Posted in blog tour, bookreview

Girls Like Us

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GIRLS-LIKE-US-COVER
Girls Like Us

by Elizabeth Hazen
Publisher: Alan Squire Press
Release Date:  March 2020

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synopsis

Girls Like Us is packed with fierce, eloquent, and deeply intelligent poetry focused on female identity and the contradictory personas women are expected to embody. The women in these poems sometimes fear and sometimes knowingly provoke the male gaze. At times, they try to reconcile themselves to the violence that such attentions may bring; at others, they actively defy it. Hazen’s insights into the conflict between desire and wholeness, between self and self-destruction, are harrowing and wise. The predicaments confronted in Girls Like Us are age-old and universal—but in our current era, Hazen’s work has a particular weight, power, and value.

review

I love reading poetry, and mostly I instantly feel them connected to me. But with Girls Like Us, it started slow I was confused at the beginning. But as I kept reading, & the poem’s came across as a rebel, and what WE (girls) go through most of our life. Called by names, Eyes those see us, Feeling we go through, Fears our mind has and Thoughts that keep us awake at nights.

I liked how different were each poem’s crafted, with different ideas portraying issues Girls/Women have. The book cover is exactly what the book talks about.

I like poems those rhyme, and this one has only one such poem. But still I quiet liked this whole book, and I would recommend whoever reads it, please read it like a “Spoken Poetry” because that way you will connect more to the poems and words. I realized this a bit later in 3-4th poem and after that, each poem spoke to me.

I would recommend these to everyone, who likes reading meaningful poetry that don’t naturally rhyme.
favQuot

Moving Day

My mind’s
an emptied drawer, its clutter filed away.

Photograph

He left no trace
but an edge of shadow, the picture’s only flaw.

Driving Home at Dawn

Even now,
my fingertips tingle,
your name like a host
on my tongue.

Electricity

I lie until his
breath deepens and the ticking
clock becomes a heartbeat.

ratingne

⭐ ⭐ ⭐  .5

authorDets
author

Elizabeth Hazen is a poet, essayist, and teacher. A Maryland native, she came of age in a suburb of Washington, D.C. in the pre-internet, grunge-tinted 1990s, when women were riding the third wave of feminism and fighting the accompanying backlash. She began writing poems when she was in middle school, after a kind-hearted librarian handed her Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s A Coney Island of the Mind. She has been reading and writing poems ever since.

Hazen’s work explores issues of addiction, mental health, and sexual trauma, as well as the restorative power of love and forgiveness. Her poems have appeared in Best American Poetry, American Literary Review, Shenandoah, Southwest Review, The Threepenny Review, The Normal School, and other journals. Alan Squire Publishing released her first book, Chaos Theories, in 2016. Girls Like Us is her second collection. She lives in Baltimore with her family.

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Follow Poetic Book Tours : Girls Like Us

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*I received an advance readers eBook copy of Girls Like Us, as part of Poetic Blog Tour in return of an honest review. 
The views are my own. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in 
final publication.*
Posted in blog tour, bookreview

Sparrow

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Book Cover
Sparrow

by Mary Cecilia Jackson
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: March 17th 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

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synopsis

In the tradition of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, a devastating but hopeful YA debut about a ballerina who finds the courage to confront the abuse that haunts her past and threatens her future.
There are two kinds of people on the planet. Hunters and prey
I thought I would be safe after my mother died. I thought I could stop searching for new places to hide. But you can’t escape what you are, what you’ve always been.
My name is Savannah Darcy Rose.
And I am still prey.
Though Savannah Rose―Sparrow to her friends and family―is a gifted ballerina, her real talent is keeping secrets. Schooled in silence by her long-dead mother, Sparrow has always believed that her lifelong creed―“I’m not the kind of girl who tells”―will make her just like everyone else: Normal. Happy. Safe. But in the aftermath of a brutal assault by her seemingly perfect boyfriend Tristan, Sparrow must finally find the courage to confront the ghosts of her past, or lose herself forever….

Content Warning : Physical/Emotional Abuse

review

Sparrow is the story Savannah Darcy Rose, who loves & is a ballerina (hence the name), lives with her father and Aunt Sophie. Friends call Savannah as Sparrow, and I was amazed by the details of ballet that was put in. It sometimes looked like a wonderful painting in words.

The book is written from two POV’s one from Sparrow aka Savannah and the other is Lucas, one of her best friend, her ballet partner (also he is in love with her, because why not. A girl and boy can’t ever be just a friend, rite!? )

Sparrow in just few pages falls in love with Tristan “King” and decides she will love him no matter what. Because he is Handsome, and rich and…(well what more does a girl need, rite!?)
But Tristan is not what she thought, and he can be very brutally brutal. Even after her friends/family, trying to reach Sparrow and seeing Red Flags, she just walked down the road to disaster.
But wait, there are some other secrets Sparrow hasn’t shared with the world(us & her family). Lucas is a best friend, so surely he knows ALL ABOUT IT.

Want to know what the secret is ? Well sure, go ahead and grab the book.

The story has so many cliche’s that I was not that happy with the book.
But let’s get to the good things that I LOVED about this book.

Writing, I loved the poetic, lyrical way the author Mary wrote the book. There were so many sentences which I just loved because the so poetic.
Friendship, I love books that show very strong friendship (and I really don’t care that if one of them is in love with another).

There are few strong female character’s that I loved. One of them is Lucas’s Granny Deirdre , with age comes the wisdom can be so true to this character. I loved her, and she reminded me of my grandmother.
Dr. Gray < you need to read to know about her role > _i don’t want to give out spoilers :P_
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I close my eyes, lost in the memory of the canvases lined up against my father’s bookshelves, drying on easels in the dining room, propped up against the windows in the living room, on the cushions of the window seat at the top of the stairs.

It’s like grief walks with you, sits beside you in calculus class, asks you to pass the salt at the dinner table.

The little ones still have so much hope, even when there’s no hope left to be had. That’s how they survive. That’s how they bear their sorrows.

Sometimes all we can do is watch and grieve. And that has to be enough.

If you want to help her, then do her the honor of believing she has the courage to mend herself.

ratingne

⭐ ⭐ ⭐  .7

authorDets
author

Mary Cecilia Jackson has worked as a middle school teacher, an adjunct instructor of college freshmen, a technical writer and editor, a speechwriter, a museum docent, and a development officer for central Virginia’s PBS and NPR stations. Her first novel, Sparrow, was an honor recipient of the SCBWI Sue Alexander Award and a young-adult finalist in the Writers’ League of Texas manuscript contest. She lives with her architect husband, William, in Western North Carolina and Hawaii, where they have a farm and five ridiculously adorable goats.

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Follow FFB Tour Schedule : Sparrow

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Prize: Win a copy of SPARROW by Mary Cecilia Jackson (US/CAN Only)
Starts: 17th March 2020
Ends: 31st March 2020
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  • Pop Sugar Challenge Prompt 1 : A book that’s published in 2020
  • Goodreads Challenge
*I received an advance readers eBook copy of Sparrow, as part of FFB Blog Tour via Netgalley in return of an honest review. The views are my own.
All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.*
Posted in blog tour, bookreview

Jane Anonymous

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Book Cover
Jane Anonymous

by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: January 7th 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

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synopsisBestselling author Laurie Faria Stolarz returns with Jane Anonymous, a gripping tale of a seventeen-year-old girl’s kidnapping and her struggle to fit back into her life after she escapes.

Then, “Jane” was just your typical 17-year-old in a typical New England suburb getting ready to start her senior year. She had a part-time job she enjoyed, an awesome best friend, overbearing but loving parents, and a crush on a boy who was taking her to see her favorite band. She never would’ve imagined that in her town where nothing ever happens, a series of small coincidences would lead to a devastating turn of events that would forever change her life.

Now, it’s been three months since “Jane” escaped captivity and returned home. Three months of being that girl who was kidnapped, the girl who was held by a “monster.” Three months of writing down everything she remembered from those seven months locked up in that stark white room. But, what if everything you thought you knew―everything you thought you experienced―turned out to be a lie?

Content Warning : Kidnapping, Sexual Assault, Self-Harm, Stockholm Syndrome, PTSD, Panic Attacks

review
Jane Anonymous is the story about Jane, from Jane’s point of view in a Journal format writing “Then” & “Now”.
As the story has a “Now”, we immediately know all went well and I would have preferred it divided in first Then and second Now parts. Also because the story is given by Jane herself, she describes the relationship between her mother, and friend pretty well. But that same care I wasn’t able to see later in the chapters in “Now” part. and I felt so pity for Jane because she thought so high of them and they felt more like a people who taunt about things..

I was really spiraled by Jane’s time as a captive, it was so horrifying. Someone losing their independence and sitting in just a room for months.

There are also some twists in the story, but I had my doubts about those but still those came as more surprise when full story was revealed.

This was my first read by author Laurie Faria Stolarz, but am pretty sure I am gonna go and other published books by her.
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Except I don’t want to think about tomorrow. I want to stat in the space between days-the space where I don’t have to worry about letting people down or saying the wrong thing.

Friendship is a two-way street, and I’ve been nothing but dead ends.

We’ve all carried our regret around like anchors, struggling not to drown.

Life isn’t a race. You go at your own pace, okay?

ratingne

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ .25

authorDets
author

Laurie Faria Stolarz grew up in Salem, MA, attended Merrimack College, and received an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College in Boston.

Laurie Faria Stolarz is an American author of young adult fiction novels, best known for her Blue is for Nightmares series. Her works, which feature teenage protagonists, blend elements found in mystery and romance novels.

Stolarz found sales success with her first novel, Blue is for Nightmares, and followed it up with three more titles in the series, White is for Magic, Silver is for Secrets, and Red is for Remembrance, as well as a companion graphic novel, Black is for Beginnings. Stolarz is also the author of the Touch series (Deadly Little Secret, Deadly Little Lies, Deadly Little Games, Deadly Little Voices, and Deadly Little Lessons), as well as Bleed and Project 17. With more than two million books sold worldwide, Stolarz’s titles have been named on various awards list.

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Follow FFB Tour Schedule : Jane Anonymous

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  • Pop Sugar Challenge Prompt 1 : A book that’s published in 2020
  • Goodreads Challenge 1/60

 

*I received an advance readers eBook copy of Jane Anonymous, as part of FFB Blog Tour via Netgalley in return of an honest review. The views are my own.
All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.*
Posted in blog tour, bookreview

The Dark Lord Clementine

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Book : The Dark Lord Clementine
Author : Sarah Jean Horwitz
Pages : 336

The Wizard of Oz meets Harry Potter, magical journey.

Story

The story revolves around Clementine, who has been groomed to be a Dark Lord since birth. Not quiet yet dark lord, she comes face to face with challenges when the curse on her father current Dark Lord, Elithor sees the daylight.
Slowly and steadily losing the power of being a Dark Lord and a father, Elithor shuts himself out and Clementine is left alone with the farm, animals, scarecrows, poisonous apple on Castle Brack.

Until one day, she decides to do something which, according to her father is not how a Dark Lord should act. She finds friends, or maybe she thought they were friends till the real face of her and others come out.

What is the curse ?
Will Dark Lord Elithor, over come the curse?
or will Clementine step up and be the new Dark Lord?

For all these answers you need to read this book.

Writing

I love middle-grade books, especially those who has magic and fantasy world.
This is my first book from authoress Sarah Jean Horwitz, and I like her writing. It was flowing, and even though there were past & present stories shift the shift was swift and easily follow-able.

So many things in the book reminded me of The Wizard of Oz and Harry Potter, due to the magic, the land, dark lord, evil witches and so many other things. And it is in a good way.
There is magic, there are unicorns, there is friendship and there is a bit of love.

This story is about a twelve year girl, who has been shown a path since birth, but as she is living that journey she isn’t sure if she can be The One.

I loved how weather got changed with the emotional state of people living on the land, and Clementine’s hair color change. I also loved how Gricken came into existence (you need to read to know, what Gricken is 😀 )

About Characters, the main protagonist is Clementine, who is expected to be someone, but she isn’t that. She is a perfect blend to be a good daughter and yet explore things that make her curious or because she likes them. Her journey from being a loner, to being someone whom people can trust upon is amazing.

Black Sheep, is my second favorite character. He is funny, and annoyed at the same time 😀 (You need to read it to know about this one)

Final Note :

A middle-grade book, full of magic and magical creatures, and funny at the same time, you got to read this

Cover: 4/5
Title: 4.5/5
Blurb: 5/5
Theme: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Overall: 4.6/5

*This book review was provided by publishers via netgalley in return of an honest review. The views are my own*

*-*-*-*-*-*-*Book Challenges*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Read this book, as part of
>> Pop Sugar Challenge Prompt 4 : A book you think should be turned into a movie : I definitely think this will make a very good children movie.
>> Write Tribe Reading Challenge Prompt 8 : A book with a name in the title

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Fierce Fairytales

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Book : Fierce Fairytales
Author : Nikita Gill
Pages : 176
Type: Ebook

My Thoughts

The book is collection of poems which used fairytale characters and stories as background, which touches topic like abuse, heartbreak…. The book is only 176pages long, but it took me too long to complete it as I wasn’t feeling the vibe of book. The stories felt flat many-a-times, and there wasn’t much character development which is very necessary to get the feel of it.

The illustrations were lovely, which was break in between story or sometimes at the end of story. They showed the fairytale, in context of what author wrote.
I liked very few of them, which includes Red Ridding Hood, and Hatter.

I like modern poetry, and thought it would be more like what I have read on the author’s Instagram page. But alas, I couldn’t feel more than half of the book.

Overall: 2.5/5☆

*-*-*-*-*-*-*Book Challenges*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Read this book, as part of
>> Pop Sugar Challenge Prompt 12 : A book inspired by myth/legend/folklore
>> #bnbreadathon May – June : Prompt 3

Posted in Insta Mini Review

Sea Prayer

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Book : Sea Prayer
Author : Khaled Hosseini
Pages : 48
Type: Ebook (Illustrated)

My Thoughts

I LOVE LOVE LOVE what author wrote, his writing is as lyrical as it can get.
Sea Prayer is the shortest book by author, with awww-stucking amazing illustrations, which gawked me from the e pages only. (Swipe left to see one of the illustrations 😻)
.
Story of how a father console’s his son Marwan that he will be okay, and everything will be okay once Marwan crosses the sea. The story is a prayer of a father to the sea, to carry his son to the other side, to the safe side.
.
After hearing too much about how short the book is and how overpriced it was, so I went for an e-read instead of physical one.
.
Though I miss seeing the physical copy of paintings, but I are more amazing then the version.
.
Even though I know the book is overpriced for what we get in respect of “no of pages”, the thought and Khaled’s words is what I gripped on.
The earning from the book is good for refugee organization ♥

Overall: 4/5

*-*-*-*-*-*-*Book Challenges*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Read this book, as part of
>> #bnbreadathon Feb-Mar : Prompt 3

Posted in bookreview

Happy Fat : Taking up Space in a World That Wants to Shrink You

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Book : Happy Fat
Author : Sofie Hagen
Pages : 336

Love Yourself, even if you are BIG FAT or VERY THIN.

My Thoughts

I am fat, and believe it or not I have been ALWAYS happy with my body. Even though I have heard too many of “You got to lose weight, check what you eat, it’s because you eat too much junk, being fat makes you prone to disease and early death”.
And I still haven’t done and nor will do anything for getting this weight, sheds, it can go like it came. I have been chubby since childhood and I am fine with it.

So I knew, I am gonna like this book so very much, which talks about How you can be Happy & Fat together.

Though the book has some very, very sad moments from Sofie’s life, and I can’t imagine myself in her shoes. Sofie has been brave enough to accept her body, and do so much publicly which she was afraid of. Hats off to her.  * I got teary on so many moment’s author shared of her life..*

I would love to recommend this book to people who are non-fat, because it will give them a perspective of how fat people go about through a day. And how you sometimes be just a jerk and say “mind your calories”. WE DON’T WANT YOU TO TELL US WHAT TO EAT !

There are so many lines that will surely struck the chord in your heart.
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Part of me loathed the boys & girls who liked me, because surely they were either lying or horrible people themselves.

God, imagine if – and this goes for not just all people during your teenage years but essentially for all people in the world – imagine if people were just nice to each other.

Trying to shame people into being healthy is like trying to get someone to smell less of piss by pissing on them

Empathy should not be the hardest thing for people. But identifying which situations call for your empathy is different and a lot harder.

Another thing I liked about this part memoir by Sofie is how she brought other voices who are mostly ignored in form of Interviews. The perspective from LGBT+, & Color community is what makes this book a well researched and well thought book.

The author has checked on researches and came up with analyzed data on how BEING FAT doesn’t always mean we are more unhealthy than the thin ones.
A shared experience with doctors, how she and some other have faced the dilemma of not properly getting checked because the only visible reason was they “being fat”

Do we actually want for fat people to be healthy or do we want them to be ashamed?

Sofie also talks about the trolls, and I hate trolls, and meme makers (who laugh on risking others)
Sofie quoted “these trolls are sad people” , and I totally wish that to be true. Because you can’t make someone feel less and be happy about it. You have to have something less in your life to make others feel this way.

Final Note :

I liked it, though there are parts which can trigger people who are facing fat-phobia and for some it may feel repetitive. But believe me, it’s 24×7 what we generally go through so bear it and go through 320 pages.
You are not going to see the Comedian Sofie you know via social media, this is a Sofie that has gone thru this much to become “Comedian Sofie Hagen”.

Cover: 5/5
Title: 4/5
Blurb: 4/5
Theme: 5/5
Overall: 4.5/5

*-*-*-*-*-*-*Book Challenges*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Read this book, as part of
>> Pop Sugar Challenge Prompt 25 : A debut novel
>> Reading Women Challenge 2019 Prompt 21 : Book bought/borrowed in 2019
>> Write Tribe Reading Challenge Prompt 20 : A book which is a 2019 release
>> bnbreadathon May-June Prompt 1

Posted in bookreview

The Art of Racing in the Rain

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Book : The Art of Racing in the Rain
Author : Garth Stein
Pages : 338

 

A dog you will fall in love with, a dog more human than human now-a-days.

Story

The story is about a dog named Enzo, and his feelings of being happy, sad, jealous, protective and every a human can feel.
Enzo was adopted by Denny from a barn when he was still a pup only. Denny, the race driver talked to Enzo all about race and race cars, and how to drive in the race. They used to watch race video’s together and everything until, Denny fell in love with Eve.

Will there be difference in relationship between Enzo and Denny ?
What’s special about Racing in the rain?

Writing

This is my first Book, that is from a dog POV, and I loved it mostly due to the audio book I choose in between ebook reading. The audio book was by Christopher Evan Welch, and I loved how the speaker had done voice modulation for Enzo, Denny, Eve or even little Zoe.

Let’s start with what I loved, I loved that Enzo could feel as many human emotions as possible. He wasn’t able to tell them, but in a way he did use his barks for that.
Enzo’s love for Denny was unconditional, and his jealously came in parts when Denny found Eve

“We were both satellites orbiting Denny’s sun, struggling for gravitational supremacy”

Dog’s are amazing creature, most loved one, and one who can really be a best friend. But Enzo’s obsession of “being incarnated as a man”, did set me off sometimes. At time I wanted to hug Enzo and tell him, HUMAN’s aren’t worth you Enzo. They are just not. Be a dog instead, please….

I somehow loved Denny, he is a perfect gentleman, love his dog, loves his wife, manages time between family and his job. The only thing that I didn’t like in the character was how one dimensional he was shown like Even in the desperate needs of breaking, he doesn’t break and be positive.

The story looked like a checklist of lots of cliche’s, a good dog, someone having fatal disease, controlling in laws and more cliches. And it looked so predictable at those times.

There were times, when I felt the “racing” was put just in to defend the title. But that one scene of “faster, faster” was incredibly well written. (you need to read the book to know what I mean)

Words that touched

People and their rituals. They cling to things so hard sometimes.

I admire the female sex. The life makers. It must be amazing to have a body that can carry an entire creature inside.

She was my rain. She was my unpredictable element. She was my fear.

I wanted to judge the world around me, not merely be a supportive friend

The human language, as precise as it is with its thousands of words, can still be so wonderfully vague

Final Note :

If you love dogs, and want to love them MORE. Read it, better if you listen it because narration by Christopher really helped me in finishing this book with a human touch.

Cover: 4/5(new motion picture cover)
Title: 2.5/5
Blurb: 3/5
Theme: 5/5
Story: 4.5/5
Characters: 5/5 (only for Enzo)
Overall: 4/5

*-*-*-*-*-*-*Book Challenges*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Read this book, as part of
>> Pop Sugar Challenge Prompt 1 : A book becoming a movie in 2019
>> Underrated Reads Book Club : BOTM Jul-Aug
>> Write Tribe Reading Challenge Prompt 12 : A book with an animal in the title/cover

Posted in bookreview

The Broken Amoretti

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Book : The Broken Amoretti
Author : Sudipto Das Aparajita Dutta
Pages : 296
Price : 380/-

In love nothing is right or wrong

Story

The novel is divided into two parts, WITH and WITHOUT. Both in reference to ? (you need to read it to know that 😉 )

WITH start’s with Parush, one of the protagnist (yes, ‘one of the’ because there are MANY) opens a diary. A Diary he hasn’t seen since long, a dairy that has a secret, world doesn’t know , a dairy that will unravel what LOVE is all about, a dairy that belongs to Parush’s ex love Bitasta’s mother, Panchali.

Saoli leaving her husband comes to India, to teach poetry at IIT KGP and is very much interested in subject related to Queer Theory. She meets Parushni who is also submitting her paper same day on Lesbianism.

How Saoli, get’s to know Parush and under what conditions?

Writing

This is my second read by author Sudipto Das, and I quite liked his The Aryabhatta Clan (the book had cryptic messages and a whole lot of thrill to decipher it).
The Blurb of The Broken Amoretti, gave me the same vibes, there will be a cryptic message and story will unravel it. However, I was disappointed in that a bit. I can’t review the story as whole, so I will divide it in two parts.

The Relevant :
I loved how the author started the setting up of characters, and their known/unknown love for a place called ‘prembajar’. There were references to great poets, and their poetries. The poetries were explained, giving the background of meter and everything. Which was new to me, and I liked it. This simply showed the research author did for getting these parts in the novel.

I loved how the author tried to fictionalize WHO was Panchali or stories about characters from Greek Mythology Artemis, Callisto and some more..

The story’s main aim was writing about how love has no boundaries and no gender, in a way that it was convincing. This was mainly done giving background’s of mythologies and many poetries.
But when I think back after completing it, it was just brushed up on the story. Later the story becomes something else, which makes me sad.

I loved the cover, it does have a deep meaning once you complete reading it.
The Random :
There were so many characters, each girl falling in love with Parush at some point. Why THOUGH? This was too cliche for me, and I didn’t like it. The love scene’s were written very shabby.

The story unraveled very soon, and felt like being dragged over many pages. The novel started with a mystery poem, went to the Love story of Parush and Batista, and then went straight out of context to gaming and the politics and what not. I felt trapped, and it was hard to follow why this was happening. And strangest of all, why did all the characters just end up at one place 😐 (too cliche again)

Final Note :

If the novel had been divided into three part’s instead of capturing too many good idea’s into one. I would have loved it, but the main motive of the novel felt lost in the first half the book. And came back in the last few pages back.

You can surely enjoy the book, if you are okay with subplots, and some cliches.
Poetry lovers will enjoy the first half of the book, because it is really well written. Gaming and technology enthusiast will love the second half of the book, because the story separately is very well written.

Cover: 4/5
Title: 3/5
Blurb: 2/5
Theme: 3/5
Story: 2/5
Characters: 1.5/5
Overall: 2.5/5

*-*-*-*-*-*-*Book Challenges*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Read this book, as part of
>> #bnbreadathon – Jul-Aug

Posted in bookreview

Every Ugly Word

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Book : Every Ugly Word
Author : Aimee Salter
Pages : 322
ePrice : 291/- (and free on Kindle unlimited)

Trigger warning, the book deals with Bullying and some of the scenes can be very descriptive.

Story

The story revolves around Ashley, a seventeen year old girl who gets bullied every single day at school and even has issues with her Mom. But there is someone, she can talk to, someone who really understands what Ashley is going thru. This is none other than someone called an “older-me” to Ashley’s Me.

Ashley doesn’t have lots of friends, it’s just Matt at the moment and she wants it to be more than friendship with her. Mat has a soft spot for Ash, but ‘as a friend’.

The story starts in with Ashley talking to a parapsychologist in a special facility about the events in her life, that turned and twisted and brought her to this chair.

What do you think, would have brought her here?
Will Mat & Ashley ever be more than friends?

Writing

First book by the author, and WHAT a writing.
It was so much descriptive at certain points, even for me (that hasn’t seen much of violent bullying in real life).
Loved the concept of the book, as we always talk about “What would you suggest to your younger self”. The book actually conceptualized the thing and did it wonderfully.

Though there will be points, you will be frustrated by certain characters, like Ashley’s mom. Isn’t Mom there to protect their children? But in this case, Ash’s mother was one of the bullies herself. I somehow couldn’t wrap my head around this, as I have always felt mother’s are the givers and care takers. But this one really messed my mind.
Then there is Mat, also known as the ONLY friend Ashley had. and yet he couldn’t see her friend was troubled ? A real friend is to care for you when you are messy. not increase the mess more. Forcing Ashley to go to places, where she knew her bullies will be. Not cool bro!

And then there is the main character, Ashley. Even though I felt sympathy for her at points, but I also thought her stupid for doing certain things. Just because your “loved ones” want you to do things, and you know the repercussions will be hard. You still do it. WHY!? 😐
I hated her at some part, and then there were some parts I could have hugged her and said ‘it’s gonna be all okay. it’s gonna be all okay’.

All in all I kinda more than liked the book. Author Aimee said, she had written this on her experience of being bullied in her school. And I can’t even imagine if she went through this much or less or a lot more.

The ending may put you on an edge of believing it happened in reality, or what is all a Magical realms kind.
I thought and gave myself a magical realms feeling end. That keeps the book still alive in me.

<Also make sure you read the Author Interview Kajree did on her blog. Link below
In conversation with Aimee L. Salter – author of Every Ugly Word >

Words that touched

People you love should always be more important than people who judge you.

I believe that human beings have a tendency to live up to expectations: what we expect of ourselves, what we believe others expect of us….
..
You make choices based on how you perceive others expect you to behave.You perhaps subconsciously- draw their attention to your flaws.

My gaps only became inevitable when I stopped believing they could be filled.

Final Note :

If you can want to break your heart, and stable it in the end. This one is for you. The book can be triggering for people who went through such experiences. So beware.

Cover: 5/5
Title: 4/5
Blurb: 4/5

Theme: 5/5
Story: 4.5/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Overall: 4.3/5

*-*-*-*-*-*-*Book Challenges*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Read this book, as part of
>> #popSugarChallenge Prompt 4 : A book you think should be turned into a movie
>> Underrated Reads Book Club : 2019 May Read
>> #readingwomenchallenge Prompt 2 : Woman w/a mental illness