Tag: march2021

She’s Too Pretty To Burn by Wendy Heard

I received a free ARC of She’s Too Pretty To Burn thanks to the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

When I read the synopsis, I was hooked. It sounded super intriguing. I’ll be honest, I’ve never read The Picture of Dorian Gray, so I’m not sure which aspect was done for the retelling or whether it hit the mark.

This book is interesting, to say the least. We have a trio of characters, two of whom are artists, and one who is a lifeguard. Veronica and Nico are artists and best friends, and Veronica meets Mick, a lifeguard and the object of Veronica—and soon to be Nico’s—affections. 

She’s Too Pretty To Burn: My Thoughts

The dynamics of the main relationship did not feel healthy. I had warning bells going off during some scenes because of the way Veronica was acting around Mick and the things that she said. She didn’t listen to Mick when Mick said no, and she would say creepy things to her. It felt very possessive and toxic.  

The parental presence was lacking. Even when there was a parental figure in the storyline, the actions did not seem as that of a typical adult/parent. As a parent myself, I kept saying “That’s really all her mom is going to say?” or “Really? That’s her reaction?” It felt unrealistic that there was such little parental influence during all this time, especially with Veronica’s mom. I won’t say more because I don’t want to slip into the spoiler zone.

I kept trying to understand the motive or the point to much of what happened in the book but I couldn’t. 

Heard’s writing kept me intrigued, though, and I couldn’t put this book down. I still can’t stop thinking about it, despite the few hangups I had. I recommend checking it out—publication is set for March 30th.

She's Too Pretty To Burn ARC cover title page

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

I received a free e-ARC of Firekeeper’s Daughter thanks to Fierce Reads in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I absolutely loved this book. I’d been anticipating this book since I found out about it’s existence, so when I found out I won an ARC, I was so excited. 

Let me tell y’all, it lived up to the hype. I still find myself thinking about this story, Daunis, and the cast of characters we journeyed with even after the last page has been turned. 

Firekeeper’s Daughter: Strengths

I’m a huge fan of strong female protagonists, and Boulley hit the nail with Daunis. She is biracial and a product of teenage pregnancy. Neither side of her family really embraced her, but she is heavily involved with both. She feels like an outsider but is trying to find her place.

I loved the insight to the Ojibwe community that Boulley weaved into the story. The language and traditions that we learned about was such an important inclusion into the story and an important piece of Daunis’s identity. Another aspect that we see is loyalty. Loyalty is shown in many different ways in this book, but we can see it throughout. Women were loyal to each other during a specific tradition even if they didn’t want to participate. Later, toward the end of the book, we see the elders being loyal to Daunis; I won’t say more as it would be a spoiler. Throughout the book, we see Daunis being loyal to her community during her time with the FBI as she’s constantly wondering whether she should tell Jamie and Ron or keep something to herself for a while.

The storyline itself is so powerful. It covers a plethora of issues including violence (gun, domestic, etc.), drug addiction, grief, sexual assault, racism, unfit parents, corruption, and greed. What starts as an investigation into a drug-operation turns into an eye-opening experience for Daunis into the lives of those around her. We’re taken on a thrilling, dangerous, hope-filled ride as we search for answers with Daunis.

Boulley’s masterful telling of Firekeeper’s Daughter is one that won’t be forgotten. I highly recommend this book. I’ll be keeping Boulley on my radar.

Firekeeper's Daughter ARC Cover Page (blank title)