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The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan
3.5
Sometimes I'm simply in the mood of picking something outside of my 2022 reading list. My 2022 reading list is still lacking some literary fiction titles, so I've decided to look up the internet and see which recent literary fition releases received good reviews.
So I came Jessamine Chan's debut novel The School for Good Mothers. I was intrigued by both the premise and the positive reviews so I jumped in reading this from a point of curiosity - to both understand what this novel really wants to tell & why this book is well received in the first place.
To put it concisely, The School for Good Mothers is a hard to put down literary fiction with some Sci-Fi elements (artificial intelligence, I'm lookin' at you). This page-turner is rich with social commentary & digs deep into the notion of parenting, and features a flawed yet nuanced main character, Frida Liu. I must admit that I couldn't put this book down because I wanted to see her character development, how her child is faring away from her, and her fate with her child. So I Chan definitely did something right with Frida's characterisation and the social commentary aspects of the book that kept me going!
I think The School for Good Mothers is a solid debut that left me a healthy amount of food for thoughts. It had me thinking about a lot of things including:
- What are the redeeming qualities of a good parent? Or conversely, what makes someone a bad parent / incapable of parenting?
- What would change if social workers intervene on what they deemed to be "bad parenting" as in the novel?
- How much mistakes / slip-ups could be condoned before one faces a legal consequence?
Without giving away too much details of what exactly happened in Chan's debut, I think the novel addressed all three points above in an open-minded manner. What emotionally hit me is that both Frida's rumination about her past mistakes leading to her child being taken away and the setbacks she faced in the school, made the consequences she faced more heartbreaking. In addition to the heartbreaking impact that had me invested in Frida as a character, I also think the social commentary about mothers from different backgrounds is quite interesting to read about - their circumstances and how that leads to them unable to adhere to the "good parenting" standard as dictated within the pages.
So substantially I can understand why The School for Good Mothers is well-received: it's thought-provoking, has sharp social commentary, and has a way of welcoming readers to turn the pages.
While The School for Good Mothers is definitely a strong debut for its own merit, it's not without its drawbacks. Personally I thought some of the secondary characters aren't as well fleshed out. So while I'd loved to see how Frida slowly got along with her roommate & classmates, I didn't have that much of an opportunity to see that come into fruition. Another thing that I wasn't particularly fond of is the language use in latter half of the chapter - particularly the racially derogatory terms that I didn't feel was resolved properly.
Finally, I also want to give readers a heads up that The School for Good Mothers contains a lot of content warnings which I'll list below, so be aware of these in advance if you plan to read the book!
Content warnings: racism, misogyny, violence, abandonment, separation, illnesses, emotional blackmail, mental illness, mentions of drug, self-harm, hospital visits, and childbirth
So while I had some issues with the language use in a few chapters & would had loved to see better character arcs amongst the support characters, overall I think Chan's The School for Good Mothers is a thought provoking debut. I rarely read literary fictions but Chan's sharp social commentary and emotionally devastating storytelling did manage to keep me interested in the story she's trying to tell!
(3.5 stars out of 5)
So I came Jessamine Chan's debut novel The School for Good Mothers. I was intrigued by both the premise and the positive reviews so I jumped in reading this from a point of curiosity - to both understand what this novel really wants to tell & why this book is well received in the first place.
To put it concisely, The School for Good Mothers is a hard to put down literary fiction with some Sci-Fi elements (artificial intelligence, I'm lookin' at you). This page-turner is rich with social commentary & digs deep into the notion of parenting, and features a flawed yet nuanced main character, Frida Liu. I must admit that I couldn't put this book down because I wanted to see her character development, how her child is faring away from her, and her fate with her child. So I Chan definitely did something right with Frida's characterisation and the social commentary aspects of the book that kept me going!
I think The School for Good Mothers is a solid debut that left me a healthy amount of food for thoughts. It had me thinking about a lot of things including:
- What are the redeeming qualities of a good parent? Or conversely, what makes someone a bad parent / incapable of parenting?
- What would change if social workers intervene on what they deemed to be "bad parenting" as in the novel?
- How much mistakes / slip-ups could be condoned before one faces a legal consequence?
Without giving away too much details of what exactly happened in Chan's debut, I think the novel addressed all three points above in an open-minded manner. What emotionally hit me is that both Frida's rumination about her past mistakes leading to her child being taken away and the setbacks she faced in the school, made the consequences she faced more heartbreaking. In addition to the heartbreaking impact that had me invested in Frida as a character, I also think the social commentary about mothers from different backgrounds is quite interesting to read about - their circumstances and how that leads to them unable to adhere to the "good parenting" standard as dictated within the pages.
So substantially I can understand why The School for Good Mothers is well-received: it's thought-provoking, has sharp social commentary, and has a way of welcoming readers to turn the pages.
While The School for Good Mothers is definitely a strong debut for its own merit, it's not without its drawbacks. Personally I thought some of the secondary characters aren't as well fleshed out. So while I'd loved to see how Frida slowly got along with her roommate & classmates, I didn't have that much of an opportunity to see that come into fruition. Another thing that I wasn't particularly fond of is the language use in latter half of the chapter - particularly the racially derogatory terms that I didn't feel was resolved properly.
Finally, I also want to give readers a heads up that The School for Good Mothers contains a lot of content warnings which I'll list below, so be aware of these in advance if you plan to read the book!
Content warnings: racism, misogyny, violence, abandonment, separation, illnesses, emotional blackmail, mental illness, mentions of drug, self-harm, hospital visits, and childbirth
So while I had some issues with the language use in a few chapters & would had loved to see better character arcs amongst the support characters, overall I think Chan's The School for Good Mothers is a thought provoking debut. I rarely read literary fictions but Chan's sharp social commentary and emotionally devastating storytelling did manage to keep me interested in the story she's trying to tell!
(3.5 stars out of 5)
The Healthy Brain Book: An All-Ages Guide to a Calmer, Happier, Sharper You: A proven plan for managing anxiety, depression, and ADHD, and preventing and reversing dementia and Alzheimer's by Vincent M. Fortanasce, William Sears
4.0
I really enjoyed reading The Healthy Brain Book!! Reading this was both a therapeutic and eye-opening experience. I think overall this book explains the scientific aspects about brain science in a pretty understandable way - you don't have to be a biology expert to grasp the nitty gritty details because William Sears highlighted the most important bullet points nice & clear in each chapter. In addition to the clear & concise writing is the effective illustrations - they definitely worth more than a thousand words!
What I found particularly eye-opening is that The Healthy Brain Book provides some smart tweaks that I could consider introducing in my daily lifestyle & how these tweaks are backed by science. While brain science & mental health isn't a one-size-fits-all thing, I think this The Healthy Brain Book is nevertheless a pretty accessible self-help book that discusses & summarises different topics coherently. It definitely gave me plenty food for thoughts!
N.B. Content warnings: mental illnesses & physical illnesses
What I found particularly eye-opening is that The Healthy Brain Book provides some smart tweaks that I could consider introducing in my daily lifestyle & how these tweaks are backed by science. While brain science & mental health isn't a one-size-fits-all thing, I think this The Healthy Brain Book is nevertheless a pretty accessible self-help book that discusses & summarises different topics coherently. It definitely gave me plenty food for thoughts!
N.B. Content warnings: mental illnesses & physical illnesses
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
4.0
Freya Marske's A Marvellous Light is the first book that I've read straight from my 2022 backlist. It was one of a handful anticipated releases back from 2021 and luckily it didn't disappoint! This stunning & Edwardian London inspired debut is a witty love story of two magicians, with a clever mystery subplot. But beneath the intriguing premise & the love story is also a tale about human chemistry and taking responsiblities within a relationship.
What I enjoyed:
+ Characters: I normally don't enjoy romance heavy books, but I personally found Robin & Edwin's slow burn relationship quite bearable - thanks to the compelling main characters. Both Robin and Edwin are fascinating characters who have a lot going on in their headspace. I think Marske did a decent job at fleshing out both the sentiments they've experienced as well as their backstories. But what I really liked about A Marvellous Light is how it depicts that an opposites attract relationship can work out, as long as both people take emotional acountability. Being a junkie for the enemies to lovers trope, reading about Robin & Edwin latching on for each other is frankly quite seretonin inducing!
+ Prose: Marske's detailed & slightly meandering prose might not be for everyone, but I personally thought it strengthens the storytelling that it not only brought out the visual elements vividly, there's also plenty of humourous comeback lines between the characters - one smart way to engage with the characters. The moment of comic relief that offsets the tense mystery / thriller subplot.
+ Worldbuilding: One thing that I've noticed with books with good worldbuilding is that eventually everything makes sense to you. This is definitely the case with A Marvellous Light. While the magic system seemed initially more subtle than I've expected, I liked the concept & I think it meshes well with the slower paced m/m relationship. Personally I would love to see more of the magic system unfold in the subsequent installments!
What could be better:
- Pacing: Marske's debut is definitely a tad slower than I've expected - the magical stuff seemed quite subtle at first, the mystery subplot gently hums in the background, and more words are dedicated to the slower moments in the book. I can see why this might not be for everyone, but I think the slower pacing enhances both Robin & Edwin's character arcs (their budding relationship) as well as the overall contexualisation of the novel. This slower approach allows the mystery element to pan out in a more natural way (contrary to many fast paced thriller novels where the plots legit become unrealistic yet also very easy to guess).
- Sex scenes: This is more of a personal preference, but I was personally less sold into the descriptions of the intimate scenes. Not that it's badly done - I actually think some of these moments are quite witty & demonstrates the emotionally vulnerable moments that's rarely seen elsewhere but yeah part of me would love to see more of the magic system explored.
To sum it up, if you love a historical fantasy novel featuring a solid enemies to lovers relationship & witty writing, A Marvellous Light definitely offers both! Just be aware of the slower pacing and the intimate scenes (that might not be suitable for minors) in advance.
N.B. Content warnings: sex / NSFW scenes, vomiting, emotional blackmail, and corpse
What I enjoyed:
+ Characters: I normally don't enjoy romance heavy books, but I personally found Robin & Edwin's slow burn relationship quite bearable - thanks to the compelling main characters. Both Robin and Edwin are fascinating characters who have a lot going on in their headspace. I think Marske did a decent job at fleshing out both the sentiments they've experienced as well as their backstories. But what I really liked about A Marvellous Light is how it depicts that an opposites attract relationship can work out, as long as both people take emotional acountability. Being a junkie for the enemies to lovers trope, reading about Robin & Edwin latching on for each other is frankly quite seretonin inducing!
+ Prose: Marske's detailed & slightly meandering prose might not be for everyone, but I personally thought it strengthens the storytelling that it not only brought out the visual elements vividly, there's also plenty of humourous comeback lines between the characters - one smart way to engage with the characters. The moment of comic relief that offsets the tense mystery / thriller subplot.
+ Worldbuilding: One thing that I've noticed with books with good worldbuilding is that eventually everything makes sense to you. This is definitely the case with A Marvellous Light. While the magic system seemed initially more subtle than I've expected, I liked the concept & I think it meshes well with the slower paced m/m relationship. Personally I would love to see more of the magic system unfold in the subsequent installments!
What could be better:
- Pacing: Marske's debut is definitely a tad slower than I've expected - the magical stuff seemed quite subtle at first, the mystery subplot gently hums in the background, and more words are dedicated to the slower moments in the book. I can see why this might not be for everyone, but I think the slower pacing enhances both Robin & Edwin's character arcs (their budding relationship) as well as the overall contexualisation of the novel. This slower approach allows the mystery element to pan out in a more natural way (contrary to many fast paced thriller novels where the plots legit become unrealistic yet also very easy to guess).
- Sex scenes: This is more of a personal preference, but I was personally less sold into the descriptions of the intimate scenes. Not that it's badly done - I actually think some of these moments are quite witty & demonstrates the emotionally vulnerable moments that's rarely seen elsewhere but yeah part of me would love to see more of the magic system explored.
To sum it up, if you love a historical fantasy novel featuring a solid enemies to lovers relationship & witty writing, A Marvellous Light definitely offers both! Just be aware of the slower pacing and the intimate scenes (that might not be suitable for minors) in advance.
N.B. Content warnings: sex / NSFW scenes, vomiting, emotional blackmail, and corpse
Ruinsong by Julia Ember
2.0
Ruinsong is one of those books that's on my iPad for ages so to fill in some free time yesterday I ended up finishing the whole thing in one sitting. This is a story about taking ownership of one's voice, featuring a decent diversity amongst the characters.
Personally I thought the representation is the bright spot of the book. It's good to see underrepresented individuals featuring in the pages of Ruinsong. It's an opportunity to offer readers a fresh new perspective of seeing the world. Another thing that intrigued me was the central theme about taking ownership of one's personal narratives & knowing one's worth, though I must admit that the overall execution of the ideas was kind of a let down.
While I can see that the central theme floats around throughout Ruinsong, overall the writing didn't particularly work for me: poor pacing / plot, incomplete worldbuilding, and not very likeable characters. My biggest concern is the incoherence coming from weak worldbuilding that leads to shaky storytelling: I wasn't given enough contextual materials to properly patch together Cadence and Remi's characterisations. Because of the underdeveloped storytelling, I didn't feel sold into the promised sapphic enemies to lovers romance at all.
Adding to the grievance is the atrociously crafted villains i.e. Elene and Ren. I think their characterisation just reflects the overly simplistic worldbuilding. I must say that it wasn't hard for me to predict the ending. Overall the plot is just very predictable and generic YA.
To summarise, I think Ruinsong has the potential (good representation which could had been a good opportunity to give some smart twists to the enemies to lovers trope) but overall I thought the writing is poorly executed.
N.B. Content warnings include: emotional blackmail, violence, drowning, abuse, vomiting, weapons, blood mention, and gaslighting
Personally I thought the representation is the bright spot of the book. It's good to see underrepresented individuals featuring in the pages of Ruinsong. It's an opportunity to offer readers a fresh new perspective of seeing the world. Another thing that intrigued me was the central theme about taking ownership of one's personal narratives & knowing one's worth, though I must admit that the overall execution of the ideas was kind of a let down.
While I can see that the central theme floats around throughout Ruinsong, overall the writing didn't particularly work for me: poor pacing / plot, incomplete worldbuilding, and not very likeable characters. My biggest concern is the incoherence coming from weak worldbuilding that leads to shaky storytelling: I wasn't given enough contextual materials to properly patch together Cadence and Remi's characterisations. Because of the underdeveloped storytelling, I didn't feel sold into the promised sapphic enemies to lovers romance at all.
Adding to the grievance is the atrociously crafted villains i.e. Elene and Ren. I think their characterisation just reflects the overly simplistic worldbuilding. I must say that it wasn't hard for me to predict the ending. Overall the plot is just very predictable and generic YA.
To summarise, I think Ruinsong has the potential (good representation which could had been a good opportunity to give some smart twists to the enemies to lovers trope) but overall I thought the writing is poorly executed.
N.B. Content warnings include: emotional blackmail, violence, drowning, abuse, vomiting, weapons, blood mention, and gaslighting
The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman
2.5
The Ivory Key is an Indian-inspired fantasy debut by Akshaya Raman. Told from the perspectives of four estranged siblings, this book features a quest and tells a story about making personal choices - some difficult ones where morally conflicts occur.
I personally feel conflicted reviewing this, but let me talk about a few things that I enjoyed in Raman's debut first:
+ Concept: ooh so I personally found the worldbuilding & magic system quite intriguing. Raman's writing style vividly brings out both the fantasy elements as well as the mouth watering descriptions of food throughout the novel. Another interesting element about the book is the how the author draws inspiration from a historical temple in India and develops The Ivory Key plotwise through a quest. I think it conveys this idea of forbidden knowledge / power that's locked within a location that's not accessed in a long time & it's interesting to see how that leads to the siblings having to make difficult decisions throughout the novel.
+ Prose: As I've mentioned briefly in the last point, Raman's writing style helps me visualise the imageries in The Ivory Key, particularly what the magic looks like when I read the pages. I also thought some of the dialogues in the book are quite touching - particularly the ones about the notion of power.
While the premise does indeed look promising, I'm afraid to say that I personally found the overall execution in the writing - particularly the characterisation and pacing, a bit lacking.
- Pacing: This is definitely my biggest issue with The Ivory Key. So while it's no easy task to juggle between 4 distinct POV's, I must admit that Raman's choice of using 4 POV's also takes a hit with the pacing of the book. I feel like nothing really happened in the first 2/3 of the book, and then all of the seemingly unbelievable twists and turns (most of those I've guessed in advance) are crammed in the final few chapters - this turns out to be a very common YA issue.
I also think the short chapter length complicates the pacing issue - not only they felt choppy, I also didn't have an easy time properly engaging with the characters.
- Characterisation: I felt that the character arcs are quite uneven in The Ivory Key. I wasn't given sufficient backstories on why all 4 characters have different agendas on their quest to obtain the Ivory Key. For example, I wasn't very convinced with Ronak's agenda because his supposed path of a political marriange is not very well fleshed out. And because of this, Ronak's POV chapters suffered as a result and I didn't feel very invested in his chapters. Personally I think this book would had fared a bit better if there's 1 less POV to juggle with.
This is a shame because I found Riya and Vira's chapters quite promising. Only if they had more pages from their own perspectives where more about their headspace could be thoroughly explored.
- Storytelling: Both the short chapter length and the lack of character backstories contribute to mediocre storytelling in the book. The short chapter length felt artificial at best - where a full story should take place I felt that many of those got cut in half e.g. Vira's backstory on how she wants to uphold her family legacy. Because of the incomplete storytelling throughout, it's hard to grasp how the characters grew throughout the novel & the coherent life lessons that they've learnt through making difficult choices and undertaking this quest.
To summarise, The Ivory Key is a tad disappointing. While conceptually it's interesting & it features a diverse cast set in an Indian-inspired secondary world, it falters in executing a compelling plot as well as character arcs.
N.B. Content warnings: fire, accidents, + full list of cw's on author's page
(2.5 stars out of 5)
I personally feel conflicted reviewing this, but let me talk about a few things that I enjoyed in Raman's debut first:
+ Concept: ooh so I personally found the worldbuilding & magic system quite intriguing. Raman's writing style vividly brings out both the fantasy elements as well as the mouth watering descriptions of food throughout the novel. Another interesting element about the book is the how the author draws inspiration from a historical temple in India and develops The Ivory Key plotwise through a quest. I think it conveys this idea of forbidden knowledge / power that's locked within a location that's not accessed in a long time & it's interesting to see how that leads to the siblings having to make difficult decisions throughout the novel.
+ Prose: As I've mentioned briefly in the last point, Raman's writing style helps me visualise the imageries in The Ivory Key, particularly what the magic looks like when I read the pages. I also thought some of the dialogues in the book are quite touching - particularly the ones about the notion of power.
While the premise does indeed look promising, I'm afraid to say that I personally found the overall execution in the writing - particularly the characterisation and pacing, a bit lacking.
- Pacing: This is definitely my biggest issue with The Ivory Key. So while it's no easy task to juggle between 4 distinct POV's, I must admit that Raman's choice of using 4 POV's also takes a hit with the pacing of the book. I feel like nothing really happened in the first 2/3 of the book, and then all of the seemingly unbelievable twists and turns (most of those I've guessed in advance) are crammed in the final few chapters - this turns out to be a very common YA issue.
I also think the short chapter length complicates the pacing issue - not only they felt choppy, I also didn't have an easy time properly engaging with the characters.
- Characterisation: I felt that the character arcs are quite uneven in The Ivory Key. I wasn't given sufficient backstories on why all 4 characters have different agendas on their quest to obtain the Ivory Key. For example, I wasn't very convinced with Ronak's agenda because his supposed path of a political marriange is not very well fleshed out. And because of this, Ronak's POV chapters suffered as a result and I didn't feel very invested in his chapters. Personally I think this book would had fared a bit better if there's 1 less POV to juggle with.
This is a shame because I found Riya and Vira's chapters quite promising. Only if they had more pages from their own perspectives where more about their headspace could be thoroughly explored.
- Storytelling: Both the short chapter length and the lack of character backstories contribute to mediocre storytelling in the book. The short chapter length felt artificial at best - where a full story should take place I felt that many of those got cut in half e.g. Vira's backstory on how she wants to uphold her family legacy. Because of the incomplete storytelling throughout, it's hard to grasp how the characters grew throughout the novel & the coherent life lessons that they've learnt through making difficult choices and undertaking this quest.
To summarise, The Ivory Key is a tad disappointing. While conceptually it's interesting & it features a diverse cast set in an Indian-inspired secondary world, it falters in executing a compelling plot as well as character arcs.
N.B. Content warnings: fire, accidents, + full list of cw's on author's page
(2.5 stars out of 5)
Good Vibes, Good Life: How Self-Love Is the Key to Unlocking Your Greatness by Vex King
3.5
I don't usually read non-fiction books, but this Vex King's Good Vibes, Good Life caught my attention since one main goal I'm working on in 2022 is to prioritise on my mental health. Based on the premise, I think this book covers what I'm looking for: Like I could bring in a few tweaks in my everyday life / thinking that could help support this New Year's resolution of mine.
For most parts, Good Vibes, Good Life discusses the different components that contribute to practicing self-love in a pretty understandable way. I quite liked the highlighted quotes that gives readers a gist of the key takeaways in each chapter. Personally I think the chapter focusing on paying attention to the thought patterns is pretty well done: I really needed it right now and the examples that King provided were quite engaging to read about.
While this book provides some basic tweaks that I could consider introducing in my daily life, I felt that these ideas aren't one size fits all. So that's something to be aware of if you plan to read this book. Another drawback with Good Vibes, Good Life is that due to the brevity of the book, it doesn't provide very detailed examples. Personally this isn't an issue, but I can see why some readers prefer to read more concrete examples & more concrete ways to practice self-love.
Despite these minor issues, I found the key takeaways provided in Good Vibes, Good Life quite resonating that it gave me some food for thoughts on the tweaks that I could introduce to support my mental health. It's not perfect by any standards, but it's nevertheless an engaging read.
(3.5 stars out of 5)
For most parts, Good Vibes, Good Life discusses the different components that contribute to practicing self-love in a pretty understandable way. I quite liked the highlighted quotes that gives readers a gist of the key takeaways in each chapter. Personally I think the chapter focusing on paying attention to the thought patterns is pretty well done: I really needed it right now and the examples that King provided were quite engaging to read about.
While this book provides some basic tweaks that I could consider introducing in my daily life, I felt that these ideas aren't one size fits all. So that's something to be aware of if you plan to read this book. Another drawback with Good Vibes, Good Life is that due to the brevity of the book, it doesn't provide very detailed examples. Personally this isn't an issue, but I can see why some readers prefer to read more concrete examples & more concrete ways to practice self-love.
Despite these minor issues, I found the key takeaways provided in Good Vibes, Good Life quite resonating that it gave me some food for thoughts on the tweaks that I could introduce to support my mental health. It's not perfect by any standards, but it's nevertheless an engaging read.
(3.5 stars out of 5)
The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska
3.5
Happy 2022 and I'm glad to spend my first 2 days of the new calendar year reading The Midnight Girls. This is a wintry and atmospheric book set in the alternate 18th Century Poland. It has an interesting blend of Slavic folklore, magic, as well as morally ambiguous characters.
Being a semi-seasonal reader myself, The Midnight Girls is fitting as a winter read. Personally I'm in love with the Jasinska's charming prose that brings the magic of Karnawal into life. I also felt intrigued about the fascinating magic system: the elementals, the light vs the dark, and the different Yagas.
Another forte of The Midnight Girls is the characterisation - particularly that of Marynka and Zosia's. Jasinska toyed with a few YA tropes (e.g. enemies to lovers romance and morally grey characters) but manages to add an original twists to them. Reading about their mutual pining is quite a refreshing experience that it shows that f/f relationship isn't just all love-dovey & that there are messy sides with regards to the moral conflicts that the characters experienced.
While story setting & the main characters are pretty solid throughout the novel, I found a few areas of the book a tad lacking. Personally, the pacing was bit uneven (the middle portion dragged a bit) and I would have wished that the worldbuilding details (particularly the interesting magic system that Jasinska has introduced) are more thoroughly explored.
Despite a few places that slightly derailed my experience, I nevertheless found The Midnight Girls quite a fun read. The f/f relationship is pretty well done, the magic system is intriguing, and last but not least I also learnt a bit about the history of the 18th century Poland (with a healthy dose of magic) from the worldbuilding.
N.B. This book contains following content warnings: blood mention, violence, murder, and abuse
The Winter Garden by Alexandra Bell
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0