Book Review: My Flawless Life – Yvonne Woon

Rating: 3/5 🌟🌟🌟

Genre: Mystery, Young Adult

Published on: Feb 14, 2023

Review:

This book was a total cover love for me. I was caught by the bright colors like a magpie and I love that little play on “Life” & “Lie” in the title. That was pretty clever, and I understood why when I got to the end of the story.

At first, I did like Hana—I even admired how she turned her life around when her father was arrested for the hit-and-run he was involved in. But as I got to know her better, there was just something that kept nagging at me.

James, on the other hand, was my favorite character and I liked how genuine he was.

My Flawless Life had a gripping storyline—secrets woven within secrets—and the author did a fantastic job crafting this story so you don’t see that monumental twist coming.

Reviews are highly subjective, and though I keep mine spoiler-free, my values and moral principles have a huge impact on how a book affects me. I believe in people being held accountable for their actions and I’m not forgiving by nature so the ending didn’t sit right with me, including one of the characters who supposedly tried to make things right but was no better.

That said, I liked the author’s writing style and would have enjoyed the story more with a different ending.

Thanks to HarperCollins Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stay tuned.

∼Lyn

Blurb:
My Flawless Life features a compelling narrator who grapples with the secrets of her private school classmates as well as her own life.
At the most elite private school in Washington, DC., whenever anyone has a problem that they need to go away, they hire Hana Yang Lerner.
Hana is a fixer. She knows who to call, what to say, and how to make sure secrets stay where they belong–buried. She can fix anything. Except her own life, which was destroyed when her father, senator Skip Lerner, was arrested for an accident that left one woman nearly dead.
Now Hana’s reputation is ruined and her friends are gone. So when she gets a job from an anonymous client called “Three” to follow her former best friend, Luce Herrera, Hana realizes this might be her way of getting back her old life.
But the dangerous thing about digging is that you never know what you’ll unearth. As Hana uncovers a dark truth about her supposedly flawless classmates, she’s forced to face a secret of her own.

 

Movie Review: The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

Rating: 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Genre: Sci-fi, Action, Romance

Review:

I can’t remember exactly how old I was when I watched the first Matrix movie. I think I must have been fifteen or sixteen, but what I do remember is the wonder The Matrix brought to an impressionable teen who was already crazy about sci-fi and fantasy. And let’s not forget totally crushing on Keanu Reeves after watching him in Speed (1994).

Now, 18 years after The Matrix Revolutions (2003) finished the trilogy off with a heartbreaking end, we were given one more installment. I have to say upfront that I’m a bit wary of additional sequels to franchises that wrapped up with perfect, albeit tragic endings. You know that feeling when a franchise ends with a finality that gave you a satisfying closure and you reconciled the emotions that came with it? And now to open that door again, with an anxiety that this new chapter could just ruin how you viewed and felt about it.

Book Dragons, especially, know this feeling when an author ends a series and then does a surprising addition to it that continues it. I call it a make-it-or-break-it plot twist. So of course I was both hyper and anxious about watching Matrix 4 – The Matrix Resurrections.

I am quite pleased to announce that I absolutely loved it. In my opinion, it was an interesting take on how the original trilogy ended, with new characters and changes to the timeline adding value to the story as a whole. And let’s be honest, how many of us wanted this since we first met Neo and Trinity?

Special Effects
When talking about The Matrix, you can’t not remark on the most important part—the special effects. I enjoyed them a lot and found the new changes a seamless merge to the original trilogy. The special effects were as wicked cool as always, the dystopian world of the machines’ domination as bleak as ever. And it was absolutely terrific!

Old & New Characters
I wanted to watch The Matrix Resurrections without any spoilers or even a glimpse into it so I had no clue which additional new actors I would see other than Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss. It was a fantastic surprise to see some of my favorite actors from Sense8 in it. I was fangirling all the way. Now for Morpheus 2.0, the new face looked good lol and the update was pretty cool. As for the humorless, invincible Agent Smith, he was as evil as ever and the new actor, Jonathan Groff, portrayed the crazy evil antagonist to perfection.

Overall Plot-line
The overall story was intriguing, with twists and turns that kept me hooked in. Some die-hard Matrix fans might find fault with this new installment but I for one found none. I’m not a romantic, my default mode is cynic but I found The Matrix Resurrections to be at the root, a love story – a tribute to Neo and Trinity, that deep connection between them that surmounted all odds.

That’s my conclusion and no matter what anyone else says, I enjoyed this movie a lot and I give it 5 by 5 stars.

∼Lyn

ARC Review: Fable (Fable #1) by Adrienne Young

Rating: 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Pub Date: 01 Sep 2020

Review:

One fateful night leaves Fable without a mother and abandoned on an island where she has to fend for herself until the day she finds passage off it with the help of a young trader, West. And so begins the start of unlikely alliances as they strive to navigate peril and keep their head above water.

Fable’s story, how she had to strive to live, to survive, broke my heart. I felt so much pain for this young girl, left to fend alone, having to stay on guard all the time. I wanted to hug her and make her life better. Give her food, shelter, protect her. The author wove such a heartbreaking character with a core of steel that you couldn’t help but feel for her.

As for West? He was an enigma, layers and layers of complications and secrets. I wanted to know everything about him, and finding those answers, getting to know him better – drew me in deeper. The ending chapters? Oh, I tipped over the edge and fell for him.

The side-characters, the crew of the Marigold—each one with their unique voices, charmed and endeared me to their plights. As secrets are revealed and pacts made, this story grabs you and hooks you in to the last page.

The world-building and descriptions were excellent. The author’s writing was a pleasure to read and the cliffhanger left me in high anticipation for more. This was my first book by Adrienne Young, and I have to say she completely won me over. I cannot wait to read the next book.

*Thanks to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.⁣

Synopsis: As the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows, the sea is the only home seventeen-year-old Fable has ever known. It’s been four years since the night she watched her mother drown during an unforgiving storm. The next day her father abandoned her on a legendary island filled with thieves and little food. To survive she must keep to herself, learn to trust no one and rely on the unique skills her mother taught her. The only thing that keeps her going is the goal of getting off the island, finding her father and demanding her rightful place beside him and his crew. To do so Fable enlists the help of a young trader named West to get her off the island and across the Narrows to her father. But her father’s rivalries and the dangers of his trading enterprise have only multiplied since she last saw him and Fable soon finds that West isn’t who he seems. Together, they will have to survive more than the treacherous storms that haunt the Narrows if they’re going to stay alive. Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men.

ARC Review: Once in a Blue Moon (Blessings, Georgia #10) – Sharon Sala

Rating: 3/5 🌟🌟🌟

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: 25 August 2020

Review:

After a tumultuous marriage and acrimonious divorce, Cathy fled her ex-husband to try to find a peaceful life for herself. That’s where the small town of Blessings and the super-cute, super-nice rancher, Duke Talbot come in. As the newcomer in Blessings, Cathy is reluctant to make new ties. When Duke comes to the rescue after Cathy has a bad fall, it pushes her into instant ties with the town denizens, filling her life with new possibilities and new chances.

I liked Cathy. Her decisions left me in awe. To leave everything behind, venture out in the unknown without knowing what you’ll encounter takes a lot of courage and I admired her for it. She was a good fit for Duke, a man who shouldered responsibility and strove to do what was right. Duke was so endearing, he charmed me straight away. I loved his relationship with his brother, Jake and sister-in-law, Hope.

My only complaint with this story is that it veered away too much from the romance between Cathy and Duke to focus instead on the lives of the townspeople. I would have enjoyed the story more if the focus had been on Cathy and Duke. I did love the addition of little 8-year-old Melvin Lee though, which enhanced Cathy and Duke’s relationship. He was a sweet little tyke and his manner of speaking was so cute you couldn’t help but love him and feel for his situation.

It’s been a long time since I last read a Sharon Sala book but I still enjoy her writing and the dashes of humor always leave me smiling. This book is part of a series but can also be read as stand-alone.

*Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Sharon Sala’s Blessings, GA series immerses the reader in a world where bad things may happen, but good people always come out ahead. Supremely satisfying, Sala’s contemporary romances bring out the best in people! Rancher Duke Talbot meets Cathy Terry in Blessings by chance. She’s new to town, and so grateful to be there—Blessings feels like a safe haven. As their relationship grows and Cathy sees Duke’s feelings for her are real, she confesses she’s on the run from an abusive ex-husband. Now she’s fallen in love with Blessings and with Duke, and Cathy doesn’t want to run anymore.

How To Review 101

Hola, Book Dragons. Today I’m playing Yoda to your Luke Skywalker. Okay, okay, I don’t claim to be a Jedi Master expert at reviewing but I do have a basic blueprint for review of different categories of media, which I use to plan a review. It’s come to my rescue even when I got stuck with reviewer writer’s block. I’m sharing my secrets with you guys today. 😉

Books
As a die-hard bibliophile, books are my favorite things in the world. So many times, they’ve helped me cope with depression, unhappiness and so many bad things that dragged me down. But I digress. This is my list of how I review books:
1 – Book Cover
2 – Main Characters and Side-Characters
3 – Plot-Line/Story
4 – World-building/Descriptions
5 – Author’s writing
Book covers are work of arts and I think they deserve recognition too, don’t you? So when doing a review, I do an analysis of Story development, Plotline/Storyline, Character growth, Writing Style and World-building, depending on their relevance to the story.

Graphic Novels/Comic Books/Mangas
Graphic Novels and Mangas are so much fun and they are fast reads. If you haven’t read them before, you really should give them a try.
1 – Book Cover
2 – Quality of drawings
3 – Storyline
4 – Dialogues
Graphic novels and mangas are more of a visual medium rather than imagining the scenes in your head like with the written word, so the quality of drawings is a deal breaker for me. Witty dialogues are the icing on the cake, but if the illustrations are poorly-done, they ruin a good story.

AudioBooks
Audiobooks are a recent venture for me. I prefer the written word but audiobooks have their own charm. Especially when you’re stuck with chores (which I hate).
1 – Narrators
2 – Main Characters
3 – Plot-Line/Story
4 – World-building/Descriptions
For audiobooks, narrators are the deal-breaker for me. Their voice and narrating style are what make the choice for me if I want to listen to the book or not. A good narrator can make me enjoy even the most boring story but if I don’t like the narrator, it can ruin the story for me. In cases like that, I usually give the story a second chance by reading it.

Movies/TV Shows/Kdramas
Like books, I’m pretty eclectic in my choice of movies, TV shows and Kdramas. I enjoy action where things blow up, superheroes, special effects, romance, comedies. 
1 – Storyline
2 – Characters
3 – Dialogues
4 – Action
5 – Special Effects
For Kdramas, I need my element of comedy in them and rom-coms are the best kinds.

Music
1 – Melody
2 – Lyrics
Do I need to elaborate this one? 😉 A good song can reach inside you with its melody, its lyrics and shake your heart.

Like your choice of books, your review is also subjective. Your emotions are your own, and your reviews reflect how something you read, watch and listen to will affect you. That said, the one rule of thumb I always try to stick to, is NO SPOILERS. There’s nothing like a spoiler to ruin an amazing experience for someone else.

Oh, I also try to take notes when I read or listen to audiobooks. It helps me get my thoughts in line for my review.

Well, guys, this my review process. It’s not a comprehensive list and not all the points in each list will be relevant for a review.

What about you, what’s your review process?

∼Lyn

ARC Review: Mara the Space Traveler – An Leysen

Rating: 3/5 🌟🌟🌟

Genre: Children’s Fiction

Review:

I love illustrations and I enjoy children’s books a lot. So when I saw this book with the beautiful cover, of course I was enchanted. Mara the Space Traveler is about a little girl with a rich imagination and dreams of being an astronaut.

The drawings were stunning and beautiful. I lingered on each page, enjoying the illustrations which were very vivid and colorful and would easily grab the attention of any child.

ARC Book Review: Hideaway – Nora Roberts

Rating: 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Suspense

Review:

Hideaway is the story of Cate Sullivan, the prodigy of a famous Hollywood family. She is kidnapped as a child and that trauma, with its underlying hurtful revelations, ripples throughout her life, re-shaping it from what could have to what can be, disrupting her set path, affecting not just her but her entire family and that of Dillon Cooper’s and forcing her to turn into a new direction.

I have to say upfront, I couldn’t believe it when I was lucky enough to get approved for the ARC of this book. Nora Roberts is my favorite author in the world. Her books saved my life, shaped my future and I can’t thank her enough for her stories. So I was over the moon when I got the ARC. My first ever Nora Roberts ARC! I was both excited and terrified to read Hideaway. The excited part is easy to understand but dread because, what if I hated the book? Or what if the story didn’t speak to me? My principles wouldn’t allow me to give a less than honest opinion. I can’t in good faith ever fake a positive review when I don’t like the book. But thankfully, my fears turned out to be groundless.