melc's reviews
1233 reviews

Amma by Saraid de Silva

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.0

This novel had a lot of potential but didn't quite land for me. 

The issues were interesting and the complexities if family relationships were delved into in an intriguing way. But I think was too short and therefore I didn't connect enough with the events, issues or characters. It should have been more moving than it was, but it just moved too quickly and needed more depth.

It jumped around a lot which was a bit confusing at first. The ending was too neat and underwhelming.

Crooked Seeds by Karen Jennings

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

4.0

This is really dark and bleak, but a powerful book about violence and the scars it leaves. It's visceral and maybe a bit on the nose, but intriguing nonetheless.

Weaving together a future South Africa with water shortages and post apartheid communities, this tells the story of Deirdre, an amputee with depression and a drinking problem and what happens when she is confronted by the dark past of her brother. Apartheid not forgotten and the wounds are still raw.

This novel is pretty bleak and uses body horror to grab your attention to drive home the ugliness of its themes. It's quite unique, powerful and will stay with me.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart

adventurous informative mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.0

Birding by Rose Ruane

funny hopeful reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I don't normally go for messed up woman having a crisis tropes, but this was so well-written it really pulled me in.

This book had a lot to say about exploitation, being seen, acceptance and authenticity. I felt these issues were addressed sensitively and with nuance.

This novel really shone through Ruane's prose. Her inventiveness for metaphor, imagery and word choice were constantly entertaining and surprising. The dying seaside town setting was so vivid and evocative.

This was a tad overwritten, but I don't think you can knock the author's enthusiasm for writing a bloody good book. Off to a great start with the Women's Prize for Fiction 2025 Longlist with this book I would probably have never otherwise discovered.

Wildcat Dome: A Novel by Yūko Tsushima

dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.0

I ended up finding this book frustrating.

It had a really good premise to pull me in with this group of children witnessing the drowning of another child, but as the plot developed it found it more and more enigmatic with no real conclusions or character arcs that made any sense to me.

The writing was beautiful with lots of imagery particularly surrounding the colours green and orange. Unfortunately, I failed to make sense of it so I'm afraid it was wasted on me. The changing perspectives and timelines along with the lack of speech marks were disorientating.

Ultimately, I just didn't feel clever enough to follow what the author was trying to do here. There were themes that never seemed to go anywhere, character arcs that ended in them abruptly dying and an enigmatic prose and plot that just became frustrating.

Sorry, not one for me.

This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

Ootlin by Jenni Fagan

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

This was a hard read, but the writing was beautiful and the epilogue a profound call for change. A powerful memoir.

Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

A truly beautiful story of the delicate flux between humans and nature. 

This was both heart warming and concerning as it wove together the stewardship Dalton has over her wild hare and the respect she has for its independence and agency juxtaposed with the terrible impact hunting, farming and the diminishment of natural habitats on the hare's survival. 

I loved Dalton's honesty about her personal journey from workaholic to treasuring small moments of natural, simple beauty. Whilst this is a story we've heard before I felt there was a raw vulnerability to this narrative that never felt twee or saccharine.

One slight criticism I had was that there were some fairly obvious proofreading/editing errors in this which were surprising for such a flagship publication of a major publisher and slightly galling after purchasing the hardback.

However, this is no reflection on Dalton's beautiful prose which is simple, yet profound and on that basis I am so glad I purchased this to keep and will look forward to rereading it in the future.

Agent Zo: The Untold Story of Fearless WW2 Resistance Fighter Elzbieta Zawacka by Clare Mulley

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad slow-paced

3.75

The story of this amazing woman was incredibly inspiring. The history of Poland's part in WWII was not something I knew much about and was especially poignant to read in light of the war in Ukraine. Mulley drew the colourful, determined character of Zo in a well-rounded and entertaining way and she highlighted the underestimated and downplayed part that women played in WWII very effectively. Some of the stories were very sad and moving. This book is very detailed and the length and amount of detail may put some readers off. It's a great book and well-researched but be prepared for a deep dive.

Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito

dark funny fast-paced

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

4.0

By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land by Rebecca Nagle

challenging dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

3.5

This was a tough read. It had interesting sections about the indigenous nations of America and the land theft, genocide, imprisonment and allotment imposed on them. However, it was challenging to wade through so much US law and politics. Also as the case hinged on a murder and child rape it felt weird that these heinous crimes ended up being pivotal in the land battle fight for justice of indigenous nations. I would probably go for a different book on indigenous American tribe history to learn more about this subject.