raenyreads's Reviews (345)

I picked this up as I was really intrigued by the premise of the pictures from the mysteries being printed in the book. I did enjoy the overall plot, the stories were interesting though the first two were my favourites. I think the thing that let it down for was the writing style, which is always tricky when it comes to translated books. I just thought it read too info dumpy at times and ended up over explaining things in places. Overall a decent read still though, I read it in a day so it's a page turner at least too.

This is a really great anthology. It's a really important read, especially at the moment. I also love the intro and outro as it helped me understand the scale of this project and all the work that went into it. I enjoyed each of the stories, they all had me interested in the lives of each of the characters. I did enjoy some more than others, but that is always the way for me with anthologies.

This was a great finale to the duology. The world expanded enough to keep it interesting but not so much that it felt overwhelming for a duology. I really like how all the characters developed and felt the plot progressed at a good pace as I was kept intrigued throughout. The ending felt satisfying and I really enjoyed the twists and turns along the way. I'll definitely pick up more by this author.

I really enjoyed the premise of this. The zones and discussion around time were really interesting and I was invested in the characters. The set up of the mystery of what happened to all the missing people really drew me in. However, the plot didn't really deliver. It's very slow paced which I was enjoying, until I realised that it wasn't just slow, it's that it wasn't really going anywhere.
I enjoyed the conclusion even though it seemed to come out of left field. I would have really liked more answers to more of the mysteries presented though, especially around the zones themselves.
Overall I am left feeling like something was missing but I did enjoy the journey and the world building.

I really enjoyed XOXO so I was looking forward to reading this book next. I don't think it was as good as XOXO but it definitely holds its own. I think unfortunately the main romantic relationship was the weakest part for me as although I loved the characters, I don't think they were given enough time on page for some of the developments to happen and also the back and forth on will they won't they felt really manufactured. However, it was a big page turner for me and I enjoyed the plotlines. It's a very fun read with the twists and turns and drama. I also liked seeing how the characters from XOXO developed further after leaving school. Overall an enjoyable read.

This is a great YA mystery novel with some unique world building. I really enjoyed the characters and learning more about the world and magic system. The mystery had me interested and the way the twists were revealed had me either only one step ahead or completely surprised. Some aspects were quite predictable but I think they were done well anyway. The teenagers are written like teenagers which is great for realism but had me rolling my eyes at them sometimes as an adult reading this. Overall a great book which I recommend reading.

I really liked the main characters in this book. I enjoyed learning more about them, seeing them inyeract with other characters, and seeing them contemplate aspects of life. The side characters were also all interesting and well created. However, all the philosophy was too much for me. I enjoyed it to a certain point and then I just found it a bit boring to read as it just isn't for me. Maybe it's my bad for not realising that's what the book was going in. Also the ending didn't sit right with me, seemed to negate the point. Nevermind, just not for me.

I picked this up because a couple of friends absolutely loved it and as a marine biologist the shark aspect really interested me. I was warned that this book would emotionally devastate me but as someone who has only cried because of a book once before I had reservations. I was wrong. Within the first 50% of this book it already had me in tears. The way the author writes the relationship between the main characters had me so invested in them that I couldn't help but be devastated alongside them in some scenes. The unique medical condition seen in this book is an allegory for real life conditions and this makes is all the more realistic and hard hitting. 

Highly recommend, even if you think the premise sounds a bit silly you're in for a wild ride.

Akwaeke Emezi has knocked it out of the park again. This was the last of their books that I had left to read which are out at this point in time. I've enjoyed them all so far, this one being completely nonfiction sets it apart from the rest but it still has the amazing writing style that I love from them. The individual letters were all really interesting and some were highly emotional. I loved listening to the audiobook which Emezi narrates themselves as it added a depth to hearing them talking so openly about their life and the people in it. Really recommend if you enjoy a memoir as I think this one has a unique edge to it.

Ah this just wasn't for me. The storyline had a lot of potential but I needed more from it to really get invested. The format was interesting with all the 'first chapters' but overall they felt disjointed and stopped me getting into the book after a certain point when they became less novel.