Dee
Those. Last. Few. Chapters!!! Oof! Talk about reeling you in and leaving you desperate for more. I won't even get into that epilogue. Eep!
I'm not usually focused on the characters, as I'm more interested in an the book having an engaging plot, but every character had me invested in their story. I especially loved the ronin. Tatsumi and Yumeko's interactions, goodness if the burn could be any slower.
If you want an adventure where everything can all unravel with one wrong move, an underlying layer of deception and characters that you enjoy reading about, pick this up.
Off to read book 2
3.5 stars
This book gives you exactly what it promises: strange stories set in unremarkably normal settings. There were a few stories that hit the mark for me (Fraxinus set the tone and had me hooked, Ghost reminded me of my favourite childhood horror reads, Missing caught me off guard and Fraxinus Americana capped it off quite nicely).
If you're in the mood for stories that leave you equal parts confused, entertained and disturbed, then definitely pick this one up.
This book was certainly an easy and enjoyable read. I especially loved Olly and Polly's banter pre and post endgame and I was rooting for them the entire time.
Polly deciding to take the job at To The Moon And Back makes her a bigger woman than me, because I certainly couldn't do it. Selling love while every aspect of my life was out of whack? Not this girl.
If you're on the lookout for a contemporary romance where you can't help but fall in love with the romance of it all, then this one is for you. If you're not into insta attraction and angst caused by a lack of/poor communication then this might get rough for you.
Whew. This book was slow and character driven (which I don't normally go for) and somehow, I kept coming back for more. I was curious about Pearl's lineage. I wanted to know how the custody battle turned out. But most of all, I wanted to know why that fire was set in the first place, because it was obviously a message.
Definitely interested in reading more by Celeste Ng in the future.
I need book 2 immediately......
4.5 stars.
I deducted that .5 for one reason - that one heartbreaking scene - that was also extremely infuriating. I loved that this book paid such beautiful homage to the Orishas and West African culture. I must have book 2 as soon as possible (sooner actually). I will definitely keep Adeyemi on my watch list.
Something is missing...
4 stars.
While I absolutely enjoyed the bits of the Dregs that Nina afforded me, I really didn't see the point of this book until maybe the last third. But...but!!! That twist at the ending?! I needed that book five minutes ago. Leigh Bardugo is a magician at writing stories that keeps you coming back for more.
Also, Nikolai may fight Kaz for best Bardugo male lead. Mal could jump off a cliff and the Darkling has hurt me too much to get back up there.
3.5 stars.
All of the twins in this book really took me out of the story in the beginning. Almost everyone had a twin or was meant to be a twin or had twin relatives and I was like ok, I get it, twins are a thing. Yeesh. But other than that, McManus is as McManus does: captivating writing with an intriguing enough plot. When we find out who done it, well boy oh boy...how disturbing. I really wished that it didn't happen for the reason that it did.
Even so, I enjoyed the ride and wouldn't discourage anyone from picking it up.
Watching the TV show definitely endeared me to these characters more than I would have been without it (or with only the movie to go on *yikes). I forgot how much of a douche the main characters were to Clary and Simon at the beginning Spoilerand I can't wait until they're all one big loved up family.
Also, Magnus is my all time favorite.
