Binding of Bindings · Books · Netgalley · New Releases · Reviews · Wrap-Up

Binding of Bindings #20: May Book Wrap-Up

Wait.
Where did the time go?!
It can’t be June ALREADY!
Can it?!
But…
…where did MAY go?!

 

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~* May Book Wrap-Up *~

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1. Drowning by Margaret McHeyzer
Drowning

Drowning is about a girl named Ivy who has been cutting for years, but has kept it hidden from her friends and family. There is a demon in her head that tells her to cut and hurt herself, and more times than not, she isn’t able to fight him off. But when a young man named Tobias enters the picture, Ivy wonders if it’s finally time to let the truth be known.

As I had said in my review, the intent for this book was solid, but the execution was lacking and cringe-worthy.

The author was SO focused on stuffing this book with hot topics (self-harm, sexual abuse, school shootings, homophobia, codependency, suicide, schizophrenia) that she forgot to focus on the character development.

I’m all for talking about important topics, but the way the author shoved all of this into one book felt so exaggerated and unbelievable. There was no connection to the characters, they were vapid and boring, and I just wasn’t impressed with this book.

2-stars

(See my review here)

 

2. The Unrepentant by E.A. Aymar

The Unrepentant.jpg

I was VERY excited to start The Unrepentant, which was gifted to me from JKS Communications in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, it was a DNF for me.

But trust me when I say, it had NOTHING to do with the writing style, the characters or the plot! The subject matter in this story is REALLY heavy. You will need thick skin to read it, and even then, I’d be surprised if it was easy for you to get through this book.

It is the story of a girl named Charlotte who is on the run from the gang that kidnapped and forced her into a life of sex trafficking and physical abuse. She is rescued by a man named Mace that happens upon her and her kidnappers in the woods, and the story follows the two as they flee.

WARNING: This is an ADULT book and depicts graphic sexual content, rape and violence.

This book has phenomenal reviews on Goodreads, so if you think you are up for it, I would really recommend this book. It has a powerful message and the first half that I read was really amazing.

 

3. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
4. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Yes.

This is my third time reading TOG.

Yes.

It is STILL hurting my heart.

I am taking my time reading these books again, since I am reading them in between every other book I have on my list.

*Sigh*

The series begins with 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien being dragged from the hard labor prison of Endovier, to the Crown Prince of Adarlan. She is to be the Prince’s champion in a competition to win the title of Adarlan’s Assassin, in exchange for her freedom after a few years of service.

If you haven’t read the books yet, YOU MUST!

They are action-packed, romantic beyond belief, full of magic and will make you sob all night long.

Do it, you know you want to.

 

5. Stolen by Marlena Frank

Stolen

Stolen is a YA Fantasy with Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz and Labyrinth themes throughout.

It follows main character and sixteen-year-old Shaleigh Mallet as she is kidnapped and taken into another world filled with mystical creatures and magic. There is an evil “Queen” residing over a garden, a cowardly lion, a rat-boy creature driving a flying bike…sound familiar? In this new land, Shaleigh must prove to the court that she is the reincarnation of a powerful magician that once ruled the land.

A very cute and wonderful world, but one that I was feeling a tad bored in. The pacing was a smidge slow, and I didn’t have a huge connection to any of the characters. I might suggest this book for a younger audience. Very enjoyable, but a little too simple for me.

3-stars

(See my review here)

 

6. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

THIS BOOK!!!!!!

Still wondering how and WHY I waited SO long to begin this series!

Mara Dyer wakes in the hospital after a fatal accident that claimed the lives of her best friend, her boyfriend and another friend. Unable to remember the events of the accident, or to cope with her loss, Mara convinces her family to move. Once in Miami, Florida Mara tries to transition into life at her new school. But two students tormenting her, unwanted attention from the mysterious Noah Shaw, and daily hallucinations of her dead friends slowly put Mara over the edge.

I LOVED reading this.

The characters are incredibly molded and so amusing! The banter is witty and sarcastic, and I spent most of my time reading this laughing out loud or with a stupid smile plastered on my face.

Once you can get past Noah‘s initial asshat-ness, the romance is wonderful and sweet and OH SO swoonworthy. I am currently reading book two in the series, and really enjoying it!

(See my review here)

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May was cool, but I definitely need to up my reading for June. I am currently 9 books behind in my Goodreads reading challenge (trying to get to 100), and if I want to get back on track…I need to light a fire under my cauldron and get to cookin’.

As always my dear and wonderful readers, stay witchy! ❤

 

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Book Promo · Book Reviews · Books · Netgalley · Reviews

Book Review: Drowning by Margaret McHeyzer

Drowning.jpg

 

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the author, via NetGalley, for an honest review.

Genre: YA/Fiction/Mental Health

Plot: I’m a cutter.
I cut because I find solace in it.
I cut because it helps calm my frantic mind.
I cut because the voices inside my head tell me to.
I cut because this is the only way I know how to handle life.

Opinion:

Look, I totally see where the author was trying to go with this.

To bring awareness to Mental Health issues, to give a voice to those who might not be able to speak about their struggles, to help the public understand what it means to have inner demons.

I can really appreciate all of that.

These are important topics that REALLY need to be talked about more.

But for me, the way this story was executed – how the characters were developed, their dialogue, reactions and problem solving – was cringe-worthy.

And not in a good way.

I’m obviously completely in the minority on this one, because this book has nothing but amazing reviews on Goodreads. If we’re talking about the message the author is trying to send to the reader, then hell yes, it’s a 5-star read. It covers several difficult topics that so many people can relate to. It gives a voice to those who are suffering from similar demons and traumatic experiences, and sheds light on situations that other people may not know a lot about. The book gets HEAVY with these topics, and it isn’t for the fainthearted.

But if we set that aside and talk about the writing, character development, dialogue, etc.

It’s just not done well.

It was SO hard to make a connection with any of the characters. Their struggles and personalities were voiced, but I didn’t have the chance to really KNOW any of them. The moments of Ivy cutting herself were the closest I could get to having a meaningful connection with her. They were detailed and really expressed the emotional terror that envelopes a person when they self-harm. In those instances, I could really feel her pain and confusion. The dark scenes translated well through the pages! But in every other aspect, Ivy’s character fell flat and seemed really all over the place in terms of her development.

Her character flips back and forth between being all-knowing and dishing out advice, to knowing nothing and not being able to practice any of the things she tells others to do.

That doesn’t make sense to me.

The dialogue felt awkward and forced, it didn’t have a nice flow, and I was cringing the entire time from how uncomfortable it kept making me. Some of the conversations run on for too long, and it causes a lot of repeated sentences and ideas. Every response is “nope” and every emotion that Ivy may feel is summed up with an “ugh” instead of being creatively described. Then when a REALLY serious moment is happening the characters can only come up with the same phrase to say over, and over, and over – “oh, man” or “It’s okay dad, tell me, I need to know dad”.

Can’t they say something else?

Tobias’s character is really frustrating to me too. He instantly latches onto Ivy with his INSTA-LOVE, and becomes REALLY controlling and possessive with her. Why do none of the other characters see an issue with this? He’s super pushy and aggressive. I KNOW HE’S WORKING THROUGH ISSUES, OKAY? But does that make it okay for his character to go around throwing punches and freaking out? AND WHY IS EVERY OTHER CHARACTER OKAY WITH HIS ATTITUDE?! They all continually make excuses for out of control behavior.

Someone gets hit in the face – “here, have a soda”.

Ivy comes clean about her demons and opens up to her friends, and their response? “Yea let’s just drop it and talk about it some other time”.

WHAT?!

It seems to me that the author was so focused on shoving every “hot topic” into this book, that she forgot to put work into her characters and what they say. There isn’t any FEELING behind their thoughts and actions, it’s robotic, stiff and dull. It just feels like lazy writing.

I really wanted to like this, because I feel strongly about Mental Health Issues NEEDING to be talked about in society, and handled with compassion and care. As a society I think we shy away from these topics, or look down on people who think or behave differently.

I commend the author for giving Mental Health a voice.

But in terms of a great book, this isn’t it.

 

2-stars

 

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