Search

Search only in certain items:

Strange the Dreamer
Strange the Dreamer
Laini Taylor | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
10
9.0 (19 Ratings)
Book Rating
Delicious descriptions (2 more)
Fantastical setting
Well written
Some slow pacing (0 more)
On the second Sabbat of Twelfthmoon, in the city of Weep, a girl fell from the sky. Her skin was blue, her blood was red.
From the from the opening to the last page this story sucked me in and didn't let me go. Granted it was slow at times but the descriptions were so intoxicating. It could easily have been too poetic or too much but the author always seemed to toe the line just right. Recommended if you're in the mood for a dreamy romantic fantasy.

"'You're a storyteller. Dream up something wild and improbable,' she pleaded. 'Something beautiful and full of monsters.'
'Beautiful and full of monsters?'
'All the best stories are.'"
  
Show all 3 comments.
40x40

AbmostFiction (32 KP) Jul 25, 2017

Me neither. It completely sucked me in and has not let me go!

40x40

BobbiesDustyPages (1259 KP) Jul 26, 2017

I read it only a month or so ago and I already want to re-read it!

Too Good To Be Real: A Novel
Too Good To Be Real: A Novel
Melonie Johnson | 2021 | Contemporary, Humor & Comedy, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A very meta romantic comedy
Julia is a writer desperate to save her job. She's tired of posting nothing but quizzes and lists. So she pitches an article to her boss in an attempt to save her job: a new resort that's letting its guests live out their romantic comedy dreams via role playing. Julia doesn't believe in love, of course, but she'll play along if it means keeping her job. But when she and her two best friends show up, she meets a handsome man by the lake via the quintessential meet-cute: a humorous seagull incident. She thinks Luke is taking part in the rom-com experience, but he's actually one of the event planners, along with his best friend and sister. Luke decides to take part in the experience in order to impress a reviewer arriving. Sparks fly between the two, but can their love be real when no one is being honest about who they are?

"I'm as likely to find the wardrobe to Narnia as I am to find my own Mark Darcy. Life isn't like a romantic comedy."

This was a perfectly cute romantic comedy and it's important to remember that 3-stars is in no way a negative rating. Did this book wow me or sweep me off my feet? No. But it had its funny moments.

The concept is an interesting and original one: a rom-com resort, where guests are assigned a character, a role to play, select activities, and then the games begin. The characters get funny names associated with famous romantic comedies (think Sally, a la Harry Met Sally) and there are a ton of references to all sorts of rom-com favorites. If you're a romantic comedy fan, you'll love all the little inside jokes.

"For the chance to achieve his dreams, Luke had to do one thing. Make the fantasy real."

I liked Julia's character and enjoyed Luke, although I must admit the guy was a bit of a clueless idiot. The seagulls were easily the best characters in the book and some of their scenes made me laugh out loud. I'm never a fan of "lying by omission" plots, so it was a little hard to stomach that the story that was based off of falsehoods. Julia and Luke did have chemistry but also suffered a bit from instalove--maybe it was the seagulls?

Overall, this is a fun, fairly quick read, peppered with rom-com references. It's definitely silly and a bit cheesy, but sweet too. 3 stars.

I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.