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boekenbabbel's reviews
10 reviews
Ward D by Freida McFadden
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
After reading 'The Housemaid' and 'The Housemaid's Secret', 'Ward D' was high on my TBR-list. And I have to say that this was my favorite book by Freida McFadden so far. The plot felt quite unique, the characters felt relatable and once again, McFadden managed to write a story that I couldn't have predicted. This time, I did feel like I put together the story a bit faster than the while reading the other books by the author. But I changed my mind multiple times before finally figuring out what was actually happening. I really, really liked this story and I think this will be a book that I will recommend many times.
The Stepson by Diane Saxon
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
When Lorraine gets a frantic phone call from her mother in the middle of the night, her entire world gets turned upside down. Following the disturbing phone call, she can’t find her mother anywhere. She starts investigating the disappearance and discovers that her family has been keeping secrets from her …
I really liked this story. A suspenseful race against the clock story is something I always enjoy and this one was no different. This book has a lot of things that I like in a book: flawed characters who aren’t always likeable, a bad guy that you (sometimes) feel sympathetic too, a family history that is not at all what you expect ….
I was really invested in the story and could not put the book down until I knew what had happened. Sometimes I felt like certain parts were dragging on for too long and that is why I gave it 4 stars. But other than that, I really liked it.
I had never read a book by Diane Saxon before, but I have added her to my list of go to thriller-authors.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC of this book!
I really liked this story. A suspenseful race against the clock story is something I always enjoy and this one was no different. This book has a lot of things that I like in a book: flawed characters who aren’t always likeable, a bad guy that you (sometimes) feel sympathetic too, a family history that is not at all what you expect ….
I was really invested in the story and could not put the book down until I knew what had happened. Sometimes I felt like certain parts were dragging on for too long and that is why I gave it 4 stars. But other than that, I really liked it.
I had never read a book by Diane Saxon before, but I have added her to my list of go to thriller-authors.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC of this book!
The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic by Linsey Hall
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
‘The modern girl’s guide to magic’ is a story about Aria, a young witch who left her hometown because she felt like she didn’t belong. But when her grandmother asks her to participate in a competition that could help them save the family’s shop, she cannot say no. Returning to her hometown, Aria discovers that not everything (and everyone) is as it first seems.
This book was really cosy and read easily. Aria is a fun character and the setting is described really nicely. But there are two reasons that made me decide to give this book ‘only’ three stars.
First of all I felt like some parts of the story were really slow, while others went by really fast. Sadly, the most interesting parts felt a bit rushed.
The second reason has to do with the characters. Aria was described well and I feel like I got to know her, but I cannot say the same of the other characters. Compared to Aria, they felt a bit flat. I cannot say that I feel like I know who they are.
But all in all the story was nice and I was invested in finding out what would happen to Aria, so if the author writes a sequel, I will probably read that one as well.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnie Doon Press for the ARC of this book!
This book was really cosy and read easily. Aria is a fun character and the setting is described really nicely. But there are two reasons that made me decide to give this book ‘only’ three stars.
First of all I felt like some parts of the story were really slow, while others went by really fast. Sadly, the most interesting parts felt a bit rushed.
The second reason has to do with the characters. Aria was described well and I feel like I got to know her, but I cannot say the same of the other characters. Compared to Aria, they felt a bit flat. I cannot say that I feel like I know who they are.
But all in all the story was nice and I was invested in finding out what would happen to Aria, so if the author writes a sequel, I will probably read that one as well.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnie Doon Press for the ARC of this book!
Ever Since by Alena Bruzas
dark
emotional
medium-paced
3.0
It has taken me a while to write this review ... I have changed my rating multiple times, but in the end I had to settle on three stars. Don't get me wrong, I loved this story. I loved the story, but I didn't necessarily love the book, if that makes sense.
The story that is told in 'Ever Since' is a very important one. I believe that this book could really help people. Help them understand what other people might go through, help them find the courage to get up and do something when this story happens to someone they know, and maybe even help them when they are going through something like this. This story is about abuse. Sexual abuse, mental abuse, abuse of substances ... And it is a hard one to read. But stories like this are necessary to be told. Based on the story alone, this book would have definitely received 4 stars.
But the problem for me was the writing. The first chapters were the worst and it did get better near the end of the book, but it was still difficult to get through. The sentences are extremely long, consisting of multiple clauses starting with 'and'. ... and ... and ... and ... and ... and ... . At one point, a sentence ran for 9(!) lines on my e-reader. This made me lose track of the sentence and made it harder to really get sucked into the story. I really had to drag myself through the first few chapters, up until the point that the story got so interesting that the writing stopped bothering me as much. And as I said, it did get better near the end. I've read a few reviews saying that this depicts the mind of a 17-year old. That may be true, but this obviously does not appeal to everybody. If I had to score the writing, I would give this a 2,5/5. There is so much room for improvement, and I do believe that the author can get better (the last chapters were evidence of that).
To conclude my review: I liked the story, but didn't like the writing.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for this ARC of this book!
The story that is told in 'Ever Since' is a very important one. I believe that this book could really help people. Help them understand what other people might go through, help them find the courage to get up and do something when this story happens to someone they know, and maybe even help them when they are going through something like this. This story is about abuse. Sexual abuse, mental abuse, abuse of substances ... And it is a hard one to read. But stories like this are necessary to be told. Based on the story alone, this book would have definitely received 4 stars.
But the problem for me was the writing. The first chapters were the worst and it did get better near the end of the book, but it was still difficult to get through. The sentences are extremely long, consisting of multiple clauses starting with 'and'. ... and ... and ... and ... and ... and ... . At one point, a sentence ran for 9(!) lines on my e-reader. This made me lose track of the sentence and made it harder to really get sucked into the story. I really had to drag myself through the first few chapters, up until the point that the story got so interesting that the writing stopped bothering me as much. And as I said, it did get better near the end. I've read a few reviews saying that this depicts the mind of a 17-year old. That may be true, but this obviously does not appeal to everybody. If I had to score the writing, I would give this a 2,5/5. There is so much room for improvement, and I do believe that the author can get better (the last chapters were evidence of that).
To conclude my review: I liked the story, but didn't like the writing.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for this ARC of this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Alcohol
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
The Final Party by A.A. Chaudhuri
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
6 old friends, all with secrets of their own, go on a trip together. Only five will return at the end of the week. Secrets do kill …
I liked this book a lot more than I expected. I thought this would be a very straight forward story that we’ve all read many times before, but that was not the case. There were so many twists and turns that I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. There were some twists that were a bit predictable, but they still left me hungry for more. Add a beautifully described scenery and twisted, but loveable characters to the story and I’m sold. I’ll definitely check out other works by this author.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for the ARC of this book!
I liked this book a lot more than I expected. I thought this would be a very straight forward story that we’ve all read many times before, but that was not the case. There were so many twists and turns that I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. There were some twists that were a bit predictable, but they still left me hungry for more. Add a beautifully described scenery and twisted, but loveable characters to the story and I’m sold. I’ll definitely check out other works by this author.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for the ARC of this book!
Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The Moonlight Blade by Tessa Barbosa
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
The synopsis of this book reminded me of ‘The Hunger Games’, and I would definitely place this book next to that one. The story is thrilling and compelling and I found myself rooting for the main character. The main character, Narra, is a likeable character that had won me over very quickly.
The story takes place in a place inspired by the Philippines and while I was reading, I regularly noticed how limited my knowledge of the culture is. This made it a bit harder at times to understand everything, but it was really interesting to learn more about it.
The only thing I ‘disliked’ about this book is the amount of information that you received. There was a lot of information about the world in the story, about the ‘society’ in Bato-Ko, about religious aspects, about the previous life of the main character… This made it a bit too descriptive sometimes and honestly, it wasn’t always easy to follow the story because of this. Sometimes, I had to decide for myself to ‘skip’ this information (meaning: don’t try to understand and remember everything) and focus on the story itself.
All in all, I really liked this book. I think it is a very strong story and I kept thinking about it, even when I wasn’t reading. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who lis a fan of books like ‘The Hunger Games’.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for giving me a chance to read an advanced copy of this book.
The story takes place in a place inspired by the Philippines and while I was reading, I regularly noticed how limited my knowledge of the culture is. This made it a bit harder at times to understand everything, but it was really interesting to learn more about it.
The only thing I ‘disliked’ about this book is the amount of information that you received. There was a lot of information about the world in the story, about the ‘society’ in Bato-Ko, about religious aspects, about the previous life of the main character… This made it a bit too descriptive sometimes and honestly, it wasn’t always easy to follow the story because of this. Sometimes, I had to decide for myself to ‘skip’ this information (meaning: don’t try to understand and remember everything) and focus on the story itself.
All in all, I really liked this book. I think it is a very strong story and I kept thinking about it, even when I wasn’t reading. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who lis a fan of books like ‘The Hunger Games’.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for giving me a chance to read an advanced copy of this book.
Mythos by Stephen Fry
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
NL:
Fry brengt de mythen op een levendige en hedendaagse manier, waardoor de Griekse goden veel minder abstract lijken dan ze voor mij eerder waren. Hij maakt de verhalen mysterieus en spannend en de personages authentiek. Door zijn vlotte en unieke schrijfstijl lezen de mythen als een recent fictieboek. Toch ben ik een beetje teleurgesteld in dit boek en dat heeft veel met mij te maken. In het boek leer je een grote hoeveelheid personages kennen en ik kon niet altijd goed volgen wie wie juist was. Er gebeuren zo veel afzonderlijke dingen met allemaal verschillende personages, dat ik ondertussen niet meer kan zeggen wie wat meegemaakt heeft. Soms leerde we een nieuw personage kennen, die de kleindochter was van X, die we eerder in het boek al ontmoet hadden. Maar om eerlijk te zijn, wist ik al lang niet meer wat dat personage gedaan had. Ook de Griekse, niet al te moderne namen maakte het voor mij moeilijk om te blijven volgen. Hierdoor zag ik soms het verband niet meer tussen alle verhalen en dat vond ik erg jammer. De stamboom aan het begin van het boek hielp bij sommige verhalen, maar deze was (natuurlijk) niet volledig en bij de kleinere verhalen had ik er niet veel aan.
Dit heeft allemaal weinig te maken met de schrijfstijl van Stephen Fry of met de verhalen zelf. De verhalen waren stuk voor stuk goed geschreven en interessant, maar persoonlijk kon ik dus niet altijd even goed volgen. Dit zorgde ervoor dat ik niet altijd verder geraakte in het boek en het mij langer heeft gekost om dit boek volledig uit te lezen dan ik gedacht had. Toch zal ik de vervolgboeken nog een kans geven om te kijken of deze voor mij iets vlotter lezen.
ENG:
Fry writes the mythes in a lively and contemporary way, which makes the Greek Gods seem less abstract than they were before (to me). He makes the stories mysterious and thrilling and the characters authentic. Because of his fluent and unique writing style, the myths read as a recent work of fiction. But I am a bit disappointed in this book. In Mythes, you encounter a great number of characters and I couldn't always tell who was who. There is so much happening to so many different characters, that I don't know what happened to whom at this point. Sometimes, a new character is introduced, who is a granddaughter of X, who we met earlier in the book.But to be fair, I couldn't remember what that character had done by that point. The Greek names made it all the more difficult to follow the stories. Because of this, I couldn't always see the connections between the stories and I felt disappointed by that.
This has nothing to do with Fry's writing style or the stories in themselves. The stories were well written and interesting, but I had trouble following the story as a whole. This made it difficult to continue with the book and it took me a lot longer than I expected. I will give the sequel a chance, maybe that one will be better for me.
Fry brengt de mythen op een levendige en hedendaagse manier, waardoor de Griekse goden veel minder abstract lijken dan ze voor mij eerder waren. Hij maakt de verhalen mysterieus en spannend en de personages authentiek. Door zijn vlotte en unieke schrijfstijl lezen de mythen als een recent fictieboek. Toch ben ik een beetje teleurgesteld in dit boek en dat heeft veel met mij te maken. In het boek leer je een grote hoeveelheid personages kennen en ik kon niet altijd goed volgen wie wie juist was. Er gebeuren zo veel afzonderlijke dingen met allemaal verschillende personages, dat ik ondertussen niet meer kan zeggen wie wat meegemaakt heeft. Soms leerde we een nieuw personage kennen, die de kleindochter was van X, die we eerder in het boek al ontmoet hadden. Maar om eerlijk te zijn, wist ik al lang niet meer wat dat personage gedaan had. Ook de Griekse, niet al te moderne namen maakte het voor mij moeilijk om te blijven volgen. Hierdoor zag ik soms het verband niet meer tussen alle verhalen en dat vond ik erg jammer. De stamboom aan het begin van het boek hielp bij sommige verhalen, maar deze was (natuurlijk) niet volledig en bij de kleinere verhalen had ik er niet veel aan.
Dit heeft allemaal weinig te maken met de schrijfstijl van Stephen Fry of met de verhalen zelf. De verhalen waren stuk voor stuk goed geschreven en interessant, maar persoonlijk kon ik dus niet altijd even goed volgen. Dit zorgde ervoor dat ik niet altijd verder geraakte in het boek en het mij langer heeft gekost om dit boek volledig uit te lezen dan ik gedacht had. Toch zal ik de vervolgboeken nog een kans geven om te kijken of deze voor mij iets vlotter lezen.
ENG:
Fry writes the mythes in a lively and contemporary way, which makes the Greek Gods seem less abstract than they were before (to me). He makes the stories mysterious and thrilling and the characters authentic. Because of his fluent and unique writing style, the myths read as a recent work of fiction. But I am a bit disappointed in this book. In Mythes, you encounter a great number of characters and I couldn't always tell who was who. There is so much happening to so many different characters, that I don't know what happened to whom at this point. Sometimes, a new character is introduced, who is a granddaughter of X, who we met earlier in the book.But to be fair, I couldn't remember what that character had done by that point. The Greek names made it all the more difficult to follow the stories. Because of this, I couldn't always see the connections between the stories and I felt disappointed by that.
This has nothing to do with Fry's writing style or the stories in themselves. The stories were well written and interesting, but I had trouble following the story as a whole. This made it difficult to continue with the book and it took me a lot longer than I expected. I will give the sequel a chance, maybe that one will be better for me.
De erfenis by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
NL:
De synopsis van dit boek maakte mij enorm benieuwd, omdat het niet direct voelde als een boek dat ik ooit al gelezen had. En dat bleek te kloppen. Ik vind het verhaal, hoewel het soms wat vergezocht is, heel origineel en intrigerend. Ik voelde zelf een nieuwsgierigheid waarvan ik verwacht dat ook het hoofdpersonage ze zal gevoeld hebben. Ik had in het begin nooit kunnen raden hoe het af zou lopen ...
De reden waarom ik dit boek 4 sterren geef, in plaats van vijf, heeft te maken met de personages. Avery, het hoofdpersonage, werd heel goed beschreven. Ik heb het gevoel dat ik haar ken, maar dat kan ik van de andere personages jammer genoeg niet zeggen. De vier Hawthorne-broers, die toch een heel grote rol hebben in het verhaal, zijn voor mij nog iets te vlak. Ze voelen niet ... 'echt' aan. Ik hoop dat hier in de vervolgboeken (die ik dus nog niet gelezen heb) verandering in komt ... Maar vooral de andere personages, die kleinere rollen spelen, stelden me wat teleur. Ik heb het gevoel dat ik te weinig informatie kreeg over hen, waardoor ik tijdens het lezen ze vaak door elkaar haalde (bijvoorbeeld: de zussen Skye en Zara).
Daarnaast was ik, toen ik het boek bijna uit had, eventjes teleurgesteld in de ontknoping. Het leek even uit te draaien op een einde dat in mijn ogen veel te slap was voor de opbouw. Gelukkig brachten de laatste hoofdstukken, met een heel interessante plottwist, daar toch verandering in. Het heeft mij zeker nieuwsgierig gemaakt naar het vervolg ...
ENG:
The synopsis of this book made me very curious, because it didn't feel like anything I'd ever read before. And in the end, that was true. I think the story, even though it is a bit far-fetched sometimes, is really creative and intriguing. I felt the same curiosity that I imagine the main character must have felt. I couldn't have guessed how this book would end ...
The reason that I gave this book 4 stars, in stead of 5, has to do with the characters. Avery, the main character, was very well written and described. I feel like I know her, but I can't say the same for the other characters. The four Hawthorne-brothers, who play a big part in the story, feel a bit 'flat'. They don't feel ... real. But my main issue is with the smaller characters. I feel like I didn't get enough information about them, whereby I kept confusing them with each other during my read (for example: the sisters Skye and Zara).
When I'd almost finished reading the book, I was scared that I was going to be disappointed in the denouement. It looked like it would turn out to be an end that was way too weak for the build-up. But luckily, the final chapters, with an interesting plot twist, changed that. It definitely made me want to read more ...
De synopsis van dit boek maakte mij enorm benieuwd, omdat het niet direct voelde als een boek dat ik ooit al gelezen had. En dat bleek te kloppen. Ik vind het verhaal, hoewel het soms wat vergezocht is, heel origineel en intrigerend. Ik voelde zelf een nieuwsgierigheid waarvan ik verwacht dat ook het hoofdpersonage ze zal gevoeld hebben. Ik had in het begin nooit kunnen raden hoe het af zou lopen ...
De reden waarom ik dit boek 4 sterren geef, in plaats van vijf, heeft te maken met de personages. Avery, het hoofdpersonage, werd heel goed beschreven. Ik heb het gevoel dat ik haar ken, maar dat kan ik van de andere personages jammer genoeg niet zeggen. De vier Hawthorne-broers, die toch een heel grote rol hebben in het verhaal, zijn voor mij nog iets te vlak. Ze voelen niet ... 'echt' aan. Ik hoop dat hier in de vervolgboeken (die ik dus nog niet gelezen heb) verandering in komt ... Maar vooral de andere personages, die kleinere rollen spelen, stelden me wat teleur. Ik heb het gevoel dat ik te weinig informatie kreeg over hen, waardoor ik tijdens het lezen ze vaak door elkaar haalde (bijvoorbeeld: de zussen Skye en Zara).
Daarnaast was ik, toen ik het boek bijna uit had, eventjes teleurgesteld in de ontknoping. Het leek even uit te draaien op een einde dat in mijn ogen veel te slap was voor de opbouw. Gelukkig brachten de laatste hoofdstukken, met een heel interessante plottwist, daar toch verandering in. Het heeft mij zeker nieuwsgierig gemaakt naar het vervolg ...
ENG:
The synopsis of this book made me very curious, because it didn't feel like anything I'd ever read before. And in the end, that was true. I think the story, even though it is a bit far-fetched sometimes, is really creative and intriguing. I felt the same curiosity that I imagine the main character must have felt. I couldn't have guessed how this book would end ...
The reason that I gave this book 4 stars, in stead of 5, has to do with the characters. Avery, the main character, was very well written and described. I feel like I know her, but I can't say the same for the other characters. The four Hawthorne-brothers, who play a big part in the story, feel a bit 'flat'. They don't feel ... real. But my main issue is with the smaller characters. I feel like I didn't get enough information about them, whereby I kept confusing them with each other during my read (for example: the sisters Skye and Zara).
When I'd almost finished reading the book, I was scared that I was going to be disappointed in the denouement. It looked like it would turn out to be an end that was way too weak for the build-up. But luckily, the final chapters, with an interesting plot twist, changed that. It definitely made me want to read more ...
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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