Secondborn Book Reviews

 Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐   “This sounds foreign, like picking words at random. Magnetic fridge poetry” Bride by Ali Hazelwood is vampire/werewolf paranormal romance. Vampire, Misery Lark accepts a marriage proposal that would be a union between the Vampire and Werewolf civilizations and leave her eternally bound with the Alpha, Lowe Moreland. What starts as a marriage of circumstance becomes more after they both develop feelings and start to see each other as more than how they perceived the other person.      I didn’t really know too much about this book aside from the fact that it was pretty popular…and had a nice cover. I haven’t really been enjoying the books that I’ve been reading recently. Bride helped me get out of my reading slump and enjoy reading again. Part of the reason for this could have been that it gave me serious Twilight (by Stephanie Meyers, of course) vibes but it was in the best way. While it being a romance first and foremost, Al...

  *this is an old review*   I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson is the story of twins, Jude and Noah. They’ve always been close. They always have each other’s backs. They trade the world to solve arguments or make deals. Then, they both change and are torn apart. Nelson covers breaking apart and recovering in a beautiful story that will absolutely hook you and pull you in.    My sister picked this book out for me, and I am so glad she did. I don’t know if I would have gotten it for myself. And I would have missed out. I’ll Give You the Sun is without a doubt worth reading. While I read, I found myself reflecting the extreme range of emotions the characters go through. Jude and Noah are phenomenal characters. Nelson switches between both of them as narrators, letting readers see both of their experiences. That leads to the reader knowing things before either Jude or Noah do. The entire book feels like a puzzle or a mystery. When it all comes together in the ...

  Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “It’s Britney, bitch!” One of the most recognizable phrases since Britney Jean Spears spoke the words. Called the “Queen of Pop”, Britney has been captivating the world since she first caught the public’s attention with “Baby One More Time”. As a celebrity, she constantly had to face various public perceptions whether based on her music, interviews, or gossip (often false) spread by tabloids or people determined to use her for their own narratives. The Woman in Me, Britney Spears’ memoir, is her chance to finally take control of her life and her narrative.   In The Woman in Me, Britney Spears tells the story of her life. Holding nothing back, Britney lets the reader into her life. She discusses her ups and downs and how these affected her both mentally and physically. Bringing all the ways her career as a musician, a dream she had as a young girl, came to be and was manipulated, controlled and taken from her. A story of a woman constantly overstepped; it a...

   Dark Archives Book Review   Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Dark Archives by Megan Rosenbloom is a nonfiction book exploring the history of the medical community, primarily focusing on anthropodermic bibliopegy or the binding of books in human skin. Rosenbloom’s interest in books being bound in human skin leads her to discover more about medicine and corpse handling at the time of medical morals being less than what they are now and how these doctors’ would have managed to turn human flesh into leather. She takes the reader on the journey with her all over the world wherever rumors of books bound in human skin took her.   From the cover to the blurb, this book hooked me instantly. Death isn’t a very easy thing to talk about and the thought of human skin being used to bind books comes across as something from a horror movie. So discovering a book following the rumors and reporting them, proving them as fact not fiction is both terrifying and eye-opening. Anthropodermic books a...

Sadie by Courtney Summers Review Rating:⭐ *Received this as an arc* Sadie by Courtney Summers is a young adult crime novel. The story follows Sadie who recently lost her younger sister,  Mattie, and is out to get revenge on the man she knows killed  her sister. West McCray is a reporter who, after being approached by Sadie’s family, is covering the story. The book is told alternating from Sadie’s story and McCray’s podcast. “I don’t want to get into it...” I was kind of disappointed with this book. The characters are amazing and the story is captivating however so many situations were left too open. You had to imagine what actually happened instead of the author writing about it. I wasn’t a fan of the hard switches from Sadie’s story to McCray’s podcast. It left the story feeling very choppy. It didn’t flow well. Since almost every chapter ended on a cliffhanger, you had to keep reading and the cliffhanger would be resolved two or three chapters later...

Feminism: Opposing Viewpoints Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐ “As individuals and as a nation, it is imperative that we consider the opinions of others and examine them with skill and discernment.” -John Stuart Mill Feminism: Opposing Views is a collection of essays discussing various issues as they pertain to feminism and women. The ideas and opinions discussed are neither wrong or right nor are they presented as such. It is simply a way to question feminism and your own ideas on the different topics discussed. I found this book to be a perfect look into feminism and the opposition to the movement. The essays were very diverse and discussed everything from should women work to can feminism and religion mix. Each essay started with questions you should consider as you read. I thought this was very helpful. The questions really assisted in making you consider and pay attention to what you’re reading. While reading, it seemed that not all of the authors were fully informed about what...

The Book of Essie by Meghan Maclean Weir Review *Received as an arc* Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir is a contemporary fiction novel telling the story of Essie Hicks. She has a perfect life: happy family, thousands of people invested in her life and enough money to live comfortably. Essie is both adored and hated by people who don’t agree with her family’s television show, Six for Hicks, and their extreme Christian beliefs. However everything faces ruination when Essie finds out she is pregnant. A captivating and heartbreaking read, The Book of Essie will have you intrigued and emotional. “A mother’s worst fear, or so some would say. But not my mother’s.” I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It told a very emotionally charged story. The book is told in first-person, chapters switching between three characters: Essie Hicks, Roarke Richards: Essie’s future husband, and Liberty Bell: a reporter covering Essie’s story. The characters were well-written ...