I have to say I was a bit disappointed. I remembered loving the movie when I was younger, but couldn’t really remember much of it. As a book I found that some parts dragged, and I just wasn’t invested in the story. Perhaps listening to it on audio wasn’t the way to go, but it just wasn’t really for me. Three stars mainly for nostalgia rather than enjoyment.

Stunning! I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Stunning descriptions and landscapes, a strong female protagonist and a plot that fills you with every feeling from joy, to anger to deep sadness. I cannot wait to pick up the next in the series. One of the best books I’ve ever read.

I am enjoying this series, however I’ve rated this one slightly lower for 2 reasons. Firstly, I thought it was a bit slow to get going, and if you’ve only got 170 pages, you want to get right into it. Secondly, I’m starting to feel like this series is just a way to make more money. The 4 I have read to date could easily have been 1 or 2 books, not 4. I will read the next one, as I am keen to see where it goes (and I believe it’s a bit longer), but I am getting a bit irritated paying full price for a very small book that could have been part of the last one...

This book had so much potential, the concept was good, but for me the execution was poor. The plot was basic and rushed at the end, and there was little to no character development.

This book was entertaining enough, but forgettable in my opinion. Not bad, but nothing to write home about either.

This was a fantastic book. It took me a few chapters to get into the flow, but then I was hooked! I loved the multiple perspectives, the atmosphere was spot on and the pacing was great. It was really impressive how much connection I had with the characters for a relatively small page count. I adored Rafi and Basi, and thought their story was very well done. I would absolutely recommend this book.

This was a really hard book to review. The foreword and afterword from Toni Morrison really helped me to understand some of the nuances and intentions in the novel. The writing was outstanding, the way it was constructed was innovative and I loved that aspect of it. However, I found it quite slow paced for a book so small, and felt that it only scratched the surface of the characters. I suppose I didn’t enjoy reading this book, but at the same time appreciated why it is such an important and renowned piece of fiction. I will certainly try more of Morrison’s work based on this read.

There is no denying that Taylor can write characters with exacting detail, however, I found this book a little dull. It certainly wasn’t a book I actively wanted to pick up. I can appreciate the writing, but this one just wasn’t for me.