bybookandbone's reviews
386 reviews

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

adventurous dark fast-paced

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

5.0

Beetle & the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne

adventurous emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

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

5.0

A great start to a new year!

I absolutely adored every second of Beetle & The Hollowbones. Beetle is a goblin, apprenticed to her Gran, an adorable elderly witch. There's everything to love with a goblin protagonist, who's friends are an undead sorcerer with cat ears and a blob ghost who haunts a mall. The mall is about to be torn down, hijinks ensue.

The characters are loveable, the art is gorgeous... Just a 5 star graphic novel!

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

dark emotional slow-paced

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

4.0

 This wasn't at all what I'd thought it was but was a great read regardless.
I thought Eleanor's characterisation and inner monologue was weak at times, bordering on silly (as opposed to amusing). She sounded like Fraser if he'd been in cryogenic sleep for a few hundred years, instead of a 30 year old woman dealing with trauma.
It wasn't all weak though, especially towards the 60% mark. After that point, I couldn't stop reading. Eleanor's friendship with Raymond is wonderful.

I do think the blurb should mention how dark a story this is. I see a number of people mentioning that they wouldn't have read it if they'd known and I know I was a bit taken aback myself 

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

 It hurts to give this a 4/5 because I adored the first half so much but the Neverending Story has a much weaker second half. It's essentially two books, with the first a strong 5 star novel and the second a 3 o 3.5.
Atreyu is just a much nicer and more engaging protagonist to read about than Bastian. There's also a great framing device used in the first half, with Bastian reading the book and Atreyu sometimes hearing him react to what's happening.

While I enjoyed the second part of the book, it becomes much less focused and is really like watching a 25 episode tv show with a monster of the week and the vaguest of season plots.
There's also a line used so many times to wrap up b-plots without resolution that I wanted another two of three books '...but that's a story for another time'. It's said so much that it went from charming and tongue in cheek to feeling scammed that seemingly no side characters get a fully resolved plot.
The Neverending story is a wonderful book really, and I'm only sour there isn't more of the world itself, without Bastian and his human-ness getting in the way.

I propose that the Jim Hensen company are given all the money to create a series similar to their Dark Crystal series, set in Fantastica. 

Welcome to Camp Nightmare by R.L. Stine

adventurous dark lighthearted 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

4.0

 I love Goosebumps. It's been years since I read them.
Welcome to Camp Nightmare is actually quite scary until the end. The ending wasn't great, kinda a cop out imo.
Seems like Stine wrote himself into a corner. 

The Last Bear by Hannah Gold

adventurous slow-paced

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

2.0

 I really wanted to enjoy this a lot more than I did.

The Last Bear isn't awful but it's not very good. The father in the story is horrendously neglectful, not in a funny or endearing way but in a 'he should have had his child removed from his care years ago' neglect. It's never really resolved, he's just going to continue on being an awful dad.

I think the book wanted to say something about action on Climate Change rather than just observation (a good point to talk about) but follows through very poorly and puts the blame on the one person in the story who's attempting to do something (it's the only thing he does).

The cute relationship with Bear doesn't hold the message together and I know I'd have hated this book as a kid. 

The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin

slow-paced

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

3.5

 The Nature of Witches started really strongly, it truly has some beautiful writing. However, it just doesn't hit the spot when it comes to the story or world building for me. Not to mention that Clara just becomes irritating after a while.
It feels like the same few story beats over and over, then the book ends. Her love interest, Shang, is another character that starts well but he's gradually reduced to a pair of lips which is off putting to say the least. Paige, Clara's exgirlfriend, is the only one who doesn't become annoying and that may be because she's just not in it that much.

I did enjoy the book but it's very surface level in every aspect. That disappointed me because it began as if it would be more. 

Cujo by Stephen King

dark sad tense slow-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

I'm delighted to say that I loved this book. I was worried that I'd be a little disappointed like I was with Pet Semetary but for a book that's +400 pages and is 'just' about a rabid dog, Cujo is a hell of a read.

It's considered to not be King's best work, anf I guess I can understand why but I have to disagree. It's one of his better paced novels.
There is a superfluous story beat about a historical murderer that I couldn't really tie with the central story but it's a very small world building moment.

The characters are well interesting and there's enough pov's intertwined with Cujo so it's never stale. I do wish there was a little more about or from Cujos pov before it all kicked off. Maybe instead of the chapter about the series killer? 

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.25

This is a fantastic book but I think there were a few bits and bobs that should have been edited out.
I listened to the audiobook, which was fantastic, except the areas of repetition. I just found that frustrating. I think I'd have skipped them if I'd physically read it.

The concept of the midnight library is wonderful. The idea that it's different for everyone fits perfectly. As a character and protagonist, I loved Nora. I did wish that she copped a bit quicker to how little some people would ever actually care for her. I loved Mrs Elm too. The perfect guide.

The very last few pages were a bit too neat for my liking. Almost perfect for the story but just a little too perfect if you know what I mean. 

The Foundling by Stacey Halls

emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

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

3.0

I enjoyed The Foundling as a once off read. It didn't wow me like The Familiars, Stacey Halls' first book did.

I think the second POV held it back. I found Alexandria difficult to empathise with for the most part. Why did she even want a child? Her agoraphobia is one thing, the cruelty she enacted

by stealing Bess's daughter and later planning to send Bess to the gallows for trying to get Clara back... 

The ending was very lacklustre and really doesn't have any character justification. 

The descriptions and some of the minor characters were interesting. The relationship between Bess and her family was interesting to read about.