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coralinejones's Reviews (556)
Okay. So. Not what I thought this was going to be, lol.
What a boring mystery thriller. Not that I'm the target audience for content like this, but I actually enjoy the silliness of YA mysteries but this one was boring. Had I known this would be an exploration of each character's personal life more than the twists and turns of why and how this one kid died during detention I probably would have never picked this up.
This is just typical teen drama with not much else thrown in until the very end. We get some sprinkles of these teens speaking to police as we uncover the case of what happened, but most of this is just reading about who kissed who, who likes who, who is or isn't gay, etc, which I personally did not care about. I didn't like any of these characters enough to be intrigued about their mundane situations outside of the crime case.
There's more to be said but other one and two star reviews have said it better than me. I'm just disappointed. Or, maybe not, because I didn't have high expectations for this series to begin with
What a boring mystery thriller. Not that I'm the target audience for content like this, but I actually enjoy the silliness of YA mysteries but this one was boring. Had I known this would be an exploration of each character's personal life more than the twists and turns of why and how this one kid died during detention I probably would have never picked this up.
This is just typical teen drama with not much else thrown in until the very end. We get some sprinkles of these teens speaking to police as we uncover the case of what happened, but most of this is just reading about who kissed who, who likes who, who is or isn't gay, etc, which I personally did not care about. I didn't like any of these characters enough to be intrigued about their mundane situations outside of the crime case.
There's more to be said but other one and two star reviews have said it better than me. I'm just disappointed. Or, maybe not, because I didn't have high expectations for this series to begin with
I know looking at the star rating alone, it gives the notion that I absolutely despised this book. I did not. However, the more I think on it as the minutes pass on I realize that, beautiful writing aside, I can't really say I enjoyed what I read? There's several thoughts passing through my mind that want to be said first, and so I'm having a tough time really expressing what I did and didn't like about IWHNKM. I think that the ideas about womanhood, menstruation, misogyny, etc presented are a bit conservative for my liking. I may have missed something but it feels as though all the women, despite their different ages, more or less have the same view and past in regards to womanhood that I just don't cosign. I mean, yeah most women go through very similar situations in this world but... woman are all not the same especially when we begin to talk about women of color, trans women, non-binary individuals assigned female at birth, and so on. I don't know...
The setting itself is extremely intriguing and it left me wanting to know more. As with most dystopian novels they all have something to say. These books oftentimes have a very clear message that it's trying to convey to the readers. I can't begin to pin point what we're supposed to gain from this book; so much of it is just... There. Like a little too misty in it's prose for me to truly grasp any one sentiment. For a book that's as short as this, the plot just went on and went nowhere. Our main character, after they escaped, continued to do the same action over and over, virtually making it seem as if nothing at all was going on.
And like someone else had said, just because a book is super philological, hard to read, lyrical, and wordy doesn't make it good, nor are you supposed to ignore all questions and concerns you have have in regards to the novel. I feel like books such as these come across a bit pretentious; especially when we talk about the main character.
"The Child" is very... well knowing for a character that's supposed to be extremely naive and innocent. I did not enjoy being in her head as the way she spoke kind of got on my nerves? I mean, when I think about who she's supposed to be in this world vs. how she speaks I felt that there was a disconnect. It would make more sense to me if our protagonist was perhaps older or if it was through the point of view of one of the women who have seen life before this ailen-like circumstances came to be. Even if the older woman in question had her memories erased as to continue the idea of naivety in the wake of evil. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that I have more questions than this book has answers.
I think much of this is very... One dimensional, surprisingly. Meandering. Repetitive. Rambling. Some of the ideas here are quite sexist and just left a bad taste in my mouth.
Besides that, I do think this is beautifully written and I even considered giving this 4 stars before I truly sat on it and decided two and a half, almost three, stars was rather appropriate. It's one I will be thinking about for a while, and one I would recommend people to read, if not for a mindful discussion, then to just hear their personal thoughts on the politics that the author wants us to digest.
The setting itself is extremely intriguing and it left me wanting to know more. As with most dystopian novels they all have something to say. These books oftentimes have a very clear message that it's trying to convey to the readers. I can't begin to pin point what we're supposed to gain from this book; so much of it is just... There. Like a little too misty in it's prose for me to truly grasp any one sentiment. For a book that's as short as this, the plot just went on and went nowhere. Our main character, after they escaped, continued to do the same action over and over, virtually making it seem as if nothing at all was going on.
And like someone else had said, just because a book is super philological, hard to read, lyrical, and wordy doesn't make it good, nor are you supposed to ignore all questions and concerns you have have in regards to the novel. I feel like books such as these come across a bit pretentious; especially when we talk about the main character.
"The Child" is very... well knowing for a character that's supposed to be extremely naive and innocent. I did not enjoy being in her head as the way she spoke kind of got on my nerves? I mean, when I think about who she's supposed to be in this world vs. how she speaks I felt that there was a disconnect. It would make more sense to me if our protagonist was perhaps older or if it was through the point of view of one of the women who have seen life before this ailen-like circumstances came to be. Even if the older woman in question had her memories erased as to continue the idea of naivety in the wake of evil. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that I have more questions than this book has answers.
I think much of this is very... One dimensional, surprisingly. Meandering. Repetitive. Rambling. Some of the ideas here are quite sexist and just left a bad taste in my mouth.
Besides that, I do think this is beautifully written and I even considered giving this 4 stars before I truly sat on it and decided two and a half, almost three, stars was rather appropriate. It's one I will be thinking about for a while, and one I would recommend people to read, if not for a mindful discussion, then to just hear their personal thoughts on the politics that the author wants us to digest.
Beautifully written; hauntingly realistic to our current world. Couldn't find it in me all the way to truly dive deeper into this novel the way it deserves. I typically lose myself in these types of books, as there's commentary here I often enjoy learning about, but there was something lacking. I hate using the word "something" here, it's not very descriptive and leaves this review as loose as the novel felt for me. It's just... There was a missing element that didn't fully tie this narrative together and I'm disappointed in that because I LOVED Little Fires Everywhere and I assumed Ng's character work would be as strong here as it was in that novel but it wasn't.
I respect and appreciate what LOTR had done for the art of fantasy but I've acknowledged that this series just isn't for me. I've tried reading this novel twice, the first time dropping it, the second time enjoying myself significantly more but not finding any full pleasure whatsoever. I feel the point is to truly engross myself in the storytelling and world building of this series but I can't find it in me to care. I still believe this is a master class in writing but, overall, just not for me
These books are so fun I really cannot lie to you. I made the assumption that Marlowe would notttt be a good lover by any means and this book just solidified it. I love the aesthetic of this one, too. Despite Chandler's passing and B. Parker having to take up the mantle, I think their writing meshes well together. B. Parker isn't as great as Chandler, of course, but I can't say I didn't love this one and that I haven't been enjoying this series.
"my dreams are my own business." philip marlowe you need therapy and i love you for it
Too much racism in this one. Understand it's the time period and blah blah but I don't care. Unnecessary. It was good that aside. Loveeeeeee the noir aesthetic and how ruthless Marlowe is. I can envision every scene in my head like an old, golden Hollywood, movie. So fun