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ellemnope's Reviews (2.4k)
A slow burn fantasy that serves as a good setup for a series, but will require a patient read.
The series is listed as an adult read, but I personally placed it in the new adult category. The primary characters are younger in age and the narrative fits for a bit of a younger audience. It is a bit more of a high fantasy though, so it can be something of a complex read.
The novel is set in an interesting world that is constructed well, but did take me a little bit to get a handle on. The world appears to be both Greek and Russian influenced and is constructed along the idea of having gods who were killed and replaced by human representatives. The resulting factions are in a tense political situation with an ongoing struggle for power.
The primary protagonist is Rhea, daughter of one of the human "gods" who is tasked with marrying a suitor at each seasonal transition. Her murder of this suitor is then responsible for determining when the next seasonal change will take place. It's an interesting (if odd and slightly morbid) magical gift.
The plot moves quite slowly for the first half of the book, with lots of world building and character set up. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the vibes though, so it wasn't a slog of a read, just a slow and steady pace. Once I got to the last third of the story, things really took off. I enjoyed the political intrigue at that point (not usually my thing), and the stakes finally started to get amped up. The ending was solid for a series read (this is currently listed as a duology), but definitely leaves things unfinished and a bit frustrating. I'm anxiously awaiting the sequel.
This will be a great read for those who love political fantasies with rich world-building, as long as they don't mind a slow pace.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *
The series is listed as an adult read, but I personally placed it in the new adult category. The primary characters are younger in age and the narrative fits for a bit of a younger audience. It is a bit more of a high fantasy though, so it can be something of a complex read.
The novel is set in an interesting world that is constructed well, but did take me a little bit to get a handle on. The world appears to be both Greek and Russian influenced and is constructed along the idea of having gods who were killed and replaced by human representatives. The resulting factions are in a tense political situation with an ongoing struggle for power.
The primary protagonist is Rhea, daughter of one of the human "gods" who is tasked with marrying a suitor at each seasonal transition. Her murder of this suitor is then responsible for determining when the next seasonal change will take place. It's an interesting (if odd and slightly morbid) magical gift.
The plot moves quite slowly for the first half of the book, with lots of world building and character set up. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the vibes though, so it wasn't a slog of a read, just a slow and steady pace. Once I got to the last third of the story, things really took off. I enjoyed the political intrigue at that point (not usually my thing), and the stakes finally started to get amped up. The ending was solid for a series read (this is currently listed as a duology), but definitely leaves things unfinished and a bit frustrating. I'm anxiously awaiting the sequel.
This will be a great read for those who love political fantasies with rich world-building, as long as they don't mind a slow pace.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *
3.5 stars. A decent short story and a quick read, but it doesn't pack the usual punch of Atwood's previous novels.
4.5 stars.
I love Backman's style and how he goes straight for the heart. In this short story that contemplates the value of life, the tale is told in an epistolary style. The narrative is a bit cryptic along the way, but there are a lot of emotions wrapped up in the words. This is one of those reads where you'll likely glean something new on a reread.
I found the writing beautiful as always: human and raw. Though the plot was a little vague (characters exist with no names and the construction is a bit choppy), the punch to the heart along the way was a good one. I do wish that the story would have been extended and explored a bit more, but I will admit that I typically do feel that way with short stories. It's incredibly difficult to get everything developed in such a short span of pages.
As is, I enjoyed the tale, found it impactful, and would read it again.
I love Backman's style and how he goes straight for the heart. In this short story that contemplates the value of life, the tale is told in an epistolary style. The narrative is a bit cryptic along the way, but there are a lot of emotions wrapped up in the words. This is one of those reads where you'll likely glean something new on a reread.
I found the writing beautiful as always: human and raw. Though the plot was a little vague (characters exist with no names and the construction is a bit choppy), the punch to the heart along the way was a good one. I do wish that the story would have been extended and explored a bit more, but I will admit that I typically do feel that way with short stories. It's incredibly difficult to get everything developed in such a short span of pages.
As is, I enjoyed the tale, found it impactful, and would read it again.
4.5 stars.
A jump in time from the last volume, but the introduction to the new time frame was really well done. The art continues to be impeccable and I love the construction and color. The diversity also continues to be magnificent and effortless. There is a lot of heart wrapped up in this little comic and I am definitely a fan.
A jump in time from the last volume, but the introduction to the new time frame was really well done. The art continues to be impeccable and I love the construction and color. The diversity also continues to be magnificent and effortless. There is a lot of heart wrapped up in this little comic and I am definitely a fan.
4.5 stars.
Novellas are always so hard to rate. When they're part of a series, I somewhat have to rate them based on potential for the series as a whole. In this case, I think Binti does a lot of set up for a series that will be really engaging and entertaining.
The writing is fantastic and flows naturally like a conversation or a journal. I really loved the cultural exploration in this short plot. There is a lot of discussion about the theme of acceptance. There was a lot here to get my interest piqued. In some ways, it felt similar to a Becky Chambers read.
Binti is a fantastically strong female protagonist, but she still shows appropriate weaknesses/flaws for her age. I appreciated that and I think that will serve her well in the continuing novellas.
I look forward to seeing where this plot goes. The story wasn't perfect, but I was intrigued and entertained.
Novellas are always so hard to rate. When they're part of a series, I somewhat have to rate them based on potential for the series as a whole. In this case, I think Binti does a lot of set up for a series that will be really engaging and entertaining.
The writing is fantastic and flows naturally like a conversation or a journal. I really loved the cultural exploration in this short plot. There is a lot of discussion about the theme of acceptance. There was a lot here to get my interest piqued. In some ways, it felt similar to a Becky Chambers read.
Binti is a fantastically strong female protagonist, but she still shows appropriate weaknesses/flaws for her age. I appreciated that and I think that will serve her well in the continuing novellas.
I look forward to seeing where this plot goes. The story wasn't perfect, but I was intrigued and entertained.
4.5 stars.
This was an absolutely random pick from my library and I am so glad I picked it up. Maia Kobabe has written a graphic memoir regarding the journey to understand and accept eir identity. There was a lot of honesty in these pages, with some great exploration of anxiety.
This was a book I needed. While I absolutely respect the identity choices of others, I really needed some help to understand a bit more of the situation for nonbinary and gender queer individuals. This was a perfect fit. I was able to follow Maia's life in a way that presented the situations simply yet with a great emotional content. I found that I was able to understand eir perspective and even identify with some of the individual feelings presented. The discussion around pronouns and how to address others in a way to understand their preferences was well done and easily followed.
This is a fantastic read. There is so much heart in the story and I really appreciated Kobabe's willingness to lay so much of eir own feelings bare. That takes a lot of courage and I highly appreciate eir ability to present this story to the world.
This was an absolutely random pick from my library and I am so glad I picked it up. Maia Kobabe has written a graphic memoir regarding the journey to understand and accept eir identity. There was a lot of honesty in these pages, with some great exploration of anxiety.
This was a book I needed. While I absolutely respect the identity choices of others, I really needed some help to understand a bit more of the situation for nonbinary and gender queer individuals. This was a perfect fit. I was able to follow Maia's life in a way that presented the situations simply yet with a great emotional content. I found that I was able to understand eir perspective and even identify with some of the individual feelings presented. The discussion around pronouns and how to address others in a way to understand their preferences was well done and easily followed.
This is a fantastic read. There is so much heart in the story and I really appreciated Kobabe's willingness to lay so much of eir own feelings bare. That takes a lot of courage and I highly appreciate eir ability to present this story to the world.
Admittedly, I did rate this slightly higher based on the fact that it is an initial book in a series. I gave it credit for the setup work that was needed. Otherwise, it would really be more of a 3-star experience. I was really looking forward to this dark academia style premise, but there were some lacking pieces.
The idea of this book is fantastic and I'm really hoping that it starts to shine more in the second installment. The magic system is fun and a bit more grown up than some of the other dark academia series out there. I enjoy the scientific background of it. I wish there was a bit more to the atmosphere, but the setting up of the system was interesting and has great potential.
There were a lot of pieces to put together here and there are a lot of characters to get to know. I did get a little tripped up in who was who on occasion. I can definitely see how their strengths and weaknesses can play together and I enjoyed seeing the different relationships build and add layers of complexity. Because of the underlying need for an establishment of structure and history, the pacing was a bit slow and there were some moments that I considered putting it down for a while.
However, the ending does start to pick up speed once the stage is set and the characters are starting to become their own. The interactions are good and the tensions are high, so there is a lot of interest in where things could go from here. This is one where I feel like the initial struggle may be worth the payoff for the series as a whole. Here's hoping I'm right and book 2 takes all this that has been developed and runs wildly with it.
The idea of this book is fantastic and I'm really hoping that it starts to shine more in the second installment. The magic system is fun and a bit more grown up than some of the other dark academia series out there. I enjoy the scientific background of it. I wish there was a bit more to the atmosphere, but the setting up of the system was interesting and has great potential.
There were a lot of pieces to put together here and there are a lot of characters to get to know. I did get a little tripped up in who was who on occasion. I can definitely see how their strengths and weaknesses can play together and I enjoyed seeing the different relationships build and add layers of complexity. Because of the underlying need for an establishment of structure and history, the pacing was a bit slow and there were some moments that I considered putting it down for a while.
However, the ending does start to pick up speed once the stage is set and the characters are starting to become their own. The interactions are good and the tensions are high, so there is a lot of interest in where things could go from here. This is one where I feel like the initial struggle may be worth the payoff for the series as a whole. Here's hoping I'm right and book 2 takes all this that has been developed and runs wildly with it.
What a fun middle grade read! I don't really understand the low ratings for this one, but I have to assume that the majority are due to one of two things: (1) they expected more of a YA read than a middle grade one and couldn't identify with the voice or (2) they are too overwhelmed by the popularity of the "chosen one" and magic school tropes and couldn't see this one for it's unique properties. Are there elements of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and How to Train Your Dragon in the plot? Absolutely. But there are a lot of tropes that have been reused over and over again with much success. I see no reason why it can't be the same for Skandar
Modern middle grade readers will likely be in love with this series. It is fun, imaginative, and builds great tension and mystery for a continuing series. The characters are interesting and I enjoyed the dynamic between them. They are written well for the middle grade set, but they could admittedly use a bit more depth. The writing is fun and light and the plot is easy to follow. Adult readers will likely find it a little simplistic or easy to predict, but for middle grade readers it will be just right. And for me...it was just a lot of fun.
I enjoyed my read quite a bit and I'm looking forward to where this series goes.
Modern middle grade readers will likely be in love with this series. It is fun, imaginative, and builds great tension and mystery for a continuing series. The characters are interesting and I enjoyed the dynamic between them. They are written well for the middle grade set, but they could admittedly use a bit more depth. The writing is fun and light and the plot is easy to follow. Adult readers will likely find it a little simplistic or easy to predict, but for middle grade readers it will be just right. And for me...it was just a lot of fun.
I enjoyed my read quite a bit and I'm looking forward to where this series goes.
2.5 stars.
There was a lot about this that just felt muddled and undeveloped. It is a short story and a quick read, but it felt like it needed polishing and tightening. I just didn't find anything special about this. It was fine, but nothing overly intriguing or creepy. There was a good premise, but the execution didn't meet my expectations. The writing was fine and I felt like maybe with a bit of redirection and editing this could have been made into something much more gripping. Instead, something about the character relationships and interactions felt off and the movement of the plot was a bit jerky. It was a disappointing experience, but it was short so I didn't feel the pressure to DNF.
There was a lot about this that just felt muddled and undeveloped. It is a short story and a quick read, but it felt like it needed polishing and tightening. I just didn't find anything special about this. It was fine, but nothing overly intriguing or creepy. There was a good premise, but the execution didn't meet my expectations. The writing was fine and I felt like maybe with a bit of redirection and editing this could have been made into something much more gripping. Instead, something about the character relationships and interactions felt off and the movement of the plot was a bit jerky. It was a disappointing experience, but it was short so I didn't feel the pressure to DNF.
3.75 rounded up.
This was a good dystopian focused on parenting and the control of the government in that process. The premise was interesting and well constructed with moments that made me cringe and others that had my hackles raised. I'm all for keeping kids safe, but yeesh...this went a bit far. I'm by no means saying that made the book bad...that's what made it good! I love dystopians that push the envelope and really explore the possibilities of cultural change. This one will definitely stick with me.
As a mother to young children, I could identify with many of the maternal characters in the book, so this hit a bit hard. All parents are prone to mistakes, but in Chan's world those are simply not permitted. Your child had an accident while playing in the backyard alone and you wound up taking them to the hospital with a broken bone? Now you stand to potentially lose your parental rights. Yikes. It is a completely unforgiving system that gave me crazy anxiety thinking about the ways that outsiders could judge my parenting. (Over the days I was reading this book my youngest managed to color furniture with a Sharpie and dumped bottles of cleaner all over the living room. Neither of my children adhered well to their bedtime and I definitely raised my voice more than once. All of these things could have landed me in The School for Good Mothers.)
There was a lot of social commentary rolled up into the prose and the characters that I felt was well handled. There was a great consideration of systemic racism and other prejudices in current society that I found interesting. There were a lot of things that also had me thinking with regard to the cultural and generational differences in child rearing. There was a lot at play here and I felt like Chan really explored the different possibilities to give a well-rounded view.
The tough spots for me were in the pacing and the ending. There were some great things explored in the setting of the school, but overall that situation went on for too long and the pacing really started to drag. I was surprised to see that the book was under 400 pages when I finished because it certainly felt longer. A little bit of tightening to these scenes would have made a great difference because while the writing is good, it just started to feel repetitive.
The ending was also good in concept, but felt a bit rushed. I was caught a little off guard by what happened in the last few chapters of the book, so there felt like a bit of a lapse of logic, but I think a bit more fleshing out of these situations would have given me the feel that it was a continuation of the style that had been present for the rest of the book. Instead, it felt like the situation where the author was just ready to be done writing and get to the point. It wrapped up quickly and neatly, but felt a bit overly jarring.
Chan's writing is definitely intriguing and for a debut this was quite well done. I am interested to see what other concepts she tackles and how her writing will mature in successive novels.
This was a good dystopian focused on parenting and the control of the government in that process. The premise was interesting and well constructed with moments that made me cringe and others that had my hackles raised. I'm all for keeping kids safe, but yeesh...this went a bit far. I'm by no means saying that made the book bad...that's what made it good! I love dystopians that push the envelope and really explore the possibilities of cultural change. This one will definitely stick with me.
As a mother to young children, I could identify with many of the maternal characters in the book, so this hit a bit hard. All parents are prone to mistakes, but in Chan's world those are simply not permitted. Your child had an accident while playing in the backyard alone and you wound up taking them to the hospital with a broken bone? Now you stand to potentially lose your parental rights. Yikes. It is a completely unforgiving system that gave me crazy anxiety thinking about the ways that outsiders could judge my parenting. (Over the days I was reading this book my youngest managed to color furniture with a Sharpie and dumped bottles of cleaner all over the living room. Neither of my children adhered well to their bedtime and I definitely raised my voice more than once. All of these things could have landed me in The School for Good Mothers.)
There was a lot of social commentary rolled up into the prose and the characters that I felt was well handled. There was a great consideration of systemic racism and other prejudices in current society that I found interesting. There were a lot of things that also had me thinking with regard to the cultural and generational differences in child rearing. There was a lot at play here and I felt like Chan really explored the different possibilities to give a well-rounded view.
The tough spots for me were in the pacing and the ending. There were some great things explored in the setting of the school, but overall that situation went on for too long and the pacing really started to drag. I was surprised to see that the book was under 400 pages when I finished because it certainly felt longer. A little bit of tightening to these scenes would have made a great difference because while the writing is good, it just started to feel repetitive.
The ending was also good in concept, but felt a bit rushed. I was caught a little off guard by what happened in the last few chapters of the book, so there felt like a bit of a lapse of logic, but I think a bit more fleshing out of these situations would have given me the feel that it was a continuation of the style that had been present for the rest of the book. Instead, it felt like the situation where the author was just ready to be done writing and get to the point. It wrapped up quickly and neatly, but felt a bit overly jarring.
Chan's writing is definitely intriguing and for a debut this was quite well done. I am interested to see what other concepts she tackles and how her writing will mature in successive novels.