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eliya's reviews
102 reviews
Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
fuck this book.
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.0
R*PE IS NOT SEXY.
This book is kink for people who don’t understand the consensual trust between sexual partners. A person who thinks that raunchy sex can only exist completely opposite to their understanding of sex. It made me really sad to read this book. I was really excited for creepy, scary kink and this book let me down.
The plot of the book is boring, I don’t care about the grandmas murder, the killer was obvious.
The book is too long, 600 pages of the main character “i don’t like it… i shouldn’t like it… but i do” over and over and over again made me want to slam my head through a wall get new material
The characters are poorly written, Adeline is so obviously the author, Zade is so self-righteous about his conflicting morals — stalking a women “i’d never hit a woman” ass bitch while hitting and choking addie???
Below are direct quotes from the book -
This book is kink for people who don’t understand the consensual trust between sexual partners. A person who thinks that raunchy sex can only exist completely opposite to their understanding of sex. It made me really sad to read this book. I was really excited for creepy, scary kink and this book let me down.
The plot of the book is boring,
The book is too long, 600 pages of the main character “i don’t like it… i shouldn’t like it… but i do” over and over and over again made me want to slam my head through a wall get new material
The characters are poorly written, Adeline is so obviously the author, Zade is so self-righteous about his conflicting morals — stalking a women “i’d never hit a woman” ass bitch while hitting and choking addie???
Below are direct quotes from the book -
"If you were my little girl, I would worship every inch of your body for as long as our souls are tethered to this earth. My tongue would leave no part of you untouched." pg. 342
“‘Stop it’ she pants, but don't listen. She swats at me, but those tiny hands: no match against mine.“ pg. 344
“But I know that I would've woken up the next day and hated myself. Because I would've slept with a stalker, a murderer and a man who has forced himself on me on several occasions. I would've slept with a man who doesn't respect my boundaries, my personal space, or the word no.” pg. 409
“she shrieks, her voice pitched so high, it nearly makes me cringe. God. Fucking women and their screeching.” pg 442
“A wicked smile forms, though the heat in my eyes remains. "Sounds to me like you don't understand a woman's body well enough to know when it sings for you, even when her mouth tries to resist." pg. 531
fuck this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Trafficking, and Murder
Minor: Car accident
Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
beautifully written. blew through this in about 3.5 hours, the pacing was sooo refreshing and added to the tension of the story. i absolutely adored the way that mrs caliban was written, specifically in the beginning when she’s making dinners. the comedic timing of the first few chapters is spot on, very silly and i thoroughly enjoyed it. this book definitely crosses maybe four genres / moods in such a short time. efficient read for sure.
Normal People by Sally Rooney
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is written so beautifully. The narration is so heartbreakingly aware of minute details that make interactions meaningful. There were so many times listening to this book that I thought “yes!! that!!” at something that i’ve experienced interpersonally and wasn’t able to verbalize myself before.
The chapters are written not like a story, but like a painful memory that the author is recounting for us as we try to understand what went wrong, where. This felt so real to me.
Listening to the audiobook was a treat, the vocal performance was as stunning and empathetic. I plan on obtaining a copy of this book for myself and rereading it in a few years, just long enough so that I can forget enough of it to love it a second time. I loved this book.
The chapters are written not like a story, but like a painful memory that the author is recounting for us as we try to understand what went wrong, where. This felt so real to me.
Listening to the audiobook was a treat, the vocal performance was as stunning and empathetic. I plan on obtaining a copy of this book for myself and rereading it in a few years, just long enough so that I can forget enough of it to love it a second time. I loved this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Fatphobia, Suicide, and War
More Love Less Conflict: A Communication Playbook for Couples (Couples Gift for High Conflict Couples, for Readers of Hold Me Tight, Communicat by Jonathan Robinson
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
2.0
some solid, helpful techniques
written really tackily. he spends the first chunk of the book defending the book and talking himself, the book, and the concepts up.
rant warning - few of the concepts work because of different reasons but he tries to package it as a gendered thing. for example, one concept in chapter 5(?) he says that men in order to be more sexually attractive to their partner need to reconnect with their masculinity. go outside, talk with guy friends, lift weights. and women need to reconnect with their femininity; do their make up more, go to a dance class, show love for their friends. and like yeah these concepts will work but not for the reasons he’s saying. exercise and developing other personal relationships will make you just happier in general regardless of gender.
half way through the book he remembers gay people exist
tells some wild stories that some how relate to his points, very hard to believe.
this book would have been a lot better if it was the same concepts (but only the genuine ones), same chapter distribution, but less him trying to sell me on the concepts. i’m reading the book. i trust you already.
i did not really remember enough of the techniques to use them, but i did come up with a technique of my own recently in my relationship and it make me think back to this book.
written really tackily. he spends the first chunk of the book defending the book and talking himself, the book, and the concepts up.
rant warning -
half way through the book he remembers gay people exist
tells some wild stories that some how relate to his points, very hard to believe.
this book would have been a lot better if it was the same concepts (but only the genuine ones), same chapter distribution, but less him trying to sell me on the concepts. i’m reading the book. i trust you already.
i did not really remember enough of the techniques to use them, but i did come up with a technique of my own recently in my relationship and it make me think back to this book.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
it’s written like a typical “there is this guy who had a hard time being a guy, and then he thought of this value that I’m teaching you now and then suddenly he was famous. That was Buddha.” dial writing but all in all some pretty good concepts that it’s nice to be reminded of once in a while, put in a relatively lighthearted way. well, I’m not gonna like buy the book highlight every phrase, etc., I did enjoy my read and got some helpful insights from it.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Some seriously cringy bits, rough start, and some pretty obvious self-insertion going on here BUT I did have fun with it and it didn’t feel like a waste of time. Might read on.
this book steals from // has VERY dicey parallels to:
- Beauty and the Beast
- Hunger Games
- Sword of Truth
- Stardust
- Cinderella 😭😭🙈
this book steals from // has VERY dicey parallels to:
- Beauty and the Beast
- Hunger Games
- Sword of Truth
- Stardust
- Cinderella 😭😭🙈
Circe by Madeline Miller
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Loved this book. This one felt similar to Matrix by Lauren Goff just the way it followed a woman through her life, I loved that. I wasn’t expecting the book to keep growing, but it did. The last chapter was delicious and made me hope to live again. I have been feeling idk less than thrilled to be alive, but I will swim in the words she wrote so beautifully about savoring growing old. I can’t wait to grow old with my beautiful love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Infidelity, and Death of parent
Freedom by Sebastian Junger
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
thoughtful, thorough musings of current events with historical context, it seemed like an essay or collection of three essays that the author wrote during or immediately following their hike/journey. i think it would spark incredible conversation.
sparked some interesting thoughts about political growth / evolution. i do not want to go on a journey with the boys i think.
sparked some interesting thoughts about political growth / evolution. i do not want to go on a journey with the boys i think.
Patricia Wants to Cuddle by Samantha Allen
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I had a whole review written out yesterday and I didn’t save it and now it’s gone 😪
It took me about a month to read this pretty short book lol. 13 hours of reading time.
Loved the “weird” nature of the book, combining two loved genres, the snide remarks the characters make about each other. There are some good quotes from this book that I’ll be listing below. I don’t think you’re supposed to like any character and I definitely didn’t lol. Loved the physical descriptions the author used to describe feelings.
Did not love the writing style. The author focused a lot on scene dressing and filled most of the book with painful, needless details and empty attempts to develop internal dialogue between the different characters.
I think Casey was spot-on- Amanda and Vanessa were the same character, one just had two moms and talked mostly about how that shaped her vs the other one who wanted to fuck Jeremy so much. Lilah Mae was a caricature of the toxic Christian trope & Renee… I’m conflicted about Renee. She was a curmudgeon the whole book, understandably so, but I don't find valor in just being a hater.
In the author’s note, the author talks about how it took courage to write this “weird” book, but it truly was not weird enough.
I had a lot of hopes for this book, but all in all, it was: boring, boring, cringy and unbelievable, funny, boring, until 80% through, then it was really exciting!! Where was that the whole rest of the book?
Favorite quotes out of context -
“For Alexa, the knife in my heart”
“But that was the point, wasn’t it? To be reminded.”
“Some pretzel bags are prettier than others…”
"But she's trying to stop searching for herself in the eyes of others"
"Standing over her like a gangly teenager about to ask his mom for lunch money"
"He tasted minty and yet somehow still disgusting, like Altoids that had been scraped off of the floor of the car."
"She imagines what it would be like to have a brain unburdened by intelligence--and then Vanessa's..."
"Casey didn't finish; she wasn't expecting to"
"It seems like the sort of place where you could actually just live life, instead of researching the best way to live your life on the internet."
It took me about a month to read this pretty short book lol. 13 hours of reading time.
Loved the “weird” nature of the book, combining two loved genres, the snide remarks the characters make about each other. There are some good quotes from this book that I’ll be listing below. I don’t think you’re supposed to like any character and I definitely didn’t lol. Loved the physical descriptions the author used to describe feelings.
Did not love the writing style. The author focused a lot on scene dressing and filled most of the book with painful, needless details and empty attempts to develop internal dialogue between the different characters.
In the author’s note, the author talks about how it took courage to write this “weird” book, but it truly was not weird enough.
I had a lot of hopes for this book, but all in all, it was: boring, boring, cringy and unbelievable, funny, boring, until 80% through, then it was really exciting!! Where was that the whole rest of the book?
Favorite quotes out of context -
“For Alexa, the knife in my heart”
“But that was the point, wasn’t it? To be reminded.”
“Some pretzel bags are prettier than others…”
"But she's trying to stop searching for herself in the eyes of others"
"Standing over her like a gangly teenager about to ask his mom for lunch money"
"He tasted minty and yet somehow still disgusting, like Altoids that had been scraped off of the floor of the car."
"She imagines what it would be like to have a brain unburdened by intelligence--and then Vanessa's..."
"Casey didn't finish; she wasn't expecting to"
"It seems like the sort of place where you could actually just live life, instead of researching the best way to live your life on the internet."
"Leafless trees poking out through the cracks between them, like arms worn down to their sinews reaching up to be fed."
"Nothing but silence and sky. It feels like the end of the world."
" 'Maybe you would have rather gone home with Amanda?! ... You kissed her way better than you ever kissed me!' 'That's because you taste like unwashed asshole, Jeremy' "
"...barely notice it at first, is a fresh human head, detached from a body that is nowhere to be found. Her hair tied in a ponytail, her expression frozen in shock, a layer of blood caking on pale skin. 'Hi, Amanda,' Renee says, looking down at the head. Amanda doesn't speak back, because she's a disembodied head. Alas, poor Amanda."
"Nothing but silence and sky. It feels like the end of the world."
"...barely notice it at first, is a fresh human head, detached from a body that is nowhere to be found. Her hair tied in a ponytail, her expression frozen in shock, a layer of blood caking on pale skin. 'Hi, Amanda,' Renee says, looking down at the head. Amanda doesn't speak back, because she's a disembodied head. Alas, poor Amanda."
New words:
Indefatigable - Persisting tirelessly.
Eponymous -
Indefatigable - Persisting tirelessly.
Eponymous -
- (of a person) giving their name to something.
- "the eponymous hero of the novel"
- (of a thing) named after a particular person.
- "Roseanne's eponymous hit TV series"
Adroit - clever or skillful in using the hands or mind. "he was adroit at tax avoidance"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Gun violence, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, and Abortion
Minor: Fatphobia, Racism, and Grief
The Missing Piece Meets the Big O by Shel Silverstein
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
:) that’s more like it