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kloopo's reviews
130 reviews
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
4.0
Celaena is the most famous assassin in the world - but she's been caught. Now, pulled out prison, she's offered a second chance: compete in the games to become King's champion and eventually earn her freedom, or live out the rest of her life in misery.
Set against the backdrop of a glass palace ruled by a feared tyrant, the story is really tight and well-conceived. Celaena must complete a series of trials to gain her prize, but soon realises she has far more to contend with as her fellow competitors start to succumb to a gruesome fate, outside of the arena. Magic is banned, but there's something otherworldly at play and Celaena must figure out the mystery. At the same time, there's plenty of romance here to complement the action: Celaena falls for the very two men she'd be best advised to avoid altogether (and don't we all adore a bit of forbidden love?!).
For me, this fell short of five stars for a handful of small reasons. Firstly, I wanted to stick closely to Celaena's point of view, and was left frustrated when we jumped occassionally into others' perpectives - it felt inconsistent. Given her background as a ruthless assassin, I also felt unconvinced at times by the softer side of Celaena's character and particularly by her feelings for her two prospective lovers. I felt these could've been more subtly acheived.
Having said which, I'm keen to get my hands on book 2 and find out what happens next!
Set against the backdrop of a glass palace ruled by a feared tyrant, the story is really tight and well-conceived. Celaena must complete a series of trials to gain her prize, but soon realises she has far more to contend with as her fellow competitors start to succumb to a gruesome fate, outside of the arena. Magic is banned, but there's something otherworldly at play and Celaena must figure out the mystery. At the same time, there's plenty of romance here to complement the action: Celaena falls for the very two men she'd be best advised to avoid altogether (and don't we all adore a bit of forbidden love?!).
For me, this fell short of five stars for a handful of small reasons. Firstly, I wanted to stick closely to Celaena's point of view, and was left frustrated when we jumped occassionally into others' perpectives - it felt inconsistent. Given her background as a ruthless assassin, I also felt unconvinced at times by the softer side of Celaena's character and particularly by her feelings for her two prospective lovers. I felt these could've been more subtly acheived.
Having said which, I'm keen to get my hands on book 2 and find out what happens next!
Mort by Terry Pratchett
4.0
As a big fantasy fan, I'm ashamed to say this is the first Terry Pratchett book I've ever read. I always felt a little reluctant, afraid that his famous humour would stop me from suspending disbelief, from really immersing myself in the world.
And to some extent, it did - but nevertheless this novel was unexpected and brilliant. No, it wasn't quite like reading your usual fantasy story, but I didn't enjoy it any the less. The story of Mort and his apprenticeship to Death - who is among the best characters I've ever read - is funny and imaginative and full of a strange and heart-warming philosophy. I laughed out loud at least once every couple of pages.
Now I know what all the fuss is about!
And to some extent, it did - but nevertheless this novel was unexpected and brilliant. No, it wasn't quite like reading your usual fantasy story, but I didn't enjoy it any the less. The story of Mort and his apprenticeship to Death - who is among the best characters I've ever read - is funny and imaginative and full of a strange and heart-warming philosophy. I laughed out loud at least once every couple of pages.
Now I know what all the fuss is about!
Say Her Name by Juno Dawson
3.0
In Say Her Name, the playground legend of Bloody Mary is given a new creepy boarding school spin. At times it's very atmospheric and even chilling, but it never quite made me scared to turn the lights out ... perhaps it wasn't quite believable enough for me. In sum: enjoyable and commercially written, but it didn't blow my socks off.
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
3.0
This book was seriously hyped by fellow YA fans, so I had very high expectations. Unfortunately, although I enjoyed the read, I was a bit disappointed.
A Cinderella-inspired tale set on a futuristic earth, Cinder is an engaging and entertaining novel, although the plot doesn't hold many surprises... the fun is in how you get there. The evil queen is a bit of a cardboard villain, and the world-building also feels a tad one-dimensional, especially to a science fiction fan. The writing isn't up to much, but does the job. Despite all that, the author really gets into her stride in the amazing set-piece scenes at the end, by which point I couldn't put the book down.
Overall, definitely worth a solid three stars, and I'll be carrying on with the series too!
A Cinderella-inspired tale set on a futuristic earth, Cinder is an engaging and entertaining novel, although the plot doesn't hold many surprises... the fun is in how you get there. The evil queen is a bit of a cardboard villain, and the world-building also feels a tad one-dimensional, especially to a science fiction fan. The writing isn't up to much, but does the job. Despite all that, the author really gets into her stride in the amazing set-piece scenes at the end, by which point I couldn't put the book down.
Overall, definitely worth a solid three stars, and I'll be carrying on with the series too!
The Sleeping Prince by Melinda Salisbury
4.0
A pacy and exciting read, The Sleeping Prince follows on directly from the fantastic Sin-Eater's Daughter. It follows different characters - Lief's sister, Errin, is our protagonist - but ties in with the central fairy-tale, a truly Grimms-esque legend of a sleeping prince who awakens to eat the hearts of maidens... and (of course) reclaim his lost kingdom. Errin, who starts out in a ramshackle village with a mad mother, struggling against poverty, soon finds herself entangled with much more formiddable enemies in a world of war, love and alchemy.
My quibbles: Despite recently reading the previous book in the series, the central fairy tale never felt 100% clear to me, so the revelations at the end were a little overwhelming as I tried to cobble together exactly what the backstory was implying.
My favourite things: Top marks for an original-feeling world. Also, the magnetic Silas, our mysteriously hooded love interest, and the wonderful characterisation of his relationship with Errin. And my obligatory creepy crush, the heart-eating Prince himself, shudder/swoon.
My quibbles: Despite recently reading the previous book in the series, the central fairy tale never felt 100% clear to me, so the revelations at the end were a little overwhelming as I tried to cobble together exactly what the backstory was implying.
My favourite things: Top marks for an original-feeling world. Also, the magnetic Silas, our mysteriously hooded love interest, and the wonderful characterisation of his relationship with Errin. And my obligatory creepy crush, the heart-eating Prince himself, shudder/swoon.
Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill
5.0
This is a rare example of a book that really lives up to its hype - I went in thinking 'can it be that good, REALLY?' and yes, it really can! I couldn't put it down.
First and foremost, Only Ever Yours is an absorbing story that leaves you wondering what's happening to the characters whenever you're not reading. It's also a a razor-sharp and incredibly accessible spin on a Handmaid's Tale-esque dystopia, in which girls ('eves') are valued only as mothers, sex objects, or virgins. Sound disturbingly familiar, like an exaggeration of attitudes we see in real life? The same goes for the rest of the novel. As frieda, our sixteen-year-old protagonist, and her classmates are trained for their future roles, some of the dialogue in this appearance- reality show- and social media-obsessed lives feels horribly well-observed, straight from the real world. The love interest side of the story is sensitively done, and there's also a nasty twist at the end.
A book that everyone should read.
First and foremost, Only Ever Yours is an absorbing story that leaves you wondering what's happening to the characters whenever you're not reading. It's also a a razor-sharp and incredibly accessible spin on a Handmaid's Tale-esque dystopia, in which girls ('eves') are valued only as mothers, sex objects, or virgins. Sound disturbingly familiar, like an exaggeration of attitudes we see in real life? The same goes for the rest of the novel. As frieda, our sixteen-year-old protagonist, and her classmates are trained for their future roles, some of the dialogue in this appearance- reality show- and social media-obsessed lives feels horribly well-observed, straight from the real world. The love interest side of the story is sensitively done, and there's also a nasty twist at the end.
A book that everyone should read.
Frozen Charlotte by Alex Bell
4.0
Frozen Charlotte is a compelling and unnerving read set primarily on a remote Scottish island - from the first page, I was gripped. When our heroine Sophie's best friend dies after a spooky encounter with her dead cousin via a ouija board, Sophie is sent to stay with relatives to cope with her grief. However, she soon becomes convinced she's brought her cousin's vengeful spirit back into the old house, which is filled with creepy dolls who appear to mean her harm...
I really like the way the old folk song of Frozen Charlotte (the foolish girl after whom the dolls are named) was woven in through the chapter headers. However, I didn't really see how that story related to the dolls and I was left mystified as to their origin and the story behind their creation... Nevertheless, this is a really enjoyable book for younger horror fans, scary without quite crossing over into disturbing.
I really like the way the old folk song of Frozen Charlotte (the foolish girl after whom the dolls are named) was woven in through the chapter headers. However, I didn't really see how that story related to the dolls and I was left mystified as to their origin and the story behind their creation... Nevertheless, this is a really enjoyable book for younger horror fans, scary without quite crossing over into disturbing.
Evelina by Frances Burney
4.0
I was surprised about how much I enjoyed Evelina - I was looking for 'something like Austen', but in terms of the tone and the 'world' it was set in, it reminded me a bit more of Vanity Fair. Written in letter form, it's a wonderful insight into London (and Bristol) in the late eighteenth century - what shocked me is how much more rude and riotous it all is than, for instance, the world in Austen's novels, and how much more fluid social boundaries were. Evelina (a young woman of respectable birth) encounters some very insalubrious characters throughout her journey - women of sharp wit, embarassing relatives, prostitutes, lecherous men, cruel pranksters, and many others. The sense of threat to virtue is vivid - but then Evelina is never truly tempted, which is disappointing. The love interest Lord Orville is super dull (though unfailingly polite) and Evelina can be annoyingly unflawed as a character; I did struggle to love her at times. Even so, a great story worth reading!