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booksonawednesday's Reviews (487)
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The first half of this book was something special: cosy and enjoyable, about a 25-year-old woman rediscovering the joy in life (reading!). The second half shifted away from the main character and left me feeling confused.
Takako drifted apart from her uncle Satoru in her teenage years, but when she finds herself newly single and unemployed, it is decided that she will move in to his second-hand bookshop to help him out. She realises Satoru has been dealing with his own problems after his wife, Momoko, left him.
I listened to the first half of this book is one session; I was hooked. Translated fiction can be a bit hit or miss for me, but the story was portrayed really well, along with Japanese cultural nuances.
The second half of the book took a different turn, which I didn’t really understand. I just didn’t gel with Momoko’s character, and the ending felt like it was either rushed or unfinished.
Takako drifted apart from her uncle Satoru in her teenage years, but when she finds herself newly single and unemployed, it is decided that she will move in to his second-hand bookshop to help him out. She realises Satoru has been dealing with his own problems after his wife, Momoko, left him.
I listened to the first half of this book is one session; I was hooked. Translated fiction can be a bit hit or miss for me, but the story was portrayed really well, along with Japanese cultural nuances.
The second half of the book took a different turn, which I didn’t really understand. I just didn’t gel with Momoko’s character, and the ending felt like it was either rushed or unfinished.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
If I had a penny for every day a niche British celebrity called Richard published a cosy thriller, I’d have two pennies. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it’s happened twice. And I’ve got to say, Osman’s books are way better than this.
Canon Daniel Clement lives at the Rectory of Champton with his strong-willed mother, Audrey. When he announces plans to install a lavatory in the church, he’s met with surprising defiance. Soon after, Anthony Bowness, cousin to the patron of Champton, is found dead in the church.
If any of the characters weren’t completely devoid of any character (*Daniel*), then they were frustratingly plain unlikeable. In a cosy thriller, it’s so important to have characters that you root for - but I couldn’t care less about them (if I could even tell them apart).
The plot was so slow for the first third of the book. Considering that the blurb of the book literally tells us *who* dies, I would expect the murder to take place before the 30% mark. But no! I nearly DNF’ed just before the murder happened. Even when the crimes got started, it was still slow going.
The time period of the book also confused me. I had assumed it was set in the present day but the ages of Daniel and Audrey didn’t make any sense with their constant references to experiencing WW2. Apparently, it’s set in the 1980s! At no point is this made clear.
Unfortunately, I won’t be reading any further books by Reverend Richard Coles.
Canon Daniel Clement lives at the Rectory of Champton with his strong-willed mother, Audrey. When he announces plans to install a lavatory in the church, he’s met with surprising defiance. Soon after, Anthony Bowness, cousin to the patron of Champton, is found dead in the church.
If any of the characters weren’t completely devoid of any character (*Daniel*), then they were frustratingly plain unlikeable. In a cosy thriller, it’s so important to have characters that you root for - but I couldn’t care less about them (if I could even tell them apart).
The plot was so slow for the first third of the book. Considering that the blurb of the book literally tells us *who* dies, I would expect the murder to take place before the 30% mark. But no! I nearly DNF’ed just before the murder happened. Even when the crimes got started, it was still slow going.
The time period of the book also confused me. I had assumed it was set in the present day but the ages of Daniel and Audrey didn’t make any sense with their constant references to experiencing WW2. Apparently, it’s set in the 1980s! At no point is this made clear.
Unfortunately, I won’t be reading any further books by Reverend Richard Coles.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Miranda Hart’s memoir is a powerful and honest portrayal of her experience with chronic illness.
It wasn’t quite what I was expecting: more self-help than autobiography. Miranda shares the ‘treasures’ that have helped her live a contented life with ME and Lyme Disease.
I think she has some great and hopeful ideas and mechanisms to appreciate the every day. If the world was full of Mirandas, what a fantastic world that would be.
I wish there was a bit more structure and personal anecdotes, but I got the sense that her writing this book was cathartic in itself. It being published was probably just a bonus for her.
It wasn’t quite what I was expecting: more self-help than autobiography. Miranda shares the ‘treasures’ that have helped her live a contented life with ME and Lyme Disease.
I think she has some great and hopeful ideas and mechanisms to appreciate the every day. If the world was full of Mirandas, what a fantastic world that would be.
I wish there was a bit more structure and personal anecdotes, but I got the sense that her writing this book was cathartic in itself. It being published was probably just a bonus for her.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Stephanie Garber’s Caraval series and Once Upon a Broken Heart series are so unique with their style and atmosphere. I love the Caraval world so much!
After Scarlett and Tella are recovering from their first Caraval, they find out that another (unprecedented) Caraval is being held in a nearby city, Valenda. In exchange for freedom from their father, Tella has made a terrifying deal to find out Legend’s name and deliver it to an unknown criminal. In order to do so, she must win Caraval, but is warned that she will not be able to distinguish the game from reality for long.
The series takes a surprising turn in shifting the protagonist from Scarlett to her younger sister, Tella. Although we heard a lot about Tella from the perspective of Scarlett in the first book, we didn’t actually see a lot of her.
I really enjoyed learning more about Tella, and found her much more likeable and relatable than Scarlett had perceived her to be.
The atmosphere of the world that Garber is created is so immersive and addictive. It feels both disjointed and ethereal at the same time - oddly reminding me of a warped version of The Nightmare Before Christmas, but with magic, fates and castles instead of Halloween and spookiness.
I really didn’t have an idea on where the plot was going, which kept me intrigued. I feel that it’s possible some of what we’ve learned in this book could be undone in the final book though. Both Jacks and Dante as love interests were so good; I wanted Tella to have them both!
It goes without saying that I cannot wait to read the final book in the series (not counting Spectular!).
After Scarlett and Tella are recovering from their first Caraval, they find out that another (unprecedented) Caraval is being held in a nearby city, Valenda. In exchange for freedom from their father, Tella has made a terrifying deal to find out Legend’s name and deliver it to an unknown criminal. In order to do so, she must win Caraval, but is warned that she will not be able to distinguish the game from reality for long.
The series takes a surprising turn in shifting the protagonist from Scarlett to her younger sister, Tella. Although we heard a lot about Tella from the perspective of Scarlett in the first book, we didn’t actually see a lot of her.
I really enjoyed learning more about Tella, and found her much more likeable and relatable than Scarlett had perceived her to be.
The atmosphere of the world that Garber is created is so immersive and addictive. It feels both disjointed and ethereal at the same time - oddly reminding me of a warped version of The Nightmare Before Christmas, but with magic, fates and castles instead of Halloween and spookiness.
I really didn’t have an idea on where the plot was going, which kept me intrigued. I feel that it’s possible some of what we’ve learned in this book could be undone in the final book though. Both Jacks and Dante as love interests were so good; I wanted Tella to have them both!
It goes without saying that I cannot wait to read the final book in the series (not counting Spectular!).
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Heather Morris adds yet another World War 2 historical fiction* book to her collection. *strongly inspired by true stories and characters.
This book moves away from Europe, but focuses on English/Welsh/Australian main characters. As Singapore falls to the Japanese, various women - including nurses - are crammed aboard a merchant ship to take them to safety. The ship is bombed and the women are shipwrecked to the nearby Sumatran beaches, where they are captured and held in Japanese POW camps.
The stories were extremely sad, and incredibly important to share. The characters felt a bit wooden and at times unrealistic, but I understand that the author wouldn’t want to misrepresent the real experiences that the women faced.
I also find the general lack of diversity in the author’s books disappointing. While it was interesting to read a WW2 story set outside of Europe, it would be even better to read a different narrative of a person of colour. Heather Morris has now got a big fanbase, so I’d love to see her share stories that are relatively unknown in what we’re taught in England.
This book moves away from Europe, but focuses on English/Welsh/Australian main characters. As Singapore falls to the Japanese, various women - including nurses - are crammed aboard a merchant ship to take them to safety. The ship is bombed and the women are shipwrecked to the nearby Sumatran beaches, where they are captured and held in Japanese POW camps.
The stories were extremely sad, and incredibly important to share. The characters felt a bit wooden and at times unrealistic, but I understand that the author wouldn’t want to misrepresent the real experiences that the women faced.
I also find the general lack of diversity in the author’s books disappointing. While it was interesting to read a WW2 story set outside of Europe, it would be even better to read a different narrative of a person of colour. Heather Morris has now got a big fanbase, so I’d love to see her share stories that are relatively unknown in what we’re taught in England.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A really tense and frustrating thriller about racism, social justice and bad neighbours.
When Salma and Bil Khutan move to a new neighbourhood with their 18-year-old son, Zain, they weren’t expecting to be met with bigotry and racism. When their neighbour, Tom Hutton, tears down their BLM banner, their relationship becomes frayed and tensions escalate.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It is one of the few books that I’ve read where it started off mediocre but then got better and better.
The characters and the storyline were so believable, even though the spiralling retaliations between the two neighbours became frustrating very quickly.
Overall, it was thought-provoking and well-written (aside from the slow start).
When Salma and Bil Khutan move to a new neighbourhood with their 18-year-old son, Zain, they weren’t expecting to be met with bigotry and racism. When their neighbour, Tom Hutton, tears down their BLM banner, their relationship becomes frayed and tensions escalate.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It is one of the few books that I’ve read where it started off mediocre but then got better and better.
The characters and the storyline were so believable, even though the spiralling retaliations between the two neighbours became frustrating very quickly.
Overall, it was thought-provoking and well-written (aside from the slow start).
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Angry Robot Books for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A mysterious tower in the sky appears above the English countryside, and thirteen strangers are suddenly transported to it with only one message: ascend. As they do so, they are confronted with their waking nightmares and closely followed by death.
This book became Saw meets Squid Games - which wasn’t something I was expecting from reading the synopsis. I enjoyed the writing, which was quippy while being descriptive at the same time, but I really struggled to connect with any of the characters. I also found it quite repetitive from being around a third of the way in.
The concept was also unique, but utterly bonkers! It got more serious and existential by the end, which felt slightly at odds with the otherwise graphic, horror-like scenes from the early parts of the book.
A mysterious tower in the sky appears above the English countryside, and thirteen strangers are suddenly transported to it with only one message: ascend. As they do so, they are confronted with their waking nightmares and closely followed by death.
This book became Saw meets Squid Games - which wasn’t something I was expecting from reading the synopsis. I enjoyed the writing, which was quippy while being descriptive at the same time, but I really struggled to connect with any of the characters. I also found it quite repetitive from being around a third of the way in.
The concept was also unique, but utterly bonkers! It got more serious and existential by the end, which felt slightly at odds with the otherwise graphic, horror-like scenes from the early parts of the book.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you to Angry Robot Books for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Right from the start, this concept had me completely hooked. In the midst of an American-Chinese war, a group of Chinese scientists arrive at the American research base in the South Pole - with a dead man in the back of their truck.
Within mere hours, more violet deaths follow, and it becomes clear that a dangerous microbe - activated by extremely cold temperatures - has infected the researchers.
The writing in this book was fantastic, and reminded me of Stephen King, specifically The Stand. I also felt that there were a lot of parallels with a specific Doctor Who episode called The Water of Mars. While the book has been described as more science fiction, I thought that it had a strong horror element to it.
The book hosts a whole cast of characters, with a helpful glossary at the front which I consistently referred back to. I’m not sure if there is a map planned for the finished copy of this book, but that would have been amazingly helpful as well.
The characters were written with such detail in a short space of time; even those who we didn’t spend much time with were memorable in their own way. Rajan, a scientist who was visiting the South Pole for the first time, was probably the ‘main character’ and to me, the most likeable. Ideally, I would have wanted a bit more time with Rajan and his past.
The plot moved very quickly, and I absolutely devoured this book in two days. I even dreamt about some of the characters!
If you like Stephen King, The Walking Dead or any thriller that’s set in an isolated location, I think you’ll love this!
Right from the start, this concept had me completely hooked. In the midst of an American-Chinese war, a group of Chinese scientists arrive at the American research base in the South Pole - with a dead man in the back of their truck.
Within mere hours, more violet deaths follow, and it becomes clear that a dangerous microbe - activated by extremely cold temperatures - has infected the researchers.
The writing in this book was fantastic, and reminded me of Stephen King, specifically The Stand. I also felt that there were a lot of parallels with a specific Doctor Who episode called The Water of Mars. While the book has been described as more science fiction, I thought that it had a strong horror element to it.
The book hosts a whole cast of characters, with a helpful glossary at the front which I consistently referred back to. I’m not sure if there is a map planned for the finished copy of this book, but that would have been amazingly helpful as well.
The characters were written with such detail in a short space of time; even those who we didn’t spend much time with were memorable in their own way. Rajan, a scientist who was visiting the South Pole for the first time, was probably the ‘main character’ and to me, the most likeable. Ideally, I would have wanted a bit more time with Rajan and his past.
The plot moved very quickly, and I absolutely devoured this book in two days. I even dreamt about some of the characters!
If you like Stephen King, The Walking Dead or any thriller that’s set in an isolated location, I think you’ll love this!
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you to bookouture for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Kelly is a doctor and a single mother, living on a small Scottish island with her adult daughter, Lauren. Kelly receives a terrifying message that her daughter has been kidnapped and being held for ransom - but they only want one thing. Kelly has to kill one of her patients.
The pace and story kept me hooked, with flashbacks throughout feeding more and more information about Kelly’s past. There were lots of twists and turns, some of which I didn’t see coming!
Kelly wasn’t the easiest main character to warm to, but I still found I couldn’t put this book down. I can see why J M Dalgliesh is so popular!
Kelly is a doctor and a single mother, living on a small Scottish island with her adult daughter, Lauren. Kelly receives a terrifying message that her daughter has been kidnapped and being held for ransom - but they only want one thing. Kelly has to kill one of her patients.
The pace and story kept me hooked, with flashbacks throughout feeding more and more information about Kelly’s past. There were lots of twists and turns, some of which I didn’t see coming!
Kelly wasn’t the easiest main character to warm to, but I still found I couldn’t put this book down. I can see why J M Dalgliesh is so popular!
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you Head of Zeus for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was like a fever dream, entangled with the mysteries of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Madame Sosostris - a character from T S Eliot’s The Waste Land - is the star attraction for the festival of the broken hearted, organised by Viv, a wealthy and powerful member of the House of Lords.
Viv persuades her second husband, Stephen, and their friends, Beatrice and Alan, to join in the festival, much to the men’s dismay.
I didn’t understand a lot of what happened, but in the best kind of way. The writing was beautiful and off-beat, classical yet modern and full of whimsical intrigue. There were a lot of literary references and themes of love, fear and regret.
The book was also very short, but it had a length and pace that matched the themes.
This book was like a fever dream, entangled with the mysteries of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Madame Sosostris - a character from T S Eliot’s The Waste Land - is the star attraction for the festival of the broken hearted, organised by Viv, a wealthy and powerful member of the House of Lords.
Viv persuades her second husband, Stephen, and their friends, Beatrice and Alan, to join in the festival, much to the men’s dismay.
I didn’t understand a lot of what happened, but in the best kind of way. The writing was beautiful and off-beat, classical yet modern and full of whimsical intrigue. There were a lot of literary references and themes of love, fear and regret.
The book was also very short, but it had a length and pace that matched the themes.