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my rating |
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| 000860066X
| 9780008600662
| 000860066X
| 4.18
| 538,872
| Apr 04, 2023
| Aug 30, 2023
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I’m on BookTube now! =) WHY REBECCA ROSS?! Why?! I think I’m speaking for both of us when I say: We need book two asap!! Iris and Roman were so cute and I’m on BookTube now! =) WHY REBECCA ROSS?! Why?! I think I’m speaking for both of us when I say: We need book two asap!! Iris and Roman were so cute and yes, they broke my heart! T_T Full RTC soon! For now I’m busy with trying to get my hands on book two! *lol* ___________________________________ This is a buddy read with my lovely sister and even though I’m a couple of days too late I’m still glad we’re doing this together! (Sorry, didn’t plan on getting sick. *lol*) So as soon as I have the energy to pick up that huge brick of a book (not even kidding here. It IS a heavy book!) I’ll play catch up! Thankfully you’re not that far ahead in the game... yet. XD This said: I’m very curious how the magical letter exchange is going to play out in this and if I’ll end up loving the story or not. Could go either way. The fact it’s enemies-to-lovers is already a plus, though. Guess we’ll see and find out. Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 21, 2024
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Oct 20, 2024
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Sep 21, 2024
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Paperback
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| 1526651793
| 9781526651792
| 1526651793
| 4.00
| 21,414
| May 11, 2023
| May 11, 2023
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I’m on BookTube now! =) I really enjoyed this book and it was a lot of fun! =) The conversations between Gwen & Art were hilarious and gave me life, plu I’m on BookTube now! =) I really enjoyed this book and it was a lot of fun! =) The conversations between Gwen & Art were hilarious and gave me life, plus their interactions with Gabe & Bridget were cute. The ending was a little bit heavy, though so I dunno. >_< Full RTC soon! I’ll give it a think. ______________________________ I recently found “Gwen & Art Are Not in Love” in my library and just had to borrow it because the premise sounds way too good. I mean, this is a retelling in which Gwen and Art are supposed to marry each other, but actually hate each other’s guts?! *lol* And to top it all off they are not only in love with other people but both of them are queer as well! This sounds like the most interesting love square!? I hope this is a good one!! *fingers crossed* Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 26, 2024
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Sep 13, 2024
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Aug 26, 2024
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Paperback
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| 1039007570
| 9781039007574
| B0CKKZPV8R
| 3.82
| 907
| May 07, 2024
| May 07, 2024
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it was amazing
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”They could have this, if only for a moment. A tiny bit of comfort in a world that wanted to rip them apart.” **I received an advanced copy of this ”They could have this, if only for a moment. A tiny bit of comfort in a world that wanted to rip them apart.” **I received an advanced copy of this book from Random House Canada and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to read this ARC!** After reading “The Sins on Their Bones” and giving myself some time to digest the book it seems like I’m still at a loss for words. Considering the heavy topics this story explored and how dark and twisted it turned out to be this shouldn’t come as a surprise, though. If you ask me Laura R. Samotin did something not many authors are able to pull off. She wrote a book that’s not only set in a Jewish folklore-inspired queernormative world but also one that features three different POVS. And she gave all those characters such a unique voice that it was extremely easy to keep them apart. No matter if it was Dimitri, Vasily or Alexey, each and every single one of them had their own agenda and tried to push it forward. Still, if you’re expecting something fast paced now, you’ll be disappointed. “The Sins on Their Bones” is a very character driven story that used every tool available in order to create a lush and credible setting. There’s a very strong religious element that runs through the entire storyline and the topic of abuse and how it affects the people who suffered from it is always in the forefront as well. All of the characters are morally grey and they all did things they aren’t proud of. It’s a pretty complex world with multi-layered characters that are all forced to play the parts they’ve been given. Like a chess game, that’s working its way towards the grande finale. What the book truly lives from are the different kinds of love that are visible in every line of the story, though. And I’m not just talking about queer love here. I’m talking about the toxic, destructive, manipulative kind of love that rips you apart, the wholesome and nourishing sort we all crave for, as well as the love that comes from having supportive friends that stick with you through thick and thin. Samotin didn’t just cover the entire bandwidth of human emotions and relationships, she also dove into the abyss of human nature and gave this book an unexpected psychological depth that’s not easy to match. The story raises the century old question of what is wrong and what is right and confronts the reader with what happens if both sides think that the other side is in the wrong. Hearts and bones are quite literally broken in order to find the truth, but in the end, as is the essence of war, no side ever truly wins. And for that alone I love what Laura R. Samotin did with this story! “The Sins on Their Bones” is a book about love and loss, about grief and guilt, about the darkness within and the light of hope that always finds its way in. It’s a study of human nature, a story about the resilience of humankind and what we’re able to endure. But most of all it’s a story about faith, the belief that no matter how dark it gets, there are people who love us, there’s a higher power that guides us and when confronted with our sins, there’s always hope for change and amendment. 4,5 stars rounded up to 5. Trigger warnings:(view spoiler)[physical and mental abuse, gaslighting, child abuse (mentioned & insinuated), blood & gore, violence (also sexual), drug use, war (mentioned), body horror and human experimentation (on page), trauma, grief, sickness, panic attacks, PTSD, depression, bodily harm (hide spoiler)] The characters: Welcome to my spoiler section! When I read ARCs I usually don’t go for one of these, but since I bought the book (my e-reader died and my copy didn’t work anymore) I decided I’d go for a more thorough review here. I have many thoughts and I need to put them into words. So here goes nothing! You’re welcome to join me or to skip this part. It’s your choice. ;-) Dimitri: "I'd ask God to protect you, but I don't think He's listening to me anymore." Dimitri looked down at his hands in his lap, his voice thick. Dima is a character I couldn’t help but feel sorry for. He probably would hate me for saying that, but after everything he went through it’s no surprise that he’s a broken man. The things he did in order to get Alexey back and the things he had to do after he betrayed him? It’s enough to break any man and this without true love being involved. Dimitri loved Alexey too much and there’s truth in the saying that “the ones who can hurt you the most are the ones you love”. I hear the reviewers who said that Dima is wallowing in self-pity and therefore didn’t get anything done but hear me out. This man was thoroughly broken, Alexey was the one person he trusted and his everything after his parents died. He was manipulated and gaslighted by him for years and because he loved him, he didn’t even notice until it was too late. The pain and guilt that came along with the realization of what he’d done and what he had allowed him to do with his country must have been more than just crippling and yes, we might have not known everything that happened but the reader knows enough to get a good picture of the situation. And if that wouldn’t have been enough already, the physical and mental abuse went on for years. No, seriously, I feel so, so sad for Dimitri because he’s a poor soul that had to suffer. Yet despite it all, he’s also a survivor and I loved to see the change in him. It was slow but it was realistic and after all the pain he went through I honestly hope that he and Vasya will have some peace now. ”He’d spent the last year wondering if Alexey had been right, if he’d been too weak to be the Tzar that Novo-Svitsevo needed. He still heard the echo of every one of Alexey’s scornful remarks over and over, every time he was alone.” ”Alexey was still so much a part of him, still controlling him, still leaving him crippled with guilt and with grief. He was nothing more than a boy living in the past, wishing that there was some way to undo his sins so he didn’t have to grapple with the consequences in the present.” Alexey: ”They all cried out for their families, begged him to let them go, prayed to God, as if Alexey Balakin, God’s finest creation, was not standing in front of them, offering to be their family, giving them a chance to protect the empire from any of the monstrosities that would stand against it. None of them loved Novo-Svitsevo like he did. Boy, Alexey was a piece of work! >_< The horrible thing about him, was that he truly believed he was doing what was best for Dimitri and his country. Whilst Dima was eaten up with self-doubt and self-hatred in equal measure, Alexey had no such qualms. Quite the contrary, Alexey was self-assured and believed in himself and his Holy Science. You might say he was a fanatic that did what he thought needed to be done and you’d be right. But unfortunately he was also charismatic and manipulative af and very scary which explained all the people at his court that just tried to survive his reign. For Alexey there’s no doubt that he’s in the right and he ruled with an iron fist. And I have to say this here: he’s also a sadistic assh*le that thrives when others are in pain. From what I gathered from all the sex scenes in the book he enjoys being in power and degrading and humiliating others. I know some people criticized that there are seemingly unnecessary sex scenes but I think Samotin wrote them in order to emphasise Alexey’s sadistic streak. For me those scenes revealed a lot about his character and megalomaniacal personality and therefore actually felt necessary for the plot. ”Every day after that, Alexey had prayed that Dimitri made no trouble, because as long as he made no trouble, he could stay alive. The moment he began to make a move for the throne, he would have to die. There would be no way that Alexey could maintain control otherwise. So he hoped that Dimitri would never make that mistake.” "I believe, Moy Tzar," Ivan said, bending down for another kiss, then nuzzling his neck. "I believe in two things. In you, and in the Lord our God." Alexey didn't correct Ivan that believing in him and believing in God were one and the same. Vasily: "He'd made it his life's mission to protect Dimitri - the very heart of Novo-Svitsevo, the backbone of them all - from anything that might hurt him, be it assassination or civil unrest, or bruised ribs and a broken heart." Can I have my own Vasya, please?! I swear this man stole the show and I enjoyed his POV so damn much! The way he toyed with Alexey and catered to his needs in order to get the information, he wanted… chef’s kiss! The role as spymaster fit him so well and Dima honestly couldn’t have found a better guy for the job. Vasya has all my respect for being a force to be reckoned with, and keeping a cool head when everyone else would have succumbed to panic. I’m not gonna lie, I fell in love with this man’s clever mind and the way he went about solving problems. He was extremely resourceful and would have done everything to safe not only Dima but also his country and people. His unwavering trust, dedication and loyalty in Dima and his court was so admirable. I can’t even. Moreover, I adored him for being so compassionate and having one hell of a poker face. Yes, I’m besotted with this man and I regret nothing. Legit the best character in the entire book. <3 ”Alexey licked his lips, and Vasily prayed to God that Ivan was satisfying in bed, because while he would bury every fear and instinct of his and let Alexey fuck him for days if that would save Dimitri and Novo-Svitsevo, he’d really rather not.” ”You shifted my entire image of myself. For all this time, I thought I deserved what happened to me as a child. I thought I was the one at fault. But now that instinct just kills me, because I see it in you too.” The relationships & ships: Dimitri & Alexey: "But he could love Alexey the same way Alexey had loved him. Unflinchingly, honestly, willing to look him in the eyes and assess his flaws. Willing to betray him, because the love they both felt for their country was more powerful than anything else." I’m still in awe of the way Samotin wrote their toxic relationship. It felt so real, dark and twisted and it was definitely abusive and destructive as well. You know some part of Dima still loves Alexey, yet at the same time he’s painfully aware of all the abuse he went through. Alexey for his part sees nothing wrong in his actions and this makes it so damn difficult. Whilst Dima went through some tough trauma initiated by his own husband, Alexey thinks the end justified the means. Alexey is blind to his own actions and how they affect and hurt the ones around him. Mostly because his humanity seems to have died when he returned from the grave. It was so hard to read from the villains POV because you know he’s wrong but he doesn’t see the error of his ways. Alexey tried to form Dima into someone he wasn’t and he didn’t care whether that broke him or not. So whilst Dima has true feelings for Alexey, his husband seems to be incapable of feeling anything at all. Even worse, when confronted with the truth, he refuses to acknowledge it. In the end Dimitri sees no other way than to kill his own husband, even going as far as to ask for help from an angel. Which is dangerous and leaves him with an arm that was flayed open because Gods name ended up written on his bones. Quite literally. Boy, that one was graphic. As were the scenes of Alexey’s abuse and how he broke Dimitri, figuratively and literally. This definitely wasn’t for the faint hearted… In the end, Dima tried to do the right thing and suffered immensely because of it and I can’t help but wonder how this will affect him in the second book. I’m sure we’ll see more of Alexey as well and that their toxic story isn’t quite over yet even though I wish it would be. For Dima’s sake I hope he’ll be a lot stronger when he faces him again. >_< But that’s the problem, if you’ve been the victim, it’s not easy to change your role and to fight against what the other made you believe. I guess we’ll have to find out in the next book. "If there was one thing about Dimitri he had despised, it was how stubborn and steadfast he was. Dimitri had pushed back and fought him, clawed at him, despite all of Alexey's efforts to mold him." ”We’re just two broken men, aren’t we? Who tried and tried, and yet in the trying, made everything worse.” Alexey recoiled and squared his shoulders. “I am not broken.” Dimitri laughed wetly. “If you refuse to admit it, then, who are we but two people who loved each other to the point of destruction? You and I burned everything to the ground in our wake. I loved you, Alexey, but I lost you all the same. I lost you to that fucking Holy Science of yours, and you never came back to me.” Dimitri & Vasily: ”It filled him with guilt, pretending that Vasily was Alexey instead, but it was what he needed. And Vasily had never told him no, had never complained, and so he took and took and took, even as he wished it wasn't Vasily he was taking from." Those two were so good for each other and I loved their slow burn romance! I know a couple of other readers mentioned that Dima was too hung up on Alexey to make their ship believable but I personally think that this was very realistic. To fall in love is easy, but to fall out of it is hard and it’s exactly what Dimitri was trying to do. He knew Alexey was bad for him, but his heart couldn’t quite follow the lead of his head. Once there are feelings involved it’s always difficult. You can hate someone but still love them and I think Samotin portrayed Dima’s inner conflict more than just well. So yes, Vasya’s and Dima’s relationship is developing slowly and there isn’t a lot of chemistry, but considering their history this felt real. They connected more on an emotional level than on a physical one and I think that’s totally believable. Both of them suffered physical and emotional abuse from the people they trusted and loved so them building a healthy relationship based on trust and familiarity was exactly what they needed. I think it was realistic and developed naturally and I don’t need them to have mind-blowing chemistry as long as they are happy and feel comfortable around each other. They have room to grow and to heal and that’s perfect! I ship it! Period! ”I know what he would do. I know exactly what he would do, because I spent years watching him do it to you. I could draw the atlas of the way he hurt you.” It was a punch to the gut, the way that Dimitri leaned into his touch, the way that he replied, “I don’t want him to hurt you. And I’m afraid he will.” Like his own hurt didn’t matter. Like he was so worthless that he didn’t deserve to be safe. ”It was a feeling that only one other person had truly been able to give him, and something in Dimitri’s heart burned with the thought that Vasily’s comfort was better, and purer, and more real and selfless and solid than Alexey’s had ever been. He couldn’t lose this. He couldn’t bear it. This would be the loss that tore him to shreds.” ”There will merely be this, between us, this recognition of the perfect hurt and pain that honed us into blades, so we could cut each other free. I wanted so badly to tell you that if you died, I would follow, because it’s no longer the secrets of heaven I would wish to whisper to you. It’s that I love you too.” Alexey & Ivan: ”Would you –“ Ivan was truly crying now, and Alexey deigned to wipe away his tears. “Would you be doing this if I wasn’t my father’s son?” No, Alexey thought. “Yes, of course. Don’t be ridiculous.” I still feel sad about Ivan’s death because this gullible boy fell in love with the wrong man and he’s basically the embodiment of what could have happened to Dimitri if he would have stayed with Alexey. But Dima was too strong-willed and fought against Alexey, something that would have never even occurred to Ivan. Which is so tragic because it’s the reason Alexey didn’t love him as much as he loved his husband. Ivan was too pliable and innocent. No match for Alexey’s wickedness and cunning. He was just a means to an end and this will always be tragic and sad. T_T ”None of us get what we want in this life.” Ivan’s voice was laced with such unbearable sadness that it made Alexey choke on a sob. “Not bastards, not Tzars. Not even the chosen one of God.” Dimitri & his Court: ”I meant it because to people like you, to people like me, there’s more to our lives than family, than friends, than love,” Annika continued. “There is duty, and loyalty to one’s country, and the knowledge that we will do what we must to protect our people.” I absolutely adored Dima’s court because they weren’t just amazing but also distinctive and diverse voices. Mischa his physician went by they/them pronouns, Ladushka (Lada in short) seemed to be on the aro/ace spectrum and Annika was a compassionate soul that deserved the world. (I think she might have been bi or lesbian, but it was never truly mentioned, at least as far as I can remember) I loved that they all had different strengths and that they did their best to support Dima. They definitely were a found family and I was glad Dimitri and Vasily had them. =) ”None of them had protested the plan. He had not needed to ask if they would come with him, back to Novo-Svitsevo. Because he knew that even if he was standing at the edge of the world, these four would be behind him, holding him up. They were his friends, his family, his strength, his salvation.” Conclusion: So, those are my thoughts on the book and its characters. I probably could go on and on but I think I’ll leave it at that. If anyone wants to discuss the story with me, feel free to drop me a comment! I’d love to talk about this because I still have so many thoughts! =) _____________________________ I was very lucky to get an e-ARC of “The Sins on Their Bones” through NetGalley. Well, and then I was extremely unlucky because my e-reader died and my ARC copy didn’t work anymore. >_< Guess they are right when they say: You win some, you lose some?! *lol* I decided to buy the book now, though because I wanted to read this so badly it hurts So yeah, I might be late to the party but I had very good reasons and now I’m going to read this book! Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 24, 2024
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Aug 24, 2024
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Jun 24, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| 1529152127
| 9781529152128
| 1529152127
| 4.21
| 589,058
| Aug 30, 2022
| Aug 30, 2022
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really liked it
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I’m on BookTube now! =) ”Your faith in yourself drove you to the top once. And it can drive you there again,” my father says finally. Oh boy, what a rid I’m on BookTube now! =) ”Your faith in yourself drove you to the top once. And it can drive you there again,” my father says finally. Oh boy, what a ride! When I went into “Carrie Soto is Back” I already expected that Taylor Jenkins Reid would work her unique magic and make me love a book about tennis even though I’ve never really played it. What I didn’t expect was how invested I’d get into Carrie’s comeback and all her matches. Believe me when I say that I was at the edge of my seat, holding my breath while reading and simultaneously crossing my fingers for Carrie all at once. Never have I ever in my live pulled for a tennis player as much as I did for Carrie. And I’m pretty sure I’ll never ever do it again. (Well, I pulled for Bowen too but yeah, since he’s another fictional character of the book you get the idea. *lol*) I think before I go into this review I’ll have to say a couple of words about my own relationship with tennis which is almost non-existent. I mean young V once picked up a racket when I was about 13 years old and back then it was only because one of my friends (who happened to be kinda rich) took me with her to a tennis court. Back when I was a teen playing tennis and to go riding was something only the rich kids could afford and I think things might not have changed all too much. (At least over here in Austria it still seems to be the same.) So I played tennis once and never again. I stuck with basketball, dancing and soccer instead but that’s a different story for another day. *lol* Anyway, because of that background, I never really got warm with tennis and all I know are the things you just can’t seem to be able to elude. Like the fact that Boris Becker and Anna Kurnikowa are two of the most known names in tennis. Or that Alexander Zverev is dating Sophia Thomalla right now. To be honest, I know him rather from the gossip columns than I know him from all his tennis achievements. *lol* #SorryNotSorry (If you love tennis, mea culpa! You’re allowed to roll your eyes at my glaring ignorance. ;-P ) This said, I still loved this book and all its characters and I think this is such a glowing testimonial to TJR’s writing style and the way she manages to capture her reader’s attention. She’s one of those rare authors who can tackle any topic and it will still pull on your heartstrings and make you root for her MCs. The way Carrie fought for her comeback was so admirable and I absolutely loved her relationships with her father who also happened to be her coach. And because we all know I can’t keep things short and simple, I’ll talk about all this in depth now. You’re welcome to join me in my characters section. ;-) The characters: Beware of this tennis court and enter at your own risk. There’s a crazy tennis ball serving machine that will throw spoilers your way! Either you dodge them or you face them head-on. It’s your choice and you gotta live with it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! Carrie Soto: ”Will Ilona play me?” “You beat Ilona at Monte Carlo in ’88 and then told reporters it was ‘embarrassingly easy,’ so no, Ilona does not want to play you.” “It was embarrassingly easy. I was embarrassed for her. That’s empathy.” I loved Carrie to bits and pieces and this even though many people would say that she’s a woman that’s hard to love. Throughout the entire book she’s called "The Battle Axe" or even "The Bitch" by some of the reporters and even though she never reacts to it you still know that she’s hurt by those nicknames. But Carrie is different than all the other female players and basically everyone thinks she’s arrogant and cold, which she’s obviously not. She’s just extremely honest and doesn’t beat about the bush. Carrie is direct and says exactly what she thinks, she doesn’t sugar coat her words and if someone made mistakes or didn’t give their best she’ll address it. I could relate to Carrie so much because I’m like that too and if anyone knows that you don’t make a lot of friends with honesty, then it’s me. Most people don’t want to hear the truth and if you confront them with it they tend to avoid you. Been there, done that, got the freaking t-shirt. ;-) But Carrie’s honesty isn’t the only problem she has to face and I could relate to her struggle of getting older as well. Whenever the topic of her trying to make a comeback at 37 was addressed, I felt every single word in my bones. Your body changes over the years and Carrie fights against that and does her best to get back in shape. It’s a hard fight though and she doesn’t only have to compete against the other players but against her own body as well. Sometimes it was so heart-breaking to read about how something that brought her so much joy in her youth turned into a source of pressure and stress. To follow her journey was so rewarding, though. I loved Carrie’s character arc and the way she learned to accept herself and her limits. How she found happiness in the little things again and how she finally made peace with herself. The way her character started out at the beginning of the book and how the story ended? It was perfection and I have nothing to add! <333 ”It was okay to win as long as I acted surprised when I did and attributed it to luck. I should never let on how much I wanted to win or, worse, that I believed I deserved to win. And I should never, under any circumstances, admit that I did not believe all of my opponents were just as worth as I was. The bulk of the commentators … they wanted a woman whose eyes would tear up with gratitude, as if she owed them her victory, as if she owed them everything she had. "I am not in the same body I was in at age twenty-nine. I am not running as fast. I am tiring more quickly. I am slower to pivot. I can feel the cartilage of my knee sometimes as I bounce." ”My ambition has long felt oppressive. It is not a joy - it is a master that I must answer to, a smoke that descends into my life, making it hard to breathe. It is only my discipline, my willingness to push myself harder, that has been my way through." ”I’m so grateful, right now, for every match and every win and every loss and every lesson that I have behind me. It feels so good, right now, to be thirty-seven years old. To have figured at least some things out. To know the ground underneath my feet.” Bowen Huntley: Bowe leans into the table and keeps his voice low. He says, "I want to fucking win, Carrie. I want the crowd screaming my name. I want to know that for one moment, I am the best in the world. One last time." I can't help but smile. "You are taking the words right out of my mouth." THIS man!!! Bowe was so amazing and I think him and Carrie are the perfect match! Did he have anger issues and was he a sore loser? Yes, he was all of those things but there’s so much more to him than initially meets the eye. Bowen is also a gentleman and someone who’s painfully aware of his own limits. He knows exactly how far he can push himself and he’s been fighting his way back to the top against all odds. I know Bowen has a lot of respect for Carrie and how she fought her way back into the A-list of tennis, but I think he should give himself more credit as well. I mean this man never stopped playing, he took a lot of losses, but he never gave up and in the end he got into the finals. And through it all he was so supportive of Carrie and was able to acknowledge the fact that she was the better player. It didn’t bother him, he knew and accepted it and continued to pull for her. Bowen is awesome because he saw the beauty of Carrie and her game and was able to appreciate it like no one else. <3 The perfect man for Carrie! ”I’m pulling out of all my events next month. Focusing on recovery. But … I’m not going home. I’m going to stick around and watch Carrie Soto,” he says. “I think what she’s doing here is remarkable. And I want to be able to say I saw it happen.” Bowe grabs my shoulder and squeezes it, then escorts the two of them out. He turns back to me at the last second. “This is a beautiful match,” he says. “An absolutely beautiful match.” Javier Soto: Despite the fact that I was eighteen, my father put his hand gently on my shoulder and said, “We are Sotos. We do not yell, and we do not throw temper tantrums if we’re not good enough. What do we do?” “We get good enough,” I said as I turned my head away from him and settled my gaze out the window. I adored the Jaguar and even though he had his faults as well and wasn’t perfect it was always obvious how much he loved Carrie and the game. It was interesting that he was a tennis player himself and apparently, a great one because of all the legends we heard about him throughout the book. Javier’s heart was at the right place and it made me sad that he never found another partner after his wife died. He would have deserved to find true love again. With a kid like Carrie he didn’t have it easy, though and my heart broke for him when they had their big falling out. He only wanted what’s best for her, but she didn’t see it because she was too set on winning. Poor man. Despite all that, I think he was very happy when he died and I’m glad he and Carrie made peace before it happened. =) He looks down and then back up at me. “Sometimes I think you don’t understand the heartache I feel when I see you lose,” he says, catching my eye and not letting go. “Knowing how badly you want it, knowing how much your soul needs it. Sometimes I think it is enough to break me.” Nicki Chan: ”Brava, Soto! Take a breath and fill your lungs with your victory, friend. I promise there will not be another one. See you in New York. XO, Chan.” Haha! I loved Nicki Chan and she totally reminded me of Carrie! No wonder those two were enemies but then sort of became frenemies when they started to talk. That girl had courage and I really liked her conversations with Carrie. I think in the end they both realized that the only reason they were enemies was because they both wanted to be the best so badly it hurt. Plus, I was a sucker for their mutual respect and bravado. The way things ended with them was great and it was such a suitable ending for their rivalry. The relationships & ships: Carrie & her father: He was staring at me, his eyes wide and tearing up. I had never seen this version of him before. "What have you done?" he said softly. His voice was barely a whisper. It cracked as it escaped his mouth. Their relationship broke my heart and glued it back together! No, those two! ARGH! I loved them so much and the way they both loved each other so strongly and fiercely was so beautiful to read about. This is a father that loves to be a part of his daughter’s life! Still, the moment they broke off contact because Carrie thought her father didn’t believe in her the way she did … Her getting another trainer because of it. It was so painful to witness. Those two had a really long way ahead of them and I’m so glad they eventually found back together. Javier only wanted what’s best for his daughter and to see her so set on being at the top must have been so frustrating and painful. You always suffer with your kids and the way Carrie stubbornly refused to give up while ruining her own body… Uff! I could understand where Javier was coming from. Their relationship was pretty strained for a while but they found back together again and this is what counts. They never gave up on each other and this made their father/daughter relationship so precious and beautiful. <3 And yes, I admit it. When Javier died near the ending I cried. It was so sad. T_T I’m just glad Bowen was there for Carrie and supported her through her grief because to lose a person like that – a life person – is such a hard loss and it hits you with full force. RIP Javier Soto! You were one of the best. My father starts to open his mouth, and I stop him. “I’m not a child anymore. Sometimes I’m going to have an opinion. Sometimes, when I’m ten miles and fifty laps in, I’m going to complain. But I’ll do what you say, and you deal with my attitude, and maybe one day soon, we’ll win another Slam title, Esta bien?” He looks at me, emotionless for a moment. And then he smiles and holds out his hand. “Perfecto.” ”I asked you if you thought I could get the number one ranking over her, and you said, ‘I don’t know.’” “And you’ve never forgiven me for it,” he says. “I’m paying that price even today.” “You should pay it for the rest of your life!” I say. “For making me believe in myself like that and then pulling the rug out from under me. For giving up on me when things were at their hardest. I never gave up on this. Ever. And you did!” ”And he knows you’re a better player than he is,” my dad says. “I was always worried about that with you. Because the only person who could ever understand you would be another player. But how many players would be okay knowing they were second place? He takes to it well, though. Which is about the highest compliment I can think of. I’m not sure there is a greater strength.” “Playing second to a woman?” I ask. My father winks at me. “Feeling secure, even knowing you are not the best.” I laugh, and he pulls me back to him. “Te amo, cielo. Being your father is the best thing that has ever happened to me. My Achilles. Greatest of the Greeks.” “Dad …” I say. “No,” he says. “Just accept it. Let me feel it and say it. You’re the meaning of my life.” Carrie & Bowen: ”You’re mad at me because I retired?” I ask. “Are you serious? What should I have done instead? Hung around and become a joke? Let everyone see me limping to the finish line?” Bowe looks at me and closes his eyes slowly. He takes a breath. “You act like you’ve dedicated your life to tennis. But you came back to win, not to play. That’s why they’re all pissed at you for returning. You’ve got no heart.” The easy banter of those two was so cute. I was pulling for Bowen from the moment he was introduced but Carrie really wasn’t an easy nut to crack so I was worried about them for a while. Thankfully, Carrie decided to let him in and gave him a proper chance. What I really liked about them was their brutal honesty and how they could just be themselves around each other. They didn’t have to sugar coat things and while Bowen always supported Carrie he never backed down and called her out on her bullshit as well. He challenged her and caused her to reconsider her stance on things and Carrie did the same for him. They were great together because they brought out the best in each other and matched in the best way possible. Carrie as well as Bowen loved to play tennis and they connected on a level not many people do. To love the same thing and to bond through it is really one of the best things. <3 Also I think I almost died when Bowen told Carrie that it was a “beautiful match”. All the respect, awe, admiration and joy that resonated in those words. Go find yourself a Bowen who supports you even though he knows you’re better at the game than him, but loves you nonetheless. I’m not crying, you are!!! T_T ”I wish you could see it from the outside.” “See what?” Bowe looks me in the eye and is quiet for a moment. And then he says, “Eres perfecta, incluso en tu imperfección.” You are perfect, even in your imperfection. ”I think maybe I needed you to tell me that. I knew that you would.” “Or,” he says, “and I’m just taking a stab here, maybe you also have a thing for me.” “Would you cut it out?” I say. “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” he says. “All right, go to bed. Glad I could help.” “Thank you,” I say. “Yeah, yeah.” “No, Bowe, I’m serious. Thank you.” “Sleep well, Carrie. You have this.” Conclusion: Taylor Jenkins Reid did it again and absolutely wowed me by writing a book that had me at the edge of my seat! “Carrie Soto is Back” was one hell of a suspenseful story and even though I’m no huge fan of tennis I still loved this to bits and pieces! Carrie and her father felt so real and once again, I found myself pulling for fictional characters! It’s TJR’s particular brand of magic and I can’t wait to see what she’ll come up with next. No matter which kind of topic she’ll tackle, I already know it will be something extraordinary and great! =) ______________________________ Turns out, I was right to trust Taylor because wow, this book was amazing! I loved Carrie and her father, their relationship dynamic was so wholesome and sweet. Also I’m a huge fan of Bowe because that man might have his flaws but his heart is at the right place! <333 I never thought that a book about tennis would be so suspenseful but here we are! Full RTC soon! I have a couple of thoughts I need to write down. ;-) _______________________________ I’m slowly making my way through all the Taylor Jenkins Reid books out there and “Carrie Soto Is Back” is the next one on my list! I’ve never been a fan of tennis but I’m sure Taylor will work her magic and make me completely fall in love with the story and its characters. I heard there’s a great daughter/father relationship in here and they are so rare in books, I can’t wait to read about it! I dunno about you, but I’m ready! ;-) Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 04, 2024
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Apr 05, 2024
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Mar 04, 2024
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Hardcover
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| 1250162688
| 9781250162687
| 1250162688
| 3.86
| 15,305
| Jun 19, 2018
| Jun 19, 2018
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really liked it
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I’m on BookTube now! =) "Help me find out who killed Nick Elliot, and everything I can teach you before Frostnight is yours." He propped his chin on th I’m on BookTube now! =) "Help me find out who killed Nick Elliot, and everything I can teach you before Frostnight is yours." He propped his chin on the pad of his thumb and the second knuckle of his index finger, examining me again. "Starting with how to hide your true nature, I think. You shine, Starred One, to anyone with the power to see." And so the interesting tale of Dr. Miles Singer and Tristan Hunter begins. To say it’s an intriguing story would be an understatement because wow, this book really surprised me. In the best way possible, I might add. These days it’s quite rare to find a unique and intriguing world-building but “Witchmark” managed to do exactly that! Plus it addressed a lot of other topics and themes and that makes it kinda hard to put it in just one category. For instance, we don’t just have the murder mystery around Nick Elliot who was killed by a stranger and passed his witch powers on to Miles right before he died. We also have politics, a secret society, magic, class differences, complicated family relationships, slavery, mental health, the aftereffects of war and PTSD. It’s a lot that’s packed into this 318 pages book but despite all that, it worked more than just well! C.L. Polk managed to pull it off and even added the setting of Edwardian England to it, which made for great scenes with bicycles and carriages. I honestly thought I read it all but then there comes this amazing chase scene on bicycles and I’m like: “Woah! I love it.” *lol* "She'll gut me if I hurt you," he said with a grin. "She didn't even need to say it. You inspire a true friendship, Miles." "She's never met anyone who claims to call on me." "I question the taste of every man and woman in this city." My face grew hot. So yeah, I had a great time with this book and I really enjoyed reading about it all. What I found very fascinating as well was the magic system and how it worked because apparently the people with magic abilities were also the people who were in charge and could do whatever they wanted. The way I understood the politics and power dynamics in this story, the aristocracy was divided into witches and storm singers. The Storm Singers kept their country safe by protecting it with their magic and keeping storms and horrible natural disasters at bay. And to strengthen their own powers while maintaining the weather balance in their country they took the power from Witches - which they considered inferior to them - and exploited their magic for their own gain. Which brings us to the topic of slavery because Witches weren’t even allowed to marry whoever they wanted, let alone allowed to use their own powers the way they wanted to. They are, for lack of a better word, some sort of battery that’s used by the Storm Singers. ”Free rein, but not free, Grace.” “I need you, Miles. If I’m to become the Voice, I need you. I wanted to convince you. I didn’t want this.” “But you won’t release me.” Silence. I rolled away from her hand, turned my back to her. “Go away.” Of course, this was the exact reason why Miles ran away from home and chose being a doctor in a war over being enslaved to his sister Grace. After he returned from the front, he let his family believe that he was dead and worked as a doctor in a veteran’s hospital instead. Unfortunately, him trying to heal Nick Elliot doesn’t only lead him to good people like Tristan Hunter but also causes him to be discovered and well, the rest you better read for yourself because I won’t spoil anything! ;-P This said, the mysterious mental disease some of the veterans brought back from the front and that turned them into murderers made for an interesting mystery and the love story between Tristan and Miles was just so sweet and tender. ”Should I go?” “No. Stay.” His hands trembled as he set them in mine. I raised them to my mouth and kissed his knuckles. “You didn’t enchant me.” “Like in the stories,” Tristan said. “I never did.” “You’re shaking.” “I am. Isn’t it silly?” I turned his hands over to kiss the palms, tracing the calluses of his sword hand. “You’re nervous. I didn’t think you felt –“ “Shut up, Miles.” He wound his arms around my neck and let me carry him upstairs. I mean, alone this quote! I loved those two together and I adored Tristan for giving Miles the respect and reverence he deserved. Miles was Tristan’s equal in every way and he appreciated his company, skills and intelligence! This was so palpable in every scene they had together and I just loved that about them. Was their love a little bit insta-lovey? Sure, I mean the happenings of the story take place during a timespan of about two weeks and that’s pretty short, but despite all that I’d still consider their love to be a slow-burn because they get to know each other first. They spend time together, they find out about each other’s habits and they have conversations while trying to solve a murder mystery. I really liked that about them and they both were such precious souls that just tried to help other people. No, seriously, they are a match made in heaven. <3 "He sat beside me and poured, stirring in a cube of sugar before giving me a cup. He rested his hand on my thigh as he sipped his own. Grace's nostrils flared as she watched Tristan lean against me as if we were lovers. I let him.” Also: I absolutely loved the way Tristan was protective of Miles and how he subtly but very clearly made his point in front of Grace. *lol* This Gentleman’s subtle “f*ck off” will forever be in the hall of fame of my favourite bookish scenes. It’s a gem. XD And speaking of Lady Grace Hensley, I hated her so much! Ugh! The way she treated Miles was horrible and it was so sad to see that Miles obviously loved her more than she loved him. If you truly love your sibling you’d never enslave him the way Grace did and the fact that she had the audacity to suggest marriage to him!! ARGH! That scene made me so damn angry and was pretty much the straw that broke the camel’s back. Grace was so egoistic and only thought about herself and her place in society while Miles always thought about others and tried to help them as best as he could. I mean that man tried to keep a low profile while working at a veteran’s hospital, healing other soldiers even though he went through hell as well. The only reason his cover was blown was because he tried to save a life. Grace… well she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and it was annoying af. XD I honestly dunno how I feel about continuing this series because I loathe Grace and apparently she’s the MC in the second book. I really would have wanted more of Miles and Tristan, not Grace. So I feel kinda conflicted about picking up the second instalment now. >_< Anyway! Back to the ending of my review! "Call me Tristan," he said. My pulse thumped in my ears. "It's not proper." "Miles," he said. Warmth spread across my chest. He leaned closer. Too handsome, and his face was only half of the truth. Conclusion: “Witchmark” was a great story with quite a unique world building! I haven’t read anything like it before and I really liked the entire Edwardian England with magic vibe! Miles was an amazing, altruistic, humble and extremely genuine MC as well and I enjoyed being in his head. His slow-burn romance with Tristan was awesome and I liked that it wasn’t the focus of the book, but still added so much to it. Politics, a murder mystery and social criticism were strong themes of the story too and I found myself enjoying that immensely. Maybe I might give the second instalment a chance after all? I guess we’ll see, for now I’m just glad I read the first book. =) ______________________________ Yesh! I finished this just in time to count it to my February Wrap Up! It’s the small goals, you know?! ;-P *lol* Anyway! I really enjoyed this and I loved the world building! I genuinely wish we would have gotten even more of it. The murder mystery was interesting too and I liked the characters as well. The ending could have been a little more detailed, though. Full RTC as soon as I get to it! (which might take a little while… XD ) _______________________________ I’ve wanted to read this for ages so I finally decided to go for it. I mean I really don’t know a lot about the plot other than that it’s a m/m story that plays in Edwardian England and apparently features a witch who’s hiding as a doctor in an asylum and a gorgeous man who helps him to solve the death of one of his patients. Sounds intriguing and as you all know I can never resist a great m/m series. So here we are! XD Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 19, 2024
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Feb 29, 2024
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Feb 19, 2024
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Paperback
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| 1529366585
| 9781529366587
| 1529366585
| 4.22
| 96,666
| Jan 19, 2021
| Mar 18, 2021
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really liked it
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I’m on BookTube now! =) "She itched to return to Strange Season, but she didn't dare read it while the clerk was so nearby - and she could never, ever I’m on BookTube now! =) "She itched to return to Strange Season, but she didn't dare read it while the clerk was so nearby - and she could never, ever buy it." Trigger warnings: (view spoiler)[homophobia, internalized homophobia, racism, xenophobia, misogyny, prejudices (hide spoiler)] And here I am once again trying to find the right words for a historical fiction book I enjoyed but which still didn’t quite hit the mark for me. Don’t get me wrong, this was a great story and I really liked that we didn’t just get 1950s San Francisco but also the POV of a Chinese American girl that realizes she’s queer and actually likes girls. I think this was the first book I ever read that featured the perspective of a queer Chinese American character in the 50s and alone that fact will mean so much for so many people! Representation like this is just so rare and it’s always good to see it in books. To be honest the only other Chinese lesbian character I read about was Jane Su from “One Last Stop” and she was from the 70s and the book played in New York City so we had a completely different timeline and setting there. So yes, rep like Lily Hu’s is very rare and I’m extremely thankful Malinda Lo went for it and wrote a book about a lesbian character in historical San Francisco. ”This bright, clean restaurant in Chinatown that smelled of sugar and cream was not the place to ask, but Lily felt as if her thoughts must be written in plain English on her face. Are you like the girls in the book too? Because I think I am.” Back in the 50s there was so much going on in San Francisco and later on when all those raids in queer bars cumulated in the Stonewall riots things got really intense. It’s queer history and everyone who’s part of the LGBTQIAP+ community is familiar with it. Or, should be familiar with it. ;-) Anyway, I’m not going for a history lesson here but it’s good to know about our past so that we can remember and fight for our rights in the presence. Lily’s San Francisco in the 50s was a lot different; though and even though there were gay/lesbian bars and people like Tommy Andrews things were mostly going on in secret and behind the scenes. When the riots happened in June 1969, the community was already angry from suffering all those years and started to fight back. Lily Hu’s San Francisco hadn’t arrived at that point yet and the queer community was still hiding and didn’t openly fight for its rights. It’s that time Lily is living in and the fear of Communism is strong in America, too. Naturally, to come from a country that was communistic wasn’t easy back then and there was a lot of racism and suspicion going on. "Your father would never comment on a patient without their permission, and he refused to lie to the agents. So they took his papers as punishment." "But why would the FBI punish Papa for - for not lying?" "They aren't looking for the truth. They're looking for scapegoats." To work against that, Chinese citizens like Lily’s father tried to appease the authorities by cooperating and even going as far as handing them their papers in order to make people trust them. If you met “the wrong people” or fell in love with someone who was thought to be a communist things could get ugly pretty fast. And they did get ugly for Lily’s family right at the beginning of the book. Of course Lily hid her growing interest in girls and went to the Telegraph Club in secret because she didn’t want to make an already precarious situation even worse. Not to mention that people like Lily’s best friend Shirley considered being queer to be a sin and unnatural. Despite all that and every obstacle that’s put in her way, Lily can’t seem to be able to lie to herself, though. She’s figuring things out slowly and at her own pace, but it’s clear that she likes girls and enjoys being a guest at the Telegraph Club. ”Are you coming?” Shirley asked. Lily knew that if she didn’t, there would be consequences. Shirley had said as much, hadn’t she? Jean’s queerness was contagious, like a cold, and it could be transmitted through Kath to Lily by nothing more than rumor. “No,” Lily said. It was empowering and beautiful to watch Lily come to terms with her own sexuality and even though she did it in secret she didn’t back down when she was confronted with the truth. I think back then this was the only way to figure out yourself and it was up to you to decide how to present yourself to the world. Very often it’s easier to hide who you truly are and to continue to be a part of the heteronormative world we’re all born into. It was like this back then and it still is like that in so many countries all over the world. The Stonewall riots might have been the beginning, but it’s a fight that’s still going strong all over the world. As is the fight against racism and xenophobia. ”We don’t see many Orientals around here,” Sal said to Lily. “Do you speak English? Where are you from?” Lily stiffened. “Chinatown. I was born here.” Sal looked impressed. “You don’t even have an accent. That’s amazing.” “I was born here,” Lily said again, a bit more sharply. “I thought all the Orientals in Chinatown only spoke Chinese.” “No.” She hoped that her short tone would make Sal drop it. The blatant racism Lily had to put up with was horrible to read about and it’s awful she even had to endure statements like the one in the quote above. No, Lily most definitely didn’t have it easy and the fact her best friend was one of the strongest voices that spoke up against being queer felt like a knife in the back. I honestly can’t even fathom how lost and lonely Lily must have felt. In the queer community that should have been some sort of safe haven she was treated like a curio because she was American Chinese and her entire family and even her best friend thought her to be unnatural and wrong because she liked girls. (view spoiler)[The nerve of Shirley! I was so angry at that girl because how dare she claim Lily lied to her when all she did was to go behind her best friends back? The sheer audacity to think being queer is worse than hiding her secret affair with a man who’s considered to be a communist. Shirley endangered her entire family by acting so reckless, but she sat on her high horse because at least it was a man she was dating?! Jeez! Spare me from people like that! (hide spoiler)] ”Never mind, I don’t want to know. I came here to tell you this because I’m your friend – or at least I thought I was before I found out you’ve been lying to me. And lying about something so – so unnatural. I can’t believe you would do this. Did Kathleen do this to you?” No, seriously! Shirley made me so angry, I can’t even. As did Lily’s parents who compared being queer with being ill. Then again it were the 50s and in a traditional American Chinese family like Lily’s people unfortunately thought like that. I admire every queer person that had to live in times like this and still didn’t back down and fought for their love. Lily’s and Kath’s love story was so sweet and tender. Their slow burn felt so real and painful at times. Their secret meetings, the slow realization that what they felt for each other was actually love, it was written so well. Right before they reached the top, Kath said very softly, “I want to kiss you again.” A jolt went through Lily – she had to stop to catch her breath – and Kath stopped too, and they turned to look at each other. Also, I loved many of the other queer characters that were introduced and I’m not surprised Tommy Andrews was admired by everyone. Tommy was such an intriguing character, I could have read even more about her and I still wouldn’t have gotten tired. That woman had charisma, a beautiful voice, and was mysterious, wise and sexy. Hell, if I’d have visited the Telegraph Club I’d have fallen head over heels for her too. *lol* The more I read about Tommy the more I thought that she might have been trans, though. It was never stated on page and all the other characters called her a butch, but I got some trans masc vibes. I might be wrong and the only one who could tell us for sure is the author herself, so I’ll just leave it like that and only throw the thought into the room. ”She’s not – we’re not –“ Lily said, and immediately felt as if she had betrayed Kath. Tommy raised her eyebrows. “Does she know that, sweetheart?” She stepped toward the door and made a flourish as if to show Lily out of the room. “After you.” This said and all the positive things written down, I want to come to the only thing that kinda irked me a little: The fact that there was so much political potential and that it wasn’t really used or explored. I mean I get that this was essentially a story about Lily and Kath and their forbidden love in a time when being queer wasn’t accepted. Considering all the details and additional info we got at the end of the book I would have really loved it, if Malinda Lo would have added more of her research into the storyline of the book, though. For instance the entire thing about Shirley running for becoming Miss Chinatown and some background info why this was so important or just a little more about Lily’s father and his situation. The book basically started out with him losing his papers and the fear of being deported because Lily spent some time with a couple of boys that were considered to be communists, but then the topic was never picked up again and was only broached near the ending of the book. And this only as a device to move the plot forward. A lot of the topics were just brought up but not explained or explored. We only got the background information as an additional info from the author at the ending of the book and as interesting as this was to read, I really would have liked more of this awesome research woven into the book. Because without this additional info added into the storyline I found myself murmuring things like: “Ahh, now that makes sense.” when I read the appendix and I personally think it would have been really nice if I wouldn’t have had that epiphany AFTER reading the book. You can see the author put so much effort into doing her research so it feels like such a shame she didn’t use more of it for the plotline. That might be a me thing, though and maybe I’m just a bean counter! I honestly dunno. You can take this with a grain of salt. ”She realized, with a jolt, that the city must be peppered with women who frequented the Telegraph or similar clubs; women who watched performers like Tommy Andrews, made friends with each other, made girlfriends of each other. At each intersection she cast skittish glances at the women waiting for the light to change, wondering if she was one of them too, or her, or her.” Conclusion: All told “Last Night at the Telegraph Club” was a great book that will mean so much for a lot of people. Not only is Lily Chinese American but the book also plays at a time that is almost never explored in literature. To follow the main character while she comes to terms with her own sexuality and discovers the queer scene of 1950s San Francisco was really interesting and since I’m a fan of slow-burn romances the budding relationship between Kath and Lily was very sweet to read about, too. If there’s one thing I would have wanted to have more of, then it’s the politics of that time and a little bit more background info to understand all the actions and things that happened. I suppose that’s just a me thing, though! So that leaves me with 4 stars and the knowledge that I’ll definitely pick up the author’s next book as well. ___________________________ This was a great read and to follow Lily on her journey was as interesting as it was heart-breaking. There were so many thoughts that went into this story, but you only really realize that when you read the additional info of the author at the ending of the book. Full RTC soon! This will be an interesting review to write. I’ll have to think on it. ___________________________ “Last Night at the Telegraph Club” has been on my TBR for quite a while. To be exact: I put it on my TBR of 2022! And I barely read any of the books I put there so it’s about time to start ticking them off! *lol* (#moodreader) Thankfully, my library got this book now and I can finally read it! A f/f book that plays in Chinatown in 1954?! This is going to be amazing! I already know that there will be so much history and especially LGBTQIA+ history and I can’t wait to read about it. =) I’ve been eyeing this for years and I’m ready! ;-) Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jan 08, 2024
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Feb 04, 2024
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Jan 08, 2024
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Paperback
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| 0349433372
| 9780349433370
| 0349433372
| 3.84
| 90,985
| Jan 18, 2022
| Oct 07, 2022
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really liked it
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I’m on BookTube now! =) ”He could see the thin arc of her pale lips, the freckles almost invisible on her cheeks. Her face was burned into his memory, I’m on BookTube now! =) ”He could see the thin arc of her pale lips, the freckles almost invisible on her cheeks. Her face was burned into his memory, and it remained there: an echo but undiminished. A haunting.” How is it this book has lines like this one and still isn’t all too popular among my fellow reviewers?! Of course I can only speak for myself here but “Anatomy: A Love Story” was such a surprise and this in the best way possible! When I first heard of the book I thought it might be a romance that plays in Edinburgh in the year 1817 and it sounded interesting enough to pick it up when I found it at my library. Well, and then I read the blurb and my perception of the book changed and I got even more intrigued. ”What were miracles, but science that man didn’t yet understand? And didn’t that make it all the more miraculous that the secrets of the universe were out there, codes one might decipher if smart enough, tenacious enough?” Truth be told, it’s kind of hard to put this book in a certain genre because it’s one of those stories that defies to be pegged as just one thing. If I had to describe it with a couple of words I’d say it’s a story about a Lady and a resurrection man, with a little dash of romance, mysterious happenings, a dangerous sickness and some Frankenstein-like edge that adds creepy and gory scenes to the mix. It’s also critical of society and emancipated. And for everyone who thinks this sounds like way too many topics and issues packed into just one small book: Don’t worry, despite all that it still works more than just well! ”It’s the lesson young girls everywhere were taught their entire lives – don’t be seduced by the men you meet, protect your virtue – until, of course, their entire lives depended on seduction by the right man. It was an impossible situation, a trick of society as a whole: force women to live at the mercy of whichever man wants them but shame them for anything they might do to get a man to want them. Passivity was the ultimate virtue.” I really loved Hazel as a character and it was so refreshing to see her fight all the stereotypes society wanted to push on her. I mean we have that 16 year old Lady that’s supposed to marry her cousin – the future Viscount Almont – and she completely refuses to give up the life she has built to become just another wife at the side of a powerful man. She wants to be powerful herself, she wants to help people and become a surgeon and despite being a young lady she doesn’t even hesitate to befriend a resurrection man and even accompanies him to dig up a corpse in order to study it. It were things like this, which caused me to root for her so much! Hazel had no qualms to get her hands dirty, no matter if it was with soil or entrails. This girl was amazing and she had her heart at the right place! ”Oi,” Thrupp barked at Burgess. “You’re lucky you have this pretty boy to protect you. You fancy yourself some sort of gentleman with those lined coats, Hazleton?” “Yeah,” Hazel responded with the most masculine swagger she could manage. “I do. And the ladies seem to like it just fine.” Burgess laughed at that, a full throaty laugh, and Thrupp retreated with an eye roll. Also it was extremely awesome she masqueraded as a boy named George Hazelton just to be able to attend anatomy lectures. We dig a girl that’s got her priorities straight and doesn’t let anyone hold her back from pursuing a career as a surgeon. And speaking of the anatomy lessons. The author really didn’t abstain from writing very detailed descriptions so if you’re one of the faint-hearted you better don’t pick up this book. Just a fair warning. Plus if we’re already at it: If you’re allergic to outdated misogynistic bullshit – like I am - you might end up hating a certain Dr. Straine and Hazel’s fiancé as well. Dr. Beecham, well he’s an entirely different story, but at least he had no objections to Hazel becoming a surgeon. The boy you’ll definitely fall in love with is Jack Currer, though! ”It was easy to die in Edinburgh, but Jack had made it seventeen years because he knew how to survive." Oh boy, how I loved Jack! He was such a kind and gentle soul and he deserved the world! I absolutely adored this boy and even though he earned his money by being a resurrection man I could totally understand where he was coming from. Times back then were hard and his job at the Le Grand Leon theatre just didn’t earn him enough money to live from it. Always hungry, no possessions aside of the clothes he wore, no friends and family to watch out for him, Jack had nothing but still managed to survive. Still, despite his own situation, he still cared about others and tried to help them as best as he could and that made him one of the most precious souls ever. Hazel and he might have come from very different backgrounds but they had that in common, they cared about others and this was exactly what made them work so well. =) ”I don’t find myself cavorting with high society ladies like yourself all too often, so it doesn’t strike me as an introduction one needs to make.” “We’ve already met. Twice,” Hazel reasoned. “Aye, but is it really meeting if I haven’t given ye a name?” he said, and this time he winked for real. Haha! Jack could be quite cheeky sometimes and I really liked that about him. Anyway! Those two meet and kinda start some sort of business together and even though the story is slow at some parts and there doesn’t happen a lot, the moments when things actually DO happen were written very well and had me glued to the pages. I was such a sucker for all the little moments between Jack and Hazel and I really wanted them to be together and to have a future with each other in their lives. Their chemistry was amazing and I was a huge fan of their gender swapped moments and scenes. It was an interesting dynamic because even though Jack is a boy, he’s still poor and doesn’t have all the chances and resources Hazel does. ”There ain't going to be any more bodies." He looked away and showed a heavy bruise across his left cheek. Before she could think better of it, Hazel strode forward and lifted Jack's face in her hands. Jack’s hair was particularly lank and dull, and his eyes were flat. See what I mean!? Every reader knows plenty of scenes like that, but it’s usually the man that lifts the girl’s face and not the other way around. No, seriously! I want more moments like this one in my books! Vulnerable and honest men should appear in more books! Period! ;-) As for how the book ended and how everything was resolved: I won’t spoil anything but I will say that I saw some of the revelations come from miles away! It didn’t take a lot of brain capacity to figure things out, but I’m not gonna lie: The overall ending threw me and I’m still not over it. Urgh! My heart! <3 ”My heart is yours, Hazel Sinnett,” Jack said. “Forever. Beating or still.” “Beating or still,” she said. Conclusion: “Anatomy: A Love Story” turned out to be completely different than I thought it would be. I expected a romance and was positively surprised to find out that this book tackled so many other topics as well. I still have a hard time to describe this story because it’s so unique and defies being put into just one genre so all I’ll say is: If you like historical fiction books that think outside of the box and feature strong female characters that defy society’s rules you’ll enjoy this book. And if you like a little mystery, some gory details and two characters that try to save innocent people while inadvertently falling in love – Well, then you’ll most definitely end up loving this book! ;-) ________________________________ NO, what was that ending?! O_o Someone please tell me there’s another book and that I’ll get answers! >_< Also this was something different and I really enjoyed reading “Anatomy: A Love Story”. Hazel and Jack have my heart! <333 I really dislike damn Bernard, though. Can we please not have him in the next book (if there is one.) Full RTC soon! I need to look up if there’s a second instalment first. XD _________________________________ I’m so intrigued by this book because I heard so many people rave about it. At first, I thought this would be a romance but as it seems the plot of “Anatomy: A Love Story” is completely different than I thought it would be. I mean we have Edinburgh in 1817, a woman who wants to be a surgeon and a resurrection man who makes a living from digging up graves and they both try to solve a mystery together?! As I said: I am intrigued. XD I can’t wait to dive into this! This is going to be good! =) Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 20, 2023
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Dec 10, 2023
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Nov 20, 2023
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Paperback
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| 3.98
| 75,823
| Jan 31, 2021
| Feb 23, 2022
|
really liked it
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I’m on BookTube now! You can find my channel here! =) ”This is my last love letter to you, though some would call it a confession. I suppose both are a I’m on BookTube now! You can find my channel here! =) ”This is my last love letter to you, though some would call it a confession. I suppose both are a sort of gentle violence, putting down in ink what scorches the air when spoken aloud.” Trigger warnings: (view spoiler)[domestic violence, emotional abuse, grooming, gaslighting, manipulation (hide spoiler)] So when I started to read this book for #Rainboween I expected it to be a queer retelling of Dracula and in some way it was, but it also wasn’t?! It’s kinda hard to explain it but “A Dowry of Blood” turned out to be entirely different than I thought it would be and I think that’s mostly due to the slow story and the serious topics it addressed. If you hear the words “Queer Dracula Retelling” your first thought might be: “Oh, cool! Sounds like ‘Dracula’ met the sexiness of ‘Interview with the Vampire’ and they made a love-child.” But the interesting thing is that this story was nothing like that. ”I want to believe you weren’t just playing your part. I want to believe your kindness was not just another note in the well-rehearsed aria of your seduction, trotted out countless times for countless brides. But I have loved you too long to imagine you do anything without an ulterior motive.” Truth be told, it was a very slow story with only a handful of characters, but for some reason it still worked? I mean this was a 320 pages book and there honestly didn’t happen a lot. You could basically sum up the plot in one sentence and say that Dracula is collecting his brides while travelling through Europe. That’s it. That’s the plot of the entire book, but of course this wouldn’t do the story justice. Fact is, the writing style is one that hooks you right from the beginning and even though not a lot of things happen, the story is playing out slowly and deliberately which causes the reader to want to read more. "I think, my lord, that this is when you loved me best. When I was freshly made, and still as malleable as wet clay in your hands." The entire book is told from Constanta’s POV and from the moment she got turned by Dracula. We don’t know anything about her life before, but it’s easy to assume that she was a peasant girl that ended up being a casualty of war. When Dracula finds her, she’s dying and he gives her a second chance at life and makes her his first bride. For a while they live together in harmony but Dracula’s thirst for beautiful people isn’t quite sated yet and he’s always watching out for a new bride to add to his collection. ”I wanted to crawl between whatever was blossoming between the two of you and live there. This was my home too, I wanted to shout. I had earned my right in your bed and I hadn’t been consulted on inviting somebody else in, no matter how beautiful she was.” And this is where the book starts to go into an entirely different direction than I expected it to go. This is not a tale about Dracula and the adventures he and his brides experience, it’s a tale about a controlling and conniving man who wants to keep his beautiful collection close to him. At first he turned Constanta, then he found Magdalena and a couple of centuries later Alexi – the only man among his brides – joins them. I really loved that Alexi was a man and that not all of Dracula’s brides were women. This gave the story such a nice LGBTQIA+ spin and it caused the plot to thicken because Alexi is more demanding and not that easily intimidated by Dracula. “He adored everything about you, good and bad, from your soft-spoken declarations of love to your flashes of foul temper. The love he had for you was the cartographer's love for the sea, trembling and all-consuming and so far beyond the reaches of right or wrong. Far from shrinking from your bad moods, he welcomed them." You might say that Alexi joining them was the catalyst that changed it all. Or like I would put it: Dracula bit off more than he could chew. XD Still, even though the “three brides” are getting more and more aware of the toxic relationship Dracula forced them into for centuries, it’s still not easy for them to change the power dynamics. Their master isn’t just way too good at manipulating people, he’s also very strong, intimidating and powerful. ”You made it into an art form, this quiet sort of violence. You were so far into our heads your gentle suggestions often felt like our own thoughts.” No, seriously, Dracula is one hell of a bastard and he knows every trick in the book. No matter what you say to him, he turns the words in your mouth, making them come out different than you initially intended. He’s a master at this game and he had centuries of practice. How he rationalised and justified his actions… that man is a piece of work. His brides never knew how to handle his mood swings and to please and placate him was already second nature to them. Honestly, when I picked up the book I didn’t think I was in for psychological mind games and manipulation but that’s exactly what this book turned out to be about. Dracula is the master and his brides are dependent on him. ”You're young, unschooled in the ways of love. Love is violence, my darling; it is a thunderstorm that tears apart your world. More often than not, love ends in tragedy, but we go on loving in the hope that this time, it will be different. This time, the beloved will understand us. They will not try to flee from our embrace, or become discontent with us." Conclusion: When I went into “A Dowry of Blood” I expected it to be a polyamorous Dracula retelling and I would have been fine with that. What I got was a much more complex story than that, though. This was a tale about manipulation and abuse, about a man who didn’t know when to stop and about his lovers that had no other choice than to go against him. It’s a tragedy in three acts. And it’s a good one. If you’re looking for something that’s not creepy and has psychological depth instead, well, then this book is for you. I, for my part, enjoyed it immensely. ___________________________________ This book was so interesting! The writing style had me hooked but there actually didn’t happen a lot? I’m confused. *lol* But “A Dowry of Blood” made for a perfect #Rainboween read so I’m really glad I read it! Full RTC soon! Stay tuned! ;-) ____________________________________ It’s the beginning of October and this means my readathon #Rainboween has just begun!! YAY! And of course I’m starting with a super intriguing book Beki (@Teacup the Storyteller) and I wanted to read for a while: “A Dowry of Blood”! A Dracula retelling from the POV of Dracula’s first bride Constanta? It sounds too good! The fact it has an f/f relationship only makes this even more interesting and I’m so here for it. First #Rainboween book, here I come! =) P.S: You can still join my readathon if you want to. Here's the direct link to the announcement video and all the details:Rainboweenathon aka #Rainboween Link! Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 02, 2023
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Oct 21, 2023
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Oct 02, 2023
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Kindle Edition
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| 1471192652
| 9781471192654
| 1471192652
| 4.22
| 90,762
| Jun 18, 2019
| May 01, 2020
|
liked it
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I’m on BookTube now! You can find my channel here! =) ”Some things stay with you, haunt you. Some embers nestle into your skin. Shots cannot be forgott I’m on BookTube now! You can find my channel here! =) ”Some things stay with you, haunt you. Some embers nestle into your skin. Shots cannot be forgotten. And neither can that force of love.” I think I’m just not made for the genre of historical fiction. Yes, that’s the statement I’m going with as I start this review, because even though I understand the love of all the other reviewers who ended up giving “The Stationary Shop of Theran” five glowing stars, I unfortunately can’t say that I feel the same way about this story. For me the writing style that’s typical for historical fiction always seems to be too far away to evoke genuine emotions and I mostly end up enjoying the book without feeling the punch it’s supposed to pack. Roya’s and Bahman’s story is tragic and sad and it made me angry, but it didn’t cause me to sob into my pillow at night. I’m pretty sure that’s a me-thing, because as I already explained historical fiction just doesn’t seem to be for me. So please take everything I write here with a grain of salt and don’t let my personal opinion keep you from reading this book. After all I gave it three stars for a reason. It’s a great book, there were just a couple of things that didn’t really work out for me. ”They had owned a future and a fate, engaged in a country on the verge of a bold beginning. She had loved him with the force of a blast. It had been impossible to imagine a future in which she didn’t hear his voice every day.” This said, let’s get to the heart of it. One of the biggest issues I had with the book was the question on which kind of aspect it wanted to focus. At first there was a strong emphasis on politics and I would have been fine with this, but then the story changed course and became a tragic love story instead. There were a couple of time jumps that jarred with the narration and I didn’t always understand why the author chose to tell the story like this. I’m convinced that sometimes a different narration style would have been a better choice and would have made it easier to follow the overall tale and timeline. From the blurb the reader already knew that Roya and Bahman would have no future together but the way their lives drifted apart was truly heart-breaking. ”You just wait, my girl. Life will slap you down too. It’ll push you down when you least expect it. You’ll see. This world lacks justice. Did you know babies die?” It seemed like so many people were against their love and stood in their way and it always makes me angry to think about how many of them had a hand in how things developed for Roya and Bahman after that fateful day. I hated Mrs. Aslan with a fierce passion and I still do even knowing everything that happened. There were so many unlikable characters in this book, but Mrs. Aslan most definitely was the most unlikable one of them all. Do I feel sorry for her? Yes, I do. Do I still judge her for how she treated her son and husband, yes I do. Her actions were egoistic and driven by bitterness and spite. She never thought about her son and husband, she only cared about herself. And that made her a horrible mother in my eyes. Her behaviour was unacceptable. No matter what happened to her, no matter her backstory, no matter her mental health, she should have loved her son unconditionally and only should have wanted what’s best for him, but she didn’t and Bahman had to suffer because of it. That poor, poor man. ”It’s not worth staying in this country anymore anyway.” Baba tried to sound like he believed it. “They toppled our true democratic leader. Now the foreign powers and their lackeys can do whatever the hell they want with us. Not worth it for now. Go. Go and be free. Learn everything you can. Better than being here with your throat choked by a dictator and with a government that can shoot at will.” Roya’s parents were completely different and I really liked her Baba who always tried to support his daughters as best as he could. He might have gotten many weird looks from his relatives and I’m pretty certain people gossiped about him behind his back, but he was a very progressive man and I absolutely loved that about him. Maybe he was too enthusiastic sometimes but it was always clear that his daughters’ safety and happiness were the most important thing. I was honestly surprised to read about how Iran was back then and considering all that happened after 1953 the country changed a lot. Life in Iran seems to be very different now and I wonder how much it will change in the future. I guess only time will tell. It was extremely interesting to read the historical parts of this story and I definitely learned a lot. So that’s always a plus and speaking of learning, I learned so much about food as well! It sounds so delicious and I really want to try it some day! ”This was what it was to be a woman, she knew. She was already pushing boundaries by even insisting on working. And in science there was always the assumption that she would be taking the job from a well-qualified man. And as a foreigner – well, shouldn’t she just be grateful to be in this country?” We didn’t just get life in Iran, though. Roya’s new life in America is a part of the story as well and I found it quite telling that she had to face the same adversities she would have had to face in her home country. In the “Land of Freedom” everything is possible… but only if you’re a man. Women might have been allowed to study and to work, but only as long as they got kids and became another housewife in the end. Roya was lucky to find a man like Walter who accepted her the ways she was and would have never even tried to change anything about her. Some part of me will always feel sorry for this precious bean of a man, because I think he deserved so much better than to be Roya’s rebound. And yes, I know some of you who read the book will argue now and say he wasn’t and that she loved him differently than Bahman, but that she still loved him. To be honest I think she might have loved him but definitely not as fiercely and strongly as Bahman. I always had the feeling that Walter loved her way more than she loved him and that’s just sad. ”Roya and Walter stayed that way – foreheads touching. Of his love she had never been more sure. For every ounce of grief that she had, Walter had the same. He had labored with her in this grief, felt his way through the darkness and the depth of it, and all the time as the world carried on, he was there by her side. Walter was always there. Reliable. Trustworthy. Steady. The love that she and Walter shared was a lifeline she did not want to do without.” A lifeline. Something necessary in order to survive, but not exactly something you cherish with all your heart. I’m sure to Walter, Roya was way more than a lifeline and he would have done everything possible to make her feel happy and loved. So yeah, for me their love felt a little one-sided and the last chapters of the book only seemed to emphasise my conclusion about the true nature of their relationship. I suppose as long as Walter was happy with it, I can be too, but I still feel a little bit bitter on his behalf. ”She had loved him and her love for him had never quite stopped. She had tried to push it down, hide it, make it disappear. But it was always there. It floated in the branches of the trees outside her California college boarding-house, it was in the layers of the clouds in New England, it had been in the red puffed-up chest of a bird that sang in winter. It was everywhere. Still.” I think the ending was very realistic and the only way the book could have ended. So this was pretty much expected and I already anticipated this sort of conclusion to the story. The epilogue however, packed quite a punch and caused me to feel - for lack of a better description and without spoiling anything - a lot of things. All told, I feel a little conflicted about “The Stationery Shop of Tehran” because I enjoyed it and liked many aspects of it, but at the same time, there were many things that either weren’t explored enough or given more room than necessary. For instance, we got a lot of ordinary life but whenever there was a point to make, like with Roya being a female scientist in a men’s world, the entire issue was resolved in a couple of paragraphs. I get there were limitations because of the time period Roya lived in but I still think her situation could have been addressed a little more. In my opinion, the time jumps could have been handled differently as well and sometimes they really took me out of the flow of the story. Still, if you like historical fiction that has its focus on romance then I’m sure you’ll end up enjoying this book. Overall, I did, so three stars it is. ;-) ____________________________ First things first: My heart wasn’t broken, but this is still a very sad story. Roya and Bahman. *sighs* Their story was just tragic. I dunno how I’m going to rate this. I think I’ll have to digest this first and think about it some more. So full RTC soon. Maybe to think and write about it will help with the rating? I guess we’ll see. ____________________________ Am I starting another buddy read with a fellow BookTuber?! Yes, yes I am because I’m a mood reader and have no shelf-control! *lol* Bad combination? Maybe, but I like to keep my books diverse and “The Stationary Shop of Tehran” is something totally different to what I usually read. It’s been a while I read a historical romance and I’m very curious about this one. Something tells me this book is going to break my heart so I better prepare myself. Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 10, 2023
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Jul 30, 2023
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Jul 10, 2023
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Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 1250226201
| 9781250226204
| 1250226201
| 3.71
| 48,859
| Jan 15, 2019
| Jan 15, 2019
|
it was amazing
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”The world has a shit memory. It will never pay its debts unless you force its hand.” Ahh! Where to start? Where to begin? Maybe I should just go for b ”The world has a shit memory. It will never pay its debts unless you force its hand.” Ahh! Where to start? Where to begin? Maybe I should just go for blunt honesty and say it like it is: I could bite myself for not reading this sooner!!! What was I even thinking to procrastinate for so long? This book was already on "My Book List 2019" and it took me until 2020 to read it. (Which is actually sort of typical me! *lol*) Still, if we stick to honesty I’ve to admit that I’m kind of torn about having read “The Gilded Wolves”. Why is that so? Well, on the one hand I loved those characters and their diversity! The plot was so much fun and I adored the puzzles and the fact that this book kept me on my toes and forced me to pay attention to what was happening. In some way “The Gilded Wolves” felt like the unknown lovechild of Dan Brown’s “Angels & Demons” and Leigh Bardugo’s “Six of Crows”. With a dash of its uncle “Indiana Jones” and a pinch of its aunt “Ocean 11” mixed into it. XD Plus, let’s not forget about the tension that oozed from every single one of those pages! All those six characters have a painful past they’d rather forget and want to go into a bright future instead. And boy, is Chokshi a master at playing their weaknesses in order to build up tensions! XD Just amazing! <333 On the other hand I find myself faced with a huge disadvantage now. I read the first book, loved it and now I’ll have to wait until the end of 2020 until I’ll be able to read the next instalment. Which is just cruel! I mean after THAT ending!!?? >_< ADFKADKFAKSJFDLKASDFJASKD!! I need answers and I need them soon! So I’ll finally get myself a NetGalley account (Yes, I’m THAT desperate to get my paws on a copy) and hopefully my wish for an ARC will be granted. (I’m crossing all my claws here. *lol*) This said, let’s begin with my fangirl/rant feast! You can find the extended version (including my infamous category "The relationships & ships") of my review here! (I know why I got a blog! Because dang all I managed to write about were the six main characters. *sniff* Word limits will be the death of me, you're allowed to write that one my gravestone! T_T) The Characters: Welcome to the “Palais des Rêves”, where dreams come true and spoilers become reality! ;-P If you don’t want to be spoiled I’d advise you not to mingle with the crowd! It’s a fair warning and in your best interest! Mark my words before you decide to linger. XD Séverin – The Leader: ”He was deception steeped in elegance, from his sharp smile to his unsettling eyes. Séverin’s eyes were the precise color of sleep – sable velvet with a violet sheen, promising either nightmare or dream.” Chokshi definitely has a way with words. I could imagine Séverin so well and in my mind he’s drop-dead gorgeous. *drools* Still, his habit of chewing cloves might be a turn-off. *lol* Not that I don’t like cloves, I really like the taste and the smell, but only in small doses. The way Séverin popped them into his mouth it must have tasted more than just intense. Not that I’d fantasize about kissing him… Nuhu… not me. ;-P Anyway! His character kind of reminded me of “Gansey” (especially the habit of chewing on something. With Gansey it was mint leaves though) and he definitely was not only the leader of the group but also some sort of responsible father figure. I hated to find out about his and Tristan’s childhood and I think he might have named his foster fathers after the seven deadly sins. My buddy and I gave that a lot of thought and we eventually decided that they had other real names and Séverin only called them like that in his mind. Would be such a typical Séverin move. XD Also from all the characters in the book he was probably the most driven and torn. To be shunned by his family and to be denied his legacy wounded him deeply and I have no idea what will happen to him in the next book. I just hope he won’t go all “dark side”. >_< ”Séverin closed his eyes. It wasn’t about enough. Tristan would never understand. He had never felt the pulse of an entirely different future, only to see it ripped from his grasp and smothered in front of him. He didn’t understand that sometimes the only way to take down what had destroyed you was to disguise yourself as part of it.” ”Memories unsettled him. He hated the thought that he might have missed something, and he didn’t want time warping how he remembered things because he didn’t trust himself to remember without bias. And he needed to. Because only then, only with absolute impartiality, could he detect where he had gone wrong.” Laila – L’Énigme: ”She hated seeing someone hold an empty plate and always thought everyone was hungry. She knew everyone’s secrets even without having to read their objects. At the Palais des Rêves, she turned that radiance into an allure that earned her star billing and the name, L’Énigme. The Mystery.” Laila was such an intriguing character! She’s Indian, can read the history of objects (kinda reminded me of Tessa Grey) and is some sort of a sexy mother hen. Oh well, that sounded kinda wrong but it’s still true somehow? *lol* I think what I’m trying to say is that she cares about everyone and treats the crew like they are her children. XD I mean there’s a really domestic side to her. She bakes for her friends and listens to their troubles yet at night she’s L’Énigme and dazzles the crowd at the Palais des Rêves! She’s a temptress and no one seems to be more ensnared by her than Séverin! XD Just like with all of the other characters there’s something dark lurking in her past though, and to say this surprised me would be putting it mildly. As I understand it, she was a stillborn and forged into living with the help of the lives of a cygnet and a jungle cat? Which explains her dark fur-like hair and her black eyes. Apparently beings who are forged into life like that don’t live longer than 19 years or so though, so that’s the main reason why she’s trying to stay away from Séverin and working on finding a cure. And boy do I hope that she finds one! She’s way too young and too precious to die and her love to Séverin definitely needs a decent chance to thrive. Not that they are on good terms right now. Damn! >_< Also did anyone notice that “Laila” literally means “Born at night” in some cultures? If that’s no suitable name for her I dunno! ;-P ”She didn’t want to glide through life, unfeeling. She wanted to know everything while she could. She didn’t want the ghosts of thresholds not crossed hanging over her. She didn’t want one night. She wanted a chance.” “Her mother's voice rang in her ears: 'Don't capture their hearts. Steal their imagination. It's far more useful.” Enrique – The historian: ”When he realized he didn’t have the talent, he chose to study the subjects that felt closest to Forging: history and language. He could still change the world… maybe not with something as dramatic or grand as Forging, but in more intimate ways. Writing. Speaking. Human connection.” I admire that boy so much! Enrique is not only a revolutionary bisexual Spanish-Filipino (he could be pan too but judging by his thoughts I think he’s bi) but also an ardent historian! <3 And I loved that mixture! It made him a really interesting character and even though he obviously isn’t all too good at socializing he still had a great humour and an even quicker mind! That man is the full package and I was so there for it! XD Unlike the other members of the crew he didn’t have any Forging powers but he made up for it with his sharp wit, resourcefulness and seemingly infinite knowledge. I really would have loved to read more about him, especially at the ending!!! Because damn, was it too much to give us more info??!!! Chokshi left us completely in the dark about what happened to him, Hypnos and Zofia which is so NOT OKAY!!! I need answers! *dies* ”There were Forged dragons out of myths from the Orient, Sirenas with heavy-lidded eyes, bhuts with backwards feet. And though they were not all his tales, he saw himself in them: pushed to the corners of the dark. He was just like them. As solid as smoke and just as powerless.” ”Nothing but a symbol?” repeated Enrique quietly. “People die for symbols. People have hope because of symbols. They’re not just lines. They’re histories, cultures, traditions, given shape.” Zofia – The phoenix: ”A month later, ten students locked themselves in the lab with her. Again came the sounds, smells, laughing. The other students didn’t grab her. They knew the barest touch – like a feather trailed down skin – hurt her more. Calm slipped out of reach no matter how many times she counted backward, or begged to be let go, or asked what she had done wrong.” Zofia is my precious, skilled phoenix! She’s Jewish-Polish and totally socially awkward. I really liked that she’s so shy and can get completely absorbed in her work. It’s kind of endearing and I always thought of her as the little sister of the group. I could picture her standing in her lab while she created new things, completely forgetting about the cookie Laila brought her. Apparently she was a victim of mobbing at the university and I despised her classmates for violating her that way. They might not have physically hurt her but they used her insecurity and aversion to touch to taunt and mentally abuse her and that’s just horrible! My poor little girl! Don’t hurt my Zofia or I’ll defend her like a lion! *grrr* Zofia is really great at maths too and her and Enrique were such a great team it was a pleasure to watch them figure out things together. I always had Beckett and Castle in mind when they threw their knowledge and ideas at each other. Just perfect. *lol* I can’t help but wonder what happened to her after Tristan’s death though. I mean Hypnos and Enrique kissed and judging by the hints that were dropped, to witness their kiss caused her to withdraw from the world again. Which is such a shame! >_< I really liked that she began to open up and I’d hate for her to be alone! *sends hugs to Zofia* ”What it could do did not seem within human grasp, but that was the thing about numbers. They weren’t like people, who could say one thing and do another. They weren’t like riddles of social mannerisms or conversations. Numbers never lied.” ”She was reminded of all that she could not detect. All that she could not do. She could storm into a room, but she could not command its attention through charm. She could face herself in the mirror, but she could not spark imaginations with her face. Zofia stepped back. She should stay in the world she knew. And not reach for one she did not.” Tristan – The Botanist: ”His love and his fear and his own cracked mind made it easy to convince him that betraying you was saving you.” Tristan was such a surprise. I mean he was clearly the crew’s baby brother who loved his tarantula Goliath and thought up little miniature gardens before he actually created them and made them a real and living thing. He was such an adorable boy and even though he shared his rather dark and twisted childhood with Séverin it seemed like he got out of it just fine. Well, at least it seemed like it. To be honest there was always something that troubled me about him and the words of Joux-Roubert certainly didn’t make it any better. The birds that disappeared from the garden… I knew there was something wrong with it. Hellz! I certainly didn’t expect it to end like that though! O_o Sweet, precious, little Tristan did WHAT??!!! OMG! I really would have loved to find out why he did that but I guess now we’ll never know… Or we might find out in the next book? I hope we do because that ending left such a huge question mark over my head and the fact that we never got Tristan’s POV makes it even harder to fathom why he would have done such a thing. Also is it just me or was it some sort of bad omen that Tristan never got his own POV? XD ”What? I’m hungry. What about you, Tristan? What do you want?” “This,” Tristan said quietly. “Just this.” Hypnos – The Patriarch ”He knew the other boy’s skin, a deep umber like the rain-soaked bark of an oak tree. He knew the textured hair cropped close to his head. Even knew his strangely colored eyes, a blue so pale they looked like panes of frost.” At first Hypnos was no part of the crew but I ADORED that boy the moment he appeared! His first meeting with Séverin and Enrique was so amazing; I couldn’t help but fall head over heels for him. I loved his flair for the dramatic and his quirky and strangely innocent (even though he’s pretty good at threatening people!) nature. He’s an adorable walking and talking disaster and all I wanted was more!! XD It’s kind of strange that he’s the Patriarch of House Nyx but I’m sure he has skills and responsibilities we never even got to see. Just like with Tristan we didn’t get a Hypnos POV (well only that short chapter at the ending) and I can’t wait to read his thoughts! Let’s hope we’ll get to see them in the next book. Also Hypnos seems to be bi? Just a guess here because he showed obvious interest in Enrique but also sort of charmed Zofia? Maybe that was just my imagination though and he’s actually gay and only loves to flatter pretty women? *lol* I suppose I won’t know until I read “The Silvered Serpents”. ”What’s going on here” – said Hypnos, his voice rising as a bizarre grin spread across his face, - “is that you care for me. We’re all friends. We’re friends going to save another friend! This is… this is amazing!” ”I had to choose, and perhaps the Order forced my hand in this. But what no one tells you is that even when you decide which world you will live in, the world may not always see you as you would wish. Sometimes it demands that you be so outrageous as to transcend your very skin. You can change your name. Your eye color. Make yourself a myth and live within it, so that you belong to no one but yourself.” Conclusion: “The Gilded Wolves” was everything I craved for and wanted to read! I loved to watch this story unfold, I adored the characters, their world, the diversity and all those puzzles! And I really, really, REALLY want to read the next book! *lol* A huge thanks goes to my partner in crime Miri the Book Dragoness for reading this book with me! I enjoyed our discussions and I can’t wait for your comments on the second book!!! Let me live vicariously through you! ;-P ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jan 20, 2020
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Feb 2020
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Jan 20, 2020
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Paperback
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| 0063048116
| 9780063048119
| 0063048116
| 4.14
| 10,932
| Nov 16, 2021
| Nov 16, 2021
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I’m on BookTube now! =) I almost forgot how much I loved the Montague siblings. XD Adrian is such a great addition to the family and his anxiety rep fel I’m on BookTube now! =) I almost forgot how much I loved the Montague siblings. XD Adrian is such a great addition to the family and his anxiety rep felt so tangible and real. Poor boy, though. At first Monty didn’t make it easy for him, but I kinda lived and breathed for the developing family bonds. <33 Full RTC soon! Might take a little while since the Easter holidays are coming up. ;-) _________________________________ Well, I already said it all in 2019 when I found out this book exists. So I've nothing to add except of: I'll be reading this now and I'm so ready! Let's see if it will live up to my expectations! *lol* _________________________ THERE IS A THIRD SIBLING NAMED ADRIAN?!!!?? Oh, wait! Is this the little baby brother that was mentioned in the first book (the Gremlin?)?! - Revived sibling relationships - Monty & Felicity (not to mention Percy) - The Caribbean (Barbados & New Orleans) - grief and mental breakdown rep Take. All. My. Money!!! You can bet your panties that I'm going to read this one! XD Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 12, 2024
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Mar 24, 2024
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Oct 28, 2019
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Paperback
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| B0DLT7L36Y
| 4.09
| 9,548
| Dec 04, 2012
| Dec 04, 2012
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really liked it
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”I hesitated, but it was night, and words spoken in the dark can always be forgotten come the dawn.” So this was the first book I pulled from my newly ”I hesitated, but it was night, and words spoken in the dark can always be forgotten come the dawn.” So this was the first book I pulled from my newly invented "Bookie Jar" and since I didn’t even know this was on my e-reader I was really surprised that I’m already in the possession of such a nice gem! *lol* I guess it was a really good idea to make my “Bookie Jar” because otherwise this might have stayed on my e-reader for eternity without me ever knowing that it even exists. XD Anyway, let’s move on! This book was a fun adventure and I really enjoyed every aspect of it. There were so many things that hooked me and made this a pleasant read and once I started reading I just couldn’t put it down anymore. =))) So what are you going to find in this book? - Christine!!! Mrs. ”I will not surrender my profession simply because men throughout history have been unduly enarmored of their penises!” Gosh, she’s so kick-asss!!! Haha! I love that woman and I adored her for staying by Whyborne’s side after she found out that he’s gay! She took it all in stride and the world definitely needs more amazing women like that! <3 - Two main characters which are so adorable that you can’t help but say “Awww” whenever they do something really cute. ”Just a moment, just this one kiss, surely that would be enough… Then he kissed me back, and it would never be enough, a thousand years of this would not be enough.” - Lots of funny thoughts from our shy and innocent protagonist, who never was in a relationship before and is completely oblivious to the many flirty remarks Griffin is feeding him throughout the course of the entire book. *lol* ”Not without your consent, at least,” he said with a little smile. Damn the man; I could think of far too many things I’d happily consent to. - Creepy monsters, a charismatic but blood-curdling villain, abandoned houses, mystery, magic and appalling experiments. - Passionate moments between our two heroes that caused me to smirk and laugh out loud. Especially a certain name mentioned “in the throes of passion”. *lol* So damn cute! <333 ”Tell me what you ache for. Tell me what has kept you awake at night, alone and yearning in your bed. Show me the secret fire in your heart.” “Let me touch you,” I panted. “Please.” He rolled onto his back, his eyes smoldering along with his smile. “Have your way with me, then.” - Complex and multi-layered main characters that both have an intriguing and painful past but somehow found each other despite all their troubles and go through thick and thin. "Perhaps he simply couldn’t imagine anyone would stay with a man who wasn’t entirely whole. Who had been broken, and hadn’t managed to put all the pieces back together." - An amazing historical setting that handled the important aspects of that period really well. ;-) All told, this was a fast fun read and I can really recommend it to everyone who doesn’t only like the m/m genre but is also looking for a little more depth and a great storyline. ;-) “Widdershins” has a lot to offer and I’m sure if you decide to read it you won’t be disappointed! XD ...more |
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Nov 25, 2018
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Dec 05, 2018
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Nov 25, 2018
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ebook
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| 4.51
| 177,654
| Feb 09, 2017
| Dec 14, 2017
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really liked it
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”The desire to fall in love and to share one’s life with someone is neither a homosexual nor a heterosexual conceit. It’s human. We’re all suckers for
”The desire to fall in love and to share one’s life with someone is neither a homosexual nor a heterosexual conceit. It’s human. We’re all suckers for a pretty face or a kind heart. What else can we do but keep hoping that the right person will show up?” - John Boyne I usually don’t start my reviews with a quote from the author her/himself but I think this one is very important and needs to be read. In my opinion it’s the message John Boyne wanted to convey when he wrote “The Heart’s Invisible Furies” and looking at it in retrospective I could feel it in every single sentence he wrote. There were the ups and downs of life, everything that happens in between and the “what ifs” that involuntarily come our way and have a tendency to haunt us for the rest of our lives. In the end however the only thing that truly matters is whether we can live with them or not. Whether we can accept our mistakes and grave decisions and if we’re ready to embrace them with all the troubles they entailed. Of course there’s a fine line between authenticity and exaggeration but Boyne made sure never to cross it. He balanced along it for the duration of the entire book and no matter how absurd some situations seemed to be, no matter how extreme some people’s opinion were, they were never far-fetched. There DO exist Mary-Margarets, Julians and Charles all over this world and it’s realistic to assume that they might eventually cross your way. ;-) In short: This book was amazing! It was: Particularly sad, Hilariously vivid, Achingly beautiful, And ridiculously charming. I loved every minute of it and the characters really grew on me, which is the reason why my characters section is going to be super long again. *lol* As always I need to add my two cents though so #SorryNotSorry. ;-P The Characters: Welcome to my characters section! If you already read the book or don’t want to read it but want to know more about the characters, proceed. If you don’t want to be spoiled and still want to read the book, I’d recommend clicking that nice exit button though. It’s your choice, choose wisely. XD Cyril: ”I’m not sure what it was about my appearance that made me seem like a pubescent rapist but for some peculiar reason I took this as a compliment.” Aww Cyril was such a precious bean. *lol* I think he was what you’d call an old soul in a young body and it made me sad to read how ashamed and lonely he felt. I could relate to his struggle and why he was afraid to come out, because let’s face it Ireland at that time was not the kind of country you would have wanted to announce that you’re gay. If anyone of the police found you with another man you could go to jail for it and it’s no surprise that Cyril tried to keep it a secret from his family and friends. The problem with secrets is that sooner or later they gnaw on you and eat you alive and this is exactly what happened with Cyril. There was a point he couldn’t pretend anymore and he did what he had to do and ran away. Was it wrong? Yes. Did he have to do it? Yes, because back then he actually had no other choice. If the constitution of an entire land is against you, to leave seems to be the only possible decision, right? ”I had never considered myself to be a dishonest person, hating the idea that I was capable of such mendacity and deceit, but the more I examined the architecture of my life, the more I realized how fraudulent were its foundations. The belief that I would spend the rest of my time on earth lying to people weighted heavily on me and at such times I gave serious consideration to taking my own life.” Julian: ”I intend to live a long and healthy life and fuck as many girls as I can. I’d like to die in my bed, aged one hundred and five, with a twenty-two year old bouncing up and down on top of me.” Ahhh dear Julian… this character made me so sad. I mean he was one of those guys you can’t help but like, he was sassy and knew how to work a crowd, but no matter his big mouth, when it came to the important things he seemed to fail miserably. I mean on the one hand he had countless love affairs and basically made it a hobby to have sex with every woman he found attractive but on the other hand he judged Cyril for being gay and sleeping with many different men. Even more so, he had no problem to accept that Jasper Timson, one of his old classmates, was gay and in love with him, but after all those years he was Cyril’s best friend he was disgusted when he finally told him that he’s gay. Talk about being hypocritical…. And then the way it all ended for him… T_T ”He was arrogant, certainly, and had no respect for authority but he made his pronouncements with such insouciance that I found it impossible not to be charmed by him.” Mrs. Goggin: ”I remember a friend of mine once telling me that we hate what we fear in ourselves,” she said with a shrug. “Perhaps that has something to do with it.” I loved her character and she was exactly the kind of woman I always want to find in a book. She was strong and stood by her opinion and even though life handed her some tough cards she never even thought about giving up. Catherine made the best of her life and I loved to see her so happy at the end of the book! Plus, I lived and breathed for those short moments when Cyril’s and her path crossed. They were always very polite and honest with each other and I think she was more of a mother to him than Maude ever was, even when they both had no clue that they were actually mother and son. <3 ”My boyfriends, if I had any, would surely have more sense than to let underage boys wander the corridors unsupervised,” she said, refusing to be intimidated by him. “And I won’t be poked and prodded by priests, do you hear me? Those days are long behind me. So take care not to touch me again.” Mrs. Goggin vs. Father Squires ”You’re a bit of an oddball, Jonathan,” I said. “Has anyone ever told you that?” “Nineteen people this year alone,” he said. “And it’s only May.” Maude: ”The vulgarity of it all,” she said. “Popularity. Readers. I can’t bear it. I knew Charles would destroy my career in the end.” Haha! Well, Maude certainly was an oddball for sure. *lol* An author who doesn’t want to be popular and writes her books just for herself is definitely unusual, but I guess to some degree I could even understand her. There’s something special about creating a story and the enjoyment you get from writing can be really amazing. It’s just sad that she never was the kind of mother Cyril would have needed but I suppose neither Charles nor Maude were prepared to deal with a little child. They were too used to their own routine and too egoistic to have a child. It’s true they provided him with a roof over his head and with food, which is probably more than some other parents can give, yet they never provided him with love and I think that’s one of the main reasons why it took Cyril so long to accept, let alone to love himself. Charles: ”It just doesn’t make sense to manacle yourself sexually to the same person for fifty or sixty years when your relationship with that person can be so much happier if you give each other the freedom to enter and be entered by people of the opposite sex whom you find attractive. A marriage should be about friendship and companionship, not about sex.” Dear Charles had quite some modern views and I think deep down inside of him he was actually an okay kind of guy. *lol* Still, I really disliked that he always told Cyril that he’s not a real Avery. Even when he had to go to jail for the very first time, he made it pretty clear that Cyril was only his adoptive child and not his "real" child and this distinction never sat well with me. I mean Cyril was their son in every sense of the word and even though his parents treated him like a stranger, he still loved them the way only a child can do. I was so sad when Charles died, but somehow it also made me happy that he acknowledged Cyril at the end. He had to hear those words and I’m glad Charles eventually said them. =) ”Oh good. Because you’re not a real Avery, don’t forget.” “Yes, I knew that too,” I said smiling. “But I’m glad we adopted you,” he added. “You’re a good boy. A kind boy. You always were.” The relationships: Cyril & Julian: ”When we see each other at family functions, I’ll be polite to you so no one finds out the truth. But don’t ever think that I feel anything towards you other than total and utter loathing. And if you dropped dead on your honeymoon, I’d cry no tears over you.” Their story broke my heart into thousand little pieces! I was devastated when Cyril confessed his love to Julian!! Julian’s reaction was so bad; it was every nightmare come true, every doubt and every second of guilt centred on that one single moment. It was a hit right in the stomach and it hurt so, so much. T_T I mean there was a reason why Cyril never told him and instead of proving him wrong, Julian reacted exactly how Cyril expected him to. This is our biggest fear, to show our true self and to be rejected for it. For poor Cyril this nightmare became reality. I mean I understand Julian’s POV too, it was horrible that his best friend was about to ditch his sister right in front of the altar but damn if he just would have stopped for a little moment and thought things through. To force Cyril to marry Alice was the worst thing he could have done and he did it without hesitation. And then… after all those years, after everything that happened Julian saw him once again. In a hospital bed, having AIDS. Gosh, this was so damn sad. I mean after all the girls Julian was with this didn’t really come as a surprise… but still. It was heart-breaking nevertheless. They got a last chance to talk and to make their peace with each other and even though it made me cry like a little girl that moment was so important and necessary and … T_T I can’t even. I’m crying just thinking about it. When Cyril held Julian and told him to let go… *sobs uncontrollably* Despite all their differences, despite all the bad blood and anger between them, they were friends in the end and Julian died in the arms of Cyril. T_T ”And we’re enemies now, are we?” I asked. “We’re not friends, that’s for sure.” “We used to be.” How many times throughout my youth had I dreamed of such a moment and now all I could do was bury my face in his back and weep. “Cyril…” whispered Julian. “Just let go,” I whispered back. Alice & Cyril: ”It’s not the name that’s gay, you know.” “No, they think Cyril is you and that we’ve got back together. “Would you like that, Alice?” “I’d rather bore a hole to the centre of the earth with my tongue. Why, would you?” “Very much. I miss your body.” “Oh, shut up.” I loved those two! *lol* I mean I could understand why Alice gave Cyril a hard time after he left her at their wedding reception, but the nice thing was that she eventually came around and became his best friend in the end. I guess to have a son together might have helped as well but I always liked Alice and unlike her brother she was a very compassionate and sympathetic person. I think it was due to those attributes that she and Cyril got along way better after they had a talk and even though she made a lot of fun about him not coming to certain events they both took it with humour and were able to laugh about it in the end. =) So yes, their relationship filled me with hope and joy and I was very glad that Cyril managed to make amends with Alice. Conclusion: “The Heart’s Invisible Furies” was a wonderful book. It forced me to feel the entire bandwidth of human emotions and at times it was so hilarious that I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. The characters were unique and realistic and the irony of certain situations was spot on. It was as much a tale about Cyril’s life as it was a story about Irish history and if you like interwoven and intricate stories I’m sure you’ll love this one! ;-) __________________________________ Look at me as I rock not only my TBR but also "My Book List 2019"! The best thing: I borrowed this book from the library too so it’s like killing three birds with one stone. Jeez! There is actually a system and pattern behind my reading now! O_o Who am I even and what happened to that disorganized mood reader I was? *lol* Anyway, here are my three good reasons to read this book: 1.) It plays in Ireland and my irish faerie heart is so ready for it! ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 15, 2019
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Mar 19, 2019
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Oct 24, 2017
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Paperback
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| 4.31
| 1,774,602
| May 06, 2014
| Jan 15, 2015
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really liked it
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I’m on BookTube! =) ”Why bother to make music when the silence and wind are so much larger? Why light lamps when the darkness will inevitably snuff the I’m on BookTube! =) ”Why bother to make music when the silence and wind are so much larger? Why light lamps when the darkness will inevitably snuff them?” This book was a dark, dark book, but then again it were extremely dark times and all our two main characters Marie-Laure and Werner were trying to do, was to survive them. To be honest I really don’t know how I feel about “All the Light We Cannot See”. It was a good and thought-provoking book and the story was written beautifully. Still, after all the reviews I read I thought this story would hit me harder and that it would be one of those books that would leave me crying in the end. None of that happened though and even though the plot was well-crafted and the prose was lyrical I still couldn’t help but feel a little detached from the characters and their fate. I think I’m just not used to historical fiction anymore. The writing style in books like this one is very different to what I usually read and even though you follow the characters, you’re not exactly in their heads which is probably one of the main reasons why I didn’t connect all too much with them. Also I was in a huge reading slump when I started to read the book in April and only picked it up in August again. I did finish it in a couple of days then though so yeah. It definitely had me engaged and I wanted to know what was going to happen next, I just wasn’t as attached to the characters as I usually am when I read other books. ”I want to be an engineer. And you want to study birds. Be like that American painter in the swamps. Why else do any of this if not to become who we want to be?” A stillness in the room. Out there in the trees beyond Frederick’s window hangs an alien light. “Your problem, Werner,” says Frederick, “is that you still believe you own your life.” I however will admit that some scenes in this book hurt. Badly. No matter if it was Marie-Laure who struggled to survive in a world that was ever-changing and had no room for people with disabilities or Werner who just wanted to become an engineer and was forced to go to war instead. Their stories were so different, yet they both were connected somehow. Werner’s childhood and his very brutal education in one of the German military schools, Marie-Laure’s life as a blind person in times that made it even harder to navigate through them because nothing ever stayed the same. Two different sides of a coin but both connected in ways you could only grasp if you closed your eyes and let yourself sink into the story. The older they got the harder their lives became and the stronger the war around them raged. To see the world through Werner’s eyes and Marie-Laure’s ears was at least as fascinating and unique as it was heart-breaking. ”Frederick said we don’t have choices, don’t own our lives, but in the end it was Werner who pretended there were no choices, Werner who watched Frederick dump the pail of water at his feet – I will not – Werner who stood by as the consequences came raining down. Werner who watched Volkheimer wade into house after house, the same ravening nightmare recurring over and over and over.” But it wasn’t just about Marie-Laure and Werner. There were so many other side-characters that stuck with me but I think Frederick and Volkheimer were the two people I still think about the most. It’s kinda funny how sometimes the side-characters actually leave a deeper impact on the reader than the main characters themselves. I mean Frederick... oh Frederick. His story moved me the most and I still feel anger boiling deep in my stomach whenever I think about it. In Germany of World War II there was no room for honourable people like Frederick and it still hurts to think about this precious boy. I suppose there was no room for boys like Volkheimer or Werner as well. Volkheimer who was the best soldier because he was burly and did exactly what he was told, but still was so gentle with Werner whenever he was ill. Their friendship was everything and I couldn’t help but like Volkheimer even though he did what he did. Talk about conflicting feelings. >_< (view spoiler)[Also I think Volkheimer was in love with Werner. It could be my imagination of course but he apparently never got a wife even years after and the way he watched out for Werner and took care of him... I really think he loved him. (hide spoiler)] Volkheimer definitely saw the potential in Werner and appreciated his talent and gifts. Truth be told, I think Werner was a genius that never got a chance to shine because all his talent went into the war machine and for me this makes him an even more tragic character than he would have been already. ”Go,” says Volkheimer again. Werner looks at him a last time: his torn jacket and shovel jaw. The tenderness of his big hands. What you could be. Did he know? All along? I think this quote emphasizes it pretty well. Anyway, there’s one thing I still need to address before I wrap up my review and this is the supposed love story in this book. When you read the blurb you automatically think that there will be a love story between Marie-Laure and Werner but this is not the case. There is no love story between them and they only meet once in the entire book. So if you’re going into this book because you expect a romance you better be aware of this. I totally expected there to be a love story between them and was pretty disappointed when I discovered that there was none. Maybe I would have enjoyed the book even more if I would have known that from the get-go. ”Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever.” This said “All the Light We Cannot See” was a very good and thought-provoking book. It’s a slow story that takes time to unfold and to grow which is in total contrast to the fast-paced world and the time it plays in, but I think this was actually a big part of its charm. If you’re looking for a good historical fiction book that plays in World War II and packs a subtle yet strong punch you definitely should pick it up. _____________________________ “All the Light We Cannot See” was a good and thought-provoking book. After reading the blurb I kinda expected something different though?! There was absolutely no love story and apparently I’ve a cold-cold heart because it didn’t hit me as hard as I thought it would? At least it didn’t make me cry. So yeah... Full RTC soon and once I figured out what exactly I want to write. XD ________________________________ I’m finally going for “All the Light We Cannot See”. This book has been on my TBR since September 2017! So for a very, very long time and I’m finally in the right mood to tackle it. Plus I spoke about it in My April TBR 2022 video and whenever I ban something on video I actually go through with reading it. XD I heard that this is going to make me cry so I prepared my tissues and hope it won’t break my heart ... at least not all too much. <3 Did you read this already and if yes did you enjoy it? Find me on: My Blog Instagram ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 25, 2022
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Aug 30, 2022
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Sep 08, 2017
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Paperback
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