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lanternheart's reviews
412 reviews
St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.
I needed to return it to the library early!
Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Bullying
Minor: Alcohol, Body shaming, and Gore
The Fury by Alex Michaelides
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A gripping, exhilarating, and at turns deeply suspenseful story that was difficult to put down whenever I began a session of reading it. This is my first time reading Michaelides, after being recommended another of his books, The Silent Patient. Having now read The Fury, specifically the last ninety-odd pages in a dizzying haze of twists, accusations, revenge, and sickening realization, I can confidently say that I look forward to reading Michaelides' previous works, as well as whatever he writes next.
The conceit of this book very much, at turns, reminded me of Donna Tartt's The Secret History, with the first-person retrospective of a narrator telling us their increasingly twisted, increasingly murderous, tale. Like Tartt's Richard Papen, Elliott Chase is a manufactured man of sorts, a desperate outsider to a world of privilege (here, Hollywood and the London theater scene, in TSH an elite group of students) and insularity that the desperate, painfully lonely child within the narrator seeks to become a part of at any cost.
Where the books diverge is the sheer number of twists, and the sheer Machiavellian ways that Elliott Chase, as The Fury continues, twists from semi-sympathetic narrator, gathering the reader to a story, to villain as the realization hits that heorchestrated faking his best friend and near-lover Lana's murder to be with her . That Elliott does not succeed, but is instead foiled by Lana's having found out his plan, found it disturbing, and decided to betray him from the outset in her own form of justice, her own betrayal, and chooses to take back her life from every man who's ever orchestrated it, is a brilliant climax.
As much as Elliott tells us he loves Lana, it's clear that his own attitude, his own belief that the others in his life he can orchestrate to make them love him, because he believes it will end in love, is folly of the utmost, a quest for self-fulfillment in a way that made me, as a reader, question everyone he says he loves. Of course, some of his affections felt genuine, but how much was this always about Lana herself? How much, in the end, as he describes himself havingmurdered her out of potent rage, out of fury, yet still seeing her in his mind as the woman on the big movie screen while he sits, glowing, in front of it as a child, was it always about having fallen in love with the image he wanted of a woman who loved him?
Elliott's near-fatal mistake is believing that he, like the novel itself, like the structure of it, holds all the power: that the people in his life are characters whom he can control. When he tries, in his own narration, to want to "interrupt them—to say, No, no, you're not meant to be saying that and This shouldn't be happening. But it was happening," he all too late realizes the sheer unpredictability of others, and in turn the sheer unpredictability of himself, embodied by the furious island winds into murdering the woman he thought he'd loved in cold, furious blood.
Needless to say, this was a gripping, disturbing, and deeply fascinating read that will doubtlessly offer a fruitful future reread which, despite my discomfort with Elliott as a narrator (the further you go, the less likeable he is), will likely propel me to return again, knowing all the twists, to see the eventual tragic ending. Like a good play, I have a feeling you could read this book more than once, see it more than once, and pick up something new each time.
The conceit of this book very much, at turns, reminded me of Donna Tartt's The Secret History, with the first-person retrospective of a narrator telling us their increasingly twisted, increasingly murderous, tale. Like Tartt's Richard Papen, Elliott Chase is a manufactured man of sorts, a desperate outsider to a world of privilege (here, Hollywood and the London theater scene, in TSH an elite group of students) and insularity that the desperate, painfully lonely child within the narrator seeks to become a part of at any cost.
Where the books diverge is the sheer number of twists, and the sheer Machiavellian ways that Elliott Chase, as The Fury continues, twists from semi-sympathetic narrator, gathering the reader to a story, to villain as the realization hits that he
As much as Elliott tells us he loves Lana, it's clear that his own attitude, his own belief that the others in his life he can orchestrate to make them love him, because he believes it will end in love, is folly of the utmost, a quest for self-fulfillment in a way that made me, as a reader, question everyone he says he loves. Of course, some of his affections felt genuine, but how much was this always about Lana herself? How much, in the end, as he describes himself having
Elliott's near-fatal mistake is believing that he, like the novel itself, like the structure of it, holds all the power: that the people in his life are characters whom he can control. When he tries, in his own narration, to want to "interrupt them—to say, No, no, you're not meant to be saying that and This shouldn't be happening. But it was happening," he all too late realizes the sheer unpredictability of others, and in turn the sheer unpredictability of himself, embodied by the furious island winds into murdering the woman he thought he'd loved in cold, furious blood.
Needless to say, this was a gripping, disturbing, and deeply fascinating read that will doubtlessly offer a fruitful future reread which, despite my discomfort with Elliott as a narrator (the further you go, the less likeable he is), will likely propel me to return again, knowing all the twists, to see the eventual tragic ending. Like a good play, I have a feeling you could read this book more than once, see it more than once, and pick up something new each time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, and Vomit
An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Solidly a middling book for me — while the sex scenes are largely enjoyable, the plot itself suffers from a lack of growth in some of its characters, and a heavy hand with "Buffyspeak" that was a bit hard to ignore until it dropped in frequency later in the book.
I can see how this would be a more fun read for others than myself, but it read quite similar to a sex pollen AU fanfic in some respects, and that's not always my cup of tea! A quick read, though, so nice to get through a small reading slump.
I can see how this would be a more fun read for others than myself, but it read quite similar to a sex pollen AU fanfic in some respects, and that's not always my cup of tea! A quick read, though, so nice to get through a small reading slump.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: Trafficking
Margaret Cavendish by Margaret Cavendish
Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.
I've enjoyed this book, but simply dip in and out of poetry often! I'll likely return to it soon.
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Frozen in Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition by Owen Beattie, John Geiger
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
A thorough, compassionate, and well-researched book on not only the Franklin expedition itself, but its fate. Following Beattie's trail of investigation, unearthing, and autopsy is riveting reading — if grim — and brings a satisfying, if tantalizing in light of the recent discovery of both ships in the last decade, theory to full light.
I was especially gripped by Beattie's own descriptions of Beechey Island and King William Island, their desolation and sparse beauty, and touched by the attitudes of our researchers when they autopsied the preserved bodies of Torrington, Hartnell, and Braine.
I was especially gripped by Beattie's own descriptions of Beechey Island and King William Island, their desolation and sparse beauty, and touched by the attitudes of our researchers when they autopsied the preserved bodies of Torrington, Hartnell, and Braine.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cannibalism
Dragon Age: The Missing by George Mann
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Erebus: One Ship, Two Epic Voyages, and the Greatest Naval Mystery of All Time by Michael Palin
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
5.0
A deeply comprehensive, deeply passionate book of the history of the HMS Erebus, and its many expeditions into the edges of the world. Palin's writing is empathetic, engaging, and (of course, when the right quotation demands it) dryly humorous if required. I was surprised at the clear passion and scholarship that shines through here, and though coming at this book through the lens of the Franklin Expedition, quickly found myself absorbed in the earlier history of Ross and Crozier aboard earlier Erebus and Terror expeditions, and the accounts in letters home from various seamen that Palin quotes throughout.
I listened to this on audiobook, and enjoyed the narration style immensely, listening for hours at a time. I'll likely add the book itself to my shelf as well, if and when I can find a copy — a tragic but rewarding, winding history, providing plenty of threads to pick up in other books, travel, and research. Well worth the read for the interested party. I rarely buy such tomes to read again, but I'll want this one by my side for Palin's empathetic, comprehensive look at a fascinating chapter in maritime history that was entirely new to me.
I listened to this on audiobook, and enjoyed the narration style immensely, listening for hours at a time. I'll likely add the book itself to my shelf as well, if and when I can find a copy — a tragic but rewarding, winding history, providing plenty of threads to pick up in other books, travel, and research. Well worth the read for the interested party. I rarely buy such tomes to read again, but I'll want this one by my side for Palin's empathetic, comprehensive look at a fascinating chapter in maritime history that was entirely new to me.