Maddie
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.
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.
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.
A nice little read! I love thé characters in this world and the witchy vibes are perfect! I think the book would’ve benefitted from being longer and having more things contributing to the plot but I had a good time nonetheless.
Such a lovely feel-good YA romance centred around D&D! I loved the characters in this, and wish there was more of them. I particularly loved the comic book shop scenes and anything featuring grandma Barbara.
I enjoyed this Ali Hazelwood story mostly for the fact that it centred around video games. The winter lodge and skiing was also fun to hear about! Listening to an Ali Hazelwood novel, however, was a bit of a strange experience for me. I'll definitely buy a physical copy of this if it gets released though. I also loved the story that the game-to-be centres around.
A nice little Christmas book! The plot was quite predictable but I didn’t really mind because all I wanted was this exact vibe. ‘The Christmas Tree Farm’ was my first introduction to Dream Harbor, and the other characters in the town have made me want to read their stories. I enjoyed the main character, Kira, being from a richer background and actually wanting to grow beyond her privilege. Also if you love dogs, you will definitely appreciate the amount of them in this book! My main plight with this book is that the author repeats herself a lot - almost as though she doesn’t trust her reader to remember key information (even though it’s a relatively quick read) or read between the lines. I am curious to see if that is a feature of Gilmore’s writing in general or if it is just in this book. Looking forward to finding out, as I am going to read ‘The Cinnamon Bun Book Store’ (also by Laurie Gilmore) next.
I enjoyed the mystery plot line, and the character development across the book, however. It was fun to hear about Kira from The Christmas Tree Farm (also by Laurie Gilmore) mentioned, which is what I wanted to get out of reading the Dream Harbor series. Unfortunately, this book was was spicier than I thought it would be which I wasn’t prepared for, nor in the correct headspace for really. However, as mentioned in my last review, I don’t think Gilmore repeated herself as much in this book, but she still stated the obvious. I also wanted to hear more about the ‘Cinnamon Bun’ aspect of the book shop but it was only touched on a few times. Overall this book was quite a fun and easy read, but I don’t think the story will stick with me.
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.
This was a nice way to round off my ATYD reading for the time being. I like how the author handled Remus' grief and Tonks' involvement too. The author doesn't quite hit the same marks as MsKingBean89 or Rollercoasterwords did, as the American writing style was quite clear. However, overall I enjoyed this fic.
I read this in three settings but it took me a month to actually finish it. Part of me understands why it is so famous, but I didn't read anything as life changing as I expected to - though that is possibly a fault on my part for having high expectations. I was familiar with the concept of a man waking up as an insect but had no knowledge of the text beyond that. The ending surprised me, and I did enjoy the process of reading this, but we shall see if it affects my thinking in the long term. I am glad it was not very long. If it was the length of a full novel I highly doubt I would have been persueded to read it.
MsKingBean89 I am so glad you gave us more of you OC Grant Chapman. He deserves the best and you did him justice <3
More content with my favourite characters? Yes please. MsKingBean89 you got me again with more amazing writing!
Miller's prose is simply beautiful. I highlighted loads in this book, and I consider this an excellent welcome into the world of Greek Mythology. Circe is an inspiring, novel about a woman coming into herself. Going into this with no knowledge of any Greek mythology made every turn a twist for me! The atmosphere the author creates is immersive, and I felt as though I was by Circe's side the whole way through.
A must-read if you have any interest in translation. Definitely an introductory book on translation theory, but it covers a wide scope in an accessible way. I enjoyed the examples laid out in this book to help illustrate Bellos' points. I am sure I'll reread this at some point.
If you like Ali Hazelwood's other books then I think you will enjoy these novellas! She manages to cram a lot of character building into such a short space, but it feels natural and well thought out. The only real thing marking this down a bit for me was the references to how small and skinny the women always are. It is getting a bit boring now, and even though this is fiction, makes it feel slightly less rooted in reality. Could do without that part! Other than that, I enjoyed the tropes of sharing a house, being stuck in a lift, and shared workplace all with the background of a friendship group of engineers. I particularly enjoyed 'Below Zero' as Hannah felt distinctly different from many other Ali Hazelwood characters. I also loved the exploration into Svalbard expeditions. I would've gladly read a full novel about Hannah's experiences there!
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.
’Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea’ by Rebecca Thorne was an enjoyable, if low stakes read. I enjoyed the sapphic romance and setting, though I disagree that this is cosy fantasy. It had cosy elements to be sure, but the wider plot overhauls them in a broader sense. Listening to the audiobook was a pleasant experience and helped me keep track of which characters were which. Seeing that the sequel involves sea-faring, it means that I will probably continue the series at some point.
If you like Ali Hazelwood's other books I think you will enjoy 'Not In Love'. Be aware that this book is definately more adult as it covers some more serious topics but also more frequent and intense intimacy. Overall, I enjoyed reading this! It isn't the best book in the world, nor is it trying to be, but I had fun on the ride. I read this as a buddy read with my best friend, and we were kicking our feet and giggling as per usual with AH.
Demolished this in one day! I am incredibly surprised that there are no English printings of ‘Dear Gene’. It is just such a lovely story with beautiful artwork, and these two volumes have been my first ever manga. 4/5 because I found the time jumps and flashbacks a teensy bit confusing, but other than that it is such a delightful read.
5 stars, no notes. Already loved the book but reading it this time with Andy Serkis’ narration was delightful.
Read this whilst in Santorini and it was a nice experience! Not sure I'd read it when not on holiday there, but it was lovely to have references to the culture and environment that I was experiencing whilst I was there. As I got more into it I read it faster and faster.