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elouisedouglas's Reviews (721)
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Given the explosive end to the second book in the series, I couldn’t wait to get started on this one. But unlike the first two which I devoured in days, this book took me weeks to get through. I just didn’t find the pace as quick as the first two and I wasn’t gripped like I thought I would be.
The plot was great, full of twists that I didn’t see coming, full of bright moments despite the despair they were all feeling, but I just felt like the connection I had to Alina in the start of the series had kind of drifted.
I was still invested in her, I really wanted her to find happiness, but through some of the plot twists, it seems like that might just never happen.
“In the end, maybe love just meant longing for something impossibly bright and forever out of reach.”
Once I got through the middle section of the book, I did find the pacing increased and I thought the ending was fantastic. I’ve seen reviews that really hated the way the book ended, but I was so glad that after everything that happened, Alina and Mal could have a happy ending.
One of my favourite parts of the book was getting to know more of the minor characters, Zoya, Tolya, Genya, I loved them all possibly more than Alina and Mal. I was unsure about Genya for a while, thinking she might be a ‘bad guy’ for poisoning the king, but it turns out that she was just getting revenge on him in the best way possible for one of the worst things possible.
Even though I didn’t get on with this book as much as the first two, I still can’t wait to dig into more of the Grishaverse with the other series – Six of Crows has already arrived and I’ll be getting stuck in soon!
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It will be impossible to write this review without spoilers, so don’t read if you don’t want to risk it!
After the ending of the first book in the series, I don’t think I even waited before picking up this one, I was so eager to know what happened to Alina and Mal.
What I didn’t expect was for their time together to go bad so quickly – less than 20 pages in and things were going south pretty quickly. I was so angry, I just wanted them to have chance to be happy together first!
Alina and Mal are on the search for the second amplifier to give them a chance to defeat the darkling, but no sooner have they found the second amplifier than they find out there’s a third one!
But can Mal and Alina stay together when they want such different things?! And what about Captain Sturmhond, is he a friend or a foe? His ideas seem very risky but I can’t tell if that’s calculated or foolhardy.
I was so gripped by what was happening to Alina and Mal that I got to three quarters through the book and then realised that it didn’t seem like there was much time for a dramatic ending.
But Alina was much cleverer than I am and the ending was definitely not what I expected – I think my jaw may have dropped as I was reading.
I desperately need to know what’s going to happen now – will they all escape from the tunnels? Will Alina and Mal finally end up together? I need to know!
This book was much more political than the first book. Less of a battle of powers and more posturing and scheming, I’ll be interested to see if the final book goes back the other way.
Fab book, not quite as exciting as the first one, but brilliant nonetheless!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Leigh Bardugo has been on my Waterstones wish list for ages, but has been one of those authors where I’ve always thought ‘maybe next time’….
That is, until I watched the first episode of the new Shadow and Bone series on Netflix and I immediately knew I was going to need to read them first so I could make the world my own before being shown what someone else thought it was like.
I’m struggling to write anything coherent about this book without giving away major spoilers so I’m just going to say if you don’t want to spoil the plot, definitely don’t read on, but just know that I would recommend this book 110%. Enthralling, exciting, a complete escape from reality on a wet and windy weekend.
I’m now starting to wish I’d read this book before, I was hooked from the very first page. The author had thrown in so many plot twists that I thought I was going to get whiplash. Every time I thought I had an idea of what was coming next…BAM. It certainly kept me on my toes and made me compulsively keep reading – the whole book was devoured in a matter of hours.
I loved Alina’s character from the get go, and straight away I knew I wanted her to end up with Mal, her childhood friend who she knows she loves, but who doesn’t seem to feel the same way. But then enters the Darkling, and all of a sudden I’m conflicted. He’s dark (obvs) and mysterious and I feel like he would make a good partner for Alina as she gets to grips with her new-found powers.
But the course of true love in a fantasy novel never did run smooth, and just when Alina gets her tenderest yet most exciting moment with the Darkling yet, BAM, another plot twist, and the biggest one yet.
I may have raged when that plot twist hit because I was so sure that Alina was on the right path and this twist sent her about as far in the opposite direction as possible, but the one good thing was that (after quite an epic journey) she ended up reunited with Mal again. My heart just about melted when I read this part: “I’m sorry it took me so long to see you, Alina. But I see you now.” Swoon.
I loved the style of this book, the plot was extremely fast paced, but not at the expense of fully developed characters, and scene-setting that was so spot-on that I felt like I was there with them. The book played like a movie in my head and I was just so glad I bought the whole trilogy at once because if I’d had to wait to find out what happened next after the explosive way the book ended, I might have screamed!
I can’t wait for book two to find out what happens to Alina and Mal now that they’re sailing off the edge of their known world. I need to know what happened to the Darkling (I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of him), and I need to know what is going to happen to Ravka. So. So Good.
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
You know a book is good when you just completely forget that you’re reading. And I read this entire book in a single day because I was so enthralled by the story and the world created within.
Set in the 1930s, Alice is a young British woman who has just married a gorgeous American man and moved across the world to a small town in Kentucky. She thinks she’s the luckiest girl in the world, but when they get to Kentucky, things don’t quite go as she had planned.
Alice and Bennett move in with Bennett’s father, Mr Van Cleve, and their relationship is strained to say the least. As soon as they get home, Bennett seems to lose interest in poor Alice, leaving her isolated and alone.
Enter Marjery. A ‘forceful’ woman living outside of society’s expectations. She’s running a mobile library project that delivers library books to remote homes in the Kentucky mountains, a project which doesn’t really have the support of the whole town. And when Alice decides to get involved, let’s just say that Mr Van Cleve is non too pleased.
Speaking of Mr Van Cleve, he’s a downright bully. The kind of man that doesn’t take any nonsense from women, who is used to shouting loudly to get his own way, and if that doesn’t work he’ll use whatever underhand tactics he needs to, but he must get what he wants.
What follows is a tale of true sisterhood, of the fact that women are stronger together, and how these women in particular were not afraid to fight for what is right. and for each other.
I have to say, when I ordered this book, I saw it was by Jojo Moyes and assumed it would be another book on a similar vein to Me Before You and it’s sequels, so I was most suprised when I was dropped into 1930s Kentucky.
At first I didn’t thing I was going to get along with the story, but the characters were written with such depth that it didn’t take long before I was emotionally invested in their lives. And the way that the author described the town and the scenery that the women take in on their horseback travels. I could have been there with them, and truly felt like I was.
If you’re expecting a book that’s fluffy and romantic and without trial, this isn’t the book for you. It was challenging, eye opening, and multiple times I was left feeling like I could cry. Don’t let that put you off though, it was totally worth it for the joy of learning about and getting to know these wonderful women.
Although the women themselves weren’t real, I was surprised to learn the packhorse library was a real thing – I’d never heard of it before but what an amazing project to ensure that even the most remote homes in America could have the privilege of reading.
I think Jojo Moyes could fast be becoming one of my favourite authors, what a superb book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Pregnancy
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Incest
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
The author introduces this book by recounting a story of a conversation he had in Paddington Station (Caffe Nero to be precise), when the barista asked him what sounds like an innocuous question: “What made you become a priest?”.
Obviously when buying a coffee in a busy train station, there’s not much time to answer such a question as that, but this book is the response that he would have made if he’d had the time (a lot of time…).
If you didn’t know, the author Stephen Cottrell is the new Archbishop of York. I’ve never read any of his writing before, but this book came highly recommended on Twitter and I really wanted to know his answer to the question.
What followed the introduction is a letter to the people of England that was approachable and easy to read, but at the same time, packed a huge punch in terms of theological content and bits that made me have to re-read them again then note them down for later because they were so insightful.
I really liked the fact that it wasn’t heavy on the use of Bible verses. It mentioned them without quoting them extensively and I think that will help hugely with making this book more approachable for non-Christians. I’ve read a fair few books in the past that have quoted way too much and it can be off-putting for someone who has never even opened a Bible before.
As I mentioned, I highlighted many quotes while reading this book, but some of my favourites were when the author was talking about love.
“We know that there isn’t a limited supply of love. You can give it all away completely and still have every bit of it left to give again … Love replenishes itself by being given away”
And in particular how free will interacts with God’s love for us.
“For it to be love it has to be free… so God makes the world with all its terrible beautiful freedom, because that is the only way for it to be love.”
The book touches on topics like LGBTQ+, Black Lives Matter, Brexit and Coronavirus, giving it a very timely feel and challenging the reader to be part of the change for good, while affirming that God loves us all equally.
” Unity is not uniformity, difference is not a threat .”
I would recommend this book to anyone, to non-Christians who want to read a detailed but understandable reasoning for the Christian faith, and for Christians who want to be inspired by the author’s example to perhaps share a bit more of their faith, and catch on to his passion for wanting to change the world for the better.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This book was requested from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
This short but packed book is a guide to Choral Evensong, giving insight into the structure and elements of the service, along with detailed history of each of those parts.
I think I’ve only been to one Choral Evensong service before when I was at St Paul’s in London, and I have to admit I didn’t really ‘get it’.
But now I’ve read this book, all I want to do is go and sit and hear everything I’ve read about. Given Covid-lockdowns, I think I may either have to be patient or join online, but I think it needs to be done.
Even though the book was only short, I was impressed with how much detail the author went into. I previously knew nothing about the origins of the service but each chapter gave you context for that part of the service, be it the readings, the canticles, the anthem.
I feel like I learned so much, but rather than being dry and boring, the author also spoke with such warmth and passion throughout the book that it was hard to not take that on myself, it was truly fascinating.
Rather than a service that feels out of touch and old-fashioned, the book makes it clear that this service is perfect for today’s times, a way to reflect and connect with God in a way that isn’t offered by any other aspect of life.
Having learnt so much through this book, there’s really too much to share, but I did like the fact that my hometown got a mention in the fact that until 2016 Leeds Minster was the only parish church in England to maintain daily choral evensong!
challenging
informative
“Would you rather be healthy and fat or unhealthy and thin?”
Wolrich poses that the fact that you hesitate when you’re faced with that question is part of the problem which has lead to such huge problems of weight stigma in the western world. Fat is somehow seen as a problem not just a descriptive word, no matter the health. And thin is hailed as the goal no matter what.
In the first part of the book, Wolrich debunks some of the common arguments for this stigma, including an enlightening history of the BMI scale. This section really made me think about my relationship with my body and how I talk to myself. It’s so easy to internalise what society tells you without thinking about it and we don’t deserve to do that to ourselves.
The second part of the book then turns to debunking some common myths about food, what Wolrich calls ‘Nutribollocks’ – my new favourite word.
He talks in detail about how people praise this or that food and claim it can heal you from certain illnesses because of the nutrients they have in them. But as Wolrich says, we eat food not nutrition. Just because a food has a nutrient in it doesn’t mean it has those properties. Monster drinks have a chemical in that can help with PCOS, but that doesn’t mean monster is prescribed as a cure and you would never think it did, so why do we (as a society) fall for this with so called ‘healthy’ foods and miracle cures.
Food is not medicine.
I’ve been following Dr Wolrich on Instagram for a long while now, and he’s such a recommended follow, calling out posts for being misleading or just downright lying, and bringing a voice of reason into a field of shouting buffoons.
The audiobook that I listened to (thanks to NetGalley) was narrated by the author and I was so glad for this, he has such an easy voice to listen to, presenting everything clearly and in a really straightforward manner, which must have been difficult given the nature of the book and some of the more complex topics being discussed.
I was given this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review, but I’ll be heading straight out to buy a copy of this as I think it’s so important.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, Eating disorder, Fatphobia
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I’ve been following Tim Hughes’ music since I bought one of his CDs in a Wesley Owen shop (remember them?) in Leeds in 2003, and when I saw this book start to be mentioned on Twitter, I knew I needed to read it – seeing it on NetGalley just sealed the deal for me.
The book is split into 4 parts:
- Who and why we worship
- Where and how we worship
- What happens when we worship?
- The Future
Each section is split into multiple chapters, each written by a different contributor, including Graham Kendrick and Lou Fellingham. I loved this as it means you get a different (and expert) perspective and you see each contributor’s passion for their subject shine from the pages.
I don’t know about other people, but usually when I hear the word worship, I immediately think about singing and music. This book cracks that open and explores how worship means so much more, it’s how we live our lives in pursuit of relationship with God.
“Worship is about the mess and fragility of humanity being caught up in the perfection and love of divinity.”
Similarly, when I think of worship, I often think of positivity, and how worship can feel like a struggle when you’re going through a hard time. When singing praise just doesn’t feel right because of the time you find yourself in. But as the book says:
“When we worship, we can be filled with joy no matter what our circumstances are. We can find reason to hope even when all around us seems bleak.”
This has become more and more apparent over the last year when bleakness has been a dominating emotion, with fear, sadness and isolation taking over.
Even when it doesn’t change our circumstances, praise often changes our perspective.
Filled with biblical references, my particular favourite chapters were the three at the start which discussed separately how we worship the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so much more in depth than I’ve ever gone before.
This book is apparently the Spring Harvest 2021 theme book, and I’m really glad that it will be read more widely as I think there’s a lot to take from it.
The NetGalley copy I have will disappear in a few days and I’m sad about that because I think this book is the kind that will deliver new insights each time you read it, so I’m definitely going to have to find myself a paper copy to dive back into.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So…I started reading this book in January…2019. I made it around 100 pages in, but it felt like a struggle and I just couldn’t find that compulsion to keep reading. With 700 pages left to go, I simply gave up.
But I hate leaving books half finished, so I finally came back to it again two weeks ago (and 2 years after starting). It turns out that the point I gave up the book was just on the cusp of it getting really exciting. I’d plodded through a lot of the initial setup and given up just before it got going.
The book starts in the village of Emonds Field, and we meet our main character Rand. We spend quite a lot of time in the village meeting our band of supporting characters, and it seems like we may never leave…
But then Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene, Nynaeve, Moraine and Lan have to leave Emonds field in a hurry, they need to get to Tar Valon. Moraine is very cryptic about why the three boys are so necessary to defeating the darkness, just that they are in ‘the pattern’, and part of what the wheel weaves.
Once the band were on their way, I got very tolkien-esque vibes from the book – a group of people all setting out to defeat evil on a long and winding quest. I didn’t mind that so much though, I love LOTR and it didn’t feel like a copy to me, just a similar style.
My favourite part of the book (I don’t know if this is mean or not) was when the characters all became separated. I felt like the pace of the book increased and because we were splitting perspective between the different groups, we got to know each of the characters more in depth and it really helped to build a connection.
I also loved how (unlike a lot of epic fantasy books), the women weren’t just supporting characters. They had a lot of the power and ruling and that felt a bit unusual to me, although the tides are definitely turning in more recent fantasy books.
I don’t want to talk about the plot too much because it would be too easy to give away major spoilers (I’ve probably already said too much), but what I will say is that I found the ending of the book fairly anti-climactic. It felt like the peril was building up and up and up and then I realised there weren’t many pages left in the book so I assumed it must spill over into the next one, but no.
The final scenes all felt a bit rushed to me after such a build up and that was a bit disappointing, but it did finish in such a way that I really want to read the next book in the series now – I’m just hoping the pace of the second book picks up now that the world-building has been established and we’re familiar with the characters.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I downloaded this book at the beginning of the year when apple books were giving away a lot of free audio-books, and I didn’t really know what to expect. I hadn’t read any blurbs or anything, just that it was a cinderella re-telling.
I was a bit surprised when I realised it was Fae and Vampires, but this was one of my favourite genres about ten years ago, so I was excited to give it a go.
Elle is a human girl, bound to her stepmother as a slave, and there is only one way she can escape. She needs to get enough ‘essence’ to purchase a wish, a top-tier wish, so she can ask the Godmother to free her from her slavery.
Thankfully, Elle has a special talent that her family don’t know about, she’s able to take people’s memories from them. And she has a steady trade of clients that she meets with who would rather forget certain things, and will pay her in essence to make those memories go away.
But one night at a club while she’s doing a job, she finds herself wound up with vampires, and they definitely do not have good intentions for her. When she finds herself kidnapped, her worry is getting back home before midnight so her stepmother doesn’t find out that she’s been out, but she should perhaps have bigger worries.
I was kind of disappointed to realise when the audiobook finished that this is actually part 1 of the City of Wishes novel, and it left the story incredibly unfinished. I’d love to know how this ends (although I think I can probably make a good guess), but I don’t know if I was so enthused about the story that I’d pay to finish reading it (sorry!), especially since each part is only a smidge over 100 pages.
I did enjoy Elle’s character though, and the narration was good too – the air-headed voices of Elle’s stepsisters reminded me of the Paris Hilton impression done by GottMik on Ru Paul’s Drag Race, and that made me smile – I love it when the narrator is so good that you lose yourself in the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence