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maises's reviews
25 reviews
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell
slow-paced
4.0
“If she is to survive this marriage, or perhaps even to thrive within it, she must preserve this part of herself and keep it away from him, separate, sacred. She will surround it with a thorn-thicket or a high fence, like a castle in a folktale; she will station bare-toothed, long-clawed beasts at its doors. He will never know it, never see it, never reach it. He shall not penetrate it.”
Beautifully written with a palpable tension that was stretched thin over the entire story. I’m satisfied with how it ended, in comparison to the truth of what really happed in history. I found Lucrezia charming and strong-willed and felt sympathy for her powerlessness throughout. She found strength in her own autonomy, even if it was only ever internal. I’d like to thinkshe and sweet artist lover Jocasta lived together in happiness after meeting in that forest , even if it seems so dreamlike, unreal. She deserves that peace!
Alfonso and his right hand Leonello were appropriately frightening villains. The cruelty of men at this time - even from her own male family members who weren’t even actively antagonists - makes all women victim to their misogyny, which is a societal event. It’s what makesLucrezia’s ending escape so special, even at the cost of Emilia the maid’s subsequent murder .
Beautifully written with a palpable tension that was stretched thin over the entire story. I’m satisfied with how it ended, in comparison to the truth of what really happed in history. I found Lucrezia charming and strong-willed and felt sympathy for her powerlessness throughout. She found strength in her own autonomy, even if it was only ever internal. I’d like to think
Alfonso and his right hand Leonello were appropriately frightening villains. The cruelty of men at this time - even from her own male family members who weren’t even actively antagonists - makes all women victim to their misogyny, which is a societal event. It’s what makes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
4.0
“Love was not something, I realized, that came to you from outside. I had always thought that love was supposed to come from other people, and somehow, I was failing to catch the crumbs of it, failing to eat them, and I went around belly empty and desperate. I didn’t know the love was supposed to come from within me, and that as long as I loved others, the strength and warmth of that love would fill me, make me strong.”
So charmingly written and the dynamics between Margo and other characters were so nuanced and intimate. I really liked Margo. A highlight was her friendships with the other girls because they felt so essential to her getting her footing in the world. Although her parents were both terrible in their own way (and her mother was frustratingly believable in her portrayal), I enjoyed Dr. Jinx and Margo getting along with each other. I was just rooting for Margo the whole time and I do love stories that let me do that in peace. It was funny in a really introspective way and I enjoyed it enough to blast through it within a couple days.
Additionally: I wanted to note that the occasional narrative POV switches did not personally bother me at all because of how consistent the actual writing style was throughout. I would sometimes even forget about the changes until it came again. It made things fresh and had a sense of trepidation within the narrative it was going for.
So charmingly written and the dynamics between Margo and other characters were so nuanced and intimate. I really liked Margo. A highlight was her friendships with the other girls because they felt so essential to her getting her footing in the world. Although her parents were both terrible in their own way (and her mother was frustratingly believable in her portrayal), I enjoyed Dr. Jinx and Margo getting along with each other. I was just rooting for Margo the whole time and I do love stories that let me do that in peace. It was funny in a really introspective way and I enjoyed it enough to blast through it within a couple days.
Additionally: I wanted to note that the occasional narrative POV switches did not personally bother me at all because of how consistent the actual writing style was throughout. I would sometimes even forget about the changes until it came again. It made things fresh and had a sense of trepidation within the narrative it was going for.
When Darkness Loves Us by Elizabeth Engstrom
dark
tense
3.25
“When Darkness Loves Us” blew my expectations away. Extremely well-written, especially when it came to inner character voices. Really dark and unapologetic about it. I liked that everything was so visceral and people dealt with trauma in messy, indiscernible ways. Some unforgivable things happen and that was just that.
After the first story, I didn’t expect to like “Beauty is…” as much, and while I think some of it fell a little too flat for me (the parent chapters were a little slow), the build up ended with a bang. I was worried it would fall into the “mentally ill as source of horror” trope, but Engstrom portrays this in a way that is at least not accusatory or unsympathetic. Still not the best aged work. I enjoyed reading both stories, but might just prefer the first in terms of subject matter.
After the first story, I didn’t expect to like “Beauty is…” as much, and while I think some of it fell a little too flat for me (the parent chapters were a little slow), the build up ended with a bang. I was worried it would fall into the “mentally ill as source of horror” trope, but Engstrom portrays this in a way that is at least not accusatory or unsympathetic. Still not the best aged work. I enjoyed reading both stories, but might just prefer the first in terms of subject matter.
The Chain by Adrian McKinty
0.5
Book club read. Every character was insufferable, Pete and Rachel worst of all. You never once get the impression that this author thinks of women as people. Also very idiotic pro-IDF anecdote thrown in for no real plot-driven reason that put me off for two entire months. Free Palestine.
Hawk Mountain by Conner Habib
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“Todd writes in his notebook, everything is broken up, even when it’s supposed to be continuous. But maybe, he thinks, it’s the other way around, and everything is continuous even if it seems broken up.”
Is it denial of self? Of acceptance? Of moving on? Yes. This was a very thrilling introspective into a very specific kind of relationship. The gradual decline of Todd and the people around him was incredible to watch. Additionally, the reoccurring theme of an ouroboros-like inevitability was so strong that the last two chapters hit like a meteor, even though I should’ve expected something like it from the very first part of the book. Todd wanted to scrub Jack from his life in every aspect. Yet by the end, the realization thatonly Anthony remained still had me in complete shock.
Something about this story, although very much a horror and thriller, is simply an exploration of having someone mark you so strikingly and being unable to untangle yourselves from them. There is also tenderness, even with the hatred.
Habib’s prose really struck every chord for whatever atmosphere needed. I didn’t even actually mean to read this book yet but I skimmed the first chapter and literally could not stop reading. Finished it within a day. Definitely something that will stick in my mind for a little while longer.
Is it denial of self? Of acceptance? Of moving on? Yes. This was a very thrilling introspective into a very specific kind of relationship. The gradual decline of Todd and the people around him was incredible to watch. Additionally, the reoccurring theme of an ouroboros-like inevitability was so strong that the last two chapters hit like a meteor, even though I should’ve expected something like it from the very first part of the book. Todd wanted to scrub Jack from his life in every aspect. Yet by the end, the realization that
Something about this story, although very much a horror and thriller, is simply an exploration of having someone mark you so strikingly and being unable to untangle yourselves from them. There is also tenderness, even with the hatred.
Habib’s prose really struck every chord for whatever atmosphere needed. I didn’t even actually mean to read this book yet but I skimmed the first chapter and literally could not stop reading. Finished it within a day. Definitely something that will stick in my mind for a little while longer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Body horror
Dreamer's Pool by Juliet Marillier
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
“[…] even when you'd seen a person scorned and beaten and degraded, you could still show them courtesy.”
I thought I’d solved the mystery halfway and then got blown away by one little itsy bitsy tidbit I missed. Love a Marillier twist.
The characters were interesting and I was refreshed to meet them. Blackburn and Grim’s partnership really touched me. Blackburn was a heroine for women and girls and I really adored her for it. My favorite kind of crabby and jaded woman with a heart of gold (so she would deny). I felt so safe whenever Grim’s chapters would come on; he’s just so reliable that I was endeared. I had a good time, if the story was a little actionless at times.
I thought I’d solved the mystery halfway and then got blown away by one little itsy bitsy tidbit I missed. Love a Marillier twist.
The characters were interesting and I was refreshed to meet them. Blackburn and Grim’s partnership really touched me. Blackburn was a heroine for women and girls and I really adored her for it. My favorite kind of crabby and jaded woman with a heart of gold (so she would deny). I felt so safe whenever Grim’s chapters would come on; he’s just so reliable that I was endeared. I had a good time, if the story was a little actionless at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Cybele's Secret by Juliet Marillier
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Not a comment on the contents of the book, but as I got to the end note I really was impressed with the level of reverence and study Marillier put into her Turkey research. I feel like this should be the norm with most non-western depictions of historical fiction. Everything felt well-lived and researched even to the extent they needed to be within a straightforward adventure story and I appreciated it.
I feel like there’s not too much I can say about the novel and it isn’t a negative. I adored Paula and Stoyan and Duarte as a trio and somewhat was sad the book endedwithout at least Duarte coming back and taking all of them out for some other adventure. They all played off each other so well. Stoyan and Paula’s young love was very sweet.
The “villains” of this one were also very compelling. I enjoy that Marillier villains have a certain complexity in them not so much that they become gray or anything but enough that they seem realistic in a sense. I liked having that little twist on who the bad guy was this time around.
I did also love the cave trials at the end. It reminded me that I haven’t read simple obstacle-type adventures in a really long time and I feel like those are always fun. Very enjoyable to me.
I feel like there’s not too much I can say about the novel and it isn’t a negative. I adored Paula and Stoyan and Duarte as a trio and somewhat was sad the book ended
The “villains” of this one were also very compelling. I enjoy that Marillier villains have a certain complexity in them not so much that they become gray or anything but enough that they seem realistic in a sense. I liked having that little twist on who the bad guy was this time around.
I did also love the cave trials at the end. It reminded me that I haven’t read simple obstacle-type adventures in a really long time and I feel like those are always fun. Very enjoyable to me.
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
Second cousin-cest is kinda not fun at the end of the day…
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
“‘He’s dead.’ He said it as if he couldn’t believe it, even though he’d seen it with his own eyes. ‘Costi’s dead. The witch took him. Drăguţa, the witch of the wood. She pulled him under and drowned him.’”
Book club pick for October. I happened to choose this one because I enjoyed Marillier’s Daughter of the Forest so much earlier this year. I also do love a sibling-centered fairy tale, so I wanted to see what Marillier would do with the iconic Twelve Dancing Princesses (minus seven). I wasn’t sure what her writing YA would be like, but I wasn’t disappointed! This review will contain spoilers overall, but I’ll try to use the hidden text for things really specific. It’s somewhat of a mystery, after all.
First of all - elephant in the room:The cousin end game love is definitely a CHOICE. Not a great one. Yes, Jena’s dad and Cezar & Costi’s dad are cousins so technically they are second cousins who have been romantically linked in the narrative. I am sure they don’t actually care because it’s [insert era that was not specified here], but also they are not real people. Please, Juliet Marillier, have mercy on my soul. I just want to read a romance from you that doesn’t have one singular element that makes me squint because your romance writing is so so good. I’m on my knees. Regardless of my own likely popular opinion on this plot point I will just say separately, I do love these characters. They have so much charm to them that I can just rewrite their relationship by the end as something completely platonic if I have to. Sorry. That’s kinda bad.
Apart from all that, I think it was a very beautiful book. It’s one that dips into the Fairy Folk a bit more than the Sevenwaters series does, with a relationship much more genial too. Marillier’s strength really is in her world-building. She made the other world so appealing to five different girls’ interests. Even the look into the evil fae world was compelling and dark which I actually loved.
The sisters were the best. My biggest critique there is only just my personal gripe with how easily Tati pushed aside her love for her sisters in place of lovesick-induced complacency. Jena shouldered way too much of that plot on her own. But I think it’s also too easy to dislike Tati for that - I genuinely did enjoy her insane love spiral with Sorrow, the most pathetic (affectionate)non-vampire of the story. Sorrow was a character I wasn’t planning on liking at all, especially in the first chapters solely because of the stress it gave Jena and therefore me. But genuinely by the last few chapters I really was on Team Sorrow until the end. Especially loved the parts where he was undergoing the trials set by the fairy queen except off-screen and you didn’t know exactly what he was up to only that he was suffering whilst doing Indiana Jones-esque feats while Jena and Costi were eating pancakes. He was a legend for that. There’s just something about reading pathetically in-love characters but from a perspective outside of that duo. It really did exude the same energy as a younger sister viewing her older sister fall in love for the first time, which I would know firsthand.
Cezar was a great villain. I feel like when people say this they always mean it like they love his character, but no, I hated his little annoying guts. But I think he was an amazing antagonist that really was victim to the whims of Drăguţa and fate. His descent into a pathetic (insult) and desperate version of himself felt rewarding. I did feel pity for him when I think that hemade his wish as a dumb old child and was forced to stick with it. Even though I hated him and the things he did to Jena and her sisters, I know he was also a victim in a way. Doesn’t excuse anything of course, but I really liked that element of him thinking he’s in the right. There’s nothing scarier than a teenage boy with more authority than he should have on a power trip. That in itself is realistic enough.
I don’t really know why I’ve rambled on this long, but I still feel like I haven’t even put down all my thoughts yet. I’ll leave it at all the things I enjoyed while reading: Gogu in general, Gogu slamming himself on the wall that one time Cezar made him mad, the supporting fae folk characters, the fairy dancing balls, Stela and Ildephonsus, the scene on the ice whenGogu turned human , the flashback when Costi died and Cezar made his trade because Costi was his most beloved thing , this Gogu quote - “If a man has to say trust me, Gogu conveyed, it's a sure sign you cannot. Trust him, that is. Trust is a thing you know without words,” the fact that Sorrow and his sister Silence are just named that apparently, pondweed pancakes, Jena and her father, the younger sisters annoying each other but are always ride or die… It was a fun time.
Book club pick for October. I happened to choose this one because I enjoyed Marillier’s Daughter of the Forest so much earlier this year. I also do love a sibling-centered fairy tale, so I wanted to see what Marillier would do with the iconic Twelve Dancing Princesses (minus seven). I wasn’t sure what her writing YA would be like, but I wasn’t disappointed! This review will contain spoilers overall, but I’ll try to use the hidden text for things really specific. It’s somewhat of a mystery, after all.
First of all - elephant in the room:
Apart from all that, I think it was a very beautiful book. It’s one that dips into the Fairy Folk a bit more than the Sevenwaters series does, with a relationship much more genial too. Marillier’s strength really is in her world-building. She made the other world so appealing to five different girls’ interests. Even the look into the evil fae world was compelling and dark which I actually loved.
The sisters were the best. My biggest critique there is only just my personal gripe with how easily Tati pushed aside her love for her sisters in place of lovesick-induced complacency. Jena shouldered way too much of that plot on her own. But I think it’s also too easy to dislike Tati for that - I genuinely did enjoy her insane love spiral with Sorrow, the most pathetic (affectionate)
Cezar was a great villain. I feel like when people say this they always mean it like they love his character, but no, I hated his little annoying guts. But I think he was an amazing antagonist that really was victim to the whims of Drăguţa and fate. His descent into a pathetic (insult) and desperate version of himself felt rewarding. I did feel pity for him when I think that he
I don’t really know why I’ve rambled on this long, but I still feel like I haven’t even put down all my thoughts yet. I’ll leave it at all the things I enjoyed while reading: Gogu in general, Gogu slamming himself on the wall that one time Cezar made him mad, the supporting fae folk characters, the fairy dancing balls, Stela and Ildephonsus, the scene on the ice when
Content Warnings
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
I love you, Britney Spears.