kirisuna

Oh, I enjoyed this one. It was a nice, light pick-me-up after my last, darker, read. I appreciated that it didn't feel obvious or forced as the characters and their relationships developed over the length of the story; the progression felt natural and incredibly ‘real'. I love the authors tone of voice - her bit of cynicism, sarcasm, and wit. This was a fun read. For that, I'll give it exactly 4.0 stars.

I'll be honest, I had times towards the beginning and even middle of this book where I was just not having a good time in spite of really well executed writing. But I ended up being so impressed with expert twist after twist after twist that I did in fact enjoy this. I'm someone who is hard pressed to find a genuine twist I didn't see coming, and this book had upwards of 6 of them. And it wasn't any of that unreliable narrator/unfair twist bullshit everyone is doing these days — they were just done well.

3.8 stars but I will say it should come with a trigger warning about domestic abuse, abusive childhoods, and sexual assault.

4.75 stars. I really enjoyed this story about two people who so feared losing what they had they considered what they wanted a forgone conclusion. To love someone so much you'd rather be near them than risk being with them could make them go away. There were frustrating, human parts of this story where you wanted to yell “just talk to each other!! Be honest!!”, but the truth is, vulnerability, especially the kind that carries risk, is hard. I thought the way the chapters were written, bouncing back and forth between the present and the past, gave us glimpses into historical context at just the right pace, and kept you excited and curious about “what happen(ed/s) next” in both timelines. I really enjoyed this authors writing style, and plan to read more of her work.

Just barely 2.75 stars, and I'm not entirely sure why it wasn't higher. The writing wasn't bad, the story wasn't uninteresting, but I just struggled to get through this one. Didn't hook me.

2.75 stars. This book was a departure from my normal reading, and it was written very well. The story unfolded in front of me vividly and viscerally.

4 stars. This author's writing style brings you there, in the thick of it, with the characters she's crafted. This was a harrowing warning about the future we are drawn towards when we are careless with the present.

3.75 stars. This was a great read. The story was compelling and the concept fresh — I couldn't put it down. Will absolutely be looking out for her next book.

I love the concept of this book, I love stories about time. This one was an interesting and detailed rendition. The author is a good writer. But it was quite slow. I found I had a hard time getting through it, in spite of so many positive qualities. 2.5stars.

I enjoyed this more than I expected and plan to subscribe going forward. I like the format of the short stories and probably will seek more publications like this out.

I really enjoyed this. Well written, interesting perspective, not preachy but gets its points across. I loved the modern retelling of Medusa's story, though I felt for her and how her life played out. 3 stars.

Having just watched the tv series, I wanted to read the books. I didn't account for the parts where the story was the same being boring because I already knew what would happen. Fortunately, the story in the show isn't faithful to the novel towards the end, and I enjoyed that section quite a bit. A lighthearted read. Enjoyable.

This was a heartwarming exposition on life, death, and the root of meaning. I cried for the entire second half. It was written in a lighthearted fashion and brought me a lot of joy and sadness. 4.5 stars.

This was an excellent story, through and through. A prime example of pov done right. A twist that didn't leave me robbed and disappointed. Liz Moore writes a compelling story whose many characters have a depth that's hard to achieve. I could not put this down, reading all 500 enchanting pages in a single day. 5 stars.

I really, really enjoyed this author's prose and writing style, and really enjoyed this until the very last couple chapters. But I am so, so tired of the trope of a pov novel where the entire book you are experiencing through a main character who knows nothing of the crime and then in the last two chapters the ~tWiST~ is actually they knew all along because tHeY dID iT gUyS! It's not a good writing technique or plot device. Why the hell did I live this with the character the whole book who showed 0 signs she knew what was going on, only to find out just kidding! She's the murderer! God it's just lazy writing. I hate unfair twists.

I will, however, be reading anything this author puts out in the future because her writing was excellent and engaging and I couldn't put this book down (and I'm not really a fan of stories about infidelity, the writing just was too good to not enjoy). That is the only reason this gets 1.5 stars.

2.75 stars. I enjoyed this read, coming off a binge of literary fiction it was a nice break from deep narratives. I had difficulty connecting with the bat shit crazy main character but enjoyed the hullabaloo of it all.

I am still processing this story. I couldn't put it down. I felt like I was there, with them, living each period of their lives alongside them. I finished this book and legit couldn't stop crying. It really stole my heart. 5 stars.

4 stars. This is a beautifully written story with a unique take on time that was refreshingly not full of holes. I actually can't complain about any parts of the book being anything but excellently executed. The 1 star deduction is simply due to not loving who some of the characters became over time. Wouldn't re-read but glad I took the time to read it.

This is just barely a 2.5 star read. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great, and It felt like a bit of a chore to get through. It's not that the world building wasn't interesting, nor that the characters lacked dimension — I actually felt those aspects were 100% what carried it through. But honestly reading the first 5 pages I knew the trope that would be at the center of the story, a will they won't they whose root lies specifically in the characters gaslighting themselves over their own feelings, and refusing to communicate clearly to each other about the nature of their relationship. The writing was fine and the story was interesting, but honestly I am too tired for that shit. Would not read again.

This was a beautiful story about grief, loss, and working through the baggage we all carry the best ways we know how (and then trying to do better). I must have cried 6 times. The character's journey and development felt so real, it could have been happening to me, or my friend, or neighbor. This was a raw expose of life after tragedy written in such a compelling way I could not put it down. I absolutely recommend, 5 stars — this book has my heart. (Received pre-publish through BOTM)

1.5 stars. I went into this with no context on the author or the book beyond a 2 sentence synopsis, and received the pre-published copy through BOTM. 

I initially felt like this might be some sort of alternate dimension type book, but slowly came to understand it was a thriller/murder mystery type book. 

I did actually enjoy the POV switches and had no problems following the narrative until the last 30 pages or so with the big reveals. Another reviewer mentioned it felt like the characters were reading from a teleprompter when reeling off the twist, and I have to agree. It wasn't a particularly satisfying reveal because it felt so out of place, where as several of the twist leading up to it were really well executed and exciting.

But the final twist was only there because the POV narratives prior to it were intentionally misleading by presenting the character's thoughts and internal narrative falsely to us. Which makes no sense to me - why would Birdy be so shaken by the photo, stating “I think I might be in trouble”in her thoughts, and then a couple chapters later it's revealed that she's been in on it the whole time. 

It's one thing to phrase and frame things in a way where it doesn't click what the meaning or significance is until the twist is revealed. That's great writing. It's another thing entirely to just have internal monologues tell one story consistently the entire book and then abruptly reveal “just kidding!” like you're ripping the rug out from under the reader without resolving why the character's monologue was misleading in the first place. You can't have Birdy “realize” Harrison knows who she is in her monologue, like a big twist, and then find out she and Harrison planned this whole thing to begin with and used to be married. It felt more like the author had one book in mind until the last few chapters, and then pasted in the ending to a whole different version of the story instead of finishing out the first one. 

A lot of inconsistencies in the narrative that were too hard to resolve the way this was handled. This was an exciting read, but honestly not that well executed.

Such a strong start I couldn't put it down. Last 20% or so was slow though.

Extremely refreshing, as the last few books of Year 1 had been a bit tired. Really enjoyed this one.

I really enjoyed this volume; even though it was a filler volume, there was a lot of quality character development, closure, and set up for their second year. I enjoyed it significantly more than v11 and feel like year two will have a more refreshing take going forward!

I lost track of this halfway through because the story couldn't grab me enough. The chess games were definitely a highlight.

This book was one I couldn't put down. It merged engaging storytelling with a well-crafted world and the kind of rivalries you can't help but get behind. I cannot wait for the rest of the series.