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readingwordsmith's Reviews (203)
Synopsis:
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë is a classic literature novel, originally published in 1848. The story follows two different perspectives: Gilbert Markham's and a mysterious Mrs. Graham's. The story begins when Mrs. Graham moves into an estate in this English town known to everyone as Wildfell Hall with her maid and young son, Arthur. As Gilbert and Helen get to know each other better, she shares her diary with him. Gilbert then proceeds to read it to find out about Mrs. Graham's past. Most of the story chronicles Helen's backstory written in the diary and explains how and why she ended up at Wildfell Hall.
Before diving into my review, please note that it is based on my opinion of the book. As you consider my thoughts, remember that you are allowed to have different feelings about this book. If you haven't read it yet, feel free to pick up a copy and form your own opinion on it.
Content Warnings: This book discusses themes of violence, abuse, alcoholism, and adultery. Please be advised before continuing on.
Review:
At the beginning of the story, I was really confused and bored. It took me a while to really get into this story and understand the purpose of the novel. Eventually, I figured out that this book is really a form of social criticism, scrutinizing the actions of society and men in particular in the 1800s. Once I understood this, I appreciated the content of the story much more and I loved what it was trying to do. This was the first classic I've read that has been written by one of the Brontë sisters and I would definitely like to try some of their other works soon. But, I'm not sure that this one was for me.
The story begins from Gilbert Markham's perspective and although he was painted as the hero throughout most of the story, I didn't really care for him. It's clear that his mother, Mrs. Markham has spoiled him from childhood and he always seemed to carry around a sense of entitlement with him. He quickly jumps to conclusions without having any real evidence to base them off and I found this to be quite annoying. He honestly didn't receive much character development throughout the story and his character, overall, was unimpressive and a letdown.
Helen Huntington, who goes by Mrs. Graham throughout most of the story, had the most compelling character arc and story in the novel. I loved watching her growing up from a very young and impressionable girl into a strong woman. Although she professes much about how she will choose a man of good morals to her aunt, Helen is easily wooed by a dashing and charming young man called Arthur Huntington. They marry against her aunt's wishes and honestly I was skeptical of their relationship from the start. Mr. Huntington seemed too good to be true. As I read further into the diary entries, my suspicions were confirmed. The diary chronicles the time she spends living in her husband's house and later on her plan to escape with her son to Wildfell Hall when it all becomes too much to bear.
Arthur Huntington was a restless young man who quickly turned to alcoholism and abusing his wife. He is easily the most despicable character in the book and I was especially offended by how he started to corrupt their little son Arthur from such a young age. The child was not even five years old when his father began encouraging him to start drinking and disrespecting his mother. Poor Helen has to put up with this behavior and rightfully grows resentful of her husband. To make things worse, Mr. Huntington's horrible friends were frequent visitors at their home.
All the men encouraged each other to make poor decisions like drinking more than their usual amount. Arthur Huntington frequently went to London leaving Helen at home alone for months on end. At the beginning, Helen dreaded these visits but as more time went on and Arthur's behavior grew increasingly vile she eagerly looked forward to these trips. During one of the friends' visits to their house, their wives were brought along and Mr. Huntington began to have an affair with the wife of one of his friends: Annabella Lowborough. Everyone soon discovers this affair except for Mr. Lowborough and Helen is forced to be civil with Annabella while she is a guest at their house.
Honestly, I didn't really care much about the side characters in the story. Mr. Huntington's friends all behaved nearly as bad as him and repulsed me while reading and Helen's friends were pretty boring to read about. Gilbert Markham's first love interest and his family play rather minor, insignificant roles in the story making them unmemorable. The only side character that I was somewhat interested in was Frederick Lawrence, Helen's brother. I would've liked to have learned more about him outside of his relationship to his sister. I felt that the side characters could have been more fleshed out overall. For the most part, they didn't add very much to the story and some of them could have been cut out entirely.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Genre: Contemporary, Classics, Social Criticism
Author: Anne Brontë
Publisher: Thomas Cautley Newby
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë is a classic literature novel, originally published in 1848. The story follows two different perspectives: Gilbert Markham's and a mysterious Mrs. Graham's. The story begins when Mrs. Graham moves into an estate in this English town known to everyone as Wildfell Hall with her maid and young son, Arthur. As Gilbert and Helen get to know each other better, she shares her diary with him. Gilbert then proceeds to read it to find out about Mrs. Graham's past. Most of the story chronicles Helen's backstory written in the diary and explains how and why she ended up at Wildfell Hall.
Before diving into my review, please note that it is based on my opinion of the book. As you consider my thoughts, remember that you are allowed to have different feelings about this book. If you haven't read it yet, feel free to pick up a copy and form your own opinion on it.
Content Warnings: This book discusses themes of violence, abuse, alcoholism, and adultery. Please be advised before continuing on.
Review:
At the beginning of the story, I was really confused and bored. It took me a while to really get into this story and understand the purpose of the novel. Eventually, I figured out that this book is really a form of social criticism, scrutinizing the actions of society and men in particular in the 1800s. Once I understood this, I appreciated the content of the story much more and I loved what it was trying to do. This was the first classic I've read that has been written by one of the Brontë sisters and I would definitely like to try some of their other works soon. But, I'm not sure that this one was for me.
The story begins from Gilbert Markham's perspective and although he was painted as the hero throughout most of the story, I didn't really care for him. It's clear that his mother, Mrs. Markham has spoiled him from childhood and he always seemed to carry around a sense of entitlement with him. He quickly jumps to conclusions without having any real evidence to base them off and I found this to be quite annoying. He honestly didn't receive much character development throughout the story and his character, overall, was unimpressive and a letdown.
Helen Huntington, who goes by Mrs. Graham throughout most of the story, had the most compelling character arc and story in the novel. I loved watching her growing up from a very young and impressionable girl into a strong woman. Although she professes much about how she will choose a man of good morals to her aunt, Helen is easily wooed by a dashing and charming young man called Arthur Huntington. They marry against her aunt's wishes and honestly I was skeptical of their relationship from the start. Mr. Huntington seemed too good to be true. As I read further into the diary entries, my suspicions were confirmed. The diary chronicles the time she spends living in her husband's house and later on her plan to escape with her son to Wildfell Hall when it all becomes too much to bear.
Arthur Huntington was a restless young man who quickly turned to alcoholism and abusing his wife. He is easily the most despicable character in the book and I was especially offended by how he started to corrupt their little son Arthur from such a young age. The child was not even five years old when his father began encouraging him to start drinking and disrespecting his mother. Poor Helen has to put up with this behavior and rightfully grows resentful of her husband. To make things worse, Mr. Huntington's horrible friends were frequent visitors at their home.
All the men encouraged each other to make poor decisions like drinking more than their usual amount. Arthur Huntington frequently went to London leaving Helen at home alone for months on end. At the beginning, Helen dreaded these visits but as more time went on and Arthur's behavior grew increasingly vile she eagerly looked forward to these trips. During one of the friends' visits to their house, their wives were brought along and Mr. Huntington began to have an affair with the wife of one of his friends: Annabella Lowborough. Everyone soon discovers this affair except for Mr. Lowborough and Helen is forced to be civil with Annabella while she is a guest at their house.
Honestly, I didn't really care much about the side characters in the story. Mr. Huntington's friends all behaved nearly as bad as him and repulsed me while reading and Helen's friends were pretty boring to read about. Gilbert Markham's first love interest and his family play rather minor, insignificant roles in the story making them unmemorable. The only side character that I was somewhat interested in was Frederick Lawrence, Helen's brother. I would've liked to have learned more about him outside of his relationship to his sister. I felt that the side characters could have been more fleshed out overall. For the most part, they didn't add very much to the story and some of them could have been cut out entirely.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Genre: Contemporary, Classics, Social Criticism
Author: Anne Brontë
Publisher: Thomas Cautley Newby
Synopsis:
Hazel Plumeria, a descendant of one of the most prominent fairy families in history, has never known life outside of Luna Valley. Her sister, Leah was born a fairy but a couple of years ago she decided to give up her wings and take the Enchantress elixir. One day, Leah asked Hazel to move to Hallowed Falls with her.
As soon as they arrive at Hallowed Falls, they meet the new head housekeeper, Lucinda Griffin. They learn that Lucinda is actually their cousin and was an agent of the Aster Elites, an elite agency dedicated to protecting all supernatural beings. When the body of a local fairy was discovered outside a cave near the town’s cemetery, suspicions arise that a century old vampire, Marco Alexander has returned and has a thirst for fairy blood. The sisters quickly learn that life in Hallowed Falls, which once was a safe haven for all magical beings, holds more than just an old family estate in a small town.
Before diving into my review, please note that it is based on my opinion of the book. As you consider my thoughts, remember that you are allowed to have different feelings about this book. If you haven't read it yet, feel free to pick up a copy and form your own opinion on it. This book was provided to me as an early review copy, however, my opinions are honest and entirely my own.
Review:
I love the connection between the sisters, Leah and Hazel. I just absolutely love their close
bond in this story because I’m a sucker for a story that has a nice depiction of sisterhood
Hazel Plumeria, a descendant of one of the most prominent fairy families in history, has never known life outside of Luna Valley. Her sister, Leah was born a fairy but a couple of years ago she decided to give up her wings and take the Enchantress elixir. One day, Leah asked Hazel to move to Hallowed Falls with her.
As soon as they arrive at Hallowed Falls, they meet the new head housekeeper, Lucinda Griffin. They learn that Lucinda is actually their cousin and was an agent of the Aster Elites, an elite agency dedicated to protecting all supernatural beings. When the body of a local fairy was discovered outside a cave near the town’s cemetery, suspicions arise that a century old vampire, Marco Alexander has returned and has a thirst for fairy blood. The sisters quickly learn that life in Hallowed Falls, which once was a safe haven for all magical beings, holds more than just an old family estate in a small town.
Before diving into my review, please note that it is based on my opinion of the book. As you consider my thoughts, remember that you are allowed to have different feelings about this book. If you haven't read it yet, feel free to pick up a copy and form your own opinion on it. This book was provided to me as an early review copy, however, my opinions are honest and entirely my own.
Review:
I love the connection between the sisters, Leah and Hazel. I just absolutely love their close
bond in this story because I’m a sucker for a story that has a nice depiction of sisterhood
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This book was such a cute graphic novel. I preordered this graphic novel at the end of September and I was so excited to see that it released today!
Before diving into my review, please note that it is based on my opinion of the book. As you consider my thoughts, remember that you are allowed to have different feelings about this book. If you haven't read it yet, feel free to pick up a copy and form your own opinion on it. This book was provided to me as an early review copy, however, my opinions are honest and entirely my own.
Note: This book deals with mature themes and topics.
Content Warnings: Violence, Death, Grief, Claustrophobia.
Spoiler-Free Review:
Gold Cavern by Zola Blue was an exciting, captivating book that contained a very unique plot. It was intriguing to see how the entire plot was moved forward by the discovery of this gold and also just how dangerous it could be. I don't think I've ever read a high stake, adventure book involving gold in this way before. I love how the temptation or allure of the gold was portrayed and how it was a double-edged sword as both a tempting reward but also a lethal weapon.
I found some of the characters to be a bit irritating at times, but I became invested in some of their plot lines. I was definitely much more interested in the plot of the story than the characters. I was more invested in the main character, Estelle, throughout the novel than any of the other characters. Sean's character really bothered me in the story, he really irritated me throughout, but I don't think that he deserved the ending he got. I feel like his character arc was a bit of a disappointment and a lost opportunity. He definitely could've received a good redemption arc in the next installments of The Legend of Goldum series. Lofton definitely could have done more to help save Sean before the boulder really began to close in, but, he chose not to. While I understood Lofton's position, this was one of the things that I disliked about him as a character. He let his pride, anger, and fear stop him from helping until it was too late which was upsetting, but on the other hand, also made him feel really human.
I think one of the best things about this story were the vivid descriptions Blue used. The details and the language used to describe the underground caverns really helped me a clear mental image in my head of what they looked like and imagine the scene playing out itself. I also really enjoyed learning about all the different mythological aspects of this book and especially the warning vision Henry receives against or proceeding further into the cave or taking gold. The vision brought up so many questions about Henry that I wish could be explored throughout the rest of the series. I would still love to learn what caused Henry's vision and it would've been amazing to see this subplot developed more in future books. Henry was such a good character and he definitely deserved better, it was so upsetting to see his story come to a close near the end of Gold Cavern.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It definitely delivered on the action and adventure that was promised in a unique and exciting way. Some of the characters were disappointing or upsetting and I felt that some storylines that would've been great to expand on in the future books ended too quickly. I really enjoyed the main character, Estelle, and the underground search for gold. The descriptions were excellent and really lends itself well to helping the reader imagine the setting in their heads. The prose and language used were good and appropriate for the book and there were very few grammatical or spelling errors to distract from the story.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Genres: Young Adult Adventure, Fantasy
Author: Zola Blue
Note: This book deals with mature themes and topics.
Content Warnings: Violence, Death, Grief, Claustrophobia.
Spoiler-Free Review:
Gold Cavern by Zola Blue was an exciting, captivating book that contained a very unique plot. It was intriguing to see how the entire plot was moved forward by the discovery of this gold and also just how dangerous it could be. I don't think I've ever read a high stake, adventure book involving gold in this way before. I love how the temptation or allure of the gold was portrayed and how it was a double-edged sword as both a tempting reward but also a lethal weapon.
I found some of the characters to be a bit irritating at times, but I became invested in some of their plot lines. I was definitely much more interested in the plot of the story than the characters. I was more invested in the main character, Estelle, throughout the novel than any of the other characters. Sean's character really bothered me in the story, he really irritated me throughout, but I don't think that he deserved the ending he got. I feel like his character arc was a bit of a disappointment and a lost opportunity. He definitely could've received a good redemption arc in the next installments of The Legend of Goldum series. Lofton definitely could have done more to help save Sean before the boulder really began to close in, but, he chose not to. While I understood Lofton's position, this was one of the things that I disliked about him as a character. He let his pride, anger, and fear stop him from helping until it was too late which was upsetting, but on the other hand, also made him feel really human.
I think one of the best things about this story were the vivid descriptions Blue used. The details and the language used to describe the underground caverns really helped me a clear mental image in my head of what they looked like and imagine the scene playing out itself. I also really enjoyed learning about all the different mythological aspects of this book and especially the warning vision Henry receives against or proceeding further into the cave or taking gold. The vision brought up so many questions about Henry that I wish could be explored throughout the rest of the series. I would still love to learn what caused Henry's vision and it would've been amazing to see this subplot developed more in future books. Henry was such a good character and he definitely deserved better, it was so upsetting to see his story come to a close near the end of Gold Cavern.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It definitely delivered on the action and adventure that was promised in a unique and exciting way. Some of the characters were disappointing or upsetting and I felt that some storylines that would've been great to expand on in the future books ended too quickly. I really enjoyed the main character, Estelle, and the underground search for gold. The descriptions were excellent and really lends itself well to helping the reader imagine the setting in their heads. The prose and language used were good and appropriate for the book and there were very few grammatical or spelling errors to distract from the story.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Genres: Young Adult Adventure, Fantasy
Author: Zola Blue
Before diving into my review, please note that it is based on my opinion of the book. As you consider my thoughts, remember that you are allowed to have different feelings about this book. If you haven't read it yet, feel free to pick up a copy and form your own opinion on it. This book was provided to me as a review copy on Edelweiss, however, my opinions are honest and entirely my own.
Bunheads was an adorable picture book that featured a young girl named Misty who has just started dancing ballet. This picture book had beautiful illustrations showing all of the girls dancing that were eye-catching and captivating. It was a very short read that I could not put down. Although I am personally not a dancer (nor do I know much about dance), it was easy to become immersed in this beautiful book. I also loved the story behind the ballet dance that the children showcased at the recital. Overall, this is a great read for young children and even older adults.
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️
Genre: Contemporary, Picture Book,
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 29, 2020
Bunheads was an adorable picture book that featured a young girl named Misty who has just started dancing ballet. This picture book had beautiful illustrations showing all of the girls dancing that were eye-catching and captivating. It was a very short read that I could not put down. Although I am personally not a dancer (nor do I know much about dance), it was easy to become immersed in this beautiful book. I also loved the story behind the ballet dance that the children showcased at the recital. Overall, this is a great read for young children and even older adults.
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️
Genre: Contemporary, Picture Book,
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 29, 2020
Nothing Good Happens After Midnight: A Suspense Magazine Anthology
John Lescroart, Jeffery Deaver, Heather Graham
Before diving into my review, please note that it is based on my opinion of the book. As you consider my thoughts, remember that you are allowed to have different feelings about this book. I was sent a free copy by the publisher Suspense Publishing and Rockstar Book Tours as an early review copy, however, that does not affect or influence my review of the book. If you haven't read it yet, feel free to pick up a copy and form your own opinion on it.
Content Warnings: Violence, Mature Behavior, Death, Blood. Please proceed with caution.
Note: This book deals with mature themes and topics.
I selected one story from the anthology to read and review: Gone Forever by Joseph Badal. The story is a murder mystery detective story that follows the journey of Detective Barbara Lassiter and her team as they conduct an investigation to uncover how exactly a vicious attack and murder of ten parishioners within a church went down. Despite being quite short in length, this story managed to build suspense without seeming too forced or unnatural.
The adjectives used in the descriptions of the setting were haunting and unsettling, perfect for the plot of the story, and worked to really build that feeling of suspense throughout. The church sanctuary description, in particular, was chilling as a reminder of the gruesome event that had taken place in that location. As Detective Barbara learns about the Brennan family's backstory, it felt like some of the pieces of the story were starting to come together as to what really happened and also in understanding the motives behind Lucas Brennan's actions.
It was devastating to read about all the tragedies that had befallen the Brennan family and see how their bad luck plagued them everywhere. I won't describe exactly what happens in the story as I don't want to spoil it, but I will say that the family definitely did not deserve all the pain and suffering they go through. I wish the story was longer so we could have seen some of the murder action beforehand or started in the room where the people were slaughtered right after it happened. I think this could've helped immerse readers more fully into the story and definitely would've added to the ominous, suspenseful mood present throughout.
Overall, I enjoyed this short story but I don't think it was mindblowing or revolutionary for the mystery/suspense genre. I wish that the story had been a bit longer so that we could get more characterization about the detectives and central characters of the story and to make the plot more intriguing. I think it fulfilled its intentions with what it set out to do, so I really can't fault the author or the story. The critiques I have for the story are mainly things to do with the fact that the story could only be so long and expansive as part of an anthology collection.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Publication Date: November 17, 2020
Publisher: Suspense Publishing
Author: Joseph Badal
Content Warnings: Violence, Mature Behavior, Death, Blood. Please proceed with caution.
Note: This book deals with mature themes and topics.
I selected one story from the anthology to read and review: Gone Forever by Joseph Badal. The story is a murder mystery detective story that follows the journey of Detective Barbara Lassiter and her team as they conduct an investigation to uncover how exactly a vicious attack and murder of ten parishioners within a church went down. Despite being quite short in length, this story managed to build suspense without seeming too forced or unnatural.
The adjectives used in the descriptions of the setting were haunting and unsettling, perfect for the plot of the story, and worked to really build that feeling of suspense throughout. The church sanctuary description, in particular, was chilling as a reminder of the gruesome event that had taken place in that location. As Detective Barbara learns about the Brennan family's backstory, it felt like some of the pieces of the story were starting to come together as to what really happened and also in understanding the motives behind Lucas Brennan's actions.
It was devastating to read about all the tragedies that had befallen the Brennan family and see how their bad luck plagued them everywhere. I won't describe exactly what happens in the story as I don't want to spoil it, but I will say that the family definitely did not deserve all the pain and suffering they go through. I wish the story was longer so we could have seen some of the murder action beforehand or started in the room where the people were slaughtered right after it happened. I think this could've helped immerse readers more fully into the story and definitely would've added to the ominous, suspenseful mood present throughout.
Overall, I enjoyed this short story but I don't think it was mindblowing or revolutionary for the mystery/suspense genre. I wish that the story had been a bit longer so that we could get more characterization about the detectives and central characters of the story and to make the plot more intriguing. I think it fulfilled its intentions with what it set out to do, so I really can't fault the author or the story. The critiques I have for the story are mainly things to do with the fact that the story could only be so long and expansive as part of an anthology collection.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Publication Date: November 17, 2020
Publisher: Suspense Publishing
Author: Joseph Badal
Thank you to Netgalley and Black Rose Writing for an early review copy of this book! My review features thoughts that are completely honest and entirely my own.
This was a quick and adorable little children's picture book. I like how it really encourages young children to explore their personalities and discover what their strengths are as human people. Obviously, this book is intended for small children and I think this is a great one for parents to read to their child(ren). As someone who is not within the intended, target audience range, I can appreciate what this book does for young children who read it or have the book read to them. It doesn't really offer anything that broadens an adult's perspective, but, is a must-read for a small child.
I particularly enjoyed the illustrations found on the pages of the book, I thought that they were beautiful and really added to the story. These pictures definitely make it more engaging and appealing to the target audience of young children. As many picture books are, this story was quite repetitive always starting with the same sentence fragment, each time with a different ending. As a grown person, this can be tedious to read and irritated me a bit. However, I think this is very helpful for young kids who have a very limited vocabulary and are just learning how to read or process the information told in stories.
Overall, I appreciated what this book has to offer to children and I understand that my problems with it are purely based on the fact that I do not fit the intended target audience range. I feel like I would've loved this story if my parents had read it to me when I was around five or six years old. This is definitely a great story to read to a child in their first years of school!
This was a quick and adorable little children's picture book. I like how it really encourages young children to explore their personalities and discover what their strengths are as human people. Obviously, this book is intended for small children and I think this is a great one for parents to read to their child(ren). As someone who is not within the intended, target audience range, I can appreciate what this book does for young children who read it or have the book read to them. It doesn't really offer anything that broadens an adult's perspective, but, is a must-read for a small child.
I particularly enjoyed the illustrations found on the pages of the book, I thought that they were beautiful and really added to the story. These pictures definitely make it more engaging and appealing to the target audience of young children. As many picture books are, this story was quite repetitive always starting with the same sentence fragment, each time with a different ending. As a grown person, this can be tedious to read and irritated me a bit. However, I think this is very helpful for young kids who have a very limited vocabulary and are just learning how to read or process the information told in stories.
Overall, I appreciated what this book has to offer to children and I understand that my problems with it are purely based on the fact that I do not fit the intended target audience range. I feel like I would've loved this story if my parents had read it to me when I was around five or six years old. This is definitely a great story to read to a child in their first years of school!
