Book Review: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Fourth Wing

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Fourth Wing 〰️

I’m speechless, but I’ll find the words anyway.

First off, that cover! And the interior formatting! And the map(s)! They’re soooo beautiful. But we all knew that part. It’s probably what made us pick up the book in the first place.

That being said, it’s been a while since I’ve read a fantasy book that was this engaging and done well. I’ve read ACOTAR fairly recently, and while those books were great, they have nothing on Fourth Wing. ACOTAR was basically modern-day with faeries. It didn’t feel too fantasy-like, with a few exceptions here and there. (In my opinion, anyway). But Fourth Wing? This book nailed it. And it’s been even longer since I read a book with dragons that was done right. And the world-building in this book? Exceptional. I love using Violent’s training as a scribe; she had her reciting facts about the world we are in to calm herself down. That way, we learn about the world in a way that doesn’t feel like a massive exposition dump, even though it was.

Yarros truly knows what she was doing when she wrote this book. The amount of world-building she had to do off-screen to make it work in the novel is astounding. And the characters! So fully fleshed out, even if most of them die during the book. She made you love (or hate) them, no matter how short or long their screen time was. (LIAM!!! My poor boy).

I love a good enemies-to-lovers trope; it’s one of my favourites. And Yarros nailed it. They were literally enemies, too! I thought there might be a slight love triangle between Violet, Dain, and Xander, but Yarros snuffs that out quickly and makes sure you know Dain isn’t meant to be her lover. This is great because I’m not the biggest fan of love triangles (but I’ll still read them). And bad boy Xander? Yeah, I can see why Violent eventually falls for him. I thought the pair slowly bonding over time was beautifully done. I also applaud Yarros for not having it be insta-love. (Yes, Violet is attracted to him physically almost immediately, but she’s not romantically attracted until later. Therefore, not insta-love).

Also, that ending!!!! I’m glad I finished this book right as the second came out because I needed to dive into it immediately.

This is a book (series) that I can see myself reading over and over again and still gain more insight with each read. Actually, there was so much that I think a second read would be beneficial. If you are looking for a great fantasy read (with dragons and a badass female MC), I highly recommend picking up this book. The hype is real for a reason.

Book Review: Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang

Yellowface

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Yellowface 〰️

What a wild ride! There were so many good quotes in this book that I agree with.

Though June was a dick most of the time, I still wanted her to succeed. I desperately wanted her to succeed even more with something wholly her own, with no "inspiration" from Athena. She was close to that with her sorta memoir, but then it seems like she never finished it, which is a shame. It would allow her to come clean about everything, all while telling an original and engaging story.

I'm not sure about the ending, however. She says all the things that can happen with her new book, but we don't know for sure if it will even see the light of day.

That said, this book contains a lot of excellent, thought-provoking questions! Should people be able to write people who are not of the same culture and race and tell a story that is not their own lived experience? (Provided it's not plagiarized). June makes an excellent argument about that, though I sadly forgot which page it was on to quote it, but I totally agree with her. Yes, I'm a white woman myself, but that doesn't mean I can't write people of colour (which I have in my novel, SOUTH). If I wrote a story entirely of white people because I'm white, then I'd also get called out for lack of diversity. So, as you can see, this book poses lots of questions in regard to the writing world, in who can write what and why. It's an excellent book for discussion.

Back to the story of Yellowface, yes, June made it her own story, but the idea and the skeleton of the story were Athena's and therein lies the ethical debate. She took the story, a very rough first draft, edited the hell out of it, added to her writing, completely made it her own and used Athena as her biggest inspiration. But it wasn't entirely her work, and thus, she should have credited Athena as a co-author or something. What she did was wrong, but maybe also not. It toes the line of right and wrong (more on the wrong side).

As a writer myself, I love reading about the publishing industry. I feel like this book had great insights into what it's like to be one of the authors who made it big, because not every published author gets a six-figure book deal with potential movie rights and earns out their advance. This book indeed shows the hardships of being an author in general, and I respect that.

I love all the work Kuang put into making this book. It deserves all the recognition it received, and I highly recommend it. Probably an excellent book for some book club debates, too.

Book Review: Verity by Colleen Hoover

Verity

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Verity 〰️

My friend read this book and highly recommended it to me. I hear so many mixed feelings about Hoover online. Some people love her, and others hate her. I'm sure there exist people out there who are indifferent, but I've yet to find them. So, after hearing so much about her and having my friend tell me if I was going to read any of Hoover's books, it should be this one, I picked it up.

Holy shit.

Thank you, friend, for the recommendation! This was one helluva read. I mean, that first chapter, heck, the opening scene was intense and had me hooked from the beginning! I could barely put it down.

I thought for a while Lowen may have been an unreliable narrator, and she is, but having Verity be confirmed to be faking her injuries made me question my own judgment. Turns out Lowen was right all along!

I will say, however, that I get why Verity did what she did; it's a little hard to believe. I mean, she should win an Oscar for her acting. She really sold the catatonic state. Does that make for an interesting story point? Absolutely. Do I buy that it can happen in real life? Not as much. No matter how good an actor you are, that type of injury is hard to fake. But did I suspend my disbelief for the sake of enjoyment? You sure bet I did.

That said, Hoover kept on coming with twists after twist that I didn't see coming. That final letter by Verity. Woah. Did she truly mean it? Or was it a safeguard for later? And will Lowen feel safe with Jeremy knowing he tried to kill Verity multiple times? (I mean, yes, since she watched him actually kill her and is still with him seven months later). But yeah, so much to unpack and though we want these questions answered, I'm glad for the ending Hoover provided.

I'm unsure if I'll end up reading another of Hoover's books. So far, the plots haven't spoken to me. But I will say that I don't think Hoover is a lousy writer. She certainly knows how to tell an engaging story.

Book Review: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

The Haunting of Hill House

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The Haunting of Hill House 〰️

I'm not one for classics, but I thought I'd give a modern classic a try. After reading this, I don't think I'm cut out for classics of any era. This book was not for me.

Eleanor's mood is all over the place. She loved Theodora at the start, then she hated her and wanted to watch her die, then she became obsessed with her and never wanted to leave her side.

People keep interrupting people and never let them finish answering the question they asked, and everyone behaves as though they didn't interrupt anyone and ignores the other person talking entirely.

Mrs. Dudley sounds like a German (or foreign, at least) butler. The characters sound like posh British people, always speaking so properly. I know it's the 50s, but they sound like they are in Victorian England to me. And in my head canon, I heard them all speaking with British accents because I thought they were in England, only to find out later from a friend that they were in America. They don't sound American or from the 50s. They speak too properly and use British terms a lot.

Also, spooky things only start happening around 50%, and even then, it's mostly off-screen. They spent most of the book being super afraid and being told the house is evil, but like nothing happened??? And after any "big" spooky thing happens, everyone acts like nothing at all happened in the next scene. Like, y'all aren't gonna talk about the spooky things? Is Eleanor not gonna mention to anyone that she was holding possibly a child's bony hand instead of Theodora's? Or ignore the whole ass house shaking? (Seriously, when anything does happen, the next chapter, they're like having tea or something and don't even discuss the previous night).

(Also, the doctor's wife is kinda a bitch to her husband, and I don't like her. Actually, none of the characters resonated with me. I really hated reading Eleanor's thoughts).

Why did the doctor ask them there if they were going to do absolutely nothing? They just explored the house most of the time doing jackshit. What was the doctor's purpose? Like, yeah, he's doing research and writing a book, but Eleanor, Theodora and even Luke haven't really done anything noteworthy.

Also, I don't get the ending. It just kinda fell flat. Eleanor gets super childish, and I'm not sure what her goal is. Was she possessed? Mental health declining? Who knows. But yeah. They decide to send her away, and in the next chapter, they are all gone, and the book is done. Super anti-climactic for a book that didn't have much going on to begin with. I kept waiting for spooky things to happen, but nothing ever really did.

Maybe if I were into classics, or even modern classics (or born at the time this was published), then maybe I might have liked it. I wouldn't have been spooked by it, but I may have at least enjoyed it.

Book Review: 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

'Salem's Lot

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'Salem's Lot 〰️

Ahh. I had forgotten what a good vampire story is like. Not that I mind the modern-day vampire (which seems to be primarily found in romance, from what I've read), but sometimes it's nice to go back to a time when vampires are bloodsucking monsters that strike real fear instead of making one feel warm and fuzzy.

However, I will say there were too many similar names, for example, Matt, Mike, and Mark. I'd be confused about who was who and who was doing what for a while because I forgot which name belonged to which character. It got a little easier when they all started dying off, but still. I think King could have diversified the names a little more.

Speaking of killing off characters, that's one thing I love about King. He's not afraid to kill off as many people as possible in his stories. Be it characters that only appear for one sentence or characters we come to know and love (or hate, depending on which story of his you're reading). I recently finished a re-read of King's Under the Dome, and (spoiler) like 97% of the characters, side ones and main ones, died in that book. I think like maybe 5 (can't recall exactly) survived in the end, and there were a ton of characters in that book.

I think this 'Salem's Lot is one of King's finest. It's a true monster horror story with great characters and an excellent story. I don't feel it has a happy ending per se, but it's horror, so not all of them have a happily ever after. I think the ending was perfect.

Did this book scare me? Not in the slightest. Maybe if I read it when it first came out (even though I wasn't born at the time of its release), but as a modern horror reader, it wasn't scary. But at least it didn't feel silly, and I immensely enjoyed the read.

If you are looking into getting into King's books, this is definitely one to check out.

Book Review: The Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan

The Last Girls Standing

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The Last Girls Standing 〰️

Actual rating: 3.5/5

I'm torn. The premise of this book is everything I love. I mean, a gay slasher final girls' story? Sign me up! And I've read every single one of Dugan's books and loved every word of them. And the cover for this book? Absolutely stunning.

Yet I feel like Dugan wasn't fully ready to commit to this new genre. Don't get me wrong. I still loved the story. But that ending? That's why I'm not rating it as high as her usual books.

Yes, it's okay not to answer every plot point that gets brought up. It's like life. We don't always get everything we want. But I swear EVERY major plot point went unanswered. And Sloan fully committing to the cult is real, and that she's a part of it, and then murders Cherry? Yeah, I wasn't here for that. I don't think Sloan's descent into madness was handled very well. Was it believable? Sure. She went through some pretty severe trauma. But that doesn't mean I like how it was done. And speaking of trauma, as much as I love a good gay story, Sloan and Cherry's relationship was a bit toxic. I still felt the love, but Cherry was a bit too controlling in Sloan's life for my liking.

As for the other characters, they weren't built up very much. I get how Sloan would distance herself from her besties after the incident at Money Springs (terrible name, by the way). But the way she used Connor (such a sweet boy, loved him!) after not speaking to him in months, and then Dugan just kinda writes him off into oblivion, kinda irked me. Sloan mentioned he ghosted her, which fair, but I felt like his character was wasted.

I know I harped on about a lot of negatives (especially with how quick the ending was and with no resolution), but I truly did enjoy the book. It's only because of the above-mentioned that it got a lower rating than usual for Dugan's books. This book won't stop me from auto-buying anything else Dugan writes, and I am glad she's trying different genres with her usual gay twists.

Book Review: Survive the Night by Riley Sager

Survive the Night

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Survive the Night 〰️

This is the third book I've read by Sager, and I've got to say, I'm now a huge fan. I loved everything I've read and can't wait to devour more of his books. Sager is excellent at building tension and writing an unreliable narrator that makes you question everyone and everything. (Though I think Charlie's story may be his most unreliable narrator yet, and I'm here for it).

I realized (a little too late because I can never pick up on clues) that Robbie was the Campus Killer, and his reveal was a slight letdown, but that didn't deter my enjoyment. As great as it was having Maddie's murder solved, I think I would have preferred that the killer hadn't been found, as Charlie stated that life isn't like movies where things don't get wrapped up all pretty. I mean, Robbie could have still been a bad guy in some way, but it felt a little last-minute to have Robbie be revealed as the killer. An open ending on the murder case would have subverted readers' expectations and probably would have gone over well. (Though I'm still not mad at it. I'm glad Maddie got justice, but still).

Also, it took me way too long to realize why all the chapter titles were written like a screenplay scene intro. (This is nothing on the author; that's just me being an idiot. I knew it was screenplay text right away, but it's embarrassing how long it took me to realize why it was screenplay text). That said, the whole book reads like a movie (like Charlie's mind!), and I wouldn't be upset if this became a movie. I'd watch the hell out of this.

That being said, I was hooked right from the beginning. I wonder if I would have made the same decisions Charlie made. There were plenty of moments where I wanted to scream at her when she had the opportunity to other escape or ask for help, but she acted differently. I get why she acted the way she did. Even if her decisions weren't always the smartest, I can see how anyone else would do the same. I might have done the same in this situation. (Hopefully, I'll never have to find out if that's true or not). Either way, it made for a fascinating read.

I think Sager is an author to look out for, and I highly recommend this book or any of his other works. I haven't read all his books (yet), but I haven't found one where I wasn't hooked from the very first page.

Book Review: Misery by Stephen King

Misery

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Misery 〰️

I don't think a Stephen King book had me as invested as this one did. I've read many of his books, but this one kept me on the edge of my seat. King is able to write with excellent tension. For a story that takes place mostly in one room, King kept it fresh and interesting to keep readers invested.

I also love that there was a story within a story and that we got to read some of the Misery novels that Paul was writing. I will say, however, that there wasn't much Misery in a book that is supposed to be about her. I mean, it fits with what Paul had to write in order to keep Annie happy, but it felt like Misery was an afterthought in her own novel, especially as it seemed like it should have been all about her return.

Still, this was one of King's best works I've read. Annie is such a stand-out villain. She's not an over-the-top Disney villain but a very believable character with clear motives. She is an excellent manipulator and gaslighter, yet you can sympathize with her, all while wanting her to get what's coming for all the horror she's done.

And for Paul, you can also relate to him. He'll do anything he can to survive the horrible situation he's in. King was able to describe Paul's pain so vividly that I, too, felt as though my legs were mangled. (Though maybe that was because of my sitting position). Still, I don't know if I would have had the dedication to write a whole new novel, even under such duress. I hope his PTSD isn't the end of him! He survived so much.

If you are looking to get into King's books, this is an excellent gateway into his works. Loved it from start to finish, and I can't recommend it enough.