So this was a typical #bookstagram made me do it 😊 and while writing my review I kept changing my hashtags to 2, then 3, then back to 2 #undecisive . Everywhere I looked there was so much fuss over #circe, so I thought “ok, let’s see what this is about…”. Sorry guys, I am cannot jump on the 5-star band wagon here. The story is empty, confusing and all over the place.
Circe is a fantasy/mythology novel about the daughter of Helios, the sun god. She is born not as a god, but as a witch and seen as an outsider. Events lead up to her meddling with fate and as a result, is banished to an island in the mortal world to live out her days in isolation.
What I liked: Although the characters are not likable (as in they are evil and nasty), they are real and interesting. Circe herself has a bit of a dark side which makes some chapters enjoyable. I enjoyed the chapters where Circe meets Daedalus and gets summoned by Pasiphaë to Crete. The whole minotaur business was captivating. There is strong chemistry between Daedalus and Circe and Miller does a great job in drawing you into the story in these chapters.
What I didn’t like: Miller’s writing style is extremely slow, even though the story jumps years and years into the future as events unfold. Events are told from Circe’s point of view and are not always told in forward motion. The twists and turns were illogical, and all the different threads didn’t tie up.
The story left me deflated, disappointed and a little overwhelmed in trying to keep up with all the names.
Published November 30th 2017 by Egmont (first published November 21st 2017) ###/5
I had such a magical time with Neil Patrick Harris and the Magic Misfits!
Carter has special skills, but he has never believed in magic, only in “tricks”. When he meets a group of friends just like him and is welcomed into the fold, he starts wondering if magic just might exist.
I love that Carter’s character is down to earth, with a little self-doubt to teach a young reader about self-confidence and has very strong beliefs about right and wrong. Each misfit has his or her own special skill and quirky personality to keep young readers interested and entertained. The book contains illustrations, puzzles, activities, magic-trick tutorials and is packed with humorous “misdirection”. Is it just me or does one of the Mr. Vernons’ bear a striking resemblance to NPH?
I found it refreshing that there is no reference made to modern technology i.e. cellphones, laptops, tablets, but the story does talk about and to modern society topics that are important for young readers to read about i.e. adoption, having two moms or two dads instead a traditional household of a mom and dad and children with disabilities. The story is funny and heart-warming and made me remember how much fun it was to watch ‘good-guys-beat-bad-guys’ cartoons on a Saturday morning.
I recommend a paperback copy of the book instead of eBook or Audiobook, as the puzzles are quite tricky to solve on an electronic version. The book is also listed as “middle grade”, but my recommendation is that it is more suited to 7- to 9-year-old young bookworms.
Favorite Quote:
“Carter wondered if he was beginning to believe in magic. Not the kind where you can actually make things disappear or cast a spell, but the kind where you can’t sleep because you’re so full of joy that you stay awake and watch the sun come up.”
I loved the Beast (which is probably something to be expected as it’s his side of the story), but I didn’t like Isabeau at all. I found her aloof, a bit snobbish and **gringe mentally unstable.
Claude and Marie were also unrelateable. Shallcross alluded to them at the start of the book as being somewhat lazy, selfish and self-involved and overnight they turned into ‘what-was-supposed-to-be’ likeable characters. That is just bad character development in the writing.
Published August 14th 2018 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons #####/5
Fighting off some weird infection today, not sure of it’s a head cold or tick bite fever (as I pulled one off me about a week ago). Between the napping and medicine I did manage to finish The Marsh Girl’s heart-tilting story. I was captured from “Marsh is not a swamp…” The writing is beautiful and the story is so interesting, you are tempted to scan-read ahead. It also had me guessing right until the very end. One of those that will stay with me for a while and definitely worth the GoodReads Choice Awards🏆hype.
“There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot. “
“I wadn’t aware that words could hold so much. I didn’t know a sentence could be so full.”
“Autumn leaves don’t fall; they fly. They take their time and wander on this, their only chance to soar. Reflecting sunlight, they swirled and sailed and fluttered on the wind drafts. “
When I started this book, I was convinced I would be giving it 4 stars and that it would be a favorite. Unfortunately the middle just dragged and dragged…. and dragged along that I almost didn’t finish. I am glad I read it, as the writing is absolutely beautiful, but I would’ve loved for Werner and Marie-Laure to meet earlier and spend more time together. I would definitely still recommend it.
To really touch something, she is learning—the bark of a sycamore tree in the gardens; a pinned stag beetle in the Department of Entomology; the exquisitely polished interior of a scallop shell in Dr. Geffard’s workshop—is to love it.
Color—that’s another thing people don’t expect. In her imagination, in her dreams, everything has color. The museum buildings are beige, chestnut, hazel. Its scientists are lilac and lemon yellow and fox brown. Piano chords loll in the speaker of the wireless in the guard station, projecting rich blacks and complicated blues down the hall toward the key pound. Church bells send arcs of bronze careening off the windows. Bees are silver; pigeons are ginger and auburn and occasionally golden. The huge cypress trees she and her father pass on their morning walk are shimmering kaleidoscopes…
#bookreview #wutheringheights By Emily Brontë #emilybronte Published in December 1847 #/5
This review contains spoilers.
Wuthering Heights has been called many many things. Most notable “a literary masterpiece” and “a tragic love story“. Literary Masterpiece? maybe (maybe is a relative term) Tragic Love story? Most definitely not!
Literary Masterpiece:
As the entire world likes to point out, from a literary point of view, Wuthering Heights is full of symbolism. (I didn’t google these, they are quite clear in the book): Doubles and opposites (to the point of the characters being so pathetic, you just want to slap them! – this book is very violent… it is making me violent…), the surrounding landscape with personalities, the weather with personalities, dogs (only the strong will survive), locked doors as a form of revenge and is it a coincidence that doors are made of wood and his name is Mr. Lockwood?
Yay!!! A+ for symbolism.
Ok…. but who really reads a book looking for symbolism? We read books to relate to characters, to escape into someone else’s world for a short period of time and see something different.
I could only relate to: The Scarlet Thread runs strong in Brontë’s tale. Children making the same bad, irresponsible, selfish decisions as their parents, not considering the consequences and history repeats itself. Almost to the letter (pun intended).
Tragic Love Story
There is no love in this book – you cannot even call it infatuation or lust. Catherine and Heathcliff are mean-spirited (evil, so evil), self-involved, abusive and narcissistic. Their relationship … or whatever, is completely toxic. Not even mentioning the fact that Catherine married another man and still wants to entertain the notion that she can spend time with Heathcliff and expect her husband to feel empathy for her. Then, when she needs to deal with the consequences, true to her narcissistic personality disorder, she blames everyone else.
If you want to read this book to write a book report or research it to learn about symbolism, yes; by all means, go for it. If you want to read a love story, this book is NOT FOR YOU!
A Very Important Note to Conclude:
The literary career of the Brontë sisters is interesting and inspirational. Charlotte was the first to attempt to get her poems published. She was rejected several times and told in no uncertain terms that literature was a man’s business and holds no occupation for a woman. Charlotte was not dismayed and kept trying until she found a publisher willing to publish her poems, as well as Jane Eyre, Emily’s Wuthering Heights and Anne’s Agnes Grey in 1847. And so, began the Brontë sisters’ literary careers.
Favorite Quotes:
“You could not open a book in this library that I have not looked into, and got something out of also…” “How did you contrive to preserve the common sympathies of human nature when you resided here? I cannot recognize any sentiment which those around share with me.” “ ‘She abandoned them under a delusion,’ he answered; ‘picturing in me a hero of romance, and expecting unlimited indulgences from my chivalrous devotion.’ ” — like this book.
#bookreview #crazyrichasians By Kevin Kwan #kevinkwan Narrated by Lynn Chen #lynnchen Published June 11th 2013 by Doubleday #doubleday ####/5
This book is fabulous … as in Fabulous Darling!!! and so much fun! I was quite skeptical when I started reading, as I expected Asian-Kardashian, but it’s nothing like the Kardashians. Crazy Rich Asians is clever, funny, intelligent and very well written. It’s like reading PEOPLE magazine, in your bed, eating ice-cream straight out of the tub on a Saturday morning – a complete guilty pleasure.
Kwan did a wonderful job in creating a family of siblings that are well educated, brought up on good old-fashioned Chinese family-values, struggling with real-life dilemmas (ok some of their problems are not so every-day-life, but some are…) and they are rich; I mean CRAZY rich!
As they try to make, what they believe, the best decisions for their families, they shine in their confidence and naivety. The characters might be rich and privileged, but they are relatable. They experience happiness and heartache amidst all the private-jetting, island-hopping, wedding planning and haute couture shopping. I didn’t recognize half the names being dropped (specifically fashion houses), but I appreciated the sheer opulence of it all.
Rachel is clearly very self-aware and possess the qualities to hold her own amongst these spoiled elitists but underestimates their belief in ‘old-money’ vs ‘new-money’ vs ‘NO-money’ (GASP!). Astrid is by far my favorite, she is a classic beauty, with a golden heart, her feet firmly planted on the ground.
I thoroughly enjoyed the 3rd person narration; this booked would’ve lacked spunk if told in 1st person. I still have some questions I am hoping would be answered in the 2nd or 3rd book. This book left me wanting more!
Narration:
####/5 for narration. Chen amazed me with her articulation, expressions and even singing! Alamak lady!!
Favorite quotes:
“Just because some people actually work for their money doesn’t mean they are beneath you.” “God is in the details.” “Soon the Tan Huas began to wilt just as swiftly and mysteriously as they had bloomed, filling the night air with an intoxicating scent as they shriveled into spent lifeless petals” “Aiyoooooh, finish everything on your plate, girls! Don’t you know there are children starving in America?”
#bookreview#redqueen by Victoria Aveyard #victoriaaveyard Published February 10th, 2015 by HarperTeen ###/5
Red Queen is a Young Adult Dystopian Fantasy, told from the point of view of Mare, a young girl trying to survive everyday life; providing for-; and protecting her family against the Silvers – god-like humans with powers and abilities. Silvers (silver-blooded humans) rule Reds (red-blooded humans) in a Hunger Games meets Game of Thrones kingdom. Life is hard, and it’s about to get so much harder.
I give Red Queen a very respectable ### out of 5 octothorps (I don’t give half octothorps; I rather decide if I like it less or more and adjust my rating accordingly). My review contains spoilers, as this book is very difficult to review without giving away some character profiles and a plot overview.
What didn’t I like:
1. Dystopian novels like Hunger Games, Game of Thrones and YA fantasy sagas like Twilightand Harry Potter have dramatic and suspenseful moments. Events that keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering: “what is going to happen next? How are they going to get out of this?” Unfortunately, in Red Queen, I was not sitting on the edge of my seat. Aveyard’s writing style is very bland when building up the suspense to key events and life-or-death moments – there was no drumming in my head. All events unfold in the same slow-paced, run-of-the-mill, everyday-life narration. I found myself turning back a page and rereading sections thinking: “did I scan-read, did I miss something?????No, I didn’t, it’s just the writing style”
2. Throughout the story, I was very aware of Kilorn, Cal and Maven’s feelings towards Mare. Their feelings are not described in obvious words but in a well-written undertone. I could not say the same for Mare’s feelings towards Kilorn, Cal nor Maven. Aveyard did an unsatisfying job of describing or hinting at Mare’s feelings. In the end, big proclamations are made, and again, with no real build-up.
3. I prefer 3rd person narration and I would have loved to hear the events from one of the other characters’ point of view. Specifically, Cal and Kilorn; it would’ve added so much depth to this book.
4. I made 4 predictions as the story unfolded. All 4 came to pass. I am not proud of the fact that I predicted so accurately, I am disappointed in such a predictable ending.
What I liked:
1. The first chapter had my attention with First Friday, as it provided a very good introduction to the fantasy part of the book and gives you a crash course in the Silvers’ abilities and powers.
2.Mare is likable and relatable – she is a young girl with hopes, dreams, self-doubt, annoyances, and disappointments. She cares deeply for her family and her people and wishes she could provide a better life for them. I have to admit; later on, I had to change my perception of Mare, as I had a picture in my mind of a scruffy little thief and found it hard to imagine her as a princess – it had nothing to do with her looks, but again, something to with the Aveyard’s writing style. Mare‘s decisions though, are selfless and based on her want to do better for her people.
3. Each character has their own place in this hierarchy within a hierarchy world and they know what their duties and roles are (maybe slightly stereotypical, but not enough to take away from the interlinking relationships). There is a healthy mix of romance, intimacy, protectiveness and family loyalty. This kept me wanting to read more as I felt connected to them personally. I could feel what they feel, I could think, what they think. This part the Aveyard nailed!
In conclusion:
Even though the writing is not brilliant, I am hoping Aveyard grew in her writing throughout the remainder of the series. I found the story enjoyable enough to continue with the series until such time that it goes on the #dnf pile (hence the 3x ###/5).
Favorite quotes:
“It makes me afraid for the boy who taught me how to dance.” – such a tender moment and beautiful description. “A hierarchy within the hierarchy.”
How do you know when you have read a brilliant book? When days later, you still miss the setting and the characters. #homesick
Kendra is a brilliant FBI agent. Whilst recovering physically and emotionally from a raid gone wrong, decisions and events lead her plummeting down a wormhole and she travels back in time to the year 1815. So how do you explain to people in the 19th century that you are a time traveler from the 21st century, when you can hardly believe it yourself?
Characters:
McElwain gives each character ‘life’ and an identity that makes you feel something for them. She illustrates shock, awe, drama and suspense so well, your mouth becomes dry, your heart starts beating and you hear the rush of blood in your ears, leaving you slightly dizzy as you get drawn deeper and deeper into Kendra, The Duke and Alec’s world … and their time period.
Story:
The story-line is well thought out, creative and full of plot twists. There are comical moments, emotional moments, moments of frustration and even one or two magical moments.McElwain sets the scene so well, you feel as though you are in 1815 wearing a ‘poofy’ dress, your hair pinned up in curls, laughing over tea and scones and fanning yourself.
Narration Audiobook:
The bad: Unfortunately, the narration is not great. I listened at a speed setting of 1.15x, as normal speed was just too slow. From the middle of the book towards the end, I heard more and more mistakes, incorrect pronunciation of words and name switches; at one point Rebecca becomes Rachel and I thought: “Who the hell is Rachel?” The good: Rayner does well with voice changes. This was my first Audiobook experience and I was very worried that I would not know which character is speaking, but Rayner changes her voice and maintains that same voice for each character throughout the story. It’s recognizable and the accents are accurate and even original.
In the end…
I loved it and I cannot wait to get into the 2nd book in the series; A Twist in Time (Kendra Donovan, #2) in September as part of the science-themed reading on GoodReads.
My favorite quotes (contains ***spoilers***):
“She shook off her sense of amazement, and tried to pretend she was watching a period play. There was a lot of flirting going on, plenty of fluttering of ivory fans and eyelashes. It was weird to think that in another two hundred years people would flirt by pole dancing, twerking, and sexting.”
“Whoever had said that appearances were deceiving was only partially right; they could also be deadly.”
“To quote Voltaire, ‘Our wretched species is so made that those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at those who are showing a new road.”
… something as innocuous as Jane Austin that would be the thing to trip her up.”
More books by #juliemcelwain: A Twist in Time (Kendra Donovan, #2) Caught in Time (Kendra Donovan, #3)
by Sophie Kinsella Published February 9th, 2017 ###/5 #bookreview
“Katie Brenner has the perfect life: a flat in London, a glamorous job, and a super-cool Instagram feed. OK, so the truth is that she rents a tiny room with no space for a wardrobe, has a hideous commute to a lowly admin job, and the life she shares on Instagram isn’t really hers.But one day her dreams are bound to come true, aren’t they?” – goodreads synopsis
Sophie’s #mynotsoperfectlife receives a respectable 3 out of 5 hashtags from me. My not so Perfect Life is very #thedevilwearsprada, goes to London.
The first 2 chapters of the book is torture to get through (sorry, honesty and all that). It reads like a high school “what-I-did-this-weekend” essay; the author tries to explain and jam too much information down your throat (especially about Demetre) and Katie is very naïve and annoying to the point where you want to grab her by the shoulders, shake her a little and shout: “No man! Life doesn’t have to be this hard, if you are unhappy, make a change!!!”.
And then something great happens – the story starts flowing, you start relating to the characters and appreciate them for who they are and what they contribute to the story. There are a few enjoyable ‘feel-good’ (almost magical) moments that draws you deeper into Katie’s world, followed by disastrous (albeit hilarious) unfortunate events that leaves you with a bit of a ‘wtf??’-feel.
The story is very typical, but so enjoyable. There are lessons (and I really emphasize, true life lessons) about family, loyalty, honesty and protecting your heart. ‘Because it’s human nature to hope for impossible things.’ Haven’t we all been in a ‘self-doubt’ place at one time or another? Don’t we all go through moments of “I have so much more to offer, if someone would just notice me…”? Sophie illustrates this so well in her writing and you feel as if you are Katie and not just reading about Katie.
My favourite quotes (in no particular order):
“I could do anything, go anywhere, be anyone.” “Keep up the charmed, life-is-perfect myth.” “Stuff that balances out the bright-and-shiny. Just like there is for all of us. Bright-and-shiny on the one side; the crappy truth on the other.” “No one’s life has to be perfect.“
Other #sophiekinsella books include: Confessions of a Shopaholic (Shopaholic #1) Can You Keep a Secret The Undomestic Godess Remember Me? I’ve Got Your Number
**SPOILER ALERT**do not continue if you do not want to read a spoiler
I do want to add that Katie’s story has a happy ending of course (in more ways than one). Even though I felt the story in the middle was very enjoyable and a fun read, the ending was unfortunately very predictable in a ‘chick-flick-the-boy-comes-back-for-the-girl’ kind of way.
Octothorpe Reader LeoraK 