Basil > Recent Status Updates

Hooked already. Older books like this have a writing style that ties the present in with the background so the exposition doesnt feel so heavy handed. Im learning about the background through the conversations and events of the present.

halliday is such a grey character. parts of him i love, parts are questionable. Wade is such a loser! The way he talks about “nerdy dorky gamer girls” is so cringe. have to say he’s really smart, though, and given his circumstances he didn’t turn out that bad of a person. i also love how you have to be online to understand a lot of references in the book.

parts of it have grabbed my attention, but others are a bit of a drag to get through. like the 2-page monologue pretty much just lore-dropping. it’s a bit lazy.

whole chapter is so self racist against asians- is the author even aware? the fact that she’s in awe interviewing all the white teachers and immediately discredits the one asian teachers response.

Im on 177 and I am thinking about DNFing this book

Selma admits to being hurt because she can't make female friends and to being aware of exactly why she can't make female friends - and its due to "the type of woman she is," which is a woman who steals men from other women for explicitly selfish reasons (see page for examples). Allen has a way of writing that is magical and glorifying, but the substance of her content isn't good. the essentialism in it...

The author always has a weird thing with promiscuous women/women weaponizing their sexuality... The whole chapter on Selma was weird, especially her idolization of her dad's mistresses as a CHILD... author is adultifying these girls. I'm wondering what the point of Selma's backstory is and how it will be important later. I don't like that Selma is a homewrecker and the author writes it off as her IINATE magic.

I'm liking the story as it unfolds, but the pacing is a bit slow. the style makes up for it. The perspectives switch pretty frequently, more than my liking. Maybe it's also to make up for not much going on.

I'm nervous about Wes and Kate. I feel like a year is still so early to move on. But maybe Kate didn't love Matt the way I assumed she did? There's something weird going on with Matt. Hate Cricket either way.

I really like it so far. I flew through 50 pages in about 30 minutes. It's really captivating and seems very culturally enriched.

The books feels so cookie cutter- the plot, the characters, the obstacles. Even attempts at describing/characterizing dont really hit home.

Lorelai is so annoying. Her and Sylvia have no chemistry, it feels so forced.

It's still good, and though it's always making progress in the plot, I do find myself a little bored. the research part of it. I want something to happen already.

Some of the reviews are right so far about it reading less like an actual journal and more like a traditional fictional story. Don't mind it though. I like how it's going to far. The fantastical elements of the Fae are more pronounced, despite the first part of this taking place at their university.

This book's logic makes no sense. I understand that it's fantasy, but the plot and explanations still need to be logical. I don't understand how a human could be nonstop bleeding literally ALL NIGHT, make multiple treks out while wounded, and still win in a fight against a bloodlusting vampire. I would understand if she had one special power, but she's literally just a normal human.

Started first tournament challenge and it's super eye-rolly. Can't stand that the human is still alive and barely injured while vampires with hundreds of years of experience literally died almost instantly. Plot armor goes crazy. Also, why is she so obsessed with that Rhain dude when she's literally fighting for her life... Get a grip! Focus! She's never cared about anything but survival before! Why the switch up?!

I feel like the author just writes whatever comes to mind without much deep thought. EX: page 58, she describes the Ministaer's creepy behavior and finishes it with the girl claiming he wasn't a wise choice for Nyaxia's flesh vessel. Um... why not? He's a creepy vampire, isn't that the point?

Or the design for the demons on pg77. She just threw together whatever sounded most grotesque without any substance.

I usually don't like this genre, or books written in this style, but I didn't mind this one at first. Not too much unneccessary fluff.

I was weirded out by how they kept emphasizing how small and tiny Oraya was as a baby. I shouldn't have been weirded out, because duh babies are small and tiny, but... I guess just the way it was written was cringe.

Now, for some reason, she's jealous of a lady her dad likes???? ew