Week 20- I really need to stop doing this

I'll admit it, I've finally fallen back on old habits. I haven't done this all school year, but it was going to happen at some point.
The thing is, I tend to read more than one book at a time. Right now, I have four books checked out, and I managed to rush through one of the books I've already started. And by one of, I mean that I didn't read any of Big Little Lies this week. Instead, I started a book about cannibalism! Yay! I have weird tastes for a person my age. Or any person. Coincidentally, the other book I got at the school library was about combining human and animal DNA. Meanwhile, all the girls were getting romance books. I felt a little weird, but I don't care what they think, and I honestly kind of hate unironic romance books, so who cares?
So, I read The Ravenous by Amy Lukavics, which is a creepy title just on its own. Like I said when I checked it out, it's giving me serious Tokyo Ghoul vibes.
Essentially, Tokyo Ghoul is an anime set in an alternate reality in which a humanoid species, known as ghouls, exists alongside humans. They usually look like anyone else, but they have some extra abilities. The thing that sets them apart is that they can only eat humans or other ghouls (or coffee for some reason). The protagonist of the anime is a normal high schooler, but he almost dies in an accident alongside a ghoul who was about to eat him. The ghoul dies, but he survives with damaged organs, so the doctors unknowingly replace his organs with the ghoul's organs. When he wakes up, he has the instincts and appetite of a ghoul, causing him to feel psychological stress over the prospect of becoming a cannibal.
The reason this reminds me of the book is because it's literally exactly the same premise. This girl dies in an accident (this time caused by her drunk mom) and is brought back to life by some crazy (probably satanic) ritual, so that now she has to eat humans. Naturally, her sisters decide the best way to handle this once their mom disappears is to become serial killers.
I didn't get to say this before I finished it because I read it all in one week, but I totally predicted that at least one of the sisters would get eaten. Take that, Juliet! I didn't like you anyways, and you turned out to be a psychopath, so... yeah! Although getting eaten alive doesn't sound like a fun way to go. Better than getting a surprise hammer to the back of the head like her victims? Maybe?
Anyways, I didn't really like the ending. It was like the author tried to tie everything together, but still have a creepy ending, and it didn't really work for me.
There were some cool psychological horror elements, though, and also a lot of "is it possible dying sucks a lot more than religion makes us think it does?" So that was fun.
One of the parts that had a huge buildup was Rose, the girl who got brought back to life, finding out that her sisters killed two people and had... you know... fed them to her. Naturally, she had a breakdown, but the scene wasn't written that well for me. It was kind of anticlimactic. Like, she was upset, but it was written awkwardly.
Can I just say that there was a lot of blood? Lots of blood. And graphic deaths with descriptions of people gurgling and moaning but not dying. Ew.
It was kind of like a zombie book, but she still had her own personality and stuff (at least until the end when she lost her mind and ate her sister, then she was a total braindead zombie). It gave me more demon vibes than zombie, though.
I know this is getting long, but usually I have two blogs to talk about a book, and I finished this one in a week, so I just wanted to say one more thing. I get that it's supposed to be creepy and gross, but in Tokyo Ghoul, the main character is able to survive without actually killing anyone. He survives off of people who were in accidents or commited suicide. So technically speaking, Rose could have done the same thing instead of her sisters having to become serial killers. In the notes at the end, though, the author said the story was inspired by a family of serial killers, so I guess that was the point of the book.
Sorry for talking for so long!

Week 19- Renata can go die in a hole (and probably will)

Last week I started reading “Big Little Lies” by Liane Moriarty. So far I'm really enjoying it, even if I've never experienced a lot of the stuff talked about in the book. I actually like how it's told from the point of view of moms. They're all in different situations, but all of them have some kind of flaw in their family. I'm not sure if you read this book, but basically this new mom, Jane, shows up and gets taken in by two of the other moms when she gets bullied by Renata, who is the holier-than-thou quote-unquote career mom who thinks she's better than everyone.
Jane is sweet, but there's definitely something going on that isn't explicitly said, and it fits right in with the rest of the book, since lots of things are hinted at without being said. I especially like how there are bits of transcripts thrown into the narrative talking about the death of a parent, but it's unclear who died or who killed them, if anyone. The thing I really want to know is what's going on with Jane and her son, Ziggy. She's clearly worried that he'll turn out like his father, but she won't say who the father is or what trait she thinks he'll have, but it seems to have something to do with violence, judging by her reactions after a girl accused him of choking her.
As for Madeline, she's hilarious, but her ex-husband kind of sucks. Not that she's handling it super well by being all passive aggressive in front of his kids from his new marriage, but he really had no reason to walk out on her, so maybe he deserves it.
But Celeste is really tugging at my heartstrings, because her situation is so real that it's sad. She loves her husband, but she's a victim of physical domestic abuse. It's sad because she knows it's wrong, but she loves him so much that she keeps making up excuses for him instead of leaving. You want to say that she's stupid for staying, but it's difficult for people to get out of that kind of relationship, because they usually just want to believe that people can change and get better. What's worse is that she knows he can’t, but she stays.
Mostly I just really hate Renata and want to know what she's doing to make her daughter lie about Ziggy choking her and why. Like, why do you hate the world so much, lady? Just chill. If you weren't so stuck up, maybe people wouldn't be mean back.
My guess as to who died is either a) one of Jane, Madeline, or Celeste or b) Renata, who sucks. As for who killed her, if you go with ‘a' died, then ‘b' killed her, and vice versa. I just don't know how it escalated into murder.
The one thing that throws me off is that it's set in Australia, but that it's never stated, so you have to pick up all of the little things and piece it together. I guess the author must be Australian, so she didn't feel the need to clarify. But it's super good regardless! I'll probably finish it soon, so be ready.

Week 18- Fierrochase is my downfall

Just know that I am internally screaming as I write this and will be for the rest of eternity.
Magnus. And Alex. Kissed. Twice. Once in each gender. And are now dating. *Inhale* *the screams of a thousand tortured souls escape from me*
I have shipped this from the beginning and it makes me so happy that they're together and now I can die happy and oh my gods they are so perfect for each other and oh my god pan representation not just gay or straight and wow Alex is pretty much perfect in every way.
Sorry. Anyways...
Before I continue, can I just say that Magnus is now a Disney princess. No joke. He can talk to animals. I don't get why it was necessary, but trust me when I say I am not complaining. I am seriously contemplating drawing Magnus as Snow White. The urge is strong, but so far I have fought it. He talks to animals, his books are published by Disney-Hyperion, and Alex is basically his Prince/ss Charming. I rest my case.
So, now that we've got that out of the way, can I just say RICK RIORDAN IS GOD-SENT. This man flawlessly represented so many ethnicities, cultures, time periods, sexual orientations and identities. Alex Fierro is pretty awesome as a whole, being both genderfluid and trans when teens and young adults really need someone like that in popular media. But then there's Samirah. Sam is so amazing and strong and beautiful and ACCURATE. Not only does she go on this crazy quest, she literally does all of it WHILE FASTING. YES. Not to mention the thoughtful explanation of "Allahu akbar" on her behalf to Magnus. There is so much Muslim representation in this book and I feel like this is something I didn't realize I needed. I learned so many things from Sam that I otherwise wouldn't have known. It's awesome and I praise you for taking the time to research all of this and make sure you don't offend anyone, Uncle Rick.
And can I say that Magnus is such a precious baby. So many people freaked when he said he didn't care if Alex was kissing him as a guy or a girl, and with good reason. People know what being gay is, most know what being bi is, but pansexuality is something that doesn't really get representation, and it honestly fits Magnus perfectly considering how sweet he is despite their differences, gender or otherwise.
Oh, and also the flyting with Loki was gold. A little cheesy, but still gold, just... cheese-covered gold.
So yeah, I really enjoyed Ship of the Dead and am super sad that it's the last book in the series, but judging by the ending I'm guessing the characters will be included in the Trials of Apollo. I guess that means I'll have to keep reading TOA in hopes of more Fierrochase.