Maddie
Contains spoilers
Waaaaaaaay better than Powerless! I listened to this on a whim and I actually quite enjoyed it. This felt a lot more original, and Roberts’ writing has clearly developed a lot since her debut. Kitt is so infuriating though and what the heck was that ending 😭 perhaps I will be reading Fearless after all…
Contains spoilers
Another banger from George R.R. Martin! He weaves fanatsy and politics so well, and how he keeps track of everything that is going on is beyond me. Roy Dotrice narrating the audiobook was fanatastic as per usual. Martin also excells at character descriptions, giving each and every one (of which there are many) so much life.
My favourite characters to follow in this book were Arya and Sansa, now Alayne. Cersei's fate had me laughing in particular too. I got a bit lost with the amount of names as per usual, but I am sure that newer ones will become more familiar in 'A Dance with Dragons'.
A lovely little (audio)book that I would describe as ~soft philosophy~. I enjoyed the four different stories interweaving with each other and the opportunity to reflect on what I would do in a similar situation. Not a five star, but one I will be thinking about for a while I believe. The main issue I had with it was the misogynistic descriptions of some of the women that add nothing to the story. The first story was probably my least favourite as it fell most victim to this. Anyways, I'd defo recommend this to my friends as a quick, heartwarming read that invites you to think about your own life in a kind way.
Contains spoilers
I wouldn't say that I particularly liked this book but it was entertaining to an extent. This is the young author's first book, so judging it by those standards, it is pretty good. However, beyond that, I found it cringy and unoriginal. I knew going into this that it was going to be romantasy-YA-trope-central, so I can look past that, but the dialogue was infuriating at times. The use of the present tense threw me off quite a bit at the start, and it has made me realise that I much prefer stories written in the past tense. I found the two main characters pretty annoying, but I loved the side characters. I won't be continuing the main series anytime soon, if at all, however I would like to read the novella that centres around one of the side characters that I liked. Will I be reading summaries of Reckless and Fearless? Yes, I will because I'm curious but I am not spending any more time than that on this series - tbh I should've dnf'd this at 50% but I thought such a long and well loved book had to get better, right??? Nope.
Here are some more specific thoughts, but SPOILER WARNING!
- Why was Pae's hair silver and Blair's lavender? Is this just some kind of quirky genetic mutation? It made Pae feel very manic-pixie-dream girl-esque in a bad way. Who else has an interesting hair colour???
- Do we really need Kai to be so moody? I just found his complaining a bit annoying to be honest. I know he has been through a lot, but come on. Maybe that's me nit-picking too much.
- Kai needs to stop saying 'darling' so much. It was cool the first time, but then it just got annoying and a bit creepy tbh.
- I think I would've viewed Kai as more original if we were introduced to him with his full name - Malakai - at the start. Kai Azer is too stereotypical for me not to make certain associations.
- Why was Kitt not concerned that both him and his brother were getting close with the same girl??? It was no secret so why were they both okay with this? Well, Kai got a bit jealous, but Kitt wasn't phased at all.
- The King had no redeeming features at all. I don't understand why he was so horrible. Even with his dying monologue, I felt he could've done with more character development than just 'he's a bad guy'.
- How old was Kai when he killed Pae's dad?? I thought Pae and Kai were similar ages - like three years apart MAX! How did Kai kill a fully grown man at like max eight years old??? Maybe I missed something, but that feels silly. Also, he would've known from the moment he met Pae that he killed her dad, so why did that reveal come so close to the end? It's not like he just forgot the first time he killed someone - we know he struggled with it!
- The first trial felt too close to the Hunger Games to be original, the second task felt too close to the Blood Rite from ACOSF, and the third trial felt too close to both the D&D movie (the panther mirroring? Clearly a displacer-beast reference) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. There was some comfort in the familiarity I guess, but from all the hype around this book I expected there to be more innovative genre-bending reveals and events.
- The most interesting thing for me was that Kai can use other peoples' abilities. Kinda like Aang in ATLA. It was cool how he had to try and be proficient in them all, and how it allows him to sense who's near him.
- I have no idea how Pae survived after getting her foot ripped to shreds (I know it was healed after a while but still) and then all the damage that the King did to her. That 'O' is bound to get infected ASAP.
- Bro it's always the blonde ones please can we get some originality. Never trust a blonde man in these kind of books.
- The whole thing about Pae being thrown into the first trial in a skimpy tank was frustrating. The author had the chance to not sexualise her but alas, of course she was running around in next to no clothing.
- How different were the trials before Kai's one? Would it not be boring??
- Silencers are cool!
- Adena and Lenny are the best characters imo.
For a book ‘written’ (recorded) so long ago, it remains poignant and summarises a lot of the self-help industry’s messaging succinctly. Obviously it lacks nuance (and you have to look past the male-centricism which is understandable for a 1950s work), but it was still a rapid reminder of basic self-help principles.
My edition also included a bonus book “How To Create Million Dollar Ideas” also by him, which I found introduced more new ideas to me. I particularly enjoyed his prompts inviting the reader to reflect on creativity in their lives.
A great book for people studying for standardised exams such as GCSEs and A-Levels. Jade’s voice is strong throughout the book which I enjoyed, as a long-time fan of her YouTube career. Though I didn’t really encounter anything new to me in this book (having read a lot about this subject before), I still found the content engaging and a helpful reminder. If I’d had this in year 9, I think it would’ve changed my life in such a positive way!
Does what it says on the tin. My main complaint is that I still feel that Gilmore doesn’t trust the reader to remember certain information. This manifests itself in telling rather than showing, such as with Archer missing his job as a chef in France. It was an enjoyable read overall, but I had to suspend more of my beliefs bordering on too many times.
A tough read for sure, but an excellent one. My only critique is that the chapters were really quite long which made it difficult to find natural stopping and starting points when I didn't have time to read a whole chapter in one session. This book has definitely made me want to check out Bates' other works.
Contains spoilers
SPOILERS!!
I really enjoyed reading about Nesta and Cassian throughout the book, but I must admit, I found Nesta insufferable at the start. The middle part of the book was my favourite for sure once Nesta starting being a better human being. The ending was great, though felt very rushed. I feel like it should've been spread out by at least three chapters more. Other than that, a fun time and I hope SJM writes the next book ASAP!
Took me over a year to get past the start of this book, but once I did I really enjoyed it. I listened to the audiobook alongside reading it and I was impressed by its range of topics. 'Stolen Focus' tells the story of the author's interest in attention span and focus and his tech-free life for a while. He then goes on to interview many scientists and researchers about various causes for increased attention deficiency in modern society. I particularly enjoyed his sections about sleep and free play for children. I also was surprised to hear about how some people have exaggerated role of genetics regarding ADHD with twin studies.
This book is packed with wonderful lore about Middle Earth. I would definitely recommend reading this after you've fully read and understoood both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, as this kicks the information thrown at you up to a whole new level. Andy Serkis narrating this book really helped with my comprehension, but I still feel that this book needs to be read multiple times before I can fully grasp and understad everything.
This YA book was so fun to read - I demolished it in two days! It was a joy to read about characters who share my interests, and witness the fantastic friend group that formed. The community at the game store was a beautiful thing too. Have already pre-ordered Kristy Boyce’s second game themed book that comes out early 2025.
