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emilyrainsford's reviews
367 reviews
Shadows of Truth by Astrid Scholte
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
3.0
I really wish I could rate this one higher but it's a point of honour for me to always review honestly, and this one just didn't hit the same way the first book in the duology did.
A lot of the fun of the first book was the prison and the legal storyline. The second book is a huge shift in setting, story and plot. That's not a bad thing per se, and a lot of the world building and plot was still fun to read.
There were just a few things I couldn't get past. The main ones were, in no particular order:
1. The majority of the female characters are incredibly annoying. Both Farrow and Elenora made me want to throw the book. The emotional reactions of the characters at times just felt unnatural and awkward, as if they were being forced into a reaction for the sake of injecting drama, even when it didn't make sense. Narena was the best female character by far. The relationship between Elenora and Cayder filled me with so much visceral cringe I almost couldn't read it.
2. There were a lot of inconsistencies and plot holes. Elenora's dislocated shoulder was an example, twice. Firstly, she's been passed out for TWO DAYS and you wait until she's awake to push her dislocated shoulder back in?? And then not long afterwards have an internal thought about how the first hours and days after a dislocation are the most important for healing? Why wouldn't you have pushed it back in while she was passed out, it makes no sense?? Then in the climactic battle, she dislocates it again, and then moments later is jumping on a flying horse creature like it ain't no thang. Secondly, I felt like there were a lot of things that didn't make sense about the rules around edem, where it could and couldn't survive, who could and couldn't go through the veil. Why wouldJey, with just a bit of it in his veins, be able to go through, but not the whole ass Shadow Queen?? Why didn't they just all shoot up with edem and go through? Why did the edem in Jey not disappear when all the edem left the world? How TF did the hullen survive without edem?? I was continually asking myself questions like this. It felt like the whole concept of the world just got too tangled for it to make any sense.
3. There was way too much forgiveness in this book. Yeah, I said what I said. Some actions and choices don't deserve to be forgiven. Cayder's parents were both *terrible* people and somehow I'm supposed to get schmaltzy about happy families at the end. No thank you. Not to mention other characters who made unforgiveable choices and yet it all gets glossed over.Elenora narked on Cayder to the cops with no concern for his future or wellbeing and he's totally over it? Erimen committed literal treason that killed his parents, the *reigning monarchs*, and that's fine because everyone makes mistakes? Like, whatttt, I just cannot.
I can deal with an irk or two in a read because I know I'm a very critical reader (not by choice, my brain is just very detail-oriented and pattern aware), but with this one I was irked so frequently that it just felt like one big irk.
There was genuinely a lot I did enjoy about this duology in terms of the unique and interesting worldbuilding. I would recommend it for younger teens or anyone who can turn off their critical thinking easier than I can.
A lot of the fun of the first book was the prison and the legal storyline. The second book is a huge shift in setting, story and plot. That's not a bad thing per se, and a lot of the world building and plot was still fun to read.
There were just a few things I couldn't get past. The main ones were, in no particular order:
1. The majority of the female characters are incredibly annoying. Both Farrow and Elenora made me want to throw the book. The emotional reactions of the characters at times just felt unnatural and awkward, as if they were being forced into a reaction for the sake of injecting drama, even when it didn't make sense. Narena was the best female character by far. The relationship between Elenora and Cayder filled me with so much visceral cringe I almost couldn't read it.
2. There were a lot of inconsistencies and plot holes. Elenora's dislocated shoulder was an example, twice. Firstly, she's been passed out for TWO DAYS and you wait until she's awake to push her dislocated shoulder back in?? And then not long afterwards have an internal thought about how the first hours and days after a dislocation are the most important for healing? Why wouldn't you have pushed it back in while she was passed out, it makes no sense?? Then in the climactic battle, she dislocates it again, and then moments later is jumping on a flying horse creature like it ain't no thang. Secondly, I felt like there were a lot of things that didn't make sense about the rules around edem, where it could and couldn't survive, who could and couldn't go through the veil. Why would
3. There was way too much forgiveness in this book. Yeah, I said what I said. Some actions and choices don't deserve to be forgiven. Cayder's parents were both *terrible* people and somehow I'm supposed to get schmaltzy about happy families at the end. No thank you. Not to mention other characters who made unforgiveable choices and yet it all gets glossed over.
I can deal with an irk or two in a read because I know I'm a very critical reader (not by choice, my brain is just very detail-oriented and pattern aware), but with this one I was irked so frequently that it just felt like one big irk.
There was genuinely a lot I did enjoy about this duology in terms of the unique and interesting worldbuilding. I would recommend it for younger teens or anyone who can turn off their critical thinking easier than I can.
League of Liars by Astrid Scholte
4.5
Now THIS is what I read YA for.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
It's easy to read. It's pacy. It's got interesting world building without being dense. It's got multiple well developed characters without boring you to tears with flashbacks (I'm looking at you, SoC). It's got twists and turns. It's got characters that act their age but without being annoying. It's got age appropriate relationships that aren't written for the adult gaze. It's got betrayals and magic and timey stuff. It gets frankly a little ridiculous towards the end but you don't even care because it's FUN!
It's set in a world where magic lives in any shadows but is illegal to use. Cayder wants to become a prosecutor to bring magic criminals like the one who killed his mum to justice. He's obsessed with this big fancy prison where the criminals go. But when he interns for a public defence lawyer there, he starts to realise that maybe it's not all as black and white as it seems...
I like his character arc and there's definitely a good lil message in there if you're paying attention.
Plus there's an attempted jailbreak, and like I say, suspend disbelief and you'll have a heckin good time. It ends on a stellar cliffhanger and I'm glad to have the sequel to pick straight up!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
It's easy to read. It's pacy. It's got interesting world building without being dense. It's got multiple well developed characters without boring you to tears with flashbacks (I'm looking at you, SoC). It's got twists and turns. It's got characters that act their age but without being annoying. It's got age appropriate relationships that aren't written for the adult gaze. It's got betrayals and magic and timey stuff. It gets frankly a little ridiculous towards the end but you don't even care because it's FUN!
It's set in a world where magic lives in any shadows but is illegal to use. Cayder wants to become a prosecutor to bring magic criminals like the one who killed his mum to justice. He's obsessed with this big fancy prison where the criminals go. But when he interns for a public defence lawyer there, he starts to realise that maybe it's not all as black and white as it seems...
I like his character arc and there's definitely a good lil message in there if you're paying attention.
Plus there's an attempted jailbreak, and like I say, suspend disbelief and you'll have a heckin good time. It ends on a stellar cliffhanger and I'm glad to have the sequel to pick straight up!
Bffs(not) by Alexa Moses
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
4.0
This is a solid little junior fiction read with a lot going for it.
The main characters are identical twins with the story happening in diary format. We see into each of the twins' diaries with different fonts used for each twin that reflect their personalities. There's lots of fun typography and pictures that keep it engaging for younger readers.
The central storyline involves a sibling rivalry that I'm sure many kids will relate to. The twins are planning a presentation for Harmony Day at school. There is a nice amount of cultural diversity in the supporting characters, reflective of the average suburban Australian primary school.
It even works in a little bit of educational information with the presentation about Yugoslavia at the end.
I liked the way the story wrapped up.
Overall I think this story will be a hit with the junior fiction age group, especially those who like the diary style format. Would definitely recommend this to fans of the Ella Diaries books and Billie B Brown - and given the way those books fly off the shelves at my library, I'm glad to have a new option to recommend!
The main characters are identical twins with the story happening in diary format. We see into each of the twins' diaries with different fonts used for each twin that reflect their personalities. There's lots of fun typography and pictures that keep it engaging for younger readers.
The central storyline involves a sibling rivalry that I'm sure many kids will relate to. The twins are planning a presentation for Harmony Day at school. There is a nice amount of cultural diversity in the supporting characters, reflective of the average suburban Australian primary school.
It even works in a little bit of educational information with the presentation about Yugoslavia at the end.
I liked the way the story wrapped up.
Overall I think this story will be a hit with the junior fiction age group, especially those who like the diary style format. Would definitely recommend this to fans of the Ella Diaries books and Billie B Brown - and given the way those books fly off the shelves at my library, I'm glad to have a new option to recommend!
The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie
3.0
I thought this started off quite promising. The setting reminded me a bit of the excellent After the Forest by Kell Woods.
Bear in mind that this was sent to me by Harper Voyager and I actually knew nothing about it other than that the (Australian) cover made it look really promising and atmospheric.
A couple of chapters in, there is ye old staple "volunteer drawn from chalice" situation, which caused me to look the book up to ascertain that yes, it is in fact YA. I honestly wish publishers would write that somewhere on the actual book. As it continues, there's definitely no mistaking that it's YA, but knowing this beforehand would have helped me approach this book with the right expectations.
Indeed, it is actually very much on the younger end of YA. The main character is 16 and her best friend is 15. The bestie is annoying AF and I had to keep reminding myself she's a child and 15 yos are annoying. The romance is cute but definitely don't expect any kind of heat whatsoever. They definitely have a sweet affection but there's no physical tension or chemistry. Which is fine, again, I'm just managing expectations.
The majority of the book takes place in the enchanted/cursed forest and attempts are made to weave a number of Grimm's fairytales into the one story.
I actually almost DNFd this around the middle. It started to really drag as they just trudged through the forest, and the way the various fairytales were woven/shoehorned in felt a bit clunky. Hansel and Gretel nearly pushed me over the edge, but I was curious enough about the ending to keep reading.
I think this suffered a bit due to the fact I've actually read this concept before (the multiple fairytales in one story) in an indie book and despite a major issue I had with that particular book, I actually think it achieved the idea a lot better. I found myself starting to roll my eyes every time I recognised another fairytale nod. The shoe - my eyeballs were viewing my brain at that point.
I thought the ending was okay after the abject boredom of the middle 50%. It tied up pretty well and interestingly. I could have done without the main couple absolutely rubbing their relationship in Ella's face but alas.
The book often feels repetitive, with things explained or mentioned over and over again. In one chapter the word "gulch" was used, and it went from being a word I'd never heard in my life before, to a word I'd read about 15 times in 5 minutes. Girl, I'm begging you to pick up a thesaurus. We heard about Clara's cards and fate approximately 50 million times. At some point, you have to trust your reader even just the tiniest amount.
The book definitely felt wrapped up at the end and could easily have been a standalone. I was shocked when I looked up Goodreads halfway through and saw that a sequel was planned. An epilogue spoon feeds the lead in to the sequel but honestly, was it necessary?? I definitely feel this could have stayed one book.
If you're 12-14 years old and like the idea of handholding and trekking endlessly through a cursed fairytale forest, go ahead and check this one out. If you're an adult and think the Australian cover looks like a whole vibe, I recommend reading After the Forest by Kell Woods instead.
Bear in mind that this was sent to me by Harper Voyager and I actually knew nothing about it other than that the (Australian) cover made it look really promising and atmospheric.
A couple of chapters in, there is ye old staple "volunteer drawn from chalice" situation, which caused me to look the book up to ascertain that yes, it is in fact YA. I honestly wish publishers would write that somewhere on the actual book. As it continues, there's definitely no mistaking that it's YA, but knowing this beforehand would have helped me approach this book with the right expectations.
Indeed, it is actually very much on the younger end of YA. The main character is 16 and her best friend is 15. The bestie is annoying AF and I had to keep reminding myself she's a child and 15 yos are annoying. The romance is cute but definitely don't expect any kind of heat whatsoever. They definitely have a sweet affection but there's no physical tension or chemistry. Which is fine, again, I'm just managing expectations.
The majority of the book takes place in the enchanted/cursed forest and attempts are made to weave a number of Grimm's fairytales into the one story.
I actually almost DNFd this around the middle. It started to really drag as they just trudged through the forest, and the way the various fairytales were woven/shoehorned in felt a bit clunky. Hansel and Gretel nearly pushed me over the edge, but I was curious enough about the ending to keep reading.
I think this suffered a bit due to the fact I've actually read this concept before (the multiple fairytales in one story) in an indie book and despite a major issue I had with that particular book, I actually think it achieved the idea a lot better. I found myself starting to roll my eyes every time I recognised another fairytale nod. The shoe - my eyeballs were viewing my brain at that point.
I thought the ending was okay after the abject boredom of the middle 50%. It tied up pretty well and interestingly. I could have done without the main couple absolutely rubbing their relationship in Ella's face but alas.
The book often feels repetitive, with things explained or mentioned over and over again. In one chapter the word "gulch" was used, and it went from being a word I'd never heard in my life before, to a word I'd read about 15 times in 5 minutes. Girl, I'm begging you to pick up a thesaurus. We heard about Clara's cards and fate approximately 50 million times. At some point, you have to trust your reader even just the tiniest amount.
The book definitely felt wrapped up at the end and could easily have been a standalone. I was shocked when I looked up Goodreads halfway through and saw that a sequel was planned. An epilogue spoon feeds the lead in to the sequel but honestly, was it necessary?? I definitely feel this could have stayed one book.
If you're 12-14 years old and like the idea of handholding and trekking endlessly through a cursed fairytale forest, go ahead and check this one out. If you're an adult and think the Australian cover looks like a whole vibe, I recommend reading After the Forest by Kell Woods instead.
Girl on a Layover by Cassandra O'Leary
lighthearted
3.0
Firstly, the girl was not on a layover. She was a flight attendant, but she was on vacation. I guess you could interpret it metaphorically and it would make sense.
This was a pretty fun and cute romance novella overall. There were a few little things that irritated me. The whole idea of a destination wedding for two people who had already been married for 5 years was hard for me to get behind. Also the idea that the side character was having lots of wild, honeymoon-stage sex in a 5 year relationship while3 months pregnant with *twins* ... like honestly, would be the last thing I felt like doing.
There was definitely a lot of mis/lack of communication between the main characters which I find annoying, and the way he kept calling her "Miss Yuki" was creepy to me. I would have liked a little more explanation of why things ended so badly between them in the past when it was something an extremely simple conversation would have cleared up.
They did have quite a sweet relationship though and the male character was a cinnamon roll which is my favourite kind of MMC.
There were 2-3 spicy scenes, I'm sure they're fine, I don't read them.
I think if you're easily pleased in the romance genre and want something quick, fun and sweet with some spice, you'll enjoy it.
This was a pretty fun and cute romance novella overall. There were a few little things that irritated me. The whole idea of a destination wedding for two people who had already been married for 5 years was hard for me to get behind. Also the idea that the side character was having lots of wild, honeymoon-stage sex in a 5 year relationship while
There was definitely a lot of mis/lack of communication between the main characters which I find annoying, and the way he kept calling her "Miss Yuki" was creepy to me. I would have liked a little more explanation of why things ended so badly between them in the past when it was something an extremely simple conversation would have cleared up.
They did have quite a sweet relationship though and the male character was a cinnamon roll which is my favourite kind of MMC.
There were 2-3 spicy scenes, I'm sure they're fine, I don't read them.
I think if you're easily pleased in the romance genre and want something quick, fun and sweet with some spice, you'll enjoy it.
A Shadow at the Door by Jo Dixon
tense
medium-paced
3.75
A Shadow at the Door, Dixon's second suspense novel but my first read of hers, revolves around Remi who has to take in lodgers to prevent her ex from selling her house from under her. But a string of "bad luck" starts to seem more like sabotage... and it's getting increasingly sinister...
Given how much Remi didn't want housemates, I did find myself wondering why she didn't just, like.... get a job?? 😂 But ya know, I guess then there would have been no story lol. I did find her hard to like. Her guardedness is understandable but her prickliness just doesn't make her an easy character to warm to.
I did really like the housemate characters. It actually blossoms into a bit of a "found family" vibe, which isn't a trope you see often in suspense but it's one I really enjoy, and I enjoyed it here too.
The story is placed firmly in Hobart which was nice, I haven't read many books set in Tassie.
I feel strongly that thriller and suspense are different genres, and I would put this firmly in the suspense (sub)genre. A Goodreads reviewer called it "quietly tense" and that's perfect.
If I'm honest, there weren't any reveals that surprised me in this one. I thought the "bad guy" was pretty obvious and they become a little caricature-ish in their villainy at the end. I was kind of hoping for an extra twist but none came. But I nonetheless did actually find it quite an engaging read and easy to keep picking back up.
Trigger warning for emotionally manipulative relationships and gaslighting.
Given how much Remi didn't want housemates, I did find myself wondering why she didn't just, like.... get a job?? 😂 But ya know, I guess then there would have been no story lol. I did find her hard to like. Her guardedness is understandable but her prickliness just doesn't make her an easy character to warm to.
I did really like the housemate characters. It actually blossoms into a bit of a "found family" vibe, which isn't a trope you see often in suspense but it's one I really enjoy, and I enjoyed it here too.
The story is placed firmly in Hobart which was nice, I haven't read many books set in Tassie.
I feel strongly that thriller and suspense are different genres, and I would put this firmly in the suspense (sub)genre. A Goodreads reviewer called it "quietly tense" and that's perfect.
If I'm honest, there weren't any reveals that surprised me in this one. I thought the "bad guy" was pretty obvious and they become a little caricature-ish in their villainy at the end. I was kind of hoping for an extra twist but none came. But I nonetheless did actually find it quite an engaging read and easy to keep picking back up.
Trigger warning for emotionally manipulative relationships and gaslighting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
Gaslighting, emotional manipulation
The Shape of Time by Ryan Calejo
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
I really enjoyed the Charlie Hernández middle grade adventure series by @ryancalejo so I was thrilled to be sent The Shape of Time, the first book in his new Rymworld series.
I don't even know how to sum this one up, it is a madcap adventure about 14 year old Andares who has always dreamt of exploring beyond the confines of his life in Miami, and in a set of surprising circumstances, ends up getting that wish as he is drawn into a wild adventure across time and space, where everything he thought he knew about the world is pulled into question. There's robots, space travel, aliens, friends and foes, and even a chipmunk.
Calejo writes with a vibrant, playful effervescence that's just fun as heck. I wish I had even a fraction of his imagination. The short chapters and action packed pace make it very readable, and the reader truly never knows what will happen from one moment to the next.
This would be a great addition to any school library and I'd recommend to any middle grade reader who likes an imaginative and fast paced adventure story. Rick Riordan fans looking for a similar tone would do well to check this author out.
I liked the tricksy time stuff at the end and I will definitely pick up the next book!
I don't even know how to sum this one up, it is a madcap adventure about 14 year old Andares who has always dreamt of exploring beyond the confines of his life in Miami, and in a set of surprising circumstances, ends up getting that wish as he is drawn into a wild adventure across time and space, where everything he thought he knew about the world is pulled into question. There's robots, space travel, aliens, friends and foes, and even a chipmunk.
Calejo writes with a vibrant, playful effervescence that's just fun as heck. I wish I had even a fraction of his imagination. The short chapters and action packed pace make it very readable, and the reader truly never knows what will happen from one moment to the next.
This would be a great addition to any school library and I'd recommend to any middle grade reader who likes an imaginative and fast paced adventure story. Rick Riordan fans looking for a similar tone would do well to check this author out.
I liked the tricksy time stuff at the end and I will definitely pick up the next book!
Love and Other Scores by Abra Pressler
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
I'm a fairly hard sell on contemporary romance. It's not my favourite genre and I can be pretty picky about it. But I did actually quite enjoy this one.
Having lived a couple of years in Melbourne and even been to the tennis at Rod Laver, I loved the very Melbourne setting. There was a great sense of place without being over described.
Noah and Gabriel were both wonderful characters and their love story was very sweet and endearing. There was enough depth to both Noah and Gabriel's situations individually to give the story some meat on its bones. Margie was my favourite side character 💕
I have to admit, my eyes glazed over a little bit during the lovingly and play-by-play described tennis matches, but it made sense for them to be there.
I also would have loved to *see* the boys' connection form a little more, as I felt it jumped from "hot guy I just met and had a couple of conversations with" to "I love you and no one else gets me like you do" a little quickly for me, without having seen on-page much depth of conversation, especially from Gabriel's side.
I could really have done without the virgin trope, it's just a trope I find really unnecessary in adult novels, and overdone.
While there are external obstacles to the relationship, there is no big messy third act fight and break up which I loved, because I hate when drama is injected for the sake of it. Gabriel and Noah are two big sugary cinnamon rolls (doughnuts?) for each other and that was adorable.
I'm not sure how I felt about the ending? It felt like the falling action (after what felt like the climax, the final tennis game/Noah's situation) dragged on a bit and the resolution of their relationship... I dunno, I just didn't totally love the way it was tied up.
Also just a personal bug bear, but I don't understand why Noah would go from "haven't played the piano in years" to "I'm gonna study this at university". Like, he literally got a paying gig - do that! Go on Tiktok! It's 2024, why would you need a degree, just go do the actual piano playing!
Lastly, I thought a "grand slam" was when you win all four titles in one year?? Like, I'm not a sport person at all, but that was my understanding? It seemed to be used repeatedly to describe winning just one of the big titles, which seemed a bit odd?
Overall though, I do think this is a really solid debut, I had a good time reading it and it gave me feel good vibes.
Having lived a couple of years in Melbourne and even been to the tennis at Rod Laver, I loved the very Melbourne setting. There was a great sense of place without being over described.
Noah and Gabriel were both wonderful characters and their love story was very sweet and endearing. There was enough depth to both Noah and Gabriel's situations individually to give the story some meat on its bones. Margie was my favourite side character 💕
I have to admit, my eyes glazed over a little bit during the lovingly and play-by-play described tennis matches, but it made sense for them to be there.
I also would have loved to *see* the boys' connection form a little more, as I felt it jumped from "hot guy I just met and had a couple of conversations with" to "I love you and no one else gets me like you do" a little quickly for me, without having seen on-page much depth of conversation, especially from Gabriel's side.
I could really have done without the virgin trope, it's just a trope I find really unnecessary in adult novels, and overdone.
While there are external obstacles to the relationship, there is no big messy third act fight and break up which I loved, because I hate when drama is injected for the sake of it. Gabriel and Noah are two big sugary cinnamon rolls (doughnuts?) for each other and that was adorable.
I'm not sure how I felt about the ending? It felt like the falling action (after what felt like the climax, the final tennis game/Noah's situation) dragged on a bit and the resolution of their relationship... I dunno, I just didn't totally love the way it was tied up.
Also just a personal bug bear, but I don't understand why Noah would go from "haven't played the piano in years" to "I'm gonna study this at university". Like, he literally got a paying gig - do that! Go on Tiktok! It's 2024, why would you need a degree, just go do the actual piano playing!
Lastly, I thought a "grand slam" was when you win all four titles in one year?? Like, I'm not a sport person at all, but that was my understanding? It seemed to be used repeatedly to describe winning just one of the big titles, which seemed a bit odd?
Overall though, I do think this is a really solid debut, I had a good time reading it and it gave me feel good vibes.
No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model by Richard C. Schwartz
3.75
I came across this book on the corner of Tiktok that's all about healing and psychology and something about it must have grabbed me, because I not only immediately ordered it, but as soon as it arrived, I immediately started reading it and could barely put it down.
I found the concept in this book really interesting. Basically the author is a family therapist who came upon the theory that we have a lot of internal "parts" that relate to each other and our essential "Self" in a similar way to an external family system, and so they can be treated the same way - i.e. by listening to and honouring each part, seeing each part as something essentially valuable that may be acting out in different ways due to trauma, facilitating discussion been the Self and these parts, and even between the parts themselves.
This concept does take a little getting one's head around. We're used to thinking of ourselves as one singular being (the "mono-mind" approach) and not a collection of "parts" that each have their own roles, feelings, trauma etc. However, I did feel like this approach had a number of positive aspects. I liked that it encourages empathy and compassion for even the scary and "darker" parts of oneself. I like the emphasis on the idea that the "exiled" or repressed parts are best dealt with by open examination and compassion, rather than by casting them as villainous aspects to be purged, or by trying to "rise above" them with spiritual bypassing. I would consider a lot of his philosophy to constitute what I call "shadow work" - bringing your shadow aspects into the light with love and acceptance.
The one thing I got stuck on is that sometimes it felt like it contradicted itself a bit. It talks about a kind of core essential Self aspect (a semi-spiritual soul type of concept), and that we need to "unblend" our parts from the Self, asking the "parts" to "step aside and let the Self lead". But then it will talk about wholeness, and to me I couldn't get past the feeling that asking aspects of yourself to "step aside" was just continuing to exile them, and that surely we should be aiming for integration of the healed parts, not a state of continued fragmentation?? I couldn't entirely get behind the idea of this kind of "pure aspect" that was somehow better than all the other aspects, when in the next breath, he's saying there are "no bad parts".
I also have some major side eye for the handful of mentions of his personal use of ketamine?? That was weird to me.
I also found it weird how insistent he was that ALL of the troublesome parts are "very young" - I have certainly sustained plenty of trauma once I was already well into adulthood. Not all trauma is childhood trauma.
He includes a few case studies and transcripts which was nice in theory for seeing how his therapy works in practice, and it does genuinely seem to help people. However I'm not sure how helpful these transcripts were in a practical sense, and the holier than thou off-grid guy just annoyed the crap out of me lol.
There are also exercises scattered throughout, but to be honest I found it hard to understand how I would actually put them into practice on my own. They felt a bit abstract.
He does have a kind of secular spirituality which vibes perfectly with me but might not be for everyone.
One thing I *really* appreciated was the way he incorporated a larger, societal picture into his concept of healing. He takes a view of his therapy that very much holds a broader awareness of issues of societal justice, and the role our internal healing has to play in healing our society and our Earth. It's not often you read a book on psychology and personal healing that places it so inextricably in the context of wider society, and I liked this a lot. I loved his point that if we aren't doing the internal healing ourselves, then any world or society we create is only going to fall into the same traps as the one we're trying to improve on, Animal Farm style. But that conversely, any personal healing work that doesn't consider the greater context of social and environmental justice is incomplete.
Overall, this book does require an open minded approach but I found it very thought-provoking, and I think that while I may not accept his entire model wholesale, there are absolutely aspects that I will explore for my own personal practice.
I found the concept in this book really interesting. Basically the author is a family therapist who came upon the theory that we have a lot of internal "parts" that relate to each other and our essential "Self" in a similar way to an external family system, and so they can be treated the same way - i.e. by listening to and honouring each part, seeing each part as something essentially valuable that may be acting out in different ways due to trauma, facilitating discussion been the Self and these parts, and even between the parts themselves.
This concept does take a little getting one's head around. We're used to thinking of ourselves as one singular being (the "mono-mind" approach) and not a collection of "parts" that each have their own roles, feelings, trauma etc. However, I did feel like this approach had a number of positive aspects. I liked that it encourages empathy and compassion for even the scary and "darker" parts of oneself. I like the emphasis on the idea that the "exiled" or repressed parts are best dealt with by open examination and compassion, rather than by casting them as villainous aspects to be purged, or by trying to "rise above" them with spiritual bypassing. I would consider a lot of his philosophy to constitute what I call "shadow work" - bringing your shadow aspects into the light with love and acceptance.
The one thing I got stuck on is that sometimes it felt like it contradicted itself a bit. It talks about a kind of core essential Self aspect (a semi-spiritual soul type of concept), and that we need to "unblend" our parts from the Self, asking the "parts" to "step aside and let the Self lead". But then it will talk about wholeness, and to me I couldn't get past the feeling that asking aspects of yourself to "step aside" was just continuing to exile them, and that surely we should be aiming for integration of the healed parts, not a state of continued fragmentation?? I couldn't entirely get behind the idea of this kind of "pure aspect" that was somehow better than all the other aspects, when in the next breath, he's saying there are "no bad parts".
I also have some major side eye for the handful of mentions of his personal use of ketamine?? That was weird to me.
I also found it weird how insistent he was that ALL of the troublesome parts are "very young" - I have certainly sustained plenty of trauma once I was already well into adulthood. Not all trauma is childhood trauma.
He includes a few case studies and transcripts which was nice in theory for seeing how his therapy works in practice, and it does genuinely seem to help people. However I'm not sure how helpful these transcripts were in a practical sense, and the holier than thou off-grid guy just annoyed the crap out of me lol.
There are also exercises scattered throughout, but to be honest I found it hard to understand how I would actually put them into practice on my own. They felt a bit abstract.
He does have a kind of secular spirituality which vibes perfectly with me but might not be for everyone.
One thing I *really* appreciated was the way he incorporated a larger, societal picture into his concept of healing. He takes a view of his therapy that very much holds a broader awareness of issues of societal justice, and the role our internal healing has to play in healing our society and our Earth. It's not often you read a book on psychology and personal healing that places it so inextricably in the context of wider society, and I liked this a lot. I loved his point that if we aren't doing the internal healing ourselves, then any world or society we create is only going to fall into the same traps as the one we're trying to improve on, Animal Farm style. But that conversely, any personal healing work that doesn't consider the greater context of social and environmental justice is incomplete.
Overall, this book does require an open minded approach but I found it very thought-provoking, and I think that while I may not accept his entire model wholesale, there are absolutely aspects that I will explore for my own personal practice.