2-Star Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Hsinju’s Lit Log

ARCs, Book Reviews, Fiction

First Do No Harm by Emily Smith | ARC Review

24th June 2020
First Do No Harm by Emily Smith
- Publisher: Bold Strokes Books, 2020
- Genre: Romance, LGBTQ+
- Format: Paperback (eARC)
- Page Count: 240 pages
- My Rating: ⭐⭐ (2/5)
Physician assistant Pierce Parker was not so lucky in the love department. Moving to Boston after an awful breakup, she went on random dates, trying to experience sparks again to no avail. But it was more than just sparks when the hospital’s new resident Dr. Cassidy Sullivan came along. As Cassidy’s past caught up with her, would the pair be strong enough to push through all obstacles?
Read More

No Comments
ARCs, Book Reviews, Fiction

Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles | ARC Review

26th April 2020
Where Dreams Descend (Kingdom of Cards #1) by Janella Angeles
- Publisher: Wednesday Books, August 25th 2020
- Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
- Format: eARC
- Page Count: 464 pages
- My Rating: ⭐⭐ (2/5)
Glorian is a cursed city. When a magician competition was held there, Kallia, eager to leave Jack’s club and prove that women should have a place in performance magic, joined it despite Jack’s warning. Things went awry from there and no one knew why.
Read More

No Comments
ARCs, Book Reviews, Fiction

Murder at Pirate’s Cove by Josh Lanyon | ARC Review

14th March 2020
Murder at Pirate’s Cove: An M/M Cozy Mystery (Secrets and Scrabble #1) by Josh Lanyon
- Publisher: JustJoshin Publishing, Inc., 2020
- Genre: Mystery, LGBTQ+
- Format: Ebook (eARC)
- Page Count: 206 pages
- My Rating: ⭐⭐ (2/5)
I wish I could say I enjoyed the book, but it was just okay. The storyline was fairly decent, but unfortunately, most characters (save Tommy and Nora) were flat and not interesting enough to keep me invested. Personally, I did not like the writing style in the beginning. It felt a bit of a drag before I got used to it.
Read More

No Comments
Book Reviews, Nonfiction

A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver

3rd August 2018
A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver
- Publisher: Penguin Press, 2012
- Genre: Poetry
- Format: Hardcover
- Page Count: 82 pages
- My Rating: ⭐⭐ (2/5)
I feel guilty for rating it 2 stars. While the thoughts and observance of nature are quite impressive, I have zero connection with Mary’s words. There are still a few lines here and there that I really liked, and I am happy that I had decided to pick up this book to read. However, while the praises for both this book and the poet are high, it is definitely not something that truly calls to me.
Read More

No Comments
Book Reviews, Fiction

Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy

15th June 2018
Dumplin’ (Dumplin’ #1) by Julie Murphy
- Publisher: Balzer + Bray, 2015
- Genre: Young Adult
- Format: Ebook
- Page Count: 384 pages
- My Rating: ⭐⭐ (2/5)
If you go in there and you decide that this isn’t for you, then you never have to go back. But you owe yourself the chance, you hear me?

The message this book tried to convey is clear enough, but the details of the plot are not. Some of the conversations were slightly unnatural and the sense of time was a bit weird. The characters would change subjects without proper pauses and a several-minute drive would be over in a 10-sentence talk. I was left in confusion.
Read More

1 Comment