chaotic_reading's reviews
181 reviews

 "Bosch considered himself a true detective, one who took it all inside and cared. Everybody counts or nobody counts. That's what he always said."

Michael Connelly is one of the first authors I can remember reading when I was younger and thinking, 'hey, I wanna read more of this guys stuff!' Recently I've been in a bit of chaotic period of my life and wanted to read something that would bring me back to my roots - so I looked no further than my very beat-up paperback copy of Echo Park from 2007.

Looking back on my memories of first reading this book, I was definitely waaaay too young. However, upon my reread I began remembering why Echo Park, and particularly Michael Connelly, came away as a "go-to" read for me. Harry Bosch is a strong-willed detective who takes no shit and appears to be fighting "the good fight" - everybody counts, or nobody counts when it comes to the victims and their cases that come across his desk. While these books are in the Harry Bosch Universe, they can all be read as standalones, in publication order, or really in any order you care to pick them up in. The continuity of the Universe is interesting and it's enjoyable getting to read about other players in the game (Mickey Haller, Jack McEvoy), but I also like that I can pick anyone of Connelly's books up and it can read as a standalone as well.

This book, as a crime novel, has a lot of moving pieces and I'm quite content with how the book was resolved overall. For me, this book would've been a five if the ending hadn't felt so rushed...but I find that this is a common denominator with a lot of Connelly's books and therefore I mostly chalk it up to his particular writing/story telling style and me just not meshing. Otherwise, a really good read that I would recommend to crime novel enthusiasts, or anyone looking to jump into crime novels 

There were times that I giggled out loud at an interaction between Olive and Ethan, and times that I blushed at how sweet they were to each other, however overall, this book just didn’t capture my interest. 

I’m disappointed I didn’t enjoy The Unhoneymooners as much as I had hoped. 

 “Rome was our city, she tolerated us, flattered us…I wouldn’t live anywhere else…there can be no half measures with her, because that’s what the tender beast demands, to be loved…if she’s loved, she’ll give herself to you whichever way you want her.”

Last Summer in the City by Gianfranco Calligarich is a character-driven narrative about Leo Gazarra and his love-affair with the city of Rome.

First published in 1973, Last Summer in the City eventually became an Italian classic - and it’s easy to see why. Calligarich writes perfectly the vibe of the famous Italian saying ‘dolce far niete’. This book reads like a love-letter to the city of Rome and an exploration of the human psyche and habits.

As a character, Leo is interesting to read about because he’s living in a constant state of limbo - nothing in his life is permanent. This makes his behaviour unstable and the plot of the story chaotic. I think this characterization perfectly incapsulates the unpredictability of life in general and society’s shared delusion that anything is 100% guaranteed.

Definitely one of my fav books this year - 5✨ read, and I will also be adding the publishing house FSG to my list of publishers I trust.

 A light-hearted contemporary romance perfect to pick up and read this summer.

The Italian Job is a fake dating and enemies-to-lovers romance set on the backdrop of an Italian castle, where Anna (the uptight, driven, girl-next-door type) and Jake (bad-boy rep with a soft spot for those he loves) have taken up residence for a year on what is essentially a working holiday and a chance for both to start over.

I really enjoyed the dual perspective and found the pacing to be decent, although at times a little slow. This is my first taste of author Kathryn Freeman's writing style and I liked it; third person is my preferred narrative. The story itself is very middle-of-the-road for me - I wasn't enthralled by it, nor was I turned off from it. It's much like any other contemporary romance; I would compare this to other popular contemporaries right now like by Christina Lauren and The Hating Game by Sally Thorne.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. 

"I believed in the plot life, and its assurance that all our actions will be assigned a meaning one way or another, and that things will turn out - no matter how long it takes - for the best."

Cusk has written a narrative that resembles the sometimes-rambling-sometimes-thoughtful writing of the 18th and 19th century. A tribute to Lorenzo in Taos, Second Place is written like a long-winded account or letter to the reader (in this case, the 'reader' is Jeffers). This piece reads almost like a one-sided therapy session, wherein M, the narrator, explores and meticulously de-constructs every thought, feeling, or emotion this L has both inadvertently and purposefully caused.

The summary suggestions that L's "provocative presence provides the frame for a study of female fate and male privilege, of the geometries of human relationships", and I would agree; this book felt like a story of self-discovery for M and the coming to terms of self. It also felt like an extreme caricature of womanhood and manhood in their most binary forms.

Reading Second Place as my introductory to Rachel Cusk's writing, I am eager to pick up another book of hers. After sitting with my feelings for a bit, I've come away with brief glimpses of something raw Cusk has poked holes in - whether that be my psyche or my soul, that is unclear - and I think that Cusk has shown a light on a level of unease and comfortability that I'm interested in exploring more through her writing.

I don't believe this book is easily accessible for every reader; it is not an enjoyable read. It asks the reader to ponder questions of self and belief, whiling following a character-driven narrative that seems to only tread water. CW for abuse, violence, and death which occur off-page and in brief mention.

We read their fairy tales and watch the modern adaptations - but what of the stories of the authors themselves? How did they come to pen some of the most famous tales?

Nicholas Jubber dives deep into the history and literary books to uncover the life stories of some of the world's most popular fairy tale creators. Covering Giambattista Basile in Italy to Hans Christian Andersen in Denmark, Jubber's writing brings these long-gone authors to life once again. The detail and elegance of his writing is whimsical and precise; he weaves a narrative that itself sounds like a collection of fairy tales, and yet the educational/academic side never takes a hit - his research is excellent and complete.

I enjoyed reading and learning about some of my favourite fairy tales' authors and would gladly read more by Jubber in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Smith Publicity for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

 Dark, twisted, and deliciously wicked.

This fractured fairytale, inspired by The Lion King, is a dark, adult, slow burn romance. McIntire has once again adapted some of my favourite stories and brought the villains to life in a new and exciting way. I really enjoy her no-holds-barred writing style; while some may consider it for shock value, I think it fits these villainous main characters wonderfully.

The contents of this book may be heavily triggering to some readers, so please be aware that there is graphic violence, murder, sexual content and more - a full list of CW is provided within the book. 

 "We are Bloodsworn," she shrugged. "Death is a companion we are well-used to."

I oh-so-thoroughly enjoyed this sequel to John Gwynne's Bloodsworn Trilogy! I sometimes worry when I love the first book in a series so much that the following book won't live up to the hype, but The Hunger of the Gods certainly lived up to the hype I had created around it and delivered a truly epic fantasy story that I'm going to be thinking about for weeks to come.

Picking up from where The Shadow of the Gods left off, The Hunger of the Gods continues to follow Varg, Elvar, and Orka, while also adding the POVs of Gudvarr and Biorr. The map at the front of the book gets put to good use and the adventures only become more epic. This book was so hard to put down, I found the pacing to be excellent and the turn of events make me gasp aloud.

There were a few errors that should have been picked up in editing (mostly punctuation), but otherwise a clean read from Gwynne. Content warning for graphic on-page violence, death, and torture. Those who have read the first book in the series should know what to expect; new readers please inform yourself with a full list of content warnings if needed before reading.

Super thrilled to have read The Hunger of the Gods, and eagerly awaiting the announcement for the release of the conclusion to this Norse myth and Viking inspired tale.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

 "For anyone who has been the villain in someone else's story."

at this point it should be no surprise that I go feral for a fairy-tale or mythology retelling/re-imagining/inspired story. love love love the concept. some are done super well, some not so much. with this in mind, I was so pleasantly encouraged to discover that Hooked is one of the ones done well. I was super impressed with the way that McIntire incorporated the different aspects of Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, followed the typical romance formula, and yet stilled provided an interesting story that I couldn't put down.

after reading Hooked, it's only solidified that I think dark adult romances are right up my alley. add in the fact that it's Peter Pan inspired and I was hooked (ha!) right from the get-go. normally I struggle reading first person, but I think the dual POV really helped. like most romances, I found this to be an easy read and a great "palette cleanser" that I enjoy reading between my fantasy or larger fiction novels.

McIntire includes a warning and the option to see a content warning list for readers which I think is really important, especially because the content of Hooked could be triggering to some readers; the darker subject matter is prevalent throughout the book and cannot be missed or skipped. if you want to read this book, please consider the warning at the beginning and viewing the content warning list at your discretion.

 "Fifteen seconds. That's all it takes to completely change everything about a person. Fifteen seconds that we'll never get back."

Not entirely sure what I want to say about this book. I can understand why people are giving it really high ratings - the book is incredibly consumable; the characters are physically attractive and at times emotionally attractive, too; there are moments of 'naked truths' or raw vulnerability displayed by the characters that can come across as very poignant.

Hoover has a way of writing that is so teasing. As a reader, you're constantly caught between "I have no idea what's about to happen" and "if the thing I think is about to happen, I need to know ASAP". It's a great method to convince readers to keep reading, but I think in the long run it negatively affects the overall impact her stories could have. 'It Ends With Us' could have been a really powerful story about breaking the cycle of domestic abuse, however the story feels slightly cheapened by the inclusion of Atlas' storyline. Additionally, the point of the tale - talking about the cycle of abuse, the importance of breaking it, etc. - was strongly made and strongly enforced long before Ryle assaulted Lily the night Rylee was born. I felt, reading everything from that moment forward, that things were now in the realm of 'overkill'.

Lastly, I believe this book would sit better if it were not marketed as a romance. Romance books have very mathematical 1+1=2 HEA endings, and this book was not that. I'm not sure where I would categorize it, but because Lily and Atlas only reconnect - and might I add, ever so briefly - at the very end of the epilogue, I'm not sure I feel comfortable accepting this as a romance. There is far too much pain, suffering, and "life lessons", and way too little romance for it to be considered one, in my opinion.

I want to be explicitly clear that in no way am I critiquing or judging Hoover for pulling from her personal experience; her personal story is hers alone and I would never share an opinion on that. Nor do I wish to invalidate the experiences of people who experience domestic abuse. My critiques and opinions are purely on the fictitious story that is 'It Ends With Us'.

As always, please check content warnings and summaries prior to picking up this book. Domestic abuse and attempted rape are very prevalent in this book.