I love December and that panicked “omg I have so many books I need to review before next year” moment!
It’s lovely. Last week I confessed to 15 books I should’ve read by now but yet I haven’t. And I cried a bit. You cried a bit. We all agreed it’d be better just to eat ice cream and scream into the sun for a while. Which I DID, but I also pulled my socks up and actually cracked down and got reading!
Ergo, look! Time for some mini reviews of books I should’ve reviewed ages ago BUT BETTER LATE THAN NEVER. So I’m just going to throw a bunch of mini reviews together (linked to the longer reviews) and we can all eat some crackers and try to be functional.
Thank you to Netgalley and Edelweiss for the various approvals!
AMERICAN STREET
★★★★☆
Oh wow this is a little bit like running face-first into a brick wall of EMOTIONS. It’s an #ownvocies and powerful story about a Haitian immigrant and it’s really gritty and powerful and the ENDING THOUGH. I’m glaring fiercely at myself for procrastinating this for so long because it’s grand, peoples. Get thee onto it.
THINGS TO LOVE!
- Huge emphasis on family! Not the exactly “nice” kind of family. Fabiola is immigrating to America but her mum gets caught up in a dention facility so Fabiola stays with her relatives. They’re kind of…into…bad stuff. And Fabiola is pretty innocent (she is the sweetest) and so while there’s friction between her + her cousins. They also really stand up for each other!
- AKA there’s SO many interesting and complex females in here. Which is so refreshing!
- Fabiola is just the most lovely and precious thing. I thought she might be so “nice” that she’d end up being passive. BUT SHE’S NOT. She’s complex and wants an education and a better life. She was very poor in Haiti and dreams of a good school and she falls for the sweetest pumpkin of a boy. Kasim is adorable.
- There’s SO much Haitian culture! I loved this!! I learnt a lot and I think it’s awesome that Fabiola incorporated her own culture into everyday life and was proud of it.
- I couldn’t stop reading. Hello there plot twists and intense levels of stress.
- It’s pretty dark. There’s lots of swearing and loan sharks and they live in a bad part of town and there’s drug cartels and people are beat up, etc. etc.
- At times the story felt like watching a trainwreck. I WAS VERY STRESSED. But in a good way! Because who wants to be chill anyway ha ha ha…
DIVIDING EDEN
★★☆☆☆
This book has given me the similar feeling of when you drop your toast jam side down. I am displeased. Literally every character was awful, a ton of the plot didn’t make sense, and the beginning was GREAT while the ending was a solid #NOPE.
WHAT WENT WRONG:
- The premise was great, but then it got illogical!?? Like we have this fantasy world with windmills that power the lights (NICE) to keep back the monsters in the dark (NICE) and we have twins Andreus and Carys who protect each other (NICE)…But then all the characters reactions to things were so random.
- Like in the first 3 chapters alone we get told Andreus “has a secret”…49248 times. I’m so over it. Then Carys makes drama scenes to stop people finding out Andreus secret, and she gets whipped for it. But what the heck?! You wouldn’t whip a monarch and princess. That’s asking the people to never respect her.
- It was being “edgy” but…illogically so. Eh.
- I didn’t even like Carys OR Andreus! Carys hates everything feminine because it’s “weak” (COULD U NOT) and Andreus is only interested in womanising everyone with two legs and skirt. He literally puts sex before EVERYTHING, and he’s so sexist the entire freaking book I wanted to put him in a frypan. If Carys isn’t submissive around him, he’s a raging misogynist jerk.
- Now these aren’t spoilers because they’re in the blurb, but this is literally the logic of the city:
KING: *is murdered*
COUNCIL: Oh no the next in line for the throne are twins!
COUNCIL: they must have a hugely dramatised contest to pick between them.
COUNCIL: even tho the king literally just died and was murdered
COUNCIL: but lmao we’re not investigating that
CARYS: actually I don’t want to be queen? so my brother can
COUNCIL: lmao no you still have to fight for it
CARYS: *sacrifices everything to protect her twin’s secret*
CARYS: *always there for her brother*
CARYS: *truest hufflepuff with a knife*
RANDOM PERSON: psst Andreus? Carys is maybe evil
ANDREUS: omfg you’re probably right
- What the heck.
- I mean there’s corruption of power and betrayal which I LIKE. And the writing was good and addictive, but it was so dumbly (and it didn’t need to be!) sexist and I kind of want Andreus to fall off a wall.
THE LOVE LETTERS OF ABEEARD AND LILY
★★★☆☆
I have complicated feelings about this. I’m 50% of the opinion that it’s excellent with great ADHD (#ownvoices!) rep and it’s a girl too!! YAY for neurodivergent girls! But I’m also 50% disappointed because I felt some themes of “be yourself” were contradicted within the book and I didn’t like the ending.
THOUGHTS:
- I LOVED the characters! Lily is really struggling with ADHD/dyslexia and her life is falling apart and then she meets Abelard who’s autistic and they’re so different but so cute together?! They relate through this super old book called The Love Letters of Abelard and Heloise and quote it to each other and NERDS.
- Love it.
- You can really tell how lovingly the ADHD rep is. I’ve read something online that said the author based Lily’s experiences off her own! However I admit the autism rep felt mostly built on stereotypes and Abelard was a bit shallowly done. I’m disappointed there, but he wasn’t the protagonist so I guess??
- I loved how it delved into the psychology and cause-and-effect of disabilities. Especially for Lily! And I love how she and Abelard NEVER wanted to change each other.
- Good parents. Massive YES.
- However I felt the book was conflicted about the “being yourself” line. I can’t say much because of spoilers! But it was for it, but at times seemed to be like “okay it sucks to change for others, but you still have to do it”…?? Maybe I misinterpreted. I mean sometimes you do, especially in this world, but I felt like Lily had to change while Abelard didn’t? Where is the fairness?
- Anyway ultimately it felt honest and true and it was a good story! It has a lot of heartfelt lines too…I just…eh, I’m not happy with the ending.
DAUGHTER OF THE BURNING CITY
(I’m cheating for a second! This is actually a library book!)
★★★★☆
This was dark and murderous and magical, so basically all of my favourite things.
It was so so good! Ahh! The characters were complex and the plot twist was mind blowing and the aesthetics (shh I can love the aesthetics) JUST TOOK MY HEART. Am a fan.
THINGS TO KNOW
- It’s set in a circus! Called Gomorrah (#IUnderstoodThatReference) and it’s like a carnival/city that always moves. And the detail and lusciousness of the writing just makes you dissolve onto the page. It was like being there.
- So many plot twists! I loved how it combined fantasy + murder mysteries + magicians. Sorina is an illusion worker, but her illusions are her “family” and they’re so real they have their own lives. WHICH IS NICE. But then they start getting murdered which…shouldn’t happen, so there’s that.
- OMG THE DIVERSITY. There’s people of all skin tones and abilities and disabilities. The love interest is asexual (I’m sooo thrilled with this!!) and Sorina is bisexual, I think, and she definitely has anxiety and panic attacks!
- Sorina is just so awesome though. She’s equal parts badass and imaginative and complex and loving. And she cries and it’s not like “ooh you’re so weak.” She’s the actual best.
- LUCA TOO THOUGH. He is the most vain and snarky cinnamon scone and terribly full of himself and wears outlandish vests. He’s a gossip worker + magical + an utter devious Slytherin. Their romance is the best. These two!! AHH!!!!!
- And the writing was A+ too. I mean of course. Sensory and emotional and beautiful.
- So much murder and mayhem. I…gah, this book just speaks to my soul. It is an actual literal “Cait Book” and you need it.
I’m SO excited for DAUGHTER OF THE BURNING CITY. Honestly, it just looks fabulous, and the cover is simultaneously creepy AND intriguing. And I love books set in circuses. Basically…ALL these books are on my tbr, but I haven’t managed to pick any of them up because I’m literally still catching up on reads from last year (…and maybe the year before that, too. Shh.)
IT’S SO GOOD. IT’S SO GOOD THAT I GAVE IT 4 AND THEN WENT BACK AND GAVE IT 5 BECAUSE I’M THAT MUCH IN LOVE.😂 And haha don’t feel bad, I mean I only just picked most of them up these last few weeks after avidly procrastinating all year.😂
Congratulations on no longer procrastinating! (I am procrastinating right now…)
I may have to read Daughter of the Burning City.
I can only see them whipping a princess if whatever she’d done had gotten her barred from the throne/exiled and she was no longer technically their princess anymore.
Honestly procrastinating books is like my life aura so WHO AM I KNOW THAT I’M BEING PRODUCTIVE. *frets a bit* Ahem.
And like I totally agree about the princess. Plus it wasn’t ever public and the mother KNEW the secret and that they were hiding the son and the daughter was making a scene to distract. So literally whipping her was only there for the violent-shock effect?? I’m really annoyed. (Also she got whipped for stuff just like talking to loudly or wearing pants, I believe.)
I’m thrilled to see how much you enjoyed Daughter of the Burning City, most of the reviews I’ve seen haven’t been so great and I love me some carnival folk. I also bought American Street as well and going to read it in the new year. It sounds really gritty and confronting but really looking forward to the cultural aspects and the challenges of migrating to a westernised country.
I want to read all the books. Brilliant reviews smush, really enjoyed them <3
IT WAS SO GOOD, KELLY. IGNORE EVERYONE ELSE AND JUST BELIEVE ME. #SolidIdea And American Street is amazing. I’m kind of annoyed it’s so underrated?!
Daughter of the Burning City sounded like such a ME book, but I really did not get into it until I was past the midway point. After that, the book told me more about the characters and I felt like I was finally truly getting to know them. They were fantastic! Their quirks and weird characteristics were really nice to see.
I loved the representation as well, and the atmosphere was beautiful. However, the world building was bland??? I don’t understand nor know much about the other cities surrounding Gomorrah and why they attacked beyond the explanation that they were religious fanatics, and that wasn’t even explained really well either. The book for me was centered in Gomorrah and the circus’s dynamics, while everything outside of it was fuzzy.
The writing style was on point all the way through!!
American Street is another top book I want to read, together with The Hate U Give and Dear Martin. I’m SO sad that you didn’t enjoy Dividing Eden. It sounded like such a great, dark book and something I would have loved. But I don’t like what you’re saying that went down in that story, so I may postpone it.
GREAT mini reviews!!
Aww I’m so sad you didn’t love Daughter of the Burning City! It’s funny because I’m like completely opposite. 😂 I thought the world building was lush and incredible and unique!
And gaghigh I’m so sad Dividing Eden flopped for me. It’s just hard when the whole cast is really unlikeable right?! *Cries with you*
Oh my gosh, I couldn’t help but think about how cute of a person you are. They way you write these boiig posts are adorable and hilarious and I can never stop laughing at your humor in these 😂
AWW AREN’T YOU NICE.😂 I’m so glad you enjoyed reading this!
I’ve not read any of these but American Street sounds like my kinda book (thanks Cait, give me ANOTHER book to add to my TBR ahahah) and Daughter of The Burning City like wHAT just listen to the name and I already love it.
YOU’RE WELCOME LEXIE. I’M HERE TO DESTROY YOUR TBR.😂
I haven’t read any of these and I’m not that interested in them tvh. I hate stories where they set up twins as equals but opposites, because I don’t really like how being a twin in mythologised by society, when it’s just like having a sibling who is the same age as you. I thought that Untidy towns was a really me book, and so was Landmarks! Both were very excellent.
Fair enough!😂 I think there are probably a lot of twin stereotypes that need to stop!??
I read a short interview with the author of Abelard and Lily, who explained that the whole point of the ending is that it isn’t fair, and people should be thinking much more about whether encouraging something like a “cure for learning disorders” is actually a solution or a bigger problem.
It upsets me because that was immediately what I thought when I read the blurb, which is brilliant (we NEED to be having discussions like this) — and the reviews don’t reflect that. ARC reviewers either simply praised the “own voices” ADHD rep, or slammed the author for writing a story that was “too crazy and didn’t make sense” (as it was from the POV of a girl with ADHD, something that many people can’t naturally relate to, and unfortunately most won’t try). It really bolsters my argument that readers need to become more informed on subjects like mental health and neurodiversity BEFORE they review a book like this.
The whole conversation about whether to “cure” or not to “cure” in this book reminds me so much of X-Men: The Last Stand, when there was a vaccine developed that would reverse the mutations, and some mutants wanted to take it, but so many didn’t, and felt it should totally be their decision, not made by a government or medical association for them. Honestly, I’m really surprised that movie-goers got that message in a heartbeat, but, apparently, put it in a novel about a REAL condition, and people don’t get it.
*I will be moving to a remote island to live among the Warriors cats now*
Do you have a link to that interview?? To be bluntly honest, I think books should draw firmer conclusions on this stuff.😭 If I’d read this at 15 or 16 I would’ve felt so crushed? Because is the book saying you can do everything to be yourself, but at the end of the day you just have to suck it up and change? I don’t know. Maybe I misinterpreted the whole thing.
I actually thought, while reading, that a lot of people would have trouble with Lily. But she reads SO WELL and afjsdkal I related to her instantly with just how fast her mind moved. And her impulsiveness! She was amazing and I want more narrators like that.😭💕💕
Ooo, Dividing Eden was so disappointing! It got added to my stack at the bookstore and I was super excited but no. It was not good. And I really really hate the feminine = weak thing, especially because for so long I refused to wear pink and skirts and dresses because I assosiated being feminine with being weak, but that’s really not true. I wear a lot of skirts and dresses now when I’m not in school, and I can still TAKE YOU DOWN.
And I’ve been eyeballing Daughter of the Burning City, too, but I have myself on a book-buying ban until after the holidays.
EXACTLY. Ugh, it frustrates me so much when people diss femininity and then say “look at this strong female character!” No!!! You can be strong AND feminine!! It’s such an ingrown strand of sexism and I just wish it’d die already. 😭😭
Also ANOTHER reason to love Daughter of the Burning City, but Sorina is really feminine AND badass. <3
I admit that Dividing Eden was on my TBR just because I think the cover is sooooooo pretty. But yours isn’t the first less-than-steller review I’ve read for it, so….boo, I might just pass on it. 🙁 Honestly, I think I’m just a sucker for covers that remind me of royalty.
Also, is it weird that I love mini reviews better than full reviews? Probably because you can get more books in!
I mean honestly I wanted to read it because of the cover.😂😂 It has a great premise and a lot of things to like! I just kind of hoped all teh characters would fall off a wall which is awkward.😂
And no I’m the same haha. Longer reviews can sometimes get ranty or boring? I feel mini-reviews are easier to focus on!
OH MY GOSH A BOOK ABOUT A GIRL WITH ADHD HOW HAVE I NOT HEARD OF THIS YET I NEED IT RIGHT NOW
IT’S GREAT TO FINALLY SEE NEURODIVERSE GIRLS AHHHH I’M REALLY HAPPY. I HOPE YOU READ IT!
I may have to read Daughter of the Burning City because it sounds creepy and awesome. Also, I have to thank you, because you introduced the Raven Cycle books to me and I LOVE THEM SOOOO MUCH. They are definitely “me” books!
AHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHH!!!! THIS IS THE BEST NEWS OF MY LIFE. MY #1 GOAL IS JUST TO CONVERT EVERYONE TO THE RAVEN CYCLE!!!!
OH HELLO CAIT VULCAN QUEEN
I’ve already SCREAMED about Daughter of The Burning City. I really did adore it. AND I AM SO GLAD YOU DID TOO. Im not sure if you saw on my twitter but i go approved for a physical copy of ACE OF SHAdES AND I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU BECAUSE…AGHAGAAGAHGAGAGGAGAHGAA I AM SO ExCITED DAMN.
ahemmmm
moving on. the rest are n my TBR and…well not much to comment on review SADLY. esp if you havent read the book.
I DID SEE I’M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!! I actually got denied for Ace of Shades.😂😂 But I decided to turn to the dark side *coughs* and I emailed the publicist to beg.😂 And it worked!! I’M SO HAPPY. I’m totally sure AoS is going to be one of the top reads of 2018. *heart eyes*
I haven’t read any of theses, but I REALLY want to read Daughter of the Burning City, and American Street sounds amazing as well… I might have to add that one to my TBR… Why do you do this to me Cait? Why?!
Because I’m MEAN, Iris, that’s why.😂 Your TBR stands no chance.
Yesssss I’m so glad you liked American Street and Daughter Of The Burning City! I’m so excited to read both of them. XD
I always love mini reviews- they seem weird in theory, but it’s the most fabulous way to discover/undiscover a bunch of books really quickly!
THEY ARE SUPER GOOD AND I HOPE YOU GET TO EAT THEM SOON. And yes I totally agree right?! Sometimes longer reviews are harder to focus on anyway.😂
YAY ME TOO. And long reviews are just so much PRESSURE, wouldn’t you say? As great as the depth is, it also brings to light a lot of opinions, and of course, that means there’s other people with OPPOSITE opinions. Somewhere. Sigh.
I just added DAUGHTER OF THE BURNING CITY to my TBR on Goodreads! I’m so happy to know this book exists, lol. You shouldn’t feel like you were cheating because it was a library book! I’m scrolling through my phone right now to see if it’s available at my library. It sounds like everything I love and more!
Do You Dog-ear?
Also, I was looking forward to DIVIDING EDEN, but now… not so much. It sounds incredibly frustrating.
Oh haha, no I just meant I was cheating because I said it was a list of ARC reviews at the top of my post and then sneaked a library book in there! 😂😂I love my library, don’t worry! I’m a HUGE user of it. :’)
That’s a real shame that “The Love Letters of Abelard and Lily” didn’t work out they way you hoped it would. It’s funny, from my point of view, I can’t help but feel that while ADHD and Autism can present in very different ways in different people, I do think that ADHD and Autism have more in common than not. I’ll have to read it now and check it out, which will be frustrating as a reader, but hopefully helpful as a writer.
No no I agree! I think ADHD and Autism have a TON of crossover symptoms and it was actually really interesting to see them compared like this (and really well written!) I’d be interested to see what you thought of the ending.
How is your relationship with your library at the moment? I think you’ve said before that it’s tiny/you’ve finished most of the YA? (Don’t know how I’d function without a library…)
I haven’t read ANY of these. *sighs* And I’m already procrastinating on an aCTUAL PAID JOB (where I get to sit at home and stare at my laptop for two weeks. what’s new.) by reading your posts. You’re such a corrupting influence, Cait…
(Also that last gif makes me think of you as a child. I don’t know why?? Please disillusion me.)
MY RELATIONSHIP IS TEARS. 😭😭 I’m basically using an online library but I haven’t had a library card (or a physical library) for over 7 months??? Help me Jem I can feel the cold winds of the apocalypse coming.
You’re welcome for my corrupting influence though. THAT’S WHY I’M HERE. :’)
(And yes. That gif-child is like me. I’ve never felt so represented.)