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gigilbell's reviews
395 reviews
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I’m always a bit sussed out by media that prominently features a character who falsely accuses others of sexual assault for malicious intent because the optics of that are just very murky in this political climate, but that’s really my only major issue here. Liane Moriarty is a maniac (/pos) and I forgot how fun a book of hers is to read, I breezed through this. Challengers made me realize how inherently drama-filled and sexy tennis is, so it’s nice to have a tennis backdrop. The plot is Silly, and that’s okay! The ending isn’t as flashy and explosive as Big Little Lies, but there’s a mystery and it’s solved and it’s satisfying. The characters were all very fun. I like stories about siblings because I’m an only child so it’s like a window into an alternate version of my childhood where maybe I had a sister and two brothers.
savannah drop the apple crumble recipe pls
savannah drop the apple crumble recipe pls
Land of the Lustrous, Vol. 4 by Haruko Ichikawa
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
got lots of compliments on the cover of this volume when I was carrying it around town, it's the cutest cover ever but kind of an insane choice for the tone of this series lol
loved the adventures of phos experiencing the unenviable scenario of coming in between a lesbian situationship
loved the adventures of phos experiencing the unenviable scenario of coming in between a lesbian situationship
Dubliners by James Joyce
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
I love ireland I love dublin I love joyce!! I’ve read some of these stories in the past but they hit different now that I’ve actually spent some time in dublin ❤️
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
sickening! everyone everyone everyone should read
Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis
2.0
SPOILERS AHEAD!
I got this book a few months ago. I thought it looked pretty decent at first, and the synopsis was kind of interesting. As I started reading, I, like many others it seems, began to compare it to the Lunar Chronicles. I love the Lunar Chronicles very much, and although this novel was most likely not trying to copy that series, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I had enjoyed reading Marissa Meyer's books, and it shared many similarities.
Essie is living on the frigid planet Thanda, the only girl in a mining town who is a mechanic *coughCindercough* and a cage fighter. She has seven upgraded drones who are supposed to be the seven dwarves I suppose, but we only really get to know Cusser (Grumpy) and Dimwit (Dopey).
One day, a guy named Dane crashes on Thanda in a ship from the planet Garam. Essie helps him repair his ship, and then he kidnaps her once she's done and plans on returning her to her home world, Windsong. Suprise suprise, Essie is the missing Princess Snow! I don't know if this was supposed to be a plot twist or anything, but it seemed really obvious to me in the first place.
After some adventures in Garam and Candara, Essie/Snow returns to Windsong and is reunited with her father and stepmother. I won't elaborate on the ending (spoilers and such), but I was very disappointed. It seemed to go too fast. Everyting seemed to be perfectly fixed in a couple of chapters, and Essie happily took her throne and began a relationship with Dane.
I didn't like the character of Essie very much. In spite of myself, I found myself comparing her with Princess Winter, the Lunar Chronicles's Snow White, throughout the book. I think that Winter is a much deeper character than Essie from what I've seen so far of her, and I look forward to seeing her when Winter comes out. Enough of Lunar Chronicles, though. I'm here reviewing this book.
I didn't especially care for Dane either. He seemed to be a bland mold of every generic male love interest I've ever read in a YA novel. As for the other characters, most of them only appeared in a few scenes and were quickly forgotten by the story. I was dissatisfied with the evil queen Olivia, because she just seemed to be that: an evil queen, nothing more. Most villainesses I've seen or read have some kind of motivation behind them, and Olivia just seemed to be filling in the role of the evil queen for the Snow White retelling.
Another thing: the Candarans and their abilities. I would have liked this to be explored more, and all I've gathered is that it's some thing they do that nobody else seems to like for some reason.
To conclude, did I like this book? Sort of. If you're into this kind of thing, give it a read. Only if you haven't read the Lunar Chronicles yet, though.
I got this book a few months ago. I thought it looked pretty decent at first, and the synopsis was kind of interesting. As I started reading, I, like many others it seems, began to compare it to the Lunar Chronicles. I love the Lunar Chronicles very much, and although this novel was most likely not trying to copy that series, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I had enjoyed reading Marissa Meyer's books, and it shared many similarities.
Essie is living on the frigid planet Thanda, the only girl in a mining town who is a mechanic *coughCindercough* and a cage fighter. She has seven upgraded drones who are supposed to be the seven dwarves I suppose, but we only really get to know Cusser (Grumpy) and Dimwit (Dopey).
One day, a guy named Dane crashes on Thanda in a ship from the planet Garam. Essie helps him repair his ship, and then he kidnaps her once she's done and plans on returning her to her home world, Windsong. Suprise suprise, Essie is the missing Princess Snow! I don't know if this was supposed to be a plot twist or anything, but it seemed really obvious to me in the first place.
After some adventures in Garam and Candara, Essie/Snow returns to Windsong and is reunited with her father and stepmother. I won't elaborate on the ending (spoilers and such), but I was very disappointed. It seemed to go too fast. Everyting seemed to be perfectly fixed in a couple of chapters, and Essie happily took her throne and began a relationship with Dane.
I didn't like the character of Essie very much. In spite of myself, I found myself comparing her with Princess Winter, the Lunar Chronicles's Snow White, throughout the book. I think that Winter is a much deeper character than Essie from what I've seen so far of her, and I look forward to seeing her when Winter comes out. Enough of Lunar Chronicles, though. I'm here reviewing this book.
I didn't especially care for Dane either. He seemed to be a bland mold of every generic male love interest I've ever read in a YA novel. As for the other characters, most of them only appeared in a few scenes and were quickly forgotten by the story. I was dissatisfied with the evil queen Olivia, because she just seemed to be that: an evil queen, nothing more. Most villainesses I've seen or read have some kind of motivation behind them, and Olivia just seemed to be filling in the role of the evil queen for the Snow White retelling.
Another thing: the Candarans and their abilities. I would have liked this to be explored more, and all I've gathered is that it's some thing they do that nobody else seems to like for some reason.
To conclude, did I like this book? Sort of. If you're into this kind of thing, give it a read. Only if you haven't read the Lunar Chronicles yet, though.
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
5.0
Normal words cannot describe my love for this amazing series.
Once you get past disturbing premise, you'll find that it's a very well-written book with an interesting focus.
Once you get past disturbing premise, you'll find that it's a very well-written book with an interesting focus.
The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
5.0
PERCY'S BACK!
That was my initial reaction to this book. It was amazing, and I found myself yelling out loud to Percy to remember, remember Camp Half-Blood, remember his and Annabeth's connection fully, to remember everything. Overall, a great follow-up to what The Lost Hero started in this incredible spinoff.
That was my initial reaction to this book. It was amazing, and I found myself yelling out loud to Percy to remember, remember Camp Half-Blood, remember his and Annabeth's connection fully, to remember everything. Overall, a great follow-up to what The Lost Hero started in this incredible spinoff.
The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau
4.0
Personally, I liked City of Ember better, but this was still a nice follow-up. It's good to see the development of Lina and Doon's relationship, and the uneasiness between the people of Sparks and the Emberites.