I really enjoyed this story of family loyalty, love and sacrifice. Zahra is feeling pressured to find a husband to help secure her family's future. ShI really enjoyed this story of family loyalty, love and sacrifice. Zahra is feeling pressured to find a husband to help secure her family's future. She's only 18 and she has dreams of becoming a writer and supporting herself, not being an obedient wife. I enjoyed the gossipy aunties and Zahra's tight friendship group. Some great tropes in there with the love triangle usually one I detest but actually worked well paired with the fake dating trope. I think this is my first book that has a Bangladeshi main character and I loved the family dynamics and display of identity and culture from this ownvoice author. There were quite a few threads running parallel to each other in this novel but I found each of them to be engaging....more
I enjoyed learning about Sikh Punjabi culture and religion through the eyes of the endearing main character, Sunny. The story was warm and hu2.5 Stars
I enjoyed learning about Sikh Punjabi culture and religion through the eyes of the endearing main character, Sunny. The story was warm and humorous but I think the plot meandered around a bit so I never felt connected to the characters. There was a lot of reference to a fandom anime thingy I know nothing about so that created more distance. I really liked the characters there just needed to be more story development. Just okay for me.
This was not what I was expecting so I feel tad disappointed. I don't think 'an Ethiopian-inspired fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre' is a very accurate This was not what I was expecting so I feel tad disappointed. I don't think 'an Ethiopian-inspired fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre' is a very accurate description of this book. I would have loved that book! It was yearny relationship heavy with quite an unlikeable 'Rochester' and instalove. Seriously guys, I thought I had accidentally skipped ahead in the audiobook because for me the romance came totally out of the blue. The horror parts were kind of intense in terms of their speed and ferocity but then they abruptly stopped and we were back in the love angst again. There are lots of positive reviews so this must be a case of not for me....more
I gotta say, it's hard to enjoy a book when you detest the main character.
Tallie and Emmett were really difficult to like bec1.5 Stars rounded up to 2
I gotta say, it's hard to enjoy a book when you detest the main character.
Tallie and Emmett were really difficult to like because their behaviour was a mix of inappropriate, unprofessional, unacceptable and invasive. I probably should have dnf'd at 4% when I could tell I would find Tallie a tad annoying but I pushed through. I went in expecting a more moving story but alas this was not the case.
CW: Suicide and depression (view spoiler)[wife committed suicide by carbon monoxide in a car but left door open to house and her child also died, cheating, false imprisonment, infertility, grief, injury in fire (hide spoiler)]
Well that was an interesting verse novel about a friendship at odds with the shifting views prior to the 1812 war.
Twelve year olCW: racism, starvation
Well that was an interesting verse novel about a friendship at odds with the shifting views prior to the 1812 war.
Twelve year olds Anikwa and James struggle to understand the growing tension between their people as preparations for a seige at Fort Wayne are underway. James' trading community are starting to turn against Anikwa's Native American Miami tribe with devastating consequences. I didn't know anything about this period in US history and spent quite some time after on the intermaweb with Mrs Google learning about the seige at Fort Wayne and the 1812 war. An interesting middle school novel that would be a good introduction to this period of conflict....more
I could literally feel myself being drawn slowly into to this story as the three wonderful main characters sleuthed their way into my heart. It actually took until about the 30 percent mark until I felt that the triplets separated out enough into three distinct voices for me. The writing was absolutely brilliant and the relationships between the different characters in the town so vividly captured that I honestly felt like I really understood the dynamics in this suffering community. I thoroughly recommend this novel in which three teens and their mother take on 'big money' in the pursuit of justice....more
CW: (view spoiler)[sexual content, obsession with physical appearance leading to restrictive dieting (mentioned), transmisia (mentioned), Misogyny (hiCW: (view spoiler)[sexual content, obsession with physical appearance leading to restrictive dieting (mentioned), transmisia (mentioned), Misogyny (hide spoiler)]
Well there were so many laugh out loud moments in this completely bonkers and over the top satirical look at beauty pageants!
I had so much fun with our Miss Teen Dreamers as they put all their beauty pageant talents to good use after they crash land on a remote island. I thought the advertising and footnote interludes were hilarious and clever. This will not be for everyone as it is totally ludicrous at times and I did think it needed to be shortened as that level of cray cray and narration style felt a bit much at times. The characters were wonderful and diverse with the theme of identity a strong focus of the book. I would have cut out a couple of the minor story arcs myself but still a solid 4 stars for me!...more
Well that was a short and at times gritty NZ YA novel!
Lizzie struggles to feel safe after a brutal assault on her way home. She seeks to control her fear by learning to fight back. This was a good portrayal of NZ teens although I didn't think there was enough texting or social media communication given that cellphones are pretty much surgically attached to teenagers hands these days. For such a short novel I was surprised at how well I felt like I knew the main characters. I think there probably could have been a lot less of referring to girls as weak cry babies though, as that started to get on my nerve and goes against the very message of the book. I'm serious though, there were numerous comments along the lines of stop acting like a girl etc. Other than that gripe, which upon reflection is quite a big one, it is a good novel. I am pleased to have this in the library and love the theme of empowering young women to stand up for themselves...more
CW:(view spoiler)[staged suicide which is quite a bloody scene as the wrists are cut, loss of loved one, mob related murders, possessive and aggressivCW:(view spoiler)[staged suicide which is quite a bloody scene as the wrists are cut, loss of loved one, mob related murders, possessive and aggressive boyfriend (hide spoiler)]
3.5 Stars
Well that was a good YA murder mystery. The main character was a bit of a smart-arse which made for a few entertaining moments. There are enough twists and turns to keep the target audience guessing with some pretty good red-herrings. Overall, an interesting story that I will definitely order for the library....more
By light I mean I felt like we were fluttering quickly across the surface of the tale. In a story with so much Well that was light but still adorable.
By light I mean I felt like we were fluttering quickly across the surface of the tale. In a story with so much lost love I would have imagined a few moments in the novel where I might have been presented with an opportunity to tear up, but it never happened. I enjoyed that Izumi blundered her way through some situations that required traditional etiquette as I did that a few times during the year I lived in Japan. I came out grinning so that's a win in my opinion....more
CW: (view spoiler)[loss of loved ones, terminal cancer, homophobia, sexual assault, disordered eating (hide spoiler)]
Well I appreciate that this book CW: (view spoiler)[loss of loved ones, terminal cancer, homophobia, sexual assault, disordered eating (hide spoiler)]
Well I appreciate that this book was tackling some fairly challenging topics however, it was incredibly slow.
I didn't connect with the characters so didn't get the 'feels' that this book seems to have given many Readers. I loved the concept but the pacing was way off for me. The writing was lovely in parts and there were some eerie moments. I'm not going to write much more because I think this was simply a case of 'just not for me'....more
I loved Ana's journey and thought she was a relatable character. In my opinion, the author did a very good 3.5 Stars
Well that was some lovely writing!
I loved Ana's journey and thought she was a relatable character. In my opinion, the author did a very good job of portraying the experience of being in a country where the language predominantly spoken around you, is not your own.
I lived in Japan for a year and it really is like you are moving in a 'bubble of silence'. My husband won't be impressed I am going to write this, but all these years later it still amuses me, so sorry mate, I'm telling it. Before we went to live in Japan I dutifully learnt some useful phrases e.g. "Do you speak English?" and "Where is the ___?" among many others. My husband was less studious. He was trying to buy something or get directions one day and had a huge amount of trouble getting his message across. He came home and was telling me about the experience. He told me he had been asking if they spoke English. When he told me what he had been saying in Japanese, I cracked up and informed him he had been repeatedly asking 'Where is the English? Where is the English? W h e r e i s t h e E n g l i s h?' He said the lovely people he had approached were so patient and sincere in their attempts to help my floundering husband as he tried to make himself understood with careful pronunciation of a completely bizarre question. We experienced nothing but kindness and generosity, and our experience of living in Japan will remain one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. The point is, I could relate to Ana as she struggled to make sense of new and tricky language.
Maria has some lovely ways of expressing feelings and I found myself literally saying, "how lovely", at various points throughout the novel.
I really wish there hadn't been a love triangle but it wasn't hideously offensive. A nice heartwarming story about finding your place.
I am aware that there might be some ownvoice issues but I do not know the particulars so it might pay to read some other reviews to get some clarity around this. ...more
CW: (view spoiler)[homophobia, murder, student is drugged, spiritual hallucination induced self harm and suicide, outing to family, family disappointeCW: (view spoiler)[homophobia, murder, student is drugged, spiritual hallucination induced self harm and suicide, outing to family, family disappointed son/daughter is LGBTQIA and disown them, bloody scenes where knife is cutting flesh, drowning, loss of loved one (hide spoiler)]
Well, the rep in this book is outstanding.
It is really important to keep in mind that this is a YA sapphic reimagining of Macbeth. I say this because otherwise it feels like any other angst filled teen novel with girls and guys being backstabby, dramatic and whiny, in and amidst some spooky spectre action. The girls' slow descent into paranoia and madness was done quite well, as ambition, desire and guilt consume them. I liked Robin's interpretation of Macbeth in a high school setting with a major scholarship being the object of everyone's desire as opposed to the throne. I am a bit unsure about the paranormal aspect though. It kind of softened the brutality of Macbeth, which was likely the intent, but if you are going to add a chilling ghost element to a story then you should embrace it fully. There just weren't enough of the spooky scenes for me. The pacing is very slow which may not appeal to some Readers but I think this was an important part of the story telling, after all, Macbeth's and Lady Macbeth's madness creeps up slowly too. An entertaining book but I wanted more....more
Well I am sorry to say this was not an enjoyable experience for me.
It was written in first person which, for the record, I have enjoyed before. However, the writing was so simple that this is what it felt like:
I thought about what I wanted to eat. I went to the fridge and opened the door. I looked through the shelves trying to find something I wanted to eat. I sighed when I saw none of it was vegan friendly. I closed the fridge door. I opened up the pantry door....
That was not a direct quote but gives you an idea of the style of writing. Also, nothing much happens. There is just a lot of thinking about what everyone else is thinking. Here is another example of what I mean but again this is not a direct quote:
I wonder if I should be kissing him. I don't even like him. I wonder if he likes me. I hope he likes me. What will people think of me kissing a guy I don't even like? Will my Quidditch team be mad?
I thought the author did an excellent job of portraying how big changes, like going to college, can make once solid friendships feel loose and fragile. Ellen and her friends were each trying to make sense of what their connection to each other would look like when they were in different colleges.
So the only positives for me were the Quidditch competitions, the excellent rep, and the portrayal of friendships.
UPDATE: 24/12/2022 - Rereading Book 1 and 2 in preperation to read book 3! Still an incredibly engaging YA novel on second read!
Original review
CW: (UPDATE: 24/12/2022 - Rereading Book 1 and 2 in preperation to read book 3! Still an incredibly engaging YA novel on second read!
Original review
CW: (view spoiler)[off page domestic violence, death of loved one, death from heart condition, car accident, gun violence. (hide spoiler)]
Well that was gripping!
I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzly YA mystery. The 'game' aspect was so engaging and excellently done. I found myself wishing I had some big life puzzle to solve because the biggest mystery in my life is where the socks disappear to and why can't a pair disappear rather than one from each set? Why! Each character felt distinct in their voice and character traits. I salute the author for this because it can be difficult when you have a full cast actively involved in the story to establish so many different identities. The story was intricately plotted and left enough options open to keep Readers guessing. I am excited for what's to come in this series!
*whispers* hopefully the love triangle subplot disappears...more
Well that was another exquisite blend of beCW: (view spoiler)[gore, death of loved one, mysophobia, mention of cancer, poor parenting. (hide spoiler)]
Well that was another exquisite blend of beauty and horror.
.“Hope is a vicious beast. It sinks in its claws and it doesn't let go.” ― Seanan McGuire
Seanan's writing is stunning and her observations are profound. The Wayward children are on another rule-breaking Quest. This time they head back to the Moors so Jack and settle the score with Jill. This series is odd and quirky and I feel like it's success is owed, in part, to the fact that people relate to the children in the story. Maybe we have all been a mermaid out of water at some point in our lives? Deliciously and darkly enchanting. ...more
Well I had an epiphany during this delectable addition to the series.
My doorway would never lead to a Nonsense land!
I was so interested in the different categories for the worlds, and indeed where I might fit, that I turned to Mrs Google and she totally delivered with this gem of a site: https://waywardchildren.fandom.com/wi...
Confection was way too crazy for me and this undoubtedly resulted in less connection to this book. Once I had my epiphany I started the story again with fresh eyes because I understood why I wasn't going to love it like I did the first two. I could see that the writing was just as captivating and I loved that they were on a Quest. I was overjoyed at the brief appearance of my favourite of the Wayward children so far, and hope they feature again somewhere down the track. Another wonderful addition to this amazing series.
“There is kindness in the world, if we know how to look for it. If we never start denying it the door.” — Seanan McGuire...more
CW: (view spoiler)[gender identity, mysophobia, blood, death of loved one, poor parenting through restrictive expectations (hide spoiler)]
Well, I needCW: (view spoiler)[gender identity, mysophobia, blood, death of loved one, poor parenting through restrictive expectations (hide spoiler)]
Well, I need to know how can Seanan can make us hurt and happy simultaneously! HOW!
Again it's the characters and their journeys that captivated me in the second installment of this series. This book felt a bit darker than the first because it delved deeply into identity crisis, the darkness of jealousy, and possessive love than can become destructive. I prefer a more subtle approach to themes where the Reader has a chance to make more inferences. In this novel the cause and effect were very loud and obvious. That's just a style preference though and this series is a wonderful tribute to everyone finding their place in whatever world their doorway takes them to. Darkly beautiful!...more
Well that was a light-hearted and entertaining YA story about family.
Whilst this was totally formulaic it still had a certain charm to it. The story was cleverly woven around elements of Chinese history. It's a bit odd that the big reveal for the character is something we as Readers know up front. I don't think the author was going for dramatic irony, so it was just a bit ho-hum waiting for the main character to catch up with information we got in the title! There was a bit of female snark in there which resolves itself nicely. The romance was a bit forced, and in my opinion unnecessary, as the focus of this story was the family mystery and Gemma finding her voice as an actress. Just okay for me....more
CW: (view spoiler)[homophobia, domestic abuse, alcoholism, child neglect, depression, dealing with grief, death of mother, emotional abuse of child, oCW: (view spoiler)[homophobia, domestic abuse, alcoholism, child neglect, depression, dealing with grief, death of mother, emotional abuse of child, on page suicide attempt (hide spoiler)]
Well this was a powerful story but unfortunately lacked detail.
I have read a lot of verse novels so can say with some authority that they can be full and richly told. Whilst the story was hard-hitting and the characters engaging, I needed there to be a bit more information to connect with during the story telling. I was somewhat invested but not enough to get particularly emotional at any point. I still think this is a good addition to a high school library. Please note the content warnings....more
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