Welcome to Amanda’s Book Corner - or ABC for short. ABC began as a blog site in 2019, and last summer 2021, I added this RU-vid channel to the mix. I publish two or three book reviews every week and put out additional vlogs and listicles once or twice a week. A commitment to diversity is at the core of my goals with ABC. I aim to lift up authors of diverse identities and the books they publish, because their books deserve to be read, and because we can all benefit from reading more diversely. It leads to deeper understanding and empathy - something the world could use more of in general. If you’re like me and you don’t read just one type of book, then you’re in the right place! I hope you’ll get value out of my reviews and other content, and I hope you’ll discover diverse new books to read and love. For sponsorships about books or book-related products, please view my page here for more info: amandasbookcorner.com/sponsorships/
Just finished reading the book right now and I feel the exact same way. I hated them all. I hated Cat the most. Sounds like a depressed child just wallowing in self pity of basically just being used by every guy there. Everyone just whining and bickering for 60 pages til it finally gets interesting when the ghost comes out- ONLY FOR THEM TO KEEP BICKERING. There was hardly any interaction with the ghost bride. They were too busy arguing to be scared lol as for the similes: I think she was trying to use them like a gothic novel would but you’re right : when you use them like 10 times in a single paragraph it’s like you’re just try-Harding to sound literarily advanced but i didn’t like having 19 similes in one sentence to describe how hunky and Perfect Philip was with his smile 😂
I absolutely loved this book! [Don't want to give spoilers] I was too sad when what happened towards the end of the book, even though Marin had her happy ending. This book really wanted me to travel to the Caribbean and also own my own hotel or something someday, lol. All the adventures were so heartwarming, and I thoroughly enjoyed the side characters of Ken, Ronaldo and Laurentina. And I totally agree with the fact that this book is more than a light-hearted romance but mainly about an empowering story, knowing oneself and sisterly relationships. Like they said, "Everything great is on the other side of fear."
The books sound fascinating! I'm glad that Victoria was conscious of whether she was romanticizing mental illness because that can be a real issue. It sounds like she found the line and stayed respectful while also playing with alternative views and mystical possibilities. Great interview!
I have illustionary by Zoraida Córdova but still going to get incendiary by Zoraida Córdova because the works shop sells new books at a great price plus there doing 3 for £6 and 2 for £10 offers and for me thats a good thing, but they did`nt have incendiary sadly so can I read illustionary before indendiary or incediary them illustionary.
I agree about becoming a cat person. I just watched a video about the cat in Coraline - I have no idea whether the cat(s) in this book are as mysterious and omniscient, but I think it's best to stay on cats' good side.
Indeed. Cats deserve our love and praise. I haven't watched or read Coraline, but the ones introduced at the end of this book are certainly mysterious and maybe dangerous!
I agree! Lately I've really enjoyed reading books about real people somewhat adjacent to famous historical figures. I have several more on my list that I plan to read soon!
Thanks for the great review… yep “apologize to my cat” lol I think you will really enjoy how that character progresses she is actually one of my favorites going forward
Thank you so much for curating this list! So many of the videos I searched for on this subject rarely mention books written by women, so this is much appreciated. :-)
It had potential to be great, but didn’t deliver. Which is a shame as some of Japan’s folklore is bloody creepy and I’d not heard of this Yokai before so it taught me something new about folklore, a fascination of mine. The story I feel would have worked as a movie though. I might actually have been able to tell what was happening then. The amount of prose sections I skim read from seeing strange the sentences were. I guess the authors a fan of words but there were times I looked at the words and thought, “I have no idea what this means.”
Yes, it really is a shame. I'd love to read other books (horror and otherwise) that explore Japanese folklore. I did like learning about Yokai! And yes, this story could work really well as a movie... at least with the right screenplay!
I see Mimi is a fellow Californian and she is prolific and popular; you make a very convincing booster for her continued success. Congratulations, too, on the completion of the orthodontal treatment. The results obviously make you smile, and we smile with you. All the best for your channel's future growth.
Thank you, Kevin! I got my braces off only last week, so just in time to film my "comeback" video haha. Mimi Matthews is great - I've only read two of her books so far, but I've loved both and look forward to reading her others.
Aww thank you! I needed a little break, but I miss making videos. I'm hoping to publish them more often again. Badon Hill is on my short list of books to read this month, so that review video will be coming up! :)
@@AmandasBookCorner good spooky book for Halloween. I got a historical fantasy romance for you to check out. Children of gods and fighting men look it up I think you’d enjoy it
@@ianonymous3524 I did get the signed Gurzil, thank you so much! And it looks amazing with the blue on the cover! Also thank you for the recommendation - I'll add it to my TBR now!
Thanks for continuing with your site, Amanda. IF this book had been intended as a serious R&J re-imagining, but still a tragedy, there likely would have been drug cartels or smuggling rings controlled by rival families, and a big shoot-out at the end, without a priest. Lead poisoning would be the only variety needed. But since this is romance fiction, I guess we're spared most of the violence but still must face class envy, gentrification, immigration and migrant labor fatigue (or insensitivity), and (I'd guess) some systemic racism directed against Anglos (I hope I'm wrong there). I think you said the book is written in English, but wonder if La Raza influences are sprinkled throughout? The story sounds, at first blush, as innocent enough, but I wonder. If I were writing a futuristic novel on similar lines, I’d entitle it “A Not So New Story of Days to Come, And They’re Already Here”. I grew up in a mostly-Anglo town in California that is now +70% Hispanic, and attended university in the Valley and have been around Mexicans and Mexican food all my life. I guess I missed the boat in writing about it. I hope the book is as good as you imply, and that the writer receives the acclaim she deserves. My son and I recently were in Reno (in our favorite Mexican restaurant, having machaca with freshly-made flour tortillas) and were talking about modern culture. This is a restaurant (a “one-off”, not a chain like Taco Bell or Los Pollos Hermanos) we’ve been going to since he was an infant (he’s now +30) and the owners and wait staff are all friends of ours. We were laughing about Daddy Yankee (the biggest phenom on RU-vid), and my son was relating to me his recent trip to Vegas. He attended a White Punk concert that MAY have had 400 in the audience. But he said there were thousands and thousands (he compared it to every Mexican American within 200 miles) attending a nearby Bad Bunny concert. He (BB) is a young man, a rapper of sorts, who sings in Spanish, apes a mixture of black and Hispanic culture, and especially caters to young Hispanic females. My son also added that most of these girls had BIG booties, but that it was a VERY enthusiastic crowd. I’ve added the last two paragraphs because we’re all told, over and over again, that the patriarchy and white privilege are the BIGGEST threats to our democracy. We’re laughing because it is obvious that the white Patriarchy is already dead, and the culture war has been lost. Indeed, we live in interesting times. Our lunch, como siempre, was delicious.
I just read the book this afternoon-I was looking for something to get into the Halloween spirit, and like you, I was drawn by the cover art. I think you’re spot-on with all of your criticisms. The similes and character bickering really annoyed me too. The creature seemed like it had some incredible horror potential though, so I hope another author will find a way to bring it to life with more effect!
I completely agree with how the author overused similes. There were so many times that I had to go back to reread because there was so little solid description that I had no idea what was going on. Initially I chalked it to me being new to reading, (as a hobby instead of a requirement) that my brain simply wasn’t wrapping itself around the words. Im glad to see I’m not just stupid and that I wasn’t the only one struggling with the literary devices😂
