ashmagoffin's reviews
689 reviews

The Ledge by Christian White

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Australians' really do well in the crime/mystery genre. This book was a good pick to kickstart a new year of reading for me. It was gripping with a recognisable Australian gothic setting. This was a solid book, I did cotton on to the twist but I feel like that is only due to the fact I was a) looking for it and b) this is the fourth Christian White book I have read. I think this book is accessible to most adult readers and a good book club book. The audiobook is on Everend and is well produced also. The Ledge was compelling, I will continue to pick up White's new releases as they are reliably good reads.

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

dark emotional informative tense fast-paced

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

5.0

A superb way to start the reading year! This book is so utterly bingeable, I truly was on the edge of my seat. This book was such an intelligent way to analyse and point out the hypocrisy of the American prison system and systematic racism. Chain-Gang All-Stars cannot be called dystopian because it is quite frankly too recognisable. This book is an uncomfortable read, I couldn't look away and gripped the entire time. The multiple perspectives of this book drive the world building which made the setting vivid. This book has footnotes but they were not overbearing, small facts which ended up being almost too recognisable. The human aspect of this book I found to be upsetting, this book emotionally hit me. This book has sat on my tbr for an embarrassing long time, I cannot believe I did not get to it sooner. 

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

emotional hopeful fast-paced

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

5.0

This is my first Abby Jimenez and has immediately been raised to auto-read author status. The premise of this novel is cute, two people who are always the-one-before-the-one, every ex goes on to find their true love upon breakup. If Justin and Emma just need to go on four dates, share a kiss and break up and then they’ll find their respective soulmates, foolproof, right?

The highlight of this book for me was the characters. The characters spoke to each other like real human beings do which gave it a grounded sense of realism. Everyone was multifaceted and had depth, even the antagonists which I find to be rare in the romance genre. HOW EVERYONE WAS BEHAVING JUST MADE TOTAL SENSE! I am a simple woman and this I adored. This is a book told from dual perspectives which I thought worked in this novel’s favour. The narrative had superb build up and tension, it is light on the spice but big on the romance.

Romance is hit or miss for me but Jimenez knocked this one out of the park for me! 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Scarlet Throne by Amy Leow

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

 This book was a gift from my friend Hayley who described it as a book for the people who enjoyed the last 50 pages of The Poppy War and I found this to be completely correct. 

The Scarlet Throne focuses on Binsa, a 'living goddess', channeling a diety but instead is concealing a demon. Deals with the devil ensue, sacrificing humanity for demonic power and political schemes. This book I genuinely did not know what was going to happen next, I found it to be tricky to keep up with Binsa at times, the plot has many twists and turns. There are many points where the reader is meant to roll with the punches and put the puzzle pieces together later. Binsa is a flawed character full of complexity, existing within the shades of grey who also has an oddly relatable hint of imposter syndrome. I did struggle to read this book consistently, I read this one over a couple of days even though I did not have much else to do. Maybe an uneven story arc or unclear character intensions? I am unsure but it still made for a simmering slow burn read. 

If you want a book with a morally grey heroine (or villain?) at the helm, this is a superb book to pick up. 

Foster by Claire Keegan

5.0

A simple but impactful short story. Claire Keegan's novellas are short but she always manages to have a lot to stay. A neglected child from a big family stays with relatives while she waits for a sibling to be born. This book gave me the heartwarming vibes of Anne of Green Gables while subtly pointing to numerous social issues in rural Ireland. Keegan captures the beauty of the seemly mundane, I cannot wait to read the rest of her backlist. 

Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland

3.0

 A fantasy series with a solid concept, five of the most dangerous individuals in the land on a mission to slay a supposably immortal tyrant. Although this book was written from multiple points of view, they all read too similar to feel authentic. If I opened the book to any chapter, it would take me a while to figure out whose perspective I was reading. I feel like we never linger enough in a character's perspective to connect to them. There was a lot of instalove which got to the point that it felt repetitive, there was no pay off. All this aside, I wanted to keep reading, the narrative alone hooked me but the novel suffered by how it was written. This book feels like it is a young adult novel in how it is told and I was expecting adult fantasy. The stakes couldn't have been higher but I failed to feel that. 

At this point I would consider picking up the next book, I recognise Mai Corland is setting up for something bigger and I would be keen to see where it goes. 

The Hypocrite by Jo Hamya

5.0

Structured over the course of an evening, The Hypocrite follows Sophia and Sophia's father as he watches the play Sophia has written. The subject matter is a holiday they both took together a decade ago. Sophia's father remembers Sophia on the cusp of adulthood, helping him write his novel. Sophia remembers her father dictating a story for her to type and him bringing home random strangers to sleep with. 

The writing of this novel is excellent. Many phrases have left an impact on me. The pacing between the multiple perspectives was also fantastic, the non-confirmative formatting and stream of consciousness writing by the end of the narrative was effective. The atmospheric writing made the multiple settings feel authentic - the island in Sicily, the theatre, the rooftop restaurant. Jo Hamya has been able to create such complicated characters grappling with humiliation and shame. This novel exists in shades of grey. Despite the obvious answer, I was still left wondering who the true hypocrite was. 

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

5.0

Small Things Like These packs an absolute punch for a novella. This book was compelling as it was thought provoking. This book is set in the 1980s in Ireland, it feels like it could be taking place a hundred years before (a deliberate choice). The hypocrisy of the village, juxtaposition of the characters and engagement of this book is a masterclass. I need to pick up more Claire Keegan, what a marvel.

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

1.5

This felt like a classic meandering second book in a fantasy series except a lot worse. 

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

4.5

39 women and our nameless protagonist are kept in a cell in an underground bunker. They cannot remember the crimes they’ve committed (if there were even crimes at all) and normal life is a distant memory. The women are under constant supervision by male guards and our narrator has not known anything else.

I read this novella in a sitting. For a book sitting under 200 pages it hits you like a punch in the gut. A huge depth of world building but also a sparsity which kept me in a chokehold to keep turning pages. The tone of this novel is bleak, despondent and yet dignified. While I enjoyed the unique tone, it didn’t sit with me as authentic to a person who had no memory of civilisation and life outside a cage. Part dystopian, part speculative fiction and the rest existentialism, this book by no means changed my life but it will haunt me for years to come. 4.5/5