ashmagoffin's reviews
617 reviews

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

adventurous funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley is a difficult book to explain. It doesn’t fall into a genre easily but is described to be ‘speculative fiction’. Part sci-fi thriller and part romcom, this book is fun. So much fun. There is a passage on page three of the book where we are told to simply not worry about the physics of time travel and just go along with it. I took the hint and thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

Though we are told not to think too deeply about plot holes, Bradley surprised me with some thoughtful points. How the ‘expats’ from the past interact with the modern world and also to each other being from different times. What would bother them and what would excite them (the only thing they can agree on being having music on demand). I thought it was interesting that our protagonist, a unsatisfied civil servant, remains nameless. The action of this book is often a bit slapstick and stylised which added to its charm, think of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy or Umbrella Academy.  

A cast of eccentric characters from throughout history. A tone self-aware in its silliness. Interactions which will make you laugh out loud. A narrative with twists and turns and a love story that is the cherry on top. What an amazing debut! 

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue

emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

O’Donoghue writes with an honest and hilarious tone that I come to expect from Irish writers. This book is messy, complicated and authentic. I feel like I can recognise why some of the reviews of this book are mixed but I believe this book captures early adulthood perfectly. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

Evenings and Weekends by Oisín McKenna

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

What a spectacular debut. Evening and Weekends captures the magic of London during summer. There is a unique kind of chaos that takes the whole city by storm and this book is the closest you can be besides experiencing it for yourself. Set directly before Covid, the narrative follows a web of interconnected characters all at a crossroads, some carrying around shame, others managing the fallout of self-repression or a decision to leave. 

On a basic level Evenings and Weekends is about the messiness of humans and our modern relationships. Our inability to communicate with each other and feeling alone in a sea of people. Oisín McKenna has touched on political ideas such as Brexit (how can we escape it in the summer of 2019?), the negative impact of Ireland's conservative views and simply the grim future of ordinary souls in London. A city that is crushed by the weight of its own inhabitants.

McKenna has written these characters with a clear humorous tone. We follow multiple perspectives which all have distinct individual voices. The pace of the narrative did slow down as the book progressed, as did the optimism. Even when the mood darkened and the subject matter grew bleak, this novel was compulsively readable. 

A plot that continued to surprise me until the last page, I feel like utter shit but in the best way possible.

Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder by Asako Yuzuki

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thank you to Harper Collins for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Butter is translated Japanese fiction inspired by the "Konkatsu Killer", a real life alleged serial killer. This book is dense, not necessarily in a bad way, but required a few brain cells to follow all the characters and threads of the plot. The narrative rattles along with an unsettledness about it, I was uncomfortable but gripped. There are moments that are genuinely heartwarming as well, particularly those surrounding female friendship. It pondered fatphobia, feminism and traditional gender norms and relationships which left me with a lot to think about. Also, it makes you hungry! I was hungry, uneasy and (at times) uplifted, what a rollercoaster of emotions. 

This novel has a lot to say, I'm keen for more of Asako Yuzuki's works to be translated. Make sure you have snacks on hand while reading.

Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 1 by Ryoko Kui

4.0

 

My first attempt to delve into manga was a success. It took me some time to orientate myself that I needed to read right to left but after a few pages I got the hang of it. This is a fun little story and I have no more thoughts on the matter. 

The Players by Deborah Pike

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

 This is a book that I wanted to adore but it missed the mark. The Players follows a group of amateur actors performing The Marriage of Figaro and the passage their lives take in the aftermath of the show. It follows them setting out to achieve their dreams or what they think they are. 

This book is my type on paper 100%. I love books that surround theatres, actors and the overall chaos that is trying to put together a show. There were a core cast of characters that we had POV chapters from, not the entirety of The Players but a significant chunk. There were also some others thrown in who were side characters on the periphery. This added nothing to the overall story, particularly one character who served as a villain to the overall plot. Charlie's chapters should have been emitted, his actions or motivations were not justified by his internal monologue, and it would have been more believable without him. Ana's POV did not serve a purpose either, it moved too quickly, she was introduced, was a minor plot point, exited the scene. The pace in which the events of her life happened were extremely difficult to orientate the timeline. By hearing the internal narration of all these characters who were only included to serve (at times) minor plot points, it muddied the waters. I felt like this book lost track of the story it was aiming to be tell which (I think??) was the coming of age of The Players. 

This book was trying to do a lot of things, too many things. Due to this there were too many loose ends, too many unfinished arcs which overall left it with a lack of substance. There was an attempt to tie everything together with a through line but it felt like the majority of the book was blind to what it was trying to achieve. 

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

3.5

I feel like the worst thing this book had going for it was just the fact that I had read it after her latest three releases. This is a great book, it achieves a lot of emotional impact for something that moves at a reasonable pace. I did feel less connected to the characters in Bel Canto than her other books, probably due to the sheer number of them. This is my least favourite Patchett book but that is un unfair criticism of my part as if I had read this book before the rest I would have a higher opinion of it.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

5.0

My second Ann Patchett read and I am so late to the party. The Dutch House is a family drama spanning decades, following Danny and his older sister Maeve. These are two characters who I found so compelling - intelligent and sensitive Danny who simultaneously was utterly clueless, and fierce, larger than life Maeve. It is the little details and the very human flaws that Patchett illustrates about them and her supporting characters which make this book ring sincerely true as realism. 

This book has a (partly) non-linear narrative which weaves in and out which itself is a technical marvel. In the hands of a different author this would be hard to orientate for the reader but it felt like it unfolded organically. I was fully gripped within the story, Patchett has an effortless wit and the asides throughout were thoroughly entertaining. 

I absolutely adored this book, it left me reading until the early hours of the morning, this book seems to be universally loved and this is another glowing review to add into the mix. 

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

Nearly too much for my lil brain

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

3.75

I didn't think this book was for me until the latter half of this book. I truly thought YA had passed me by and I couldn't return. I am glad to say I was wrong.

Not going to lie, I found the worldbuilding confusing. I highly suspect that this is in the same world as Stephanie Garber's other fantasy series Caraval which may have been an assumed prerequisite that I had missed out on. I felt like this book moved very quickly as YA does before I had time to get invested or orientate myself to anything going on. It was only until the last 200 pages that I felt truly along for the ride and as soon as I finished I immediately had regrets not having the second book at hand ready to go. As the book progressed the more I found enjoying the characters, a few I wish we had spent more time with.  Evangeline is a compelling protagonist who had my heart from the first page and Jacks is full of intrigue, I hope to learn more about him and the Fates as the series progresses. Oh and the banter is mint.

I hope to pick up the second book soon!