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miasativa13's reviews
5 reviews
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Decent start, compelling middle, bad ending. A novel that can’t decide on a message.
The writing and storytelling is decent, and the pace is just right enough so that when things start to get interesting, it becomes a bit of a pageturner.
Somewhere along the way, a little past the midpoint, things start to go awry with the plot. It becomes a cheap, generic “we’re trapped in an old creepy mansion” story that’s akin to a Nancy Drew mystery. Nancy Drew as itself isn’t bad—it was one of my favorite series as a kid. But Nancy Drew-esque “sleuthing” in a novel that’s supposed to be a bit creepy and Gothic just does not work. It’s like the author completely forgot what she was trying to get at once she got past the middle of the story.
The ending felt rushed and was, for lack of a better word, lame. Anticlimactic almost. The main conflict was “solved” too easily and the resolution just did not make sense.
Aside from all this, the gratuitous homoerotic scenes and the random inserts of gender “wokeness” were completely unnecessary and out of place. They did nothing at all to move the story forward, did not give the story more depth, and were so randomly placed it’s like the author just put them there for the sake of saying her novel is “edgy” or “progressive”—which it really isn’t. If the author was trying to deliver some sort of message about female empowerment and gender identity, it did not come through at all and would have no place at all in this novel anyway.
I had higher hopes for this book when I started reading it, but it eventually disappointed me more than I was expecting. Honestly, don’t bother reading this. You’ll only get annoyed once you reach the last 100 pages—and that’s saying a lot, considering the book is just over 300 pages.
The writing and storytelling is decent, and the pace is just right enough so that when things start to get interesting, it becomes a bit of a pageturner.
Somewhere along the way, a little past the midpoint, things start to go awry with the plot. It becomes a cheap, generic “we’re trapped in an old creepy mansion” story that’s akin to a Nancy Drew mystery. Nancy Drew as itself isn’t bad—it was one of my favorite series as a kid. But Nancy Drew-esque “sleuthing” in a novel that’s supposed to be a bit creepy and Gothic just does not work. It’s like the author completely forgot what she was trying to get at once she got past the middle of the story.
The ending felt rushed and was, for lack of a better word, lame. Anticlimactic almost. The main conflict was “solved” too easily and the resolution just did not make sense.
Aside from all this, the gratuitous homoerotic scenes and the random inserts of gender “wokeness” were completely unnecessary and out of place. They did nothing at all to move the story forward, did not give the story more depth, and were so randomly placed it’s like the author just put them there for the sake of saying her novel is “edgy” or “progressive”—which it really isn’t. If the author was trying to deliver some sort of message about female empowerment and gender identity, it did not come through at all and would have no place at all in this novel anyway.
I had higher hopes for this book when I started reading it, but it eventually disappointed me more than I was expecting. Honestly, don’t bother reading this. You’ll only get annoyed once you reach the last 100 pages—and that’s saying a lot, considering the book is just over 300 pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Drug use, Gun violence, and Murder
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I enjoyed the experience of reading this book because of the expressiveness, eloquence, and insightfulness of the prose. The writing was truly engaging and was pleasurable to read. The author also did a great job of fleshing out the characters, painting them vividly for the reader so that, despite how many there are, it’s easy to imagine each one distinct from the other.
The novel steps into “trauma porn” territory, however, somewhere just past the middle of the book; this is also the point where passages about the protagonist’s misery and self-hatred become rather repetitive. It is still a rather beautifully written book, but the plot points are what begin to ruin it gradually so that a 5-star book is steadily whittled down to 3.75 (at least, in my opinion).
I myself did not cry reading this book, but I know dozens of others have—and I believe it’s a sign of a skilled writer that they have been able to weave something so emotionally provocative. I disagree with others who say that this book should not have been written at all because its main purpose is to “manipulate” its readers—I believe the author’s intention to emotionally “destroy” readers from the get-go is a legitimate artistic experiment that explores the ways words and stories can be formed to resonate strongly with their audience. If you are someone who appreciates the skill and technique involved in writing literary fiction, then you could find this an interesting, enjoyable book to read.
Reading this book personally reminded me of my experience reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides and The World According to Garp by John Irving. If you enjoyed these 2 books, you may just enjoy A Little Life.
The novel steps into “trauma porn” territory, however, somewhere just past the middle of the book; this is also the point where passages about the protagonist’s misery and self-hatred become rather repetitive. It is still a rather beautifully written book, but the plot points are what begin to ruin it gradually so that a 5-star book is steadily whittled down to 3.75 (at least, in my opinion).
I myself did not cry reading this book, but I know dozens of others have—and I believe it’s a sign of a skilled writer that they have been able to weave something so emotionally provocative. I disagree with others who say that this book should not have been written at all because its main purpose is to “manipulate” its readers—I believe the author’s intention to emotionally “destroy” readers from the get-go is a legitimate artistic experiment that explores the ways words and stories can be formed to resonate strongly with their audience. If you are someone who appreciates the skill and technique involved in writing literary fiction, then you could find this an interesting, enjoyable book to read.
Reading this book personally reminded me of my experience reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides and The World According to Garp by John Irving. If you enjoyed these 2 books, you may just enjoy A Little Life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
The Teacher by Freida McFadden
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Not Freida McFadden's best. She already is a mediocre writer, and the main thing going for her are her plot twists and big reveals--both of which fell flat in this book. It was a light, semienjoyable read, but it's the weakest out of the 5 books of hers I've read.
Some parts of this book were so ridiculous that I ended up laughing out loud. I'd stick to her Housemaid books and The Surrogate.
Some parts of this book were so ridiculous that I ended up laughing out loud. I'd stick to her Housemaid books and The Surrogate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Infidelity, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying and Toxic relationship
Minor: Stalking
Fast Forward by Marilyn Kaye
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
This particular installment contains a lot of plot points that were just too easy. Plus, it opens up a much larger issue in the series that is not brought up in any of the rest of the books--something quite significant since it involves a problematic future scenario that the characters have basically taken as an inevitability. I have read literally all the other Replica books and this issue is never resolved.
Tbh, the entire series has slowly unraveled with each installment from the latter half of the series. It's like the author doesn't exactly know where she wants to take the story.
I feel like the whole Plague trilogy need never have been written since it definitely didn't do the series any favors.
Tbh, the entire series has slowly unraveled with each installment from the latter half of the series. It's like the author doesn't exactly know where she wants to take the story.
I feel like the whole Plague trilogy need never have been written since it definitely didn't do the series any favors.
Play by Marilyn Kaye
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Absolutely stupid premise and even worse execution. The whole Plague trilogy is turning out to be completely ridiculous. I’d stick with the main series, especially the first half. The series seems to become a lot more unbelievable as it goes on.