whatellisreadnext's reviews
618 reviews

A Little Luck by Claudia Piñeiro

emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I'd been sleeping on women in translation month, but I'm so glad I decided to pick this one up. I bought this last year on a trip to London with @zukythebookbum, so it was only right we read it together. She had read and loved Elena Knows, but this was my first from Piñeiro and it's taking me a lot of willpower not to just order her other stuff. 

The story follows Mary Lohan, 20 years on from a tragedy that prompted her to flee Buenos Aires, she is now returning for work. One of my favourite things about this book was how self-aware the narrator was. It's aptly named 'A Little Luck', a phrase that is repeated throughout, but what happened to our protagonist is the complete opposite. She battles with the many variables that lead her to the horrific accident, thinking of the many things she could have done differently that day, ultimately avoiding that one moment.

This isn't an easy read. There is sadness permeating the whole story, but there's hope here, in the form of acts of kindness from strangers along her journey that help her out of the dark. 

When I finished, my heart ached as much as it was full. I honestly couldn't recommend this enough to anyone, I think it will be one I'll end up forcing on all my bookish friends.

Carnality by Lina Wolff

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I clearly need some more Lina Wolff in my life. Impeccable writing with a unique storyline that was super weird. I love a book that questions morality. Who has the right to enact judgment upon those who have done wrong? This was nothing like I imagined. It reminded me of a few books I've loved in aspects, but overall, it felt like a totally new experience. 

Normal Women by Ainslie Hogarth

medium-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

2.0

I enjoyed this audio, but like with Ainslie's debut motherthing, the ending wasn't great. I'll just leave it at that. It wasn't for me, which is fine.

The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan

adventurous dark funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I enjoyed my time with The Justice of Kings, but I just didn't feel propelled to read it. I struggled to keep track of the politics, and why the bad guys were being so bad. Saying that, I think I will endeavour to give the second book a chance, just because the magic system was fascinating. 'Justices' uphold the laws of the emperor, and Sir Konrad Vonvalt was fascinating. He just casually scares the truth out of people with his terrifying magic voice and revives the recently dead for a chat... would recommend for lovers of brutal politics heavy fantasy

The Sleepwalkers by Scarlett Thomas

2.0

Cecilia by K-Ming Chang

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

What a load of b*ll*cks... meandering and pointless. Small pockets of great writing, hidden amongst a mess of a narrative. For those curious, my final urine counter came to 40 times in 129 pages... will I ever get this time back? 

The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi

funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This twist got me GOOD. I proper thought I was on to what was happening, but Ayesha shook me so good with that reveal. The story follows Anisa as she embarks on a language school called the centre which is invite only and makes you fluent in any language in just 10 short days. That's as much as I'll say, other than Anisa is morally grey, she makes terrible decisions and says terrible things and I loved her.  

The Black Orb by Ewhan Kim

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I'm quite torn, so I've settled in the middle on a 3 star rating. There are as many good things in Black Orb as bad. I started this when I was feeling quite slumpy, and it was so readable. The idea of two metre wide black orbs terrorising Seoul locals and sucking many of them into their shiny black abys, I just couldn't look away. It felt like the start of Chrysalids or Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham, so weird and unexplained. One of my first gripes comes from the main protagonist being a completely awful and homophobic man. I get that the orbs are, I guess, like a metaphor for his despair and horribleness. But I also didn't get it. There was a weird turn in the narrative that went overly sexual and uncomfortable, and I just didn't really care for it in the narrative. The ending was also not great. I feel unsatisfied, but I don't regret reading it. It's a weird one.

The Odyssey by Lara Williams

4.0

The Love of Singular Men by Victor Heringer

3.0