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mijtje's reviews
115 reviews
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- 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
4.0
I don’t know why, but I expected this to be a cosy winter read. It is not. While reading I felt a sense of looming disaster, an always present uneasiness. It felt like the dark side of a fairytale if that makes sense. Probably not. Don’t worry, just read the book.
I will get goosebumps next time it snows. A book I will be thinking about for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Grief, and Infertility
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Suicide attempt
Medusa by Jessie Burton
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
If Medusa was an insecure, modern teenager: the story.
As a kid I loved Medusa. I thought of her as a strong, badass woman that took shit from no one and stoned all the dudes who as much as looked at her, but who, underneath all that badassery, had something really tragic and lonely about her as well. Sadly, this book revolves around the tragic and lonely part only: Medusa as a victim and her eventually getting over that. I expected a little more from a feminist retelling than that.
To say something positive as well — I have given the book 3 stars after all: the book discusses a lot of themes that I think a lot of teenage girls struggle with; insecurities about their looks, tendencies to judge their self-worth based on opinions from men, sexism in society, and a lot more. As a teenager, I think I would have loved this book. It’s a book I would want my future daughter to read. For me now… the themes are still nice, but they are also very clearly written out. There is no room to think or philosophise about it; it’s all there. (I also take offence to the legendary Medusa being referred to as “Med”, but that’s a small point that I nevertheless had to share.)
All in all the book was fine, it’s short and fast-paced, and I felt compelled to keep reading. But it’s also a book that’s quite forgettable. The cover is super pretty though.
PS. Stop keeping those poor dogs on a tiny boat. They need proper walks, and where do they poop?
As a kid I loved Medusa. I thought of her as a strong, badass woman that took shit from no one and stoned all the dudes who as much as looked at her, but who, underneath all that badassery, had something really tragic and lonely about her as well. Sadly, this book revolves around the tragic and lonely part only: Medusa as a victim and her eventually getting over that. I expected a little more from a feminist retelling than that.
To say something positive as well — I have given the book 3 stars after all: the book discusses a lot of themes that I think a lot of teenage girls struggle with; insecurities about their looks, tendencies to judge their self-worth based on opinions from men, sexism in society, and a lot more. As a teenager, I think I would have loved this book. It’s a book I would want my future daughter to read. For me now… the themes are still nice, but they are also very clearly written out. There is no room to think or philosophise about it; it’s all there. (I also take offence to the legendary Medusa being referred to as “Med”, but that’s a small point that I nevertheless had to share.)
All in all the book was fine, it’s short and fast-paced, and I felt compelled to keep reading. But it’s also a book that’s quite forgettable. The cover is super pretty though.
PS. Stop keeping those poor dogs on a tiny boat. They need proper walks, and where do they poop?
Het puttertje by Donna Tartt
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Noorse goden by Neil Gaiman
funny
informative
fast-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
3.5
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I expected a simple ghost story, but this was so much more than that.
This is the kind of book that made me Google “but WHAT does it all MEAN” at 1 am, had me pick up the book and start to reread it the first thing the next morning, had me read other’s reviews looking for that one detail that I missed that would answer all my questions.
Don’t get me wrong, this book isn’t an absolutely confusing mess. It’s a perfectly understandable story. But with the feeling that there is so much UNDERNEATH that understandable story that is just out of reach. This book feels like it answered all my questions between the lines, and if I just read a little better, if I just think a little harder, I will understand. But the answers are never quite there.
Jackson’s writing is absolutely something I haven’t seen often before. She ignores all writing rules which results in an intentional mess. Sentences start in the middle of others, transitions are skipped, characters seem to transport from one location to another… And it all makes sense at the end and adds to a unique reading experience. I was so stuck in the main character’s psyche that, even though I recognised that psyche was a little messed up, didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late. Just like the main character, I suppose.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
inspiring
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? No
4.5
Beautifully written AND a great story. Let me first say: I’m not a fan of romance books. I usually dislike the “meant to be” part, the cliches, the way the characters only care about each other… but this book was different. I loved it. The last chapters gave me goosebumps. I even yelled at my husband when he tried to interrupt my reading.
What makes it different? Well, first of all, the characters aren’t perfect. It is not a beautiful girl falling in love with a rich, handsome guy. No, the girl is “plain” and the guy is, okay, rich, but way older than her and “quite ugly”. But still, they fall in love. Halfway through the book I wasn’t even sure if I liked Mr. Rochester. Also: Jane Eyre isn’t just blindly going to marry the dude. Nope, she wants her independence, she wants to do what’s good, and she wants true love. Pretty modern, right?
It is not a standard romance book, it is mysterious and a little dark at times. I found it hard to put the book down, it was never boring and always promised new revelations and shocking events. No long, boring conversations that are often based on miscommunication or lies that could very easily be discovered if only the characters TALKED to each other (pride & prejudice, looking at you).
And JANE EYRE. She goes on my main-characters-I-really-liked-list. That list isn’t very long but Jane deserves to be on it. She’s spirited, smart, kind, and funny. Especially for a classic she was a cool female character. Of course, the gender roles in the book are old-fashioned, as expected, but Jane Eyre does a pretty good job anyway.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Child abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Fire/Fire injury
October Country by Ray Bradbury
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
When I started reading, the stories were too strange for me and I thought I wouldn’t like the book, but halfway through I realized I was still thinking about most of the earlier stories, and at the end I was enjoying the book a lot. My favourite stories were The Next in Line, Skeleton, The Small Assassin, The Crowd and The Wind. Radbury writes very poetically and every story was a joy to read.
Revolusi: Indonesië en het ontstaan van de moderne wereld by David Van Reybrouck
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
This is one of those books that I read and enjoyed but makes me feel like I should read it a hundred times more to get it. Which is a good thing.
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“Oh, silly Merricat.”
This is one of those books that I read and enjoyed but makes me feel like I should read it a hundred times more to get it. Which is a good thing.
The story is narrated by Mary Catherine (Merricat) Blackwood, who lives with her sister, her uncle, and her cat in their big mansion. They have been ostracised by the community they belonged to after a dark tragedy that played out in the mansion years before.
Merricat quickly drew me in with her childish, magical way of thinking. It’s crazy how fast this book managed to make me think “Yeah, these thoughts are logical. I get this”. However, Merricat isn’t a child. She’s 18. And pretty messed up in the head. Which was a delicacy to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent and Dementia