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debs's reviews
228 reviews
Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
When the detectives were discussing the case for first time, I had honestly thought Nadine must have been the killer: she had been a nurse before (the only two others with the medical knowledge required were Gerard and Sarah - both of whom we knew to be innocent). Raymond was obviously a red herring from the beginning. Nadine had given Mrs. Boynton (I can just imagine her as Pam Ferris (Miss Trunchbull)!) medications before, back at the hotel. Psychologically, she was the only one of the family not under her spell, and she also desperate to get away. Jefferson had a tendresse for her, but she was already all for Lennox - how would Christie resolve this romantic conundrum, as is her habit, without breaking poor innocent Jefferson's heart? But goodness, dear old Agatha surprises us yet again...!
Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie
The detectives were a bit slow of the uptake of the impossibility of the supposed manner of the crime, and the French detective on the meaning of the pipe not having been thrown off the plane - but other than that, it was another characteristically gripping Agatha Christie page-turner with surprising outcomes!
Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I could just imagine Salvador Dali as Mr. Shaitana - the whole thing was so cinematically written! The dialogues weren't as engaging as her previous Poirot novels, though, and I honestly thought Shaitana had killed himself. It would've been so interesting to see him develop as a character, rather than just being such an entertaining figure being killed off at the outset.
East Wind, West Wind by Pearl S. Buck
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Can’t believe a Westerner wrote this – incredible insight into how a traditional Eastern woman’s mind would think at that time and place! I was so frustrated right from the outset at how Kwei-lan was programmed to be dumb and meek for the superficial misogynistically patriarchal Chinese society of that time, disguised into subtleness by tradition and rank, but exemplified acutely with the painful foot-binding as a metaphor of the binding of all Chinese women under this oppression just for the accident of their having the X chromosome at birth.
As an Asian brought up with Western education, it was hard not to be triggered. Kwei-lan and her mother don’t even seem to have theory of mind when it comes to their slaves, never question whether it’s right to keep them just because some distant ancestor claimed it was their god-given destiny with no evidence– it’s mind-boggling! “It had not occurred to me to think of her or what she would think of our customs” was so telling of how stupidly Kwei-lan was insularly brought up! Her husband actually has to spell it out for her to have empathy for this foreign woman. At least she takes it in, unlike her mother - it’s agonising to see how someone could remain as shallow and unthinking as this - ugghh!
But when all is said and done, Kwei-lan turns out to be the biggest of them all - I loved how Kwei-lan opens up to Mary (whose name is only acknowledged later) and changes her own worldview. It must’ve been brave of her, given everything she had been indoctrinated with growing up – I was so proud of her!
As an Asian brought up with Western education, it was hard not to be triggered. Kwei-lan and her mother don’t even seem to have theory of mind when it comes to their slaves, never question whether it’s right to keep them just because some distant ancestor claimed it was their god-given destiny with no evidence– it’s mind-boggling! “It had not occurred to me to think of her or what she would think of our customs” was so telling of how stupidly Kwei-lan was insularly brought up! Her husband actually has to spell it out for her to have empathy for this foreign woman. At least she takes it in, unlike her mother - it’s agonising to see how someone could remain as shallow and unthinking as this - ugghh!
But when all is said and done, Kwei-lan turns out to be the biggest of them all - I loved how Kwei-lan opens up to Mary (whose name is only acknowledged later) and changes her own worldview. It must’ve been brave of her, given everything she had been indoctrinated with growing up – I was so proud of her!
Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Hori was my favourite character, throughout – so perceptive! I loved how pure-hearted yet practical Renisenb was (she was by far the most sensible of the women), but was also frustrated at how she missed the big clue in Satipy’s drastically changed behaviour and reluctance to let her see that something behind her at the first death, as well as her inability to understand Hori’s beautiful metaphors. I was most curious about Nofret and what had brought her to such a place of “nafrat” (hatred) in her life. Esa made such a great detective – where I had only expected Hori to be so with that unbiased distance from the family. I know I would’ve been as naïve as Renisenb :P I was angry at Kameni for not loving Nofret back before she turned hateful, and was glad of the karma that came to him in the end. It made no sense how the women of the house hated one another, regardless of whether it was a man’s world or not. For example, if I were Nofret or Renisenb, I would’ve chosen to love the other and share Kameni; and if I were Henet, I would’ve loved Ashayet for being more beautiful than me. Towards the latter end of the novel, I honestly thought Kameni would be the unsuspected perpetrator. He seemed heartless with women, he was a scribe who would’ve learnt of poisons in the North, and he could’ve taken Renisenb’s inheritance with her, with her brothers out of the way. But in classic Christie style, Agatha surprises us all! I had only suspected Yahmose when he was alone with Satipy when she fell, and when he almost did – but didn’t – die (I wasn’t sure whether he was feigning his weakness afterwards). I loved Renisenb’s ending with Hori!
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
tense
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? No
1.5
I related to Feyre the most when she gave her jewels to the poor Fae, even when it meant defying Tamlin. However, I found it odd that she left Tamlin just for being overprotective of her - I don’t think I would have; I was too attached to Tamlin by then. We would’ve worked through it together. I’ve also never understood why SJM makes her female characters unnecessarily so hostile to each other – it makes no sense, especially if they’re being portrayed as feminine beauty. I came to love Rhys too, when I came to learn the truth about him, but that still doesn’t explain why he once made Feyre dance in a drugged state against her will! And if Rhys was holding her hand throughout the time, what was so terrible about that visit to the Bone Carver? And did Feyre even ask the Weaver’s own story and how she came to be so bitter and isolated? Reading ahead <spoiler ahead>, SJM also does odd pairings – Tamlin is protector, Elain is meek and gentle… anyone could’ve seen they’d have been perfect mates. And I’m surprised Nesta and Cassian didn’t rub against each other the wrong way. Loved how the sisters later defeated the King of Hybern together, though! <end spoiler> With Rhys’ continuous array of kill-or-die tests for Feyre, I’m not sure he cherished Feyre as much as Tam did, despite the latter’s overprotectiveness. The Cauldron seems rather a bossy disappointment, considering how random and unevenly distributed everyone’s fates are – I thought fantasy was supposed to be a just form of escapism? We also had no proof Ianthe was mal-intentioned; how dare Rhys treat her like that, and why would Feyre not ask her side of the story? She’s believing hearsay (which SJM seems to rely a lot on, throughout her books so far), without directly investigating all parties impartially for herself. That’s it. I’ve lost patience with SJM, despite the good pace of her novels. It’s as if she herself needs to grow up! :o
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Not everything in this book made sense. Firstly, why would Tamlin reject Amarantha before she turned evil? Secondly, if both Feyre and Amarantha wanted Tamlin, why wouldn't they empathise with each other and want to share him, because they would know the pain of not having him? Thirdly, why would Amarantha go beyond just destroying Jurian as he deserved, and continue to destroy innocent people afterwards? The pace was good, but the characters were somewhat self-contradicting.