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Kylivi

Kylivi

Joined July 2016

“Oh dear! What a shocking and entirely unexpected development!“
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Uncertain Magic by Laura Kinsale
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Kylivi
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Pickpick

Calling all my fellow pretentious Shakespeare lovers; this book is for us. 😝 It‘s a subtle, emotional story where the relationships are twistier than the plot. Much as in Shakespeare‘s works, the characters are too melodramatic to seem real, and yet endlessly relatable at the same time. In short, it‘s good. Shoutout to my friend MN for the rec! 💙 1st magical readathon book done!

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Kylivi
Last Girl Standing | Lisa Jackson, Nancy Bush
Panpan

Yikes. This book is like shitty reality TV. No plot, the characters are idiots who overreact about the dumbest things, and everyone‘s an asshole. The writing choices are also very strange, with most major plot points happening offstage, but devoting multiple scenes to characters thinking and doing the same things over and over. How many times does Delta have to realize her husband cheated on her? More than thrice, apparently. Wish I DNFed.

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Kylivi
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Pickpick

“In the English countryside there was a small township called Swampshire, comprised of several lovely mansions and one disgusting swamp.” Jane Austen meets Agatha Christie meets Once Upon a Mattress. It‘s a silly, fun romp through not-quite-Regency England. A perfect cozy, palate cleanser, or Austen-inspired quick read. I‘ll definitely be picking up the sequel.

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Kylivi
The September House | Carissa Orlando
Mehso-so

First, the good things. A darkly humorous, scary, and surprisingly deep book about a woman puttering around her haunted house. The book would have benefited from being 80 pages shorter. There were some issues with scenes dragging on too long, and the aggressive passivity and inaction of the MC (which I know is plot-relevant) got grating the longer it went on. Easily solvable by cutting some scenes down. Overall, funny, scary, and fun.

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Kylivi
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This book was a grab-without-looking-and-go read. So glad I grabbed it now. It's beautifully written, and the mystery plot at its core is both curious, fantastical, and utterly tantalizing. To say nothing of the adorable romance as well, which was giving “waterlogged Jane Austen,“ an aesthetic I never knew I needed.
As a lover of the ocean, romance, epistolary novels, and well-crafted prose, this was a big win for me. Looking out for the sequel!

BookmarkTavern I really loved this one! 💙 4mo
3 likes1 comment
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Kylivi
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Ugh, why is this series so freaking good?! I really shouldn't be writing a blurb right now because I just finished it, which means rather than a thoughtful review, the only thing coming out of my mouth is excited noises.

Needless to say, the third book in Rachel Aaron's Heartstrikers series did not disappoint. I'm so excited to read the next one. If you like fun, dragon-centric fantasy, this series is for you.

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Kylivi
The Peculiar | Stefan Bachmann
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Pickpick

An unassuming, but wonderful MG gem. This book is a “peculiar” mix of genres, combining a little bit of mystery, steampunk, and dark fairy tale. I think it works well, and the stakes feel important. You‘re not dealing with your average cute, Disney faeries. Will definitely be picking up the second book in the duology.

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Kylivi
Da Vinci's Cat | Catherine Gilbert Murdock
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A fun middle grade romp through Renaissance Italy. As a lover of Renaissance art, and children‘s literature, this was absolutely lovely.

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Kylivi
The Belles | Dhonielle Clayton
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Mehso-so

Flowery, poetic language paired with disturbing, uncomfortable world building make a great backdrop for this book. The so-so rating comes from some issues with pacing and a too-passive MC. If you like detailed fantasy settings, or are interested in the questions surrounding beauty standards and dangerous body alteration, maybe give this one a try.

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Kylivi
A Curse For True Love | Stephanie Garber
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Bailedbailed

This book wasn‘t good, which was heartbreaking. No shade to anyone who liked it! Just as in the Caraval series, Garber creates a world that draws you in, but can‘t quite stick the landing. The characters and plot are all over the place, there‘s way too many POVs, and there was a bizarre choice to move the central love story plot to the back burner in favor of side character shenanigans. I really wanted to like it, but I couldn‘t continue.

KateReadsYA @BooksNBowls 🤦🏼‍♀️ and the plot thickens lol. 13mo
KateReadsYA @Kylivi it's so sad that everyone I've seen review this has said the exact same thing. She's such a great writer. Idk how this happened. 13mo
Kylivi @KateReadsYA Ikr? Maybe the deadline was too rushed? I feel like some of it could have been fixed with more time to think it over. 13mo
BooksNBowls I don‘t think I‘m gonna read it.. @KateReadsYA 13mo
KateReadsYA @BooksNBowls I'm giggling 🤭 13mo
5 likes5 comments
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Kylivi
Still Life with Crows | Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
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Pickpick

Another Pendergast mystery this week! It‘s excellent, although scaredy-cat me sometimes had to wait till morning to continue reading. Like “Cabinet of Curiosities,” the who and why dunnits completely blindsided me in a good way. I also enjoyed the surprisingly sweet subplot of Pendergast‘s relationship with his temporary teenage assistant. If you like creepy mysteries with unusual (to put it mildly) solutions, this series might be for you.

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Kylivi
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Panpan

Oof. This one was tough. This book suffered from a number of things, ranging from weak characters, overplotting, incoherency, etc. etc. I‘d say the no. 1 issue was the utter passivity of the MC. Everything in this book happens to her or despite her, rather than because of her (apart from perhaps the last 20 pages). I almost bailed several times throughout. I can‘t say it was too terrible for words, but neither can I recommend it.

2 likes1 stack add
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Kylivi
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Pickpick

Jane Austen fans, take heed. This book is excellent. Heartbreaking, romantic, and hopeful. It‘s also incredibly well-researched, so much so it is difficult to see where the real Jane ends and the fiction begins. Definitely worth a try if you love the author and her works.

BookNAround You should check out #Pemberlittens. If this was the book you were talking about the other night, I‘ve read it. I like Syrie James‘ other books too. 🙂 1y
1 like1 comment
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Kylivi
Ace of Shades | Amanda Foody

The MC is supposed to fit the charming bad boy trope, except he‘s not that charming and he‘s not that bad.

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Kylivi

This book is a hidden gem. Based on Malaysian folklore with a bittersweet and unique relationship at the center, I‘d definitely recommend for fairytale lovers on the hunt for something off the beaten path.

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Kylivi
Alice | Christina Henry
Pickpick

This book is fantastic. The writing, the characters, the absolutely unsettling setting all work wonderfully well. Be warned, it‘s also not for the faint of heart. There are some deeply dark and disturbing moments throughout. Do a little research before you decide to pick it up yourself. And if you do decide to accompany Alice down the rabbit hole once again, know it‘s well worth it.

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Kylivi
All Fall Down | Ally Carter
Panpan

I usually love Ally Carter‘s work, but this was a big swing and a miss for me. The MC isn‘t super likable and spends half the book having various meltdowns that feel forced. The writing was also not super likable. It‘s filled with cliche one liners that often contradict previous plot points or characterization. Not to mention the plot is driven mostly by the MC stumbling onto important information by accident. Not one I‘ll recommend for the store.

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Kylivi

Naomi Novik does it again. I laughed, I cried, I jumped for joy. I've never been particularly interested in the Napoleonic wars, but now I might have to put in a little research, even knowing Temeraire might not be mentioned... ;)

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Kylivi
Truly Devious: A Mystery | Maureen Johnson

The mystery is intriguing, the setting is incredibly detailed, but the teenage characters are tedious and eye-roll-worthy. Is this how you know you've reached adulthood? It seems like every time I go for a YA, it's a tough slog.
That being said, I can absolutely see why people like the series. If the summary sounds interesting, it's probably worth a read. Be warned, I've heard the mystery doesn't wrap up in the first novel.

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Kylivi
Tom's Midnight Garden | Philippa Pearce

If you ever need reminding about the beauty and depth of children‘s literature, pick this one up! Loved it. 💙

BookNAround I adore this book. I first read it in a kiddie lit class in college and tried to get any of my crew to read it. I don‘t think any of them took me up on it. 2y
5 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Kylivi
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Mehso-so

Full disclosure, it‘s been a while since I bought my copy of this book. As in, still a teenager a while. So perhaps my younger self would have enjoyed it more. As it is, I found the love triangle tedious at best and the MC to be the classic manic pixie dream girl protagonist we all got tired of years ago. Shoutout to the amazing, horror-tinged, creepy version of Wonderland though. It was disturbing and memorable in all the best ways.

slategreyskies Welcome to Litsy! :) 2y
CogsOfEncouragement Welcome to Litsy! I love it here. ✌🏼❤️📚 2y
Bibliomania I really enjoyed this series as just about 40 something but then I do read a lot of YA (I'm a bookseller) and the the time was looking for books with Alice connections! It's really hard to do but when I'm reading YA I try really hard to try and remember what it was like to be a teen.... but the reality is a while ago now 🤣 2y
10 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Kylivi

I've heard this book described as diet Michael Crichton, and I would agree with that assessment. It tries to get there, but it's not as satisfying or interesting as actual Michael Crichton books. It's a “meh“ from me.