elisask's reviews
79 reviews

Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.

The writing style is inconsistent (and just weird at a few points) and 30 pages in I predicted pretty much everything that's going to/will happen

I thought about about dropping this book for 2 days and finally decided when I read only a few reviews almost every one that is in the 3-4 stars range says it picks up after the first half of the book
I'm sorry but I'm not going to read 250 pages to then have the chance to enjoy it

I'm sure the author put a lot of effort into this book but ultimately I wish this would have gone through on last editorial check

Anyone below the age of 16 might enjoy this or someone new to ya phantasy
In the end queer folk are desperate for queer media and I get that but we need to expect more

Himmel, Hölle, Paradies: Jenseitswelten von der Antike bis heute by Bernhard Lang

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informative medium-paced

3.25

Definitiv informativ, aber es ist eher ein Werk das Interesse weckt an Gegebenheiten, die dann zusätzlich recherchiert werden müssen. Ich bin mir aber nicht ganz sicher, ob es ein Einstiegsbuch ist oder ein Buch für Menschen mit einem gewisse Wissensstand.
Ich las es für eine Forschung und finde es zwar verständlich, dennoch unübersichtlich.

Alice by Christina Henry

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adventurous dark medium-paced

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

1.5

*I realised months later that this is a bad 'Alice madness returns' fanfiction I'm horrified

There's genuinely so much to say about this book unlike the author who wasn't able to say anything remotely interesting

Firstly, this is not an Alice in Wonderland retelling. Without going into much detail, this book feels more like a retelling of the two Disney adaptations and possibly the American mcgees games.
It doesn't bother me too much but at least be smart about it. If every 'important' character was renamed, then there wouldn't be much left to it that ties it back to its inspiration. *That's the problem*. I am the target audience for Alice horror retellings but this author refused every opportunity the source lays out for her.

Secondly, something being dark does not automaticall make it part of the horror genre. What is horrific about it is its repetitive writing style (you can unironically find copy pasted sentences written again and again every other page and the same two sentence structures are overly used)
=>Generally just a repetitive writing style one expects from a teen who believes to be smarter than the rest of the class

Thirdly, I do believe that real life horrors are most scary but what happened here?
Using multiple terrible systemic issues and clearly not reflecting on what youre writing is almost disgusting (in terms of how the story is written. I can imagine that this had been the author's passion project). I just expect a bit more than that men in power are terrible people and mostly women under such people suffer. Especially, because a few people who have clearly done wrong are never really questioned simply bc they're not an antagonist

Fourthly, huh??? This book pretty much says that all men are predatory...but the 'good ones' choose not to violate anyone. Repeat after me original sin bs is part of purity culture
(^An example why the systemic critic this book attemps to discuss is incredibly badly done and not at all reflected upon)

=> - drain water world building, one rich and one poor city
-"damn, me, Alice, lived a privileged life? I never knew."
- every book character, except few, are human(oid) and just grotesque caricatures
- weird af 'love story'
- contradicting stuff
- shitty magic system

Idc could write more but im too tired and bored bc of this book

Alice im Spiegelland by Benjamin Lacombe, Lewis Carroll

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.75

Diese illustrierte Ausgabe ist definitiv einer der besten auf dem Markt!
Generell kommt der Nachfolger dem ersten Buch sehr nahe, vor allem gefällt mir der Mix mit dem Prinzip der Logik. Jedoch verstehe ich andere, die empfinden, dass manche (erwähnten) Charaktere ungenutzt blieben.
Während die Gedichte im ersten Buch für mich hervorstachen, fallen sie diesmal meist flacher aus. Dafür sind die Konversation diesmal um einiges interessanter.

Lodernde Schwingen by Leigh Bardugo

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced