Amolika

Book Title: Come with Me
Age when read: 19-20 y/o
Written: 29 days after finishing this book

Review:
I didn't really have any favorite characters because everyone felt equally distant to me and I cared more about the mystery. However, the characters felt real as they were regular people and mostly quite boring to be frank. An exception would be Aaron's opposing thoughts acting like two personalities as I feel his inner conflict moved the story. The story kept me guessing in the way that I had no suspects at all; realizing that I just missed the clues. This is a good thing as the reveal makes sense, so I don't feel tricked. My favorite part of this book is when Aaron becomes suspicious of another character who is trying to solve the mystery of the story. The fear that Aaron felt is very well-written and the reader can feel it too. The ending surprised me, but it was really fun. I should've seen it coming. The beginning of the story gripped me and the ending was pretty good. I gave this book 4 stars because while it was good, it was not mind-blowing.

Book Title: Forensics: The Anatomy of Crime
Age when read: 20 y/o
Written: 24 days after finishing this book

Review:
I've never read a mystery book by Val McDermid, but I figured reading a factual, non-fiction book from an author's perspective would be interesting to me as I read a lot of mystery and crime, anyway. This book is well structured and formatted on my Kindle, so it's easy to read through each section. I particularly enjoyed the aspects of forensic psychology because that's what most relevant to me. This book is informative but straightforward, so it wasn't mind-blowingly unique to me. I would recommend this book as a good starting point for people interested in forensics. Therefore, I gave this book 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for this eARC.

I thought this book is unique in that it heavily leans into its Britishness and most mystery thrillers I read are either American or neutral to me. The book definitely has an atmosphere of its own - set in 2001 and I'm not very familiar with that time period as I was born then, so I enjoyed that. Quite minor but I did not think the author needed to make a note that smartphones were different in 2001, I'd like to think that people know this but I digress. Especially because I highlighted about 10 or so words I hadn't heard of before, which is unusual for me so the vocabulary was very adult-oriented to me. I do think that the time period could have been integrated more clearly in the plot. However, I appreciate the note regarding Devil's Chimney and Belle Tout, so I question why the glossary was at the back of the book. I figured if it were at the front, the reader would be able to refer to it as they are reading along without spoiling themselves of other pages but I also understand how the glossary can be spoiler-y in nature. Anyway, after I finished this book, I was not surprised at all to find out that the author has been serving as a UK police officer for a long time. The voice is present in the writing and it does not detract from the writing surprisingly; I thought it would.

The plot is basically that our protagonist Barnes and his cop partner, Harriet apprehend a criminal fleeing from Harriet's house. Shortly after, Harriet is found deceased and an investigation is underway. Barnes navigates his personal life and seeking justice for Harriet, but there's more to it than what's immediately obvious. This book does a good job of exploring relationships, work politics and attitudes between police colleagues, but I thought Eve (Barnes' wife) was really annoying and irrational as her motivations did not make sense. However, I liked characters such as Hadrian and Emily. I think Barnes' was likeable enough and really felt for him, which is a good thing.

I thought the first 10% was a bit boring so I took away a star, it took me a bit of time to get through but I pushed through and got really invested, peaking in the 50% mark until the end. I read this book in one sitting so that's a good thing. I really appreciated that there was an epilogue because I am sick of books cheapening out with endings and that is a reason why anyone should care about this book. Furthermore, a standout is the police in action.

Lastly, I don't think this was the most shocking or elaborate mystery ever so that is why it was not a 5 star for me, but it was an enjoyable read and it's very in line for this subgenre of books (procedural detective fiction). Like many mystery and thriller books, I start off not understanding the title or cover, but figuring out afterwards is neat.

This book is absolutely beautiful and the hardcover is an absolutely perfect medium for it, with sprayed edges.

The story is written well and yet maintains simplicity, so it's good for a reading slump. I enjoyed the pacing and dual narrative.

The illustrations towards the end are the best. I saw the twist coming (which is fine because it's a children's story) but I found the ending abrupt, so I took a star off.

I am unsure why people think there are too many POVs. I recall like 5 characters at most, which pales in comparison to high fantasy books.

I liked every single POV and how some people's story overlapped.

Every character is awful in their own way and the ending was delicious. I rooted for some characters.

I read the entire book in one sitting.

My only question is WTF happened with Jackson Crane when Jess “killed” him?

1. Death - 4/5
   About: Family life and death.
   Review: Good ideas, needs a bit of editing, unsettling and surprising ending. This story felt kind of familiar to me, like something I'd watch in an adult comedy cartoon (which I enjoy).
   
   2. Acceptance - 3/5
   About: A DMT trip.
   Review: I thought that it's highly unrealistic for our main character to try DMT by themselves, when Max and the hippie friend suggest and provide the drug in the first place. However, I liked the description of the trip and felt challenged creatively. I think this is also something I'd watch in an adult comedy cartoon. Unfortunately, I thought the ending was a bit unsatisfactory.
   
   3. Underground - 2/5
   About: A couple go down a hatch and meets someone unexpected.
   Review: I don't want to give too much away, but I would've liked more description of the main characters, setting etc and a more distinct atmosphere. I also did not enjoy the reveal, have no interest and didn't really see the point. I wish time periods at the beginning and end were more clearly established. However, I liked the last sentence and every sentence matters in a short story. Maybe I just didn't get it.
   
   4. Perception - 3/5
   About: Two friends race together outside and there's a genocide or mass killing of some sort at night.
   Review: This was alright. It gave me vibes of aliens and UFOs taking cattle, but I don't know if that was the intention. I do wish this short story took more of a futuristic direction.
   
   5. Missing - 4/5
   About: Main characters attend a friend's funeral and strange events occur linked to the friend's death.
   Review: I liked this. I enjoyed the reminiscing of the past and character interactions.
   
   6. Attraction - 4/5
   About: Main character has the same dream about a house for 14 years, is pursuing an art degree and works at a coffee shop. Then visits the house one day and finds someone unexpected.
   Review: I liked this. The story resonated with me and reminds me of Coraline. It was relatable and meaningful.
   
   7. Conspiracy - 5/5
   About: A post-apocalyptic society.
   Review: Really good! This is the best short story yet. The beginning is really detailed and well explained. We follow our main characters until the end and I felt that there was a really good explanation for why the world is this way. This short story reminded me of Orphan Black in the best way possible and that's quite hard to achieve in so few words. Kind of reminds me of The 100 as well, which I like.
   
   8. Invasion - 4/5
   About: An invasion on a military base.
   Review: I liked this, but thought it was too similar to Perception. I feel this is a better version of an invasion story, because the characters and purpose are established better.
   
   9. Deception - 3/5
   About: Main character is being questioned about extraterrestrial events that he cannot recall.
   Review: I don't think this is the best short story to end this collection. I liked the interrogation process and I also felt a bit frustrated for the main character, but the plot doesn't really pull me in.
   
   Average rating: 3.55 rounded to 4 out of 5.
   
   Overall thoughts and opinions:
   I think you need a certain mindset for these short stories. It's incredibly short, even for a short story at 43 pages. Therefore this book took me about an hour to read because I reread the short stories a few times, so that my reviews were as fair as possible. The formatting is good and perfectly readable. I thought the start is solid and there are common themes such as death, aliens, and the paranormal. I would've liked to seen a story about time-travel and feel it would have fit in, but I understand it might not be feasible. Lastly I think with some editing in general (specifically grammar), the work will be more polished but there is a good try.
   
   I do want to note that it's ok for short stories to remind me of other media I am aware of and tend to enjoy anyway. I don't really read a lot of short stories, so it was an adjustment for sure. I believe my perspective is normal for short stories as the reader must fill the details by themselves and really consider what they're reading. It is not disrespect or a slight implying unoriginality.
   
   Edit: I should disclose that the author approached me via Instagram DMs asking me to read and review their short story collection. I don't usually write very long reviews on my Instagram (@amolikareads). However, it was my choice entirely to read and review this. The book is free as of writing this review on the Kindle store, so I did not pay for this book but no one else would at this point. I was not forced nor paid to write this review. These are all my honest thoughts and opinions.

I found this book useful, approachable, and relevant as a beginner. I enjoyed every aspect of the book, and while this is no pioneering piece of writing, all the science has been well-synthesised and this is a genuinely more engaging read than most popular self-help books.

I also watch Ali Abdaal's channel a lot, so maybe that's why this book really resonated with me.

I purchased this book when it was on sale.

To start off, this book is written beautifully in a haunting way. The prologue is a very promising start with a distinct time period stated clearly and unlike many books, I didn't think it was ridiculously vague or irrelevant. To the present, descriptions and exploration of the French chateau really sets this book apart from other Beauty and the Beast retellings, or that it's a MLM romance. The two main characters are Ren and Florian who are equally compelling yet different to each other and I enjoyed the interactions with other characters residing within the chateau walls. This was a truly special read with subtle updates making the story fresh, so I believe the story does enough to provide the reader with something unique. I was hooked before the 25% mark and the plot is solid. The book delivers on all fronts and I was very pleased with it. One of the best reads of this year. An easy 5 stars. My only criticism is that I think the character perspective changes could've been made more clear.

Lastly, thank you to Sarah Bryant, NetGalley and the publisher Evernight Teen for this e-ARC, I am eternally grateful.

Thank you to the publisher SOURCEBOOKS Fire and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book.

This book slaps, first of all. This book is about reality TV and personalities, caves etc with a stereotypical producer named Jackie Stone. The atmosphere is like no other and I like it, I can't quite put my finger on it but the story is gripping from the start. It's just this Cirque Du Freak (by Darren Shan) vibe (not plot-wise) with trashy reality TV, which sounds really dumb but I LOVE IT. Plot-wise it's like an updated “And Then There Were None” (by Agatha Christie).

The story is that 5 contestants that must stay in the Umber Gorge caves for 24 hours where the ghost of Puckered Maiden resides and the last one standing wins prize money, but obviously this episode goes awry. The story is told in Lex Hazelton's perspective who does not believe in the supernatural but wants to win the money for travel. She is really edgy and just mean-spirited at first. We've all seen this type of villain on reality TV, but she chooses this narrative for herself. Marla is an aspiring actress and here to make a name for herself IIRC, who is kind of annoying but a nice addition. Keith is a YouTuber going by the name Python and he is incredibly fake for the cameras. I really liked his character development. Liam is my favourite character (you'll see) and the last contestant is Abbie Bailey who is a paranormal investigator. At first, some characters had a similar voice to me, but the author fleshes these characters out appropriately and I don't have that complaint anymore.

As for the book itself, I really enjoyed the side stories about the cave's history, it really added tension nicely and you just feel for all the past characters. I loved the main mystery and the conclusion as I felt waves of relief and dread, but I would have liked to have seen a stronger/longer epilogue. I thought the interview sections of the story was weaved well into the main plot. I thought the story was over at the 50% mark and was wondering what could possibly be in the other 50% of this book. I don't usually feel that way because I am well-seasoned in mysteries and thrillers, but I was so wrong.

I finished the book in one sitting and didn't think that the book dragged on at any point. This book was an easy 5 stars for me and I would highly recommend this book to readers who like reality TV and big personalities. The author leaves subtle clues, so the story is logical and I really respect that. I like when I can admit that I read something and it went over my head.

I found the size of this book very intimidating, but I am appreciative of high fantasy and I think it has to be considered high fantasy at 800 pages long. It would be an absolute crime if this book was slow but it was enjoyable and finishing this book in two sittings is good.

A brief summary is that our protagonist has sacrificed her mortality to save her sister and is now under the servitude of Kaden, who requires the Book of Azrael.

I requested this book via NetGalley because I wanted a high fantasy novel that wasn't Brandon Sanderson or emphasized male characters too much. Of course, I wanted a book of quality with a fresh voice and that's what I got! This book is not derivative at all and I don't feel it is trying to copy formulas of big franchises.

This was a comfort read in terms of tropes like a villainous female main character (Dianna) and enemies to lovers yet not unreasonable, poorly written spice at all. This book gave me a lot of things I never knew I wanted from books. I feel that in my limited experience of high fantasy, I haven't read anything like this and I absolutely loved it.

This book is excellent from the characters to world building. I am excited to see more from these characters.

Finally, yes this book does show a bit of inexperience as a debut and the editing could be improved but it is a very promising start and I am thrilled to have read this e-ARC. Thank you to NetGalley and Rose and Star Publishing for giving me an opportunity to read this work for free in exchange for a review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this e-ARC.

I liked this book and it has a lot of potential. The author does a really good at making the reader angry at most of the characters because they're so unlikable and terrible people; you just wish the worst for them. This is a positive thing and keeps your heart pumping because you aren't supposed to like these characters. I really liked and appreciated the inclusion of Jamie having cerebral palsy, but I thought he was a bit pathetic and passive. Though it is nice to see him become his own person in the end.

The plot summary is that Victoria and Jamie are expecting. They stay at a guest house and then are trapped when Victoria is in labour; the owners of the guest house nowhere to be found.

The beginning of the story was really boring to me and took too long to pique my interest. It took me like 3 days to get through the first quarter of the book and I'm not a slow reader. I think part of that is not understanding why the couple felt so trapped. This story is told in a dual timelines and (dual) perspectives, which is fine but I thought the whole contractions sections were just repetitive and did the opposite of upping the tension. However the ending and unravelling of everything was the best part of this book. The ending utilizes letters and I'm a complete sucker for them because well-done letters allow the reader to understand a character's voice and thought process. I was hooked and cared about the consequences for the main characters. It is disturbing and reminiscent of true crime documentaries so the believability is there for me.

Overall, I do not regret reading this book and the book left me a lot to think about, which is important to me. I'd give this book a 3.5 stars and I would recommend it for the most part, but it's not my favourite read of the year. I feel like other people would enjoy this book more than me.

This book was a page turner for sure and I thought the protagonist was likable enough. I thought the police officer was trying to undermine Casey (the local autism expert) and that was kind of annoying because we know there's more to it.

In terms of autistic representation, I didn't really mind it but I have a lot of thoughts on it.

Firstly, I do not care if I'm being referred to as someone with autism or an autistic person, but I go with autistic person. I see that Casey leans into what the professional standard is and that doesn't surprise me, because it's not like she engages in online discourse. It's realistic, whether or not I agree. It may or may not be the author's beliefs but it doesn't matter to me. Other terminology is also reflected in current career field, rather than online discourse.

Mason's symptoms were too textbook autism at the beginning and I just knew it had to be coached. For example, Genevieve would obviously lean into the train stereotype because that's all she knows as she isn't autistic. She is also trying to convince other professionals that her son is autistic. I suppose I have my own experiences to reflect on, so that kind of ruins the surprise for me. However, I still didn't mind the unraveling playing out. Although I predicted and interpreted the ruse correctly whilst reading along, the explanation was still chilling and gross. Seeing an Autism Mom™️ fully realized is terrifying. I knew she was one 9% in the book (“Just that she's an expert on autism spectrum disorder, which is great, but I'm the expert on my son. We're going to get that straight from the beginning.”). Genevieve's reasoning is that her child was painfully average very soon after birth, she hardly knew him yet refused to accept him for who he is. She wanted to make him special and control him at the same time.


This is the entire point of the book. Stereotyping autism and showing that developmental or learning conditions can be faked if you try hard enough. Tricking so many professionals over time is psychologically messed up. It makes you question why anyone would induce symptoms and the simple answer is attention. There is the angle of exploitation from Mommy influencers and disabled children who cannot consent. Mason thrives at the end, which shows that he was never given the chance to before and reading his sections of the story is heartbreaking because he's been so abused and developmentally stunted. I do wish his POV was a bit longer.

I wasn't very surprised by a lot of the ending but I should have guessed that Samantha and her boyfriend were the blackmailers, so well done for not using a random character as a cheap exit.

In conclusion, this book made me think a lot about myself and how far I or people will go to maintain a good image. I don't find this representation offensive because there's a plot to justify why things are the way they are and that these aren't usual circumstances. I don't view thrillers as highly likely or realistic but possible. Also not everything is applicable to everyone and that doesn't make it bad representation but this wouldn't matter because it isn't really autism. In the end it's about intention and research, which has been done.

This was a straightforward, short read that I enjoyed in one sitting. The book fulfils its promises of helping the reader discover plants, herbs, crystals and more with well-structured chapters. The tone of this book is welcoming and casual, but not at its detriment. My favourite part of this book is the consistent formatting in delivering information throughout, but especially in the plants section and I went Kindle highlight-heavy there. I really appreciate that the author uses the noun itself in explanations, so the formatting therefore feels intentional and it's easy to refer to. I believe the popular/collective highlighted quotes is a good representation of this book when it is not offering information. I rated this book 4/5 stars because the content is useful, knowledgeable, considerate and accommodating of different readers. Lastly, this book is good for a beginner and definitely worth it on Kindle Unlimited but I would have liked to see more illustrations (used effectively too).

I am 20yo and I am always on a lookout for a good story to read before bed, but I also appreciate reading books like this when you crave simplicity and relaxation; that is why I chose to request this book. So thank you to Rebel Girls the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

To start off, the cover is stunning and a great representation of what you are about to read. Each changemaker gets a page of writing about them with a cartoon portrait and quote attached in alphabetical order. I had some criteria in mind when reading this book and deciding how to rate this book. The book fulfils my criteria/expectations, desires and beyond. I judged this book based on the way it was written, if it's informative but not overwhelming, if I liked the artwork, if I felt that a diverse group of people were represented (age, location, disabilities etc.).

The writing is consistent throughout and never jarring. It is simple, to the point and enjoyable due to its fairytale-like style. I appreciated the addition of DOBs (Date of Births) as it showcases a diverse age range within young changemakers, but I thought it's questionable that Nora Al Matrooshi's DOB was incomplete. I figured perhaps it would be fairly easy as a publisher to ask someone or their representative for that information. Anyway, I found the book informative and fun, never overwhelming. That is if you don't read all at once because learning and retaining information about 100 people is hard, even if you know some of them already. I liked nearly all the artwork, loved some of the artwork and disliked maybe a few because I thought it was not up to standard. The art is vibrant, colorful and big. I recall really liking the artwork for Billie Eilish (credit: Paula Zorite) and Greta Thunberg (credit: Pau Zamro). Yes, this book does a good job of crediting artists throughout and I highly respect that.

I would say I did not know the majority of the changemakers beforehand, so that is a good thing. I am glad that it is not celebrity heavy, because the focus on inventors who change their community and other people's in turn are my favourite. I really liked the diversity of age within young people and I fit squarely in. It was kind of weird seeing changemakers born after 2010 because I forget it's been so many years since then, but really happy to see of course. So many countries/nationalities were mentioned and that makes me happy as a WoC.

Lastly, I liked how extensive the crediting is at the back of the book and that the art is credited on the changemakers' page itself without being distracting. There has been a lot of thought and care put into the formatting and structure of this book. It is beautiful and I imagine a physical copy would be even nicer to hold. I also appreciate that there are some relevant and reflective activities, so that the reader is left with something to consider about themselves.

I found this book empowering and uplifting, so I would recommend this book to people who like fairytale styled books and just want to know about young people who are making changes in the world. I thought I knew it all but I don't. This is a good compilation and would encourage anyone to read this book, as I wish I had something like this growing up.

I found the size of this book very intimidating, but I am appreciative of high fantasy and I think it has to be considered high fantasy at 800 pages long. It would be an absolute crime if this book was slow but it was enjoyable and finishing this book in two sittings is good.

A brief summary is that our protagonist has sacrificed her mortality to save her sister and is now under the servitude of Kaden, who requires the Book of Azrael.

I requested this book via NetGalley because I wanted a high fantasy novel that wasn't Brandon Sanderson or emphasized male characters too much. Of course, I wanted a book of quality with a fresh voice and that's what I got! This book is not derivative at all and I don't feel it is trying to copy formulas of big franchises.

This was a comfort read in terms of tropes like a villainous female main character (Dianna) and enemies to lovers yet not unreasonable, poorly written spice at all. This book gave me a lot of things I never knew I wanted from books. I feel that in my limited experience of high fantasy, I haven't read anything like this and I absolutely loved it.

This book is excellent from the characters to world building. I am excited to see more from these characters.

Finally, yes this book does show a bit of inexperience as a debut and the editing could be improved but it is a very promising start and I am thrilled to have read this e-ARC. Thank you to NetGalley & Rose and Star Publishing for the free copy, in exchange for an honest review.