ritaslilnook's reviews
313 reviews

Thanks to NetGalley and BHC Press for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Sonya Kudei, as well.

The City Beneath the Hidden Stars is Kudei’s debut novel, expected to be released on September 27th 2022.

This story is promising. The author takes us on a ride through Croatian Folklore by interchanging it with urban fantasy, which was what captured my attention from the beginning. I love fantasy and having it rely so much on myths I had never heard of seemed very exciting to me.

The premise was alright and the way the story was told didn’t bother me. However, I do think this book needs some work in terms of its development.

Halfway through the novel, I felt like I still hadn’t read much about what was happening. The descriptions of buildings, streets, places, and even trams, are regular. Meanwhile, the characters get neglected and there’s not much development to be talked about and I felt like I needed that to connect more with the story.

It was very hard for me to stay focused on reading because my mind kept wandering about. I needed to know more about why what’s happening is happening, how things work, and how the magic came to be… I need to feel empathy with the story, to find some meaning in what I’m reading, and I did not feel the connection with this story.

The way this story is told is great to be read by teens, even if the language is unnecessarily complex. I say this due to it being so straight to the point, even if it’s not?

You got A, B, C, and D. You learn about them. However, you do not learn about how you go from one point to the other. Here’s what I mean: where’s the background on the politics of the Star Council? How did it come to be? How did they get involved with the task of fixing Earth’s problems? Why does the Black Queen want to rule so bad? Who was she exactly? Why is she so relevant?

This novel relies on Croatian folklore but it doesn’t explore it thoroughly. We don’t get to learn more than what is described in the summary of the book and I believe this was a missed opportunity to teach the audience about this aspect of history.

Onto the characters… As I said, I didn’t empathize with any of them. Leo is an arrogant man, who believes the world has to be bent his way. Dario is … bland… he is apathetic. Stella and the kids were the most enjoyable characters. Note that Stella is an 11-year-old with a fascination for the Black Queen myth.

The climax of the book had no impact whatsoever. It was so easy for the bad guy (or girl) to be defeated that it took away the bang of the story.

However, I gotta say… this book has SO MUCH POTENTIAL. Listen, I am still intrigued. I want to know more about this world. Maybe if we got to know the Black Queen a little better it wouldn’t be such a bad idea. I would definitely read this book again if all these plot holes were filled.

Even if this read wasn’t that enjoyable to me, I’m sure it will be for a lot of you.

Again, thank you so much to NetGalley and BHC Press for the advance copy, and thank you Sonya Kudei for the creation of this new world.

That was okayishly cute.

More than a romance, this book is about a woman trying to find herself and figure out what kind of life she wants to live.

Aviana Greene, or Ava, has become a flight attendant due to her parents’ nomadic lifestyle. For ten years, that was the only reality she knew - fleeting relationships, restlessness, no roots. After getting engaged, she decides to quit flying, mostly because her fiancée wants her home. To celebrate the new trajectory she has chosen to take, Ava works for one last flight. However, her joy comes to a halt when she finds out Jack Stone, a co-worker she absolutely despises, is working the same flight she is and the worst part is… he flirts with her, is nice to her, as if he doesn’t remember the humiliation he put her through before.

When their plane encounters mechanical problems, the crew finds themselves stuck in Belize for a weekend layover. Could be worse, right?

This is the typical cheesy, predictable, funny, enemies to lovers romance you expect from the summary. Nonetheless, it is still relevant how Waldon approached Ava’s loss. You don’t need someone you love to die to feel like you lost them - much less when it is yourself.

While there, Ava realizes her life is not taking the turn she truly desires, no matter how hard she wanted to believe it was. Is she truly in love with her fiancée? Does she really hate Jack Stone? Does she frankly love herself?

This book is a one-sitting read. Sometimes Ava got on my nerves because she is way too indecisive, but it’s understandable, it’s part of her character development to make a choice, the right one.

Although, I must point out that the emotional cheating in this book is quite heavy even if this is a rom-com of sorts.

I rated this book four stars at first because it made me smile a lot and had a beautiful ending, but after much consideration, I think three is a fair score. I’ll tell you why on the link below because I do consider this might be a spoiler.

Spoiler

I don’t understand how she fell in love with Jack Stone during a weekend. He is loveable and charming, yes, but she was convinced she was in love with her fiancée a day before she started desiring Jack. I’m not saying Alexander, her fiancée, was in the right making her quit, but it was something they had agreed on. Even if it wasn’t professed as love right away, it sure did feel like she was more enamored with him than her soon-to-be husband. Color me shocked.

This book was okayishly good.

Happy reads,
Rita

In the same way water trickles into even the tiniest cracks between boulders, her personality had formed into crooked shapes around the hard structure of her Chinese upbringing.

Li aquilo que nunca havia lido. Que história, que trama!

Este livro foi o oposto do que eu achava que ia ser. Li as primeiras páginas e esperei ver a progressão da Ivy como alguém que cresceu e fez o seu nome através do crime. No entanto, o crime mais grave que presenciamos é a falta de amor próprio e pelo outro que Ivy consegue ter. Contudo, isto não quer dizer que Ivy seja uma personagem detestável - pelo contrário, Ivy consegue a nossa atenção com muita subtileza.

Ivy é filha de pais imigrantes. Durante o seu crescimento, algo que sempre ouviu foi que tinha que ser médica. Os Lin procuravam uma fortuna a qual não conseguiam alcançar e dependiam dos filhos para o sonho se concretizar. Assim, Ivy tinha que ter notas excelentes e um comportamento exemplar, no entanto, algo a desviou desse destino traçado.

A avó, que veio com a filha, mãe de Ivy, da China, ensina-a desde muito nova a arte de roubar - é nos subúrbios de Boston que Ivy aprende a roubar peças em vendas de garagem e lojas de segunda mão, que lhe permitem manter a aparência de uma menina que advém de uma família com uma grande posse monetária. É com estes sonhos comprados em mão e com a ideia de que a vida é um jogo, o qual ela tem que ganhar, que Ivy assenta o seu foco no também adolescente, Gideon Speyer, o menino de ouro de uma família rica, ligada à política.

Com a pressão familiar e os pequenos delitos que a avó a ensinou a cometer, Ivy tornou-se numa mentirosa compulsiva, capaz de tudo para conseguir o que deseja.

Certo dia, Ivy mente para ir dormir à casa de Gideon, fazendo-se de convidada para o seu aniversário. No entanto, é apanhada pela mãe e acaba a ser castigada com uma viagem para a China, na tentativa de a tornar mais humilde, trabalhadora e respeitosa da família, a qual se acaba a tornar numa aventura que Ivy vai guardar sempre consigo, mas não pelos motivos esperados.

Anos mais tarde, Ivy apresenta-se como uma jovem mulher que é desequilibrada dentro do equilíbrio que construiu para si. A luta contra a família e as suas raízes continua firme e, mais que nunca, Ivy não sabe o que ser para além de uma mulher destinada a casar com a riqueza e o privilégio. No entanto, de forma a manter-se longe, principalmente da mãe, Ivy estuda para se tornar professora do Ensino Primário e, como que por destino, encontra a irmã de Gideon todos esses anos mais tarde.

Subitamente, Ivy apresenta-se com vários objetivos em mão: voltar a chamar a atenção de Gideon, fazê-lo apaixonar-se por ela e tornar-se parte da família Speyer. Os seus desejos tornam-se reais, contudo, a pessoa que criou para si corre o risco de se desintegrar tão repentinamente quanto começou. Quando Sylvia lhe apresenta o seu novo namorado, Ivy reconhece nele um fantasma do passado que poderá pôr a sua vitória em jogo.

Este livro gira à volta da ideia de perfeição que Ivy guarda em si, centrada maioritariamente na riqueza e em ser caucasiano, o que entra diretamente em conflito com quem ela é. A vida de Ivy é uma leitura dolorosa de se fazer, pois a mensagem que passa é degradante… Toma-se partido de que a única maneira de suceder é casar com um homem americano, caucasiano, e rico. Ivy acredita que deve engolir o orgulho, aceitar o que ouve e o racismo que presencia, para ser feliz.

Mais que uma deconstrução de Ivy, esta história apresenta reviravoltas chocantes. A primeira metade do livro é como uma pastilha elástica que não tem fim - é repetitiva, às vezes demasiado descritiva, não tem muito diálogo sem ser o que Ivy mantêm consigo. Contudo, a segunda metade do livro? Uau, foi devorada. Yang ligou todos os pontos desta história ao pormenor e nada é esquecido ou irrelevante. Não posso falar-vos do que acontece, não quero estragar essa magia, mas, prometo, vale cada segundo que passaram a mastigar a pastilha elástica.

Querida Susie Yang, pode escrever uma continuação para esta história, por favor? Com amor, Rita.

Here’s another story I had high expectations for and was let down by.

Gallant tells us the story of Olivia, an orphan who singles out for being mute - a condition she doesn’t understand but has embraced -, and, most importantly, peculiar. Olivia is lonely, but never alone because ghouls keep her company since the moment she was born.

She doesn’t know much about them but has learned not to fear the ghouls as they are the only constant in her life; they and her mother’s journal are all she has.

It is through her mother’s journal that Olivia first reads about Gallant, a place she is not
to visit if she wants to stay safe, stay sane, a place her mother has fled when she was young and in love, in hopes of freeing herself from the cage that was keeping her bound.

One day, Olivia gets a letter from someone claiming to be her uncle. In the letter, it says he has been looking for her everywhere and wants to welcome her at his house, their home,
Gallant, the place her mother warned her not to set foot in. However, Olivia longs to
know what having a family feels like and to leave the walls of Merilance, the orphanage, behind.

“She wanted to want it, to feel what the other girls felt. But she didn't. And yet, Olivia is
full of want. She wants a bed that does not creak. A room without Anabelles or matrons
or ghouls. A window and a grassy view and air that does not taste of soot and a father who does
not die and a mother who does not leave and a future beyond the walls of Merilance.”

It took me a while to process this book. While I love the premise of it, the development and end
of the story were poorly thought out. I was left feeling very unsatisfied and… confused?

The characters of this book (even Olivia, who is the main character) did not develop as the story
progressed and neither did their relationship with each other. They just existed to help Olivia
meet her end goal - even if I am still quite unsure of what exactly that was - as did the ghouls,
who were just… there… and out of nowhere, when she found out why she saw them,
started acting protectively towards her.

The book feels incomplete. Shallow.

I have read a lot of reviews claiming this is a gothic thriller and although it does meet the
criteria, the pieces of the puzzle don’t fit together somehow. The puzzle was finished, just wonky, I guess, just as my feelings towards it are.

The final chapters were very underwhelming… and they shouldn’t have been… where did the
foreboding go? The horrific aspect of it? The thrill? We find out what is going on - kind of - but what now? Why them? How does the magic of it work? How is the paranormal so normal
when the world Olivia lives in is a regular one?

It pains me to give this book three stars because its writing is absolutely spot-on, this is a beautiful piece of writing, but I felt way too disconnected from it… I am curious to read other works from the author, though, so there’s that.

Gallant was beautifully written, but overall… lamentably forgettable.

This is an okayish book. I struggled to review it because it took me a while to process the story and how I felt about it. I had HIGH and I mean H I G H expectations for this book but I couldn't connect with the second half. The book becomes quite repetitive after the first story it tells.

It's cute, different, and has a great premise, but it was dull, that's why I can't find much to say about it.

Three-stars for me.

Falamos em literatura fantástica e esquecemo-nos de quantas faces ela pode ter. Até à data, nunca tinha lido nada onde o realismo mágico fosse o foco e admito que apenas após alguma pesquisa consegui compreender esta temática.

O livro, por ser diferente, cativou-me logo nas primeiras páginas. 

Ao ler este livro fiquei com a sensação de não estar informada o suficiente para falar sobre o mesmo, no entanto, a minha opinião, mesmo estando longe de ser uma crítica literária cuidada, continua a ter o seu valor. Quando senti vontade de ler este livro, devo admitir que nada dele sabia, apenas que era uma obra literária diferente e era exatamente isso que a tornava tão importante e especial. Portanto, não fazia ideia sobre o que iria ler, apenas que me iria deixar muito satisfeita.

Cem Anos de Solidão conta-nos a história da família Buendía, fundadora da terra de Macondo. A linha do tempo nem sempre é a mais clara, mas o livro traz-nos a história desta família desde a sua criação até à sua 'extinção'. 

Não foi um livro fácil de ler devido às suas peculiaridades e ao seu ciclo vicioso, mas não me arrependo do nó no cérebro que me causou.

Este livro ou se adora ou se odeia e se estiverem a pensar desistir da sua leitura, esperem. O objetivo do livro, na minha opinião, recai sobre demonstrar o que a solidão é capaz de fazer ao Ser Humano, mas não como esperamos. 

Não há uma história, há várias. De personagem em personagem, vamos sempre aprendendo algo novo sobre eles,  vendo como o efeito borboleta se proporciona e como não é possível haver um estado de ordem sem caos. 

Acredito que a premissa do livro recai sobre o quão irregular precisamos que a vida seja, pois os círculos em que esta família se une, a "estirpe" à qual se condenaram, não lhes merece uma "segunda oportunidade" no jogo da vida.

Dou-lhe três estrelas pelas suas particularidades e pela escrita fenomenal do autor. 

This book was lovely. I bought it on sale on Kobo and dived into it without expectations or even knowing its summary.

This story takes us into the town Austen last lived in and also wrote her last books before passing away.

By fate - or by Jane Austen instead - a group of individuals, both men and women, stumble into each other's lives due to their adoration for the author and everything she stands for.

The most beautiful thing about the story is how they all live different lives, coming from different backgrounds and context.

The property she lived in is still kept by a few of her family members. However, when they are about to lose the estate due to an ill testament, the Jane Austen Society is born in hopes of trying to keep her legacy safe.

It is a cute story, especially for those who adore Austen's work.

I consider this a bedside table book, you know? Short review as there is not much to tell about it. I didn't love nor hated it, it was a three star book for me.

This book … I was 100% influenced by bookstagram when I bought this book. Everyone raved so much about it that I had to buy it as it is not a genre I’m usually drawn to. However, promises, promises… ended up in big disappointment.

I’m not going to give you a rundown of the plot because the summary says it all. Literally. Instead, I’m going to list some of the reasons why this book didn’t work (for me):

- There is never a sense of thrill, of fear, in the book. Some chapters leave something hanging like its scenes never reach their climax.

- The main character is very inconsistent to me - she reminds me of Bella from Twilight, surrounded by the big, bad, vampires. It is not the case, obviously, but she seems so frail, so meh. Her story is also a confusing mess, but when you read it you’ll see what I mean. The thing with Sam and Isaac is senseless and how she solves this “mystery” is just stupid, there is no other word to describe it. You expect it to be something big and it’s not.

- What the book promises is not delivered, folks. There is no mystery here if you’re relatively good at reading through plot holes. We get some murders, some lies uncovered but … meh. The hype that this book got promised more than that. I’m sorry.

- The flashbacks mid-narrative are SO BAD. I got the idea they’re intended for a movie script because the way they are put is so emotionless… I can’t explain it better.

I was going to talk briefly about the characters but I don’t want to spoil you guys. Telling you about them takes the little fun of understanding their personalities and who they are. Although they’re all very underdeveloped. For a book with these many pages, I was expecting more character development, more action, more “hard to figure out” mystery.

I’m bummed because I wanted to like it A LOT. It is an ok read, I guess I just had high expectations.

This is a 2.5/3 star for me.

I feel confused after reading this book. It was not good.

The characters are annoying, the book is boring, the plot is senseless… And don’t get me started on the dialogue because … ???

I was so excited to read this book thinking it would bring me the ‘witty and heartfelt love story’ it promised, but this book is anything but.

It was depressing: how dependent on Simon Hannah was; how she seemed so unaware and innocent; how we get fifty thousand scenes of Hannah and Léo driving around Paris and eating and then back to driving and more eating without it baring any importance; how he takes her to his friend’s house and she just humbly lets her borrow her shower, clothes, perfume, laptop… what?; how UNREALISTIC this story is.

I thought about DNF’ing this because the back and forth and the dialogue were so terrible, so bland…

It was a two-star book for me.

“The moral of this story is:

Beware the man who faces you unarmed.

If in his eyes you are not the target, then you can be sure you are the weapon.”

I’m blaming myself for having such high expectations for this book.

The plot promised this book to be filled with magic, history, friends/enemies, competition… something very straightforward, even if thick with development. However, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped. There. I said it. It pains me too, believe me.

What made this book so hard for me to read was how painfully slow it was (not in a good way). It is so dense with its story that my head ached after reading each chapter. Don’t get me wrong, I love a book that is thorough in letting us know its characters/context so we can immerse ourselves more easily into a world unknown to us. But, I kept waiting for the action to start, the story to peak and it never did. Or, it did, but too late into the story for me.

I enjoyed the plot twists and the bits and bobs which you won’t find relevant until something reminds you of their importance and, of course, Libby Rhodes - my absolute spirit medeian, made the story for me.

I guess I was expecting a Triwizard Tournament but got a boring memoir instead.

I will be buying the sequel to this book mostly to end my own suffering - this book was 100% introductory. As I mentioned, it peaks in the last chapters, and then it’s over.

I’m giving it a 3.4., I guess it’s an almost 4… as it could have been an almost 5. Could have… That was bitter, sorry.