calilendra's reviews
35 reviews

Anė iš Evonlio by L.M. Montgomery

adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

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

5.0

Vasara yra neabejotinai geriausias laikas tęsti žavius ir vaizduotės pilnus Anės nuotykius. Nors šioje dalyje Anė jau 16-18 metų, tačiau taip džiaugiuosi, jog autorė nebruko jaunos meilės jausmų (tam pasitelkė dramatiškai mielus pagyvenusius kaimiečius), ir verčiau leido skaitytojui dar nors truputėlį paviešėti pagrindinės veikėjos vaikystėje. Na, o pastaroji kupina šiltų, saulėtų vakarų kėlė neapsakomą pavydą.

Knygos pradžioje esame supažindinti su šūsnimi naujų veikėjų, kurių vardai ne tik maišosi, bet ir jų istorijos įdomumo nesuteikia. Tačiau eigoje prie jų prisiriši, o pabaigoje ir ašarą nubrauki. Žinoma, skaitant puikiai atsiveria tam laikmečiui būdingos vertybės, kaip dievobaimingumas, tačiau dėka Anės, į šiuos dalykus galima pastebėti ir tarsi naują, savotišką požiūrį.
 
Vienu žodžiu, ne viena eilutė pasibraukta ir ne viena pastraipa nusiūsta draugui. Be galo norėčiau matyti ir mylėti pasaulį taip, kaip jį mato Anė, o gal teužtektų grįžti į vaikystę, kas ten žino.

The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman

dark fast-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? No

4.0

Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 7 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

challenging dark medium-paced

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

4.5

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

lighthearted medium-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? Yes

2.5

though I've come to realise this book is not meant for my age group (someone's who's about to graduate uni) quite early, I persisted and wanted to finish it. I was met with beautiful writing and lots of diversity(yay!) but also sooo many basic tropes and pop-culture references. while it does make the book feel more "relatable" to the audience, it kinda locks it in a very specific timeline which makes the book "retire" sooner than it should.
I love how we got to see some of Liz's personal relationships develop and change throughout the book, but what also got me was how it seems that Liz couldn't have reached a happy ending and got out of her shell without becoming the cliche main character at the end. I get that this might be poking at all the tropes we see in teen movies, but it did make me wonder why couldn't we have had the main character get over her fears and anxieties while staying in the "unpopular kids" bubble where she started the story.
so yeah, it was nice, it was sweet. maybe even too sweet.

Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 6 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

nothing but pain pain pain and tears have this brought me

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

adventurous emotional relaxing sad medium-paced

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

3.0

Joe is so real for choosing the dilf in the end tbh

Septyni Evelinos Hugo vyrai by Taylor Jenkins Reid

emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

All the Young Dudes by MsKingBean89

adventurous dark emotional sad slow-paced

For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-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

4.5

oh to love the world the way Anne does

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

adventurous reflective medium-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? Yes

2.5

“gargantuan schlong” were definitely not the words I expected to find in this book, but here we are.

It’s hard to rate a book that contains six unique stories, as one is bound to be better than the other. What made this such a compelling read was the different writing and speech styles for each timeline, which made the stories appear even more real. But it was also the reason why some parts were just a pain to get through, as my eyes kept skipping sentences and soon even whole paragraphs. While the book does have an interesting way of telling its stories by splitting them in half, one can easily get lost in the sea of unnecessary side characters and their names. Overall, the book is full of wonderful quotes and a concept that will remain in your mind for a long time. As someone who has seen the movie first before reading this, just stick to the movie. It’s not worth it. The Wachowskis did an amazing job connecting all the dots in this tangled web of stories and timelines. And while the book expands the stories better, letting us get to know the characters more deeply, the movie at least doesn’t make us read like 100 pages of whatever zachry was saying. and in my humble opinion, that’s a major win.