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thereadingmum's reviews
815 reviews
Aisle Nine by Ian X. Cho
3.0
Oh dear, I seem to be having a bad streak with review copies lately. This was another one I really wanted to love, but that fell short.
The premise is great. Portals to a demon dimension open up across the world suddenly and an evil megacorporation has been both protecting and controlling the world from the demons that periodically emerge from those portals since. Jasper works at the soul-numbing, Temu-like store Here for You discount store with its own monster portal right in aisle nine. He is battling demons obv, but also amnesia from a work accident months ago and his crush on one of the portal guards assigned to his store, Kyle (read, I think as Kylie).
Ok so what I didn't like:
1. The name Kyle just annoyed me so much. This is clearly me and my hangups but WHY?!
2. The writing is for middle-grade rather than YA and even then feels too dumbed down. I compare it to books like The Hunger Games or even Roald Dahl's children's books and really, it's only passable.
3. The "twist" was really obvious, but this can be forgiven if the writing was better.
However, it was entertaining and I think many of the older middle-grade to younger YA will enjoy it because the humour is quite dry and it gives off a Warm Bodies vibe. So I did pass it to my 14yo saying I thought she would like it, but it's not a book I would buy for anyone.
The premise is great. Portals to a demon dimension open up across the world suddenly and an evil megacorporation has been both protecting and controlling the world from the demons that periodically emerge from those portals since. Jasper works at the soul-numbing, Temu-like store Here for You discount store with its own monster portal right in aisle nine. He is battling demons obv, but also amnesia from a work accident months ago and his crush on one of the portal guards assigned to his store, Kyle (read, I think as Kylie).
Ok so what I didn't like:
1. The name Kyle just annoyed me so much. This is clearly me and my hangups but WHY?!
2. The writing is for middle-grade rather than YA and even then feels too dumbed down. I compare it to books like The Hunger Games or even Roald Dahl's children's books and really, it's only passable.
3. The "twist" was really obvious, but this can be forgiven if the writing was better.
However, it was entertaining and I think many of the older middle-grade to younger YA will enjoy it because the humour is quite dry and it gives off a Warm Bodies vibe. So I did pass it to my 14yo saying I thought she would like it, but it's not a book I would buy for anyone.
Third Girl by Agatha Christie
3.5
This was an interesting one because instead of beginning with a murder, it starts with a young woman thinking she had committed one, but not having any evidence or even a body. This piques Poirot's interest as well and he starts to look into this woman, her family, friends and living situation.
I've always had an issue placing any Christie book outside of the 1930-1950 period. However, the 1970s was very evident here and very informative. I was interested to learn that the pracrtise of young women subleting the remaining rooms in their rental apartments out to other young women sort of started then.
Christie used the proliferation of drugs as a theme in this one, which was also very timely. I thought the mystery itself was good and typical Christie. However, I found the social observations a bit too much. I don't exactly read a cosy murder mystery for those so for the first time, actually skipped bits of the novel.
I've always had an issue placing any Christie book outside of the 1930-1950 period. However, the 1970s was very evident here and very informative. I was interested to learn that the pracrtise of young women subleting the remaining rooms in their rental apartments out to other young women sort of started then.
Christie used the proliferation of drugs as a theme in this one, which was also very timely. I thought the mystery itself was good and typical Christie. However, I found the social observations a bit too much. I don't exactly read a cosy murder mystery for those so for the first time, actually skipped bits of the novel.
Eric by Terry Pratchett
4.0
Any Discworld novel with The Luggage in it is automatically 4 stars for me. Rincewind's voice is slightly lower than I imagined but the tone is perfect. He is the penultimate luckless hero.
Never Lie by Freida McFadden
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Had a lot of elements from other books and tv shows so was entertaining. I saw the first twist coming from awhile away. The second twist not so much. However, I agree with many other reviewers that the ending was disappointing. It was unsatisfying and had me going "seriously?!" I personally don't like it when the evil people get away with stuff and it seems like a lot of others don't either. Also, for someone supposedly so intelligent, put together and a psychiatrist to boot, Dr Hale is impulsive, has no common sense and doesn't think ahead. It's just not believable for a character to be so contradictory.
Down the Rabbit Hole by Shaeden Berry
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This immediately brought to mind Holly Ringland's The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding. I enjoyed Down the Rabbit Hole a lot more. Here's why:
- I prefer Shaeden Barry's writing. It is contemporary yet well executed and the dialogue is believable but not annoyingly realistic.
- The plot is well-paced and I was sucked in to Hannah's spiralling obsession from the start.
- I loved the Alice in Wonderland quotes and thought they were very appropriate.
But the main reason was that although Hannah is also a twenty-something woman with questionable morals and a track record of bad decision-making, her bad decisions aren't quite as bad (how is it ok to hook up with your dead sister's boyfriend so soon after her death?!), she is not as annoying or at least she is cognizant of her lack of consideration, and she actually redeems herself at the end. Esther did not IMO and I really could not stand her.
I admit I had to skim a bit over Marnie and Rachel's stories as they were a teensy bit cliched and I didn't really need all the details. However, I think put together, their 3 stories do tie in very well. Alice's disappearance isn't solved though you get a very strong idea of what happened, but this is ok and I felt satisfied at the end.
Excellent debut and I look forward to what she can do next and how she will develop as an author.
- I prefer Shaeden Barry's writing. It is contemporary yet well executed and the dialogue is believable but not annoyingly realistic.
- The plot is well-paced and I was sucked in to Hannah's spiralling obsession from the start.
- I loved the Alice in Wonderland quotes and thought they were very appropriate.
But the main reason was that although Hannah is also a twenty-something woman with questionable morals and a track record of bad decision-making, her bad decisions aren't quite as bad (how is it ok to hook up with your dead sister's boyfriend so soon after her death?!), she is not as annoying or at least she is cognizant of her lack of consideration, and she actually redeems herself at the end. Esther did not IMO and I really could not stand her.
I admit I had to skim a bit over Marnie and Rachel's stories as they were a teensy bit cliched and I didn't really need all the details. However, I think put together, their 3 stories do tie in very well. Alice's disappearance isn't solved though you get a very strong idea of what happened, but this is ok and I felt satisfied at the end.
Excellent debut and I look forward to what she can do next and how she will develop as an author.
Amongst Our Weapons by Ben Aaronovitch
4.75
I have loved this whole series. However, a few of the books have leaned a bit too heavily on the architectural/music speak and the plots were a little hard to follow.
Amongst Our Weapons is possibly my 2nd favourite of the series with the first book still standing as the only 5-star.
There's more development of the team with a new "recruit", another female, and Lesley returns to stir things up. The plot is much more cosy mystery type with a serial killing "angel" from the Spanish inquisition on the loose. Meanwhile the looming birth of Peter and Beverley's twins add to the mayhem.
Amongst Our Weapons is possibly my 2nd favourite of the series with the first book still standing as the only 5-star.
There's more development of the team with a new "recruit", another female, and Lesley returns to stir things up. The plot is much more cosy mystery type with a serial killing "angel" from the Spanish inquisition on the loose. Meanwhile the looming birth of Peter and Beverley's twins add to the mayhem.
Wilderness Tips by Margaret Atwood
4.75
Short stories are much harder to get right because you have so much less time to develop characters and plot and set up the scene. This is why I usually avoid them because I invariably end up cringing or shrugging with indifference. There are a few writers, however, that I know will not disappoint. Atwood is certainly one of them.
The stories in this collection are longer in format and I would classify them as literary. I especially liked "True Trash" and "Hairball". These are not "easy" stories to read and most of them have a dark or tragic bent. However, the quality of the writing is such that it makes reading them a pleasure even if you're left feeling sad.
If you need a masterclass in the short form, I highly recommend any of Atwood's short story collections.
The stories in this collection are longer in format and I would classify them as literary. I especially liked "True Trash" and "Hairball". These are not "easy" stories to read and most of them have a dark or tragic bent. However, the quality of the writing is such that it makes reading them a pleasure even if you're left feeling sad.
If you need a masterclass in the short form, I highly recommend any of Atwood's short story collections.