Heather Cullum
This book started off slow for me. So slow, in fact, that I would say that the true value of this book didn't even begin until I was 4.5 hours into the Audiobook.
However, once it reached that point, it never slowed down in its imparting of knowledge. Finally, I was able to see why this book was so valued. I learned a lot of things from this book, some of it things I'd observed on my own but didn't quite know how to piece together.
Very insightful.
I did not finish this audiobook. While her book on character arcs was very informative and helpful, this one started too far into the basics for my liking. If you're wanting to get started with writing but have no idea where to start, this book is for you. Anyone who has a book or two under their belt would do better with a different one.
As someone who read Shadow and Bone and immediately dismissed Leigh Bardugo as a writer, I am so glad that I finally picked this book up. It was amazing, fantastic, it lived up to the hype and then some! It was a wild ride and I loved every second of it, because unlike Shadow and Bone, this didn't follow the basic YA linear formula and, let's face it, the characters here are far more complex and interesting.
But that's enough about comparing the two books. And since majority of people have already read this book, I suppose I'm just here to join the masses. It was great. I loved the characters, the heist, the twists, and the development of the world that we were formally introduced to. This is definitely a book that could be read multiple times.
Very useful book on character arcs for a single novel with in-depth explanations and questions to ask/answer for positive arcs, flat arcs, and negative arcs. I thought the questions to answer about each section were the best parts, as they really get you thinking about your character, and learned a lot - particularly when she describes what a flat arc ought to be.
When it comes to writing character arcs through a series, however, look elsewhere.
This book was absolutely amazing! In my opinion, leaps and bounds better than the first book. We follow Caro Oresteia as she goes about her mission to help her lover, an exiled prince. Torn between possibly becoming his wife and living her life out on the sea, things run amuck when she crosses her sea goddess and her ship sinks. After that, is where the real heart of the story enters the scene (at least for me): Diric Melanos.
I really didn't expect to love his character as much as I did. Matter of fact, that's where this book shines the most: in the characters. They come to life in this novel in a way that wasn't as apparent in the previous novel. It seems to me that the previous book was all set up, because THIS was the story that needed to be told.
I mean, Jeezum, I adored Caro and Diric's platonic relationship throughout this novel. I adored the thought that the villain in the previous book became the ally here. I could gush all day about it, but it's been so long since I've seen such a strong friendship between characters that I can't even name one right now. I'm just so in love.
Definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants adventure, soul-searching, and trust between characters. The writing itself is mostly easy-flowing and great, but there were moments where the details felt rushed and a little confusing. I'd like to think that the characters more than make up for that, however.
I decided to not finish this book. My reasons are simple:
- I could not stand Kora.
- The writing was too weak.
- Royce had ZERO personality. His sole existence was to praise Kora.
- Triton literally used the “you're not like other girls” line on Kora. Not once, but twice (at least as far as I've gotten. Could be more).
I held on for as long as I had because the concept is exciting! There were some really cool ideas in this book, but I just didn't like the execution. Hettie, Rhat, and Triton remained my favorite characters, but I couldn't stand the treatment of them by the author and Kora.
DNF @ 17%
This one was just a miss for me right now. Perhaps I'll go back to it and try again, because there are aspects of this story that are really neat and I thought were worth reading. Maybe I'm just in a funk, because I had to DNF the last book I'd picked up as well. But at this moment, the writing just feels so juvenile that I genuinely thought this was a MG book until I looked it up here and saw that it's actually adult??????? I'm just...not about it right now.
The Deepest Roots was a fun and fast read. Although, when I say “fun”, I definitely don't mean lighthearted. Rome, Lux, and Mercy are three best friends with magical talents. This isn't “sparkles, in your face” magic, but understated. One can fix things, another is a land-siren, able to seduce men, and the last of their group always manages to have enough of whatever it is she needs. To the girls, these gifts are a curse, but as they read the diary of the woman who cursed them, they learn that hadn't been in the intention at all.
This book deals with some heavy situations: sexual abuse, creepy old men, poverty, weak-willed women. To me, they made the story come to life. Asebedo is so good at writing flawed people. I was seriously creeped out by Garrett, really mad at Stella and Tina's life decisions, and though I disagreed with some of Rome's actions, I understood her choices. They fit within the frame of her personality, if that makes sense.
I loved the bond between the girls, I loved the Montoyas' and Red, I loved the setting, and I even liked Jett. But though I'm giving this five stars, there were some things I felt weakened this book. It would've been stronger without the romantic subplots, for one, and I'm usually a SUCKER for those. So even though I liked Jett, I couldn't really help but feel like he shouldn't have been in it at all.
There's also supposed to be a crossover character from A Constellation of Roses, but I didn't recognize who!!! I want to know so badly.
I LOVED this book! I dare say it was even better than the first one!
I want this to be brief, however, so let's just get right into it:
What I loved
- the adventure! So many cool and interesting things happened in this book. It truly felt like a swashbuckling adventure, and I've been longing for that.
- Alosa's inner-search. I love how this book focuses more on her inner monologue, where she doubts herself and grows. I loved the growth that she had, and the bonds that she has with her crew. We definitely see a softer side to her in this novel and I loved that.
- Riden. He is such a good character. I wish we'd had just a tad bit more of him, but he was so interesting. I loved seeing him interact with others onboard the ship. I loved seeing him as a pirate and not this conniving rogue.
Umm, okay, that doesn't seem like much, but let me tell you that those elements encompass the majority of the book.
I mean, just the swashbuckling! We've got mysterious islands, angry pirates, a truly fearsome villain, sirens! There was a LOT of adventure to be had.
I would definitely recommend this book for those who want a fast, light read about adventure.
I feel very conflicted by this book. On the one hand, I found that it had some very good advice - perhaps not in finances, but in how I should look at myself. In particular, I enjoyed the beginning of the book and the last chapter.
It was around the 75% mark that things just took a turn, however. People have already commented about Chapter Two, and I can take that with a grain of salt as being a product of the times, but I struggled a lot more with other ideas found in the book. Things such as, “Men are polygamist by nature and if a husband steps out on a woman it's because she's ignorant and couldn't keep his attention.” I just-WHAT??? Perhaps that's natural for the author, but a lack of sexual integrity isn't found in every single man just off the bat, that's ridiculous! Also, how baldness comes from wearing hats too tightly by men struggling to fit into society? Preposterous!
Again, some of these ideas were just wild and I was not prepared - especially since I was under the impression that this was a finance book. However, there are good introspective parts to this book that I enjoyed, and will ask myself the questions found in those particular chapters.
This has been a very tough decision, but I've decided that I cannot finish this book.
DNF @ 46%.
On the surface, this book has everything that I want. I mean, I was so hyped I drove 30 minutes away just to get this book and practically snatched it out of the poor librarian's hands. The beginning was very lovely, and I was really into it. The issue began on Sharr - that's when I couldn't take it anymore.
I just didn't connect with any of the characters (except for Altair). There was no connection and therefore I couldn't feel the stakes. I think this is largely due to the conversations being nonsensical and difficult to follow, the lack of a setting (there was just no development put into Sharr), and the fact that Nasir and Zafira are so busy in their own thoughts that nothing of importance is getting done. We're missing key aspects of the plot just to hear Zafira and Nasir's repeated thoughts.
This book has so many words, but very few that actually have meaning and progress the plot.
Daughter of the Pirate King follows seventeen-year-old pirate princess Alosa as she purposefully gets herself kidnapped aboard an enemy pirate's ship in the hopes of gaining their piece of a legendary treasure map. She's met her match, however, when she meets the first mate Riden: who is charming and equally as cunning as she is.
Really, there was a LOT to love about this book. Although the beginning was sort of a rocky start for me, I'm glad I continued to read and I really look forward to the second one in the duology.
I'm going to break down this review by what I liked and what I didn't like simply because there wasn't THAT much to say about it.
What I liked:
• All the pirate-y dialogue!
• Riden and Alosa's banter was hella cute, even when it came about at unexpected times.
• The theme of unconditional love and what it means. I LOVE that. Of course, that's possibly because I'm writing a pirate book that deals with the same theme.
• Riden genuinely loves his brother, even though he's a disgusting human being. I liked this a whole hell of a lot because it's true to life. I also appreciated that Alosa honored that bond.
What I didn't like:
• The random pissing match between Drexen and Alosa in the beginning just felt so bizarre and unrealistic to me.
• Alosa was really bad at keeping her cover.
In the end, I would recommend this to teenagers and pre-teens who are new to reading. I thought it was a cute, fun, easy read and look forward to the next one!
Warning: this review has a lot of spoilers! (and is also a bit rambly)
Seventeen-year-old Trix McCabe has had a really rough life thus far. At present, she's living in a motel room alone after her mother ran off to get cigarettes and never came back. It's all good, though. See, Trix has this gift: she can steal anything without getting caught. Unfortunately, her gift doesn't protect against things already stolen. Found with a bunch of wallets, Trix is taken back into the system. She expects it to be the same old thing: a foster home, running away, and starting up her funds for...something. This time, though? There's a bombshell. She's either going to be charged with a crime or she's going to go live with some relatives she never even knew existed until this point. And thus begins Trix's heartbreaking and beautiful transformation.
I loved this book. Like, LOVED this book. It spoke to a core part of me that's still the hurt little sixteen-year-old who was abandoned by her family. It was so wonderful to read Trix's journey and see everything that happened to her. Perhaps its because I was once Trix that it affected me so much, but all of the other characters in the book really brought it to life for me. It was great seeing Ember, Mia, Jasper, Shane, and the others showing her so much love despite their own pains and heartache. How each character interacted with one another was just phenomenal to me.
Now, I haven't read Urban Fantasy in many-a-year, so I don't know how the genre has changed over time, but this really ticked off all the boxes for me. It was written so well that I bought the fact that the people of Rocksaw understood that the McCabe women were magical and that's just the way it was. It wasn't the kind of magic that sparkles or zaps, but it was a magic in little things: pie that makes people feel less-lonely or to comfort a broken heart; palm-reading; touches that reveal deep secrets. It really isn't that different from some things people in reality can do, or believe they can do.
Aside from Trix, Ember was my favorite character. She grows throughout the story, her personality and hobbies get a fair bit of screen time, and it's wonderful to see her leave her lonely library and become friends with others at her school. Taking it back to Trix, it was just SO refreshing to read a book where you can visibly see the differences our main character has made. She's connected people and helped people without even seeming to realize it: She gets Jasper to open up, brings Ember into a friend-group after years of solitude, she plays a piece in Mia being able to move on in her own life.
Now, I really could lavish praise on this novel all day long, but there were two issues with the book that I feel I need to address. If only to make the review more balanced. Issue number one: the ending was rather lack luster. I was particularly frustrated with the fact that the big confrontation occurred without Trix even being there! What actually happened was Jordan and Mia talked on the porch about how Jordan refused to let Trix's mother tell her father that she was pregnant, as he believed Connor COULDN'T be the father. He'd taken that choice away from them! All of this pain and heartache all due to Jordan's actions! And having heard this, Trix races up to her room, thinks she's going to be kicked out, and...draws on the ceiling? Like, I get it, she's showing that she's putting down roots there. That THIS is where she belongs, but like... I view the climax of any book as the moment where the main character makes the most definitive decision they could make in the story, where the line is drawn and proven and the main character either succeeds or fails. And Trix...well, Trix does neither. She waits for Mia to come to her and tell her that everything's been sorted out. And yes, it was still beautiful. Yes, I still cried. But at this juncture, it just didn't make sense that Trix would still doubt being a McCabe. I think it's been proven a hundred times over that she's Connor's daughter. Nah. It would've been much cooler if she'd reaffirmed herself as a McCabe, especially since she has a gift. And then she could've stood by as Auntie and Ember and Mia defended her and got the truth out of Jordan.
Now, you may think, “Heather, this is a pretty big gripe. Are you sure you meant to give 5 stars?” And then answer is a resounding “hell yes”. Because despite this lackluster climax, the action in this book wasn't what it was really about for me. It was about Trix's emotional journey, and due to the pain she'd already suffered, I really just wanted her to be wrapped up in blankets with some hot chocolate and be surrounded by her loved ones for the rest of the book. And that DID happen – or, well, their version of it did. She got her loving family, her true friends. Hell, even Shane truly loves her! That I hadn't been expecting at all, but absolutely loved.
Now, my second gripe is far more trivial. There were a couple of typos and instances where it felt as though the wrong word had been chosen. An instance is in Chapter Sixteen where “is” was used when I think “are” would've fit better. And in Chapter Seventeen where “tselling” is used. Little, and infrequent, things like that.
In the end, this book was perfect for me. I was once a hurt and angry teenaged girl, and this book was like a warm blanket reminding me of that ache and pain gently. It showed me how much I've grown, like Trix had. I really hope there's another book in this universe.
Lu, Ben, and Vex's battle culminates in a revolution that sets about the fates of the island of Grace Loray and the country of Argrid. The book has 3 main point of views: Lu, who is struggling with her past as a child soldier; Ben, who is dealing with his father being absolutely nuts; and Vex, who has feelings of inadequacy to sort through. At the heart of it there's a lot of dealing with parental abandonment, self-doubt, coming of age, and just so much good stuff.
So, basically, I loved this book. Like, so, so much. Even more than the first book, and I thought THAT was going to be my book of 2020. It just starts off with the ball rolling. Lu and Ben are in this prison they can't figure out (walls shift and there's a haze in their minds) and Vex thinks Lu is dead. I don't know why I didn't expect that, but I didn't expect that at all and even though I knew Lu was okay, Vex's point of view was written in such a fantastic way that I really felt for him. But let me collect my thoughts here and get some kind of organization going on. Let's start with that I liked loved.
What I loved:
֎ Each character felt unique and fleshed out; even the secondary characters.
֎ The fact that characters make the wrong choice and there's real consequences for their actions. And also that the main character's personal flaws brought them into contradiction with one another. Great conflict.
֎ The romance! I thought the two main couples were dealt with really well. Just when I thought one certain couple was going to go down the cliched route of arguing over petty, easy to resolve things, they just...didn't. Nope, they talked through their stuff. It was sweet and I loved it. Gunnar's flirting was by-far the best.
֎ Vex and Ben's relationship!
֎ Ben's speech at the end.
What I didn't like:
֎ To be honest, there wasn't much that I didn't like. Some people were upset that this book is basically politics, but for me I thought it was interesting to see how dynamic the different groups were. And I didn't like certain characters, sure, but I don't think I was supposed to like them. I felt angry by their thoughts and actions so...I mean, that's still major kudos to the author.
Overall, this book just did it for me. It had action; poor choices with real consequences for the world/characters; growth; family bonding/loss; romance – the whole shebang! It was also well written. Ms. Raasch can weave a good story. I really look forward to reading other books by her.
Song of the Current is a YA fantasy that follows “Caro”, a young girl with loving parents who desperately wants the god in the river to talk to her. When she is forced to transport cargo, she is sent on an adventure that changes the course of her fate forever.
So...well, this book STARTS amazingly. You can tell the author knows her stuff when it comes to sailing. She's not going to hold your hand, here. There's also a level of quality in the first few chapters that...well, quite honestly, fades away as the story progresses. But I'll definitely get there. First, I wanted to say that I had to point out the loving parents earlier because it's so rare to have a main character with both parents – and they're both doing the best they know how to raise their little girl. So that was refreshing. But okay! On to what I liked!
What I liked:
֎ The lore and the dialogue. Caro's river-folk world felt very real and fleshed out. The God in the River speaking in small things was pretty cool, and seeing the characters interpret their god's “words” and whatnot while Caro could not was interesting to see.
֎ The first chapter was exciting. We started right in the action.
֎ Loved how the ships have personalities.
֎ Oddly enough, this is the first book I've ever read where the only pirates in the book are the bad guys, so that was cool.
֎ Markos' sass in the beginning.
֎ The nightmares.
What I didn't like:
֎ The lore. Okay, so I liked it and I didn't like it. Beyond the riverfolk, the world didn't really feel that fleshed out. Also, small things and the river god were mentioned way too frequently.
֎ We've got a character that shows up towards the end of the novel out of nowhere, and I feel like he's not properly introduced. He ends up being a really cool character and I kind of wish we'd read HIS story instead, but that was pretty jarring.
֎ The villains were hardly fleshed out! I wanted pirate hijinks! These fearless goons could have been muppets and it wouldn't have changed a thing! I couldn't picture a single one of them.
֎ Caro could be really intelligent sometimes, but at the same time refused to put the simplest things together. In fact, there's one moment where she JUST admitted the truth to herself, but in the next paragraph tells Markos that it's impossible. UGH!
֎ The romance. I'm usually a SUCKER for romance, but to me Markos and Caro didn't work well together. I would've liked it more if they went from bitter to friends more than this almost insta-love (insta-lust, more like it) that we end up seeing here.
My complaints really began in Chapter 8. Suddenly details just kind of seemed to be missing, taking me out of the book. Things just started becoming easier and easier for Caro. There was always a convenient answer. The lust between Markos and Caro came out of NOWHERE to me and felt really misplaced.
Overall, I think this could've gone through another draft or two. One where Caro lost her hypocrisy or at least was called out for it; where the villains were better fleshed out so that they felt as distinctive as the main characters; and where the conflicts had tougher solutions. Even still, I will probably pick up the sequel to read.
I will admit that I'm basing my rating entirely on nostalgia. My mom used to read this story to me as a little girl, so I just remember listening to the stories (she had a few of them that she'd pick from) and envisioning their adventures. I believe that there were illustrations within the book as well, because I remember it looking like an old-timey style.
Regardless, they're memories I cherish.
So, I read this book quite a few years ago, so my memory is a bit hazy on it. All I can say with certainty is that I LOVED it when I read it. Day and June were interesting and fun characters, the mystery was good enough to keep me entertained, and honestly, at that time I hadn't had that much fun reading a book in a while.
Would definitely recommend for those who want to spend an afternoon in a dystopia that's quick to read.
I read this book back as a teenager (many moons ago) and absolutely loved it. There was a certain part in the third act that HAUNTED me, it was so visual and creepy, that it because my favorite part over all. This is a great book for teenagers to read and I'd highly recommend it. It also introduced me to the Japanese film Battle Royale, which was interesting and branched me off into other international films, so I'm really grateful for the doors this book has opened for me.