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gabiirayner's reviews
46 reviews
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
4.0
I think this was some of the most fun I've had with a book for a while. The hard world building is gorgeously done, dropping you straight in the midst of it all without spelling out the history or explaining fictional terms to the reader. There is an assumed intelligence by Alina on the part of the reader and it is so refreshing. A narrator who understands that people will figure things out from context!!!!!! HOORAY!!!!!
The entire concept of the Grisha and the Shadow Fold as the main issue is creative in my eyes and it didn't feel at all like a chore to keep reading because it was so fresh and unique (despite reminding me of other classic YAs like The Hunger Games stylistically).
There was just a slight stumble towards the end as Alina had The Big Reveal; the pacing felt a teeny bit rushed during the explanation and I did lose track a little of what was being said within so much expository dialogue but nevertheless! I kept on going and things pieced back together for some more DRAMA and some more LOVELY stuff from Leigh Bardugo. I'm very excited to read the rest and fully immerse myself in this fun little world.
The entire concept of the Grisha and the Shadow Fold as the main issue is creative in my eyes and it didn't feel at all like a chore to keep reading because it was so fresh and unique (despite reminding me of other classic YAs like The Hunger Games stylistically).
There was just a slight stumble towards the end as Alina had The Big Reveal; the pacing felt a teeny bit rushed during the explanation and I did lose track a little of what was being said within so much expository dialogue but nevertheless! I kept on going and things pieced back together for some more DRAMA and some more LOVELY stuff from Leigh Bardugo. I'm very excited to read the rest and fully immerse myself in this fun little world.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
3.0
Maybe 2.5???? 2.75???
This is, of course, lovely and fairly easy to read! But I have 3 main concerns:
1) after the first few lives it does get a teensy repetitive like okay we get the gist is it really gonna start fresh every time
2) it wraps up a bit too neatly? depression isn't just solved by thinking about things more positively and optimistically??? and isn't it SOOOO handy that she has a skill she can profit from within literally days of being made unemployed hhmmmm
3) This Was Meant To Help Me Figure Out What To Do With My Life As I Too Am A Young Woman Stuck In A Menial Retail Job In A Small Town But I Am None The Wiser
This is, of course, lovely and fairly easy to read! But I have 3 main concerns:
1) after the first few lives it does get a teensy repetitive like okay we get the gist is it really gonna start fresh every time
2) it wraps up a bit too neatly? depression isn't just solved by thinking about things more positively and optimistically??? and isn't it SOOOO handy that she has a skill she can profit from within literally days of being made unemployed hhmmmm
3) This Was Meant To Help Me Figure Out What To Do With My Life As I Too Am A Young Woman Stuck In A Menial Retail Job In A Small Town But I Am None The Wiser
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
3.0
FINALLY oh my goodness that was a stretch. Unnecessarily long after a really lovely, effervescent start which is such a shame! But I truly appreciate its work in highlighting multiple plights intersectionally and in a way I've never seen before?? Name another book about a Chinese gay girl in 50s Mccarthyist America GO AHEAD
Room by Emma Donoghue
4.0
Because of the narrative voice of Jack, a 5-year-old boy, it took me a good while to get stuck into Room. But once I realised that his naïvety, his vulnerability, and his fresh pair of eyes were essential, it was easy to keep turning the pages.
This book feels like a mix of things: a praise of motherhood, a celebration of the normality of life, and a dark story that could almost be a Grimm fairytale.
One review mentioned that once you put the book down, you look up at the world and (whilst it's still the same) you are changed, and I think that covers it pretty perfectly.
This book feels like a mix of things: a praise of motherhood, a celebration of the normality of life, and a dark story that could almost be a Grimm fairytale.
One review mentioned that once you put the book down, you look up at the world and (whilst it's still the same) you are changed, and I think that covers it pretty perfectly.
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
3.0
3.5
Still good don't get me wrong!
I love Nikolai and Tamar so much for one thing but also I really enjoyed the maturation of this compared to Shadow and Bone (especially the sociopolitical themes), but I unfortunately felt a bit more disconnected overall? It felt more as though I was observing multiple sequences of events instead of a cohesive, coherent, linear narrative.
Hopefully #3 will balance it our perfectly because I really enjoy the Grisha world and Bardugo's visual writing style!!
Still good don't get me wrong!
I love Nikolai and Tamar so much for one thing but also I really enjoyed the maturation of this compared to Shadow and Bone (especially the sociopolitical themes), but I unfortunately felt a bit more disconnected overall? It felt more as though I was observing multiple sequences of events instead of a cohesive, coherent, linear narrative.
Hopefully #3 will balance it our perfectly because I really enjoy the Grisha world and Bardugo's visual writing style!!
House of Names by Colm Tóibín
3.0
I'm really not sure how I feel about this one!! The writing in places was LOVELY as shown below, but the constant voice/person change felt a little jarring. The lack of plot was substantiated by the promise of interesting conflict that seemed to never come. Anything that did materialise happened between pages which was unfortunate. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy sitting with this one for a few hours!!!! And Electra is so
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
3.0
3.5
I WISH I could rate this higher because VE Schwab's writing is so beautiful and their ideas are so wonderful, but I didn't feel the emotional connection to this I had hoped to. There's strangely only so far you can go with a girl who can't be remembered by anyone and so as much as I would love to LOVE it, I only enjoyed it.
I WISH I could rate this higher because VE Schwab's writing is so beautiful and their ideas are so wonderful, but I didn't feel the emotional connection to this I had hoped to. There's strangely only so far you can go with a girl who can't be remembered by anyone and so as much as I would love to LOVE it, I only enjoyed it.
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo
4.0
oof!
Full Review:
https://www.cherrychumagazine.com/lifestyle/book-review-kim-jiyoung-born-1982-by-cho-nam-joo
Full Review:
https://www.cherrychumagazine.com/lifestyle/book-review-kim-jiyoung-born-1982-by-cho-nam-joo