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991 reviews by:
missy_reading
Grade: 70% C
Characters 1-10: 7
Worldbuilding 1-10: 6
Plot: 1-10: 8
Writing style: 1-10: 7
Enjoyment: 1-10: 7
Age Range: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Thoughts:
Jane Eyre is one of my favorite classic books and when I saw that this was a retelling of Jane Eyre, I was very intrigued to read this book.
I thought that the characters in this book were interesting, but they were not as believable to me as the characters of the original Jane Eyre were. When I am reading retellings, I want to be able to see the similarities between the original character and the retelling character, but I want them to feel like different people. Jane Steele felt like an overexaggerated characterization of Jane Eyre. The characters in this story weren’t bad but I also wasn’t rooting for anyone either.
The worldbuilding was just okay I felt like the world was very much just the setting of Jane Eyre there was nothing distinguishing about the world that really stood out to me. I do love the setting for Jane Eyre so I liked feeling like I was back there, but I did want to see differences to be able to tell this book apart from the original.
The plot for me was the best part I feel like the changes that were made that made me enjoy this book all had to do with the plot. I liked how Jane Steele and Jane Eyre’s lives mirrored each other but I loved how they diverged as well. I thought the part of Jane Steele being a “serial killer” where Jane Eyre was passive about things really worked for me.
I found the writing enjoyable. I think that Faye did a good job capturing the tone that Bronte had throughout Jane Eyre. I also liked how Faye took some of the most memorable lines from Jane Eyre and changed them up to fit this story. I think that Faye is a pretty good storyteller and I would be willing to try some of her other works.
Now we come to my enjoyment of this book. I thought that this was just a middle of the road book for me. I felt like the whole time I was reading I kept thinking of things that would have made it a better reading experience for me, but I wasn’t hating my reading experience as it was. I think that Faye relied to heavily on the original story and didn’t make the characters more of her own or the world, but I do think that the way she chose to take the plot was very well done. I think that there are definitely readers who will love this book and others who will hate it but I am just in the middle.
Characters 1-10: 7
Worldbuilding 1-10: 6
Plot: 1-10: 8
Writing style: 1-10: 7
Enjoyment: 1-10: 7
Age Range: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Thoughts:
Jane Eyre is one of my favorite classic books and when I saw that this was a retelling of Jane Eyre, I was very intrigued to read this book.
I thought that the characters in this book were interesting, but they were not as believable to me as the characters of the original Jane Eyre were. When I am reading retellings, I want to be able to see the similarities between the original character and the retelling character, but I want them to feel like different people. Jane Steele felt like an overexaggerated characterization of Jane Eyre. The characters in this story weren’t bad but I also wasn’t rooting for anyone either.
The worldbuilding was just okay I felt like the world was very much just the setting of Jane Eyre there was nothing distinguishing about the world that really stood out to me. I do love the setting for Jane Eyre so I liked feeling like I was back there, but I did want to see differences to be able to tell this book apart from the original.
The plot for me was the best part I feel like the changes that were made that made me enjoy this book all had to do with the plot. I liked how Jane Steele and Jane Eyre’s lives mirrored each other but I loved how they diverged as well. I thought the part of Jane Steele being a “serial killer” where Jane Eyre was passive about things really worked for me.
I found the writing enjoyable. I think that Faye did a good job capturing the tone that Bronte had throughout Jane Eyre. I also liked how Faye took some of the most memorable lines from Jane Eyre and changed them up to fit this story. I think that Faye is a pretty good storyteller and I would be willing to try some of her other works.
Now we come to my enjoyment of this book. I thought that this was just a middle of the road book for me. I felt like the whole time I was reading I kept thinking of things that would have made it a better reading experience for me, but I wasn’t hating my reading experience as it was. I think that Faye relied to heavily on the original story and didn’t make the characters more of her own or the world, but I do think that the way she chose to take the plot was very well done. I think that there are definitely readers who will love this book and others who will hate it but I am just in the middle.
Grade: 73% C
Plot: a1-10: 8
Writing style: 1-10: 8
Enjoyment: 1-10: 6
Age Range: Young Adult
Genre: Non-Fiction/Graphic Novel
Thoughts:
I wasn’t quite sure how to rate this since this is about someone’s life and a very important part of United states history. I find this time period interesting because I live in Louisiana and there are still places in south Louisiana that you can tell where the water fountains were segregated.
I found the plot of this graphic novel very interesting. I know that these sit-ins where very important to the Civil Rights Movement. I like how this is going through Lewis’ life and how he became the advocate he is today.
I thought that the writing of this graphic novel was done well but I also feel like it was stilted at some points. I am not someone who reads graphic novels very often because I often feel like I don’t connect to the characters and the world as well as I do through novel formats.
I did enjoy this story and getting to see how Lewis started his journey to becoming the man he is today. I wish that I had connected to the story more but I feel like that is more of a me thing and not a book thing. I want to continue on with this story so that I can know what happens but I don’t know if I will because of the format.
Grade: 73% C
Plot: a1-10: 8
Writing style: 1-10: 8
Enjoyment: 1-10: 6
Plot: a1-10: 8
Writing style: 1-10: 8
Enjoyment: 1-10: 6
Age Range: Young Adult
Genre: Non-Fiction/Graphic Novel
Thoughts:
I wasn’t quite sure how to rate this since this is about someone’s life and a very important part of United states history. I find this time period interesting because I live in Louisiana and there are still places in south Louisiana that you can tell where the water fountains were segregated.
I found the plot of this graphic novel very interesting. I know that these sit-ins where very important to the Civil Rights Movement. I like how this is going through Lewis’ life and how he became the advocate he is today.
I thought that the writing of this graphic novel was done well but I also feel like it was stilted at some points. I am not someone who reads graphic novels very often because I often feel like I don’t connect to the characters and the world as well as I do through novel formats.
I did enjoy this story and getting to see how Lewis started his journey to becoming the man he is today. I wish that I had connected to the story more but I feel like that is more of a me thing and not a book thing. I want to continue on with this story so that I can know what happens but I don’t know if I will because of the format.
Grade: 73% C
Plot: a1-10: 8
Writing style: 1-10: 8
Enjoyment: 1-10: 6
Grade: 100% A
Characters 1-10: 10
Worldbuilding 1-10: 10
Plot: 1-10: 10
Writing style: 1-10: 10
Enjoyment: 1-10: 10
Age Range: Adult
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Thoughts:
First thriller of 2020 and I absolutely loved it!
I listened to this on audiobook and highly recommend that way of consuming this book. The characters were all so unreliable, but I was so invested in all of their lives. Our main character Rowan I was rooting for from the very beginning. Knowing that she was in jail for the murder of one of the children she was nanny of really brought this whole element of sympathy for me. I felt like every character that we met throughout this story was fleshed out. I loved these characters so much and I was really scared for them when the creepy things start happening.
The worldbuilding was done phenomenally. This story is told mostly in a smart house in the middle of nowhere in Scotland. The atmosphere of this house and the grounds was so creepy. I loved the way that the house itself felt like its own character. I loved this house as the setting so much and can not wait to see future settings from this author.
The plot was just top notch. I am one of those people who never sees the twist but every time I thought I had this book figured out I was wrong. I loved how this book kept me on the edge of my seat having to know what happens next. I think that this is one of those books that will keep everyone on their toes trying to figure out what is going on throughout this story.
The writing style I really enjoyed. Because I was listening to the audiobook when I started this book I didn’t know that the first few pages were Rowan writing letters so I thought the audiobook was skipping but when I figured it out that the book was written as a letter to the lawyer it made sense. I thought that the writing style worked so well for this kind of story.
Obviously, I enjoyed my time reading this book. I enjoyed it so much that when I completed it, I immediately called my mom and told her that she had to read it. I am looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Characters 1-10: 10
Worldbuilding 1-10: 10
Plot: 1-10: 10
Writing style: 1-10: 10
Enjoyment: 1-10: 10
Age Range: Adult
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Thoughts:
First thriller of 2020 and I absolutely loved it!
I listened to this on audiobook and highly recommend that way of consuming this book. The characters were all so unreliable, but I was so invested in all of their lives. Our main character Rowan I was rooting for from the very beginning. Knowing that she was in jail for the murder of one of the children she was nanny of really brought this whole element of sympathy for me. I felt like every character that we met throughout this story was fleshed out. I loved these characters so much and I was really scared for them when the creepy things start happening.
The worldbuilding was done phenomenally. This story is told mostly in a smart house in the middle of nowhere in Scotland. The atmosphere of this house and the grounds was so creepy. I loved the way that the house itself felt like its own character. I loved this house as the setting so much and can not wait to see future settings from this author.
The plot was just top notch. I am one of those people who never sees the twist but every time I thought I had this book figured out I was wrong. I loved how this book kept me on the edge of my seat having to know what happens next. I think that this is one of those books that will keep everyone on their toes trying to figure out what is going on throughout this story.
The writing style I really enjoyed. Because I was listening to the audiobook when I started this book I didn’t know that the first few pages were Rowan writing letters so I thought the audiobook was skipping but when I figured it out that the book was written as a letter to the lawyer it made sense. I thought that the writing style worked so well for this kind of story.
Obviously, I enjoyed my time reading this book. I enjoyed it so much that when I completed it, I immediately called my mom and told her that she had to read it. I am looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Grade: 96% A
Characters 1-10: 10
Worldbuilding 1-10: 10
Plot: 1-10: 9
Writing style: 1-10: 10
Enjoyment: 1-10: 9
Age Range: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Thoughts:
Seeing as this is the second book in a series the reason why I even picked up this book was because I love the characters. The characters are everything to me Laia, Elias, and Halene. I feel like we got to know the characters so much more in this book. I felt like my connection with these characters just keeps getting stronger with each book and I look forward to seeing them grow in the next book.
The world again is just fantastic! The author does such a great job of making this world accessible to the reader. I love how wherever the characters are throughout the story I feel like I am with them too. I think this is just a testament to how much research and time the author spent building this world to be believable.
The plot is the only place that I really had any issues. I think that a lot happens in this book but at the same time feel like nothing really happened in this book. I feel that this book falls into the middle book syndrome that a lot of book series have. Doesn’t mean that I didn’t like the plot because I did I just wish there would have been a few more things to move the plot along because I feel like the last book of this series now has a lot of ground to cover because not a whole lot happened in this book.
The writing was phenomenal. Tahir is becoming one of my favorite authors. I love the way that she writes her characters and the way that things that don’t seem important are important. I think that in this book there are going to be things upon a reread that I will see as foreshadowing for the last book after I have read it and will probably appreciate this one even more once I have read the last book, but the writing of this series is so good.
Enjoyment wasn’t a 10 out of 10 only because I felt like the plot dragged at some points for me but other than that I loved the experience. I am excited to see what happens in the final book of this trilogy.
Characters 1-10: 10
Worldbuilding 1-10: 10
Plot: 1-10: 9
Writing style: 1-10: 10
Enjoyment: 1-10: 9
Age Range: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Thoughts:
Seeing as this is the second book in a series the reason why I even picked up this book was because I love the characters. The characters are everything to me Laia, Elias, and Halene. I feel like we got to know the characters so much more in this book. I felt like my connection with these characters just keeps getting stronger with each book and I look forward to seeing them grow in the next book.
The world again is just fantastic! The author does such a great job of making this world accessible to the reader. I love how wherever the characters are throughout the story I feel like I am with them too. I think this is just a testament to how much research and time the author spent building this world to be believable.
The plot is the only place that I really had any issues. I think that a lot happens in this book but at the same time feel like nothing really happened in this book. I feel that this book falls into the middle book syndrome that a lot of book series have. Doesn’t mean that I didn’t like the plot because I did I just wish there would have been a few more things to move the plot along because I feel like the last book of this series now has a lot of ground to cover because not a whole lot happened in this book.
The writing was phenomenal. Tahir is becoming one of my favorite authors. I love the way that she writes her characters and the way that things that don’t seem important are important. I think that in this book there are going to be things upon a reread that I will see as foreshadowing for the last book after I have read it and will probably appreciate this one even more once I have read the last book, but the writing of this series is so good.
Enjoyment wasn’t a 10 out of 10 only because I felt like the plot dragged at some points for me but other than that I loved the experience. I am excited to see what happens in the final book of this trilogy.
Grade: 76% C
Characters 1-10: 9
Worldbuilding 1-10: 7
Plot: 1-10: 7
Writing style: 1-10: 8
Enjoyment: 1-10: 7
Age Range: Adult
Genre: Classic
Thoughts:
I have found that when I read classics that I really like to listen to the audiobook and follow along in a physical or ebook copy, unfortunately I did not get to do that with this book as much as I would have liked which I believe may have something to do with the way I enjoyed this read of this book.
Lets talk about characters I think that the characters in this book were the best part of this book especially Pip, and Miss Havisham. I thought that the characters in this book were so interesting and I wish that I would have been able to follow the plot a little better but I feel like I missed some of the story listening to this mostly on audiobook .
The worldbuilding in this book I feel was kind of lost on me there were parts that were really atmospheric and other parts I felt like were just flat. My favorite scenes all happened at Miss Havisham’s home. I thought the atmosphere there was just amazing.
The plot I felt was a little hard to follow at points. There were parts of the story that just didn’t really make sense and I know that some of my problems with the plot were more because I was listening to the audiobook and missed some of the things that happened because I was also having to try to decipher the language as well.
The writing style was very Dickens. I am almost positive that when Dickens was writing this it was in a serial format and he was getting paid by the word. That is my only complaint with Dickens writing is that he is a little wordy and due to the fact of the way people spoke back then is different from now so there is a some deciphering needed to know exactly what is being said.
Overall enjoyment was okay. I have read other classics that I have loved way more than this one but I do hope to read more from Dickens in the future.
Characters 1-10: 9
Worldbuilding 1-10: 7
Plot: 1-10: 7
Writing style: 1-10: 8
Enjoyment: 1-10: 7
Age Range: Adult
Genre: Classic
Thoughts:
I have found that when I read classics that I really like to listen to the audiobook and follow along in a physical or ebook copy, unfortunately I did not get to do that with this book as much as I would have liked which I believe may have something to do with the way I enjoyed this read of this book.
Lets talk about characters I think that the characters in this book were the best part of this book especially Pip, and Miss Havisham. I thought that the characters in this book were so interesting and I wish that I would have been able to follow the plot a little better but I feel like I missed some of the story listening to this mostly on audiobook .
The worldbuilding in this book I feel was kind of lost on me there were parts that were really atmospheric and other parts I felt like were just flat. My favorite scenes all happened at Miss Havisham’s home. I thought the atmosphere there was just amazing.
The plot I felt was a little hard to follow at points. There were parts of the story that just didn’t really make sense and I know that some of my problems with the plot were more because I was listening to the audiobook and missed some of the things that happened because I was also having to try to decipher the language as well.
The writing style was very Dickens. I am almost positive that when Dickens was writing this it was in a serial format and he was getting paid by the word. That is my only complaint with Dickens writing is that he is a little wordy and due to the fact of the way people spoke back then is different from now so there is a some deciphering needed to know exactly what is being said.
Overall enjoyment was okay. I have read other classics that I have loved way more than this one but I do hope to read more from Dickens in the future.
I have been trying to get more into poetry and I am so thankful to NetGalley that I got the chance to read this book of poetry.
This was a quick read and I do see how this book could move so many people I unfortunately just didn’t connect with it the way I would have liked.
I feel like this definitely describes the female experience that I don’t personally relate to but I know women who could relate to this.
I would be interested in seeing more from this author.
This was a quick read and I do see how this book could move so many people I unfortunately just didn’t connect with it the way I would have liked.
I feel like this definitely describes the female experience that I don’t personally relate to but I know women who could relate to this.
I would be interested in seeing more from this author.
