ginalucia's reviews
495 reviews

Bad Girls of Ancient Greece by Lizzy Tiffin

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adventurous funny informative lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

 
Bad Girls of Ancient Greece is a witty, funny, and thoughtful guide on the women who make Greek Mythology - well, great!

I absolutely loved the vibes of this book. It’s completely accessible, so if you want to learn about some of the stories featuring women in Greek Mythology, this is a great place to start.

It’s self-aware, brilliant, well-written, and filled with comedy. Lizzy Tiffin has done a great job of telling each story in a way that doesn’t drag, or leave you feeling tired. Instead, she makes it easy to fly through each story and absorb them with ease.

Thank you Harper North, for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 

 
Soul of the Deep by Natasha Bowen

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adventurous hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Soul of the Deep and the Skin of the Sea duology, in general, was a fun, tense, and informative dive into West African mythology and history.

This second book continued with some much-loved characters and took them on a winding and perilous adventure, which was quite the ride. I loved the sheer amount that was fit into this book, the diversity of mythical creatures, deities, and characters was pretty cool. 

However, I do think this is why the second book didn’t quite hit the same mark as the first. It felt like we were dragged from one event to the other without too much rest or room for character development.

Having said that, I still had a lot of fun. If you’re looking for fantasy that’s unlike anything you’ve encountered so far, give this duology a shot.

For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt">YouTube channel</a>

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.
I just can't get into this series so putting it down for now.
Lore Olympus: Volume Six by Rachel Smythe

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Just brilliant!
My Neighbor Totoro: The Novel by Tsugiko Kubo

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 
My Neighbor Totoro: The Novel is freakin’ adorable and very much like the film but with the added bonus of seeing a little more into the minds of the characters.

Loved the film in the first place but now I have a newfound appreciation for the story.

For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt">YouTube channel</a>

 
Orphia and Eurydicius by Elyse John

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

 
Orphia and Eurydicius is a great concept that’s pretty well executed. It’s just not my cup of tea.

If you're expecting a gritty retelling, this isn’t it. Orphia and Eurydicius takes a more light-hearted approach, with some solid representation and a great message woven in.

It leans heavily on feminism and equality in gender (and sexuality). While it does this pretty well, sometimes it’s a little too on the nose. Perhaps a little too forced. I’m all for this in a myth retelling (in fact, I look for it), but this just didn’t feel real.

Throughout the book, I felt a disconnect between being told Orphia's music and poetry are divine and actually believing it. 

This is always going to be hard to achieve, especially when it comes to the arts. But because we’re rarely shown her poetry, it makes it hard to feel anything because of it.

It made huge and impactful scenes, well, lack impact. 

I feel this could have been avoided with a shift in perspective. The entire book is in first person, which makes some of the scenes feel like bragging. We almost need an outside witness to describe them instead.

Overall, Orphia and Eurydicius is a fun ride that’s very easy to read. While it may not have worked for me, it may be just the Greek myth retelling you need.

For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 

 
A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

 
Ahhhh, what a perfect end to a delicious duology. Rebecca Ross can do no wrong.

A Fire Endless is the second book in the Elements of Cadence series, and I’m going to say it: it was even better than the first (which I also gave 5 stars!)

Ross's lyrical prose has an amazing way of forcing you to slow down and savour some really sweet and beautiful moments. 

On the other hand, she knows when to speed you up, focusing on dialogue-heavy, character-driven scenes when you need it. It’s a delicate balance that’s perfectly executed. 

Character growth and relationships are honestly where Ross shines. I fell in love with pretty much every character. You can’t help but find yourself rooting for their relationships and invested in their every move.

And speaking of relationships, they're portrayed with such subtlety and realism. They feel like people you might know, and yet, you get to peek into their lives just a little bit more. 

A Fire Endless is a perfect example of why duologies are my series length of choice. It's pure perfection from start to finish. 

For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 

 
The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 16%.
I just wasn't vibing with it. The audio is amazing but the story wasn't gripping me. Might come back to it at a later date.
The Women of Troy by Pat Barker

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challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Women of Troy had a lot to live up to. The Silence of the Girls is probably my favourite Greek Myth retelling to date, and I’ve read a lot of them. So, did it hit the mark? Well, almost.

This book continues the brilliant, easy writing style of The Silence of the Girls. It’s gritty, hard-hitting, and raw.

The focus of the book? Digging deep into emotions, memories, and each character’s internal struggles in the aftermath of the Trojan War. 

For this reason, the book is slow. We witness smaller decisions and politics that, while still life-changing, take a little longer to unveil. I liked that about it. 

The fallout of a war is complicated, and how characters navigate that new world is even more so. Our focus on mostly women in this book makes it all the more interesting.

I have, however, rated this book lower than The Silence of the Girls for two reasons. There's some fatphobia in there that didn't sit right with me, and the use of a certain word felt totally unnecessary. Some editing and minor character changes/dialogue could've easily fixed those issues.

Aside from these, the way Pat Barker shows us these incredibly complicated characters was honestly a joy. I’m ready for the probably gut-wrenching final book.

For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 

 
These Deathless Shores by P.H. Low

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adventurous dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Thank you Angry Robot Books, for my advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really, really wanted to love this book, and honestly, I did… at first.

The first few chapters of These Deathless Shores pull you in. They twist and turn the story of Peter Pan, adding just the right level of mystery and darkness with a slow reveal. I was loving it.

This book is essentially a gender-bent Hook origin story with a little darkness. I’m going to be honest though, the darkness mostly comes from the characters themselves and their various addictions. 

I’m not sure this was handled well. It’s sensitive, sure, but it’s also incredibly repetitive and tiring. This, rather than the plot, was the central point in the story and that honestly, isn’t enough for me.

The romantic relationships in the book also left much to be desired. They felt toxic and unhealthy, making it hard to root for anyone involved.

One aspect that particularly frustrated me was the lack of visual descriptions of the characters. It made it difficult to picture them in my mind, especially Peter, leaving me to rely on visuals from other media.

This is also an issue when it comes to atmosphere and world-building. It felt like the author was relying heavily on our preconceived notions of Neverland rather than fully immersing us in the world.

These Deathless Shores is filled with lyrical prose. If you love that as a writing technique, you may well enjoy this book more than I did. For me, lyrical prose is hard to get through when coupled with a slow pace, repetitive themes, and hard-to-love characters.

If you’re a Peter Pan fan, it’s worth giving this book a go regardless. It may work for you, even if it didn’t work for me.

For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/ginaluciayt 

 
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