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scriptedsolstice's Reviews (170)
This book is told from the perspective of a chi (basically a guardian spirit) who lives inside an African man named Chinonso (Nonso). We go through Nonso’s life as his chi describes mundane events, including him looking after his birds, or him cleaning his house.
Nonso eventually falls in love with a woman named Ndali, but in order for her parents to accept him, he must complete his education and get a well-payed job. Nonso travels from Africa to Cyprus to attend university. He is told by his friend that it is amazing there, and so Nonso sends his friend all his money for accommodation and fees so he can pay it for him. He promises Ndali he will be back soon, however, when he arrives in Cyprus he suspects that something isn’t quite right.
This book is insanely beautiful. The chi takes on this “all-knowing” narrator persona, and he talks to us in metaphors and riddles than can be confusing and difficult to digest. I found myself having to re-read sentences just so I could understand them fully.
Obioma does not hold back in his descriptions, openly discussing sex and body fluids as general conversation points.
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Nonso eventually falls in love with a woman named Ndali, but in order for her parents to accept him, he must complete his education and get a well-payed job. Nonso travels from Africa to Cyprus to attend university. He is told by his friend that it is amazing there, and so Nonso sends his friend all his money for accommodation and fees so he can pay it for him. He promises Ndali he will be back soon, however, when he arrives in Cyprus he suspects that something isn’t quite right.
This book is insanely beautiful. The chi takes on this “all-knowing” narrator persona, and he talks to us in metaphors and riddles than can be confusing and difficult to digest. I found myself having to re-read sentences just so I could understand them fully.
Obioma does not hold back in his descriptions, openly discussing sex and body fluids as general conversation points.
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Coraline was a very quick read, and was perfect for halloween! My copy has incredible illustrations that really add to the reading experience. Gaiman writes such vivid descriptions, and his worlds are always wonderfully weird.
He often writes about children that are ignored by their parents, and have to complete the quest alone, and it is no different with Coraline.
Coraline is always bored. He life is incredibly normal, and after her parents completely ignore her, she tries to entertain herself. She discovers a small door in her house, that leads into a room that looks exactly like the one she was just in. Through the door, she meets her “other mother” and “other father”, however, they are way too perfect to be true.
Coraline is an incredibly strong female character, which is admirable and also makes her a great role model for young people.
I did enjoy the film slightly more, just because it builds on the tension better. The film seems to develop the story much more, making Coraline travel from her normal life, to the other house several times before we sense anything really sinister.
Despite that, Coraline is creepy, whimsical and I am excited to read more of Gaiman’s works.
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He often writes about children that are ignored by their parents, and have to complete the quest alone, and it is no different with Coraline.
Coraline is always bored. He life is incredibly normal, and after her parents completely ignore her, she tries to entertain herself. She discovers a small door in her house, that leads into a room that looks exactly like the one she was just in. Through the door, she meets her “other mother” and “other father”, however, they are way too perfect to be true.
Coraline is an incredibly strong female character, which is admirable and also makes her a great role model for young people.
I did enjoy the film slightly more, just because it builds on the tension better. The film seems to develop the story much more, making Coraline travel from her normal life, to the other house several times before we sense anything really sinister.
Despite that, Coraline is creepy, whimsical and I am excited to read more of Gaiman’s works.
“
Pans Labyrinth tells the stories of a young girl named Ofelia, who is told by the faun in the Labyrinth that doesn’t really belong in the mortal world. He tells her she is their lost princess, Moanna, and that she must complete three tasks before she can come home.
This book was so dark and creepy. The description of the Pale Man scared me to death, and the illustrations added to the atmosphere so much! The main villain, Vidal was a demonic man, and cared for no one but himself and his legacy.
There are fairy tales in between each chapter, explaining how the labyrinth came into existence, and all about the magical creatures within.
It is whimsical, whilst still including real life issues. The book is set in Spain during WW2, and so we see a lot of violence, particularly towards “rebels”. It also deals with the idea that monsters are not always monsters on the outside, and that sometimes, it is inside us.
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This book was so dark and creepy. The description of the Pale Man scared me to death, and the illustrations added to the atmosphere so much! The main villain, Vidal was a demonic man, and cared for no one but himself and his legacy.
There are fairy tales in between each chapter, explaining how the labyrinth came into existence, and all about the magical creatures within.
It is whimsical, whilst still including real life issues. The book is set in Spain during WW2, and so we see a lot of violence, particularly towards “rebels”. It also deals with the idea that monsters are not always monsters on the outside, and that sometimes, it is inside us.
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This book would probably have appealed to fifteen year old me, however, I found it to be pretty outdated in terms of the fantasy genre and it’s tropes.
Dierdre is our main protagonist, and she is incredibly talented with music. A perfectly good looking fae guy, Luke appears and instantly, they fall in love.
Dierdre then learns that Luke is not who he says he is, and doesn’t ever question the fact that he is basically a murderer!
I found Dierdre to be an incredibly annoying main character. She whinged at everything, and had that typical “I know everything” attitude of a sixteen year old girl. Her friends never question any of the magic that just appears into their lives, and their reactions are just unrealistic.
Dierdre’s parent paid no attention to her whatsoever, and we get no explanation as to why!
The story did have a couple of twists towards the end that peaked my interest, and made me enjoy it a little more.
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Dierdre is our main protagonist, and she is incredibly talented with music. A perfectly good looking fae guy, Luke appears and instantly, they fall in love.
Dierdre then learns that Luke is not who he says he is, and doesn’t ever question the fact that he is basically a murderer!
I found Dierdre to be an incredibly annoying main character. She whinged at everything, and had that typical “I know everything” attitude of a sixteen year old girl. Her friends never question any of the magic that just appears into their lives, and their reactions are just unrealistic.
Dierdre’s parent paid no attention to her whatsoever, and we get no explanation as to why!
The story did have a couple of twists towards the end that peaked my interest, and made me enjoy it a little more.
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I was so excited to revisit these characters, and this book did not disappoint! The story is so character driven and adds on perfectly to the development we got in The Raven Boys.
This narrative greatly surrounds Ronan and I feel I got to know him much more reading this book. He comes across as the typical bad boy in The Raven Boys, but he is given a lot more depth and another side in this story.
I really like Maggie’s writing style. She isn’t overly flowery, but she also can string together lyrical sentences when she needs to. She does this in a way that keeps the stories dark and moody tone.
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This narrative greatly surrounds Ronan and I feel I got to know him much more reading this book. He comes across as the typical bad boy in The Raven Boys, but he is given a lot more depth and another side in this story.
I really like Maggie’s writing style. She isn’t overly flowery, but she also can string together lyrical sentences when she needs to. She does this in a way that keeps the stories dark and moody tone.
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I could not put this book down!
I found it a little dull at first and it took me around 40 pages to get into, but I was mesmerised once the story began to pick up!
The Ocean at the End of the Lane is about a boy who is befriended by Lettie Hempstock, a strange girl who lives on a farm at the end of the lane. Lettie has a pond, which she refers to as her ‘ocean’, and, at its heart, this book tells the story of what it truly means to be a child in a world filled with toxic adults.
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I found it a little dull at first and it took me around 40 pages to get into, but I was mesmerised once the story began to pick up!
The Ocean at the End of the Lane is about a boy who is befriended by Lettie Hempstock, a strange girl who lives on a farm at the end of the lane. Lettie has a pond, which she refers to as her ‘ocean’, and, at its heart, this book tells the story of what it truly means to be a child in a world filled with toxic adults.
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This book had pretty much 0 plot, but it isn’t supposed to and that’s okay. I listened to this one night to help me fall asleep and it was so weird and light-hearted.
It tells the story of two brothers one called Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruche-pip peri pembo and the other called Chang. It is based on an old Chinese folk tale, however I’m not sure how well it would come across in todays society. I have read around a little about this book and many people find it slightly racist. I have also heard that it mis-represents Chinese culture, and in fact more accurately shows Japanese culture. This being said I am completely uneducated on these topics so I can’t speak my opinion.
Overall, this book fulfilled its purpose and, taking it at face-value was a fun and silly read.
It tells the story of two brothers one called Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruche-pip peri pembo and the other called Chang. It is based on an old Chinese folk tale, however I’m not sure how well it would come across in todays society. I have read around a little about this book and many people find it slightly racist. I have also heard that it mis-represents Chinese culture, and in fact more accurately shows Japanese culture. This being said I am completely uneducated on these topics so I can’t speak my opinion.
Overall, this book fulfilled its purpose and, taking it at face-value was a fun and silly read.
I read Skellig as a child so it was interesting to re-read it from an adult perspective. It was just how I remembered and I enjoyed it just as much!
Basic premise: A young boy named Michael finds the mysterious figure Skellig dying in their garage. Skellig is moody and mysterious, but allows Michael to somewhat take care of him. Skellig proves to be much more than Michael and his friend, Mina could have ever imagined and the story takes them on a beautiful journey of love and hope.
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Basic premise: A young boy named Michael finds the mysterious figure Skellig dying in their garage. Skellig is moody and mysterious, but allows Michael to somewhat take care of him. Skellig proves to be much more than Michael and his friend, Mina could have ever imagined and the story takes them on a beautiful journey of love and hope.
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