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I went into this with really high expectations. Reading the synopsis, I was eager to be thrown into the depths of the sea on a wild and dangerous adventure but... nope. That didn’t transpire. It was mainly on land and yet the blurb on the inside flap promised a submerged, mysterious experience. From my interpretations, anyway. So I kinda felt robbed and betrayed...
Having such an eclectic reading taste it’s easy to forget that I like historical fiction and Oh My Word, I LOVED The Miniaturist. It was rich with scandal, secrets, secrets within secrets, mystery and witchcraft. The characters were well written and the writing itself was flawless and flowed beautifully. Such a well-crafted, brilliant novel
This novel is like a cross between Disneyworld, Ready Player One (ish) and the movie I, Robot. Sounds exciting, right?! Well....
It started out great and it was intriguing and fun to read, but began to lack half way through. I also guessed the plot twist, and the twist was kinda disappointing, too. It was like a “oh...” and a stare-into-the-distance-whilst-frowning-and-contemplating-the-plot moment. There was also a lot of unanswered questions and missing conclusions. I’m not sure if this book is part of a duology or trilogy that will answer them but, tbh, I’m not arsed in finding out the answers. So even if there are additional books, I think I’ll pass
It started out great and it was intriguing and fun to read, but began to lack half way through. I also guessed the plot twist, and the twist was kinda disappointing, too. It was like a “oh...” and a stare-into-the-distance-whilst-frowning-and-contemplating-the-plot moment. There was also a lot of unanswered questions and missing conclusions. I’m not sure if this book is part of a duology or trilogy that will answer them but, tbh, I’m not arsed in finding out the answers. So even if there are additional books, I think I’ll pass
Seraphine, a twin to her much-loved brother Danny, wants to seek answers as to why their mother killed herself on the day they were born 25 years ago. Their older brother, Edwin, was too young to remember what happened on that devastating day. Seraphine wants answers, and no one is willing to give them to her. A young woman called Laura was Edwin’s au pair when he was a young child. But fled after the birth of the twins and the death of the children’s mother. Seraphine seeks her out in hopes of finally getting some answers.
If I was to describe this book in one sentence it would be this: A mixture of a secret diary belonging to a teenage girl and an exasperating abundance of soap opera drama that has gone on for far too many episodes.
I really wanted to like this book. It started off so well with a promising plot and it kick-started the events straight away. It is told with a present POV from Seraphine and with a past POV from Laura back in 1991-1992. From the off I was hooked and intrigued. BUT! The more chapters I read, the more it got confusing. There were far, FAR too many characters! I was always so baffled with everyone being intertwined with each others past. I couldn’t keep up anymore and it started to annoy me. By the end of the book, placing certain people’s connections and who they were or how they were connected was far more difficult than guessing the secrets and the lies.
After a few chapters I couldn’t quite place how the story read and then it hit me. The book read like far too many eye-rolling episodes of Corrie. In certain parts of the book it was like: "such-a-body told such-a-body and they heard it from such-a-body who told such-a-body. And now I’m worried I’ve said too much and I’m going to turn my back and walk off, whilst also telling you to stay the hell away!”. GAHHHHH! (FYI: I hate soap operas lolz). I also didn’t feel connected, or liked, any of the monotonous characters that saturated the pages, either. And in all honesty, I only read on to find out the secrets and the truths.
If I was to describe this book in one sentence it would be this: A mixture of a secret diary belonging to a teenage girl and an exasperating abundance of soap opera drama that has gone on for far too many episodes.
I really wanted to like this book. It started off so well with a promising plot and it kick-started the events straight away. It is told with a present POV from Seraphine and with a past POV from Laura back in 1991-1992. From the off I was hooked and intrigued. BUT! The more chapters I read, the more it got confusing. There were far, FAR too many characters! I was always so baffled with everyone being intertwined with each others past. I couldn’t keep up anymore and it started to annoy me. By the end of the book, placing certain people’s connections and who they were or how they were connected was far more difficult than guessing the secrets and the lies.
After a few chapters I couldn’t quite place how the story read and then it hit me. The book read like far too many eye-rolling episodes of Corrie. In certain parts of the book it was like: "such-a-body told such-a-body and they heard it from such-a-body who told such-a-body. And now I’m worried I’ve said too much and I’m going to turn my back and walk off, whilst also telling you to stay the hell away!”. GAHHHHH! (FYI: I hate soap operas lolz). I also didn’t feel connected, or liked, any of the monotonous characters that saturated the pages, either. And in all honesty, I only read on to find out the secrets and the truths.
Inspired by a true story, we’re thrown into George Washington - Wash - Black’s life. An eleven year old boy who’s a field slave to a wealthy, abominable white man named Erasmus Wilde. He runs a sugar plantation in the sweltering heat of Barbados, whilst his eccentric brother, Titch, is busy building a bewildering contraption... After a barbaric event one evening, Washington is called upon by Wilde. Fear and apprehension overcomes him only to discover that he is to be a personal servant to one of the brothers. Titch. Wash was mystified and flabbergasted at Titch’s unusual behaviour and personality and dubious to his kind-natured ways. But was soon readily eager to help Titch with his unusual preference of science.
Washington and Titch were wonderfully written; each of their characters springing to life upon the pages.
In Part One it was indeed fantastical storytelling, riveting, harsh and moving. I was constantly drawn in to every page. Saturated with history, character, and a compelling but brutal tale. Edugyan’s writing is incredibly admirable and irresistibly obsessive. However Part Two took quite a turn and it lacked the vibrancy it had in the first half of the book. I also felt that the story did go on for far too long. Washington was still such an interesting character though and his growth and development was so absorbing. I loved the historical aspects of it, despite it being so hard to read in terms of the subject matter. Some parts were hard to stomach and hurt my heart whenever racism/discrimination reared its vile, ugly head.
The cover of my edition was also quite deceiving. Although it is a beautiful cover, it depicts something quite different to what actually goes on in the book so I found this to be quite disappointing in all honesty. I also wasn’t really keen on the ending, and the lead up to it felt a little too coincidental, too. Nevertheless it was a good read and glad I’ve read it.
Washington and Titch were wonderfully written; each of their characters springing to life upon the pages.
In Part One it was indeed fantastical storytelling, riveting, harsh and moving. I was constantly drawn in to every page. Saturated with history, character, and a compelling but brutal tale. Edugyan’s writing is incredibly admirable and irresistibly obsessive. However Part Two took quite a turn and it lacked the vibrancy it had in the first half of the book. I also felt that the story did go on for far too long. Washington was still such an interesting character though and his growth and development was so absorbing. I loved the historical aspects of it, despite it being so hard to read in terms of the subject matter. Some parts were hard to stomach and hurt my heart whenever racism/discrimination reared its vile, ugly head.
The cover of my edition was also quite deceiving. Although it is a beautiful cover, it depicts something quite different to what actually goes on in the book so I found this to be quite disappointing in all honesty. I also wasn’t really keen on the ending, and the lead up to it felt a little too coincidental, too. Nevertheless it was a good read and glad I’ve read it.
Contemporary | Adult Fiction | Race | Punchy | Drama
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Emira, a 25 year old woman, is wrongfully accused of kidnapping a child whom she is actually employed to babysit by a wealthy and successful couple. The falsely accused event soon spirals out of control and Emira is facing the brunt of the one thing she’s always tried to avoid: the media.
I gotta admit… I had such a hard time reading this for the majority of the book for two reasons:
It’s not typically my type of genre I read.
Alix… Fricking motherf**king Alix… *low growl whilst major eye rolling* she infuriated me no end as soon as she appeared on the pages. But I suppose that was the point?
Anyway, I pressed on despite my immediate dislike of Alix, because the subject matter was interesting and I wanted to learn more about it through fiction (as well as non-fiction) so after skimming through the annoying Alix chapter it started to pick up, and Emira was perfect. I really liked her. Emira and Briar's interactions are hella cute! And the easy friendship between Emira and Zara is so goddamn awesome.
Kiley Reid did a killer job on making me detest Alix. Gosh she was so insufferable! Annoying! A sanctimonious prick! And what she did made me want to reach into the pages and throttle the woman! Never have I ever felt such contempt for a fictional character since Umbridge. I praise Kiley Reid for making such a detestable character. At times I also cringed at Alix’s behaviour. And also wow…. Fetishism for POC? Never knew that existed! So yeah, whilst the genre of the book wasn’t exactly to my liking, and, admittedly, I was expecting The Hate U Give vibes, it taught me so much and was most definitely an eye-opener.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Emira, a 25 year old woman, is wrongfully accused of kidnapping a child whom she is actually employed to babysit by a wealthy and successful couple. The falsely accused event soon spirals out of control and Emira is facing the brunt of the one thing she’s always tried to avoid: the media.
I gotta admit… I had such a hard time reading this for the majority of the book for two reasons:
It’s not typically my type of genre I read.
Alix… Fricking motherf**king Alix… *low growl whilst major eye rolling* she infuriated me no end as soon as she appeared on the pages. But I suppose that was the point?
Anyway, I pressed on despite my immediate dislike of Alix, because the subject matter was interesting and I wanted to learn more about it through fiction (as well as non-fiction) so after skimming through the annoying Alix chapter it started to pick up, and Emira was perfect. I really liked her. Emira and Briar's interactions are hella cute! And the easy friendship between Emira and Zara is so goddamn awesome.
Kiley Reid did a killer job on making me detest Alix. Gosh she was so insufferable! Annoying! A sanctimonious prick! And what she did made me want to reach into the pages and throttle the woman! Never have I ever felt such contempt for a fictional character since Umbridge. I praise Kiley Reid for making such a detestable character. At times I also cringed at Alix’s behaviour. And also wow…. Fetishism for POC? Never knew that existed! So yeah, whilst the genre of the book wasn’t exactly to my liking, and, admittedly, I was expecting The Hate U Give vibes, it taught me so much and was most definitely an eye-opener.
1791.
Nella, a female apothecary, secretly dispenses poisons to women who have been wronged by the men in their lives. But Nella is pleasantly surprised when a 12 year old girl turns up at her door requesting a poison for someone else, and a friendship starts to bloom. However dire trouble follows soon after which can jeopardise everything including their friendship.
Present Day
Caroline is spending the next ten days in London. On her own. Why? She has just found out that her husband of ten years has been having an affair. To distract her mind she stumbles upon an apothecary vial that leads her to the unsolved mystery of the apothecary murders over 200 hundred years ago. And she develops an obsession to solve it that includes very dicey decisions.
NOTE: There is a content warning at the bottom of my review but it is also a spoiler, of sorts, as it isn’t mentioned in the synopsis.
Whilst I did enjoy the book, I much preferred the 1791 timeline than the present one. Nella and Eliza (both from 1791) were great and I loved them both. I had a hard time connecting with the present, marital-problem storyline as I didn’t really enjoy it despite Caroline digging into the past of a very old apothecary vial she found. It was good but it definitely would’ve been better if it took on the role of a full time historical novel with an extremely suspenseful tale about Nella and Eliza. Especially Eliza. Sarah Penner missed out on the opportunity to branch further with Eliza’s interest in poisons and witchcraft. Her fear and conflicts could've definitely manifested into a frightening, heart-stopping tale with a band of courageous, original women protecting her and supporting her. But alas it never materialised that way *sigh*.
I’d just like to add a content warning which involves paedophilia and child molestation. It isn’t throughout the entire book but it’s still there nonetheless.
Nella, a female apothecary, secretly dispenses poisons to women who have been wronged by the men in their lives. But Nella is pleasantly surprised when a 12 year old girl turns up at her door requesting a poison for someone else, and a friendship starts to bloom. However dire trouble follows soon after which can jeopardise everything including their friendship.
Present Day
Caroline is spending the next ten days in London. On her own. Why? She has just found out that her husband of ten years has been having an affair. To distract her mind she stumbles upon an apothecary vial that leads her to the unsolved mystery of the apothecary murders over 200 hundred years ago. And she develops an obsession to solve it that includes very dicey decisions.
NOTE: There is a content warning at the bottom of my review but it is also a spoiler, of sorts, as it isn’t mentioned in the synopsis.
Whilst I did enjoy the book, I much preferred the 1791 timeline than the present one. Nella and Eliza (both from 1791) were great and I loved them both. I had a hard time connecting with the present, marital-problem storyline as I didn’t really enjoy it despite Caroline digging into the past of a very old apothecary vial she found. It was good but it definitely would’ve been better if it took on the role of a full time historical novel with an extremely suspenseful tale about Nella and Eliza. Especially Eliza. Sarah Penner missed out on the opportunity to branch further with Eliza’s interest in poisons and witchcraft. Her fear and conflicts could've definitely manifested into a frightening, heart-stopping tale with a band of courageous, original women protecting her and supporting her. But alas it never materialised that way *sigh*.
I’d just like to add a content warning which involves paedophilia and child molestation. It isn’t throughout the entire book but it’s still there nonetheless.
