greyys_libraryy's Reviews (184)

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

C.S. Lewis

3.0

adventurous inspiring

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is a very nice read for people of all ages. I personally preferred the movies because of the nostalgia it brings me. Had I read the book at a younger age I think I would have preferred the book. The siblings acted like real siblings in the book, which is refreshing to many that don’t. I do not have much to say about the book itself, so this review will be short.

I think the plot overall was amazing. I loved the way that the siblings found out about Narnia and how they portrayed Edmund. I think that Edmund had too quick of a turn-around, which is typical for children’s books. The concept of good and evil is strong within the book, as are the religious themes surrounding Aslan.

I would rate it a 3/5. I had expected more from the book because of how good the movie was and felt let down, but I would still recommend the book to others.

Content Warnings

Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Malinda Lo

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

The Magician's Nephew

C.S. Lewis

3.0

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The Magician’s Nephew is a good book for any age. Narnia has always been a favorite of mine, so when I saw the books for cheap at my local used bookstore I had to grab them. I was not disappointed by the prequel. I love being able to see how Narnia came to be, though I am still confused by some bits.

The prequel ties in very easily with the next booking of the series.

The world-building in the book is loose, but as it is with many fantasy books that involve the creation of worlds

Despite it not being purposeful, the book has a few religious themes within it, but none that would make it unenjoyable to others.

Overall I would rate the book a 4/5 and recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy and would like a quick read.

I'm Glad My Mom Died

Jennette McCurdy

5.0

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Jennette McCurdy’s memoir is written beautifully. I love how she writes from her point of view because you can really understand why Jennette acted the way she did and how she was manipulated. Often, when manipulation is told from an outside perspective it tends to look shallow, and as if the other person could have easily not been manipulated had they been smart enough. But because she wrote this all from her point of view, you can see how the way she was raised, and basically isolated, contributed to her inability to truly think and act for herself for so long.

Throughout the book, and her life, Jennette struggled with various eating disorders, and she shows the truth about them. She doesn’t sugarcoat the feelings or the effects that it had on her body. And, she didn’t sugarcoat the difficulties of recovery. I love how she shows the full ins and outs of her life because often Hollywood and mainstream media gloss over them. A character has an eating disorder one season, and the next they can happily eat a full meal without a second thought. But Jennette shows that it’s an ongoing struggle day in and day out for years down the line. A quote that stuck out to me was one that her second therapist had said to her, it was

“Slips are totally normal. When you have a slip, it’s just that. A slip. It doesn’t define you. It doesn’t make you a failure. The most important thing is that you don’t let a slip become a slide.”

This quote could help so many people in recovery, and I love that she included it. She went on to reference it later in the book through her recovery, admitting her slips and the motivation she had to not allow them to become slides.

Each time you see the family interact you become entranced by the family dynamic, or lack thereof, that there is. You see how Jennette and her mother's relationship was able to become what it did, and you ask yourself how people allowed it to go on for so long. She had two older brothers, who in the memoir, seem as though they did nothing o stop it. At times you even forget that she has any siblings at all

Overall I would rate the book a 5/5 and recommend this book to anyone who is able to handle hard topics. Whether or not memoirs are your ideal book to read, this book will most likely make the top of your list. it deserves all of the hype it is receiving and more.

Content Warnings