Les Petites Revues (#1)

So I've read a handful of book lately that I couldn't imagine churning out a full review for. Instead of having them sit on GoodReads and silently judge me, I decided to try my hands at mini-reviews. Let's see if I can be concise.

Title: Tell Me No Lies (Follow Me Back #2)
Author: A.V. Geiger
Rating: 2 stars

I gave Follow Me Back a generous 3 stars because I liked the open ending and how it seemed to turn the story on its head. Tell Me No Lies completely undid all of that questioning and provided a lackluster conclusion that didn't even need to be written. Tell Me No Lies was repetitive with unnecessary red herrings and a weak ending. There was no reason for another murder, nor do I think that the motivations were explained clearly. Don't even bother.

Title: Social Creature
Author: Tara Isabella Burton
Rating: 2 stars

I picked up Social Creature after hearing it compared to Gone Girl by a Penguin rep. This book is nothing like Gone Girl, it's just super gross. I understand what the author was trying to do: she was trying to comment on our current obsession with social media and how you could live a lie without anyone really knowing. That's all fine and dandy but the characters were absolute trash. They spoke like Ivy league brats who couldn't stop being pretentious for one second. There were calls for documenting every single interaction and a super gross power dynamic between all of the characters. I gave this 2 stars instead of 1 star solely because I liked how the author used social media. It was weird but still fascinating. So do I recommend this book? Christ no!

Title: Spinning Silver
Author: Naomi Novik
Rating: 3.5 stars

This is the first book I've finished by Naomi Novik. I started the audiobook of Uprooted but easily got distracted so there's that. There is no question that Novik is a talented author: she's a beautiful writer and creates fantastic characters. I enjoyed my reading experience until about the halfway point because this book is just sooo long and I'd categorize this as a slower-paced book. I appreciated the storyline and how Novik created her own version of Rumplesteklsin. I had the audio of this book and I think that also contributed to my reading experience (since I see everyone else is loving this book). Spinning Silver was told from multiple perspectives and there weren't any indicators when the perspective shifted. It frustrating trying to listen for clues that would let me know whose perspective I was reading from. On that note, the narrator did a great job and really brought me into the story. Would I recommend? I totally do!

Title: Onyx and Ivory (Rime Chronicles #1)
Author: MindeeArnett
Rating: 3.5 stars

Onyx and Ivory is what I would consider a fine fantasy; it had an intriguing plot, court betrayal, and an understandable magic system. With all of that, I can only say that this book is 'fine'. YA fantasies are starting to blend together in my mind and I'm sure I won't remember the majority of what happened in six months. Do I recommend it? I do if you're a fantasy reader.