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thatgirlwho_reads's reviews
234 reviews
DallerGut Dream Department Store by Mi-Ye Lee 이미예
3.0
This was such a wonderfully imaginative and whimsical read. I absolutely loved the concept of dream makers, dissecting different kinds of dreams and the business model for a store selling dreams. I've never read anything quite like it. I could definitely imagine an animated adaptation, a bit like Pixar's Inside Out, exploring the psychology of dreams in an accessible and colourful way.
However the writing didn't quite work as well in my opinion. The book lacked an overarching plot and read more like an episodic series with each chapter being a separate story. This was interesting and unusual but I felt like I needed something more to tie all these chapters together. The same could be said for the characters, particularly Penny, I would have liked to have learnt more about her as a person and her background. I found the dialogue a little stilted too which didn't help with the character interactions.
I really liked the story at the beginning about the three disciples but I needed more world building to understand the difference between the two worlds that we're presented with. Instead I found myself with so many unanswered questions. I didn't realise I had reached the end of the book until I got to the translators note at the end because I just didn't feel any great sense of closure or finality. Having said this, there is a sequel so perhaps my questions will be answered in that book.
A tricky one to rank as there were things I absolutely loved about this book but also I just found it really hard to click with the writing style and the lack of plot. It was a really interesting read though and nice to explore something different!
However the writing didn't quite work as well in my opinion. The book lacked an overarching plot and read more like an episodic series with each chapter being a separate story. This was interesting and unusual but I felt like I needed something more to tie all these chapters together. The same could be said for the characters, particularly Penny, I would have liked to have learnt more about her as a person and her background. I found the dialogue a little stilted too which didn't help with the character interactions.
I really liked the story at the beginning about the three disciples but I needed more world building to understand the difference between the two worlds that we're presented with. Instead I found myself with so many unanswered questions. I didn't realise I had reached the end of the book until I got to the translators note at the end because I just didn't feel any great sense of closure or finality. Having said this, there is a sequel so perhaps my questions will be answered in that book.
A tricky one to rank as there were things I absolutely loved about this book but also I just found it really hard to click with the writing style and the lack of plot. It was a really interesting read though and nice to explore something different!
The Tea Dragon Tapestry by K. O'Neill
5.0
Beautiful illustrations as always! A heartwarming story to match too along with an important message about renewal and rebirth.
The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
4.5
My favourite of the series so far! Absolutely loved the labyrinth setting, felt like a proper adventure with lots of twists and turns. I really enjoyed learning more about Rachel and her part of this story. So many interesting elements woven together! Nice to have Annabeth and Tyson back too as I missed them in the previous book. Looking forward to seeing where the story takes me next!
Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman
5.0
This book is a beautiful exploration of grief, friendship, family, identity, music and healing. It moved me to tears which, trust me, is not something I often experience! I related to Rumi in a lot of ways and could feel her frustration and hurt through the pages. It is such an emotional and wholesome tale of human connection beyond love and romance. I thought the A-Spec elements were handled so sensitively and their representation was so so pleasing to see. I also really loved the Hawaiian pidgin dialogue as this was something I hadn't personally come across before and really enjoyed reading. I'm often drawn to books about music and I really appreciated how this was incorporated in the story and the characters. Bowman's ways of describing grief were beautifully poignant. I absolutely adored this book!
Saltblood (Waterstones Edition) by Francesca De Tores
5.0
Wow this book was incredible. De Tores' writing is magnificently beautiful, portraying a different perspective on the pirate world I thought I knew. I absolutely loved the themes surrounding identity (specifically gender and sexuality), grief, and the power of storytelling. I loved the symbolism of the crow throughout and how this was incorporated. A wonderfully crafted novel with a deeply perceptive quality to it.
I had heard of Mary Read and Anne Bonny prior to this book but wasn't familiar with their stories or the actual history of pirating beyong the sensetionalised fiction. I really appreciated the historical note included at the end. The world felt familiar but not cliche, it offers something fresh whilst also delivering the pirate content we know and love. I learnt a lot as I read and I felt like I lived Read's life and really understood her. The pacing of the plot was well balanced with a good proportion of light and dark. I was hooked from start to finished and struggled to put it down.
There were a vast number of characters and yet they were all so distinctive and memorable. I found myself getting quickly attached and felt emotional as the events unfolded. The descriptions of Anne were particularly captivating. I could feel her presence so strongly through the pages and adored reading about her through Read's eyes.
This book truly exceeded all expectations I had and the reading experience was a journey. As a bonus, the cover art is absolutely stunning and the Waterstones exclusive sprayed edges are one of my favourites!
I had heard of Mary Read and Anne Bonny prior to this book but wasn't familiar with their stories or the actual history of pirating beyong the sensetionalised fiction. I really appreciated the historical note included at the end. The world felt familiar but not cliche, it offers something fresh whilst also delivering the pirate content we know and love. I learnt a lot as I read and I felt like I lived Read's life and really understood her. The pacing of the plot was well balanced with a good proportion of light and dark. I was hooked from start to finished and struggled to put it down.
There were a vast number of characters and yet they were all so distinctive and memorable. I found myself getting quickly attached and felt emotional as the events unfolded. The descriptions of Anne were particularly captivating. I could feel her presence so strongly through the pages and adored reading about her through Read's eyes.
This book truly exceeded all expectations I had and the reading experience was a journey. As a bonus, the cover art is absolutely stunning and the Waterstones exclusive sprayed edges are one of my favourites!
The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
3.25
I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as book 2. I was a bit confused about the timeline gap between the end of book 2 and beginning of book 3. I thought maybe I'd skipped a book as it jumps straight in without much explanation about what happened in that timeframe. I enjoyed Thalia as a character and her interactions with Percy. I also really liked the inclusion of the Hunters and the representation of strong young (ok, immortal) women. The ending had a good climax of action and tragedy. But overall I didn't find myself as gripped by this book overall. I don't feel the overarching plot developed much from the beginning to the end. However, I am looking forward to the development of Nico's character and where this may lead.
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
4.0
I flew through this book! I enjoyed the story a lot more than book 1. The writing felt much better paced and I loved the concept of the sea of monsters being in the Bermuda triangle. I absolutely loved Tyson as a character, he was so precious! And was nice to see Percy and Annabeth's friendship developing in this book. The overall story arc seems to be becoming more prevalent too as we learn more about the prophecy. So glad I stuck with the series and this gave exactly what I needed as a sequel! The ending of this one definitely has me hooked to continue too.
Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake
3.0
Always find it hard to review romcoms because, yes, it succeeded in being a romcom. It was fun, easy going, fast paced, predictable, tropey, a bit spicy, a bit corny. Pretty much what you'd expect from most romcoms!
I kind of liked that this one was a queer/sapphic retelling of Cinderella as this was a bit different. I would say it was very loosely based on Cinderella though, more so through the characters than the plot itself. It made for an interesting starting premise but just seemed to diverge more and more away from this as it went on.
I'm undecided whether I liked the characters or not. I wasn't really a fan of how any of them treated eachother and dealt with issues which I think made it difficult for me to be invested in their stories. Faults do make characters feel more real, but I like this to come with some kind of growth. I really enjoyed the character development between the two sisters but can't really say the same for any of the other relationships in the book.
The writing style was ok although it contained some odd choices. I found myself becoming frustrated with the overuse of the phrase "the other woman" rather than the using the characters names. It was written in 3rd person to allow the reader to easily switch between Delilah and Clare's perspectives. However I think I personally would have just preferred 1st person with alternating POVs each chapter. I think this would have read more naturally and avoided some of these issues.
As for the plot, I think it started off well but lost momentum as it continued. I found myself waiting for something big to happen but was underwhelmed by the end. Perhaps I was expecting too much so that may just be me. But having said this, it's a good romcom, just not my favourite in this genre.
I kind of liked that this one was a queer/sapphic retelling of Cinderella as this was a bit different. I would say it was very loosely based on Cinderella though, more so through the characters than the plot itself. It made for an interesting starting premise but just seemed to diverge more and more away from this as it went on.
I'm undecided whether I liked the characters or not. I wasn't really a fan of how any of them treated eachother and dealt with issues which I think made it difficult for me to be invested in their stories. Faults do make characters feel more real, but I like this to come with some kind of growth. I really enjoyed the character development between the two sisters but can't really say the same for any of the other relationships in the book.
The writing style was ok although it contained some odd choices. I found myself becoming frustrated with the overuse of the phrase "the other woman" rather than the using the characters names. It was written in 3rd person to allow the reader to easily switch between Delilah and Clare's perspectives. However I think I personally would have just preferred 1st person with alternating POVs each chapter. I think this would have read more naturally and avoided some of these issues.
As for the plot, I think it started off well but lost momentum as it continued. I found myself waiting for something big to happen but was underwhelmed by the end. Perhaps I was expecting too much so that may just be me. But having said this, it's a good romcom, just not my favourite in this genre.
The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
3.5
I read this as a child a long time ago but couldn't really remember anything about it. All I remembered was I didn't enjoy it enough to carry on with the series. But I was keen to give this series another go and I tried to go into this with an open mind despite no longer being the target audience of these books.
I absolutely love the dyslexia and ADHD representation, it sends such a great message to kids who can relate to these characters and feel empowered. Given that this was written in the 2000s I felt this was actually pretty progressive compared to other books written at this time. The characters themselves were strong and I enjoyed their interactions a lot.
I've found that Percy Jackson is often compared to the Harry Potter books which is understandable as there are some similarities. But from reading this first book alone I can't say that (so far) Percy Jackson has the same power to appeal to all ages. You are very much reading from the perspective of a 12 year old boy and the writing succeeds in representing this. But because of this I don't think the book will appeal to everyone. It took me a while to tune into the writing but once I did I really enjoyed Percy's sassy commentary.
I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style in general. The initial world building scenes seemed to drag but the action scenes felt a bit rushed. I think I also had hoped for a bit more greek mythology context and background included other than just name dropping gods and monsters. Perhaps this will grow more as the series continues.
I enjoyed the plot though, it was a good mixture of adventure and mystery with slightly complicated family and friendship relationships. I'm interested to continue the series see how the story develops as it progresses. But overall was a fun and quick read and I enjoyed revisiting it.
I absolutely love the dyslexia and ADHD representation, it sends such a great message to kids who can relate to these characters and feel empowered. Given that this was written in the 2000s I felt this was actually pretty progressive compared to other books written at this time. The characters themselves were strong and I enjoyed their interactions a lot.
I've found that Percy Jackson is often compared to the Harry Potter books which is understandable as there are some similarities. But from reading this first book alone I can't say that (so far) Percy Jackson has the same power to appeal to all ages. You are very much reading from the perspective of a 12 year old boy and the writing succeeds in representing this. But because of this I don't think the book will appeal to everyone. It took me a while to tune into the writing but once I did I really enjoyed Percy's sassy commentary.
I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style in general. The initial world building scenes seemed to drag but the action scenes felt a bit rushed. I think I also had hoped for a bit more greek mythology context and background included other than just name dropping gods and monsters. Perhaps this will grow more as the series continues.
I enjoyed the plot though, it was a good mixture of adventure and mystery with slightly complicated family and friendship relationships. I'm interested to continue the series see how the story develops as it progresses. But overall was a fun and quick read and I enjoyed revisiting it.
Galatea by Madeline Miller
4.0
I was interested to read that Miller wrote this whilst working on Circe as this is very different in tone to Miller's other works. But I can see similarities with Circe's story. I love Miller's interpretation of this myth. In many ways it unfortunately feels the most real and accurate to our world. A short but powerful piece.