Kemi

Guys, I loved it. I have to say, it takes great skill to pull of such a novel. The intricacies between both stories is amazing and it adds to the overwhelming feelings you get from reading it. It doesn't matter whether you read it chapter-to-chapter or story-to-story like me. Either way, the way their lives are connected is demonstrated beautifully and the two main characters lives have been woven together beautifully.

Also the plot line was great. Not much to say, you will have to read it yourself to find out...

Joking! SPOILERS AHEAD

All I am going to say is that the way things were revealed was great. There was a real sense of dramatic irony here and it worked amazingly. Also, Liked how the stories were almost mirrored in the sense that both Lyra and Gemma believed they were something, only for it to be revealed as a lie. In fact, it was great how they swapped positions as Lyra was meant to be a replica but Gemma was, and Gemma was meant to be ‘normal' but Lyra was.

I also really enjoyed how they they touched on the impacts of Stockholm syndrome in regards to Lyra and her inital love for Haven.

HOWEVER,

I thing that really let down this book was the amount of fat shaming from Gemma. It was an unnecessary amount that didn't add to the plot line in any way. It seemed far-fetched for the character and unnatural.

Also, I felt that April wasn't fully developed enough as a character and so was unnecessary. She needed a lot more definition to give her the right ‘umph' needed.

Special moments:

1) The little prince story was amazing

2)Naming of Caelum was also amazing

“Lyra and Caelum: the two replicas with names plucked straight from the stars”

“You named me. That means I'm yours, doesn't it? I'm yours and you're mine.”

3) A strange and baffling truth: that the people we're supposed to know best can turn out to be strangers, and that near strangers can feel so much like home pg 275

I remember not liking this book and that's about it. I waited a couple of weeks after reading this to write the review and I cannot remember anything. Perhaps if I read a description, pieces of the story will come back to me but that just fells you how memorable this book is. I can't even tell you what I disliked about it but oh well!

I personally have watched the tv show before I picked up the comic and was very surprised to find out the big difference between the two. I loved the whole set up of this world and thought this book was a great introduction to a series as I can't wait for volume two. Nothing more I could have wanted from this (except more representation but hey, that happens a lot for me) so I throughly recommend to the tv show watchers and newbies to iZombie alike!

Trigger Warnings for Rape and Sexual Assault
So I was enjoying the book ( probably about 3 stars) up until just before the end. Literally last chapter before the epilogue. Then unfortunately for me, I felt like the author was using rape as a plot point. Now I have no issue with rape being discussed in books however there is a way to do it. In this book, there is no discussion on the ramifications ( apart from the fact she didn't enjoy sex a lot as a result of it until she met the love interest, which is typical for a lot of women anyway), no real consideration about how it might feel like to be in that situation and no commentary about it at all. All we got was a hint that she was raped before, her getting drugged and almost raped again, and then the epilogue. Personally, it felt like it was simply their to add “drama” to the plot which in my opinion is unacceptable. This could have easily been taken out and I would have enjoyed the book a lot if it had done so because other than that, I only had minor problems.

I read this book on Wattpad roughly 5 years ago before it was published and had quite enjoyed it. When I found out it was published I thought I should give it a go, just to see how I felt and to give credit it the author. Unfortunately, I didn't find this book quite as enjoyable as I had previously, but strangely I remembered every single thing that happened so that might have hampered my enjoyment. Personally I would say try a sampler or a chapter and if that jibes with you, read it, if it doesn't, give it a miss.

This was a nice mafia read. If that's what you are looking for - perfect! To be specific, this mafia romance includes a boss woman as well as the criminal man. In this one, she isn't innocent but an equal, which we love. You don't have to read the original series to read this one, as you will only miss some very clever references and referrals.

I think in order to appreciate this book, you have to be willing to suspend your disbelief. If you like magical realism and books like ‘Alice in Wonderland', then this is for you and could be a new favorite. Personally, I don't usually like those kinds of books however knowing the kind of book it is really helps. This book has key themes that really help of misunderstood children, and had great LGBTQ represenataion.

This isn't a logical plot line. I mean it could happen in a family with really good fertility but it just isn't believable. So go into this book expecting to question the logic sometimes. Also I don't know if you should read this book if you struggle with infertility. But otherwise, an alright read.

There are some books you read and they make you want more. More of the story. And then you realise that will never happen. So, you want more of the author. An explanation from him, his inspirations, his idea of what happens afterwards. But you know that you may not get that either, and even if you do, you will still be unsatisfied. This was that book, and the only thing left to do is acknowledge that this book was amazing.

This book thought it was it, but it really wasn't. The main love interest epitomised male privilege and nepotism. The entire company where she works at was misogynistic and institutionally racist. Nobody understood how as a black female, the main character had to perform twice as hard and was under appreciated. The main character despite also being black failed to see how this was affecting her. They simply blamed it on her past trauma as opposed to the stereotype of being an ‘angry black woman' was working against her. The fact that the love interest could behave in any way he thought fit and was protected by his actions due to his boss/mums best friend, was disgusting. It reminded me of how nepotism works in corporate worlds and how leads to deserving people, most likely people of colour, missing out. In addition, we see the same set of issues at play at the main characters old job as despite a consensual relationship, she is the one who takes the full brunt of it, which affects her professionally. Disappointing as none of this is addressed in the book, and instead she repeats the same thing that set her back years, and most likely financially. Moreover, it was annoying to see this labelled as her own trauma rather than the smart way of thinking to protect her career from a man who used his position to undermine her at work, is a poor worker and sexually promiscuous - which is not a bad thing, but is a valid reason as to why she shouldn't get involved with him.

I know this book is short, which I think failed it in many respects. It was a fine read but I just think that it could've been a lot better. The characters felt like caricatures, probably because of the shortness. It's not a memorable read, as I remember things irradiating me, but I can't even remember what a hours later. Also the casual way alcoholism is thrown in, doesn't sit well with me at all.

This book series is so lovely! Reading about this young boy and his uncle is so nice as in middle grade reads there is often an absence of adults, and also with family other than immediate family. The mystery's are also fun and interesting to see unravel. I did see this one coming but I am 19! The trains are described so well that despite not having a special interest still captured me. The artwork is amazing, and I make a special effort to read them physically to see.

Just a quick read. It was an alright romance but I just thought it was unbelievable how the hate to lovers transformed. There was no need for them to be so confrontational to each other throughout the book - like they are grown adults, behaving childishly. Also, I don't like how the main character knocked on her neighbours door in her knickers - I'm sorry that's just unsafe.

This book was so good! When I went into it, I thought it would cover going out into nature, in the sense of gardening or going on walks. This was so much more than that. Covering mental health and its perception in society, the lack of advance in the medical field in treating mental health issues, the placebo effect (iykyk) as well as wild swimming in winter, running, bird watching, horse riding and the importance of nature indoor and out. Left me wanting to change the way I live my life, and wanting to read more into this topic!

I will add that this author comes from a privileged background, which she herself acknowledges, and may irritate others. Personally, I would view this book as part memoir and therefore is coloured by her view on the world. It won't delve deep on how people in poverty can access nature because that's not something she had to do, nor the people around her. If that is what you are looking for, this isn't the book for you nor does it claim to be.