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sylviafey's reviews
32 reviews
My Favorite Kidnapper by Melanie Moreland
4.0
The book is exactly like the blurb/summary says it is.
My sister doesn't read hardly at all. I had to buy another book because she wouldn't give mine back. Lol.
Dante is so unhinged at times and I love it. This is one of, what I call "garbage books", as in there's not a lot of plot, but the romance is good and the characters are pretty good. I really enjoyed the ride would probably read it again. I've already recommended it to a couple of friends and co-workers.
My sister doesn't read hardly at all. I had to buy another book because she wouldn't give mine back. Lol.
Dante is so unhinged at times and I love it. This is one of, what I call "garbage books", as in there's not a lot of plot, but the romance is good and the characters are pretty good. I really enjoyed the ride would probably read it again. I've already recommended it to a couple of friends and co-workers.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
On the first page, she says 'We are old-money Democrats', which was a red flag to me, not because they're democrats, IDGAF about that, but because it's bringing politics into a YA book. BUT I thought, it's the first page, the author's setting the mood. Then came the racism in chapter 4. The "Nobody can own land" talk in chapter 7. And the final straw for me was the MC and Gat chilling under the stars and he asks 'do you believe in God'.
Nope. That's too much in only 21 pages. I tried. Some of it was cute and I liked them but I feel like the book would have been fine WITHOUT the political and racist shit. I get that Gat is supposed to be the political type, but when his friends are telling him to stop and he doesn't, we deal with enough of that IRL, it don't want to read about someone like that in a book. You can be political and respectful, which he's not.
Nope. That's too much in only 21 pages. I tried. Some of it was cute and I liked them but I feel like the book would have been fine WITHOUT the political and racist shit. I get that Gat is supposed to be the political type, but when his friends are telling him to stop and he doesn't, we deal with enough of that IRL, it don't want to read about someone like that in a book. You can be political and respectful, which he's not.
The Orc and the Innkeeper by Cora Crane, Cora Crane
emotional
lighthearted
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
5.0
It's not often that you come across a book like this where the FMC doesn't take any shit from anyone and is relatable but here it is. I really like the premise of the Orc being rich instead of just a brute that owns and runs a business. The secret love and attraction is adorable and had me kicking my feet and squealing with how adorable they were. The two facing prejeduces against one another gives it a bit of that "forbidden love" troupe while also touching on the trials and pain that each party had to deal with in their history.
I love that Thorak knew he was a nasty bastard in high school and regretted it. It makes him seem more, pardon the term, human and relatable. I'm glad he has the kind of character development and wants to make amends for it. I'm glad that throughout the book, he grows as a person
Mariah can be relatable. Working in the customer service and hospitality industry is not for the faint of heart. The fact that she acknowledges that Thorak is attractive but still remembers how much of an ass he was to her, and doesn't let her attraction sway her much, just adds to her character and makes her more realistic. However, the constant denial of her feelings started to get on my nerves about halfway through the book. While I can understand that it's hard to get over that kind of torment she suffered from, she flip-flops between "he's an amazing man" to "he's still my bully". I wish she would TALK to Thorak about things instead of making the usual assumptions that most people do in situations like this. Everyone is telling her what they see, and I get letting her mind push those people's words away, but at some point, having an adult conversation with someone that says they love and care about you needs to happen. She's still living in the past, despite claiming to want to move on.
All in all, it was a cute book with a lot of things that were both typical and original. I think this goes into my favorites of all time.
I love that Thorak knew he was a nasty bastard in high school and regretted it. It makes him seem more, pardon the term, human and relatable. I'm glad he has the kind of character development and wants to make amends for it. I'm glad that throughout the book, he grows as a person
Spoiler
to the point of going low to no contact with his parents over their meddling that cost him Mariah and the business deal. I'm glad he confronted them instead of trying to play the placating son.Mariah can be relatable. Working in the customer service and hospitality industry is not for the faint of heart. The fact that she acknowledges that Thorak is attractive but still remembers how much of an ass he was to her, and doesn't let her attraction sway her much, just adds to her character and makes her more realistic. However, the constant denial of her feelings started to get on my nerves about halfway through the book. While I can understand that it's hard to get over that kind of torment she suffered from, she flip-flops between "he's an amazing man" to "he's still my bully". I wish she would TALK to Thorak about things instead of making the usual assumptions that most people do in situations like this. Everyone is telling her what they see, and I get letting her mind push those people's words away, but at some point, having an adult conversation with someone that says they love and care about you needs to happen. She's still living in the past, despite claiming to want to move on.
All in all, it was a cute book with a lot of things that were both typical and original. I think this goes into my favorites of all time.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.
On the first page, she says 'We are old-money Democrats', which was a red flag to me, not because they're democrats, IDGAF about that, but because it's bringing politics into a YA book. BUT I thought, it's the first page, the author's setting the mood. Then came the racism in chapter 4. The "Nobody can own land" talk in chapter 7. And the final straw for me was the MC and Gat chilling under the stars and he asks 'do you believe in God'.
Nope. That's too much in only 21 pages. I tried. Some of it was cute and I liked them but I feel like the book would have been fine WITHOUT the political and racist shit. I get that Gat is supposed to be the political type, but when his friends are telling him to stop and he doesn't, we deal with enough of that IRL, it don't want to read about someone like that in a book. You can be political and respectful, which he's not.
Nope. That's too much in only 21 pages. I tried. Some of it was cute and I liked them but I feel like the book would have been fine WITHOUT the political and racist shit. I get that Gat is supposed to be the political type, but when his friends are telling him to stop and he doesn't, we deal with enough of that IRL, it don't want to read about someone like that in a book. You can be political and respectful, which he's not.
Cupcakes for My Orc Enemy by Honey Phillips
4.0
While I really enjoyed the story and the edging, the only thing that saved this book from being a 2-3 star is all the other characters besides Elara, and the fact that I've got a soft spot for Orcs but we ain't gonna talk about that. I didn't notice much of a main plot to the story besides the main characters randomly being all over each other, but that's not really a plot, to me.
I don't like Elara. She's naive and dumb like most 'typical' female MCs in stuff like this. If this book was strictly from her POV, I probably would have DNFed it because I can't stand a stupid female MC. If she were YOUNG young, like early 20s, I might be able to overlook her naivety, but I'm assuming she's mid to late 20s, at least, which is old enough to know that a guy with pointy teeth and a smooth charming personality is a vampire. iykyk. I also might be a little bais because she decided that a pink smart car was a good vehicle to have in a mountain town... yeah. Grondar is so relatable, to me, minus the misogynistic stuff, but that's just an Orc thing, imo. And Flora! OMG, I love that woman. She's so fiesty and don't take no shit from nobody.
I would recommend it to other people to read, if only for the humor in it. It's what I would call a 'garbage' book, like when you have your 'garbage' show that you binge over and over again that doesn't have a point to it but you enjoy it nonetheless because you can just turn your brain off while you watch it. It's one of those types of books.
I don't like Elara. She's naive and dumb like most 'typical' female MCs in stuff like this. If this book was strictly from her POV, I probably would have DNFed it because I can't stand a stupid female MC. If she were YOUNG young, like early 20s, I might be able to overlook her naivety, but I'm assuming she's mid to late 20s, at least, which is old enough to know that a guy with pointy teeth and a smooth charming personality is a vampire. iykyk. I also might be a little bais because she decided that a pink smart car was a good vehicle to have in a mountain town... yeah. Grondar is so relatable, to me, minus the misogynistic stuff, but that's just an Orc thing, imo. And Flora! OMG, I love that woman. She's so fiesty and don't take no shit from nobody.
I would recommend it to other people to read, if only for the humor in it. It's what I would call a 'garbage' book, like when you have your 'garbage' show that you binge over and over again that doesn't have a point to it but you enjoy it nonetheless because you can just turn your brain off while you watch it. It's one of those types of books.
The First She by Elaine Waters
5.0
It is so HILARIOUS. I couldn't put it down and laughed so many times. Vrox is such a cinnamon roll. It's nice to find a story that's not entirely smut and has a little more substance to it. There's some grammar and spelling errors but considering it started off on wattpad I can over look them. They don't make it unreadable. So fun to read.
Eyes of a Stranger by Sharon E. Heisel
5.0
I, like a few here, have searched for this book for YEARS. The last time I read this book was when I was between 8-10 years old. Rereading it as an adult... why was this in an elementary school library? Of course, I was reading Laurell K. Hamilton at 13 and 14 so... It's fairly intense in places and the only thing I can say is to describe the shock is... the rat scene in chapter 5. iykyk. I forgot that you're also reading this from the murderer's POV, which is what makes it intense, to me. It's a little off-putting that he's sorta relatable, in some instances, but the best murderers are relatable, right?
It's very reminiscent of the 90s (copyrighted in 1996 so duh) and a lot of the issues that were going on in high schools with body image and 'the rating game'. Yuck. It made me (a 90s baby) very nostalgic for pay phones. LOL
All in all, I liked this book. It was one of my favorites back then and it's STILL one of my favorites now. 90s writers weren't playing around.
I would recommend everyone to read it if only to compare it to how mystery thriller books were and are now. That'd be fun.
It's very reminiscent of the 90s (copyrighted in 1996 so duh) and a lot of the issues that were going on in high schools with body image and 'the rating game'. Yuck. It made me (a 90s baby) very nostalgic for pay phones. LOL
All in all, I liked this book. It was one of my favorites back then and it's STILL one of my favorites now. 90s writers weren't playing around.
I would recommend everyone to read it if only to compare it to how mystery thriller books were and are now. That'd be fun.