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_askthebookbug's Reviews (1.34k)
3.5, maybe?
The entire time I read this book, I kept telling myself that I possibly can’t be the only one to not be enjoying it as much as I previously expected. Weyward, as a story is very intriguing. I mean, what’s not to like about a multigenerational story about three women who seek solace and power from the nature around them? But my problem was with the wobbly timelines that just kept going back and forth so much so that I felt the need to not finish it. But I did, and it left me quite unimpressed.
The Weyward-Ayers family is known for carrying a certain amount of mystery around them. Their ancestors were deemed to be witches and the story begins with Altha, 1619 who is tried for practising magic. It then shifts to Kate, a woman currently living in London and is trapped in an abusive marriage. Then there’s Violet in 1942 who doesn’t understand why her mother’s life is kept as a secret. It is a well known fact that every first child in the Weyward family is a girl and each of them carry this magic to be one with the nature. They love animals and grass, speak to trees and whisper to the winds. But what they see as a gift is often deemed as dangerous by others.
These three strong women have another thing in common. They live under the thumbs of dominant and hurtful men, and the story eventually leads to them breaking free of their fears. Weyward is an interesting story but it didn’t work for me mainly because I couldn’t connect with either of the protagonists. The story too seemed quite slow in the middle and by the time I finished the book, I was tired.
I am well aware that my opinion falls into the unpopular category so if you do enjoy reading about all things magic then this may work for you. It also comes with a lot of TWs like rape, abuse, miscarriage, and much more so please go ahead cautiously.
Thanks for the copy @harpercollinsin ✨
The entire time I read this book, I kept telling myself that I possibly can’t be the only one to not be enjoying it as much as I previously expected. Weyward, as a story is very intriguing. I mean, what’s not to like about a multigenerational story about three women who seek solace and power from the nature around them? But my problem was with the wobbly timelines that just kept going back and forth so much so that I felt the need to not finish it. But I did, and it left me quite unimpressed.
The Weyward-Ayers family is known for carrying a certain amount of mystery around them. Their ancestors were deemed to be witches and the story begins with Altha, 1619 who is tried for practising magic. It then shifts to Kate, a woman currently living in London and is trapped in an abusive marriage. Then there’s Violet in 1942 who doesn’t understand why her mother’s life is kept as a secret. It is a well known fact that every first child in the Weyward family is a girl and each of them carry this magic to be one with the nature. They love animals and grass, speak to trees and whisper to the winds. But what they see as a gift is often deemed as dangerous by others.
These three strong women have another thing in common. They live under the thumbs of dominant and hurtful men, and the story eventually leads to them breaking free of their fears. Weyward is an interesting story but it didn’t work for me mainly because I couldn’t connect with either of the protagonists. The story too seemed quite slow in the middle and by the time I finished the book, I was tired.
I am well aware that my opinion falls into the unpopular category so if you do enjoy reading about all things magic then this may work for you. It also comes with a lot of TWs like rape, abuse, miscarriage, and much more so please go ahead cautiously.
Thanks for the copy @harpercollinsin ✨
Should maybe listen to my gut next time and abandon a book if I don’t enjoy it.
Grave Expectations came with an interesting premise. Claire Hendricks and her dead friend Sophie come to conduct a seance for a party and get involved in a murder mystery. Claire is 30 but her friend is still 17 and amidst all the things that the story had to offer, their banter was given an important space. To be honest, I knew very early that this book won’t work for me. Unlike other murder mysteries that focus on the plot, this one was majorly about its characters. And I found none of them appealing. I pushed myself to finish the book and now it has left me in a slump.
Claire can see ghosts from the time her dead friend started making appearances ever since they were teenagers. When she discovers a ghost that has some unfinished business at the party house, Claire decides to solve the murder. And so she, Sophie, Basher (an excop) and Alex set about on a wild goose chase to unravel the mystery. Basher and Alex belong to the family that invited Claire to perform a seance and perhaps the only two normal people from that clan. As the story goes on, I found it so difficult to stay connected to the characters. I started to find everyone annoying, especially the protagonist and her ghost friend.
By the time the killer was revealed, I had had enough and was truly exhausted. Grave Expectations didn’t offer much to me and I’m not sure if I’ll read Alice’s other books. However, I also see that many have enjoyed this book so maybe a few pages into the story will help you make a decision.
Thanks for the copy @penguinindia x @reader_viddh ✨
Grave Expectations came with an interesting premise. Claire Hendricks and her dead friend Sophie come to conduct a seance for a party and get involved in a murder mystery. Claire is 30 but her friend is still 17 and amidst all the things that the story had to offer, their banter was given an important space. To be honest, I knew very early that this book won’t work for me. Unlike other murder mysteries that focus on the plot, this one was majorly about its characters. And I found none of them appealing. I pushed myself to finish the book and now it has left me in a slump.
Claire can see ghosts from the time her dead friend started making appearances ever since they were teenagers. When she discovers a ghost that has some unfinished business at the party house, Claire decides to solve the murder. And so she, Sophie, Basher (an excop) and Alex set about on a wild goose chase to unravel the mystery. Basher and Alex belong to the family that invited Claire to perform a seance and perhaps the only two normal people from that clan. As the story goes on, I found it so difficult to stay connected to the characters. I started to find everyone annoying, especially the protagonist and her ghost friend.
By the time the killer was revealed, I had had enough and was truly exhausted. Grave Expectations didn’t offer much to me and I’m not sure if I’ll read Alice’s other books. However, I also see that many have enjoyed this book so maybe a few pages into the story will help you make a decision.
Thanks for the copy @penguinindia x @reader_viddh ✨
Tiny Beautiful Things is an accumulation of all the words of wisdom that Cheryl Strayed wrote for a column under the name Sugar. This column became quite famous and people from everywhere started writing to her about all kinds of problems that they faced. Sugar, contrary of her name was known for not sugar coating her answers while responding to the letters. From marriage to sex and to difficult friendships and infidelity, abuse and neglect; Sugar addressed them all with equal sincerity. There’s nothing wrong with the book but it does tend to get a tad bit repetitive.
Mind you, I hadn’t read anything by Cheryl before I picked up this book and so I was mildly surprised by her unapologetic way of addressing the questions head on without having to be sweet about it. Through her writings, it’s clear that Cheryl is generally a good listener because it’s impossible to take up the task of giving advice to thousands of people otherwise. I had to skip a few because they seemed to be overlapping with the others but I did draw the pattern of how Sugar usually answered these things. She was honest about her own life, about the good and the ugly and then went on to advice that they were not alone in facing such problems. Although she was raw in her approach, she was also considerate and thoughtful.
Tiny Beautiful Things can be intense because of the weight the questions carry but it does make one feel less alone in dealing with this difficult life.
Mind you, I hadn’t read anything by Cheryl before I picked up this book and so I was mildly surprised by her unapologetic way of addressing the questions head on without having to be sweet about it. Through her writings, it’s clear that Cheryl is generally a good listener because it’s impossible to take up the task of giving advice to thousands of people otherwise. I had to skip a few because they seemed to be overlapping with the others but I did draw the pattern of how Sugar usually answered these things. She was honest about her own life, about the good and the ugly and then went on to advice that they were not alone in facing such problems. Although she was raw in her approach, she was also considerate and thoughtful.
Tiny Beautiful Things can be intense because of the weight the questions carry but it does make one feel less alone in dealing with this difficult life.
There are many theories about how Hades married Persephone. About how he fell in love with her and kidnapped her to the Underworld. This story of The God of the Dead and Goddess of Spring has been reconstructed by Scarlett St. Clair into a three book series and the interesting part about it is that the story is set in the modern world. As much as I love reading about Greek Mythology, this one was such a massive disappointment because Persephone herself wasn’t portrayed correctly.
I’ve read only two books and later decided that I will not be touching the final part. The first two books explores Persephone and Hades’s relationship from the time they meet. Their relationship, contrary to the one in history is full of love and consent. Since it is set in a modern world, we see mortals living side by side with the Gods. Then there are nymphs and Olympians and everything that makes for a good Greek mythology retelling. But the major downfall of this book is Persephone herself. Rather than coming off as a Goddess who is struggling to find her footing in the world, she was often portrayed as a teenager who threw around tantrums, making reckless decisions without thinking about anyone else.
I couldn’t connect with her and started to feel frustrated about her character development arch because I failed to see how a grown woman can have such a terrible time dealing with her emotions. Throughout the book, she was insecure about Hades’s past relationships, about any women who even remotely spoke to him. The second book was so bad that I had the urge to fling it across the wall because nothing made sense to me. Persephone wasn’t meant to be stupid, arrogant, indecisive and extremely entitled. And when the two Gods kept fighting mindlessly, rather than having a conversation, they always resolved it with sex. There’s a lot of smut in the book and by the time I finished the second book, I was exhausted by all the unnecessary drama.
I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone who takes Greek mythology seriously. I cannot overlook such important flaws concerning a protagonist which is why even though the romance was appealing to a point, this didn’t work for me at all.
I’ve read only two books and later decided that I will not be touching the final part. The first two books explores Persephone and Hades’s relationship from the time they meet. Their relationship, contrary to the one in history is full of love and consent. Since it is set in a modern world, we see mortals living side by side with the Gods. Then there are nymphs and Olympians and everything that makes for a good Greek mythology retelling. But the major downfall of this book is Persephone herself. Rather than coming off as a Goddess who is struggling to find her footing in the world, she was often portrayed as a teenager who threw around tantrums, making reckless decisions without thinking about anyone else.
I couldn’t connect with her and started to feel frustrated about her character development arch because I failed to see how a grown woman can have such a terrible time dealing with her emotions. Throughout the book, she was insecure about Hades’s past relationships, about any women who even remotely spoke to him. The second book was so bad that I had the urge to fling it across the wall because nothing made sense to me. Persephone wasn’t meant to be stupid, arrogant, indecisive and extremely entitled. And when the two Gods kept fighting mindlessly, rather than having a conversation, they always resolved it with sex. There’s a lot of smut in the book and by the time I finished the second book, I was exhausted by all the unnecessary drama.
I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone who takes Greek mythology seriously. I cannot overlook such important flaws concerning a protagonist which is why even though the romance was appealing to a point, this didn’t work for me at all.
The Book of Indian Queens comprises of essays on some of the most fierce and relentless Indian Empresses. Written by renowned authors, it includes both fictional and real tales of these eccentric women. I was personally pleased to see Mr Bond’s chapter where he spins a tale of an old princess living all alone in a palace, who thinks her prince has turned into a snake. But a chapter from the famous Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni was mildly disappointing as she narrates how Rani Jindan contemplates her life at the time of her husband’s death because I was expecting something different. But my favourite of all was Manu Pillai’s chapter about the Maharanis of Travancore. This book is very small and can be finished in just one sitting but it does not pack a punch.
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it because I’m certain that there are better books available out there. But if you’re looking for something short then this may work for you.
Thanks for the copy @alephbookco ✨
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it because I’m certain that there are better books available out there. But if you’re looking for something short then this may work for you.
Thanks for the copy @alephbookco ✨
It had been a long time since I last read Jojo Moyes and reading this book reminded me why I had enjoyed her Me Before You all those years ago. Her writing is comforting, familiar in a way that makes you want to keep going. Someone Else’s Shoes is not too bad of a book because I’ve always liked stories with women as main characters. But I did feel that something was missing from the story and that feeling lasted until I finished the book.
Nisha and Samantha are very different women whose lives goes on as normal until their gym bags gets exchanged. Samantha finds an expensive shoe and prada jacket inside her bag instead of her usual worn black shoes and is too pressed for time to return it immediately. Their lives turn upside down right from that point. Nisha, although isn’t born rich has been married to a millionaire and finds herself cut off from her husband all of a sudden. Her husband has denied her access even to her clothes and all she has now is the swapped gym bag that doesn’t even contain her belongings.
Samantha, on the other hand has a depressed husband and a horrible boss. Finding those shoes amps up her confidence and she sees a change in her personality and as much as she tries to return it, there’s always an obstacle that stops her. We see these two women try to bring their lives under control only to realise that they’ve been doing it wrong all this while.
The plot is quite interesting, yes but after a while it got too boring for me. The story dragged and I couldn’t wait to be done with it. The characters are too simple, too cliched and very predictable. I did, however enjoy Moyes’s writing but it wasn’t enough. But there’s a good chance that you may enjoy it seeing it has mixed reviews.
M
Nisha and Samantha are very different women whose lives goes on as normal until their gym bags gets exchanged. Samantha finds an expensive shoe and prada jacket inside her bag instead of her usual worn black shoes and is too pressed for time to return it immediately. Their lives turn upside down right from that point. Nisha, although isn’t born rich has been married to a millionaire and finds herself cut off from her husband all of a sudden. Her husband has denied her access even to her clothes and all she has now is the swapped gym bag that doesn’t even contain her belongings.
Samantha, on the other hand has a depressed husband and a horrible boss. Finding those shoes amps up her confidence and she sees a change in her personality and as much as she tries to return it, there’s always an obstacle that stops her. We see these two women try to bring their lives under control only to realise that they’ve been doing it wrong all this while.
The plot is quite interesting, yes but after a while it got too boring for me. The story dragged and I couldn’t wait to be done with it. The characters are too simple, too cliched and very predictable. I did, however enjoy Moyes’s writing but it wasn’t enough. But there’s a good chance that you may enjoy it seeing it has mixed reviews.
M
I don’t often read books that are trending at the moment because in the past, they’ve rarely worked for me but for some odd reason I decided to give Whale a shot. Whale by Cheon Myeong-Kwan is essentially a story of Geumbok and her daughter Chunhui. I’ve read stories about dysfunctional mother daughter relationships in the past and although Whale is entirely fictional, nothing tops this. This book is like a whale in the sense of how one feels while reading it. The emotions are not subtle, the characters are not subtle and everything seems massive even the myriad of emotions that it packs.
Whale outlines the history of Korea through brutal transitions. But it focuses on one generation of women who are as odd as they come. First there’s the old crone and her daughter who summons bees, then there’s Geumbok who leads a complicated life and carries a fragrance that lures men and her giant of a daughter who is gentle as an ant. But mostly, this story is about Geumbok, a simple girl who becomes a gangster building many businesses and somewhere along the line forgets her loved ones. Years ago, when she spots a whale in the sea, she is fascinated by this beautiful creature. This whale is later used as an inspiration for the movie theatre she builds decades later.
But what I couldn’t look away was the violence it covered. I don’t think I’ve read as many rape scenarios as much as I have done in this book. And what I couldn’t help but notice was the fact that it all sounded indifferent. Perhaps this was the intended effect the author wanted to convey but it didn’t work for me. Amidst all the fantasy and magic realism, I kept feeling how unnecessary some of the parts were.
Whale didn’t work for me at all and I’m honestly not surprised because magic realism rarely does and combining it with the amount of violence which almost seems too stressed upon didn’t help. I could have not read this book and probably wouldn’t have missed out on anything. But there are also so many of my friends who loved and still recommend this book. So I think it’s just a matter of how one perceives it.
Thanks for the copy @penguinindia x @reader_viddh
Whale outlines the history of Korea through brutal transitions. But it focuses on one generation of women who are as odd as they come. First there’s the old crone and her daughter who summons bees, then there’s Geumbok who leads a complicated life and carries a fragrance that lures men and her giant of a daughter who is gentle as an ant. But mostly, this story is about Geumbok, a simple girl who becomes a gangster building many businesses and somewhere along the line forgets her loved ones. Years ago, when she spots a whale in the sea, she is fascinated by this beautiful creature. This whale is later used as an inspiration for the movie theatre she builds decades later.
But what I couldn’t look away was the violence it covered. I don’t think I’ve read as many rape scenarios as much as I have done in this book. And what I couldn’t help but notice was the fact that it all sounded indifferent. Perhaps this was the intended effect the author wanted to convey but it didn’t work for me. Amidst all the fantasy and magic realism, I kept feeling how unnecessary some of the parts were.
Whale didn’t work for me at all and I’m honestly not surprised because magic realism rarely does and combining it with the amount of violence which almost seems too stressed upon didn’t help. I could have not read this book and probably wouldn’t have missed out on anything. But there are also so many of my friends who loved and still recommend this book. So I think it’s just a matter of how one perceives it.
Thanks for the copy @penguinindia x @reader_viddh
Murder Under a Red Moon is an interesting second book in the Bangalore Detective Series. My first impression was the clear improvement in both the story buildup as well as the writing. Since both the books are set during the colonial period and that too in Bengaluru, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them. Our protagonist is a young woman who is newly married to a kind hearted doctor and is still getting used to her mother-in-law‘s volatile nature. Kaveri is a curious woman who always has an itch to learn more, to figure out things and also to solve mathematical equations. Set just a few months after her first case, Murder Under a Red Moon is a good sequel.
Kaveri’ mother-in-law requests her to look into an embezzlement case of her closest cousin. Surprised by Bhargavi’s request, a woman who usually isn’t appreciative of her detective work, Kaveri agrees to look into the case. Shanthi, wife of the owner of Sampangi Mills is worried that someone is smudging their accounting books and is causing loss. When she approaches Kaveri along with her sullen looking stepdaughter, Kaveri’s mind starts whirring, trying to gauge these characters. Quickly, this simple financial issue leads to a murder and Kaveri finds herself being pulled into the very heart of it.
Rest of the book gives a detailed explanation of how she resolves the murder. Harini’s strength is in building a captivating story to support her characters. While the actual suspense itself is quite predictable, you still wouldn’t mind reading further because of her writing flair. I enjoy reading about Kaveri’s little quirks and the relationship she shares with her husband. Both her books are strongly women oriented and this is something that I truly appreciate.
Murder Under a Red Moon may not be a gripping thriller but it definitely makes a light and entertaining read. Thanks for the copy @hachette_india
Kaveri’ mother-in-law requests her to look into an embezzlement case of her closest cousin. Surprised by Bhargavi’s request, a woman who usually isn’t appreciative of her detective work, Kaveri agrees to look into the case. Shanthi, wife of the owner of Sampangi Mills is worried that someone is smudging their accounting books and is causing loss. When she approaches Kaveri along with her sullen looking stepdaughter, Kaveri’s mind starts whirring, trying to gauge these characters. Quickly, this simple financial issue leads to a murder and Kaveri finds herself being pulled into the very heart of it.
Rest of the book gives a detailed explanation of how she resolves the murder. Harini’s strength is in building a captivating story to support her characters. While the actual suspense itself is quite predictable, you still wouldn’t mind reading further because of her writing flair. I enjoy reading about Kaveri’s little quirks and the relationship she shares with her husband. Both her books are strongly women oriented and this is something that I truly appreciate.
Murder Under a Red Moon may not be a gripping thriller but it definitely makes a light and entertaining read. Thanks for the copy @hachette_india
Imagine a world ridden with ghosts and the ones who can keep you safe are mostly children and teenagers. They walk around with rapiers and carry salt bombs in case they ever encounter a spirit. Like any other business, there are now agencies that deals with handling ghosts. And one such inconspicuous agency is lead by a rather charismatic teenager named Anthony Lockwood and working with him is George Karim, a guy with a great sense of humour. When Lucy Carlyle is betrayed by her former supervisor, she leaves her home and moves to London. The only agency that takes her in is the one Lockwood runs.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that the narrator is Lucy and once you start reading, it’s incredibly hard to stop thinking about the story. The three characters couldn’t have been more different from each other and yet they make the best team. The first book in the series captures two major ghost events. While trying to stop haunting in a home, they come across a young woman who happens to be murdered. Lucy almost immediately decides to bring justice to this woman, who was killed almost 50 years ago. The second event begins when a rich business magnet hires the team to look into a known dangerous horror activity in an abandoned mansion.
Although books like these are known for their interesting storyline, a lot of importance has been given to the characters too. It was refreshing to read a fun and fast paced novel that is unlike anything I’ve ever read. And even though this is a YA novel, I think it’ll be easily liked by adults too. I can’t wait to read more in the series and if you generally books like Percy Jackson and Harry Potter, you’ll find this right up your alley.
Thanks for the copy @penguinindia ✨
I was pleasantly surprised to see that the narrator is Lucy and once you start reading, it’s incredibly hard to stop thinking about the story. The three characters couldn’t have been more different from each other and yet they make the best team. The first book in the series captures two major ghost events. While trying to stop haunting in a home, they come across a young woman who happens to be murdered. Lucy almost immediately decides to bring justice to this woman, who was killed almost 50 years ago. The second event begins when a rich business magnet hires the team to look into a known dangerous horror activity in an abandoned mansion.
Although books like these are known for their interesting storyline, a lot of importance has been given to the characters too. It was refreshing to read a fun and fast paced novel that is unlike anything I’ve ever read. And even though this is a YA novel, I think it’ll be easily liked by adults too. I can’t wait to read more in the series and if you generally books like Percy Jackson and Harry Potter, you’ll find this right up your alley.
Thanks for the copy @penguinindia ✨