Lucy

A fascinating and broad trip through the history of the world and how we are so tied up with the history of sheep. I learnt so much!

So much to love! Dragons, fierce heroines, tough military school, great world building, magic, love interests...

The spice was not for me, and the love triangle felt unbalanced and it got a bit wordy towards the end.

But overall a strong fantasy series to follow.

An all consuming tome of a story of sisters and mothers and wives and daughters and family. It was just too dense and wordy for me. 150 pages less and it would have been a 5 star read.

An immersive and vivid family saga. Made me want to go to the beach.

Stunning. Heart breaking. Visceral and moving.

A very relatable and readable novel about a millennial couple who are now in their early 40s, navigating life with a teenager. Also a very ‘Kiwi' novel, especially one of Wellington. Populated by largely unsympathetic characters who seem to embody the stereotype of those of us over 40 who are trying to maintain their youth, Jacqui and Scott's son Axle is a bright star, one of the few who seem to be self aware in his forays into alcohol and girls.

A solid, personal and beautiful story of a community who rally to build a traditional Irish currach for a young man Jamie. About parallel and intersection lives.

A really interesting concept with some cool ideas. I wish the story had been slightly less schmaltzy though.

Definitely not one for me. Far too literary for my tastes. Also creepily Midsommer and a bit incesty.

A quiet and slow meditation on grief and survival. I struggled to see the characters in my mind, with the Auntie the only one I could fully understand her motives and actions. One for the squash players.

Perfect, like all Anne Tyler.

A clever cyber punk, gender bending, queer reinterpreting of Hamlet.

A fascinating glimpse into the life and customs of pre-colonial Māori iwi. Really intrigued to see where the story goes next.

Reading this book while wildfires rage in Hawaii and Canada and a hurricane bears down on LA for the first time in memory. An allegorical tale of the end of the world and the ennui of previous generations ruining the future. 3.5 rounded up.

Another tightly plotted edge of your seat thriller from the master of spy thrillers. Allon almost takes a back seat to two anti heroes in this outing set partially in Western Europe and partially in the heart of Moscow. Highly enjoyable.

Reading other reviews, I can see why it is liked. But I found the story bland. Not for me.

A beautiful and tender ode to mothers and daughters and those we leave behind told through the eyes of a young girl who loses her mother in mysterious circumstances as a young child and how this shapes not only her life, but that of her father, brother and daughter. Weaving in myth and legend and poetry, Hughes' writing is lyrical and lushly descriptive, yet leaves plenty for the reader to imagine through subtle clues and deft touches such as Marianne's father's relationship with another woman, or what exactly happened to her mother.

Excellent!

This is exactly what you want if you feel like a highly unlikely but enjoyable ‘lone wolf' style thriller. Plenty of twists and thrills and even a little humour. More please.

Inspirational and enjoyable.

3/4 of this book was odd and then it got really freaking weird. I did not understand it at all, atleast, I don't think I did. Maybe I did but it didn't make sense atleast to me.

An intimate and introspective look at one man's search for meaning in his life after a traumatic breakup. Millet writes with a delicate hand, Gil's story is respectfully told and his relationships with his neighbours and friends feel realistic and well thought out. An author I would definitely read again.

Excellent premise, but disjointed and slow. I wanted to sink into one or two characters (Anthony or Corrine especially) instead flicked from one to another and back again through six or so storylines. Unfulfilling.

Not my favourite Anne Tyler, but a sweet and sad story of one women's life, propelled by the choices and decisions of others; a boyfriend proposes, a husband makes a rash decision and a miss placed phone number all guide her life. Until one day she has the opportunity to seize her own life by the horns.

While I enjoyed the machinations of the murder case, the book felt overly drawn out and increasingly unbelievable. Happy with the ending though.

An exhausting, cring worthy read of obsession, hatred, theft, fear and publishing. I couldn't decide who I hate more, June or Athena and which of them deserved to ‘win'. Kuang is a genius writer but there is zero subtlety in her writing.