sauvageloup's reviews
526 reviews

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

a wholly engaging and well written autobiography that I picked up on a whim

pros:
- the writing is clear, fun and includes lots of words I didn't know. it bounces along and jumps from topic to topic in a way that's fun.
- it was very interesting to learn more about Judaism and margoyles' experience of it, her family and her upbringing. for a majority of it, she is more informative than anything and quite moving at times
- I enjoyed all her stories and found her mixture of totally blunt honesty and older person views interesting
- her politics align very much with mine and it was good to hear her views on Israel and Palestine - the book was published in 2021, so she was unfortunately before her time in predicting the war between them.
- i liked hearing her views on fatness, death, beauty and aging, among other not talked about topics. she is wonderfully open about being queer and I liked how she never hid that she'd had relations with men and didnt let loving two men in her life make her any less of a lesbian.

cons:
- at times, I didn't agree with her black and white view, she stresses being kind (quite rightly) but is judgemental against people who use grammar differently, against pop music, Harry Potter fans (fair enough with j k Rowling but she just said the fans were too old for it, despite admitting she'd never seen the films or read the books), and also doesn't believe in coming out to people 'who cant cope with it'. often her stories involved saying something potentially pretty hurtful to someone because of her lack of filter which didnt seem kind.
- the topic jumps were also a bit jarring at times and I felt the first half had much more flow than the second.
- I also got bored when she spoke for a long time about people and scenes, big lists of films and people I had never heard of, but that's probably my age.

overall, I found her interesting and charming and enjoyed learning about her life.

The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

really enjoyed this book overall, it was very gripping

pros:
- there was a lot of twists and turns

from Paige discovering the exact nature of the senshields, Burnish being a spy, the trap in Manchester, the poltergeist in the senshield core being the same one as Paige encountered as a child (I assume), etc. </spoilers>
- it definitely gathered momentum, with the ending being climatic and the riots mirroring Paige's memories; there was a good sense of everything linking together in this book.
- I was gripped by all the drama, even in the earlier parts of the book, and the writing was good, clear and vivid. I liked how Shannon used the slang and created new words, and it felt less muddling in this book. I could definitely imagine the different cities and how they'd been changed by Scion.
- I like how fleshed out the main characters are and how they have their own motivations and wants separate to Paige

like Danica running away, Nick wanting to protect Zeke, Maria wanting to burn stuff lol, and the other members of the assembly have different ideas about ruling. And I like that Paige did listen and care about their council

- Of course I enjoyed the magical/spiritual/fantasy aspects, and the angst and whump towards the end which was intense.

cons:
- I felt that the narrative was a bit disjointed with the different events and Paige travelling around the country. She didnt seem to finish what she started in Manchester and it didnt feel very satisfying in the middle of the book, though I was still keen to read it.
- Paige very much frustrated me at the start

as she seemed to mess with Warden unnecessarily, pushing him away and back again. it felt like meaningless plot angst without any real reason for it. obviously there is danger from Terebell finding out but she seemed to decide to sack it off for arbitrary reasons.
- certain plot points, like the underground sewer ppl seemed too convenient at times, as well as how Paige received info.
- I felt Paige was foolish a lot of times too

with her Manchester trip where she was trying to prove herself due to her pride, and when she "sacrificed" herself at the riots. Even though she had a plan to stick it out and somehow take down senshield while a prisoner, it seemed very flimsy and wouldnt have worked unless for mant lucky breaks, like being sat next to Alsafi. While we can assume she's naive and doing her best, some decisions and lack of insight did frustrate me

but overall, I did enjoy it a lot and will def read the next one.

The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

a big bang of a second book! everything ratchets up a notch in this one.

pros:
- very gripping! I read this in two halves - a library copy in Newcastle and an ebook borrowed from my friend in Birmingham - and I was hooked on the book throughout.
- the pacing felt so much better than book 1, which seemed to tumble from one event to another. this one swelled in tension all the way through, steadily building to the finale,

the scrimmage, Paige's win and the big reveal of Jaxon's betrayal.

- the mystery was gripping in itself, as Paige tried to figure out

who killed Hector, the role of Cutmouth and Ivy, who the Rag and Bone man is and what his role is, the deceit of the Abess, etc. All of these steadily revealed themselves in a way that felt both natural and compelling.

- Shannon's writing felt just as good, if not better, the settings painted vividly and the tension set very well.

The fight at the scrimmage was really well written, better than fight scenes in book 1 I think, both clear and gripping.

- I liked that Warden gave us some more background context when it came to his history and the history of how the Rephaim got involved with human affairs.

cons:
- again, I did get muddled with the sheer amount of terms, worldbuilding and characters. I forgot the names of the voyants who made it out of the penal colony and

I dont really remember who the Wicked lady was, except with how she appeared near the end as a puppet for the abbess and rag and bone man.

I lost track of Paige's powers and the others' a bit too.
- I felt that the characters relationships definitely took a massive step back in this one, which was primarily about Paige figuring stuff out and coming into her power.

her relationships pretty much all stayed the same and even her time with Warden didnt even result in more than a forbidden kiss and Paige still calls him Warden for some reason.

overall, a very good and gripping follow up to book 1 and I cant wait to read the next one!

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

a solidly good book, pretty gripping and will read the next one

pros:
- the worldbuilding is very imaginative, with the whole mix of clairvoyance, angels, emim, ghosts/poltergeists and rephaium. I liked all the different types of clairvoyance and reading about Paige using her gift. the Rephs were also imaginative, seeming to be a strange mix of vampire/angel/demon/clairvoyant.
- I thought the main relationships, friendship and romance, were nicely built up and not rushed, but sign posted well.

I did expect that Warden would be the love interest, but it developed nice and slowly and I could see why Paige began to trust him slowly.

- the writing was overall clear and gripping with moments of being poetic. i wanted to keep reading, once I was 50 or so pages in.
- I did like the side characters, Liss, julian, seb and Michael were all interesting.

cons:
- the biggest issue I think was the feeling that the plot wandered too much. it felt like we tumbled from one event to another without any particular structure, and so the tension felt off, as big events happened without any build up.
- lost track of who everyone was with such a big cast, and I was also still unsure about what exact powers paige and the rephs had.
- it felt like there were a lot of holes in explanations, with a lot of slang used without being explained. a certain amount makes sense, but I feel that it tipped over into too much. i had a lot of questions and even when there were answers, they seemed somewhat arbitrary. also why was Arcturus still being called Warden at the end?
- there was also a big worldbuilding dump at the start, which I was told about and wasnt too bad, but it definitely could've been handled smoother.

- I know that this was written in 2013, so it's not really surprising, but there were serious issues with the age gaps in Paige's relationships, with Nick driving away with her from school when shes like 15? and Arcturus being very very much older.

- also, if I'm being honest, I didnt find paige very interesting. yes shes spunky and she is shown as being kind to Seb, Liss and Julian, and yet she still felt extremely 2D, I didnt really feel for her as a full person and the emotional impact of some events was definitely lessened bc of it.
(- I'm definitely curious to see what Shannon changed in her new rewriting of the book)

overall, a gripping and pretty original thriller, but with some shaky plotting and too big cast. but I've got the mime order and will most likely be reading it!

Content Warnings

Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

3.75

I whistled through these very disturbing little stories.

pros:
- they're definitely gripping, and the writing style is sparse but clear and evocative, with the descriptions being vivid.
- the stories felt self contained and satisfying overall, even as many ended in tragedy.
- the last book of short stories I read, i struggled to jump from one story to another, maybe because they were so different and by different people. this one wasnt like that at all, and i had no problem reading straight through, pretty much.
- i liked the variety in length and themes of the stories, from birth horror, to supernatural, to fantasy fairy tale and modern criticisms on feminism and capitalism. i think i mainly read very on the surface and didnt look hard at metaphors and such, a reread might help me see this more.
- I liked the sheer imagination though and how Chung makes you care for characters who often arent even given a name.

cons:
- the first two stories especially, but a lot of them overall, were pretty horrible and graphic. they did their job in making you feel things! but it reminded me too much of just horrible nightmares and intrusive thoughts and I wouldnt read those two again.
- I also felt there was generally a lack of hope in the stories, but that's personal taste I guess.

overall, well written and gripping but too horror for me and dont think I'll seek out more of her work, but I might reread this in time.

Content Warnings

The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I picked this up because it was on sale in Blackwell's and just liked the sound of it. Damn, I'm glad I did!

pros:
- writing is poignant, powerful and weaves a compelling narrative, while never being especially verbose or wandering too far. The dialogue felt real enough for the period, but still intense and readable.
- the characters were all brilliant, they come to life gradually and several change over the period of the story,

sophey from cruel to an ally, Nethe from cold to loving, henne from a decent man (in comparison to Plater) to cold and unlocking

although many of these are more the revealing of the true character that had been buried by trauma (apart from the latter of course).
- Lisbet showed great growth

both through her own bravery and strength, and through Eren, Nethe, Ida, Friedrich and Sophey's support of her. She is able to let go of her lifelong guilt, her grief for her mother, she is able to believe that she deserves better than Henne, she accepts and loves both a 'Turk' and a 'sodomite', because of who they are as people, and these are all huge things for her and yet the growth felt right and natural

- the setting, the history and the depiction of the dancing mania was all extremely evocative and intense, I could picture it all so well and you feel as if you're down there in the pulsing, dangerous crowds, or drowning in the smell of melting beeswax.
- lisbet's alliance with the bees and later the dog, Ulf, added another beautiful layer to her character and her skills as a beekeeper helped her realise her own worth, beyond being a wife and a mother.
- I loved the women's friendships, Lisbet's true love for Ida despite her mixture of jealousy and awe towards her friend, and Nethe's developing care and love for Lisbet, despite her initial fear of closeness.
- the significant tragedies of the book are balanced with successes, which stopped me from feeling betrayed at the end, which I sometimes am with tragic books. bitter sweet, I can do!
- Plater's grim awfulness is written in a way that is familiar but still ghastly, and the dread of his arrival is tangible every time he arrives.

cons:
-

it did plague me a few times that despite Lisbet's obvious love of Ida's children, she does leave them alone several times, when going to the forest or with Eren. I suppose we assume they are safe with the eldest daughter and ida's father, but I thought it odd that Lisbet didnt spare a thought

- also wish that the role of the eldest daughter as a replacement mother might have been examined a little.
-

I wish it hadnt ended like that with Eren, though of course I am glad Plater died. but it felt so unfair that Eren was blamed like that (though historically plausible I know) and there was no hint that those two might reunite, I thought. I know we see Lisbet's dissatisfaction with Henne and her love for Nethe, but I wish there had been a hint of the future. how could the two women leave now theyve got not just Lisbet's baby but all of Ida's children too? that's not ideal for running after Eren. so that was a bit of a shame.
- it was of course upsetting, though somewhat expected from how saintly she is set up as, that Ida died. as Lisbet and Eren survived, couldnt Nethe and Ida have? it fitted with the story ofc, but it's a shame that it continues the 'bury your gays'

overall, I truly loved this haunting, sad, and powerful historical novel about the power of female friendship and love against loss, hardships and intolerance.

Content Warnings

Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake

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adventurous challenging hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.0

a really fascinating and informative book

pros:
- a lot of really interesting information throughout, on fungi (obviously), lichen, ecosystems, the history of evolution, and how mycology is studied and used today.
- 90% of it I didnt know, but was explained in very accessible terms, with everything clearly defined. the footnotes were more complex and required some googling, but were also very interesting.
- I liked how he talked us through the development of the field, and the history of how fungi helped the rest of the world grow, exploring older lines of thought before bringing us to the present.
- the environmental applications for fungi tech is huge, and theres still so much unknown, it creates both frustration and excitement, as Sheldrake says.
- the writing is poetic and striking, making use of visual language, his own experiences and emotions, complex and far ranging metaphors, and how they affect how we view fungi.
- I liked how he pulled from everything from neural networks, to queer theory to computing, it was interesting to view fungi from all different sides.
- I also really enjoyed the section on radical mycology, with the teams of amateur mycologists around the world coming together to help with discoveries and creating environmental solutions.

cons:
- I felt at times that Sheldrake's biases came through, that sometimes he gave options of different theories or thoughts, but not always, and he seemed to dismiss some very fast. I would have been interested to read some more contradictory arguments.
- sometimes I did get confused, the writing was academic in places, but I think that's fair, it's an in depth book. the metaphors were maybe a little strong at times, but mostly I enjoyed them.
- I would have enjoyed more pictures or illustrations (though the ones we got were great), so I can understand why he's put out an illustrated version.

overall, fascinating facts and exploration of a huge range of topics - fungi is really so wide and Sheldrake did a great deep dive into lots of aspects. would certainly read other books like it, or more of his work.

Infamous by Lex Croucher

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adventurous dark funny hopeful lighthearted tense fast-paced

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

3.5

a brilliant romp, feeling new and fresh even when treading on well worn paths, and with emotional depth.

pros:
- the writing flows well, is light and amusing and plows along with all Eddie' eagerness. I liked the banter and the dialogue, the descriptions were visual and conjured up vivid scenes, especially Saint Bede's island in the dark, Rose's appearance, the clothing, the crumbling house, etc.
- I really liked Eddie and Rose as main characters, and all the side characters are fleshed out and real, with all their depths and foibles.

Eddie is very much an unreliable narrator and its through her eyes we get to realise that Albert is a decent guy and Nash is the worst. Though the signs for the reader are all there, it's still gripping to see how itll unfold and satisfying when Eddie realises.

- the characters of Kitty, Valentine, Dayo, Liza, Albert, etc. all had their own motivations and quirks, and their own relationship with the other characters, including Nash. Dayo's campaign to bring about abolition was a good inclusion, and we got to hear about Kitty's passion for painting, Albert's rabbits (a reoccurring joke that I nonetheless thought wholesome). Juno the dog was even a fun character in herself, though I rather expected her to dig up some ominous bone or get stuck or find a ghost in the forest.
- I liked the setting and the Regency time period, with the contrasts of different levels of proprietary and the dropping in of real historical people, like Shelley and Byron.
-

Even though I feel most twists were fairly evident: that Nash only wanted to have sex with Eddie, that she and rose were in love, that Nash had stolen the manuscript, the maid being murdered by Nash's father, etc.. I still managed to be surprised by others, like Albert being gay (which I really should have seen coming), the murdered maid being Henry's mother, Nash publishing Eddie's manuscript, etc. which were fun to discover.

- I liked Eddie and Rose's different journeys and how they found themselves at different times. their friendship/budding romance was so well written, i loved the ebb and flow and the depiction of their tension, quarrels, intimacy, sexual attraction, forgiveness, etc. That was so well done.

cons:
- the start felt slow and a bit shallow. I didnt much like Eddie at all and it was all too Brigerton at that point. it really picked up for me as Eddie got drawn in and the stakes went up, with more dark edges to Nash and debauchery.
- I thought there was a real lack of resolution with Henry and Nash both. I wish Henry could have challenged Nate about the locket, his mother, and the assault. I felt it was glossed over that Nash sexually assaulted Henry, though that threat lingers in the latter half of the book against Eddie. It was left unclear whether anyone got shot with the pistol and I'm not sure Eddie got to see Henry after that. that was a bit of hanging loose end unless we're meant to think that Nash murdered Henry and just cleared him away, which doesn't seem likely, but if it was then....
- it's frustrating that Nash never got any more severe punishment for stealing Eddie's manuscript, lying, cheating on Liza, verbally abusing Eddie, nonconsensually kissing her, and force feeding her drugs... she should have slapped him at least, and then got him denounced in the papers. instead we get a lacklustre end note. guess I'm more vengeful but I definitely didnt feel he got taught any lesson!

but overall, this was a thrilling and gripping ride with great writing and I enjoyed it :)

Content Warnings

Hope - How Street Dogs Taught Me the Meaning of Life: Featuring Rodney, Mcmuffin and King Whacker by Niall Harbison

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing sad fast-paced

4.5

a moving and sincere autobiography that left me feeling more at peace about life's difficulties and my ambitions to care for people and animals.

pros:
- I knew quite a bit already about the dogs and Niall's work from his Instagram, so the story of his life was the most interesting and also very heart wrenching. You can feel his past pain and struggling through the page, though he tells it quite factually.
- I was surprised by his employment and business past, mixing with the rich and being a chef and business owner, which showed how he's always been a massive go getter and extremely determined, even when dealing with his own demons. his self reflection and plainness in facing his dark side is humbling to read.
- his love of the dogs shines through and I liked reading about how he keeps his spirits up when things go wrong with the dogs. you really root for his success, as his real passion is evident.

cons:
- only slight con was a bit of repetitiveness I felt in how each section discussed the dogs, and the timeline was a little confusing at times. But otherwise, the story was clear and touching.

overall, enjoyed it and appreciated the message of hope and perseverance. definitely invested in Niall's work and appreciate him even more.

Content Warnings

Notes from the Burning Age by Claire North

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

a strange but striking book, with some 5 star parts and some 2 star parts, for me. rated up for originality and being thought provoking.

pros:
- the language and descriptions and some dialogue is just beautiful. its like poetry, the turns of phase and the raw appreciation of life and nature the symbiotic relationship between humans and earth, and how death feeds life.
- connecting to, the kakuy being a wonderful creation, and i liked how North stressed how they simply *were* nature, in all its indifferent glory, and not gods that cared or noticed humans at all. but that humans should care for them, simply because they come from the earth that gives us life. they make for a great vehicle for metaphor and musings on protecting nature and climate change, and being a tiny part of a huge thing, but also becoming that huge thing itself by being subsumed by it.
- the complicated and very human relationship that Ven had with Georg was powerful, how he completely disavowed his tormentor, his enemy, his captor, and everything Georg stood for, and yet still had a connection with him as a fellow human and could see who Georg might've been in a different life. it showed how the worse evil is created by normal men.
- the other worldbuilding was fascinating, with the eco tech, some of which is familiar and some not, but feels realistic. there is a kind of speculative fiction feel to it, as well as magical realism. also seeing our own time (or a hundred years in our future) through their eyes was really interesting and I liked how they talked about both the sacredness of normal human belongings and rubbish, as well as the pollution of those same things.
- I liked the nonbinary chatacter Lah very much

and got emotional when they were murdered and poor Ven was left with their body. that was viscerally and disturbingly describe

- I liked the way Ven's quiet strength and persistent compassion was described and emerged later in the book (I loathed him as a spineless traitor at the start, hes a very unreliable narrator), and there is a thread of hope that it is the character who sees the humanity in everyone and resists destruction as far as possible is the one to survive all the atrocities he suffers.

cons
- my biggest issue was the slowness. whilst i loved sections of the descriptions and contemplation, it was repeated too often for me and it dragged the pace. the only times i was absolutely engaged was during the action scenes, everything else felt like a sometimes frustratingly slow meander through plot points.
- i also got confused. it didnt help that i had gaps in between reading, so I'm sure i forgot stuff, but i wad very lost near the beginning

when Ven suddenly has a name and personality change for apparently no reason, plus a rushed through history of his middle years and a bunch of new characters. I didn't care about his fat at all during this because I didn't know why it was important and thought he was terrible. of course that may be the point, but it didnt make it easier to read.

- I got confused with names in general, there are a LOT and place names. a map would have been so helpful.
-

I did guess who Pontus was as soon as they were mentioned, Yue seemed fairly obvious as the most emotionally invested council character. but it was still interesting seeing how ven worked it out. bit underwhelming how he didnt seem angry at her at all, though it did fit with his character.

overall, a tricky and slow, but also beautiful, original and poignant novel about humanity and the environment.

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sauvageloup's reviews 526 reviews

sauvageloup's reviews
526 reviews