Author: courtneywhoblog

Book Reviews

Slayer Review

courtneywhoblog

Slayer by Kiersten White 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

THIS BOOK WAS FREAKING AMAZING! As a girl who grew up loving Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I immediately jumped to buy Slayer when I saw it in the bookstore. This book exceeded my expectations! The main character, Athena aka the LAST SLAYER EVER, was the perfect amount of award teenager mixed with quirky humor mixed with an identity crisis. I love that Athena grew up in the Watcher society because we get to see the Watcher’s from a different point of view. I thought it was really interesting to see that Buffy is the ultimate villain to Athena during most of the book. It’s so opposite of what we saw in the tv show.

I enjoyed seeing the complex relationship between Athena and her twin sister Artemis. They both are going through so much shit that the other can’t fully grasp. They both love each other but in the end find that they can’t be what the other person needs. Kiersten White is always great at showing the push and pull of a bond between sisters.

I also love the internal battle in Athena. She doesn’t quite fit as a Slayer or a Watcher and her realization in the end that she can be both was pretty awesome. I absolutely love her.

And the twist at the end…OH MY GOD! My anxiety was turned all the way up! I was hoping the every prophecy would come to pass in this book but obviously there is so much more that needs to be discussed in the next book. I’m honestly really worried about Athena and Artemis’s relationship with this big, bad Buffy like prophecy. I can’t wait to read the next book!

Book Reviews

The Blonde Review

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The Blonde by Anna Godberson 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I actually bought this book YEARS ago and finally took a moment to read it and I am so happy I did! This thrilling story of Marilyn Monroe being a Russian spy and spying on the President while falling in love with him was heart wrenching at times. Of course the author mixed in enough historically accurate information to make the fictional novel seem almost as if it really did happen. I love that Marilyn was more than her beauty in this story by showing how truly intelligent she was as a character. I also loved that a true romance was built between Marilyn and Jack. (Even if her intentions weren’t exactly innocent at first.) I was not so happy with how their relationship ended though. That broke my heart.

The novel follows two characters: Marilyn and an FBI agent Douglass Walls. I liked that we got this twist of seeing an FBI agent trailing Marilyn because of her communist husband but somehow finding this whole secret plot to take down the President by a Russian organization. I just hate that Agent Walls messed up everything Marilyn tried to plan to save her man. Overall I really loved the book. As a Marilyn Monroe fan, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the way Anna Godberson portrayed her.

Book Reviews

The Phantom of the Opera Review

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The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I’ve grown up loving Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” so recently I decided to give the book a try. I actually had no idea there was a book until my trip to Paris when we visited the famous opera house.

This was a nice, short read after taking on the 850+ book in my prior post. I was surprised to see that the story is written as if it is a historical biography instead of a novel. The main point of view throughout the book is written from the author’s narrative instead of a characters. It was slightly weird at first but I soon got caught in the wonders of the mysterious Opera ghost. I loved the background info the reader is given about the Opera ghost aka Erik. If you enjoyed the musical and like to read, I would recommend this book to you.

Book Reviews

The Lives and Times of the Great Composers Review

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The Lives and Times of the Great Composers by
Michael Steen 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I’m not going to lie. This book took awhile to get through but I felt particularly accomplished once I finished it. I love that the book didn’t analyze the composers music, but instead gave us a look into their lives in regards to what was happening in history. Steen discusses multiple composers such as Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini, Tchaikovsky, and Schubert. Most of the composers got their own chapter filled with juicy details about their personal lives and careers. And it’s sad to say that most of these composers did not have happy endings.

If you are looking for a book that goes into the music analysis, this isn’t for you. This book is more for those that love history and are curious to find out what a day in the life of was like for some of the most legendary composers of the 16 century all the way to the early 20th century. Great book for music history lovers!

Book Reviews

A Feast for Crows Review

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A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I read the first three books of A Song of Ice and Fire a couple of years ago and after reading the fourth book I’m reminded why I didn’t immediately continue reading the series. It absolutely pains me to think I may never know what happens to the characters in Westeros. Of course this book only has POVs from Sansa, Arya, Jaime, Brienne, Samwell, Cersei, the dornish, and the iron born. So you don’t even know what’s happening with Jon, Dany, Tyrion, Varys, etc. But so much takes place in a matter of 684 pages!

Obviously the book was a freaking masterpiece. It was hard to put the book down at times because I just had to see when Cersei was going to get what she deserved from the sparrows, what would come of Arianne Martell’s schemes, and see what new twists will come from Brienne’s journey to find Sansa. I hate George for writing such a thrilling and addicting story… WHY, GEORGE?! WHY MUST YOU TORTURE ME? Will I read the fifth book? Of course. Will I be deeply depressed afterwards like I am now? Of course. Will we ever get the last two books? Not likely.

Book Reviews

A Court of Mist and Fury Review

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A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas  

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Books like this are DANGEROUS. Once you get started…you can’t put it down. The first book in the ACOTAR was absolutely stunning but THIS book took me so deep into the dark and twisties of emotional trauma that I was a goner. My heart broke every second Feyre was in the Spring court just as my heart leapt with joy when she finally confessed her love for Rhysand.

I loved seeing Feyre embrace her powers and become the baddest bitch around the Night court. And I adored finally meeting the Inner Circle.

I highly recommend anyone who loves fantasy to read this series.

Book Reviews

A People’s History of the World Review

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A People’s History of the World by Chris Harman 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I enjoyed this book even though it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. I would have liked more expansion on certain key points in world history such as the world wars or slavery but I understand that the book wasn’t written to spend hundreds of pages discussing only a few important moments. I really liked reading from a different point of view on issues and events because the author introduced a entirely new understanding of why things happened they way the did in the past.

A good read for anyone who likes history. Also great for anyone who wants to learn more about the economics that shaped history.