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theinquisitxor's Reviews (804)
The library at my old Middle School has this book, and it always caught my eye, however I never checked it out. Something about the title and the cover always drew me to it. Every once in a while I would randomly think about this book, and always regret not having read it when I had the chance. Now, many years after my middle school days, I’ve finally done it. Since I’ve always remembered the book, I think I was always destined to be a Neil Gaiman fan, but 10 year old me had no idea at the time.
I’m a big Neil Gaiman fan now, but never having read any of his short stories, I thought this was a good place to start. There were several I liked, and several I didn’t care much for. I liked Troll Bridge, October in the Chair, Chivalry, the Price, and the lovely little poem at the end, Instructions. The rest were okay. Now onto Coraline!
I’m a big Neil Gaiman fan now, but never having read any of his short stories, I thought this was a good place to start. There were several I liked, and several I didn’t care much for. I liked Troll Bridge, October in the Chair, Chivalry, the Price, and the lovely little poem at the end, Instructions. The rest were okay. Now onto Coraline!
5/5 stars, read on audio. I started Project Hail Mary expecting another fun but gripping story of space/science/survival— and it was all that— but the story also came out of left field and absolutely derailed me with the power of friendship and love and two beings out in the vastness of space both trying their hardest to fix the problem and somehow survive their suicide missions.
It’s also how much you’re willing to die for a funky little alien you just met and I think this book is perfect
It’s also how much you’re willing to die for a funky little alien you just met and I think this book is perfect
This book was...bleak and sad, but also hopeful and beautiful. The way the author describes the Alaskan landscape is breathtaking at moments, but she is quick to remind of the brutal reality of homesteading in rural Alaska. There were many times in which I felt like I was right there in the cabin, the fields, the forests, or the mountains following Jack, Mabel, Faina or Garrett. The author swept me up in descriptions of the scenery that I could vividly imagine at almost every scene. This is definitely a story less focused on action and plot, but more on the characters and their struggles and survival.
Mabel and Jack start off seemingly to be such opposites, despite being married and deciding to move from tame Pennsylvania to the wilds of Alaska. Mable's destitution and depression in the beginning of the novel really make the story even more bleak, and I was worried that the entire novel would be as difficult as the first section. But as Fiana enters their lives and they grow and begin to love the land that surrounds them, the novel takes almost an entirely different tone, but there is still a subtle sadness because Mable (and the reader) know how the fairy tale ends. When I was about 100 pages from the end I thought to myself "I don't think this is going to have a happy ending..." Which is both true and not true. The ending still remains a stark portrayal of family, life and living in an unforgiving land.
I thought this was a wonderful retelling of the Russian fairy tale. But the ending was a little anti-climatic? But so is the coming of spring, so I guess that is appropriate.
Mabel and Jack start off seemingly to be such opposites, despite being married and deciding to move from tame Pennsylvania to the wilds of Alaska. Mable's destitution and depression in the beginning of the novel really make the story even more bleak, and I was worried that the entire novel would be as difficult as the first section. But as Fiana enters their lives and they grow and begin to love the land that surrounds them, the novel takes almost an entirely different tone, but there is still a subtle sadness because Mable (and the reader) know how the fairy tale ends. When I was about 100 pages from the end I thought to myself "I don't think this is going to have a happy ending..." Which is both true and not true. The ending still remains a stark portrayal of family, life and living in an unforgiving land.
I thought this was a wonderful retelling of the Russian fairy tale. But the ending was a little anti-climatic? But so is the coming of spring, so I guess that is appropriate.
I can’t wait to read the next one, but I don’t know when that will be because my local library does not have it
4.5 stars-
Not sure why the second book is considered not to be good? Because I sure enjoyed reading it. Such a nice cast of diverse characters too. We have have disabled characters, poc characters, hijabi characters, etc. These series should get a lot more attention!
Edit- after thinking about is for a little while, I can see how some of the tropes are overused and the romance is a little bland tbh. But I don’t read enough YA to really feel like this book overuses common tropes. For me it was an exciting and engaging read.
Not sure why the second book is considered not to be good? Because I sure enjoyed reading it. Such a nice cast of diverse characters too. We have have disabled characters, poc characters, hijabi characters, etc. These series should get a lot more attention!
Edit- after thinking about is for a little while, I can see how some of the tropes are overused and the romance is a little bland tbh. But I don’t read enough YA to really feel like this book overuses common tropes. For me it was an exciting and engaging read.
Delightfully dark, macabre, and nefarious, while still being funny and very morally gray
Hands down one of the best books I’ve read all year. Such an interesting idea of the Library of Alexandria and the censorship of knowledge. The characters and world building was amazing. I can’t wait to read the next two books in the series (although I’ve heard they’re not as good, hopefully this is proved wrong).