Kemi

I'm not usually a psychological thriller reader, but I think this was the exact format I can vibe with it. As its short, its got all of the feels that make it psychological thriller but is succinct enough to keep interested. I often find myself bored at these thrillers and wanted to skip to the end, or it's too intense and again want to skip to the end. Loved how this book skipped that feeling for me, as it just got to the point .

Living in the UK and enjoying english Literature, I have a special interest in The Canterbury Tales. As a result, I was on the hunt for a suitable retelling and found this. Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better book. I loved how this was told in short stories, reminiscent of the original, as well as the atmosphere created by the author so well and that matches the theme of the overarching story as will as the mini ones. Personally, I don't usually read this style of book so I think that may have contributed to why I didn't think this was a new favourite but I would highly recommend.

This book was confused. When I was looking at reviews, I saw a lot of people saying that it wasn't what they expected, and I agree. Both the name of the book and the cover give romance vibes, but the book is mainly a mystery. This confusion between mystery and romance continued in the plot. The romance was forgotten until the end where the mystery was rushed for a final chapter that went through the entire romance plot. It needed to figure out the pacing and what genre this wanted to have be the focus.

REVIEW 1:Meh. That's my feelings towards this book. Having read [b:Traitor's Blade 18947303 Traitor's Blade (Greatcoats, #1) Sebastien de Castell https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1535245385l/18947303.SY75.jpg 26734625] by the same author and LOVED it, I expected great things. Especially with the positive reviews I've heard. Whilst I can accept this book has merit, it just didn't click for me. I would say this is definitely a YA book and go in with trepidation.(3 stars)REVIEW 2:Having come back to this, I really enjoyed it! I think it is partly because I have taken some time away from it, and read it with lower expectations. I still didn't love it like I loved Traitor's Blade but I can now say I am slightly invested in this story and want to know what happens. Flew through this and enjoyed listening to it! (4 stars)

Well, it's been a while since I read this so this should be more objective.

3 things I liked:
1) I really liked the characters, I thought they were interesting and I liked the group dynamics.
2) I liked the idea of pirates. That was fun.
3) I enjoyed the aspects of her being a murderer spy for her parents and wish their were more of that.

3 things I disliked:
1) It is forgettable. Whilst it is interesting for a person who hasn't even read many books in comparison to some, it's plot does not stick in my memory.
2) I didn't find it very surprising but they just be me.
3) I would have liked a bit more wold building and more knowledge of why things happen the way they do.

I wasn't wowed by this book. The author felt judgmental which whilst, yh I get it, made him feel bias and I wasn't sure how much of his opinion was colouring the book. In addition, I don't think it delved deep enough into potential psyche of certain people, such as those who seek out killers, or the effects of an abuse relationship etc... Also the constant self promoting got on my nerves

This was a decent cozy. I flew through this book and it had an interesting premise. The balance between romance and cozy was good for me - I love the love triangle and the mystery was unique. I will say I don't think I'll remember this very soon which is why it's a 3 star. Nothing that makes you fall in love with this book

Pros:
- loved the family dynamics, and how loving the husband was
- loved the conversation about still being your own person after having kids and how middle aged women can be overlooked but are still bomb
- the action was acc giving spy novel
Cons:
- the annatoli connection made me cringe a bit but i got over it
- wheres the sequel????
Comparisons:
-finlay donovan
Potentially playmates and murder on kindle

2.5*
I was so confused. What exactly is this book? Like it wasn't a mystery, it wasn't a thriller, there wasn't much lawyer in court stuff. General crime? I thibk that is the main problem with this book. It was too meh. If it had increased any of the above, it would've gone down better for me. It wasn't bad but it felt like a waste. I read this when I could've read something I'd have thought more about

A NEW FAVOURITE. Amazing. Stunning. Beautiful.
Firstly the writing! Simple yet beautiful. It wasn't overly flowery or super poetic but still made me feel all the feels.
Second - the mystery! It was mysterying! I did not guess who the killer was. If you think about it logically, makes sense and I even guessed that they would be involved but I thought they would be like an end reveal secret or storyline but not the murderer. I'm sad because of the motive and what that says about humans but it isn't outlandish in any way.
THIRD - RELATABILITY. Why was I brought to tears? Despite this book being set jn Ireland, I live in London, about a woman who is friends with drag queens, I've gone to a few shows but no friendships, I found that the feelings she was feeling were universal. I could relate to her so hard in the feelings. It made me sad and upset for her.
10/10!!!!!!!!!

Omg why does my heart hurt? The ending of this got me in my feels. Was the “funny” parts of this book funny? No, absolutely not. Not one laugh or smile was cracked. But the tragic parts? Deep! Why did I follow a while relationship on stage? I felt like I got to know them so intimately in such a short time. So clever and ultimately heartbreaking

A return to a good mystery without the hinderance of a bad love triangle. I personally don't love it as much as book 1 but was still solid. Really loved the inclusion and prominence ecology played in the story. Wasn't a fan of the classic mystery book wrap up, and felt it made for an underwhelming ending.

Hard DNF on page 10 due to unnecessary transphobia.

“I like clothes but I don't follow ‘fashion'. I've always thought ‘fashion' clothes are best modelled by transvestites. Models, to me, are transvestites with vaginas, and don't come from Earth.”

There are also constant mentions of weight, a cavalier attitude towards alcoholism/ a flagrant disregard to the actual impact of alcoholism.

It sucks because I picked it up excited by the premise, and wanted to read from a Northern writer. However, this book feels a decade or more out of date, WHICH IT IS! When I looked up the book, it says published in 2020 but it's simply a rerelease with a more modern cover. This book would have done SO MUCH BETTER with editing that would've picked up the change in attitude towards these things.

As a person who is interested in starting yoga, but hasn't participated, this book is interesting and will help me going forward in the practice. I do think it is most beneficial for those who are already practicing

Merged review:

As a person who is interested in starting yoga, but hasn't participated, this book is interesting and will help me going forward in the practice. I do think it is most beneficial for those who are already practicing

Thanks to NetGalley for this review.
DNF
I am not an “arty” person however I love the line art trend. Unfortunately this book was written for more “arty” people than me. I also enjoy creating line arts digitally but this book really focused on the perfect imperfections of line art when drawn by hand. Not a bad book but not for me!

DNF after one chapter. Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. The writing felt very unbelievable and undeveloped. In my opinion, it felt like a second draft where the author had fleshed out the story but hadn't gone back through to improve the writing. I also didn't enjoy the use of the word ‘Exotic' and was unsure if enough work was going to be done to show the negativity of that word in relation to marginalised groups. Thanks to NetGalley for this arc.

You know what? I really enjoyed this book. I wanna say I can't fault it but what I mean is any faults do not subtract anything from the amazing qualities this possesses.
Positives
1) This did not shy away from Sci-Fi. A lot of sci-fi is light on the science or gaming or actually realistic stuff but this was good. You had the destruction of the world as a by-product of human development but the fact that it was neglected as everyone choose to escape rather face it head on. You has obesity and drugs and all that good stuff. Whilst this doesn't sound like Sci-Fi, it adds to the believability of the Sci-Fi, making it seem more developed.
2) Wade isn't perfect. Neither is Artemis or H. I enjoyed the fact that these were regular fanatics who weren't isolated from real life ish.
3) It was a flushed out world. I spoke about this before but this world was good enough that I have a picture of it in my head.
4) The action was epic. There is no other way to describe it but epic with music playing, cheering going on and extremely high stakes. Loved it!
5) The audiobook was amazing. Couldn't have asked for more

Now Negatives
1) Whilst I appreciated the fact that the world is different and Wade isn't close with his aunt, I didn't like the way it didn't seem to affect him properly. He wasn't happy but he didn't even seem to grieve or even want to prevent it. Seems a little odd to me...
2) I lost interest a little in the middle. Lost interest is harsh but what I mean is I lost the intensity to pick it back up again. It only lasted for a few chapters but just thought I should mention it.

Overall, Good! Definitely rereading in the future. P.S. read on audiobook by Will Wheaton!!