࿐ My entire life, I only felt completely alive when he was close, and while I knew nothing would ever be easy with him, I also knew nothing would ev
࿐ My entire life, I only felt completely alive when he was close, and while I knew nothing would ever be easy with him, I also knew nothing would ever be good without him, either.
ᝰ.ᐟ 3 stars
This was a wild ride! And while it wasn't always a good one, it was certainly entertaining from start to finish. I'm sure everyone has heard of this series, and many of you have probably read it, and you know it has a lot of mixed reviews. I honestly agree with the negative reviews and understand why so many people hate this book, but I surprisingly found myself enjoying reading it. Some of it is pure comedy because I couldn't take it all seriously. These people are fucked up and they think they're gods, but they're just dumb, stupid rich kids who've never been held accountable for their actions. That's what happens when you don't teach kids how to be responsible and mature and own up to their own mistakes. But I digress, I wanted a book that didn't require me to think, and Corrupt was exactly what I was looking for.
── .✦ “When you want to make an impression and you think you’ve gone far enough, go a little further. Always leave them wondering if you’re just a little bit crazy, and people will never fuck with you again.”
Michael, Kai, Damon and Will are known as the Four Horsemen and every Halloween they love to wreak havoc in their hometown. Everyone loves them, fears them, worships them, wants to be them or be with them. Three years ago, curious Erika Fane got caught up in their games and shit happened. Now the Four Horsemen are all out for revenge and hell-bent on making her life a living hell.
I enjoyed the thrill and excitement that came with the games they played and the mystery of what happened that night, although it was predictable and the plot twist was not shocking, but I hated how they treated Rika like she was a piece of trash. I want to say that despite enjoying the book, I do not condone any of the things Michael and his friends did to Rika. It was fucked up, disturbing and sickening.
── .✦ Our scrapes and bruises, tattoos, scars, smiles, and wrinkles told our stories, and I didn’t want a pristine piece of wallpaper. I wanted her and everything she was.
I enjoyed the writing and the eerie atmosphere the author created, which made this a great autumn read. The book is bigger than I expected but I read it very fast. It's addictive and I enjoyed the pacing and think the flashbacks were perfectly placed.
The boys love playing wicked games and get high off the adrenaline of inflicting fear and pain on others, and I'm not sure how to feel about them, but I'm very excited to read the other books and hopefully get some much needed character development. I can see the potential in some of the characters, I hope they're more fleshed out in the next books.
「 erika fane 」
I wanted to slap her silly face so many times! Why are female characters in dark romances so stupid? Sometimes I thought she enjoyed being mistreated because this girl seemed to have no self-respect. I enjoyed the moments when she stood up for herself, and I can admit that she's got fire in her, but did she have to be so stupid and naive? It was embarrassing.
── .✦ “Because you’ve corrupted her nice and good. She’s a force now, and it won’t be long before she’s brave enough to demand what she wants. If you don’t give it to her, she’ll find someone else who will.”
「 michael crist 」
A stupid, immature, rich boy who throws tantrums 24/7. He's arrogant and thinks he's above everyone else and that society's rules don't apply to him. He's always preaching about owning up to who you are and doing what you want, but rules exist for a fucking reason and I wish he'd face the consequences of his own actions. He's a caricature of so many other male characters in dark romances and there's no depth to him. He can lie to himself all he wants, but I don't believe him when he says he never meant to hurt Rika. If he didn't, he would have stopped his friends from terrorising her.
── .✦ Redefine normal. None of us know the full measure of our power until we start pushing our boundaries and pressing our luck, and the more we do, the less we care what others think. The freedom feels too good.
“Nikolai had been told that hope was dangerous, had been warned of it many times. But he’d never believed that. Hope was the wind
**spoiler alert**
“Nikolai had been told that hope was dangerous, had been warned of it many times. But he’d never believed that. Hope was the wind that came from nowhere to fill your sails and carry you home.”
What the hell was that ending? How can you end the book like this? OMG I have a million thoughts running through my mind
Merged review:
“Nikolai had been told that hope was dangerous, had been warned of it many times. But he’d never believed that. Hope was the wind that came from nowhere to fill your sails and carry you home.”
What the hell was that ending? How can you end the book like this? OMG I have a million thoughts running through my mind
࿐ She was drowning, and he was air. She hadn’t even realized how much she needed him until he was gone.
ᝰ.ᐟ 4 stars
This book wasn't as great as I e
࿐ She was drowning, and he was air. She hadn’t even realized how much she needed him until he was gone.
ᝰ.ᐟ 4 stars
This book wasn't as great as I expected, and to be honest I think it's a bit overhyped, but I had a great time with it and enjoyed getting lost in this world. It's a good autumn read and perfect for people who don't read much fantasy or want to get into the genre. I would say it is primarily a romance with fantasy elements.
It's easy to get into the story because the writing is accessible, the world building is fairly simple and the plot is easy to follow. In my opinion this is a character driven story, because the plot doesn't pick up right away, in fact we get more action towards the end and the beginning is very focused on the characters. I guessed the plot twist, it's very predictable if you're paying attention, but that didn't make me enjoy the story any less. As someone who loves fantasy, the weak world building is one of my main problems with this book. I don't understand what time period this is supposed to be set in, because it's a mix of old and new. There are balls and courtships, but the dialogue gave the story a modern feel that confused me. I wanted more depth in the world building and magic system.
In terms of the overall plot, we've got a witch and a witch hunter and a world where witches are not free to be who they are. As I said, the plot is not complicated at all. When it picks up, it's fast paced, but the beginning of the book was slower, it took me a while to connect with the characters and the story.
「 rune winters 」
There was potential for Rune to be a better character. We know she's the Crimson Moth, a famous vigilante who helps witches and rescues them from being purged, but we don't get to see her in action. She's supposed to be this badass vigilante, but she's just a girl who spends her days posing as a young socialite to make sure nobody finds out the truth about who she is. And most of the time she was stuck in the middle of a silly love triangle, worrying about boys instead of focusing on her mission. I sympathised with her and I understand her, but I don't feel a strong connection to her.
── .✦ But she’d been living a lie for so long, she didn’t know if there was anything true still in her. If I didn’t have to hide myself, she thought, who would I be? Who was the real Rune Winters?
「 gideon sharpe 」
Gideon is a more complex character than Rune, I think of all the characters he's the one with the most depth. I enjoyed getting to know his story, and his hatred of witches makes so much sense. Sometimes in enemies to lovers romances it's easy to side with one of the characters, but here I had conflicting thoughts. I wanted Rune to be free, but I couldn't blame Gideon for hunting witches. Both had very valid reasons for defending their cause.
── .✦ Were you born massive? she wondered, staring up at him. Or were you once as small and fragile as the rest of us?
Alex, Gideon's brother and Rune's best friend, is a character who was completely wasted and only existed to serve the plot and move it along. Though flawed, he's a sweet and kind boy and it annoyed me to see him being used by the author in this way. The "love triangle" was stupid and what happened at the end made me scream, not in pain, but in anger. I'm sad about how it all went down. I hate it when siblings are pitted against each other over a girl.
࿐ Because to allow yourself to be known is to allow yourself to be wounded.
ᝰ.ᐟ 2.5 stars
I apologise for the amount of times the word “stories” app
࿐ Because to allow yourself to be known is to allow yourself to be wounded.
ᝰ.ᐟ 2.5 stars
I apologise for the amount of times the word “stories” appears in this review lol
After finishing this book, I've learnt that short stories are not for me. I hate not getting a proper ending to a story, I feel like most of the stories in this book are missing something and have no purpose. I enjoyed a few of them, but the majority were messy and didn't have a proper structure and made me feel so stupid, because they were too metaphorical and I couldn't understand what the author was trying to say. I don't think the book is bad and I'm a big fan of Olivie Blake's books; in this case, my disappointment boils down to the content of the stories not being very interesting to me, and also not loving the structure of these stories [I have to point out that the arc I received is badly formatted, and I think that's another factor that made me enjoy it even less. Some stories were very difficult to read].
I think Blake has a truly unique writing style and it shows in each of these stories. In my opinion, these are tales of love and betrayal, life and death, and although I couldn't appreciate them all, I think they brilliantly showcase Olivie's artistry and versatility as a writer. Each story is different! Some are very weird and strange, and there's one in particular that I hated, but others have an almost fairytale quality to them, I marvelled at how magical some of the stories were. Especially the ones at the beginning - the very first story, The Wish Bridge, had me enthralled, it was very enchanting and I wish each of the stories kept that magical quality. I found that the more contemporary stories were my least favourite.
The book is divided into 4 parts - Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter (I have no idea why). Spring and Summer were the parts I enjoyed the most, the others were mostly disappointing and I admit that I skimmed through some stories and even skipped two because I was so bored. My favourite short story was “To Make a Man”. I can't explain why, it was the only one that evoked feelings and I almost shed a tear. It made me wish it was a full-length novel. Some stories, like I said, I enjoyed, others were really confusing, some I enjoyed certain aspects of but they left me with conflicting thoughts, and others were just bad and very metaphysical in a way I didn't appreciate. It's as if the author was trying so hard to convey something, but it came across as pretentious writing.
Overall, most of the stories were fine, but they didn't stand out to me and I'm sure I'll forget them quickly. I think about this book and feel nothing, which isn't what I expected.
If you don't like Blake's writing, or have never read one of her books, I wouldn't recommend this. But if you're a fan of metaphysical stories with very strange elements, it may be something to consider if you want to read a collection of short stories.
Thank you NetGalley and PanMacmillian for the e-arc!
➛ quotes
I was born with a vastness inside me, and sometimes I feel it will swallow me up.
"You're a wanderer who's been all over the world. What are you looking for?" He stares at me. "Myself, for a while," he says slowly, and then, even slower, "But I think since I met you, I've been looking for you.”
It's a curious thing, darkness. The looming swell of the horribly unknown. Strangely, though, I find it relatable. After all, I was born with a vastness inside me, and now, at last, the world is at my feet. It's a very freeing thing, really, to be granted a wish. Even if it isn't technically mine.
For the story does end, as most stories do, with a familiar tale of a boy and a girl, and a happily ever after. But this tale concludes with a lesson, too: that the end is never the end. For the gift, the magic of it all, is in the sharing of a life together.
Lina, Lina, Lina. You are the softness of your skin, the sharpness of your mind. You are the knife edge of your humor, which doesn't look like humor at first because, on you, joy looks like suspicion. You are the distance you so meticulously keep between us. You are the door, the latch, the key. I understand now that I am an invasion; even with my best intentions, you can only trust me the way you'd trust a flood. There's no choosing which parts of me you accept or which parts of you I want. We seep in through each other's cracks, all or nothing. ...more
࿐ “Miller,” he says, making sure my attention is on him. “If you ever decide to stop running and make a home…” His eyes are begging, pleading. “Make
࿐ “Miller,” he says, making sure my attention is on him. “If you ever decide to stop running and make a home…” His eyes are begging, pleading. “Make it with me.”
ᝰ.ᐟ 4.5 stars
This book is so incredibly sweet and wholesome, it made me so happy. I had a feeling I was going to fall head over heels for Kai and I'm glad I wasn't proven wrong ...more
࿐ One cannot awaken, until they first suffer. One cannot fly, until they first burn.
ᝰ.ᐟ 4 stars
I'm pretty sure that this book turned my world upsi
࿐ One cannot awaken, until they first suffer. One cannot fly, until they first burn.
ᝰ.ᐟ 4 stars
I'm pretty sure that this book turned my world upside down and forced me to look at it with different eyes. I truly experienced every single thing that happened as if it was happening to me.. I lived through it. I became one with these characters and it was terrifying and fascinating at the same time. I couldn't look away, I was completely immersed in the story from the beginning.
── .✦ Because the moon doesn’t shine on dead girls. And I’ve been marked for death for a long, long time.
.ᐟ This is one of those books where it's best to go in blind and with an open mind (trust me, this is a necessity. Judgments will get you nowhere and you won't be able to enjoy reading it if you're constantly judging the characters). I'd also recommend checking TW’s if you're very sensitive - this is a really, really dark book.
This is a story about the dark side of humanity, the depraved, twisted, cruel, sick world that is kept hidden from society. Although it's a work of fiction, the sad truth is that many of the things that happen in this book are not just a fantasy conjured up by the author. They happen in real life. But most of all, this is a story of survival. This is the story of a girl who suffers unimaginable heartbreak and torture, a victim of the games of men who think they are above the rules and morals of society. A girl who lives every day trapped in a never-ending nightmare. A girl who eventually finds her wings and breaks free from all bonds. And in her captors, her cagers, she finds her flock. A family, a home.
── .✦ We are all. We are many. And we are one. Flock, flock, flock.
As in the Will and Way duet, the writing is simple yet beautiful. It draws you in and makes it hard to tear your eyes away from the book. I was completely engrossed in this dark world and loved the atmosphere the author created. There is a sense of eeriness in this place, it is sinister and seems haunted, it feels like someone is playing mind games, at times I couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't. I felt as trapped as our main character. Disgusted by the depravity of this world, but unable to look away.
── .✦ I’m no longer a little bird lost… But a little bird found, broken wings and all. And that’s what terrifies me most, because if I’m no longer lost, then what happens to the girl I hid away… And where does it leave those I left behind?
The characters are beautifully written and they're all so fleshed out. They're very human characters, with a lot of depth, and I think if you're a very empathetic person, and you can easily put yourself in someone else's shoes, you'll feel for them. You'll see beyond the facade they have to show the world. When the truth about the Flock was revealed, I wasn't surprised, because deep down I always knew.
I found the way the author explores morality fascinating. When we imagine certain situations, we're so quick to say "I'd never do that, I'd never become that person", but when faced with the unimaginable, who knows what we'd do? Who knows if our moral compass would remain strong? I don't want to say too much because, as I said, it's best to go into this book blind, but these are just a few thoughts that kept popping into my head as I read.
── .✦ In the game of life versus death, the only thing we have to rely on is our desperation. To do what must be done.
The ending was very unexpected and I don't know what to make of it yet, I knew this wasn't a standalone but I'm not the biggest fan of the cliffhanger. I have so many questions, I'm not sure I understand everything that happened at the end and I just want the next book to give me all the answers. This book was all about the fmc's story, the firebird who was caged and brutalised but found her wings and broke free. Now the healing begins and I wonder how the Flock will find a way to exist in a world that was denied to them for so long.
── .✦ “I am Ember,” I whisper. And I was forged to make the world burn.
There's a spoiler section below where I share some of my messy thoughts after finishing the book. For now, I'll just say that if this seems like something you'd enjoy reading, then go for it. But I can't guarantee you'll like it, I know it's one of those books that not everyone will love. I strongly encourage you to read the Lost Boy series and follow the author's recommended order, but you don't have to read the Will & Way duet if you don't want to.
.ᐟspoiler zone.ᐟ ┆ ┆ ┆ ┆ ┆ - I already knew this was Izzy's story because the author says so at the end of ITAW, so it wasn't a shock when her identity was revealed, and ngl I'm a little sad about it. It would have been so cool to feel the full impact of it. But it didn't affect my enjoyment of the story.
- For a moment I was so scared that it was all a hallucination. I'd have thrown my kindle out of the window if Izzy had made it all up in her head. I'm so glad it was real, it would have been too upsetting otherwise.
- I didn't expect to see Jer, Mason and Waylon at the end and I really need to know more. I'd love to have Mason's POV of that moment, I want to know what was going through his head.
- I'm both excited and afraid to read Mason and Jeremy's book. From what I've seen in the Will & Way duet, Jeremy is pining so hard for Mason and I'm not sure Mason feels the same way. There's something there, and I know it's a very delicate and complicated situation, but for their love story to be believable to me, I need to know that Jeremy is it for Mason. Jeremy does not deserve to be a second choice and he does not deserve to spend his life wondering if Mason really wants to be with him. I'm just rambling at this point and I'll try not to set high expectations for their book. I trust Jessie to tell their story the way it needs to be told.
- Although I have to say that I know in my heart that Izzy doesn't want to be with Mason again. I know that whatever romantic feelings she had for him are in the past, with the version of herself she had to leave behind. Their love was pure and innocent, and now that Izzy has embraced the darkness within her, there's no going back. She belongs with her flock.
- Speaking of the Flock, wow!! this book forced me to keep an open mind and I loved that, I loved getting to explore all the taboo subjects, I don't usually read books with polyamorous relationships but I am dying to see how their dynamics will be explored in the next book. This book was all about Izzy and the next one will focus on all of them and I can't wait to find out more.
- Confession: I loved the sex scenes. They were hot, they were intimate, they were both beautiful and tender, but also animalistic and dark. I don't know if this makes sense, but I was holding my breath the whole time.
- Corvin is such a complicated character, but I'm rooting for him. He needs to redeem himself more in my eyes, I'm still a bit suspicious of him, I have to believe that Izzy is now his priority too (which I think was made clear at the end), but I think he deserves a chance. I'm not going to justify his wrongdoings, but he was also a victim. He did everything he could to protect his boys and Izzy. And I don't have it in me to hate him, I'm sure he hates himself enough already.
- Ezio is a sweetheart and I love how he constantly reminded Izzy that she had a choice and he always respected her, he gave her what no one else had and that makes me love him even more.
- Aquillus, this poor boy. My heart breaks for him. All the abuse and trauma he's suffered is despicable, I hope he can heal from it.
- Fowler and Lycus deserved what they got, and I wish they had suffered more. Disgusting pigs....more
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