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val_theburrowofstories's reviews
330 reviews
The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I almost feel like I don’t want to do the review for this book because I’ll rather just forget it exists. It makes me sad to think how I waited so long to read this one and I was so excited… and then I read what I read… I was 5% into it and I wanted to DNF so badly but I’m so freaking stubborn I continued and then it was a bit addictive and then the ending was just that?? well. I even had this as one of my 5 stars prediction, stop 😭
Please read the trigger warnings before picking up this book because it’s insane and I felt sick the first 100 pages, I don’t enjoy reading about a town full of sexism, misogyny and let’s be honest, pedophiles. And then this book was way darker than I expected.
Every year girls who are 16yo are sent to their Grace Year which is basically leaving them on their own in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with little to no supplies while they’re being hunted by men, and all so they can release their “magic” and then come back and be proper women who marry the boys who picked them before leaving.
So the book revolves around this girl named Tierney because it’s her grace year and we see how the town behaves just before they all leave, and then the group of girls when they leave. It’s divided in the 4 seasons of the year and then the return of the girls alive.
I hate that this book is promoted as “fantasy” because I kept waiting for the magic but there is none!! This “magic” translates to “this little girls are becoming women and the men are pedophiles who can’t control themselves and use it as an excuse to make the women behave”. But I would say the genres of this book are dystopia and horror, and there’s this little romance.
I don’t even want to look at my annotations because I was SO angry at everyone here 😭 the more I think about it I keep reconsidering my rating.
I’m just realizing the fmc did have the “I’m not like other girls” thing and in the end she ended up being just like the other girls and there was no character development lmao. But what makes me mad about the end is how NOTHING changed, everything stayed the exact same so where’s the so called revolution and changed she wanted to make? She’s supposed to join her family in this secret organization but we don’t see that and she says how her child will change things for the future, girl, YOU were supposed to be the change for her!
If it wasn’t because of the writing, the audiobook and my stubbornness, I would’ve DNF this, but yeah this is a 1.5 ⭐ for me because at least it was addictive and it was something…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Infertility, Sexual assault, and Cannibalism
Here’s a list of all the trigger warnings, I’m going to be specific about how they appear in the book and I’ll be hiding some spoilers:
Misogyny and sexism: from the very beginning that town is just full of it from both men and women, the way the town works is based on hating women.
Pedophilia: This made me so sick but yeah these men are all pedophiles and you can’t change my mind, the way they looked at the girls or talked about them was sickening.
Sexual assault: In the beginning is mentioned the story of a girl who was taken and she screamed and fought but no one helped.
Cannibalism: They fucking eat the girls parts?? When the girls leave for their grace year they’re hunted by poachers and they skin them alive and cut them in little pieces and sell them to be eaten wtf
Suicide: After the girls leave for their grace year, this girl kills herself in the river.
Death, child death, violence, gore and blood: That grace year is way more dark than I expected 😭 (the girls killed each other or cut their fingers as punishment, the poachers skin the girls alive, the girls fight, etc)
Sexual content: Some nudity and
Pregnancy:
Infertility: This is minor, but her older sister is mocked by some woman because it’s been years and she hasn’t had any baby yet.
Lesbophobia: One of the girls kissed another and she was "dirty" ever since.
The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks Than Others Do in 12 Months by Brian P. Moran, Michael Lennington
Did not finish book. Stopped at 44%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 44%.
(Tried to read this in February 2024)
- You know what’s funny? I was doing so well on my own 12 Week Year (actually 10) plan I created after watching a couple of youtube videos, then I attempted to listen to this audiobook and I haven’t done anything from that plan for almost 2 weeks 🧍🏽♀️
- This was SO short, I started it at breakfast hoping to finish it that same day but this was so damn slow and boring, then I picked it up again after five days and I was so over it, every sentence felt like an eternity.
- I truly dislike non fiction books lol I went through my TBR again after DNFing this and deleted some.
- The thing that truly made me DNF this is the fact that I was not retaining a single thing from the information here, and I do have a good memory! I could recall an entire book I read years ago but I can’t tell you a single lesson from this even when I was actively reading this lol
The Last Bookshop in London: A Novel of World War II by Madeline Martin
emotional
hopeful
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? No
5.0
I started The Last Bookshop in London this day just to listen to something while I was working and ended up in my bed in tears finishing the last chapters of this book. It was so good it gave me back that feeling of loving books so much and how special they are to me.
I can't believe it's been 10 days since I read this book and I haven't done the notes yet. It's just as if I don't want to get over it, objectively maybe it's not the best book out there, but I know I really liked it and it meant so much to me.
The way I picked up this book after I watched Pearl Harbor and I wanted some historical fiction and then I made Shannel choose one of the little papers from my tbr jar lol
I had listened to this narrator before in When We Had Wings and I already knew the audiobook was going to be great, I'm excited to listen to more books narrated by her.
I honestly don't think I can't put into words how good this book was in my opinion. Like just for this book I have lost the ability to write reviews, but I'll try.
"Out there you safe lives, in here you safe souls"
This book is about Grace Bennet, a young girl who went to live to London just before the war got to them and finds a new job at a bookshop with this grumpy old man who didn't want her at first and yet she's determined to do a good job. So we see how the years go by and she lives with her mom's best friend and has to adapt not only to a new city but a city in war, desperate to do her part to help people she joins kind of a night watch to do so. But she did not only helped people that way, she saved people's lives by building a little community around books, during those years in the bookshop she learned to love books and reading, the old man became like a father figure to her and he recommended her books, she started to read for people when the city was being attacked and every afternoon to help them get through it. That’s basically it, but the connections between the characters are so special and emotional to me, I feel like she ended up with a little found family and so much support from different people.
I love love love reading historical fiction books set in WWII, I keep learning new things about that time with each book, I get to meet these incredibly strong characters and feel so much empathy for them hoping they and their loved ones will survive.
Grace getting to a new city and working on a bookshop while she had a support system back at her new home just made me want to do it too and have the same things!
I think one of the most especial things in this book for me was the way the author talked about books, about reading, about being a reader and the way she built a community around these stories Grace would read them. I just absolutely loved that. I wanted to immediately start reading so many classics after this.
This book truly reminded me of how much I love books and how especial they are to me, it made me want to have my own personal library and people I could share the stories with, I love thinking of books as a love language 🤎
Reading my annotations from the last couple of chapters makes me so sad and almost in tears again, this book I swear 😭
I hope I can own my own copy someday in my little library <3
I have this author's other 2 historical fiction books on my TBR and I'm so excited, I love that they have something involving books on the title.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and War
Minor: Death of parent
Normally I would describe how the content warnings appear in the book, but since the book is set during World War II it's obvious you would have to expect: war, death and grief as the warnings, they're a constant in the story and it's better if you find out for yourself how they're present.
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
How did they even fall for each other I just don’t understand. They were together for 3 months when they were 19 and all they did was had sex and then a horrible break up, and for 9 years I think they idolize each other and are “in love” with the image they have in their minds of each other because now all they do is have sex and they don’t have even ONE meaningful conversation in the whole book, that’s what bothers me the most maybe, because okay I can take the smut, but where’s the connection, the conversations, the getting to know each other again as adults? Lost, just as their personalities.
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Let me start this review by saying that this book made me realize that COZY fantasy ROMANCE with SMUT, is simply NOT MY THING. Is not my thing at all.
When I think about this book I don’t think I really enjoyed it but I pushed myself to finish it because I had gotten so far and I kept waiting for it to be better, and it was just so easy and fast audiobook… but it was a 2 ⭐ for me.
Maybe I should’ve run from this book since the prologue but I was curious, I wanted to read about adults with magic but it almost felt like they were still just 19 years old with all the hormones, and that’s also because we know NOTHING about their personalities 9 years ago or even now, like this should be a detective book looking for this couple’s personality because it’s missing, it’s gone, it doesn’t exist at all.
How did they even fall for each other I just don’t understand. They were together for 3 months when they were 19 and all they did was had sex and then a horrible break up, and for 9 years I think they idolize each other and are “in love” with the image they have in their minds of each other because now all they do is have sex and they don’t have even ONE meaningful conversation in the whole book, that’s what bothers me the most maybe, because okay I can take the smut, but where’s the connection, the conversations, the getting to know each other again as adults? Lost, just as their personalities.
I don’t think this is an spoiler so I’m going to say it: when this ended and each was going their own way I was HAPPY because she said it herself, they don’t have anything in common and they were not leaving their cities for the other and it was too complicated, I think it was the best for them to just close that chapter in their lives. But then because this is a romance book and they have to end up with each other turns out they both think “you’re the one, the love of my life” and one moves to the other’s city and then the other who was so adamant to never leaving also offered to leave to their city and suddenly nothing was complicated, huh.
I love fantasy, but I’m starting to realize that I don’t enjoy books where so little to nearly nothing happens with that fantasy/magic, that aspect was a joke in this book and it was more for the “romance” (which I’m not a fan of the genre or the couple here). The only “action” in this book was the two characters acting like bunnies because they were horny 24/7.
I wish there was more moments with the magic: She learned about her mother being good with magic, but she never embraced being a witch. He is also a witch part of one of the most famous families in town, but didn’t use his powers once. His father was always mentioned as so scary and powerful, but then he got to town for 5 minutes and was just an old man who was put in his place by an small delicate woman. The whole curse on the town was such a powerful magic, but it was solved with the power of love. Sighs.
You could’ve taken away the fact that they’re witches and just say “oh when she was 19 her cousin found an old spell book and because she was heartbroken they cursed him” and I think that would’ve been way funnier if they as just humans had to fins a solution throughout the town and make it like a quest / journey while they talk and meet their adult version of themselves, because is not like these “witches” use their powers at all or are proud of being a witch anyways (at least in her case)
Anyways, I think that's all for this review. I know there's a second book about the cousin who I found funny in the beginning and I was interested on her story because she is bisexual and I love the representation, but I could not care less about it now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent and Alcohol
Here are the main content warnings I added:
- Sexual content: They’re horny 24/7.
- Alcohol: In the prologue she was drinking after the break up.
- Death of parent: In the prologue we learn Vivi’s mother died.
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I’ve been pushing and pushing to finish the review of this book and say goodbye because I don’t want it to be over, even when it’s been a week and I’ve already finished this book and have watched the movies again, but I think it’s time. Remember I’m not here trying to be one of those men who super analyze it and sounds like a professional reviewer lol I’m just a girl-
I’m really not sure about the rating because it could be 4 stars for me but with the incredibly amazing narration of Andy Serkis I want to give it 5 stars, so maybe 4.5 ⭐.
When I watched the movies (The Hobbit and LOTR) for the first time exactly 2 years ago I knew I wanted to read the books and see what details are missing or what are some things that changed in the adaptation, and so that lead me to finally pick up the book in 2024.
The dwarves made me laugh so much, I love the journey and how they overcame the obstacles, I love Bilbo and his big heart always ready to help even when he’s doubted or underappreciated, also there were some aspects that made me relate to Bilbo.
When I re watched the movies I loved noticing the scenes that were in the book but not in the adaptation and how they changed some things and I still love it even more (unpopular opinion, I actually LOVE the movies so much)
I think if I would’ve read this book on my own I would’ve still enjoy it but I would’ve find the pace a little slow because of the writing.
But I really think that listening to The Hobbit with the narration of Andy Serkis was such an experience and it made this book way more magical and especial. I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am that this is how I read the book. And I’ve found out that there’s new audiobooks where he narrates the LOTR books too so I can’t wait to read them!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
The third movie of The Hobbit is called The Battle of the Five Armies, so of course this has war, death and violence, I don't have anything else to say.
Foster by Claire Keegan
I’m just not one of those people who connected with this or want to over think / over analyze this book, I swear some reviews feel longer than this book lmao
I felt so sorry for this little girl, I wish she could’ve stayed with the foster couple, but at least she has learned new things in life she will never forget and it will be useful for her to survive with her family.
Overall I liked this book , it was fine, and is 3 ⭐ for me, but I’ve realized with this that short literary fiction is not my thing and I’m okay with going through life without reading this kind of books.
emotional
reflective
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? No
3.0
It’s been a week since I read this and I already forgot what happened?? I guess at least this was good for my progress in my reading goal.
I’m just not one of those people who connected with this or want to over think / over analyze this book, I swear some reviews feel longer than this book lmao
I felt so sorry for this little girl, I wish she could’ve stayed with the foster couple, but at least she has learned new things in life she will never forget and it will be useful for her to survive with her family.
Overall I liked this book , it was fine, and is 3 ⭐ for me, but I’ve realized with this that short literary fiction is not my thing and I’m okay with going through life without reading this kind of books.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Child death and Pregnancy
I’m going to explain how the content warnings were present in the book (and some might be spoilers):
- Grief / Child death:
- Pregnancy: The little girl’s mom is pregnant, which is the reason why she was sent away in the first place.
Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk
It’s such a short story and yet the pace of the story was a little bit slow, but I listened to this as an audiobook so it helped because the narrator does such a good job.
I did not read the synopsis of this book before starting it (I added it to my TBR a year ago so I didn’t remember) and I did not expect to find fantasy and magic with demons and angels, but I liked that aspect of the book!
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I actually liked this book, not as much as I hoped but it was entertaining at least. It’s a shame all my latest sapphic romance readings are 3 ⭐ (which is not bad, just not what I expected from them)
It’s such a short story and yet the pace of the story was a little bit slow, but I listened to this as an audiobook so it helped because the narrator does such a good job.
I did not read the synopsis of this book before starting it (I added it to my TBR a year ago so I didn’t remember) and I did not expect to find fantasy and magic with demons and angels, but I liked that aspect of the book!
This actually reminded me of Supernatural with the whole demon deal thing and an angel controlling a human lol it made me miss the show so much.
This book is divided in 5 acts, and I was invested in the first 3, but by the last 2 I was falling sleep (I was very tired) and I wasn’t paying that much attention, I just know I was mad at the MC’s brother lol men have to ruin everything I swear, honestly I thought this went from being about a warlock woman with her girlfriend trying to solve a crime, to it being about him and what he wanted and he was annoying as fuck and ungrateful. Maybe I missed the point because I was falling sleep, but that’s how it felt.
And that ending… well I’m going to accept it just because I wasn’t that invested in these characters, I’d like to think that after ten years Edith also makes a deal with the demon so they can have 10 more years together and then they all go to Hell lmaooo
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
I don’t think these are spoilers because they’re mentioned in the first couple of chapters:
- Blood / Murder / Death: There’s a serial killer out there killing people and leaving the crime scene full of blood.
- Car accident / Death of parent / Grief: Helen’s parents die in a car accident.
Sweet & Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.
(Tried to read this in January 2024)
I was one third into this book and to me the story wasn’t progressing at all, it was kind of boring, and I simply do not have the patience for characters like Wren anymore.
When We Had Wings: A Story of the Angels of Bataan by Susan Meissner, Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris
I know heroes and villains depend on who is telling the story, and I fucking know USA is no saint, but fuuuck Germany and Japan were SHIT, like NOTHING can justify this bullshit. Just like right now nothing can justify Israel's genocide in Palestine. And actually, the leaders in USA are also fucking bullshit because of that.
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is a story about friendship, love and resilience of three women who had to survive being prisoners of the Japanese during World War II in Manila, Philippines.
Eleanor, Lita and Penny are so brave and strong, always having each other in their thoughts which made their friendship so special to me. They were full of hope and so many emotions while trying to live a life under those circumstances, it was amazing to me how they managed to find love even during these times. The war took so much from them but it also gave them back some things. I’m just glad the three of them got the happy ending they deserved, it was a good ending for this book.
I initially picked up this book (and added other similar to my TBR) because I watched Pearl Harbor for the first time and I LOVED that movie, it just got me into this mood of reading historical fiction set in WWII, and I’m glad I did because it just reminded me how much I love this genre and reading stories from that time.
One of the big take away from this kind of book is how much I learn and grow as a person. I feel like growing up in a country that wasn’t directly involved in the War all I heard about was what Hitler did to the Jews, in my mind that’s all I knew about the victims, but watching movies or reading books makes me see how there’s so many more stories out there in different parts of the world and I keep learning new things. From this book, I learnt how Manila was taken by the Japanese after Pearl Harbor, what the Japanese did in China now known as The Nanjing Massacre, how nurses helped their patients during this time, the mistreatment of Filipinos and how every prisoner had to survive malnutrition and disease.
I know heroes and villains depend on who is telling the story, and I fucking know USA is no saint, but fuuuck Germany and Japan were SHIT, like NOTHING can justify this bullshit. Just like right now nothing can justify Israel's genocide in Palestine. And actually, the leaders in USA are also fucking bullshit because of that.
It’s interesting to see how Americans were victims in WWII: women had to use different fabric for their periods, they went through malnutrition, there was abuse, supplies didn’t get to the prisoners, children were dying. But now Israel is committing genocide and doing those things and worse to Palestine, and USA is enabling and financing that. Isn’t that hypocrite? I just got mad.
End of the review lol I’m glad I read this book. I’m planning on checking out more books from these authors and this incredible narrator!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Child death, Torture, and Medical content
Minor: Rape, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
I think it's important to let readers now how these content warnings appear in this kind of book:
- War / Gun Violence / Violence: Set in World War II, the book begins in Manila when it's still free and then the war gets there.
- Blood / Gore: There's people injured, and I say gore because there's two people who die from an explosion and the way it's described...
- Medical content: Eleanor, Lita and Penny are nurses so of course there's a lot of this involved.
- Death / Child death: Victims of the Japanese.
- Torture:
- Sexual content: Eleanor finds a couple having sex on her bed and is shocked by it.
- Death of parent: Lita's parents are dead and she thinks of them often.
- Grief: From everything happening, grief for the people they lose.
- Rape: I was so scared to read this happening to any of the girls, but thank God it doesn't. I still include it because Lita saved another girl from getting raped, and there's a lot of mention about how that's how the Japanese treat women prisoner and what they did on The Nanjing Massacre and I just felt so sick.
The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
The Raven King was a 2 ⭐for me, it had so much potential and it didn’t delivered for me.
I guess it was entertaining enough for me to not DNF this.
But when I’m mad that a book disappoints I just can’t stop talking so here it is with spoilers and no filters (all just out of my chest, so if you love this book better not read this):
Happiest moment reading this book was when it was finally over lmao 😭
Ronan has this dream power, and yet (TO ME) he wasn't that interesting in this series to make him a whole freaking trilogy of his own- that’s 3 books out of my TBR.
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
It is just so sad when you finally read a book series you were excited about (for years!) and it ends up being a disappointment. The thing with this is that I’m no longer the public intended for this, maybe if I would’ve read this at 16 when I added it to my TBR it would’ve been great, but I’m 22 now and look, I do read YA still but this was just not it for me, I don’t think this is for me anymore, I found this just okay 🫠
The Raven King was a 2 ⭐for me, it had so much potential and it didn’t delivered for me.
I guess it was entertaining enough for me to not DNF this.
But when I’m mad that a book disappoints I just can’t stop talking so here it is with spoilers and no filters (all just out of my chest, so if you love this book better not read this):
- I was so done with this book that I listened to the audiobook at 2x speed, I just wanted it over.
- What was the point of Artemus? They were talking about him on 2 books, Maura freaking left her family to find him, and when they finally do he’s useless. I’m actually mad Persephone died for that and we never even see Maura caring that much about loosing her.
- Gwenllian was also useless.
- What do you mean Noah was there in the house, I don’t get what happened to him in the end.
- So many things I didn’t get, like- Ronan dreamt of a little girl??? And yeah yeah Ronan you’re soooo powerful you can dream a lot of stuff, yeah yeah 🙄
- I didn’t get the whole thing with Piper, Neeve and the demon, and it didn’t mean anything because Piper dies anyways killed by her father? And what happened to her husband whose name I can’t even remember?
- 4 books looking for Glendowell and he was just bones and dust 😭 what a waste.
- I don’t think I ever bought the whole “Blue and Gansey love each other and they’re going to be forever” thing. I hate that I didn’t care about any of these characters in the end. I didn’t see the romance or connection or things in common.
- Oh my God I just remembered, Ronan kissing Adam? Please 😭 look, I love my lgbt romance, but that was just ridiculous, the author was this close to make them a forever couple too when there was no chemistry or romance at all for 3 and a half books and then suddenly a kiss is supposed to make them fall in love? At least I guess Ronan finally kissed his crush and Adam won’t be annoying wanting a kiss anymore.
- This Henry guy suddenly being part of the group felt wrong.
- Gansey is about to die and neither of his friends at least hugs him? What a “found family” and I just had to LAUGH with the “I’m ready to die, kiss me” LMAOOOO I could not take this seriously. I don’t even get how they bring him back, with the power of love I guess!
- Reminder that you don’t need or have to forgive your abusive parents just so you keep being a good child!!!
Happiest moment reading this book was when it was finally over lmao 😭
Ronan has this dream power, and yet (TO ME) he wasn't that interesting in this series to make him a whole freaking trilogy of his own- that’s 3 books out of my TBR.