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lucybbookstuff's reviews
367 reviews
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
This is undoubtedly an impressive work, both on its own and as a debut. This review may be a bit disjointed because I'm having a lot of thoughts and I just want to get them out.
I wanted to give it an even 4, but the more I think about it, the more flaws I notice.
This book kept me intrigued. I started it just before the 2024 election, and picking it back up afterwards was hard, but it immediately got me fired up with some of the political relevance it held.
I really like Rin as a main character and I enjoyed the story of her rise from the very bottom of society. I especially enjoyed the "training montage" part of the book with Jiang. And I really appreciate the themes of the book: anticolonialism, the dangers of revenge, seeing your enemies as people, etc.
However, I feel like this book could have benefited from being multi-POV. I felt disconnected from a lot of Rin's relationships. I didn't really get any of the emotional hits from her interactions with Altan. Everything was pretty surface level, and not explained very well. I feel like multi-POV could also have helped me understand the "why" behind a lot more things as well. It did a lot of telling, not showing regarding the history and worldbuilding.
Speaking of history, I didn't go into this knowing much about the massacre of Nanjing, BUT I did know that this book draws from those events directly. Now having read it, I'm not sure how I feel about just how much it directly lifted. Kuang acknowledges this, and I'm certain it was done with the utmost respect for the real history. But I do feel like this fictional story got kind of lost in those lifted historical details at times. On the other hand, it definitely makes me want to pay respect to the real history and read The Rape of Nanking.
I also feel that the pacing of this book was pretty wild. It covered SO much ground and introduced so many things... It felt like too much at times, and it didn't go into most of it nearly enough for me to understand it all. I'm sure some elaboration is forthcoming in the other books, but this confusion for now didn't seem necessary.
All that said, I do think this was a good book. A very impressive debut and a decent introduction. I will definitely continue the series and I look forward to seeing how it diverges from history.
I wanted to give it an even 4, but the more I think about it, the more flaws I notice.
This book kept me intrigued. I started it just before the 2024 election, and picking it back up afterwards was hard, but it immediately got me fired up with some of the political relevance it held.
I really like Rin as a main character and I enjoyed the story of her rise from the very bottom of society. I especially enjoyed the "training montage" part of the book with Jiang. And I really appreciate the themes of the book: anticolonialism, the dangers of revenge, seeing your enemies as people, etc.
However, I feel like this book could have benefited from being multi-POV. I felt disconnected from a lot of Rin's relationships. I didn't really get any of the emotional hits from her interactions with Altan. Everything was pretty surface level, and not explained very well. I feel like multi-POV could also have helped me understand the "why" behind a lot more things as well. It did a lot of telling, not showing regarding the history and worldbuilding.
Speaking of history, I didn't go into this knowing much about the massacre of Nanjing, BUT I did know that this book draws from those events directly. Now having read it, I'm not sure how I feel about just how much it directly lifted. Kuang acknowledges this, and I'm certain it was done with the utmost respect for the real history. But I do feel like this fictional story got kind of lost in those lifted historical details at times. On the other hand, it definitely makes me want to pay respect to the real history and read The Rape of Nanking.
I also feel that the pacing of this book was pretty wild. It covered SO much ground and introduced so many things... It felt like too much at times, and it didn't go into most of it nearly enough for me to understand it all. I'm sure some elaboration is forthcoming in the other books, but this confusion for now didn't seem necessary.
All that said, I do think this was a good book. A very impressive debut and a decent introduction. I will definitely continue the series and I look forward to seeing how it diverges from history.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
This was thoroughly disturbing. That is my prevailing thought. 😅
The narrative style was very unique and interesting. I liked that a lot. Crazy to see everyone's different perspectives. Pretty much nothing was as it seemed in the beginning.
It wasn't my favorite thriller ever. There was some eye-widening and a couple of "well, damn"s, but no real gasp-worthy shocking moments. Some absolutely wild events and thought processes, yes. It was very psychological. But I think I was expecting a bit more shock value. Not saying it needed that necessarily, just saying my expectations may have been misaligned.
Good book though, for sure. Audiobook was good, though I don't think it's an absolute must.
The narrative style was very unique and interesting. I liked that a lot. Crazy to see everyone's different perspectives. Pretty much nothing was as it seemed in the beginning.
It wasn't my favorite thriller ever. There was some eye-widening and a couple of "well, damn"s, but no real gasp-worthy shocking moments. Some absolutely wild events and thought processes, yes. It was very psychological. But I think I was expecting a bit more shock value. Not saying it needed that necessarily, just saying my expectations may have been misaligned.
Good book though, for sure. Audiobook was good, though I don't think it's an absolute must.
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:
Complicated
FINALLY A 5 STAR READ. One of those where I'm trying to think of any reason not to, and I'm coming up empty.
A perfect novella. It brought me back to a world I already know and love, there were exciting cameos from characters I already know, and some new characters, showcasing Fonda Lee's incredible character work in very few pages. She is the MASTER.
This also was just a thrilling mystery from start to finish and kept me engaged all the way through a 4 hour car ride.
And I have to say, days after the 2024 US election... I needed that ending. I'm so happy with how it went.I nearly cried when Lan appeared, because I just knew he'd be a kind and much-needed voice of reason. What I'd give to have leaders like him right now. ðŸ˜
Just excellent work, as always. Excited for Jade Shards, but I'm definitely going to put it off for a while. I don't want to part with this world yet.
A perfect novella. It brought me back to a world I already know and love, there were exciting cameos from characters I already know, and some new characters, showcasing Fonda Lee's incredible character work in very few pages. She is the MASTER.
This also was just a thrilling mystery from start to finish and kept me engaged all the way through a 4 hour car ride.
And I have to say, days after the 2024 US election... I needed that ending. I'm so happy with how it went.
Just excellent work, as always. Excited for Jade Shards, but I'm definitely going to put it off for a while. I don't want to part with this world yet.
informative
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
This is definitely the best book of the series!
The writing was still quite bland and I still never quite got emotionally invested in the characters, BUT I did binge this one and as always, found the historical elements exceptionally interesting.
Not gonna lie, I was kind of waiting around for the eruption of Vesuvius, so it was hard to get invested in the events leading up to it, knowing they'd end up being mostly pointless. But the eruption and the aftermath definitely made up for it.
Not gonna lie, I was expectingeveryone I'd met in this book to die, including our MC. I was surprised, but not disappointed by the way the story went. I may not have been emotionally invested, but I am still pleased by the idea of Amara/Timarete giving up on her dreams of status to live a life of love with her family. And very glad Philos got to be free.
I was also very pleasantly surprised by the epilogue. Getting this bit from Britannica's perspective made me realize how much I might have preferred a book about her instead. I feel like this also opened the door for a possible Britannica spinoff, which I would totally read.
Overall, even if these books didn't really make me feel, they most definitely made me think. Ideally, I'd experience both, but one is still pretty good.
The writing was still quite bland and I still never quite got emotionally invested in the characters, BUT I did binge this one and as always, found the historical elements exceptionally interesting.
Not gonna lie, I was kind of waiting around for the eruption of Vesuvius, so it was hard to get invested in the events leading up to it, knowing they'd end up being mostly pointless. But the eruption and the aftermath definitely made up for it.
Not gonna lie, I was expecting
I was also very pleasantly surprised by the epilogue. Getting this bit from Britannica's perspective made me realize how much I might have preferred a book about her instead. I feel like this also opened the door for a possible Britannica spinoff, which I would totally read.
Overall, even if these books didn't really make me feel, they most definitely made me think. Ideally, I'd experience both, but one is still pretty good.
Time travel is a tough sell for me. I didn't realize that's what this was about until it started happening. I just get way too confused with overlapping timelines, plus the opportunities for plot holes are way too plentiful. And I could already see so many here that I had a bad feeling would never be resolved.
I think that if I'm gonna read a book with time travel as a main device, it has to be AIRTIGHT and probably on the sci-fi side. Like paying respect to the actual theory of time travel.
I can't handle it as a cute device to tell a silly little magical realism story.
And that said, I often struggle with magical realism, too. I need answers and explanations, I REALLY don't like being expected to just go with the flow, especially when it makes no sense.
Which brings me to probably my biggest complaint and yet another plot device that I truly HATE: keeping the main character in the dark for literally no conceivable reason (other than plot device). And thus keeping ME in the dark. Everyone knows everything EXCEPT June apparently, and there is no good reason not to tell her. It's so stupid.
I may have been more willing to overlook some of this if I'd gotten a better introduction to June as a character. But I wasn't really given any reason to care about her before it launched into the mystery.
I really didn't want to DNF this because I was reading it for my local book club, but I just can't. I'm so bad at DNFing, I think I should honor the feeling when I actually get it. I did read a summary so I can still participate in and understand the discussion. I don't feel I missed out on anything, I feel quite confident that I would have been confused and annoyed the whole time, and I'm honestly breathing a sigh of relief.
I get the appeal, I really do. For magical realism and cozy story lovers, this is probably A+ material. It just happened to pile on several things that rarely work for me and it got to be too much.
I think that if I'm gonna read a book with time travel as a main device, it has to be AIRTIGHT and probably on the sci-fi side. Like paying respect to the actual theory of time travel.
I can't handle it as a cute device to tell a silly little magical realism story.
And that said, I often struggle with magical realism, too. I need answers and explanations, I REALLY don't like being expected to just go with the flow, especially when it makes no sense.
Which brings me to probably my biggest complaint and yet another plot device that I truly HATE: keeping the main character in the dark for literally no conceivable reason (other than plot device). And thus keeping ME in the dark. Everyone knows everything EXCEPT June apparently, and there is no good reason not to tell her. It's so stupid.
I may have been more willing to overlook some of this if I'd gotten a better introduction to June as a character. But I wasn't really given any reason to care about her before it launched into the mystery.
I really didn't want to DNF this because I was reading it for my local book club, but I just can't. I'm so bad at DNFing, I think I should honor the feeling when I actually get it. I did read a summary so I can still participate in and understand the discussion. I don't feel I missed out on anything, I feel quite confident that I would have been confused and annoyed the whole time, and I'm honestly breathing a sigh of relief.
I get the appeal, I really do. For magical realism and cozy story lovers, this is probably A+ material. It just happened to pile on several things that rarely work for me and it got to be too much.
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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
Another delightful installment of Witches of Thistle Grove! 🎃
Good spice in this one. Less action in the plot, but I enjoyed the self-actualization theme. Great variety of rep, as always.
Nothing much to say! Fun books, I look forward to continuing next October!
Happy Halloween!
Good spice in this one. Less action in the plot, but I enjoyed the self-actualization theme. Great variety of rep, as always.
Nothing much to say! Fun books, I look forward to continuing next October!
Happy Halloween!
Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology
Shane Hawk, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Excellent collection! As with any short story collection, there were some misses. But mostly hits. Covering a wide range of Indigenous experiences and allegory.
Glad I got this on my ereader early in the month, so I could do 1 story per day. Definitely good to let each story marinate.
Glad I got this on my ereader early in the month, so I could do 1 story per day. Definitely good to let each story marinate.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't have much to say about this - I liked it just as much if not slighlty more than Ninth House!
I like the characters, the spooky vibes were great for October, and it had Bardugo's signature complicated plotting. I don't know how her brain formulates these crazy plots, but I find it very impressive. Along with the insane amount of research these books require.
That's about it, though. It's never gonna be a favorite series, but it's definitely fun. Looking forward to the 3rd and final installment! Hopefully before next October so I can keep up this tradition!
I like the characters, the spooky vibes were great for October, and it had Bardugo's signature complicated plotting. I don't know how her brain formulates these crazy plots, but I find it very impressive. Along with the insane amount of research these books require.
That's about it, though. It's never gonna be a favorite series, but it's definitely fun. Looking forward to the 3rd and final installment! Hopefully before next October so I can keep up this tradition!
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Oof, this is a tough one to rate.
First of all, it is a great story with engaging writing. The paranormal elements were very interesting and rooted in culture, and the fact that it's based on a real place adds a whole extra layer of horror.
I will be honest, I struggled for a while with feeling like it was trauma for trauma's sake, but I definitely came around to the fact that, not only was this kind of injustice painfully real, but it also was an attempt by the author to give some justice to her relative who suffered and died. I think listening to the audiobook at some of the toughest points was agitating me and affecting my view of the book. I found it a lot more manageable when I switched back to the ebook. (PS the audiobook narrator was great - this was all a case of user error)
All of that said, I was consistently bothered by something in the storytelling, and I eventually figured out that it was the pacing. This story played out insanely fast - in the span of a week, and I felt it could have benefited from being drawn out a bit more. I'm not totally sure why. And I don't mean the book needed to be longer, just that it would have made more sense to me for much of this story to unfold over a longer period. I would have assumed a lot of time of mundanity at the facility, with more slowly building horror. I think that would have worked a bit better for me from a storytelling perspective.
Also the author did say in her note that Haddock was kind of a stand-in for the entire system of abuse. I understand that choice, but the kind of cartoonish ultra-villain it created didn't totally work for me.
There also was nothing too special about the prose or character work, but nothing bad about it either.
I definitely appreciate this book, the objective of the author, and the many layers of horror on display here. I am very interested in reading some of the nonfiction books she referenced about the Dozier School.
First of all, it is a great story with engaging writing. The paranormal elements were very interesting and rooted in culture, and the fact that it's based on a real place adds a whole extra layer of horror.
I will be honest, I struggled for a while with feeling like it was trauma for trauma's sake, but I definitely came around to the fact that, not only was this kind of injustice painfully real, but it also was an attempt by the author to give some justice to her relative who suffered and died. I think listening to the audiobook at some of the toughest points was agitating me and affecting my view of the book. I found it a lot more manageable when I switched back to the ebook. (PS the audiobook narrator was great - this was all a case of user error)
All of that said, I was consistently bothered by something in the storytelling, and I eventually figured out that it was the pacing. This story played out insanely fast - in the span of a week, and I felt it could have benefited from being drawn out a bit more. I'm not totally sure why. And I don't mean the book needed to be longer, just that it would have made more sense to me for much of this story to unfold over a longer period. I would have assumed a lot of time of mundanity at the facility, with more slowly building horror. I think that would have worked a bit better for me from a storytelling perspective.
Also the author did say in her note that Haddock was kind of a stand-in for the entire system of abuse. I understand that choice, but the kind of cartoonish ultra-villain it created didn't totally work for me.
There also was nothing too special about the prose or character work, but nothing bad about it either.
I definitely appreciate this book, the objective of the author, and the many layers of horror on display here. I am very interested in reading some of the nonfiction books she referenced about the Dozier School.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I had very little idea what to expect from this and I was so pleasantly surprised by it. I'd heard people say that it's slow, that it's boring and it sucks compared to the show (which I haven't seen).
I think those people had the wrong expectations of it, maybe expected that the show was a more direct adaptation. Or they prefer more action and/or more graphic horror.
I thought this book was excellent. An absolutely fascinating character study. Not at all action-oriented, but had some very bone-chilling moments (at least for me, a huge weenie). I found the psychological aspect so interesting and scary.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the thread of humor throughout the book. It eventually turned quite dark, but I stayed engaged. And I found it easy to read despite the slow pace.
I must say, I'm very surprised there isn't more talk about the covert but very presentqueerness. I don't know if it was intended by Jackson, but I really felt it throughout the book. Could just be a misreading of some typical 50s housewife repression, but... it felt pretty queer to me.
A very worthy classic, in my opinion. I'll definitely read more of hers sometime.
I think those people had the wrong expectations of it, maybe expected that the show was a more direct adaptation. Or they prefer more action and/or more graphic horror.
I thought this book was excellent. An absolutely fascinating character study. Not at all action-oriented, but had some very bone-chilling moments (at least for me, a huge weenie). I found the psychological aspect so interesting and scary.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the thread of humor throughout the book. It eventually turned quite dark, but I stayed engaged. And I found it easy to read despite the slow pace.
I must say, I'm very surprised there isn't more talk about the covert but very present
A very worthy classic, in my opinion. I'll definitely read more of hers sometime.