Karolina

What a pleasant surprise this book was. It portrays the neurodivergent experience, the female experience, the human experience. We're here just trying to figure out what to do. Wonderfully written. 

Such an interesting and creative premise! On the surface, this is just plain grief and pain but to use ghosts to convey other messages is fascinating. 
 It left me with a feeling of not wanting to waste the little time we have mourning for what it's lost. Moving on is also an act of love. 
 “Because I'm alive!” 

They were actually a cute couple, quite less toxic than most in Alessandra's books

It's hard to write an original and creative vampire tale so I give the author credits for this story. However, there are indeed some MAJOR plot holes. I also couldn't help but to compare Vauquelin to Lestat. 

Using magical realism to discuss real life problems that affect young people was a clever choice. Lovely story. 

This came into my life just when I was dealing with anxiety for the first time. Isn't that funny? 
 This is the autobiography of the author but he gives such valuable advice. Ruth's methods for calming the body and calming the mind have been a huge help to me these days. 

Satan and his gang was the best part. Their contribution was chaotic, surreal and humorous. 
 The Russia-Yeshua back and forth was a bit convoluted tho. 
 This is indeed very unique. 

I liked that it was more about personal growth and freedom than romance but this still needs some editing. 

What I enjoyed the most was their curiosity for each other. This was actually quite cute. 

I have so many thoughts about this tragedy. The concept of love in the context of the books intrigues me so much because the characters use the word love for what I would consider infatuation or just plain attraction. At first Armand, like the rest, just like having the idea of having her. That's why he is continuously expecting her to be someone that she's not.  Then there's the portrayal of women: the narrator made us understand the prejudice of the time (which still exists today) but it also redeems the protagonist through pain and sacrifice.  I was certainly not expecting the horror of them opening her grave or the despair of her last moments alive.  BTW, it's so funny to me that the narrator is just a nosy man that wanted to hear all the gossip 🤭 

It is an interesting biography because instead of talking nonstop about the timeline and wars, Renault dedicates the majority of the time discussing Alexander's persona, his charisma, and his relationships. However, don't expect a non-biased narration of accounts because you can tell she was fan-girling the whole time.

A dumb person is one that continuously makes dumb decisions and that is Will. 

Always wonderful to see women in the spotlight of classic stories. Seeing Circe's growth, her point of view, and how she finds herself is satisfying. 
 Always awful to see how the disdain and mistreatment of women is timeless.
 Madeline Miller writes so beautifully nonetheless. 

This is us. Turning a blind eye on the horrendous labor conditions of so many people for our comfortable lives. We look the other way and pretend nothing is happening... And don't even get me started on all the prejudice and machismo in the name of religion. There's a whole fictional world masterfully created here and at the same time is just a mirror on our awful reality. 

I'm a sucker for the arranged marriages trope but this one was... Meh. I just couldn't feel the connection between Richard and Katherine. 

It's so “cozy” that it might end up being bland. Kiela takes some time getting used to because she comes off as ungrateful at the beginning. I think this is okay but overhyped. 

I'm definitely the target audience for this book. I was sold the moment it started with a quote from The VVitch movie.
 In this Carmilla-inspired text we can FEEL the horror of the female experience. The grief for the life not lived (or should I say not allowed to be lived), the denial of circumstances, the masking to survive, but also the giddiness of having nothing left to lose. 
 My gothic heart devoured this and it left it wondering: “For what do you hunger?”  🖤

This is proof that you can tell a lovely and full story in under 200 pages.
 I savored the Folklore & Slavic mythology sprinkles. I just enjoyed this so much. 

Just a lovely reminder of how you'll never be as cool as Oscar Wilde

To be completely honest I started this book with a dismissive approach because the whole “you're stuck with your ex” premise is such a non-issue.  Right in the middle of it I just couldn't understand why they were willingly putting themselves into this emotional turmoil. It's like pushing a dagger depper into your heart just to avoid dealing with reality.  Nonetheless, I gotta say the author turned everything around. She delved into the importance of friendship; on how life is how you spend it on a daily basis rather than what you earn; on how we must embrace change; on how complicated and messy love really is; and on how knowing yourself allows you to be open to others. 

It started strong with the existential dread! 
 I liked Taylor right away; his spiriling was hilarious 😂  I found myself cackling several times. 
 I also enjoyed how unapologetic Holt was about what or who he likes. 
 Overall it was a perfect funny light read. 

 

Female rage OG queen. 

This is so unserious 😭

We all love a good hero's journey. Similar elements to The Hunger Games. 
Tactics, schemes and alliances. 

If Memento Mori was a book... A reminder to live fully and embrace our loved ones, told from a place of sorrow and horror. Grief portrayed not only for a person's death but also how we grieve opportunities lost or motherhood. A positive view on death though.