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introvertdaydream's Reviews (621)
I heard a lot about this book before I started reading it. I am in a mood for psychologic thriller and domestic thriller!
It’s going to be difficult to talk about the story without giving too much information and ruin your reading, so I think I’ll skip this part of my review when I talk about the plot, and focus on the book and the writing instead.
I read it pretty quickly, the first part really hooked me. There is a lot of twists in this book, maybe a little too much if you want my opinion. The very first one was a real surprise, and a pleasant surprise, I didn’t see it coming! But the very last one, was so unnecessary and takes away a lot of my love for this story.
The characters are quite intriguing, we want to know their true personalities, their stories, and why they find themselves in this position.
Sometimes the first person is employed to tell the story, sometimes the third, in any case the story is very pleasant to read.
The Wife Between Us makes me want to discover even more novels in this literary genre, that finally I know little. But I think he has many flaws. It was a bit messy and a little bit surrealist.
In short, The Wife Between US is still a good read, a novel that I do not regret having bought.
http://www.further-west.com/en/the-wife-between-us-by-greer-hendricks-and-sarah-pekkanen-book-review/
It’s going to be difficult to talk about the story without giving too much information and ruin your reading, so I think I’ll skip this part of my review when I talk about the plot, and focus on the book and the writing instead.
I read it pretty quickly, the first part really hooked me. There is a lot of twists in this book, maybe a little too much if you want my opinion. The very first one was a real surprise, and a pleasant surprise, I didn’t see it coming! But the very last one, was so unnecessary and takes away a lot of my love for this story.
The characters are quite intriguing, we want to know their true personalities, their stories, and why they find themselves in this position.
Sometimes the first person is employed to tell the story, sometimes the third, in any case the story is very pleasant to read.
The Wife Between Us makes me want to discover even more novels in this literary genre, that finally I know little. But I think he has many flaws. It was a bit messy and a little bit surrealist.
In short, The Wife Between US is still a good read, a novel that I do not regret having bought.
http://www.further-west.com/en/the-wife-between-us-by-greer-hendricks-and-sarah-pekkanen-book-review/
Everything about witches fascinates me! So a book about the witches of Salem, even better! But unfortunately, I did not really appreciate this one …
I found the story extremely slow, very little action except for the beginning and the end of the novel …
Too many descriptions for my taste, which only added lengths and boreness to this story that did not need more …
I really felt like reading a detailed description of a simple trip between England and the United States. Witches are very little evoked in the end, and I find it a shame because it is what the book is about ?!
The main character, the supposed witch, did not attract me more sympathy than that, and I did not attach myself to any other character. So I remained very detached, like a simple spectator of this story that could have been so much more exciting.
I don’t want to tell you more about the story since you can read the description.
I do not necessarily recommend this reading, especially if like me you’re not a big fan of endless descriptions!
http://www.further-west.com/en/witch-child-by-celia-rees-book-review/
I found the story extremely slow, very little action except for the beginning and the end of the novel …
Too many descriptions for my taste, which only added lengths and boreness to this story that did not need more …
I really felt like reading a detailed description of a simple trip between England and the United States. Witches are very little evoked in the end, and I find it a shame because it is what the book is about ?!
The main character, the supposed witch, did not attract me more sympathy than that, and I did not attach myself to any other character. So I remained very detached, like a simple spectator of this story that could have been so much more exciting.
I don’t want to tell you more about the story since you can read the description.
I do not necessarily recommend this reading, especially if like me you’re not a big fan of endless descriptions!
http://www.further-west.com/en/witch-child-by-celia-rees-book-review/
Well, well, well… I was a little disappointed by this book. To summarize, I would say that the first half pleased me, but the book totally lost me after that …
The story takes place years after a war between “Valorian” and “Herran”. The Herran lost the war and are now reduced to slavery.
Kestrel is a Valorian, daughter of a General who wants her to join the army and come to fight with him. But Kestrel, although intelligent and psychologically very strong, is a poor warrior … she doesn’t know how to fight and never dreams of joining the army …
At an auction she will acquire Arin. A slave with a tormented past. During the first half of the book they will learn to know each other, thank to a game where the loser will answer a question!
In short, we quickly suspect that Arin hides something. We also suspect that a relationship will start between these two characters (obviously !)… I must say I wasn’t excited by this love story.
Apart from that, a plot is set in the background of the story. And the real action will only start after a good half of the book. And it was from that moment that I totally lost interest in this story … The wars, the plots, the revenges, nothing made me want to continue reading. “I love you but I lie to you”, … not for me!
I know that many readers think the opposite of what I just told you, this series has a lot of good reviews…
I do not say it is bad : no no! I really liked the author’s writing, the characters were nice and I liked to discover them during the first 150 pages. But this book, this series is just not for me. I will not read more of it.
http://www.further-west.com/en/the-winners-curse-by-marie-rutkoski-book-review/
The story takes place years after a war between “Valorian” and “Herran”. The Herran lost the war and are now reduced to slavery.
Kestrel is a Valorian, daughter of a General who wants her to join the army and come to fight with him. But Kestrel, although intelligent and psychologically very strong, is a poor warrior … she doesn’t know how to fight and never dreams of joining the army …
At an auction she will acquire Arin. A slave with a tormented past. During the first half of the book they will learn to know each other, thank to a game where the loser will answer a question!
In short, we quickly suspect that Arin hides something. We also suspect that a relationship will start between these two characters (obviously !)… I must say I wasn’t excited by this love story.
Apart from that, a plot is set in the background of the story. And the real action will only start after a good half of the book. And it was from that moment that I totally lost interest in this story … The wars, the plots, the revenges, nothing made me want to continue reading. “I love you but I lie to you”, … not for me!
I know that many readers think the opposite of what I just told you, this series has a lot of good reviews…
I do not say it is bad : no no! I really liked the author’s writing, the characters were nice and I liked to discover them during the first 150 pages. But this book, this series is just not for me. I will not read more of it.
http://www.further-west.com/en/the-winners-curse-by-marie-rutkoski-book-review/
I’m an unconditional fan of Tim Burton (even though I admit to prefer his old movies to the very last)!
I loved the illustrations, true to the universe of Tim Burton. The texts highlight the difficulties faced by young adolescents.
The stories are very odd obviously it’s Tim Burton, I always wonder how he can imagine that sort of stories, of course they could be scary, but Tim Burton knows how to insert a touch of sensitivity that ultimately change the “scary” part to a more “sad” one ! This book really reminded me of his movie “Edward scissorhands”, which is one of my favorite movies. It was beautiful, weird, moving, sad …
Despite the many illustrations, this is clearly not a children’s book, unless you want to depress them haha!
Beautiful texts, with art so true to Tim Burton’s universe, tragic destinies, completely unreal stories: this book is a real nugget! If you like Tim Burton I can only advise you to read it.
http://www.further-west.com/en/the-melancholy-death-of-oyster-boy-and-other-stories-by-tim-burton-book-review/
I loved the illustrations, true to the universe of Tim Burton. The texts highlight the difficulties faced by young adolescents.
The stories are very odd obviously it’s Tim Burton, I always wonder how he can imagine that sort of stories, of course they could be scary, but Tim Burton knows how to insert a touch of sensitivity that ultimately change the “scary” part to a more “sad” one ! This book really reminded me of his movie “Edward scissorhands”, which is one of my favorite movies. It was beautiful, weird, moving, sad …
Despite the many illustrations, this is clearly not a children’s book, unless you want to depress them haha!
Beautiful texts, with art so true to Tim Burton’s universe, tragic destinies, completely unreal stories: this book is a real nugget! If you like Tim Burton I can only advise you to read it.
http://www.further-west.com/en/the-melancholy-death-of-oyster-boy-and-other-stories-by-tim-burton-book-review/
The story is separated into 2 parts: what happened 1 year ago, and today. Not two distinct parts, but they follow one another in chapters. Which of course makes us want to continue reading because the part “1 year ago” is very intriguing!
We follow Rachel, who is the main character, moreover, the story is told from her point of view. We quickly learn that she is in a relationship, since only a few months ago, with Jack, and they are already expecting a child! Everything seems to go for the best, they love each other, desire each other, life is beautiful.
Yes, but! Rachel becomes suspicious of Jack. She thinks he’s lying to her, hiding things from her. Soon she will get more and more distrustful and do everything to discover what he is hiding and who he really is. But maybe it is just her imagination? Maybe she’s just looking for a reason to break her relationship?
And Rachel is not as white as snow either … Thanks to the chapters devoted to what happened 1 year ago we quickly realize that she also hides a secret, a heavy secret that she tries to forget and burry for months.
I enjoyed this book, I wasn’t bored even if I found some parts a little repetitive and Rachel really ended up annoying me … I only put the rate of 3,5/5 for these reasons but also because the end was a little disappointed … I expected better with this book I think. It was a pleasant reading, distracting, but it will not remain in my memory for long!
If you like psychological thrillers this one may please you, but if you’re addicted to twists and turns, I warn you this novel may not satisfy you …
http://www.further-west.com/en/everything-but-the-truth-by-gillian-mcallister-book-review/
We follow Rachel, who is the main character, moreover, the story is told from her point of view. We quickly learn that she is in a relationship, since only a few months ago, with Jack, and they are already expecting a child! Everything seems to go for the best, they love each other, desire each other, life is beautiful.
Yes, but! Rachel becomes suspicious of Jack. She thinks he’s lying to her, hiding things from her. Soon she will get more and more distrustful and do everything to discover what he is hiding and who he really is. But maybe it is just her imagination? Maybe she’s just looking for a reason to break her relationship?
And Rachel is not as white as snow either … Thanks to the chapters devoted to what happened 1 year ago we quickly realize that she also hides a secret, a heavy secret that she tries to forget and burry for months.
I enjoyed this book, I wasn’t bored even if I found some parts a little repetitive and Rachel really ended up annoying me … I only put the rate of 3,5/5 for these reasons but also because the end was a little disappointed … I expected better with this book I think. It was a pleasant reading, distracting, but it will not remain in my memory for long!
If you like psychological thrillers this one may please you, but if you’re addicted to twists and turns, I warn you this novel may not satisfy you …
http://www.further-west.com/en/everything-but-the-truth-by-gillian-mcallister-book-review/
I am a little disappointed I must admit. Maybe I was expecting too much I don’t know, but this novel failed to fully fill me!
Caroline and Francis arrive for a week in a house near London after spending time on a home exchange site. At first sight, the house seems extremely cold, a sensation that it is uninhabited because decoration and personal items are missing … But they decide to enjoy this mini-stay without their child.
Because, the couple just recover from a difficult past, on the brink of the rupture they try now to pick up the pieces, to erase this part of their lives. We will learn more over the pages, so I let you discover their story.
The house, although very cold, shows some very intriguing signs, but only in the eyes of Caroline: flowers, a song, … things that bring her back to a past she prefers to forget. What if the person behind this house exchange knew her? And if this person had a direct link with her past? It does not take more to Caroline to start to be a little afraid and wanted to learn about all that.
The story is nice, the characters did not displease me, but the plot is extremely slow. Fortunately, I really wanted to read this novel, it motivated me to continue reading. Writing is also a positive point, although sometimes repetitive, the story is kind of a page turner and that’s exactly what I’m looking for in this type of book, that can be classified in the category “Psychological thriller / Domestic Thriller “.
In short, if you do not want action on every page, this book may please you. I read it very quickly and I do not regret this reading!
http://www.further-west.com/en/the-house-swap-by-rebecca-fleet-book-review/
Caroline and Francis arrive for a week in a house near London after spending time on a home exchange site. At first sight, the house seems extremely cold, a sensation that it is uninhabited because decoration and personal items are missing … But they decide to enjoy this mini-stay without their child.
Because, the couple just recover from a difficult past, on the brink of the rupture they try now to pick up the pieces, to erase this part of their lives. We will learn more over the pages, so I let you discover their story.
The house, although very cold, shows some very intriguing signs, but only in the eyes of Caroline: flowers, a song, … things that bring her back to a past she prefers to forget. What if the person behind this house exchange knew her? And if this person had a direct link with her past? It does not take more to Caroline to start to be a little afraid and wanted to learn about all that.
The story is nice, the characters did not displease me, but the plot is extremely slow. Fortunately, I really wanted to read this novel, it motivated me to continue reading. Writing is also a positive point, although sometimes repetitive, the story is kind of a page turner and that’s exactly what I’m looking for in this type of book, that can be classified in the category “Psychological thriller / Domestic Thriller “.
In short, if you do not want action on every page, this book may please you. I read it very quickly and I do not regret this reading!
http://www.further-west.com/en/the-house-swap-by-rebecca-fleet-book-review/
I really liked this book, it tackles very interesting topics, in particular: the homosexuality, which is moreover the central theme of this story.
In this novel we follow Simon, 16, he is homosexual and has not yet made his famous “coming out”. He has been corresponding for some time with someone on the internet. His nickname: Blue, also homosexual. They got on well and learned that they were in the same high school. Of course, they do not want to reveal their real identities, not ready to expose themselves to the world.
Their relationship at the beginning only friendly will become a little more as the emails exchanged. They will learn to know each other, and love will replace friendship.
At the same time, we follow Simon’s “real” life, in the heart of his high school, and during his family evening or with his best friends: Nick and Leah.
As a reader, we try to guess the identity of Blue, I quickly broke through the mystery, but that didn’t spoil my reading.
I had a great time with Simon and his friends, his family. It reminded me a bit of my high school years!
In conclusion, I think that this novel can be appreciated by all, younger and older, the sometimes delicate subject within certain families will perhaps help those who are in this situation to more easily accept themselves. Nowadays, even though many are still against homosexuality, it must be remembered that many are also very open and do not ultimately make any difference to the preferences of each. Everyone is free and above all, everyone should feel good about themselves, and accept themselves without having to undergo judgments.
An excellent book that I can only advise!
http://www.further-west.com/en/simon-vs-the-homo-sapiens-agenda-by-becky-albertalli-book-review/
In this novel we follow Simon, 16, he is homosexual and has not yet made his famous “coming out”. He has been corresponding for some time with someone on the internet. His nickname: Blue, also homosexual. They got on well and learned that they were in the same high school. Of course, they do not want to reveal their real identities, not ready to expose themselves to the world.
Their relationship at the beginning only friendly will become a little more as the emails exchanged. They will learn to know each other, and love will replace friendship.
At the same time, we follow Simon’s “real” life, in the heart of his high school, and during his family evening or with his best friends: Nick and Leah.
As a reader, we try to guess the identity of Blue, I quickly broke through the mystery, but that didn’t spoil my reading.
I had a great time with Simon and his friends, his family. It reminded me a bit of my high school years!
In conclusion, I think that this novel can be appreciated by all, younger and older, the sometimes delicate subject within certain families will perhaps help those who are in this situation to more easily accept themselves. Nowadays, even though many are still against homosexuality, it must be remembered that many are also very open and do not ultimately make any difference to the preferences of each. Everyone is free and above all, everyone should feel good about themselves, and accept themselves without having to undergo judgments.
An excellent book that I can only advise!
http://www.further-west.com/en/simon-vs-the-homo-sapiens-agenda-by-becky-albertalli-book-review/
My review for this third book will be very short because it was a huge disappointment … I still can not believe it … Even if the other books were not my favorites they had the merit to be very entertaining to read. They were not scary but the pictures made it all pretty creepy.
Here, we head to New Orleans to close the story of Dan, Abby and Jordan. I love this city, I’ve never been there before but it fascinates me. So the story could have been really nice. There are so many things in this city, states to exploit in the “horror” / scary genre …
I found the plot completely messed up, uninteresting. As if this book had been written because it needed a third book … And what to say about the end, except that it is sloppy and extremely bad.
I do not like to criticize books but knowing that the first two books were very nice I don’t understand what happened with this one.
http://www.further-west.com/en/catacomb-by-madeleine-roux-book-review/
Here, we head to New Orleans to close the story of Dan, Abby and Jordan. I love this city, I’ve never been there before but it fascinates me. So the story could have been really nice. There are so many things in this city, states to exploit in the “horror” / scary genre …
I found the plot completely messed up, uninteresting. As if this book had been written because it needed a third book … And what to say about the end, except that it is sloppy and extremely bad.
I do not like to criticize books but knowing that the first two books were very nice I don’t understand what happened with this one.
http://www.further-west.com/en/catacomb-by-madeleine-roux-book-review/
This book was a nice surprise since I read it very fast, I was quickly hooked by the story and characters and I had a hard time stopping it before knowing the end of the story!
In this book, we will discover a couple: Jack and Grace. They seem to be the perfect couple, everyone envy them, a crazy couple in love, a dream house, holidays that make you dream, in short everyone would like to be in their places!
But, of course there is a but, their life may not be as perfect as they try to make you believe.
Indeed, from the first chapter, we feel a certain tension, we immediately suspect that something is wrong. Grace does not seem comfortable. Their lives may be a little too perfect to be real. What exactly do they hide?
We will follow Grace, both in the present, but also during her meeting with Jack and their first months together. We’ll learn more about them, what they hide, what Grace fears.
A very good psychological/domestic thriller. Even if the twists are not really surprising since I guessed the end before reading it, I definitely recommend it anyway if you like this genre, it will not disappoint you!
http://www.further-west.com/en/behind-closed-doors-by-b-a-paris-book-review/
In this book, we will discover a couple: Jack and Grace. They seem to be the perfect couple, everyone envy them, a crazy couple in love, a dream house, holidays that make you dream, in short everyone would like to be in their places!
But, of course there is a but, their life may not be as perfect as they try to make you believe.
Indeed, from the first chapter, we feel a certain tension, we immediately suspect that something is wrong. Grace does not seem comfortable. Their lives may be a little too perfect to be real. What exactly do they hide?
We will follow Grace, both in the present, but also during her meeting with Jack and their first months together. We’ll learn more about them, what they hide, what Grace fears.
A very good psychological/domestic thriller. Even if the twists are not really surprising since I guessed the end before reading it, I definitely recommend it anyway if you like this genre, it will not disappoint you!
http://www.further-west.com/en/behind-closed-doors-by-b-a-paris-book-review/
I was first attracted by the cover of this book, which I love so much. It has everything to please me, a mysterious atmosphere, a very creepy house in the background, gray, black and red that evokes of course the blood!
I didn’t read the description before I started this book, so I did not really know what to expect. Without being for children, I would say that we are between the YA genre and the children’s literature all the same. Some passages bloody and well described prevent me from classing it among the children’s books, but I found the style of writing and characters a little too “simple” for my taste.
However this has its advantage: the reading was really easy and quick! Chapters after chapters, we get caught up in the story and learn quickly enough to appreciate (or not) the characters.
The novel is told from the point of view of the main character: Cas, “ghost hunter”. He took the power of his father, who died about 10 years ago, killed by one of the ghosts he had come to “kill” … irony of fate … Case and his mother goes through states to deliver the small (and large) cities from the ghosts that threaten them.
Case is not a character that I appreciate more than that … It is the same for Anna, despite her horrible past… I preferred Thomas (I have a doubt about his name sorry …), which immediately pleased me.
The plot, without being crazy I warn you, is nice, but I did not find it exceptional and it pissed me a little … it was a classic story.
But, I had a great time during reading this novel, if you like ghost stories with a small (really small) touch of “gore/violence” it may please you. There is a sequel, which I will certainly read, but not in the immediate future I think!
http://www.further-west.com/en/anna-dressed-in-blood-by-kendare-blake-book-review/
I didn’t read the description before I started this book, so I did not really know what to expect. Without being for children, I would say that we are between the YA genre and the children’s literature all the same. Some passages bloody and well described prevent me from classing it among the children’s books, but I found the style of writing and characters a little too “simple” for my taste.
However this has its advantage: the reading was really easy and quick! Chapters after chapters, we get caught up in the story and learn quickly enough to appreciate (or not) the characters.
The novel is told from the point of view of the main character: Cas, “ghost hunter”. He took the power of his father, who died about 10 years ago, killed by one of the ghosts he had come to “kill” … irony of fate … Case and his mother goes through states to deliver the small (and large) cities from the ghosts that threaten them.
Case is not a character that I appreciate more than that … It is the same for Anna, despite her horrible past… I preferred Thomas (I have a doubt about his name sorry …), which immediately pleased me.
The plot, without being crazy I warn you, is nice, but I did not find it exceptional and it pissed me a little … it was a classic story.
But, I had a great time during reading this novel, if you like ghost stories with a small (really small) touch of “gore/violence” it may please you. There is a sequel, which I will certainly read, but not in the immediate future I think!
http://www.further-west.com/en/anna-dressed-in-blood-by-kendare-blake-book-review/