bibliorama's reviews
172 reviews

Enjoyment - 4
 Start - 3.5
 Characters - 3.5
 Atmosphere - 4
 Plot - 3
 Ending - 3.5
 Style - 4 

Overall - 3.5

Enjoyment - 5
Really well written and knows what vibes it wants to go for. Ghost story + murder mystery + secret societies = my cup of tea. Oh, and all on the Yale campus during winter - another plus. 
Start - 5
Character - 5
Everyone was consistent and made choices that went hand-in-hand with their traits and beliefs. 
Atmosphere - 5
Plot - 4.5
Ending - 4
Style - 5
This book must have taken a hell of a lot of research and work. I think it paid off. 

Overall - 4.8 (basically a 5)
I'll write more of a review when I get around to it. Will definitely pick up the sequel. 

 Enjoyment - 3.5
A nice little time and quick to get through. I would give this book to my niece to read (she's ten). That 9-12 age is probably just right for this even though 12 might be pushing it just a bit. The characters are on that preteen cusp, so the themes of growing up and growing out of past games is prevalent throughout. It also has a slight ghost story element and a small, but realistic, adventure.

Start - 3.5
Characters - 4
 Atmosphere - 3
 Plot - 4
 Ending - 4
 Style - 3.5 

Overall - 3.6 (rounded up for stars) 

"Grams really fumbled the bag on this one."
       - My friend Megan when I told her the rundown of the plot XD

Enjoyment - 4
This was a good, easy time. I actually would have liked to spend more time in the setup of the town and seen more of the characters before the major event. The small, coastal town vibe was a good setting choice and I appreciated that the natural environment of the town played a role in the plot.

Start - 3.5
This is the section I could have done with being longer. I wish we spent more time submerged in the new house and town with added details. The premise is a good one though. A murder done in the same fashion as one done decades before sets the stage for a lot of questions.

Characters - 4.5
There were some interesting character tropes being used, and I do like a complicated friend group. I just wish we had gotten more of it before the murder because the status quo was interesting in itself. Also, there were a good amount of questionable people around to make nailing down the culprit less easy.
 
Atmosphere - 3.5
Decent details, I could visualize the town easily. I just wanted more details (and isn't that the theme of this review).

Plot - 4
Kept a good pace and the progression felt natural for the most part. Towards the end it gets quicker and one reveal in particular feels half out of the blue. It was the twist I was hoping for but I wanted more setup for it. There was lots of good drama, but I wanted to sit in some of it more because there's some dark stuff introduced here.

Ending - 4
Loved the second twist, but again wanted more setup for it.

Style - 3
Writing was effective and had a realistic teen voice, I just don't have any standout lines that stick in my brain.

Overall - 3.8

Well look at me, catching up on reviews. Finally.

Enjoyment - 5
I liked this far better than the Cruel Prince trilogy. The faeries here truly felt fantastical whereas the Cruel Prince world felt like a watered down version of Tithe. Tithe's world was dark yet whimsical and I got sucked into its story. It's also been forever since I had a truly nostalgic experience for the early 2000s, but this gave me that feeling.

Start - 4
This start sets you right into the world and the opening scene gives you a good visual of who Kaye is and what her lifestyle is like.

Characters - 5
These characters felt very of their time. They were also moments that made me cringe and go that would not fly nowadays,

mainly Corny having a moment where he joked about going on a shooting spree and having the f slur thrown in (those two things don't happen in the same scene just to clarify)

From looking online, it seems like some of those more questionable lines have been edited out or changed. Which is fine, but I'm not one who needs those kinds of changes because the book was published in 2002. Sometimes I appreciate the honesty of keeping those original lines even if I disagree with the sentiment behind the lines because then we can have discussions around the issue, or teach kids that they can read critically and don't have to agree with everything an author writes in the story, but that's just an opinion and not one anyone has to agree with. 

Given those iffy moments, I still really liked Kaye as a character and was invested in her story. Holly Black's writing really gave her a voice that I enjoyed.

Atmosphere - 5
The grimy setting was so vivid and charming. It has that 90s grunge to it and yet it is described in such a way that it's beautiful. The faery world was dangerous and cramped. Plus the photoshopped, old cover really adds to the experience XD.
 
Plot - 4
It's been a minute since I've read this book and I have to say the plot isn't one that's stuck with me. I remember bits and pieces of it, but not in much detail. I know I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but I think the world and writing voice of the story is what impressed me the most.

Ending - 4
From the little I remember, the ending was satisfying. I don't remember there being any plot that I felt didn't get fleshed out or wrapped up. The 4 was my initial rating from after I first read it, so I must have liked it. 

Style - 5
Really strong voice that's akin to someone like Neil Gaiman. Tithe had stronger storytelling elements compared to the Cruel Prince to me. 

Overall - 4.6 

Enjoyment - 5
Ah the part where shit hits the fan. My favorite!

Also I'd like to preface this by saying the terror that these Golds cause, while entertaining to me in book form, does not mean I want real life politics to emulate it in the slightest (even though I think sometimes it does to our detriment).

Start - 4.5
Once the book gets going, it doesn't stop. It's full steam ahead.

Characters - 5
Faves are still my faves (Sevro and Virginia looking straight at you). Though some new dynamics were introduced that by the end caused some major heartbreak and backstabbyness.

These are some of the most chaotic characters I have ever read, like every intrusive thought wins out. The theatrics of this book are also top tier and its politics are such a show. This book has one of my all-time favorite scenes being where Darrow challenges Cassius to a duel in the most dramatic fashion. It serves a political purpose while also being satisfying to see a character not half ass anything, he just takes it there.

Best quote:  “My honour has been pissed upon. And I demand satisfaction.”

Atmosphere - 5
We get a lot more of the world in this book and more of the Sci Fi elements which were fun.

Plot - 4
Again, is it plot or is it vibes? It's very much just characters doing the absolute most and then having to deal with the consequences of their own actions. This creates a fascinating journey to watch go down, and man that ending was . . . the worst in the best way. 
 
Ending - 5
Everything culminates to that ending and I'm not entirely sure how Darrow gets himself out of this one. There are betrayals where some I could see coming, but they still hurt. The characters are the stars of the show being complex, messy, and endearing. 

and dammit I second guessed Virginia again. She's my literal fave and yet there's the feeling that her and Darrow are going to have a tragic end. 

Style - 3
Writing is good, it has to be for me to connect as much as I did to the characters. 

Overall - 4.5
After finishing this review, I want to go pick up the third one now. I've waited long enough. 

Again another story that is hard for me to give a star rating to because this story is beyond star pixels on a screen. It's a lot of truth to the emotions that survivors of sexual violence feel, and I can only hope that this book was a therapeutic experience for Chanel.

One of the many things I gathered from this book is that Chanel is a powerful writer and also a very normal human. Which just goes to show that sexual assault can happen to anyone and victims shouldn't be put into stereotypes that are used against them. I recommend this read for everyone. It will affirm your feelings whether they're anger, sorrow, hopefulness, or happiness. I think this book is a good read for someone at any stage of processing trauma.

I recommend the audiobook as Chanel is the narrator.

I'm giving as much in this review as the book gave.

Enjoyment - 3
Just an eh book. Definitely not the worst thriller I've read and the writing was okay, just nothing extraordinary or surprising.

Start - 3
Fine setup with some okay characters.

Characters - 3
One of the POVs was kind of grating to be in as they were repetitive and more of a recluse, so we didn't get to see enough of the more interesting characters.

Atmosphere - 4
I do like a snowy environment. Give me all the blizzards, freezing temps, and mother nature trying to go after humans.

Plot - 2
None of the plot twists were shocking and the ending wrap-up was too long after the final ski. The biggest waste was the incorporation of the app Snoop. It wasn't used nearly as much as it should have been. If you're going to have a gimmick as least go all the way with it right?!

Ending - 4
The full scene of the final ski was great to read, I'll give this book that. However, the ending wrap-up was too long and dragged.

Also the trope of the overweight, antisocial, recluse being the killer is overdone and not interesting. There wasn't anything new added to the conversation of that kind of character.

Style - 3
Repetitive lines here and there. Not memorable, but still readable.

Overall - 3

Now that was fun!

Enjoyment - 5
I put this off for so long -- I'm talking years -- because I was intimidated by it being in the Sci Fi genre. That is a genre I'm not entirely interested in and the few books I have read in that area were a little heavy with the lingo. However, this felt like the perfect mix between having Sci Fi elements that felt Fantasy esq. I had a fun time with the progression of this story and the book is really high on Darrow like he's the best, but that was part of the fun for me. He does some rad stuff along with Sevro and Virginia. I would ride or die for Sevro and Virginia. This book feels like the high of reaching the mountain top only for you to get to the second book to then realize this is only the first, tinier peak in a larger mountain range. This was a fun ride. 

Start - 4
My least favorite part of the book. The beginning is fine though the writing was a little grating at times, this went away as the book went on. I didn't like how Darrow's wife was fridged. For being the character that Darrow's entire arc hinges upon, she wasn't very fleshed out and was more superficial. Maybe in the third book Darrow will see how little he actually new about her, because he didn't seem to know much. Or at least, not a lot of info was given to us about who she actually was. This section only gets a 4 instead of a 3 for the the Charlie Chaplin "machine minds and machine hearts" reference. It fits the theme.

Characters - 5
Virginia and Sevro *chef's kiss* and Darrow was cool to. I didn't mind that he was a Gary Stu, it meant we got scenes that were very satisfying to watch go down. Overall, the characters feel very theatrical in how they act, like the whole Gold society is a play. 

Atmosphere - 4
I can't say the physical world overall is one I completely can visual without adding my own imagination to it because we didn't see much of it. The competition part I felt was described well, but it definitely invokes more of a typical Fantasy setting rather than a Sci Fi one. The political and societal atmosphere is laid out in a clear way and impacted all the characters realistically.
 
Plot - 5
Hmm, was this really a plot? I'm not sure. All I know is it was fun to be swept away by the actions of these characters and their little war games. Strange for that to be fun because the reality of those theories and actions is dark, but the characters had goals and acted towards reaching them and that gave the book movement. 

Ending - 5
Satisfying and what I wanted to see go down. Rooted for Darrow the whole time and

dammit I fell for the trap of being suspicious of Virginia.

Style - 4
The writing was serviceable and I didn't have any issues with the made up slang parts. The beginning writing with the Reds felt a bit off and stilted, so not my favorite. This seems like a good YA/Adult crossover book. It uses some pretty common YA tropes, but adds in some Adult ones as well. 

Overall - 4.5

Enjoyment - 2
It was a quick audiobook to get through which is why I decided to finish it rather than dnf. There were some moments at the beginning where I had hope and could see some foundation for a good time, but as the book drug along that dwindled.

Start - 3
The start was the best part for me because I was excited and interested in the premise. It's why the logistics of taking a ride during a blizzard with strangers doesn't bother me. I think that's a cool setup that could lead to some fun character interactions. The writing also was fine in the beginning as well.

Characters - 1
These characters aren't developed past the intial impression Mira has of them, and we don't really learn much about their backstory. When we get the miniscule amount of backstory for each it doesn't change the characters in any meaningful way, nor does it really enhance what we already know about them. Mira stays at the same emotional level pretty much the entire time, she started out regretting her decision to take the ride and it stays like that for the rest of the book. I liked her being a painter, and what we learned about her mom and aunt. She just has an extremely repetitive inner dialog.

Atmosphere - 2
The only part of the Atmosphere that I enjoyed was the snowy environment. I love extreme snowy/freezing settings that force you to survive against mother nature, but the snow really only affected this story by making it hard to get to Mira's destination. There was a lot of plot armor for this Honda. I mean running up against the rail of a bridge and almost being a part of a pile up, to the extreme gas mileage this car must get considering they were driving in what felt like circles for forever. They would stop driving and pull over to do the most random stuff that rarely felt like the logical option. It also never felt tense. The majority of the "tenseness" was Mira saying she felt like she was being watched over and over again. Even though that feeling initially came out of the blue and when she'd look around no one in the car was ever watching her.

Plot - 1
I could get over the intial premise which is already pretty unrealistic. I was down to see what kind of chaos would ensue from that initial scenario of taking a car ride with strangers during a blizzard, but man this missed the mark. It was so repetitive and barely anything happened. I wanted the drama to be with the people in the car, but the majority of the plot was just dealing with driving in the snow and the author telling us about "feeling off" and "I'm just being paranoid." The stuff with the gas station dad/son duo and the yellow hat guy was also just not interesting. It felt so forced just to add drama when in reality I didn't want them, I wanted the characters in the car to do something rather then just complain. Plus the yellow hat guy makes no logistical sense. This had the ability to be something really good that just fell flat.

Ending - 1
Wasn't a mind blowing twist and felt pretty basic. The resolution and ending also happened very quickly. The buildup outweighed the payoff and it wasn't balanced at all.

Style - 1
This is told in first person which I'm fine with. The repetitive writing as I've mentioned is just what killed it for me. The writing also doesn't stand out in any way, which wouldn't be an issue except I was grasping at straws for something to entertain me.

This is for the audiobook only. The narrator imo was not great. The way it was read fet monotonous and lacked emotion. Especially considering the last audiobook I read was also a YA thriller where I did like the narrator, this is just not it.

Overall - 1.5