Hello, my favorite people! Hope you have been immersing yourself in different worlds when I was long gone. I am back here on the blogosphere because I missed writing and most importantly you all ❤
My life lately.
I just finished giving my board exams in March. I then went on a week-long vacation in the first week of April, which was splendid. Right now, I have holidays for two months (could be three). These days I either end up going out or am at home reading or watching movies and series. The feeling of having no stress is the best!
Reading goals.
I realised now, that I didn’t share my reading goals for this year. It has been very hazy since the start of 2023. So, here are my reading goals:
I have kept a goal of reading 50 books and am doing pretty well so far. This is a problem, I tend to read a lot of books during my exam time because I get so bored with academic books, which is kind of concerning, but who cares XD
In 2023, I aim to start and finish many book series because I want to immerse myself in the same world for a longer period. So far I have finished two series. A detailed review will be coming soon on those.
I also want to start reading literary fiction more. I feel that I tend to like that genre more as some books can be more character-driven and also literary fiction has more meaningful stories I think.
This year I want to read books by queens and kings of the book industry. For example, I want to start reading books by Stephen King, Agatha Christie, and Sidney Sheldon.
Blogging schedule.
I will try my best to write two posts a week. So, you will start seeing me active and post two articles every week! From Monday, there will be something new to read for you all 😀 Stay Tuned! Happy Reading! Rabhya.
Hello, Bookworms! I am back with a book review. After enjoying A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder, I kept the new release on my radar. Thank you to Harper Collins for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review of the book. Let’s get into the review!
Book: Five Survive Author: Holly Jackson Genre: Fiction, Thriller Age Limit: 14+ Pacing: Medium-pacing Trigger Warnings: Death, Murder, Violence
Goodreads Summary:
Eight hours. Six friends. One sniper . . .
Eighteen-year-old Red and her friends are on a road trip in an RV, heading to the beach for Spring Break. It’s a long drive but spirits are high. Until the RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere. There’s no mobile phone reception and nobody around to help. And as the wheels are shot out, one by one, the friends realize that this is no accident. There’s a sniper out there in the dark watching them and he knows exactly who they are. One of the group has a secret that the sniper is willing to kill for.
A game of cat-and-mouse plays out as the group desperately tries to get help and work out which group member is the target. Buried secrets are forced to light in the cramped, claustrophobic setting of the RV, and tensions within the group will reach deadly levels. Not everyone will survive the night.
My Review:
The whole story is set in the time frame of eight hours and an RV. This setting was so interesting, and I think the author did a commendable job of narrating the whole story in a small setting, which made the story unique. Now for the six characters. Well, they weren’t likable. I didn’t like the main character and some other characters, like Oliver. Oliver is shown to be the detestable one among the other characters, and normally authors do add those kinds of characters. But after some point, I found it very irritating in the story. It ruined other elements of the story.
The character developments were pretty bland since the story takes place in one setting. I feel that she could have given more backstory, which would have been great input for the main reveal. One thing I liked in the story is that there was one character who was never present in the RV, but through conversations, the author introduced that character.
In the first half of the book, the author was still building the situation and preparing the readers for a climax in the second half. While reading the book, My emotions while reading the book: stress, anger, and cringe. Some scenes really gave good shocks, but throughout the story, the characters made me so angry to the point where I would close the book, take a moment, and then continue to read it. Some moments made me cringe. Coming to the pacing. Around 80 percent of the narrative is dialogue, so it was a quick read. The ending was unpredictable. Hats off to Holly for managing to put plot twists in such a small setting.
Lastly, “What did the curtains remind Red of?” The author never answered this question!
What I Liked:
The setting of the story.
Introducing a character through conversations between different characters.
Shocking plot twists in such a small setting
Fast pacing due to dialogue narrative.
What I Did Not Like:
OLIVER.
There were some cringy moments.
More backstory could have been given.
Bland character developments.
Who Should Read This:
If you are starting with the thriller genre, then this book would be perfect for you. If you are in the mood for a fast-paced read which is set in the span of less than 24 hours, then Five Survive is the one for you!
My Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Hope you enjoyed reading the review. Have you read this book? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! Happy Reading! Rabhya.
Hello everyone, hope all are doing good. I am still on a hiatus because my exams are approaching soon. But for a change, I decided to write a post. I am so excited to do this challenge because music and books are very close to my heart. I saw this challenge at Ali’s Books, so let’s get into it!
Rules:
The idea of this challenge is to put your 2022 playlist on shuffle, and for the first five songs, you need to pick a book you read in 2022 that fits that song. It doesn’t have to be a perfect fit. You just have to explain why you chose that book for that song.
These songs came on my Spotify Wrapped 2022, so I will be going ahead with this list today.
Song 1: Therapist by Jeremy Zucker
Paired with…
This is an upbeat, chaotic, and fearless song. I get those vibes from The Inheritance Games series. Also, I was continuously listening to this song while I was reading the second book.
Song 2: Hate Me If It Helps by Alexander 23
Paired with…
The pain in this song matches the pain in this memoir. The lyrics in the song tell about, how the person is trying to make his past loved one happy and better by hurting himself emotionally, which is exactly the case with the author and her mom in the book. Impactful song and an impactful read…
Song 3: i70 by Jeremy Zucker
Paired with…
The song is about not driving home anymore and in the book, the main character ran away from his home to explore his new life. This song gives very countryside and chill vibes, which I felt while reading Kafka On The Shore.
Song 4: More Than Life by Machine Gun Kelly x Glaive
Paired with…
I read this book in January, but somehow this song always reminded me of The Naturals. The book is based on a serial killer murder mystery, which was very interesting to read. I must say that this series is very underrated, so please read it!
Song 5: High by Chainsmokers
Paired with…
Reading this book gave me anxiety and listening to this song gave me a serotonin boost because it is so upbeat. Now, both feelings are opposite but somehow the song vibed a lot with the book.
I had a blast doing this challenge! I am not tagging anyone but feel free to do this tag! Happy Reading! Rabhya.
Hello everyone! Hope all are doing good. Today, Rabs Bookish Planet turns 4! I am so grateful to have you all reading and commenting on my posts. Thank you so much for all your support, it means a lot to me!
Life keeps getting hectic, but I will not stop posting and will take time for writing. Blogging has changed my life in so many ways and has built so many relationships on this platform. I am so glad that I started writing and never stopped.
Hello everyone! Maureen Johnson, my all-time favorite author released her new book, Nine Liars! Thank you to Harper Collins for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review of the book. Let’s get into the review!
Book: Nine Liars Author: Maureen Johnson Genre: Fiction, Murder Mystery Age Limit: 16+ Trigger Warnings: Death, Panic Attacks/ Disorders, Murder
Goodreads Summary:
Senior year at Ellingham Academy for Stevie Bell isn’t going well. Her boyfriend, David, is studying in London. Her friends are obsessed with college applications. With the cold case of the century solved, Stevie is adrift. There is nothing to distract her from the questions pinging around her brain—questions about college, love, and life in general.
Relief comes when David invites Stevie and her friends to join him for study abroad, and his new friend Izzy introduces her to a double-murder cold case. In 1995, nine friends from Cambridge University went to a country house and played a drunken game of hide-and-seek. Two were found in the woodshed the next day, murdered with an ax.
The case was assumed to be a burglary gone wrong, but one of the remaining seven saw something she can’t explain. This was no break-in. Someone’s lying about what happened in the woodshed.
Seven suspects. Two murders. One killer still playing a deadly game.
My Review:
This book is a companion in the Truly Devious series. You don’t have to read the other four books, but I suggest reading them as they are classic cozy murder mysteries! This book is set in London and the story starts in 1995 where The Nine are going to the manor’s house for a party. At first, I felt that introducing so many characters in the story at once could confuse the reader. But, that was not the case. The author did a great job of establishing the characters and giving their personalities an identity.
In the book, there are statements from the six characters that were very interesting to read and a great addition to the story. There are character developments of Stieve and her friends. At some point, I observed that the author diverted a lot from the main murder and shifted the focus to Stieve’s love life. So, that did not blend well. Stevie and her friends visit London as David invites them. The author shares the history of London which blends with the main murder. I really like the way she linked real history and murder.
Maureen’s world-building in this book was immaculate. It gave off dark and gruesome vibes while reading the book. I really enjoyed it and could not stop thinking about the story. I guessed the killer when there were 150 pages left. It is a very quick-paced read as I finished reading this in 3 days and didn’t even realize that it was a 450-page book! Sometimes a book can be unnecessarily long and it can bore in between, but this was not the case here. One thing after the other the story unravels smoothly. Lastly, I would like to say that, I would like to kill David soon. Read the book and you will know what I mean.
What I Liked:
The whole story is set in London.
The blending of the history of London with the murder.
Character build-up was so good, did not confuse me while I was reading.
Dark and gruesome vibes in the story.
Quick-paced read and the story unraveled smoothly.
What I Did Not Like:
The story kept diverting from the main murder and focused on the main character’s love life.
I guessed the killer when there were 150 pages left, which is fine but then it kind of ruined the surprise element.
This was my highly anticipated book of 2022 and I am so happy that I read this book. I must say that this was a bit different and not my favorite from other books in the series, but yes this book is worth reading! Let me know in the comments if you have read this book. Happy Reading! Rabhya.
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