No Review Required (Reads From My Laptop?)

When RivetedLit started putting up a free book a day this month, I wasn’t at all interested, as I wasn’t keen on reading books off a laptop screen. For one, it’s a bit annoying, and plus I had papers to write and exams to grade. But then, I caved and started with Long Way Down. And then I became hooked.

I don’t even know HOW to review Long Way Down? I hadn’t read a book written in verse this year until now, and this just blew me away.

“Buck pressed his finger to my chest like he was pushing an elevator button. The L button. But you ain't got it in you, Will, he said, cocky. Your brother did, but you- you don't.”

Here are a couple reasons why you should read this:

1. It’s told in verse, and it may take you less than an hour to read. That being said, it is a heavy topic, but the fact that it is short lets you read more carefully.

2. Interesting, profound concept. The main character, Will, finds out someone shot his brother. And so, he goes to find revenge. He knows who killed him after all. Now he just needs to take the elevator down to the lobby.

3. DID I MENTION HOW GOOD THIS BOOK WAS? I think that should be enough to convince you.

I wasn’t even going to read this, but then it was on RivetedLit, and I was like “I am vaguely interested, let’s do this”. Though I was a bit intimidated by the small font on my laptop screen, I powered through. And I was pleasantly surprised! I actually really liked Autoboyography, and I wasn’t even expecting it.

“Love fails for a million reasons - distance, infidelity, pride, religion, money, illness. Why is this story any more worthy? It felt like it was. It felt important. Living in this town is suffocating in so many ways.

But if a tree falls in the woods, maybe it makes no sound.
And if a boy falls for the bishop's closeted son, maybe it makes no story.”

And I mean for one, the main character, Tanner, is bisexual. And for his class, he writes the story of how he, a bisexual kid in Utah surrounded by Mormons, falls in love with his TA, Sebastian, the bishop’s son. Sebastian really likes Tanner, but he continues to struggle with how his religion portrays same sex relationships. To be honest, I was a bit scared of the way things were going, but I didn’t end up feeling anxious once!

I’m really glad I enjoyed this so much more than I thought I would! Plus, the cover is aesthetically pleasing, and I need my own copy of it.

Okay, to be fair, I knew going in that I wouldn’t have the most fun time with An Enchantment of Ravens. I was never going to read it, but seeing as it was another free read, I went for it. I think the first red flag was the fact that it was fantasy, yet only 300 pages.

“Why do we desire, above all other things, that which has the greatest power to destroy us?”

Despite it being well-written, it lacked in so many different ways. I had so many questions. There’s basically two different worlds, the fae land with their season of courts, the world beyond (???), and then Whimsy, the in-between. This is where fae can order “Craft” for themselves, from portraits to clothes. Anything the fae craft for themselves, turns to dust, which includes writing and making food. I feel like this…kind of eliminates anything the fae CAN do? Like does talking count as a Craft? Apparently, it doesn’t?

And then the plot. At first the main characters Isobel and the Autumn Prince, Rook, were traveling through the forests, battling a Barrow Lord, then we meet the…lord of the Winter Court (?) who is after them (?), but then they arrive in the Spring Court where Isobel starts painting portraits of everyone. And then suddenly, Isobel and Rook are in love, which is against THE RULES. Which, to me, felt a bit like instalove even though it wasn’t so in the beginning. I just, never really felt like there was any build up, or any reason for them to fall in love?

I feel like this book put me in a bigger book slump than the one I was initially in, BUT then again, I had a lot to rant about, haha.

Wow this ended up being longer than usual. Have you been keeping track of the reads on RivetedLit? Read any of these yet?