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justagirlwithabook's reviews
432 reviews
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Babel by R.F. Kuang
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
My initial reaction to finding out that this book would be a thing was excitement. After reading the blurb, I very much remember thinking that R. F. Kuang's vision sounded really ambitious, but if she were able to accomplish it, it'd be an epic story. I wanted so much to love this, to fall into the world, to learn a new magic system in a very toxic time and place in history but with characters that I would hope to love. (As a note, I have not ready The Poppy War and have nothing of Kuang's writing to compare to, so going into this my only expectations of this story came from my own hopes that I'd have another Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell on my hands.)
Babel was described as a tonal response to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (one of my all time favorites and historical fantasy done so well) as well as a thematic response to Tartt's The Secret History (which had me a bit more hesitant ... I've not read The Secret History but I've read The Goldfinch, and after reading that one, I can tell you I have no desire to continue reading Tartt - she is not an author for me).
For those who know me well as a reader, I don't usually DNF books too often. I am entirely unopposed to DNF'ing books that are just really not working for me (or even, if there's a chance I might pick it back up again, TTFN - ta-ta for now - a book). DNFs for me are rare because I usually have a fairly good pulse on what I think I'll enjoy and what I won't. Some of my favorite books are books that I'd qualify as historical fantasy, that have a heavy magical system presence and fanastic storyline but embedded in a past time and place, and maybe even around a very eventful time and place.
Unfortunately for me, while the excitement of starting this book might have carried me through in the first 10%, it quickly wore off as I began drudging through each chapter, becoming more and more bored as I went. This felt so much less like Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and so much more like Tartt's writing, where we have a 500+ page book plopped in our lap and as every 50 to 100 pages roll by, we wonder where the plot is that's holding it all together, that should help to keep us reading, that should leave us excited for the next moment we get to pick the book back up when we have to set it down to go about our day.
So, readers. I DNF'd at 30%. And while this book WAS intelligently written, incredibly smart, and in no form shied away from the colonisation, racism, sexism, and violence that was so prevalent in the 1800s especially in relation to the British Empire, it felt as if the characters, the magic system, and the larger story got lost in academic commentary and philosophical discussions (lectures, and more lectures, and discussions among characters about those lectures, and not much happening in between times except for characters to continue to be treated poorly, adding the author's social commentary to the mix).
There will be readers that absolutely love this book. There are early review readers that already DO love this book (5/5 stars! favorite of the year! "she did it again!"), but for me, I had a hope for what this would be, and it fell short. I know the things that keep me reading, that keep me engaged and wanting more, and Babel unfortunately lacked in those elements, though this will be no obstacle for other readers, especially those who don't depend highly on plot but lean more in the realm of literary fiction (though here, with a dash of magical realism).
So what DID I love and enjoy?
- I really loved the premise of the magical system. I wanted to SEE this more in action rather than be told about how it worked through endless lecturing.
- I love Kuang's writing style in that it's incredibly smart, sharp, and fluid. Her sentence structure is on point, and her mindful choices of high level vocabulary feels effortless.
- There were a handful of moments of light, witty banter and humor, and I wanted more of that.
- There was a small moment in Book 1 when things started to get interesting and I thought, "Oh! Here we go! We've reached the point where things start to move along now!" And then that very quickly fizzled out. I loved where it was potentially going, but then we hit a dead end it felt as if it didn't go any further.
- I did enjoy that Kuang (very purposely) chose to address the great issues of the time, but, as some reviewers have stated, I am a believer of nuance in fiction, and Kuang's social commentary was not nuanced.
What did I especially not love?
- Pacing. Pacing. Pacing. Book 1 (or Part 1) was a slog. As I got into Book 2, I thought there would be a switch, but 30% into the book and only halfway through Book 2 (of 5 total Books!) and still no change ... I couldn't do it any longer. Each chapter of each book took me on average 25-30 minutes to read through, and that didn't help matters.
- I wanted to love the characters but outside of Robin, everyone else felt like a somewhat flat sidekick that I hardly got to know. They were just there to add conversation and discussion. Maybe things change further into the book but I just didn't have any characters tugging at me to keep reading.
- For the chunk of the book I read, it just didn't feel like a story. It felt like sitting in lectures, which took what could've been an interesting and whimsical sort of magical system and made it incredibly boring to the point that I just didn't want to hear about it anymore. I wanted to see it, but instead I was told (as the characters constantly were). It felt like being dropped in a place and time that was hardly different in anyway and a very tiny bit of magic was dropped into it, but we didn't really get to see it, we only heard about it. The story got lost, the characters didn't feel fully fleshed out to be connected with on a deep level, and ultimately what could've truly been a solid historical fantasy novel felt like a historical fiction novel (heavy with social commentary) with some magical realism sprinkled in.
Overall:
I really don't know where to place this on an arbitrary star rating scale. For me, personally, I felt it was a 2, maybe 3 star (if only for her prose!) based on my own personal preferences - it just was not for me and I finally chose to set it down and move on with something different. For others, I know Babel will be rated significantly higher - the things I found to be obstacles in reading will not be obstacles for other readers, and they'll get more out of the story than I did (I can hope, anyway!).
I received an advance reader copy from Harper Voyager via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Babel was described as a tonal response to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (one of my all time favorites and historical fantasy done so well) as well as a thematic response to Tartt's The Secret History (which had me a bit more hesitant ... I've not read The Secret History but I've read The Goldfinch, and after reading that one, I can tell you I have no desire to continue reading Tartt - she is not an author for me).
For those who know me well as a reader, I don't usually DNF books too often. I am entirely unopposed to DNF'ing books that are just really not working for me (or even, if there's a chance I might pick it back up again, TTFN - ta-ta for now - a book). DNFs for me are rare because I usually have a fairly good pulse on what I think I'll enjoy and what I won't. Some of my favorite books are books that I'd qualify as historical fantasy, that have a heavy magical system presence and fanastic storyline but embedded in a past time and place, and maybe even around a very eventful time and place.
Unfortunately for me, while the excitement of starting this book might have carried me through in the first 10%, it quickly wore off as I began drudging through each chapter, becoming more and more bored as I went. This felt so much less like Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and so much more like Tartt's writing, where we have a 500+ page book plopped in our lap and as every 50 to 100 pages roll by, we wonder where the plot is that's holding it all together, that should help to keep us reading, that should leave us excited for the next moment we get to pick the book back up when we have to set it down to go about our day.
So, readers. I DNF'd at 30%. And while this book WAS intelligently written, incredibly smart, and in no form shied away from the colonisation, racism, sexism, and violence that was so prevalent in the 1800s especially in relation to the British Empire, it felt as if the characters, the magic system, and the larger story got lost in academic commentary and philosophical discussions (lectures, and more lectures, and discussions among characters about those lectures, and not much happening in between times except for characters to continue to be treated poorly, adding the author's social commentary to the mix).
There will be readers that absolutely love this book. There are early review readers that already DO love this book (5/5 stars! favorite of the year! "she did it again!"), but for me, I had a hope for what this would be, and it fell short. I know the things that keep me reading, that keep me engaged and wanting more, and Babel unfortunately lacked in those elements, though this will be no obstacle for other readers, especially those who don't depend highly on plot but lean more in the realm of literary fiction (though here, with a dash of magical realism).
So what DID I love and enjoy?
- I really loved the premise of the magical system. I wanted to SEE this more in action rather than be told about how it worked through endless lecturing.
- I love Kuang's writing style in that it's incredibly smart, sharp, and fluid. Her sentence structure is on point, and her mindful choices of high level vocabulary feels effortless.
- There were a handful of moments of light, witty banter and humor, and I wanted more of that.
- There was a small moment in Book 1 when things started to get interesting and I thought, "Oh! Here we go! We've reached the point where things start to move along now!" And then that very quickly fizzled out. I loved where it was potentially going, but then we hit a dead end it felt as if it didn't go any further.
- I did enjoy that Kuang (very purposely) chose to address the great issues of the time, but, as some reviewers have stated, I am a believer of nuance in fiction, and Kuang's social commentary was not nuanced.
What did I especially not love?
- Pacing. Pacing. Pacing. Book 1 (or Part 1) was a slog. As I got into Book 2, I thought there would be a switch, but 30% into the book and only halfway through Book 2 (of 5 total Books!) and still no change ... I couldn't do it any longer. Each chapter of each book took me on average 25-30 minutes to read through, and that didn't help matters.
- I wanted to love the characters but outside of Robin, everyone else felt like a somewhat flat sidekick that I hardly got to know. They were just there to add conversation and discussion. Maybe things change further into the book but I just didn't have any characters tugging at me to keep reading.
- For the chunk of the book I read, it just didn't feel like a story. It felt like sitting in lectures, which took what could've been an interesting and whimsical sort of magical system and made it incredibly boring to the point that I just didn't want to hear about it anymore. I wanted to see it, but instead I was told (as the characters constantly were). It felt like being dropped in a place and time that was hardly different in anyway and a very tiny bit of magic was dropped into it, but we didn't really get to see it, we only heard about it. The story got lost, the characters didn't feel fully fleshed out to be connected with on a deep level, and ultimately what could've truly been a solid historical fantasy novel felt like a historical fiction novel (heavy with social commentary) with some magical realism sprinkled in.
Overall:
I really don't know where to place this on an arbitrary star rating scale. For me, personally, I felt it was a 2, maybe 3 star (if only for her prose!) based on my own personal preferences - it just was not for me and I finally chose to set it down and move on with something different. For others, I know Babel will be rated significantly higher - the things I found to be obstacles in reading will not be obstacles for other readers, and they'll get more out of the story than I did (I can hope, anyway!).
I received an advance reader copy from Harper Voyager via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Mary: An Awakening of Terror by Nat Cassidy
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Mary is a middle-aged pre-menopausal woman living in New York, all alone (with the exception of her Loved Ones) and with a simple bookstore job to keep her occupied. Strange things start happening: women’s faces, if she looks too long, start to decompose in front of her eyes and even her own reflection gives her a fright; she often wakes up having a hard time recalling what happened before she lost consciousness; and she’s easily irritated and angered by the smallest of offenses, enough to lash out.
When her Aunt Nadine calls (a blast from the past) and asks Mary to come take care of her through her sickness, Mary reluctantly agrees. Upon arrival to her hometown, she discovers her own memory is spotty and unreliable. She starts seeing ghosts of women who were murdered decades ago by a serial killer, and as she starts digging for answers, starts to realize that she herself might be a larger piece to the puzzle.
What I Loved:
- Firstly, the cover is fantastic. It fits the storyline but really drew me in, honestly. How can you not be curious about this book after seeing that cover?
- I really appreciated the author’s note with heads up on content (mutilation, animal death, implied sexual trauma, misogyny). I think all books should provide this.
- This theme of “here’s a woman feeling like something is wrong but is gaslighted everywhere and by every single man” was prevalent (for instance, she makes a trip to the doctor and explains what she’s experiencing, she knows her body better than anyone else and is attuned to it, yet the young male doctor hardly listens and talks down to her). Most women, regardless of age, have experienced this at some point or another and that resonated.
- The main character, Mary, is in her late 40s, about to turn 50 — middle age and all the comes along with it is discussed more frequently but it was refreshing to read a story with a protagonist dealing with life and an age range not often discussed in books. Rarely do we read about older women, and when we do, especially in horror novels, it often seems to be entirely at their expense.
- There was a point where the storyline turned a bit “culty” and I enjoyed that (anything remotely cultish has my attention!).
- There were parts mostly at the beginning and at the end where there was a switch in the form of writing to not just the usual chapters but to interviews, newspaper articles, and so forth. I enjoyed that aspect and just wish that it had been more consistently sprinkled throughout the novel.
What I Didn’t Love:
- While the author did give a heads up that there would be a scene of mutilation at some point in the story, I didn’t find it any less disturbing and did wonder whether or not it was entirely necessary.
- As mentioned before, I wish the other styles of writing had been sprinkled more evenly throughout the novel, incorporating interviews, newspaper articles, etc. a bit more consistently and at pivotal plot points.
- I felt like I kept reading with the hopes that something big would happen or that something “more” would come into the picture (more dread, more something), and I don’t know that I really ever hit a part that gave me that satisfaction. It was an overall good story and had plenty of elements of horror (lots of scenes that were a little disturbing and so forth) but it all felt like it was leading up to something and when we got to that “something,” it wasn’t as earth shattering as I was hoping for and instead I felt like we just kind of coasted through the end.
- The end left me rolling my eyes a little bit, as it turned into a bit of a “here’s the moral of the story” soapbox. (Surprisingly this is the second horror novel I’ve read in a row with an ending like that, and that was disappointing.)
Overall:
I enjoyed the storyline, the main character and her struggles through middle-aged womanhood (but also struggles that many women can relate to a decade on either side of 50), and some of the more supernatural aspects of this horror novel (though some of these elements did not end up as eerie as I had hoped - maybe for the supernatural reason being a simple explanation for why things were happening which ultimately didn’t add a lot of tension or dread). Squeamish scenes were well-written with plenty of imagery that played out like a movie in my head. The cultish aspects that came into play were also a great addition and wouldn’t have been the same without them. I could’ve done without the “moral of the story” soapbox at the end; I’d rather be trusted as a reader to get out of it what I will, and if I miss some of the lesson meant for the reader, that should just be my own loss. Ultimately, this is one of those that you either purchase with the idea that you’re very certain you’ll enjoy it, or it’ll be one that, after reading the blurb and a few reviews, you feel a bit on the fence about and wait until you can borrow it from a friend or a local library.
I received an advance reader copy from Macmillan-Tor/Forge & Tor Nightfire via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
When her Aunt Nadine calls (a blast from the past) and asks Mary to come take care of her through her sickness, Mary reluctantly agrees. Upon arrival to her hometown, she discovers her own memory is spotty and unreliable. She starts seeing ghosts of women who were murdered decades ago by a serial killer, and as she starts digging for answers, starts to realize that she herself might be a larger piece to the puzzle.
What I Loved:
- Firstly, the cover is fantastic. It fits the storyline but really drew me in, honestly. How can you not be curious about this book after seeing that cover?
- I really appreciated the author’s note with heads up on content (mutilation, animal death, implied sexual trauma, misogyny). I think all books should provide this.
- This theme of “here’s a woman feeling like something is wrong but is gaslighted everywhere and by every single man” was prevalent (for instance, she makes a trip to the doctor and explains what she’s experiencing, she knows her body better than anyone else and is attuned to it, yet the young male doctor hardly listens and talks down to her). Most women, regardless of age, have experienced this at some point or another and that resonated.
- The main character, Mary, is in her late 40s, about to turn 50 — middle age and all the comes along with it is discussed more frequently but it was refreshing to read a story with a protagonist dealing with life and an age range not often discussed in books. Rarely do we read about older women, and when we do, especially in horror novels, it often seems to be entirely at their expense.
- There was a point where the storyline turned a bit “culty” and I enjoyed that (anything remotely cultish has my attention!).
- There were parts mostly at the beginning and at the end where there was a switch in the form of writing to not just the usual chapters but to interviews, newspaper articles, and so forth. I enjoyed that aspect and just wish that it had been more consistently sprinkled throughout the novel.
What I Didn’t Love:
- While the author did give a heads up that there would be a scene of mutilation at some point in the story, I didn’t find it any less disturbing and did wonder whether or not it was entirely necessary.
- As mentioned before, I wish the other styles of writing had been sprinkled more evenly throughout the novel, incorporating interviews, newspaper articles, etc. a bit more consistently and at pivotal plot points.
- I felt like I kept reading with the hopes that something big would happen or that something “more” would come into the picture (more dread, more something), and I don’t know that I really ever hit a part that gave me that satisfaction. It was an overall good story and had plenty of elements of horror (lots of scenes that were a little disturbing and so forth) but it all felt like it was leading up to something and when we got to that “something,” it wasn’t as earth shattering as I was hoping for and instead I felt like we just kind of coasted through the end.
- The end left me rolling my eyes a little bit, as it turned into a bit of a “here’s the moral of the story” soapbox. (Surprisingly this is the second horror novel I’ve read in a row with an ending like that, and that was disappointing.)
Overall:
I enjoyed the storyline, the main character and her struggles through middle-aged womanhood (but also struggles that many women can relate to a decade on either side of 50), and some of the more supernatural aspects of this horror novel (though some of these elements did not end up as eerie as I had hoped - maybe for the supernatural reason being a simple explanation for why things were happening which ultimately didn’t add a lot of tension or dread). Squeamish scenes were well-written with plenty of imagery that played out like a movie in my head. The cultish aspects that came into play were also a great addition and wouldn’t have been the same without them. I could’ve done without the “moral of the story” soapbox at the end; I’d rather be trusted as a reader to get out of it what I will, and if I miss some of the lesson meant for the reader, that should just be my own loss. Ultimately, this is one of those that you either purchase with the idea that you’re very certain you’ll enjoy it, or it’ll be one that, after reading the blurb and a few reviews, you feel a bit on the fence about and wait until you can borrow it from a friend or a local library.
I received an advance reader copy from Macmillan-Tor/Forge & Tor Nightfire via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Ali Hazelwood is back with another "STEMinist rom-com" and I'm here for it! In this standalone, we have Bee and Levi. Bee is a smidge obsessed with Marie Curie, anonymously runs a successful Twitter account (@WhatWouldMarieDo), and just landed a dream project working with NASA. The downside? (There's always a downside!) Tall, dark, and handsome Levi, the project's team lead. These two worked alongside each other a bit in grad school where it seemed to be common knowlege that Levi generally loathed Bee. Sure, that was years ago, but there's still no love lost. When the project gets going, things start going wrong. Bee's equipment hasn't arrived, she's not receiving emails, and no one seems to be warming up to her, though there might be a glimmer of hope from Levi, a potential ally in the midst of this mess. All Bee can continually ask herself is, "What would Marie do?"
What I Loved:
- I love how smart Hazelwood's romance novels are! In many ways, I'd consider this (and her previous, The Love Hypothesis) to be modern highbrow romance. I want more of this.
- I love seeing women represented in STEM AND kicking butt and taking names. The underlying feminist commentary is fantastic.
- I loved the quirkiness of all the characters and how easily likeable they are.
- I especially love that with each Hazelwood novel that comes out, I feel like I get to learn a little something new, or at least get a glimpse into a brilliant world that I'm not a part of myself. (Science wasn't "my thing" growing up, but I can certainly appreciate more as an adult!)
- I loved the mixed-media aspect that was included with Bee and another account communicating over Twitter regularly. It was fun to read tweets and their DMs back and forth.
- I'm a sucker for the enemies-to-lovers trope (present here!) and the fake dating trope (present in The Love Hypothesis), no matter how obvious things are and when we all know (as readers) exactly where things will be going after reading the first few chapters. I don't care. I love it.
What I Didn’t Love:
- There were moments when I thought, "Bee and Levi are brilliant, but they're brilliant idiots." What is screamingly obvious to absolutely everyone (on the reader end) is of course not at all obvious to them. That said, we all know that that's how it has to go; we know how the story will play out, we know the characters will be at odds until they're not, and we will continue to read and devour it all because we still love it! So while I dislike the predictability of it all, I can't hate it for being that way when I'm also the type that eagerly binge-reads it all knowing where it will go and what will happen and still enjoys every minute of it.
Overall:
I really loved this one and found myself enjoying it even more than The Love Hypothesis. If you enjoyed that one, you'll certainly enjoy this one! We were given quirky characters to really like, an interesting backdrop at NASA dealing with neuroscience (all very fascinating!), and a couple more chili pepper scenes/moments sprinkled in this time around. As far as fun, intelligent, don't-have-to-think-too-much-to-really-enjoy romances go, this one is a winner.
What I Loved:
- I love how smart Hazelwood's romance novels are! In many ways, I'd consider this (and her previous, The Love Hypothesis) to be modern highbrow romance. I want more of this.
- I love seeing women represented in STEM AND kicking butt and taking names. The underlying feminist commentary is fantastic.
- I loved the quirkiness of all the characters and how easily likeable they are.
- I especially love that with each Hazelwood novel that comes out, I feel like I get to learn a little something new, or at least get a glimpse into a brilliant world that I'm not a part of myself. (Science wasn't "my thing" growing up, but I can certainly appreciate more as an adult!)
- I loved the mixed-media aspect that was included with Bee and another account communicating over Twitter regularly. It was fun to read tweets and their DMs back and forth.
- I'm a sucker for the enemies-to-lovers trope (present here!) and the fake dating trope (present in The Love Hypothesis), no matter how obvious things are and when we all know (as readers) exactly where things will be going after reading the first few chapters. I don't care. I love it.
What I Didn’t Love:
- There were moments when I thought, "Bee and Levi are brilliant, but they're brilliant idiots." What is screamingly obvious to absolutely everyone (on the reader end) is of course not at all obvious to them. That said, we all know that that's how it has to go; we know how the story will play out, we know the characters will be at odds until they're not, and we will continue to read and devour it all because we still love it! So while I dislike the predictability of it all, I can't hate it for being that way when I'm also the type that eagerly binge-reads it all knowing where it will go and what will happen and still enjoys every minute of it.
Overall:
I really loved this one and found myself enjoying it even more than The Love Hypothesis. If you enjoyed that one, you'll certainly enjoy this one! We were given quirky characters to really like, an interesting backdrop at NASA dealing with neuroscience (all very fascinating!), and a couple more chili pepper scenes/moments sprinkled in this time around. As far as fun, intelligent, don't-have-to-think-too-much-to-really-enjoy romances go, this one is a winner.
Ghost Eaters by Clay McLeod Chapman
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Erin and Silas had a bit of an on-again and off-again relationship on college. Now their group of friends have moved on into adulthood, as unfulfilling as it may be. One night Silas reconnects out of the blue and needing help to escape rehab. Ever drawn to Silas’ magnetism, Erin helps out, only to discover that he’s discovered a new drug that allows its user to see and interact with the dead. When Silas turns up dead, Erin teams up with her friends Tobias and Amara to bring Silas’ ghost home. But once doors are opened, they’re hard to shut.
What I Loved:
- For the most part, there’s a lot of plot present in this story! There were a few lull like moments but they didn’t last too long.
- I enjoyed the “trippyness” of the story, reading and experiencing it from the perspective of a character who begins to go down the slippery slope of addiction.
- This story, for the most part, falls a but under paranormal horror but also the kind that is fairly grotesque. While Nick Cutter will always be the king in regards to writing grotesque horror, Chapman isn’t too close behind.
- There were portions that brought back memories of Mexican Gothic which I fairly well enjoyed (the struggle among house and plant and their relation to possession).
What I Didn’t Love:
- I didn’t realize that I was, in a roundabout way, signing up for a story of a character who ultimately battles with an addiction. While I applaud Chapman in creating what is in many ways this allegory, a story about addiction and the ghosts individuals battle, I think I expected something a little bit different and in some ways left wanting more of something. It turned out to be less complex than what I had hoped.
Overall:
Overall, I really enjoyed this one! I’ve not ready any of Chapman’s work up until this point and found it to be a solid introduction. I think for those that are interested in stories that blend a bit of real life situations and struggles with those that are a little bit “fantastical” in the paranormal department, you’ll find this story quite satisfying!
What I Loved:
- For the most part, there’s a lot of plot present in this story! There were a few lull like moments but they didn’t last too long.
- I enjoyed the “trippyness” of the story, reading and experiencing it from the perspective of a character who begins to go down the slippery slope of addiction.
- This story, for the most part, falls a but under paranormal horror but also the kind that is fairly grotesque. While Nick Cutter will always be the king in regards to writing grotesque horror, Chapman isn’t too close behind.
- There were portions that brought back memories of Mexican Gothic which I fairly well enjoyed (the struggle among house and plant and their relation to possession).
What I Didn’t Love:
- I didn’t realize that I was, in a roundabout way, signing up for a story of a character who ultimately battles with an addiction. While I applaud Chapman in creating what is in many ways this allegory, a story about addiction and the ghosts individuals battle, I think I expected something a little bit different and in some ways left wanting more of something. It turned out to be less complex than what I had hoped.
Overall:
Overall, I really enjoyed this one! I’ve not ready any of Chapman’s work up until this point and found it to be a solid introduction. I think for those that are interested in stories that blend a bit of real life situations and struggles with those that are a little bit “fantastical” in the paranormal department, you’ll find this story quite satisfying!
Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Holy cow. @craigsilveyauthor, my heart might never recover.
Where do I start with this one? Have you read it? Can we please, please talk?
I really don’t know how to describe the book other than that it’s a coming-of-age mashup of To Kill a Mockingbird + Huckleberry Finn + The Catcher in the Rye + Bridge of Clay + The Sandlot, but set in 1965 in small-town Australia in the midst of all the hopes of putting a man on the moon, fears of communism, and the ongoing devastation in Vietnam.
Charlie Bucktin is the main lead, a 13-year-old bookish boy with a good heart who’s stumbling through his little town like a new foal learning its legs. Jasper Jones is our Huck Finn, an outcast and scapegoat who feels the everyday weight of racism and inequality (along with Charlie’s other friend, Jeffrey Lu, whose parents are from Vietnam).
So when Jasper comes tapping at Charlie’s window unexpectedly one night to get some help with a body, Charlie’s world turns upside down. While having to cope with holding heavy secrets, he also battles problems at home, discovers young love for the first time, and also watches his friends struggle to deal with their own varied battles every single day. It’s a lot for a teenage boy to navigate.
This one took me on an emotional rollercoaster. It’s heartbreakingly beautiful and captures so exquisitely the highs and lows and complexities of adolescence and what it means to be human. It doesn’t at all shy away from tough topics, but these kinds of stories are the ones that we learn from, that spur on deep conversation, and that stay with us long after we’ve read the last page. These kinds of books are few and far between, and they’re the important ones.
If you’ve read it, please let’s talk. Slide into my DMs immediately. I’ll be sitting with this one for quite a long time.
Content Warning:
heavy use of profanity throughout, suicide, sexual harassment and assault, child abuse (implied physical violence, implied rape and assault), racism, violence toward others
[www.instagram.com/justagirlwithabook]
Where do I start with this one? Have you read it? Can we please, please talk?
I really don’t know how to describe the book other than that it’s a coming-of-age mashup of To Kill a Mockingbird + Huckleberry Finn + The Catcher in the Rye + Bridge of Clay + The Sandlot, but set in 1965 in small-town Australia in the midst of all the hopes of putting a man on the moon, fears of communism, and the ongoing devastation in Vietnam.
Charlie Bucktin is the main lead, a 13-year-old bookish boy with a good heart who’s stumbling through his little town like a new foal learning its legs. Jasper Jones is our Huck Finn, an outcast and scapegoat who feels the everyday weight of racism and inequality (along with Charlie’s other friend, Jeffrey Lu, whose parents are from Vietnam).
So when Jasper comes tapping at Charlie’s window unexpectedly one night to get some help with a body, Charlie’s world turns upside down. While having to cope with holding heavy secrets, he also battles problems at home, discovers young love for the first time, and also watches his friends struggle to deal with their own varied battles every single day. It’s a lot for a teenage boy to navigate.
This one took me on an emotional rollercoaster. It’s heartbreakingly beautiful and captures so exquisitely the highs and lows and complexities of adolescence and what it means to be human. It doesn’t at all shy away from tough topics, but these kinds of stories are the ones that we learn from, that spur on deep conversation, and that stay with us long after we’ve read the last page. These kinds of books are few and far between, and they’re the important ones.
If you’ve read it, please let’s talk. Slide into my DMs immediately. I’ll be sitting with this one for quite a long time.
Content Warning:
heavy use of profanity throughout, suicide, sexual harassment and assault, child abuse (implied physical violence, implied rape and assault), racism, violence toward others
[www.instagram.com/justagirlwithabook]
No Cure for Being Human (And Other Truths I Need to Hear) by Kate Bowler
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
D: A Tale of Two Worlds by Michel Faber
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No