maryjohnstone's reviews
117 reviews

The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper

emotional

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

informative medium-paced

3.5

First book of 2024! I think I'm out of my reading slump and I've finally finished this book. I loved the audiobook but my library loan ended so I had to wait to finish this one. I loved the way that Gaiman brought the gods to life in this collection of Norse myths. It had a brilliant combination of knowledge, tension and humour. This really reminded me of Stephen Fry's mythology series, which is one of my favourites.

I have to admit the stories often felt very disjointed so I struggled to find motivation to pick it back up. But a brilliant read and great first book!

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

adventurous mysterious

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

This was a fun, easy book but not particularly satisfying. I enjoyed the puzzles and the tension but there was little satisfaction at the end. I was not particularly invested in either the mystery nor the characters but it was a fun book to read mid slump!

Galatea: A Short Story by Madeline Miller

emotional tense fast-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? No

3.75

I read this to encourage me to read Ariadne for my book club and I’m not sure it worked. I thought I might as well and complete the set of Madeline Miller’s works and honestly I could have skipped this one. It is a nice retelling but since it is a short story I didn’t connect with the characters and it fell a bit flat for me. The magic that Miller creates for me is about how she brings to life her characters and this one didn’t do that for me.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

challenging informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I really wanted to love this book because I know the talent of R.F. Kuang but this book really felt flat for me. There is definitely some excellent critique and discourse of the publishing industry and society in general. This book made me think and question the industry that I really love. Also I love an unreliable and intentionally unlikeable narrator which was created very successfully because I hated her. 

I have to admit, however, that the main character became more of a caricature than a developed character which would have been far more interesting to read about. My main issue with this was how much this book dragged. Kuang could have made her point with half the pages and all the back and forth made this book lose all its tension. There were so many unnecessary parts that added nothing. I did not need to read so much about Twitter discourse that just felt irrelevant and added little at a certain part.  

Not a bad book and I liked its intent but too long and too many unnecessary parts.

Just For Now by Rosalind James

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This book is entirely self-indulgent because rugby players. I did enjoy it and it was a fun cheesy romance but it did have the typical outdated comments expected of a 2012 book. 

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

3.25

This was definitely an improvement on Shatter Me and there was better attention to detail with character development. I did fly through this book but with the lack of substance, I didn't feel the need to slow down. But this book was a necessary pick me up and I did enjoy some parts. 

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I love these guys and honestly kind of want to stop here cause I don’t want things to go wrong. Rowan and Aelin have my heart and I love Manon so much. I have to admit this book could have been a lot shorter as the action felt slightly rushed at the end. But I still had fun reading this!

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

3.5

I think that this book has been falsely advertised as a feminist novel that explores femininity in the absence of men. Really, this book is about trauma, isolation and identity. I think that this book asked and explored some interesting philosophical questions about isolation and lack of knowledge. I think the reason that I did not love this book was because everyone who has recommended it has said that it was so brilliant and unique and I think I just didn't have that reaction. I appreciated this but I just was not incredibly moved and it felt slightly repetitive at a certain point. 

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I have such a deep love for this book. When I first saw it flooding shelves on publication, I was skeptical that this book would be anything more than a romance but after some convincing reviews and the chance to borrow it on BorrowBox, I decided to give it a go. 

At its core, this book is about love, suffering, and endurance. This is a love letter to women of the past and the present about the strength of women to live in a society that actively hurts, infantilises, ignores and rejects them. This book is so emotionally charged with suffering and grief that I was unprepared for but it made me love Elizabeth Zott so much. This story pays homage to the suffering of women and most importantly mothers.

Frequently, I think about whether I want to be a mother and have children and I am often daunted by this despite it feeling like the expected norm that all women are encouraged to under take. This book has reiterated what I already felt - that being a mum is the hardest job in the world.  The amount of unpaid labour expected of mothers to provided 24/7 driven only by resilience and love is remarkable. It is such an undertaking to raise children and there is never the correct way to go about it but so much of the work of mothers is overlooked. This book beautifully highlights the work taken for granted that mother do everyday because that's what they are expected to do. 

This book had my crying in public multiple times because it was so gut-wrenching. I fell in love with Elizabeth Zott and Calvin Evans and this book covered so many important topics and discussed them beautifully.