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thecaffeinatedreader's Reviews (685)
This story is more than just about Meryl, and in fact, the quote at the top of the blurb is my favorite in the book and is said by my favorite character, Ms. Kawanishi. The landscapes that Shibahara describe are utterly beautiful and it makes you want to go hop on a plane and go explore Japan. There's an ample cast of characters and they're all a variety of personalities.
Shibahara not only does a great job describing gorgeous locations, she also has a rather poetic or lyrical style! It actually took me a little while to get into it but it's something I enjoyed after adapting to it [Note, probably about 25 is when I got used to the rhythm of it.]
The book is about finding love and about letting go of those we love as well. Meryl is delivering a flag to a man's family who never thought they would get him home again, but she's bringing them a beautiful chance while also dealing with the fact that despite her love for her husband she couldn't condone everything he did and it makes her connect with the man she's bringing home and his family. An unknowing level where thoughts are shared between her and the family as they have to face the brutality of what war cost in a time of peace.
There were some small issues, I wasn't sure I always appreciated some of the stereotypes of some of the characters, or always completely enjoyed Meryl but as I said my favorite character was Ms. Kawanishi anyway, and I really thought this book was just a very lush one in its details of Japan and elsewhere. I would definitely recommend to those who like 'Eat, Pray, Love', 'Under the Tuscan Sun,' or 'The Sandalwood Tree.' Not to mention the covers both front and back are absolutely lovely as you can tell from the featured image, front on the left, back on the right.
Shibahara not only does a great job describing gorgeous locations, she also has a rather poetic or lyrical style! It actually took me a little while to get into it but it's something I enjoyed after adapting to it [Note, probably about 25 is when I got used to the rhythm of it.]
The book is about finding love and about letting go of those we love as well. Meryl is delivering a flag to a man's family who never thought they would get him home again, but she's bringing them a beautiful chance while also dealing with the fact that despite her love for her husband she couldn't condone everything he did and it makes her connect with the man she's bringing home and his family. An unknowing level where thoughts are shared between her and the family as they have to face the brutality of what war cost in a time of peace.
There were some small issues, I wasn't sure I always appreciated some of the stereotypes of some of the characters, or always completely enjoyed Meryl but as I said my favorite character was Ms. Kawanishi anyway, and I really thought this book was just a very lush one in its details of Japan and elsewhere. I would definitely recommend to those who like 'Eat, Pray, Love', 'Under the Tuscan Sun,' or 'The Sandalwood Tree.' Not to mention the covers both front and back are absolutely lovely as you can tell from the featured image, front on the left, back on the right.
emotional
hopeful
Millie Gray does a great job giving us a look back at Edinburgh through the 50s toward the 70s, not only that but she gives you a truly heartstring-tugging and simultaneously heartwarming tale of not just one woman but the others in her life. At first, I found it difficult to feel sympathy for Kirsten but that soon changed once you saw the radiance of her love as a mother. After that, I may not have approved of everything she did or didn't do, but I gained respect for our main protagonist. I also greatly enjoyed the look back into the pasts of some of the other characters. Kirsten's love for a mother isn't just radiant but it's real, she makes mistakes and deals with lasting consequences but you never once question the fact that she loved her children, and I think that's what really drew me to this story, the heart of it all. You wanted to cheer them on, Kirsten, Dixie, Stella, Eddie, Jane, even Jessie! I was not expecting this to make me tear up, but it did and it was a satisfying read that I really didn't want to put down until I'd finished it.
I would recommend for anyone who reads these sort of heartwarming and tear-inducing tales, Millie Gray has certainly done a brilliant job with it! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eAR in exchange for my honest opinion.
I would recommend for anyone who reads these sort of heartwarming and tear-inducing tales, Millie Gray has certainly done a brilliant job with it! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eAR in exchange for my honest opinion.
Forever People has just the sort of juicy sci-fi almost dystopia premise that I just love. The real world is the pits, no better than what we have here and now, but there’s a glimmer of hope, collect your Node Points and have an amazing afterlife with everything you could ever wish for, as long as you have the right amount of points, right?
Camille has been collecting an almost obscene amount of Node Points, or NPs as they’re called, and she has her own reasons for wanting so many, aside from a cushy afterlife of course. This leads her to take on a lot of jobs others wouldn’t, including hunting down Toy.
Unfortunately, this is one job that may just be too much and Camille is forced to push at the boundaries of what is perceived to be possible. Will she travel to the Node, and what will she find out when she gets there?
This is a great paced book, it’s all go from page one and I truly love Camille, she enjoys eating and doesn’t care what others think and let me tell you, food might be my soulmate, so I’ve connected on a deeply spiritual level with Camille. There’s also a great cast of characters surrounding her and everyone serves their purpose even if you don’t’ think they do. There was one character I wasn’t even sure why they were included when suddenly in one chapter Lyke connects all the dots leaving you going ‘oh..OOOOooh!’
I think that the world-building could have been explored more, and maybe gotten a bit more into Camille’s psyche. Though my biggest complaint would maybe be that I felt the ending was too abrupt, that with a little tweaking on how it worked it would have been perfect and I did enjoy the direction it went into so really I can’t complain very much at all.
This was a thoroughly creative work on Lyke’s part and it reminded me a lot of Ready Player One meets Surrogates which is pretty brilliant because while those are what I would compare Forever People to, Forever People is something all its own and completely unique to me. I also love the twist I thought it was SO appropriate.
Wrapping this up, if you want to have a neat sci-fi novel with Node Points that affect your afterlife and a very cool glimpse into this afterlife with a strong quirky female protagonist, then let me be the first to recommend Forever People.
**I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
I'll be honest, I was hesitant after the first chapter, wondering what I'd gotten myself into but I kept on and the other chapters were still a bit 'hmm' for me until about 30 pages in and then it all just clicked, Chivers had me hooked.
The premise was already right up my alley, Sci-Fi/Dystopia and I'm always a sucker for books about AI (or movies or anything else lol).
Clementine is a nugget and I want to protect her with all my heart and hiss at anyone who gets near her.
But, not to go crazy and mention a whole bunch of names that will mean nothing to you all, let's start small.
The story switches between three characters, each chapter is told in the first person and not two chapters in a row are from the same perspective/character. The characters are Silas, Levi, and Clementine who I've already mentioned. It's fun to have the perspective go from one of the 'good guys' to the corrupt minister and I really enjoyed that. The story is set in Jerusalem and I like that the reason it is, is because the Mechanicals/Machines have taken over Europe and the US. This means that the people coming to Jerusalem from those people are mostly refugees and that's a pretty interesting take. As this is set in the future, Jerusalem's history is mentioned but nothing is in-depth on it, which is pretty good for this particular book, I applaud Chivers on balancing that well enough. He doesn't try to write about what he doesn't know as far as setting the book in a different country goes and that's always a nice and refreshing thing, and his own take remains in our futuristic world he's built.
I would have enjoyed more of his world-building for this dystopia setting and that was probably my biggest let down in this novel. But this is more character-driven and not only that but the plot doesn't need you to know more than what he gives.
Overall this book really touched on humanity, showing an AI hybrid what it means to be human, and along the way perhaps a few others learn the meaning too [such as our ambitious criminal] and though there is talk about religion it's not to shove it in your face, it's part of the ties to the past and I really LOVED that there is a religion based off worshipping machines, and not to mention God is referred to with she/her in this so, I'm already like 'damn straight' lol.
The minor characters were interesting as well and I can say Yusuf and Amos were my favorites in that regard but I won't give away too many details.
Really loved this and was so satisfied when I finished, it was an unexpected favorite for me.
I'll be honest, I was hesitant after the first chapter, wondering what I'd gotten myself into but I kept on and the other chapters were still a bit 'hmm' for me until about 30 pages in and then it all just clicked, Chivers had me hooked.
The premise was already right up my alley, Sci-Fi/Dystopia and I'm always a sucker for books about AI (or movies or anything else lol).
Clementine is a nugget and I want to protect her with all my heart and hiss at anyone who gets near her.
But, not to go crazy and mention a whole bunch of names that will mean nothing to you all, let's start small.
The story switches between three characters, each chapter is told in the first person and not two chapters in a row are from the same perspective/character. The characters are Silas, Levi, and Clementine who I've already mentioned. It's fun to have the perspective go from one of the 'good guys' to the corrupt minister and I really enjoyed that. The story is set in Jerusalem and I like that the reason it is, is because the Mechanicals/Machines have taken over Europe and the US. This means that the people coming to Jerusalem from those people are mostly refugees and that's a pretty interesting take. As this is set in the future, Jerusalem's history is mentioned but nothing is in-depth on it, which is pretty good for this particular book, I applaud Chivers on balancing that well enough. He doesn't try to write about what he doesn't know as far as setting the book in a different country goes and that's always a nice and refreshing thing, and his own take remains in our futuristic world he's built.
I would have enjoyed more of his world-building for this dystopia setting and that was probably my biggest let down in this novel. But this is more character-driven and not only that but the plot doesn't need you to know more than what he gives.
Overall this book really touched on humanity, showing an AI hybrid what it means to be human, and along the way perhaps a few others learn the meaning too [such as our ambitious criminal] and though there is talk about religion it's not to shove it in your face, it's part of the ties to the past and I really LOVED that there is a religion based off worshipping machines, and not to mention God is referred to with she/her in this so, I'm already like 'damn straight' lol.
The minor characters were interesting as well and I can say Yusuf and Amos were my favorites in that regard but I won't give away too many details.
Really loved this and was so satisfied when I finished, it was an unexpected favorite for me.
dark
medium-paced
Palova gives us a creepy and dark horror novel that submerges you in a world of voodoo, beasts, and deals that never seem to be what they seem. Then again nothing is what it seems in Elisse's world. Not only that but she's given us an androgynous character and though there is love and pain and obstacles to cross, this book is no love story and that makes me enjoy it all the more because she promises to extend this world and Elisse so that you're left with a feeling of wanting to read straight on to book 2 once you reach the end, which is of course impossible.
The characters are diverse, some are 'gruff' and rough around the edges but many have enough facets to satisfy character-driven readers. At some point the character growth does slow but it's necessary to move forward with the plot once certain actions are needed/put in place. The reason this didn't get a higher rating from me was, purely, because I feel the translator and the translation itself might have lost some of the absolute magic that Mariana has written for us. I am planning on reading this in its native form next, in Spanish and hopefully, that will be soon. This is an exceedingly dark novel, there is violence/blood/gore/death and nightmarish things that go bump in the night. This is not a book for the faint of heart or for those who do not enjoy the things I've just mentioned.
The characters are diverse, some are 'gruff' and rough around the edges but many have enough facets to satisfy character-driven readers. At some point the character growth does slow but it's necessary to move forward with the plot once certain actions are needed/put in place. The reason this didn't get a higher rating from me was, purely, because I feel the translator and the translation itself might have lost some of the absolute magic that Mariana has written for us. I am planning on reading this in its native form next, in Spanish and hopefully, that will be soon. This is an exceedingly dark novel, there is violence/blood/gore/death and nightmarish things that go bump in the night. This is not a book for the faint of heart or for those who do not enjoy the things I've just mentioned.
Note: This is the SECOND book in a series, which may cause some confusion for the first couple of chapters.
I would say this was a solid good read. Enjoyable, great pacing, and not too long. It had hints of paranormal, it was a good mystery and though you may find you could pinpoint 'whodunit' early on, it doesn't take away from the entertainment value. It's the sort of book where I KNOW I'll want to read the next one each time and I appreciated the writing style as well. It wasn't too flowery or heavy and it's a blissful escape from a stressful day, the sort of read where it won't drain you but it will keep you intrigued.
I would recommend this to any mystery/paranormal reader and would definitely recommend reading the first book, well, first.
I received this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an HONEST review.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. [I did, however, buy my kindle book the same time I was approved for the eARC and that is the version I read]
I ended up deciding to round my 4.5 up to 5 rather than keep it at 4 after sleeping on it.
https://thecaffeinatedreader.com/2019...
First off I love this idea of magic being a virus, that it's not supposed to be a gift but yet still we have witchings.
Also, while magic is a good part and we have witchings which are the centre of a Holocaust scaled genocide in the US, Lee also gives us a good hard look at immigrants dealing with a country where the virus is an even more common fear for them, and so they go to another country, Carolinia to escape the horrors of Atlantia. And it is a beautifully tragic parallel to today's world and its problem with immigration. People just wanting to find a place to call home where they can feel safe. Not to mention I just felt the political games were well done and my favorite part of the book.
There's a dystopia really when you look at it as a world where we have failed to keep others safe, and that the immigrants are suffering and there's a deadly virus that means magic can kill you.
Noam is half Latino half Jewish, and bisexual. I love that he talks about his ex-girlfriend while also acknowledging he has feelings for men. [Won't disclose who as I'd hate to ruin the story for you all!]
Lee really brings a very teenage-like presence to all the teenage characters which sometimes authors can forget to do she also writes some tragic scenes and they are beautiful and Victoria Lee likes to tear out your emotions and dangle them above your head.
I love the little flashes of Calix information and I wish there would have been more if anything I would say maybe the pacing felt off at times because at moments I would pause and think so much as happened in so little time or so little has happened and yet I feel like I read 200 pages. That combined with the fact that it wasn't always clear how much time had passed made pacing one of like the two issues for me. So pacing and I wish there would have been more of Noam and his crush interacting, it felt like we didn't have a lot of time with them and so their feelings are sometimes a bit hard for me to believe. Those are probably my only complaints.
I really can't wait to read the next book and I can't wait to see more of Noam!
I ended up deciding to round my 4.5 up to 5 rather than keep it at 4 after sleeping on it.
https://thecaffeinatedreader.com/2019...
First off I love this idea of magic being a virus, that it's not supposed to be a gift but yet still we have witchings.
Also, while magic is a good part and we have witchings which are the centre of a Holocaust scaled genocide in the US, Lee also gives us a good hard look at immigrants dealing with a country where the virus is an even more common fear for them, and so they go to another country, Carolinia to escape the horrors of Atlantia. And it is a beautifully tragic parallel to today's world and its problem with immigration. People just wanting to find a place to call home where they can feel safe. Not to mention I just felt the political games were well done and my favorite part of the book.
There's a dystopia really when you look at it as a world where we have failed to keep others safe, and that the immigrants are suffering and there's a deadly virus that means magic can kill you.
Noam is half Latino half Jewish, and bisexual. I love that he talks about his ex-girlfriend while also acknowledging he has feelings for men. [Won't disclose who as I'd hate to ruin the story for you all!]
Lee really brings a very teenage-like presence to all the teenage characters which sometimes authors can forget to do she also writes some tragic scenes and they are beautiful and Victoria Lee likes to tear out your emotions and dangle them above your head.
I love the little flashes of Calix information and I wish there would have been more if anything I would say maybe the pacing felt off at times because at moments I would pause and think so much as happened in so little time or so little has happened and yet I feel like I read 200 pages. That combined with the fact that it wasn't always clear how much time had passed made pacing one of like the two issues for me. So pacing and I wish there would have been more of Noam and his crush interacting, it felt like we didn't have a lot of time with them and so their feelings are sometimes a bit hard for me to believe. Those are probably my only complaints.
I really can't wait to read the next book and I can't wait to see more of Noam!
I was really unbelievably pleased with Ghondatha
This was a book to restore my spirits after the last few reads.
The synopsis had me intrigued and it's the sort of love story I crave, the slow-burning (and for me, more realistic) kind. I did not expect the twist of the plot of the story and man, was that awesome!
There's guilds, ancient Antlantian like civilizations lost to a volcano, a war, and under that ware is an even bigger war that the humans have no notion of!
I love that the main character is a sculptor and her hearth sister is a potter. They're not the usual occupations you see for female characters, well, teenage/young adult ones anyway and I love how steadfast Sophra was to being a journeyman sculptor and her guild/family.
I received this book from booksiren in exchange for my honest review.
This was a book to restore my spirits after the last few reads.
The synopsis had me intrigued and it's the sort of love story I crave, the slow-burning (and for me, more realistic) kind. I did not expect the twist of the plot of the story and man, was that awesome!
There's guilds, ancient Antlantian like civilizations lost to a volcano, a war, and under that ware is an even bigger war that the humans have no notion of!
I love that the main character is a sculptor and her hearth sister is a potter. They're not the usual occupations you see for female characters, well, teenage/young adult ones anyway and I love how steadfast Sophra was to being a journeyman sculptor and her guild/family.
I received this book from booksiren in exchange for my honest review.
This was not at all what I expected and I’m sure those who like this sort of book will enjoy I greatly, it’s well written but really just wasn’t for me. I read this via booksprout and in exchange have given my honest opinion.
This was my first Neil Gaiman novel! I know, insane that I haven’t read any of his works yet! I have Good Omens and American Gods on my list to read eventually but for now, I will have to suffice with just one novel. And let me tell you, I’m so happy I picked this one! I really enjoyed Gaiman’s style of writing and I was totally enamoured with the way he described the faerie world and I loved every single creature in it.
I do have a dirty secret to admit.
I saw the movie first, I didn’t know it was a book or who Neil Gaiman was at the time, I had been reading mostly The Mortal Instrument series, the Twilight series [where I threw the final book against the wall, but that’s a story for another time] and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and of course, graduating H.S. and starting Uni, so, I was a bit busy to notice the fact that Stardust was a novel when I first saw the film in 2007 [I told you all I was old].
Guess what?
I love both the book and the movie. I thought the movie was a nice adaptation of it, and quite frankly I usually enjoy the movie versions of things…I can honestly say there’s only a handful of movie adaptations where I’m like ready to fight them on it.
Neil Gaiman does a great job with faerie tales from what I hear and this proved it to be true thus far at least in this novel for me. I cheered Tristan on as much as I did in the movie and I think I did like the book’s final scene between the Witch Queen and the Star better than the movie if I were going to nitpick anything.
I don’t want to give too much away and I really think the book speaks for itself, Tristan Thorn goes off to find a star as the woman he loves asks of him, and along the way he explores the faerie world and learns to become part of something that’s more than the town of Wall.
The book was also very quotable, though I think this was my favorite quote as someone who is constantly filled with wanderlust:
Have been unavoidably detained by the world. Expect us when you see us.”
I also read a version which gave a cute tiny short story about a girl and Wall and I hope someday Neil Gaiman decides to give us more from Wall and Tristan Thorn, I know he had plans too but, I think we all know this is one BUSY man!
Truth be told I also would have no complaints if he ever decided to write a book solely about the Witch’s servant [not giving anything away for those who haven’t read it, so sorry for using such vague terms for both those who haven’t read it and those who have].
If you’re looking for a book where you can just get lost in a faerie tale and it’s not filled with modern complexities but still has a modern feel, I would really recommend this. [I love modern retellings but sometimes it’s nice to have something more along the vein of the old faerie tales but, hey, I love everything usually lol]