures, and your own different ways of living.

3. The barely educated cleaner wed to a graduate businessman. Seriously, how can anyone support this? AGAIN, I DON'T FUCKING CARE, who thinks this is right. You've slaved away your whole life to be an educated, well oiled machine full of productivity, respect and class, and then suddenly, you're wed to someone who has none of the things that you literally SLAVED for. This is downright insulting and degrading as to not be able to be wed to someone who should be your match based on what they did in life, rather wed because you literally don't choose to have a love life at a young age, and your mother is a control freak.

WHAT THE FUCK?

4. The bride's mother agrees with her daughter's proposal and sends her off. What a gold digging mother, first of all. Second her daughter should go back to college (there is such a thing as a community college in america or wherever this stupid story is set) and then try to make herself better before deciding to go on stupid reckless ventures. And this family is a whole package of bad mistakes. The mother also dropped highschool as she got pregnant. The daughter, not coincidentally, also gets pregnant and dropped highschool.

SO many bad decisions are made, my head's literally left spinning.

And guess what, it never came back to reattach itself to my shoulders.

THat's how bad this book was.

The baddest decision made was the publishing of this book. I wish I had a chance to burn this book and tear it to pieces.

AND, if y'all dare to cuss me out on my own opinion, consider yourself haunted by me for the rest of your miserable life, or blocked.

Same thing.

PS: I would still like to try the third book in the series, releasing 2021, because I always like giving second chances to my favorite books.

Until the next read,

TMR

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Review: Texts from Jane Eyre: And Other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Characters

Texts from Jane Eyre: And Other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Characters by Mallory Ortberg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A fun little book where messages are exchanged with your favorite literary characters.

The only reason why I had to DNF this as it got boring in the end, no matter how many laughs (which weren't a lot) I got from this book. Another reason would be that I didn't know a whole lot about the many literary characters that were mentioned here.

But it was enjoyable while it lasted or at least while I lasted through this book. Hence the 3 mediocre stars.

Until the next read,

TMR

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Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Note: This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling. This is also a series, so this is the first book in order. Next is A Heart So Fierce and Broken (Which releases on the 7th, and today is the 6th Of Jan, aaaaah so excited!). So please read in order. Thank you.

This novel. Ruined me. Slayed me. Ended me. Shattered me to no extent.

God I'm so in love with this book.

This series takes an honorary 1st in the series that I love, alongside the Folk of Air Series (believe me, they're a lot similar than you think (especially that last book in the series, QON, what a bloody plot twist..anyone else?)

And yes, this will also be another series, which I might end up crying on because it was so loved by moi. Oh the heartache would be too much..

But so far we haven't reached the end. So hah, no heartache yet.

Realist Me: Yet.

Emotional, dreamy Me: Shut up.

SO yeah. As for the songs that may be of relevance (I'll list a few, promise.) are: I like me better by Lauv, The Way I am by Charlie Puth, Threatened by Michael Jackson, F*ck I'm LOnely by Lauv Ft. Anne-Marie, Losing My Mind by Charlie Puth, Done for Me by CHarlie Puth Ft. Kehlani, Chills by Why Don't We, The Girl is Mine by Michael Jackson Ft. Paul McCartney, I Want To Break Free by Queen, THe Show must go on by QUeen, Dancing With Nobody by Austin Mahone, We are the champions by Queen, Love Me less by MAX ft. Quinn XCI, Time Is Not On Our Side by The Vamps, Dancing By Union J, Don't Test Me by Skylar Steckler, Unstoppable by AJ Mitchell, Firework by Katy Perry.

Uh whoops, long song list, I'm afraid. Heh. I told you, I connect my music to everything.

Anyway..

There are so many wonderful things here in this novel I'd like to mention.

The cover -Bloody magical and thrilling. Reminds you of a forest at night, one you should be wary of. Brilliant.

The summary -Beauty and the beast. Only twists - The prince is not that arrogant, the girl doesn't read, she's from a poor environment, no inanimate talking objects, guards do exist and are loyal, villain is not someone who wants to marry Belle (I mean Harper...whoops), DC (present time, alternate time), technology, Seasons, a creature that is not a beast but far sinister. But what a wonderful story.

Romance -So fairytale like. Except they're willing to explore if they actually feel something. It's not immediate like the movie, beauty and beast. A possible love triangle (but nothing annoying, promise, and it's not really put forth.) LGBT romance (a little bit, but you'll have to find out, it's not discussed entirely..just a brief mention here and there.) Nothing sexual is suggested except for a line or two, mostly it's sweet romance. No exes mentioned from the girl's side, the prince's yes. But what a worthwhile romance, kept me all going through the 400+ pages.

Violence -Yes, but not too much. Graphic descriptions yes.

Plot pacing - Pretty quick. Keeps you going all the way through.

Writing - Flowery (but good flowery) to suit a fantasy romance.

Characters - Strong personalities, reasons for every action and interaction, decision taken.

Cliff hanger - Yes. (Won't talk about it, because it's the next book's plot.)

DO I recommend? Yes I absolutely recommend it, especially if you loved Beauty and the Beast movies.

Negative or otherwise mentions? Yes of a new phone her brother gets, similar to Beauty and The Beast, and similar to A Court of Thorns and Roses as well (Yes I definitely feel there are similarities, so if you like it, this one might be swell.)

Overall - A superb read and look forward to reading more.

Until the next read,

TMR


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Review: The Weekend

The Weekend by Charlotte Wood
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Ah this novel..

It was quite a crowd favorite last year. And like always, I always showed up late to the party, even beyond "said" fashionably late.

But still I was intrigued enough and curious to see why this novel had so much love from people.

So I picked it up from the library as a hot read (Lasts only a week) and started reading it.

But boy was I disappointed.

The cover was intriguing in a way I can't really place. But it was intriguing. Hence the star.

The summary was like a novel version of Grace and Frankie (it's a very intriguing tv show, which is recently going to end, kill me...*crying emojis*) and the golden girls (if you've never watched it, boy you are missing out on some educational shit, and what it means to be an elderly woman having to depend on yourself once you've stopped tending to a family and your kids are out of the picture..go watch it, damn it.)

I was immediately enchanted to read it, because both these shows I love have a novel version -
my dream come true.

But. Then the real disappointment shows up.

This novel is nothing like my imagination. Yes I know there is such a thing as a novel surpassing your expectations, but this one didn't even get on the line or try to cross my expectations.

So much negativity. Gee. So much negativity.

Look I'm not saying that you should always be happy 24/7 and forget your sadness, anger, and other negative feelings. I know it's hard to.

But at the same time, if you're a book character and you're supposed to be promoting what it means to face struggles at an age like 70 and strive to move forward positively, then there should be more positive moments than negative moments.

Instead all they do is moan and groan consistently and constantly about miserable their lives are, how people are dying all the time, and their lives at home are so dull and not the same as before.

I get it. You're not living a perfect stepford wives life. I get it. Geez.

But groaning about it for so long...It will get on my nerves, believe me.

So overall, it's not a recommend. Unless you really hate the shows I mentioned above, or prefer getting depressed over being happy.

Your choice.

Until the next read,

TMR

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Review: The Case for Temptation

The Case for Temptation by Robyn Grady
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Note: I received an ARC generously from Netgalley, the author and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I should've been tempted to read and like this novel too..I mean look at the title.

*waits for everyone to catch up*

Yeah well, now you got it.

I mean look at the summary. A one night stand between two enemies (who have no idea they are enemies) which may turn to something else but before that happens, they find out the truth about each other and it becomes an all out-third world war between them. But can they beat this war in order to salvage their future?

Highly unlikely. That's what I can tell.

But then again even this amazing summary couldn't help me keep the attention towards the book, and eventually I fell asleep or skimmed through the dialogues while reading.

So you can tell that my case for this temptation was at a success rate of 0%.

Until the next read,

TMR

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Review: In Five Years

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Note: An ARC was generously given by Netgalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.

Ah in five years...more like 5 minutes of time travel and warming up to the new guy whose house she winds up being in.

The plot is the only interesting thing I seem to like. It starts of as an interviewer asks our heroine, what she might end up doing in the next 5 years (usually it's 10 years..but guess they wanted her young..) and her fiance and her go to a dinner, they get engaged (blah, blah, blah) and she wakes up next morning to find out she's somewhere else, and with someone else.

Real fun, you see. Not even being able to understand your future.

But.

The plot is a bit too fast-paced for my liking, the writing is fine as it can be. However the romance is a bit hard to believe and there seems to be not a lot of the summary involved, the cover also seems to be missing.

So...

Feels like I'm reading an entirely different story.

Overall, I won't recommend this story. It's not as good as I'd thought it be.

Until the next read,

TMR

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Review: Hearts and Thorns

Hearts and Thorns by Ella Fields
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Note: An ARC was given generously in exchange for an honest review.

Well folks, once again nothing good seems to come out of this arc that was given.

The only two things that I can remember or actually bother to recount would be the quirky cover and a well loved but not original summary.

That's it. As far as the writing goes, the author never seems to come out of their childhood/teenage phase.

And the characters don't seem to have a strong personality, they can't stand up for themselves for long and neither are they that loveable, that would help in their favor to be able to move the story along.

The romance feels forced and too quick, there's no reason either why both characters should fall in love with each other, no quality that would charm each other. It's just wham bam slam, yup done, thanks, see ya later move by the author in terms of romantic attraction. The sexual tension is fine, yes but it's nothing impressive, it's just..it is what it is.

There's too much teenage drama, and the plot never moves on. It's like this author was undecided at first if this was meant to be a teenage novel or a new adult novel. And she couldn't seem to keep her mind still on her choices, because we never see any trace of their adult until much, much later..

Did I say much? I mean literally. Much later.

We basically never get to the point where this novel is actually supposed to declare itself as a new adult novel or even close.

So a disappointment in general to read. Not recommended.

PS: Sincerely I'm trying to make reviews shorter, but sometimes I can't help it. So forgive me, if you lose patience in my almost finished rant during my review, and you seem to find the review never grows shorter.

Until the next read,

TMR

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Review: Love, Jacaranda

Love, Jacaranda by Alex Flinn
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Note: An ARC was granted generously by the publisher HarperTeen, the author, Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited for this novel, one because the cover is cute as hell, two some of my friends loved it and I in general loved the summary. SO these were obvious reasons why I requested an ARC from Edelweiss.

But then it all fell to...nothing. Disappointed me beyond hope.

So let me tell you how it all happened.

First of all the cover - The cover was cute as hell, a guy and a girl holding each other at night, so yeah cute as heck image and I liked it immediately: 1. the night. 2. the couple. SO yeah definitely a favorite cover of mine. Hence a star.

Second - The summary - Jacaranda is a girl who has a talent of singing even though lives in a poor condition, works and still goes to school and behaves like a normal 16 year old as best as she can. One day while singing for a customer at the supermarket she works at, she gets viral after being filmed there. Soon her life changes after a mysterious benefactor offers to pay for everything and send her to a prestigious music school. There she embarks on a life changing path, meeting new friends, finding love and navigating the world of music and finding her place among the prodigies and the rich ones who don't have much talent.

A good summary. Not so cliche but not that original. I liked it, hence the star.

But then it all blew like a volcano on my face.

ONE thing that completely ruined it all- the formatting of the writing.

Look, she originally started off as a POV. But then somehow magically, it all switched to letter writing. I don't like being mislead like this. Hence my DNF.

The author should try to stick to one writing style and not manipulate or trick a reader into writing something and making them think that it's still the same.

So a miss for me, alas. Maybe someone else will like it. But I certainly didn't.

I might not even try her other novels for this misleading.

So yeah, DNFed. Not recommended.

Until the next read,

TMR

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Review: The Queen of Nothing

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Note: This is a part of the series, Folk Of Air. First comes The Cruel Prince, next in line (get it, next in line..*laughs* hehe) is The Wicked King, final is The Queen of Nothing. Please read in order. Thank you.

Another Note: First review of the year, y'all! GO me!

Feel free to read my reviews for the previous books in the series.

1. The Cruel Prince: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

2. The Wicked King: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Nilufer's review of QON: There are the letters which Cardan has written to Jude and she's never known about them: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... (The rest of the letters are on the internet, so ahead and find them).

I would have included the letters, but this review was already long and I would have gotten more emotional seeing those letters (but I do have them stored in my photos app, so hah, I haven't let go of them fully). So yeah.

So there ya go. Now moving on.

“It’s ridiculous the way everyone acts like killing a king is going to make someone better at being one,” Vivi says. “Imagine if, in the mortal world, a lawyer passed the bar by killing another lawyer.” (Yeah haha, that's usually how the monarchy works in a way. In a subtle way no doubt.)

One more quote.

"By you, I'm forever undone."

I'm forever done by these two, too. SO yeah, totally get what Cardan is saying.

Songs applying here: The Way I Am By Charlie Puth, Threatened by Michael Jackson, Hurts Good by R5, Dangerously by Charlie Puth, Time is Not on Our Side by The Vamps, I Still Do by Why Don't We, Hooked by Why Don't We, Kiss by The Vamps, If I was your man by the Vamps, Missing You by the vamps, Like to be you by Shawn Mendes ft. Julia Michaels, Senorita by Shawn Mendes Ft. Camilla Cabello, Butterflies by Michael Jackson.

If I continue any longer, this song list would be the whole review. But do give a listen to some of the songs, I don't have bad taste (I think).

Anyway let's start this review for real, seriously.

The cover - Is so beautiful and yet striking with danger every turn. A broken crown, a snake, and some flower like thing next to the crown in liquid amount. It's beautiful yet haunting and gives you all the chills, while you admire it all the while. It had me in the moment I saw it and touched it. All the stars given.

Anyone else noticed that there's a pattern of snakes gliding over in recent book releases of 2019? Maybe it was the decade of snakes, who knows?

Moving on.

The summary - Jude comes back to Faerieland one last time after her sister Taryn asks for her help, and to go and beg for her sister's innocence before....you guessed it..Cardan. But you know, life is never that simple, neither is fate ever that innocent, so yeah things are more complicated than Jude last left them as. So the summary definitely had me in. Hence the stars.

The characters - Cardan is definitely more clever than the last time Jude saw him and definitely more mischievous and cunning than before, so yup loved every minute of it. Jude is as usual our little, scheming, wicked, and yet sweet and caring, she was a darling. Nicasia, yup still a witch. Madoc, still a cunning fiend. Taryn, a bit better, and more to like. Viv, still our fun one. Heather, our soft one, and still cute. Oak, aww so adorable but what a tongue though. Fala, our fool's fool. Randalin, ever so strict. Grimsen, ever so vain. Grima Mog, aaah what a thing! Locke..well Locke, ya know. Oriana ever so motherly..(I say this sarcastically..) and some more, who I cannot remember but eh. Basically, welcoming them all back with open arms. God I missed them! Stars, stars, stars, all around.

The romance and the plot itself - The romance is definitely special this time, more sweet than steamy, but I'm mostly a goner for love confessions which did happen. So yup, loved every moment (keep a lookout for chap 21). As for the plot, it was every bit devious, antagonizing, fast-paced, anticipating moments, and brilliantly done as in the first two books. Especially with that plot twist (that's where the snake and crown come in muhahahahahaha..) god I loved and devoured every page! Loved it all. ALL THE STARS, PLEASE.

The ending -Ah I loved the ending so so much. It was so perfect, and wonderful and gah I wish it was real...so bad I wish. It literally made me realise they were leaving forever. God. But it was so perfect and beautiful. I won't spoil what happened in the end, but you'll love it. It's guaranteed perfection and love.

So there ya go. The end to the perfect series written ever. EVER.

Now I'll be sobbing in the corner, excuse me. For #Jurdan leaving me.

Goodbye #Jurdan. *sad horns in the distance and Another One Bites the Dust by Queen playing*

Until the next...*hiccups* read,

TMR

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Review: The Lineup

The Lineup by Meghan Quinn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Note: This is my last review of 2019.

Another Note: This is a series, so this all goes in order. First comes The Locker Room, then The Dugout, third and final (for now) is The Lineup. They can all be read as standalones but it would be recommended to read in order, to understand every character's backstory. Thank you.

Songs applying here: 1. It's A Lie by the Vamps. 2. River by Charlie Puth. 3. Kiss by The Vamps. 4. Good Boys by Josie Dunn. 5. I Wish You Were Here by HRVY.

So Jason Orson. Dottie Domico. You two. Have. Got. My. Heart.

That's all I can manage to stay. Third couple to win this trophy.

Anyway. These two have my heart so bad for being so endearing, wonderful and perfectly hilarious peeps of nature.

I don't think I'll ever find a replacement. Gah..

Anyway let me start this review for real. It's already getting so long.

Here we go.

The cover - So darn swoonworthy, no wonder Dottie felt the attraction so bad at first sight...I mean I wouldn't mind some staring and (oh shit is that drool?) touching..got me all jumping and down like a kid with a present for their birthday..But I loved the cover, first sight. Fucking swoonworthy. Gee. Hence the stars.

The summary - Dottie (Emory's friend - Emory (Knox's girl from The Locker room) and Lindsey's amigo from the same novel..) actually donates 10,000 dollars to Jason's charity and immediately removes it as well. But by then Jason has found out about it, and gets determined to confront her. In their interactions, attraction simmers, anger rests underneath, and tension brews in the midst as they slowly get closer. But not without some problems being thrown in the mix, these two battle the world to have their future. Loved this summary, so gosh darn much. Hehe. Hence another star.

The characters - Ah Jason, my boy. He's such a dreamboat, and I don't mean by the looks. By his bloody good personality. He's so sweet, sensitive (rare in today's world), caring, clever, and handsome. My dream, for sure (if only he cared to read as well..). Dottie on the other hand, my to some-extent copy. Sarcastic, intelligent, clever, caring, and ruthless in some manners, she's the epitome of what it means to be a leader in her professional life (not me) and caring to her friends, family and Jason. (me) So many times, I felt like banging my head on the wall when I read what she did (so many of those actions were like mine..it's amazing..how you get frustrated when you meet someone like yourself..) Lindsey, Emory, Milly, Carson, Knox, Mama G, Jessica, Natalie, Walker, Cory, they all made this story even more delightful to read with their wit, words and comedic touch. Bloody awesome they all were. All the stars of the world to them.

The romance - Slow for sure, but so worth the wait. Steamy and sweet, it's a perfect mix of what you'd like when you first meet Jason and Dottie. And that's exactly what I got, delighting me to no end. Hence the stars.

Finally the problems and the end - With Dottie's job, Jason's charity thing (aaah..Can't remember..clearly the new year's got me, still off..), Dottie's past and Jason's, a lot of these problems stop Jason and Dottie from getting together...but with how resilient these two are, and so are their friends and family, there's no doubting Fate wants them together, for sure. And I loved the ending, with Knox and EMory (oh you'll know..*winks*), Carson and Milly, and our newest couple Jason and Dottie. JUST FREAKING LOVED IT ALL! All the stars it deserves.

So congrats to our newest couple for winning my heart, and pray sincerely that Meghan Quinn keeps swishing her magic wand back and forth with her books, cause I freaking love them.

Until the next year,

TMR

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