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katieb94's reviews
726 reviews
Sins of the Mother by Anna Rigg
dark
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.5
Firstly, thank you to the author Anna Rigg for letting me read this review copy through Voracious Readers.
I will admit this book took me a while to get into, and I kept putting it down to do other things but I always give a book 100 pages and it definitely picked up and I ended up enjoying the story. There is such a mix of characters and personalities that I kept reading.
We meet Charles Barber, Penelope, her sister and her Aunt and the story follows Charles and Penelope’s marriage, their children and the dramatic events that surround them due to the actions of Charles’ brother Will.
Some of the scenes were that well written they were quite difficult to read, so be aware that there are trigger warnings for rape, amongst other things.
All the characters are great but I HATED Mary. I don’t usually hate characters but in this case I really did. She’s a bitch. Her attitude stinks and I just didn’t want to read anymore about her.
The story is great, and the time passes quickly in the book because it’s not marked, you just read on and time has passed. This made it quite an easy read as it all flowed.
I did enjoy the story come the end, and I’d be interested to see where the families story goes as the series moves on.
3.5/5 stars.
I would have rated it higher but it had a really slow start.
I will admit this book took me a while to get into, and I kept putting it down to do other things but I always give a book 100 pages and it definitely picked up and I ended up enjoying the story. There is such a mix of characters and personalities that I kept reading.
We meet Charles Barber, Penelope, her sister and her Aunt and the story follows Charles and Penelope’s marriage, their children and the dramatic events that surround them due to the actions of Charles’ brother Will.
Some of the scenes were that well written they were quite difficult to read, so be aware that there are trigger warnings for rape, amongst other things.
All the characters are great but I HATED Mary. I don’t usually hate characters but in this case I really did. She’s a bitch. Her attitude stinks and I just didn’t want to read anymore about her.
The story is great, and the time passes quickly in the book because it’s not marked, you just read on and time has passed. This made it quite an easy read as it all flowed.
I did enjoy the story come the end, and I’d be interested to see where the families story goes as the series moves on.
3.5/5 stars.
I would have rated it higher but it had a really slow start.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Murder
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Child death
DC League of Super-Pets FCBD Special Edition 2022 by Heath Corson, Bobby Timony
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Superman/Batman, Vol. 2: Supergirl by Jeph Loeb
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I feel like I would have enjoyed this book more if I’d read it via audiobook due to the mixed narrative styles, there is the standard narrative, a first person narrative told through diary entries years after the event of the book, and verse when the mermaid is speaking. It took a while to get used to it but I did still enjoy the book.
The story starts with David telling us what happened in Black Conch the day a mermaid was caught by fishermen. What follows is a story of curses, love, and freedom as he falls for Acaycia the mermaid, and her curse follows her wherever she goes. She cannot be a woman, she has to be a mermaid for the rest of her life.
I found the part of the curse a really unique way to tell the mermaid lore, and the scene where she sheds her tail was really well written.
There were some parts I did have an issue with, mainly how drunk men would run their private parts on the mermaid before she was freed. It was cringy and uncomfortable to read- I felt like it wasn’t needed. Also the part where she knows ASL/BSL instantly- as she didn’t speak the original language anyway.
Other than that, the book is quite short and has lots of lighthearted parts, Reggie and Acaycia’s friendship was sweet, and David was loving and respectful to his mermaid even if he wanted to have his way with her- he let her come to him first which was very gentlemanly.
I was hoping for a happier ending but I did enjoy the story and I’d be interested in reading more by this author in my aim to read more diversely.
4.5 stars.
The story starts with David telling us what happened in Black Conch the day a mermaid was caught by fishermen. What follows is a story of curses, love, and freedom as he falls for Acaycia the mermaid, and her curse follows her wherever she goes. She cannot be a woman, she has to be a mermaid for the rest of her life.
I found the part of the curse a really unique way to tell the mermaid lore, and the scene where she sheds her tail was really well written.
There were some parts I did have an issue with, mainly how drunk men would run their private parts on the mermaid before she was freed. It was cringy and uncomfortable to read- I felt like it wasn’t needed. Also the part where she knows ASL/BSL instantly- as she didn’t speak the original language anyway.
Other than that, the book is quite short and has lots of lighthearted parts, Reggie and Acaycia’s friendship was sweet, and David was loving and respectful to his mermaid even if he wanted to have his way with her- he let her come to him first which was very gentlemanly.
I was hoping for a happier ending but I did enjoy the story and I’d be interested in reading more by this author in my aim to read more diversely.
4.5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Excrement
Green Arrow, Vol. 2: Salvation by J.T. Krul, James Patrick
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
Green Arrow, Vol. 1: Into the Woods by J.T. Krul
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Marvel Select The Amazing Spider-Man: Happy Birthday by Kurt Busiek, J. Michael Straczynski
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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? Yes
5.0
The Kiss of the Nightingale by Adi Denner
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc and allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review. I was interested in the premise as I got Phantom of the Opera vibes, if the Phantom was female.
There’s female x female x male love triangle that almost got steamy but it gave the MC some choices to make and I feel like this added to the story as it helped with the dilemma as the story progressed.
Cleo, the main character, is gifted a singing talent from a woman known as Dahlia, and becomes the star of the opera. However, to keep the fame and the fortune she has to also become a thief and steal other people’s talents- including the one from the Vicomte.
A mysterious character giving singing talents and a handsome Vicomte? That’s the reason I got POTO vibes.
I did enjoy the story but I felt that Cleo could be really over dramatic in places when she didn’t need to be- obviously she wasn’t used to being treated like a high class lady but sometimes it was a little irritating. She just seemed very naive about what she was supposed to do and shocked when things went wrong.
I mean- what did she expect?
I must admit I was rooting for the female x male romance more in this because Dahlia is a very toxic character.
There’s drama, there’s twists I didn’t see coming but there’s also a story based on an opera and singing with it all too and this was a great aspect to the story.
The magical element is really clever, it’s not too fantastical so the story still has that element of reality- it could happen!
3.5/5 stars.
I flew through the book I just found the main character grating in places. I’d recommend it though!
There’s female x female x male love triangle that almost got steamy but it gave the MC some choices to make and I feel like this added to the story as it helped with the dilemma as the story progressed.
Cleo, the main character, is gifted a singing talent from a woman known as Dahlia, and becomes the star of the opera. However, to keep the fame and the fortune she has to also become a thief and steal other people’s talents- including the one from the Vicomte.
A mysterious character giving singing talents and a handsome Vicomte? That’s the reason I got POTO vibes.
I did enjoy the story but I felt that Cleo could be really over dramatic in places when she didn’t need to be- obviously she wasn’t used to being treated like a high class lady but sometimes it was a little irritating. She just seemed very naive about what she was supposed to do and shocked when things went wrong.
I mean- what did she expect?
I must admit I was rooting for the female x male romance more in this because Dahlia is a very toxic character.
There’s drama, there’s twists I didn’t see coming but there’s also a story based on an opera and singing with it all too and this was a great aspect to the story.
The magical element is really clever, it’s not too fantastical so the story still has that element of reality- it could happen!
3.5/5 stars.
I flew through the book I just found the main character grating in places. I’d recommend it though!
Batman Vol. 1: I Am Gotham by Tom King
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is the latest Strike novel and I actually enjoyed this one as I felt it was quite different from the previous ones in terms of the actual case.
Strike and Robin are tasked by a client to get their family member out of a church- which is more like a cult, in order to save them. It won’t be easy, as you have to gain membership to be able to gain entry. So Robin goes undercover.
I was really hooked on the chapters based around the farm where the church is based. The community, the rituals, the people, it was really interestingly written and I could have definitely seen it as the feature of a true crime documentary. Yes the author isn’t a very nice person but she can definitely write an engaging mystery thriller!
I have become so invested in Strike and Robin as characters that I genuinely didn’t want anything bad to happen to Robin. At some points I got really anxious and was waiting for Strike or other members of the agency to come and rescue her.
When it happened, I actually sighed in relief.
It’s really clever how the case comes to a close, with unexpected twists. It was much better than I expected it to be!
The confession at the end…..oh my gosh.
I want to read the next one now just to see what happens after that.
4.5/5 stars.
I really enjoyed it but I won’t be giving J K Rowling 5 stars anytime soon. 4.5 is the highest I can go.
Strike and Robin are tasked by a client to get their family member out of a church- which is more like a cult, in order to save them. It won’t be easy, as you have to gain membership to be able to gain entry. So Robin goes undercover.
I was really hooked on the chapters based around the farm where the church is based. The community, the rituals, the people, it was really interestingly written and I could have definitely seen it as the feature of a true crime documentary. Yes the author isn’t a very nice person but she can definitely write an engaging mystery thriller!
I have become so invested in Strike and Robin as characters that I genuinely didn’t want anything bad to happen to Robin. At some points I got really anxious and was waiting for Strike or other members of the agency to come and rescue her.
When it happened, I actually sighed in relief.
It’s really clever how the case comes to a close, with unexpected twists. It was much better than I expected it to be!
The confession at the end…..oh my gosh.
I want to read the next one now just to see what happens after that.
4.5/5 stars.
I really enjoyed it but I won’t be giving J K Rowling 5 stars anytime soon. 4.5 is the highest I can go.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death of parent
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Pregnancy