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Thursday, August 14, 2014

Review: Ghost House by Alexandra Adornetto

Read (August 10-12, 2014)
Book: Ghost House (The Ghost House Saga #1) by Alexandra Adornetto
Publication Date: August 26, 2014
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Number of Pages: 320
Genre/s: Young Adult, Paranormal
Source: ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley

From the New York Times bestselling author of Halo comes the start of a beautiful and powerful new series.

After the loss of her mother, Chloe Kennedy starts seeing the ghosts that haunted her as a young girl again. Spending time at her grandmother's country estate in the south of England is her chance to get away from her grief and the spirits that haunt her. Until she meets a mysterious stranger…

Alexander Reade is 157 years dead, with secrets darker than the lake surrounding Grange Hall and a lifelike presence that draws Chloe more strongly than any ghost before. But the bond between them awakens the vengeful spirit of Alexander's past love, Isobel. And she will stop at nothing to destroy anyone who threatens to take him from her.

To stop Isobel, Chloe must push her developing abilities to their most dangerous limits, even if it means losing Alex forever… and giving the hungry dead a chance to claim her for their own.
- (source)

Ghost House reminded me of The Mediator series by Meg Cabot, in the way the paranormal aspect was incorporated, and I was actually excited for a while until a crushing thought came over me: Ghost House and I are not a good fit. It's like trying to mix gasoline and water together. In hindsight, I should've seen it coming. Still, this was a risk I took, so I have no one to blame but myself and my apparent naivety.

The writing was all over the place. Metaphors and adjectives were used poorly and extensively. I still can't believe I survived it. Jarring and grating, I had to stop reading every now and then because I just wanted to cry in the corner and lament about how awful this reading experience was.
“The sky had changed color to a streaky mauve, scattered with stars like glittering rocks.”


“..the moon still hanging in the sky like a pale sickle, I knew it had to be the early hours of morning..”


“Her skin is the color of moonstones and the nails on her long fingers are polished gems.”


“Inside, dark wooden beams ran across the ceiling. In the stalls stood solemn horses with glossy coats and liquid brown eyes.”
— Are you scratching your eyes yet?
Chloe is one of those MCs you would like to forget immediately after reading. She's inconsistent and supercilious, two qualities that made for a highly aggravating character. She reprimands Alex because he called her friends harlots, but she'd be the first person to throw them under the bus anyway. Her modesty that's supposed to make her endearing, made her unbearable.  
“When our eyes met, the connection was inexplicable, overwhelming and impossible to ignore. It felt like there were currents swirling in the air, binding us together. Although though we barely knew each other and came from opposing dimensions, I felt strangely comfortable with him.”
— Yeah right. *ignores*
Do I even need to talk about the romance? I'm not going to pretend I'm disappointed with the instalove. It's bound to happen. If the over-the-top description won't clue you in while reading, I don't know what will. The attraction didn't make any sense and only served to provide drama and angst. I had to endure reading about a depthless relationship I couldn't even care about. 
“As I drank in the details of his face, I could feel the distance between us closing up. It might be imprudent and it might be irrational, but something was happening here, even if I couldn't find a label for it. Time and space dissolved around me, and I felt like I'd been waiting all my life for Alexander Reade to show up.”
— Please hold my hair while I gag.
Also, what is this thing about perceiving deep sadness just by looking at someone's eyes? WHY IS THIS EVEN A THING?
“...But his eyes were the most startling, the clearest shade of cornflower blue, with just a hint of sadness that couldn't be concealed.”


“He was tall and loose limbed with broad shoulders, the sort of guy who was comfortable in his own skin. I thought I could see a trace of sadness in his eyes, the sort of thing only I picked up when meeting someone for the first time.”
— What made you such a speshul eye-reading snowflake, Chloe?
The narrative was not the worst thing I've ever read, but the absence of any oomph factor was disappointing. It's uninspired and flat. It's such a shame because I do feel that the tragedy behind the ghosts of Grange Hall was actually quite interesting. It also goes without saying that the plot was predictable. Side characters were used if needed and the MC's ability made progress when it's convenient. The Harry Potter references that usually gets me fist-pumping, ended up being tacky and forced. Plus, don't get me started on how her mother's passing was just swept aside and brought up when necessary, the slut-shaming, and how Isobel, being alluringly evil, was the only one to blame for everything.

This novel did not aspire to break the mold and I could live with that. But what really set my teeth on edge was its painful attempt at a cliffhanger. I don't even know how I managed to finish this book and now I have to look forward to more installments? Ugh. I think I need a chocolate or something. 

Cupid's Verdict:
 photo 15cupids_zps44d71469.png
1.5 Cupids

A copy was provided by the publisher at no cost in exchange for an honest review.
Excerpts/quotes are taken from the ARC and may change in the final copy.

51 comments:

  1. Hahaha, this book sound hilarious, and in such a bad way! I don't even get this one: "scattered with stars like glittering rocks"?! GLITTERING ROCKS?! What does that even mean? I really don't get it, this one, and the rest of the metaphors you provided are as horrible as the first. The romance is already making me feel nauseous. What the hell are these kids and their ridiculous way of describing their love for each other? I don't get it. Thanks for saving me from this trainwreck! And to think I wanted to request it XD

    Faye at The Social Potato

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    1. You have no idea, Faye. I'm so glad you didn't request it, I can already imagine your rage-y reading updates. It would be fun to read but nah, just stay away from this. :D

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  2. OMG, this sounds so nad. I hate when author include weird unnecessary metaphors!! Also, blaah cliffhanger. And an insta-love on top of everything?? Oh my. Sorry you had to go through this. XD I will avoid this book wholeheartedly. ;) Great review!

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    1. Blaaah cliffhanger? I couldn't have said it any better than you did, Lola. XD

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  3. Oh no, I had such high hopes for this one! It sounds almost atrocious! The romance sounds incredibly cheesy, time and space dissolved around her? That's bucket worthy. I can't stop laughing, special eye reading snowflake, you couldn't even make this stuff up. I'm such a big fan of your reviews Sarah, they never cease to have a big impact on my reading list, and this is yet another brilliant review <3

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    1. Atrocious and cheesy! UGGGGGHHH, Kelly. But thank you, lovely! I hope a really good book comes next so I'll have more motivation to dangle it in front of your face. *evil laugh*

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  4. "supercilious" -- love that word! I wasn't a fan of the Halo series at all so I didn't pick this one up and, boy, I"m glad I didn't. Really, why is gazing into someone's eyes and perceiving deep sadness a thing?

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    1. Yeeesh! My thesaurus finally did its magic. I didn't know what I was thinking, Mary. I know how infamous Halo was. But I have this gnawing hope that maybe the author improved or something. Maybe if she have another series, I'll try reading from her again.

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  5. *gives chocolate*

    You know . . . I honestly wasn't even considering this book. I read the first book and a half of this author's Halo series, and they made not one lick of sense. She's super young, so I tried to remember that and remain open to checking her out again when she was older, but . . . yeah, Halo was REALLY bad. I'm sorry you suffered through this one, but I'm glad my suspicions were confirmed. Great, honest review!

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    1. *gobbles up chocolate* There, I feel all better. Thank you, Jessica! I'll try reading from her again someday but I'm not really continuing with this series.

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  6. You know what really annoys me - when all characters in books are perfectly capable of reading emotions from just eyes! I mean let's not joke around but either I really suck at that or it's impossible. But yeah insta love sounds really bad here :( Too bad that you didn't enjoy this one as much as you hoped. Great review, Sarah :)

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    1. I know! Somebody has to teach me this ability so I can have a field day when I'm out on a date.

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  7. Sorry this one was such a disappointment for you Sarah! Based on the snippets you posted I'm guessing this probably isn't a book for me either which is a shame because I had high hopes for it after seeing that gorgeous cover. I hope whatever you pick up next is AMAZING!!!

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    1. I hope so too, Jenny! This book was such a let-down. :(

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  8. Oh bummer. I had been excited for this one myself! I love ghost books and your mentioning of the Mediator series had be all a twitter because I LOVED that series! Read it soo long ago that I have the original paperbacks written as Jenny Carroll, the fifth book that stood out when she went back to Meg and then naturally the 6th book which the series covers are now finalized as! Yeah, I'm a ghost book geek girl!!

    Hence why I thought this would be a great read! But now I find myself hesitating, like seriously, seriously taking it off my list to read. The segments you included have me wondering what I might be getting myself into. If anything, I might try waiting to see if the library gets it.

    Nice honest review though.

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    1. The Mediator series is the best! I'm such a huge Meg Cabot fan and I can always count on her to write fun books with a lot of heart. Honestly, I can't think of anything redeemable about Ghost House, Jessica. It's formulaic, dull and it has insta-love. *flips table*

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  9. This sounded like a good book from the summary- and it reminded me of the Mediator series, too. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it. I tend to be overly creeped out by ghosts, though, so this book probably isn't something I would have picked up anyway.

    You're review was so funny, though! Your sarcasm had me cracking up a few times! :)

    I'm a new follower! :D

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    1. This is not creepy at all, Jessica. Adornetto needs to work on her book's atmosphere. But I'm glad I made you laugh. :D *scampers over to your blog*

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  10. I would've put the book down when I read "glittering rocks". AHAHA you deserve a prize for finishing this. The summary on its own did not inspire me to read it, so I can't imagine actually picking up the book.

    LOVE your comments about the quotes you picked up. And this is the first time I've laughed since I got home, so there's that ;)

    Great review, Sarah!

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    1. *makes pouty face* Where's my prize then? Kidding aside, glittering rocks and other similar descriptions need to die a fiery death because I don't think I can handle them anymore. Glad to have made you laugh, Marianne. My job here is done~~~~

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  11. Awww shit girl! I wasn't excepting this one to be good (I have read Halo by Alexandra Adornetto and couldn't stand it) but I'm still sorry this one didn't work out for you :s It sucks that you had hope and that hope was soon dashed. Alike you I have read and adored The Mediator series though :)

    Ugh, writing that isn't technically correct can be super distracting in a story. It can actually make the story even harder to read and jarring because you have to deal with mistakes such as the poorly used adjectives like you mentioned. Ugh, I also can't stand the use of strange metaphors, they can come across so contrived. Um "glittering rocks"????? Hahahah oh my god. Since when do rocks glitter? Unless they're like gem stones, but the author clearly used the word rocks so she could be just referring to your everyday pebble. That comparison not only makes zero sense but is actually hilarious to me.

    Oh god, so we're adding a insipid MC to the mix woooo. Another thing that can make reading hard is when the narration is unenjoyable, which tends to happen because of MC's like Chloe. It can truly make reading and finishing a book seem like a chore. She also seems hypocritical, with what you mentioned with her throwing people under the bus yet getting upset over the word "harlot".

    Insta-love too!? Oh my god, and I thought there would be something redeemable here. I don't understand why authors think that some would find insta-love a fun and realistic romance to include. It's really just a convenience trope that's completely cheesy, contrived and untrue to real life in every way. It sounds like the insta love in Ghost House was completely used for a plot device, which must have been annoying to sludge through all the unnecessary drama and angst.

    Honestly, I think I would have DNF'ed this one. So, kudos to you for continuing to push through it and writing a wonderful review (: Thanks for taking one for the team ahah.

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    1. LARISSSSSAAAAA, your comment has come!! *cartwheels*

      Ahem, glad to know a lot of us had actually read The Mediator series. Gotta love, Meg Cabot. For the record, rocks shouldn't be used for descriptions or metaphors at all. It just wouldn't work. Unless, you're a writing goddess like Laini Taylor.

      She is hypocritical! I can't stand her. She barely tolerates the friendship she had with those poor girls because they're "shallow and only cares about superficial things". *huffs*

      I would've DNF this, if I DNF books. Somebody needs to teach me how to put a book down.

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  12. Well . . . that doesn't exactly sound great LOL.

    The prose sounds so purple, Mafi might be a bit jealous of it (hehe). Why do authors feel the need to OVER describe or under describe? Where's the middle-ground, folks???

    YES WITH THE EYE THING. Why are everyone's eyes so soulful? And why can you tell exactly what a person is feeling by their eyes in every novel? Uhm . . . you can tell by their FACE, as a whole, yes, but not their eyes that magically change colour when they feel different things.

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    1. I actually kinda like Mafi's purpleness. (please don't hit me) Anyway, EYE READING is such a bad way of painting your heroine's sensitive or intuitive nature because it just doesn't work. IT WILL NOT WORK EVUH.

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  13. Oh man, oh man. I'm no reading your review yet because this is sitting on my shelf waiting TBR, but I saw your rating! I disliked her first book HALO but cut her some slack since she was a teenager at the time, and I hoped with this new book her writing and themes would have matured. But...judging by that rating, I guess not.


    Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

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    1. There's no way to break this to you gently, Wendy, but yes, I didn't like this one. I haven't read Halo because I've heard enough to know that it's not a book/series for me. I picked this one up thinking maybe I could be the bearer of good news about this book being significantly better, but alas, it wasn't the case.

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  14. I didn't know this one I confess but I'm sorry to see it wasn't as good as you expected. It's too bad because I loved the cover. But now I think I'll pass...

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  15. Yikes! I'm sorry this didn't work for you, Sarah. I knew when I read the blurb that this wouldn't be for me and all the reviews have confirmed just that.
    The writing sounds awkward and I'm sure that's not what the author was going for. I already hate the main character just from reading your review.
    I guess I'm going to just skip this one. I hope your next read is stronger, Sarah.

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    1. I hope so too, Nick. I wish I don't have to read something as awkward as this, at least in my near reading future.

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  16. Oh well, you win some, and you lose some, eh? I hate forced cliffes, and the fact that the whole story came off as uninspired are definitely strikes against this one in my books. Thanks for the heads up, I appreciate your honesty!

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    1. Me too, Carmel! I can handle cliffhangers, if I at least enjoy the story. But the cliffhanger in this one just slapped me in the face. Sigh.

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  17. Ugh, gosh, this sounds awful. If I was you I probably would have given up on it ages ago, so I commend you on your determination, O Brave One. I know what you mean about Chloe -- remember that horrible book I told you about? Silent Echo? The MC was exactly like that. The author meant for her to be innocent in a good kind of way, but for some reason she ended up annoying me to no end. I don't know why, but I always got bad vibes from her.

    Haha, I was looking forward to your rant about the romance. The moment I read that second quote I knew there was going to be some instalove shiz going on. "Time and space dissolved around me, and I felt like I'd been waiting all my life for Alexander Reade to show up." -- Nice work with the cheesiness, dude. I'm sorry I can't hold your hair while you gag because I'm doing the same thing next to you. *vomits*

    "Also, what is this thing about perceiving deep sadness just by looking at someone's eyes?" -- Didn't you know? Sad guys make the best love interests because then the girl can pretend to fix them up! Seriously, though, this is so annoying. I agree, I'm seeing it more and more often in books these days. I mean, is it really too much to ask for a fun and carefree love interest who does NOT have a troubled past???

    I can see why the lack of spark would take away the enjoyment of the book, too. I don't what's worse: having to sit through pages of awful romance, or having really bland narration, because the latter could turn out to be such a snorefest. And okay, the addition of the cliffhanger pissed me off. There are different ways of ending your books, authors, dammit!

    Thanks for suffering through 320 pages of horribleness for us, Sarah. You're the best! xD

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    1. At least I knew I did something right, Meg. *prints 'O Brave One' certificate and hangs on the wall* Remind me not to read Silent Echo because I can't handle anymore MCs like Chloe.

      I had a more ranty reading updates. I just lost steam in this review and ranting about the romance is just a waste of time. We need to hire hair-holders for $2 per hour. I don't want our precious hair to smell like vomit. *smells your hair* Eeeek.

      Aw, thank you for reminding me that I just read 320 pages of utter nonsense. I feel better already (not really).

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  18. HA. I'd be more surprised if you'll actually LIKE this. I know, I'm awful. But judging by the other reviews in GR, I know I'm going to hate it. And gosh, those quotes! That insta-love!! I loathe everything. I'm staying away as far as possible. Thanks for the honest review, Sarah!! <3

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    1. Somebody needs to maim me, if I actually did like this, Paula. Glad I spared you a loathing spree. XD

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  19. This one doesn't sound all that great *sigh* I hate when endings feel forced, especially cliff hangers :( not completely sold on the fact that this one offers nothing new and original to the late either :( But i do appreciate your thoughts and honesty!

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    1. It's like this book mocked me by ending it with a cliffhanger. I can't even deserve a proper ending after muddling through 320 pages of ughness? *shakes fists*

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  20. Ugh the writing definitely doesn't seem that great... I've heard that Adornetto's other series was pretty bad, so that's why I decided to stay away from this book too.
    "the most startling, the clearest shade of cornflower blue"- why is that second "the" even there?! WHAT DA HECK.

    FREAKING INSTALOVE. Why the heck to authors still use that trope?! DO THEY NOT UNDERSTAND THAT EVERYONE HATES IT?! "Time and space dissolved around me"- really bro? REALLY?!

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    1. I didn't even know how bluish a color cornflower is and mind you, this is not the only incident where I have to look up a color description. There are other shades of yellow, green, and other color hoopla. I feel oddly comforted that you're more infuriated than me about the instalove, Nara. XD

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    2. haha I think it's because I recently read a book which was doing fabulously until BAM A WILD INSTALOVE APPEARED. And then it was just me going -__- for the rest of the romance

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  21. I've kind of been avoiding this one because of all the negative hype around Alexandra Adornetto's Halo series, and I guess it seems that my instinct is right in this situation. :( The romance at first sounded intriguing from the summary, so it's a shame that ultimitely it's a let-down. And Chloe sounds like a REALLY annoying protagonist; not to mention the fact that she's inconsistent makes me worried.

    I think I'm going to take a pass on this one because I'm pretty sure everything you've mentioned would probably bother me too. Thanks for taking one for the team though! <3 BRILLIANT and thorough review Sarah! :)

    ~ Zoe @ The Infinite To-Read Shelf

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    1. You know what my instinct told me, Zoe? It said, 'Read it, gurl. What if it's best thing you'd ever read after The Mediator series. Think about all the rooftop shouting you'd be doing. Exciting, right?' Turns out my instinct was drunk that day. I hate to be the guinea pig but I think that's what my instinct was going for. *mentally punches instinct*

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  22. Aw man :((( I just got this one in the mail and I had been hoping the author's writing skills had improved since her Halo series and because the author went to be high school :(

    Will have to lower my expectations now.

    Great review, girl! <33

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    1. Thanks, Melanie. I hate to be a party pooper, but I'm still wishing you the best of luck with this book.

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  23. You're a stronger person than I Sarah. I would have DNF'd the heck out of this book after a hundred pages! Haha This sounds so cheesy and awful. I've never read any of the author's works but I know they are kind of infamous. And why is insta-love still a thing? I thought readers have made it clear that they're more aggravating than romantic. I also agree with the eye-reading thing. I think foreheads or eyebrows are more expressive and make people's emotions more transparent than eyes haha. Anyway, FANTASTIC review Sarah!

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    1. You need to teach me how to DNF, Dea. I just can't do it. But I should've done it because believe it or not, the instalove happened on page 100. And I know, how will that eye-reading work with Asians. We have dark eyes. Does that mean we're all hiding crippling sadness? *rolls eyes*

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  24. I'm sorry that this book didn't work out for you, the cover and the blurb do give the impression that it does have a lot of potential. But I think like you this book definitely wouldn't be for me. I remember reading Adornetto's debut novel and having the same sort of issues. Thanks for your honest review, I hope your next book is a lot more enjoyable! :)

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    1. Thanks, Jasprit! I feel any book after this would be greatly welcomed. :D

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  25. I've been staying away from ghost books (not because they're bad but because I get easily scared by it haha) but it looks like I'll avoid this for other reasons. If the writing AND THE ROMANCE is bad. Then I would probably hate it. (Seriously the romance is over the top OA MUCH)

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  26. But, but, I adored Alexandra's Halo trilogy! :'( I never enjoyed ghost books, so I anyway think that it'd be better if I'd stay away from this, although the cover is beautiful and illusiony. I probably won't be able to stand this book since it made a painful attempt to get a good cliffhanger going through—those and plot twists are my favourite things! Brilliant review, Sar! :D

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