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frogsarelovely's reviews
299 reviews
Snotgirl, Vol. 1: Green Hair Don't Care by Leslie Hung, Bryan Lee O’Malley
2.0
The art is amazing, but the story wasn't entirely my thing.
The main character is very dislikeable, and not in a good Ramsay Bolton kind of way. I understand she is meant to be some hyperbolic representation of a fashion blogger, but her character just put me off the story. The story had its fun bits and there's a lot of humour, but nothing particularly interesting happened. I'm really disappointed that I didn't enjoy this, since it's usually the kind of story I love. I'm not particularly sure why I didn't mesh well with it.
The main character is very dislikeable, and not in a good Ramsay Bolton kind of way. I understand she is meant to be some hyperbolic representation of a fashion blogger, but her character just put me off the story. The story had its fun bits and there's a lot of humour, but nothing particularly interesting happened. I'm really disappointed that I didn't enjoy this, since it's usually the kind of story I love. I'm not particularly sure why I didn't mesh well with it.
Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro
3.0
These were very enjoyable, however I feel that perhaps I lack the emotional experiences to fully appreciate the themes of these stories. Ishiguro's writing is very pretty nonetheless, and he has created some great characters. Very amusing at times and his descriptions certainly paint vivid pictures in your mind of the scenery and mood.
My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
5.0
Fantastic. I was completely hooked for the entire book. Great writing, likeable characters, funny at times and had me crying by the end. The friendship was the best part of the book. It was so refreshing to see such a strong, loyal, believable, and realistic friendship between two girls. It’s the best friendship I’ve come across in a book so far and I feel that it will make this book very memorable for me. The horror side of the story was also good. Some parts were left unexplained; however, it was very creepy, gruesome, and intense. It certainly has the 80s horror feel to it and it has all the aspects of a good old-fashioned exorcism story. I think Hendrix hit the nail on the head with this book, I can’t wait to check out his other works!
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling
5.0
This was so lovely. You can tell how much work and thought has gone into the creation of each creature. I love the diversity and creativity. Though I wouldn't expect any less from Rowling! The illustrations were also fabulous, I thought Gill's style really added to the authenticity of the book and certainly encompassed all of the different cultures of the world. It was great to learn a bit more history (of which there's a lot) about the Wizarding World!
Vicious by V.E. Schwab
5.0
That was so gooooooooooood.
First off, it was so refreshing to see two main characters who are both villains. I love the idea of having two characters that aren't better or worse than each other, and that come with a lot of questions involving morality. I thought the character design was also great, very likable and dislikable characters, none that were boring.
The story itself was entertaining. I was thinking this may be simply another version of X-men, but it certainly had it's own twist on superhero stories and ended up being a very interesting and engaging read. Schwab's writing was great, I may actually prefer this writing to the Shades of Magic series. I'm very happy to know that there will be a sequel to this book!
First off, it was so refreshing to see two main characters who are both villains. I love the idea of having two characters that aren't better or worse than each other, and that come with a lot of questions involving morality. I thought the character design was also great, very likable and dislikable characters, none that were boring.
The story itself was entertaining. I was thinking this may be simply another version of X-men, but it certainly had it's own twist on superhero stories and ended up being a very interesting and engaging read. Schwab's writing was great, I may actually prefer this writing to the Shades of Magic series. I'm very happy to know that there will be a sequel to this book!
Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman
5.0
Another incredible short story collection from Gaiman. I love the diversity of the stories, from Doctor Who to David Bowie. It's really amazing just how successfully diverse a writer Gaiman is. His writing truly makes you think, and I'm inspired to write my own short stories. I enjoyed this as much as Smoke and Mirrors, and I can't wait to read Fragile Things at some point!
Here are some unprofessional sounding notes on my favourite stories from the anthology (I made them as I was going along):
The Case of Death and Honey – Sherlock Holmes story, so awesome. I loved the ending.
The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury – Very sad and I love all the references to Bradbury's stories.
Click-Clack the Rattlebag – Really creepy and I loved the twist. (I actually had a dream about this the night after reading it... it was pretty gross and scary).
An Invocation of Incuriosity – Really interesting time travel story, I love the worlds created in such a short story. Very magical.
Nothing O’ Clock – A Doctor Who short story, yaaaaaaaaaassssssss! I want to read more Doctor Who books. I really enjoyed that. It really embodied the feel of Doctor Who (I wouldn’t expect any less from Gaiman). It was a great story and fit well together.
The Return of the Thin White Duke – A short fantasy story about David Bowie?! – I loved it before I even realised the MC was Bowie/Stardust?, so its freaking awesome.
The Sleeper and the Spindle – Very cute, good strong fem characters, the queen is totally badass. Plus I liked the cross-over of fairy tales between Sleeping Beauty and Snow White.
In Relig Odhrain – This was reeeally cool, well written with gorgeous and grim imagery. Tells the story of St Columba and St Oran of Ireland. Really enjoyed.
Black Dog – Love that it’s set in English countryside, Gaiman has really captured the feel well. I loved this story. It was great to get back with Shadow Moon, it had the same great feel as American Gods. I loved the extra beliefs and settings we were introduced to, and it was a great mini story with an intriguing plot. I definitely want to read the other American Gods short stories! This might have been my favourite story in the anthology.
Also the end interview suggests another American gods novel!
Here are some unprofessional sounding notes on my favourite stories from the anthology (I made them as I was going along):
The Case of Death and Honey – Sherlock Holmes story, so awesome. I loved the ending.
The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury – Very sad and I love all the references to Bradbury's stories.
Click-Clack the Rattlebag – Really creepy and I loved the twist. (I actually had a dream about this the night after reading it... it was pretty gross and scary).
An Invocation of Incuriosity – Really interesting time travel story, I love the worlds created in such a short story. Very magical.
Nothing O’ Clock – A Doctor Who short story, yaaaaaaaaaassssssss! I want to read more Doctor Who books. I really enjoyed that. It really embodied the feel of Doctor Who (I wouldn’t expect any less from Gaiman). It was a great story and fit well together.
The Return of the Thin White Duke – A short fantasy story about David Bowie?! – I loved it before I even realised the MC was Bowie/Stardust?, so its freaking awesome.
The Sleeper and the Spindle – Very cute, good strong fem characters, the queen is totally badass. Plus I liked the cross-over of fairy tales between Sleeping Beauty and Snow White.
In Relig Odhrain – This was reeeally cool, well written with gorgeous and grim imagery. Tells the story of St Columba and St Oran of Ireland. Really enjoyed.
Black Dog – Love that it’s set in English countryside, Gaiman has really captured the feel well. I loved this story. It was great to get back with Shadow Moon, it had the same great feel as American Gods. I loved the extra beliefs and settings we were introduced to, and it was a great mini story with an intriguing plot. I definitely want to read the other American Gods short stories! This might have been my favourite story in the anthology.
Also the end interview suggests another American gods novel!
The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe
5.0
I love this story, the writing is so beautiful and grim. Poe really evokes all of your senses. He's created such an alarming situation with an ending that gives you the similar feeling of when you almost fall backwards from your chair. Also I love rats in horror stories, such a fun trope.
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
4.0
An amazing story that I hope many, many people will read.
I loved the characters, the world, the animals, all of it! The magic was great and the atmosphere felt very refreshing and new, something I haven't come across often in YA. While it still has a lot of typical YA tropes and repetition of phrases and re-caps, I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure.
The main female is wonderfully inspiring and the relationships between the characters have so much emotion. The family elements of the story are excellent and hard-hitting. I also enjoyed that the characters struggled with justice and the decisions on what is right and wrong. Most importantly, the story highlights the destruction of discrimination, and the impact it has on families and communities. It's such an important issue right now and, as the author says, something we need to rise up against.
Overall, a solid YA Fantasy book with an impactful message.
I loved the characters, the world, the animals, all of it! The magic was great and the atmosphere felt very refreshing and new, something I haven't come across often in YA. While it still has a lot of typical YA tropes and repetition of phrases and re-caps, I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure.
The main female is wonderfully inspiring and the relationships between the characters have so much emotion. The family elements of the story are excellent and hard-hitting. I also enjoyed that the characters struggled with justice and the decisions on what is right and wrong. Most importantly, the story highlights the destruction of discrimination, and the impact it has on families and communities. It's such an important issue right now and, as the author says, something we need to rise up against.
Overall, a solid YA Fantasy book with an impactful message.
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
5.0
THIS IS MY NEW FAVOURITE BOOK (apart from Hogfather, because that’s beyond contestation).
The skill that Scott Lynch has in writing is otherworldly. I thought that I had come across the best fantasy writers already, but Lynch blows them all out of the water, for me. His word building is immense, and often daunting whilst reading. It does make for an incredibly slow read, but the immersion is worth it.
The characters are wonderful. They’re highly likeable, relatable, fun, and evoke a lot of emotions. I love that the main character fails a lot, despite his arrogance. Often with fantasy books the main characters tend to always be pretty over powered, but this isn’t the case with Locke. Locke Lamora is in general a fantastic character, with great development and wicked humour. I also adored the friendships in the books, they were pretty inspiring for a bunch of criminals!
The story itself was incredible (I’m using a lot of adjectives for this book but I’m so in love with it, I just need to push them all out there). It was very well put together, it fit into place perfectly, and it truly was an adventure. It’s the kind of book that makes you feel like you’ve just been on a long journey, and you think back to where the story first began, and how far all of the characters have come. I love those kinds of books. For me, those are the books that stick in my memory for many, many years.
Overall, this is one of the best fantasy books I’ve ever read, and it stands solidly in place beside my favourite fantasy books, The Kingkiller Chronicles, Neverwhere, and Strange the Dreamer.
The skill that Scott Lynch has in writing is otherworldly. I thought that I had come across the best fantasy writers already, but Lynch blows them all out of the water, for me. His word building is immense, and often daunting whilst reading. It does make for an incredibly slow read, but the immersion is worth it.
The characters are wonderful. They’re highly likeable, relatable, fun, and evoke a lot of emotions. I love that the main character fails a lot, despite his arrogance. Often with fantasy books the main characters tend to always be pretty over powered, but this isn’t the case with Locke. Locke Lamora is in general a fantastic character, with great development and wicked humour. I also adored the friendships in the books, they were pretty inspiring for a bunch of criminals!
The story itself was incredible (I’m using a lot of adjectives for this book but I’m so in love with it, I just need to push them all out there). It was very well put together, it fit into place perfectly, and it truly was an adventure. It’s the kind of book that makes you feel like you’ve just been on a long journey, and you think back to where the story first began, and how far all of the characters have come. I love those kinds of books. For me, those are the books that stick in my memory for many, many years.
Overall, this is one of the best fantasy books I’ve ever read, and it stands solidly in place beside my favourite fantasy books, The Kingkiller Chronicles, Neverwhere, and Strange the Dreamer.