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People Kill People
People Kill People
Ellen Hopkins | 2018 | History & Politics
10
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
There are multiple trigger warnings for book. Sexual assault of a minor, gun violence, violence against women, white supremacists (racial slurs). This book covers extremely heavy topics but I loved all of it. It is not Ellen Hopkins typical style throughout the whole book I feel how it was done was much needed to put context to this book. There will be characters you relate to, those you hate but in the end it gives multiple perspectives on heavy topics I feel it was covered well.
  
Trigger Warnings: Racism, colorism, misogyny, sexism, violence, transphobia, homophobia, gun violence, mentions of drug and alcohol addiction, sexual assault, sexual violence, bullying, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, religious bigotry *

*The author has marked biographies at the beginning of the novel with * to indicate profiles that detail trigger experiences

From activists to sporting icons, bakers to scientists, journalists to actresses’, We Go High tells the stories of 30 influential women of color who have strived to overcome challenges in their lives. Paired together with stunningly beautiful portraits from Natasha Cunningham, Nicole Ellis celebrates these women of color’s achievements as well as their personal beliefs, attitudes, and determination that drives them to be remarkable.

I loved all the different types of women and their stories that were given in mini biographies - there were a lot of details given in the short amount of pages. This works great because this book is aimed for a younger audience (middle grade/young adult) that opens the door for more research to dive into.

I have known about 90% of the women mentioned in this book, but there were a handful of them I didn’t know. Such as Dr. Kissmekia Corbett, or Kizzy Corbett, who was a leading viral immunologist to help create the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. Or Sônia Guajajara, a Brazilian Indigenous activist, environmentalist, and politician.

Overall, I feel like this is an amazing book about amazing women of color for those of all ages to enjoy, though especially those in middle or high school as a stepping stone to further research and knowledge.
  
A Serial Killers Obsession ( Heart of Darkness book 2)
A Serial Killers Obsession ( Heart of Darkness book 2)
C.F. Rabbiosi | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
207 of 250
Kindle
A Serial Killers Obsession ( Heart of Darkness book 2)
By C.F. Rabbiosi

Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments

I came here for HER.

Hardly sleeping, hardly human, I walked into the Lion's Den.

Once I entered, I knew I would never leave alive. But I had to do it; I had to END her for her betrayal.

But as she lies in front of me, the truth daggers through me.

I would cross the threshold between life and death just to touch her again.

So this book has some trigger warnings!!

It wasn’t as good as book one but I still enjoyed it. The author throws you into the sex and violence straight from the word go. Usually I don’t read this much in your face sex and violence but there is something about this author and her writ that drags you in. The last quarter of this book was so good I can’t wait to get into book 3 maybe after a few light reads haha!!! Please give them a go!!
  
A Haunting in the Arctic
A Haunting in the Arctic
CJ Cooke | 2023 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Horror
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I loved this dark tale. It’s a tough read at times, and comes with a host of trigger warnings (rape, eating disorders, violence). Its really creepy though, a great companion for a dark evening!

Nicky is on a ship in 1901 with a crew of men who all expect her “services”, even though she isn’t prepared to give them what they want of her own free will.

In the modern day, Dominique, an explorer and instagrammer, decides to travel to Iceland and document the destruction of the beached ship, the Ormen.

The atmosphere was perfect for a ghost story, full of menace and threat, and just when I thought I knew what was going on, something would happen that would make me have to reassess completely! The present day storyline was perfect for this.

This is a story where your heart will be in your mouth from start to finish, and it fed my fascination for the frozen places of the world perfectly (and I have to admit that my fascination is based on what I consider to be a healthy fear!).
  
Max Einstein: Rebels with a Cause
Max Einstein: Rebels with a Cause
James Patterson, Chris Grabenstein | 2019 | Children, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
fast-paced (2 more)
adventure packed
lessons that are taught within
Amazing sequel to Max Einstein: the Genius Experiment
You can also find this review on my blog: bookingwayreads.wordpress.com

TRIGGER WARNINGS: a bit of violence, anger issues, absent parent(s), manipulation, kidnapping

REVIEW:
Rebels with a Cause is book two (2) of the Max Einstein series and it was just as great as book one (1)! The adventures that were packed into this little novel along side Max Einstein still being a great role model was seriously so refreshing.

In Rebels with a Cause, we get to see more of Max thinking on her feet and implementing crazy plans to save not only herself, but her team and the world as well. You also learn more about the villains in this novel, which made for an interesting addition to the plot!

Again, James Patterson really knows how to write a captivating story that is not only well-written but fast-paces as well. There are more math/science lessons in Rebels with a Cause and I really enjoyed that they were applied to real life problems. The way that each were explained were written in an extremely easy to understand way so that the reader, young or old, can know what is being put into the solution.

The task that Max and her team were given to fix was a water crisis and I really loved that this was the main problem in the story. Having clean water available to all is a real world crisis. Water is an extremely important part of the human survival and this topic really hit the spot while reading. James wrote Rebels with a Cause again with a fast-paced, adventure packed, and informative nature. I highly recommend to all!

"I believe that Ghandi's views were the most enlightened among all the political men of our time. We should strive to do things in his spirit; not to use violence in fighting for a cause, but by non-participation and what we believe is evil. - Albert Einstein”
  
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Ali A (76 KP) rated Chaos & Flame in Books

Jun 7, 2023  
Chaos & Flame
Chaos & Flame
Justina Ireland, Tessa Gratton | 2023 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Trigger Warnings: Misgendering, genocide (off page, but discussed), poison, knife violence, blood & gore, graphic violence, war, death

Written in the alternating points of views of Darling Seabreak and Talon Goldhoard, Chaos & Flame tells the story of the two navigating House politics while also being caught up in the High Prince Regent’s unknown scheme as they tour around the kingdom to the other Houses.

This book took me a while to get into it - it’s slow to start, but by the end of it, I was invested in what was happening with the characters, so I will be picking up the second book in this duology. I'm very curious to see how the authors are planning on bringing out more with the boons and if those will change with what could be happening in the second book.

I was really interested in Caspian’s character and wish I knew more about what was going on in his head since everyone just marked him as “being mad” when in fact, he just had a whole other agenda.

I do wish we had more history of the world. The world building was fantastic but I felt like 100 years isn’t a whole lot to have passed since the last phoenix was alive and that even with that, there should still be people around who were alive back then - wouldn’t they know more and have maybe some insight?

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the insta-love between Darling and Talon, but it is YA and that’s typical YA romance so I’m not complaining all too much to be honest with you.

Overall, it was a slow build up to a good read and that I’m excited to continue reading when the next book in the series comes out (please don’t be too long!).

*Thank you Razorbill and BookishFirst for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
  
Y
Yellow
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
🔞 Full on Trigger warnings for everything!! 🔞

WARNING: This book contains graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.


195 of 235
Kindle
Yellow
By Aron Beauregard
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF THEY TOOK EVERYTHING?


Oliver Fitch has a troubling issue; he lives in a state of constant terror. After purchasing a convenience store in a once civil society, the streets around him have rapidly devolved into utter lawlessness. They're now festering with sinister gutter scum that only live to harass and intimidate him. His pathetic profits are gouged under the threat of violence and there isn't a damn thing he can do about it. Because in a city with no rules, where the sun never shines, the authorities are no help. In fact, they're an equal part of the problem.


The relentless fear of confrontation is so obvious that even Oliver's wife Lydia has grown to resent his spineless existence. The absence of bravado opens the door to a horrific home invasion that leaves the miserable pair savagely maimed. From there, things only get worse until the criminal leeches have taken everything. Until there's nothing left inside but hate and the gnawing hunger for revenge. Until a switch finally flips and Oliver realizes that they all have to die.

First of all this comes with massive triggers in fact the whole book is one fat trigger warning so I don’t recommend if you have a sensitive nature.
This is my first venture into this genre and wow it hit hard!
I just couldn’t stop reading and I’m not sure how when it was bloody brutal.
After 2 men break into his home and brutally attack him and his wife Oliver goes on a vengeful killing spree taking out those corrupt and down right evil. These people terrorise the neighbourhood and it’s not just criminals. This is not for the faint hearted. It’s gore, graphic, horrific and just brutal (yes I’ve used that word a few times as I can’t think of any other way to describe it).

WARNING: This book contains graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.
  
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Ali A (76 KP) rated Sparrow in Books

Mar 11, 2020  
Sparrow
Sparrow
Mary Cecilia Jackson | 2020 | Young Adult (YA)
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Trigger Warnings: abuse, assault, dating violence

Sparrow is about 17-year-old ballet prodigy Savannah Rose, aka Sparrow, and her journey after being violently assaulted by her boyfriend, Tristan. The story jumps between Sparrow's POV and her friend's Lucas as they both confront their ghosts and demons of the aftermath.

Through most of this story I felt like I was just missing chunks of it. Before we went into Lucas' POV we seemed to just jump around with Sparrow. She has her first date with Tristan and then all of a sudden she's afraid of him. Then, when she'd have fights with Lucas, we'd get half with Sparrow's POV and then a few chapters later we'd get the other half with Lucas' POV which most of the time changed the whole fight. Pieces were almost always missing - like the fact that I thought Sophie was Sparrow's stepmom or her dad's girlfriend, not her aunt for the first hundred pages.

Because of all this, I really had no connection to Sparrow. I did, however, feel more connected with Lucas and what happened with him. Some things that happened with him tugged on my heartstrings. I feel bad for not really caring about Sparrow's story, but the only reason I knew of her story was because I wanted to read more about Lucas'.

Overall the book was good, but I wish it was fleshed out a bit more. A lot of characters had such great potential in the beginning but seemed to fade out/be glossed over in the middle and end. There were many distractions and an empty hole around the plot that I wish were filled in.
  
EO
Empire of the Vampire
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Empire of the Vampire
This book is not for the feint hearted. Not only is it decidedly grotesque and gruesome, but its also a monster of a book, coming in at 725 pages with another book on the way.

It has been twenty-seven long years since the last sunrise. For nearly three decades, vampires have waged war against humanity; building their eternal empire even as they tear down our own.

Gabriel de León is a silversaint: a member of a holy brotherhood dedicated to defending realm and church from the creatures of the night. But even the Silver Order couldn’t stem the tide once daylight failed us, and now, only Gabriel remains.

Imprisoned by the very monsters he vowed to destroy, the last silversaint is forced to tell his story. A story of legendary battles and forbidden love, of faith lost and friendships won, of the Wars of the Blood and the Forever King and the quest for humanity’s last remaining hope:

The Holy Grail.

The book is dark and gruesome, but also delightfully entertaining. Kristoff puts an original spin on the vampire world and created a deep, well-rounded character with the biggest chip on his shoulder. All the characters are well-developed, to be honest.

The humour, as expected, is dark. Which is what makes it so great. I found myself laughing out loud in parts. I loved the witty banter and insults from the characters.

My woe with this book was, though I enjoyed it, it did feel like I was reading a 725 page book. Sometimes the time flew, and others I found myself counting the pages wondering how much longer this was going to go on for. I think the story could have been shorter without losing anything vital.

Read if you like:

Adult fantasy
Legendary battles
Blood and gore/violence
Religious occult
Dark humour

Don't read if:

You are a child
And dont like:
Prolific swearing
Sexual Content
Violence
Religious Themes

Trigger warnings:
Anything mentioned above
Drug addiction
Child abuse
Homophobia

It reminds me of Interview With a Vampire meets Van Helsing...
  
The Stars That Guide You Home
The Stars That Guide You Home
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Wow.
Just…wow.

Now I make no secret of the fact that I am a crier. Christmas TV ads, airport arrivals halls, old men crying, anything has the ability to set me off blubbing! So I am never entirely surprised when I start crying at a book, even my husband doesn’t mock me anymore. But this book? THIS BOOK had me crying the entire way through and just when you thought life for the characters couldn’t get any worse…Jemma Robinson says hold my coat!

Sophia and Tom live in a quaint little farmhouse in the town of Lowshore. Their life is a simple one but their happy marriage practically radiates from the page. However, Sophia never told her husband about her past and that past is about to catch up with her!

Whilst Tom is at work, Sophia is kidnapped from her happy home and forced to live the life that she tried so desperately to escape. Beaten, abused and powerless, Sophia manages to find two people worthy of her trust but will she ever escape? Can she ever regain the life that she used to have with Tom?

The beauty of this book is that it revolves around its characters. There is very little world building here but, honestly, it isn’t needed. Nothing matters to Tom and Sophia except one-another and that is reflected in Jemma Robinson’s writing style.

The characters themselves stay with you long after the final page: Sophia wears her heart on her sleeve, Tom is steadfast and passionately protective, James and Annalise are, in contrast, calm and collected individuals but Edmund is nothing short of a psychopath!

Edmund is no fairytale villain, despite the Lord Farquaad vibes I was getting from him. Robinson’s antagonist wouldn’t be out of place in Game of Thrones: he is truly revolting, controlling and revels in his absolute power over everything and everyone in his kingdom.

The Stars That Guide You Home is marketed as historical romance, not a fairytale, and with its medicine, photographs and labour camps then it does seem too modern to be considered a fairytale. However, I would argue that castles, arranged marriages, medieval torture and absence of any morally grey characters could push this into the category of dark fairytale.

There are a number of trigger warnings within this novel that I want to highlight. This is by no means a YA book – it is definitely Adult Fiction or New Adult at a push. These trigger warnings include rape, physical and mental abuse, animal cruelty, torture (in detail), kidnap, burns, suicide, miscarriage and general violence.

Dark fairytale still doesn’t seem enough… Sinister fairytale might just do it!


The Stars That Guide You Home is simultaneously beautiful, horrifying and inspiring. This book will break your heart over and over again and keep you coming back for more. Thank you to The Book Network for the opportunity to review this amazing novel, and thank you to Jemma, even though you did make me cry for 486 pages!