Ria

Psychology thrillers are still not for me. 2.5 ⭐

Started out strong but I grew bored by the 45% mark and dnf'd. It didn't feel as though anything was happening. I liked the writing well enough and the characters but I just couldn't bring myself to keep pressing on. 2.5 ⭐ rounded up.

Not for me. Too many inaccuracies about Alaska natives and hadn't realized that this was religious fiction. Second part is my bad. But still, this is just poorly researched and I had zero connection with the characters. 2 ⭐.

The cover was what drew me in and the fact that I hadn't read a straight up historical fiction book in a while (mostly I stick with historical romance with a rare historical thriller now and again). This was good writing but I was not drawn into the story as much as I'd hoped to be. It seemed to bounce a little here and there, the structure seemed a bit off. Though I was interested in the overall plot I felt no real connection with the characters. I gave it about 40% before I dnf'd. My apologies to the author but this just wasn't for me. 2.5 ⭐ rounded up.

Apparently I'm in the group that doesn't like it. First scene is abuse of a father beating up his kid. I'm going to have to pass on this. I read her short stories last year and should have guessed by them that this wasn't for me. Ah, well. Moving along. 2.5 ⭐.

Slow going but good payout. Poetry does take some getting used to, with it's different formatting from fiction and its slow, sometimes boring prose. I admit, poetry isn't for everyone but I love poets such as the famous Emily Dickenson (or perhaps infamous?), Robert Burns, Dylan Thomas, and many others besides. I'm selective in the poetry I like so the fact that I found a poetry collection of all female authors? Yes please. It's a very well put together collection, most women being from the UK, a few not. Most poems were reflections of their lives and state of mind, some of war, some of love. I'm determined to find a physical copy of this for my collection of favorite books and anthologies. This was an absolute gem of a find. If you're nervous about reading poetry? I advise starting here. There's so much to choose from and plenty of talent to admire and devour. 5 ⭐.

I generally don't read nonfiction but this was for a family member and he said most of the soups are ones he had no interest in so I'm giving this three stars between us both. 3.5 actual rating. Some soups were good, such as a few of the mushroom ones (I don't remember the names sorry!) And also this book does NOT format well on kindle.

I gave it about 15% of the book, then dnf'd. It didn't feel as though anything we're happening and I wasn't connected with the characters whatsoever. 2.5 stars.

I tried to get into it by I just couldn't get through it. By page 60 I dnf'd. 2.5 ⭐

Actual rating 2.5 stars rounded up. I gave it a few chapters and wasn't interested so dnf'd.

Read for Black History Month, this is a powerful example about freedom and why it matters. I wasn't expecting this to be comic strip format but it was still a good read and a strong heartfelt autobiography of John Lewis. I'm giving this 4.5 stars rounded up. I highly recommend this as a good first step for Black History Month reads.

Actual rating 3.5 stars rounded up. Another classic off my list. Russian literature continues to be fascinating and well crafted. I'm hoping to find more (I've already read Leo Tolstoy and Babba Yaga), and continue exploring the classics.

I can see why do many people enjoyed this book. I did like it however Gideon and Eva both were frustrating in how they acted. I'm going to definitely check out the rest of the series and hopefully the relationship works better with more communication between the two.

This was so beautifully written but I have mixed feelings about this book.

Not quite as good as book one, and a few glaring inconsistencies with accurate historical notes, but still a good story and I still like reading about Elizabeth and Nathanial. The pacing was good throughout to keep my interest and I may try book three before giving up the series. 4.5 ⭐

Actual rating, 2.5 ⭐ rounded up.

The writing in this was really really good, but wow the characters I felt zero connection with. The characters didn't seem to have a lot of depth, and I was wanting to like this book so much more than I have. A black gay main character in the 1980's in NYC seemed an interesting story and it was. Lots of drama, lots of reference notes and the author clearly did their research on the subject. I managed to get through it, but it just felt like there wasn't much to the characters apart from they were gay.

3.5 ⭐ rounded up.

This was a good mystery but a bit preachy at times, and I was able to skim a bit and felt like I didn't miss much at all. The writing was good but the story itself wasn't as spooky or haunting as I'd hoped it to be. A decent short read, I may or may not continue the series, I'm not sure yet.

After much thought and research I'm going to say that the author tried but failed to capture my attention. Though the premise of Jews not knowing they were Jews fascinated me, the execution was bad and the writing felt stilted at times. I also wasn't quite sure how I felt about this book. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great. I feel rather neutral about the whole thing really. Therefore, I'm giving this 2.5 ⭐ rounded up.

Well. Hello T Kingfisher, new favorite author. I now apparently need to read your entire backlog. This was a delight. Fungi (one of my silent passions), and that this is a retelling based on a favorite poem The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe? This was deliciously creepy at times, had a dark sense of humor that I adored and a tiny blink and you'll miss it bit of romance at the end. Positive nonbinary rep, tinnitus wasn't glossed over or treated badly, and all the characters were amazing. It took me a little to get into it, but man, once I was I had to read it all the way through. 5 ⭐ and already I want to read it again!

Merged review:

Well. Hello T Kingfisher, new favorite author. I now apparently need to read your entire backlog. This was a delight. Fungi (one of my silent passions), and that this is a retelling based on a favorite poem The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe? This was deliciously creepy at times, had a dark sense of humor that I adored and a tiny blink and you'll miss it bit of romance at the end. Positive nonbinary rep, tinnitus wasn't glossed over or treated badly, and all the characters were amazing. It took me a little to get into it, but man, once I was I had to read it all the way through. 5 ⭐ and already I want to read it again!

Not as good as the first two, but still rather entertaining. I really love this series and I think my favorite character has to be Almost Brilliant. 4.5 ⭐ rounded up.

Actual rating 2.5 ⭐.

This book put me in a slump for almost five days! It started out strong but then I put it down and tried picking it back up and I don't know, it just wasn't clicking for me. The writing was good, and I wanted to like it but something about it... I'm not sure. I'll try to come back to this in the future. But for now, it's a dnf.

How can I not give this five ⭐? Beautiful art, and I agree with the whole thing. Books are my friends. ❤️ This was so wholesome and good. I need a physical copy asap!

I hate being the odd one out but this wasn't quite for me. I did enjoy bits of it, but there's plenty in here that wasn't for me. I think it was a bit too war heavy? I'm not sure. Definitely still continuing the series tho. 3 ⭐.

I tried it. Lack of women characters, the author is fond of the word “said” and I just wasn't enthralled by it. I dnf'd at the three chapter mark.

Ugh, I hate being the odd one out but I hate love triangles unless done well and this was not done well at all. For one thing, it dragggggged and I wasn't overly impressed with the characters as a whole. The LGBT elements were good but I didn't feel even remotely connected to the characters.

I saw another reviewer say this is as good as Sally Rooney and if that's the case, I'm firmly avoiding her works. No offense to those that have enjoyed her writing but this just wasn't for me whatsoever.

2.5 generous ⭐.