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manikahemmerixh's Reviews (220)
I'm sure some people really did not like the way this book ended, and therefore found the book as a whole ruined for them, and I can understand that. Mister Magic was a lot deeper than I expected it to be, but I went into it not knowing anything except that it was a horror about an old children's show. It's more than that, and I don't want to expand too much here ("spoiler" below) so I'll just say that the author wrote it for a purpose, and I believe she meant for it to be cathartic for herself and others. Mostly this book kept me on edge though, and there was such a sense of mystery about the show and people's memories of it. It's not like other horror/thrillers I've read before.
At the beginning of the Author's note at the end, Kiersten White shares that she was raised Mormon and has left the church. There's a clear sense of the author trying to make a message about pressing certain standards on children, but having that context shed a whole new light on the contents of Mister Magic. I did not grow up in organized religion, but I do still carry my own scars from the way that my childhood played out, and that's what MM is about at it's core. The uncertainty of childhood, how moldable and vulnerable we are in those years, and how that doesn't always mean that we're treated with our best interests in mind - but get taken advantage of by others who can't see that they may be doing more harm than good.
This one had me in the first half, started losing me in the end, and then pulled me back around a bit finally. I won't share how because it's a spoiler, but I will say that I think the ending justified some (but not all) of the things that I was questioning about the story. If you enjoy thrillers, unreliable narrators, and turns in a story then I think you'll still enjoy this, but it's not adding anything groundbreaking to the format of those stories.
The prose and composition of Rebecca get a 5 from me. It's so atmospheric and sets scenes incredibly well. As a whole though, I did find the narrative a bit slow. I think this is due to my own misconception of thinking that Rebecca was more tense than it actually is. I wouldn't say that suspense is a driving force in the story, even knowing as a reader that something bad has happened to our narrator in her past. The majority is much more pensive, showing us how Mrs. De Winter's thoughts draw her down different paths or lead her to jump to certain conclusions, often spurred on by the actions/words of those around her; followed by the last third which is more suspenseful regarding the fate of multiple characters but not nail biting. Still, I found it very charming.
I'm not adding a star rating yet (updated to 4.5) because I want some more time to ruminate, but also to share my thoughts upon initially finishing Annie Bot. Premise wise, I'm actually surprised that I even felt drawn to read this. I'm not intrigued by AI and its capabilities, nearly the complete opposite. However, I think this is very well done. I didn't read the story with all the implications of my own discomfort with AI, because while that's part of the experience, I think it's too complicated to factor in, especially for review purposes.
Annie may not be human, but at times her experience felt achingly similar to how it feels to be a human woman and I found myself strongly empathizing for her (nearly to the point of tears tbh). In that way, it can be uncomfortable to read as Annie is in a complicated, abusive relationship with her owner that feels very real to the reader. Nor does it shy away from the fact that Annie is meant to be a sex toy or a "Cuddle Bunny" as the book dubs it., but none of it is executed in a way that made me want to crawl out of my skin more than the way that it intended to. It's so nuanced (but short and succinct) that I feel like I could read it again already just to keep trying to get a better grasp on it.
Annie may not be human, but at times her experience felt achingly similar to how it feels to be a human woman and I found myself strongly empathizing for her (nearly to the point of tears tbh). In that way, it can be uncomfortable to read as Annie is in a complicated, abusive relationship with her owner that feels very real to the reader. Nor does it shy away from the fact that Annie is meant to be a sex toy or a "Cuddle Bunny" as the book dubs it., but none of it is executed in a way that made me want to crawl out of my skin more than the way that it intended to. It's so nuanced (but short and succinct) that I feel like I could read it again already just to keep trying to get a better grasp on it.
Captivating from start to finish, I couldn't put Hidden Pictures down. I would loosely define it as horror, I don't think it out right did anything that was meant to scare the reader, more just evoke a sense of suspense. The drawings were perhaps the most creepy part, and an element of this book that I really liked. Illustrations are so rarely included in novels for adults, but these didn't just help the reader envision what was happening, they were an integral part of the story. I did not have Anya figured out until all the pieces were put together for me, and what a story. Surprisingly, I even shed a little tear at the end.
This book in undeniably creatively written and composed in a way that I found compelling. I'm not always a fan of books that offer multiple POVs, but in the case of The Bee Sting, each character has a voice that is so distinct, it doesn't feel like a waste to give all four of the Barnes family members dedicated portions of the novel. It's long though, and it feels long. Some parts are slow, there are also moments of social commentary as "part of the story" that didn't fit in for me. The last 200 or so pages build and unravel pretty well, but lead (like most reviewers have mentioned) to a fairly ambiguous ending that I haven't fully decided how I feel about. I'm giving it a middle of the road rating because I don't feel that I enjoyed the content immensely, and yet at the same time found the style of writing coupled with the complexity of the characters too well done not to acknowledge.
+: unique stylistic choices, flushed out characters (like truly being inside of their head), some memorable & thought provoking moments, well executed tension
-: poorly disguised (if meant to be disguised at all?) social commentary, ending provides questions not answers, stream of consciousness writing took some getting used to
+: unique stylistic choices, flushed out characters (like truly being inside of their head), some memorable & thought provoking moments, well executed tension
-: poorly disguised (if meant to be disguised at all?) social commentary, ending provides questions not answers, stream of consciousness writing took some getting used to
The author has very readable writing which is great in this case, as it meant that I had a pleasant enough reading experience despite the book not being what I expected. There’s a lot of elaborate content here that would appeal to a niche audience (that doesn’t include me). Which could also be why the characters were off for me. I think they were meant to be ironic? But it felt more like it perpetuated overdone character stereotypes. Imagine me pleasantly surprised to see FWB presented as an even no strings attached, MUTUAL, relationship between a man and a woman, because that never happens someone has to be in love, right? Well yes actually, she’s hopelessly, desperately in love with him. Which also means that’s he’s the asshole who uses her because that’s the way it’s always been (meaning I no longer care about him as a love interest) Ugh. Lame.
I also haven’t read many mysteries, so I may be wrong but this almost doesn’t feel like it should even be classified as one? The murder that the story is introduced with is one of the smallest plot pieces in the whole book, even though it does tie back in eventually. I wasn’t anxious to know who did it, but I wasn’t bored.
I also haven’t read many mysteries, so I may be wrong but this almost doesn’t feel like it should even be classified as one? The murder that the story is introduced with is one of the smallest plot pieces in the whole book, even though it does tie back in eventually. I wasn’t anxious to know who did it, but I wasn’t bored.
I can't pinpoint why but I had a hard time staying motivated to read this. The voice of the story is good, there's plenty of action, and a diverse set of characters (Dalila was my favorite), but anytime that I put it down I didn't want to pick it right back up. I eventually finished it over the course of multiple sessions and between reading a few other things, but I don't think that I was ever able to settle into the story the way you need to for this type of fantasy.
Just like the first one, this one leaves me honestly just wanting to scream as a release for all that I just went through. Miss Jensen really pushes it until the last second here too. Would I have liked to get a bit more happiness and moments of relief for Aren and Lara? Definitely, but did this still work for me somehow? Yes. It's dramatic and angsty but also action packed and driven in a way that makes for a nice, quick read. Just because of my pull to these characters and the way I root for them so endlessly, it's so close to 4 stars. But, I do think that it was a bit disappointing if I think about it as the end of Lara and Aren's story (since the next two books focus on Keris), and parts of it feel very rushed, the last 100 or so chapters, especially.
I don't know how else to frame my enjoyment of this book other than saying this is not a typical narrative, nor is it really about the characters. It's more like a philosophical essay under the guise of a novel. Milan even inserts himself directly into the narrative and points out that Tereza and Tomas were born from his own inspiration/need to explore. As someone who is deeply thoughtful about implications of existence, human emotion, what it means to live life "meaningfully", I found 90% of The Unbearable Lightness of Being very engaging. The other 10% rests in Part Six which did get too political for my liking and I could see myself skipping altogether if I re-read.