Tasha⛓️Sorsha
This was awesome. I normally don't like fairytale retellings, but I do have a few exceptions to that rule. And a post-WW4 sci-fi where Cinderella is a cyborg mechanic? That is definitely one of them. And the cover art! This series is fricking beautiful as hell! Cinder was extremely fun and interesting, and kept me turning pages. I'll be finishing the series at some point for sure.
This book honestly made me feel like warm chocolate chip cookies fresh out the oven. It was nothing “exceptional”, in fact the writing was pretty typical of a romance novel and the plot was fairly simple and straightforward. But I loved every minute of it! The characters felt real to me, I loved the whole wine aspect and running a wine bar, and what's better than two sexy ladies falling in love? 😍 I'm definitely going to be reading more by Georgia Beers.
This was exactly the rage-fuelled, justice-hustling truth sling I was hoping it would be! Erin Gibson said everything I want to say but even better, and moreover, it was well-researched and intelligent. Best of all, this lady was not afraid to roast the living crap out of white men in power and all their compatriots holding up the patriarchy. A➕➕💯
*3.5 stars because it was such a unique epistolary form. That was cool. But it lost points because the ending was very unclear and you never found out what was in the mystery letter everyone was hyping up for THE WHOLE BOOK. Like, why bother if you're not gonna tell us what's in it? That was literally the point of the whole novel and we never found out what was in the letter!! Infuriating.
I'm obsessed with books about smart and tough women set in the Victorian/Edwardian periods, so this is just what I wanted. I LOVED the plot line about the suffragists and women's rights. The story might have just been a bit rushed, but that works for me because I'd prefer that to something that drags. I especially liked that the male characters knew how to step back and didn't diminish the female leads, which is so common in a lot of historical fiction.
This was the perfect beach read! I was surprised by how much I ended up liking it. The main character is pretty unlikable, but give it a chance- the point is that she grows as a person throughout the book and realizes that there's more to life than her tiny, socialite New York world. Add some touches of 1950s Miami and Havana, and this is a great book to read poolside or on the beach.
Beautifully and lyrically written, featuring a quietly powerful heroine who refuses to be put in the cages laid out for her. I live for the many touches of Russian folklore and mythology. A gorgeous combination of medieval Russian history and magical realism. 💖 One of the best books I've read in a while!
I was really surprised by how quick this story pulled me in. It wasn't a cheesy mermaid story. The mermaid aspect was told more as a Passamaquoddy shapeshifter legend than as a cliche fairytale, which I loved, and the book addressed some dark topics. Her descriptions of the ocean are vivid and haunting. It's a story that really stayed with me. I found myself thinking about it the day or two after, even as I went on to read other things. Still really enjoying it even after I finished reading it!
*October 2019 Update: I wrote the below rating for a class, but I recently bumped my rating up to 5 stars because over a year later, I still think about this book and how much I loved it. I even bought a second copy of it while visiting Salem, because it was signed by the author.
The Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry
Barry, B. (2017). The Fifth Petal. New York, NY: Crown Publishers.
In Salem, Massachusetts, the tendency to fear what one doesn't understand hasn't changed much since the Witch Trials of 1692. New-age witchcraft and modern paganism is still mistaken for Satanism and “consorting with the devil”.
Residents of Salem in 2014 are still haunted by the unsolved triple homicide, known as “The Goddess Murders”, that took place on Halloween night in 1989. When a young man dies under mysterious circumstances on Halloween night in 2014, it causes a slowly-escalating mass hysteria over “satanic rituals”, and a move to reopen the cold case of the Goddess Murders. A modern-day witch hunt is begun for the prosecution of Rose Whelan, a local historian who was the suspected perpetrator for The Goddess Murders, and who has not been in her right mind ever since.
John Rafferty, Salem's police chief, does not believe that Rose was the one to blame for the triple homicide, neither does he believe that she is guilty of the young man's death in 2014. When Callie Cahill, daughter of one of the murdered “Goddesses”, reappears in Salem to advocate for Rose's innocence, she and John begin working together to exonerate Rose and solve the case of the Goddess Murders once and for all.
This slowly-unfolding mystery is part suspense, part occult fiction, and keeps the reader guessing and putting together the clues after every chapter. The characters are compelling and well-rounded, and the story manages to be fast-paced enough to keep the reader engaged, while also dragging out the plot to a satisfying finish. This book will appeal to readers who are interested in the Salem Witch Trials, but do not want anything too fanciful or magical. I would also recommend this book to readers who couldn't put down Katherine Howe's The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, or to readers of Paula Brackston's books about old and modern witches.
This was a lovely, warm-hearted read for someone looking for an empowering graphic novel but one that wouldn't leave them feeling angry and hopeless about the world. The really hilarious part of it was that I kept waiting for something to happen, like some sort of conflict or problem to be resolved but... nothing happened. Nothing happened because these women support and protect each other and they are completely safe with one another in a world apart from male violence. It was a very utopian, humourous take on a world without men, and I loved every minute of it.
Before anyone balks, this book is not about religion. It's about accepting everyone for/in spite of their cultural and religious differences. It's about realizing that we all have more in common than we think, and it's possible for us all to live in harmony. While some hard-core religious people might take it as blasphemous, I love the alternative story of Jesus told from the point of view of his twin brother. The only thing this book preaches is to love and accept one another, and to not take your own teachings and beliefs at face value, or to assume that your way is the only way.
DNF'ed around page 40-ish because I didn't think I could read one more book about a boring, whiny, privileged white boy who reduces every woman who crosses his path to a mere sex object. Male authors: Sing a new song.
This duo is comprised of two of my favourite books ever! The writing was beautiful, and ancient China felt incredibly real and lovely. I loved reading a version of Empress Wu's history. Such an incredible woman and leader!