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readingwordsmith's Reviews (203)
Synopsis:
The Witches by Roald Dahl is a dark fantasy children’s book that is set in Norway and England. At the beginning of the story, the main character is a young boy, moves in with his grandmother after the death of his parents. She soon starts to tell him tales about children-hating witches led by the most powerful among them, The Grand High Witch. All the witches meet together in England where the Grand High Witch shares her most dastardly, evil plan. It’s down to the elderly grandmother and her grandson to discover the plot and defeat the witches before it’s too late!
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: Disturbing Descriptions, Not for people with musophobia (fear of mice or rodents of any kind). Please proceed with caution.
Note: This book is intended for young children but still contains some disturbing descriptions and creepy incidents.
Review:
I read this book like 2 months ago at the very beginning of October and am only NOW just getting to share the review. Anyway, the story was adorable and as it was written for young children, it wasn’t very frightening. I definitely think that this is a book that pretty much anyone of any age can read and still appreciate, despite the fact that it does have several flaws.
There were some issues with the plot and things that really bothered me as I read. There are certain scenes and incidents involving the witches and the young boy that was hard to imagine ever happening in real life. This book definitely requires a great amount of suspension of disbelief! There were quite a few scenes where I couldn't quite believe what I was reading but I think that sense of disbelief and imagination is perfect for a children's story.
This book definitely isn’t for everyone and is best suited for younger audiences. One of the side characters named Bruno provided a lot of comedic relief that I really enjoyed reading! I also loved how accepting the grandmother was of a certain situation that occurs in the story alluded to above. The description of the witches was quite odd but seemed perfect for a children’s fantasy book. I will give a fair bit of warning there are some disturbing descriptions and this book is definitely not for you if you have a fear of rodents (and I will not explain why because that would spoil the story, let's just say they're a major part of the story).
There are definitely good guys and bad guys in this book with few morally gray characters. While this was a bit disappointing to me, it’s completely understandable for a children’s story so I can’t blame the author for how he portrayed his characters. The ending was great, definitely one of the best parts of the story! I love how certain actions throughout the story had long-term, irreversible consequences which are not something that is often found in children’s books.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Children’s
Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Jonathan Cape
The Witches by Roald Dahl is a dark fantasy children’s book that is set in Norway and England. At the beginning of the story, the main character is a young boy, moves in with his grandmother after the death of his parents. She soon starts to tell him tales about children-hating witches led by the most powerful among them, The Grand High Witch. All the witches meet together in England where the Grand High Witch shares her most dastardly, evil plan. It’s down to the elderly grandmother and her grandson to discover the plot and defeat the witches before it’s too late!
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: Disturbing Descriptions, Not for people with musophobia (fear of mice or rodents of any kind). Please proceed with caution.
Note: This book is intended for young children but still contains some disturbing descriptions and creepy incidents.
Review:
I read this book like 2 months ago at the very beginning of October and am only NOW just getting to share the review. Anyway, the story was adorable and as it was written for young children, it wasn’t very frightening. I definitely think that this is a book that pretty much anyone of any age can read and still appreciate, despite the fact that it does have several flaws.
There were some issues with the plot and things that really bothered me as I read. There are certain scenes and incidents involving the witches and the young boy that was hard to imagine ever happening in real life. This book definitely requires a great amount of suspension of disbelief! There were quite a few scenes where I couldn't quite believe what I was reading but I think that sense of disbelief and imagination is perfect for a children's story.
This book definitely isn’t for everyone and is best suited for younger audiences. One of the side characters named Bruno provided a lot of comedic relief that I really enjoyed reading! I also loved how accepting the grandmother was of a certain situation that occurs in the story alluded to above. The description of the witches was quite odd but seemed perfect for a children’s fantasy book. I will give a fair bit of warning there are some disturbing descriptions and this book is definitely not for you if you have a fear of rodents (and I will not explain why because that would spoil the story, let's just say they're a major part of the story).
There are definitely good guys and bad guys in this book with few morally gray characters. While this was a bit disappointing to me, it’s completely understandable for a children’s story so I can’t blame the author for how he portrayed his characters. The ending was great, definitely one of the best parts of the story! I love how certain actions throughout the story had long-term, irreversible consequences which are not something that is often found in children’s books.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Children’s
Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Jonathan Cape
Synopsis:
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez is a contemporary, young adult book that follows a teenage girl named Julia Reyes whose older sister, Olga has just died. The story follows Julia and her family as they try to move on with their lives while dealing with the grief of having lost Olga. Olga was seemingly their parents' perfect Mexican daughter. But, when Julia finds some mysterious clues, she begins to wonder if she knew her sister at all. This book is a coming-of-age story that follows Julia through her last two years of high school as she has her first boyfriend, prepares for college, and learns about who her sister truly was.
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.
Note: This book deals with mature themes and topics.
Content Warnings: Drinking, Depression, Grief, Suicide, Sexual Assault/Rape, Self-Harm.
Review:
I really enjoyed this book so much, I thought it handled the topic of familial grief very well. While this is a very sad story, it did not personally make me cry although I know it has made others cry. I loved that the major plot of the book was focused on learning more about the dead sister, Olga, and who she truly was. Most of the time, books that deal with grief focus solely on how the characters are coping and moving forward. However, in this book, it focused on learning about who Olga was when she lived without the cliche use of flashbacks.
There was so much more to this story than I originally expected, it's not just a grief story, the book is really a coming-of-age story for Julia and her self-discovery. One of the hardest parts to read about in this book was Julia's depression and the incident of self-harm that almost led to her death. You could tell that something was wrong with Julia and some people at this point may even have figured out that she was depressed, but I honestly didn't see this coming. I think her depression and recovery are a major part of her story and really make Julia who she is.
Alright, so a major subplot in this book is the tense relationship that exists between Julia and her parents, but especially with her mother. We are so stuck in Julia's perspective that it is difficult to understand why her mother is so overprotective and critical of her daughter. For the most part, I sided with Julia and I really felt connected to this part of the story. Growing up with a Hispanic family can be difficult, especially when they are critical of all your actions. It wasn't until her trip to Mexico to stay with Mama Hacinta (Julia's maternal grandmother) that I really began to understand and empathize with Julia's mom.
We never learn too much about Julia's dad except for the fact that he was a great painter back when Julia's family lived in Mexico. His character didn't really add much to the story except in one pivotal scene where he saves Julia's life. I thought that Julia's best friend, Lorena, was a very lively person if a bit wild at times. I felt that Lorena's character really added something special to the story as she pushed Julia to try new things and discover herself.
In the book, we also get to know a boy named Connor who becomes Julia's first boyfriend. While initially very sweet, their relationship quickly became strained because of Julia's overprotective mother and her depression. I thought their relationship was heartwarming and sweet. I just became frustrated with the circumstances that caused them to split in the first place. While I thought their relationship was adorable, I don't think that a romance subplot was really needed to make this book enjoyable, this is one of those stories that would've done just as well without this romantic plotline.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I loved how it tackled this coming-of-age story with themes of grief and sexual assault in a very realistic and personal way. The romance was cute if a bit unnecessary and the mother-daughter relationship in this book is definitely frustrating, although it made sense for the story. I honestly don't know what purpose Julia's father served in the entire story except for that one scene mentioned above. I think these aspects really were what stopped this book from being a 4.5-star book and brought it down to 4 stars. The book was a solid read and I'd definitely be interested in checking out more of Sánchez's books in the future.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Genres: Young Adult Contemporary
Author: Erika L. Sánchez
Publisher: Random House Children's books
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez is a contemporary, young adult book that follows a teenage girl named Julia Reyes whose older sister, Olga has just died. The story follows Julia and her family as they try to move on with their lives while dealing with the grief of having lost Olga. Olga was seemingly their parents' perfect Mexican daughter. But, when Julia finds some mysterious clues, she begins to wonder if she knew her sister at all. This book is a coming-of-age story that follows Julia through her last two years of high school as she has her first boyfriend, prepares for college, and learns about who her sister truly was.
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.
Note: This book deals with mature themes and topics.
Content Warnings: Drinking, Depression, Grief, Suicide, Sexual Assault/Rape, Self-Harm.
Review:
I really enjoyed this book so much, I thought it handled the topic of familial grief very well. While this is a very sad story, it did not personally make me cry although I know it has made others cry. I loved that the major plot of the book was focused on learning more about the dead sister, Olga, and who she truly was. Most of the time, books that deal with grief focus solely on how the characters are coping and moving forward. However, in this book, it focused on learning about who Olga was when she lived without the cliche use of flashbacks.
There was so much more to this story than I originally expected, it's not just a grief story, the book is really a coming-of-age story for Julia and her self-discovery. One of the hardest parts to read about in this book was Julia's depression and the incident of self-harm that almost led to her death. You could tell that something was wrong with Julia and some people at this point may even have figured out that she was depressed, but I honestly didn't see this coming. I think her depression and recovery are a major part of her story and really make Julia who she is.
Alright, so a major subplot in this book is the tense relationship that exists between Julia and her parents, but especially with her mother. We are so stuck in Julia's perspective that it is difficult to understand why her mother is so overprotective and critical of her daughter. For the most part, I sided with Julia and I really felt connected to this part of the story. Growing up with a Hispanic family can be difficult, especially when they are critical of all your actions. It wasn't until her trip to Mexico to stay with Mama Hacinta (Julia's maternal grandmother) that I really began to understand and empathize with Julia's mom.
We never learn too much about Julia's dad except for the fact that he was a great painter back when Julia's family lived in Mexico. His character didn't really add much to the story except in one pivotal scene where he saves Julia's life. I thought that Julia's best friend, Lorena, was a very lively person if a bit wild at times. I felt that Lorena's character really added something special to the story as she pushed Julia to try new things and discover herself.
In the book, we also get to know a boy named Connor who becomes Julia's first boyfriend. While initially very sweet, their relationship quickly became strained because of Julia's overprotective mother and her depression. I thought their relationship was heartwarming and sweet. I just became frustrated with the circumstances that caused them to split in the first place. While I thought their relationship was adorable, I don't think that a romance subplot was really needed to make this book enjoyable, this is one of those stories that would've done just as well without this romantic plotline.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I loved how it tackled this coming-of-age story with themes of grief and sexual assault in a very realistic and personal way. The romance was cute if a bit unnecessary and the mother-daughter relationship in this book is definitely frustrating, although it made sense for the story. I honestly don't know what purpose Julia's father served in the entire story except for that one scene mentioned above. I think these aspects really were what stopped this book from being a 4.5-star book and brought it down to 4 stars. The book was a solid read and I'd definitely be interested in checking out more of Sánchez's books in the future.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Genres: Young Adult Contemporary
Author: Erika L. Sánchez
Publisher: Random House Children's books
This was the first graphic novel I’d ever read and it was honestly such a fun ride. I highly recommend it! Now I want to try reading more graphic novels.
I considered writing a full review for this book, but honestly it’s so short that I’ve decided not to.
I considered writing a full review for this book, but honestly it’s so short that I’ve decided not to.
Synopsis:
Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the third book in the Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. It follows the younger two Pevensie siblings: Lucy and Edmund. The story always starts out in London, England in the 1950s. The characters quickly find a portal that leads into the world of Narnia and they journey off onto another great adventure. In this book, they are accompanied by their cousin, Eustace, and reunite with Prince Caspian (now King Caspian). Together, they all go on a journey to find the Seven Lords of Telmar to save Narnians from a new evil that promises to enslave them. I won’t say more so I don’t spoil it for anyone who wants to read the series.
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.
Note: This is a middle-grade novel and the intended reading audience is young children. As such, I may not be the best person to judge and rate a novel that was created for someone younger than myself in mind.
Content Warning: My review covers mature themes and topics specifically related to sexism, misogyny, and bullying. Please be advised before continuing on.
Review:
Honestly, I really hoped that I would love this book as much as I had the first two, but I was very disappointed. I had quite a few issues with the way certain characters were portrayed in this book. I felt that the work does not hold up well in the modern-day. The entirety of the book seemed to portray and condone sexist ideals that were commonplace in the 1950s. This really irritated me throughout the book. It actually enraged me so much that I delayed writing this review for a few weeks after finishing the book because I didn't want my overwhelming feelings of anger to cloud or color my review. While I can understand and excuse the behavior in this book to a certain extent give the time period it was written in, it was still no excuse for the behavior. This kind of writing may have been acceptable in the 1950s, but cannot be tolerated in 2020.
It makes me sad to criticize such a beloved, classic children's series but its important to point out the flaws in this series. Beyond the fact that the entire book seemed to make sexist comments about Lucy, I felt that their cousin Eustace was also unfairly treated. Yes, he was a very unpleasant person throughout this novel and he frustrated me to no end, but I still felt that Reepicheep and Edmund mistreated him. Depriving a person of food or water unnecessarily is wrong and cruel. I get that they often had limited food rations in the book, but the times when they had enough food to go around, they purposefully ensured that Eustace did not get enough to eat simply because they disliked him. There were also several verbal altercations in the story that got pretty heated between the characters. This arguing grew so intense, that at one point Eustace wandered off on his own in an unknown land and risked his life.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked Edmund in this book after previously disliking him so much in the first two books in this series. With the exception of the way he treated Eustace, Edmund actually seemed to show some positive growth and character development unlike some of the other characters in this story. Lucy was pretty insufferable in this book and it made me sad, she was often the one to perpetuate some of the misogynistic ideals portrayed in this book and I didn't like this, as I made clear above. Reepicheep was pretty annoying throughout the book and I didn't feel like his character added too much to the story. King Caspian was also one of the characters I liked better in this book and I saw his mission in this story as a noble one. However, I absolutely despised the fact that when he and the rest of his crew are captured, Caspian is well-treated but takes a long time to save his friends. He gets really distracted for a little bit from his mission and forgets about the fact that his friends are being held hostage in abominable conditions.
The plot of this story was pretty boring and dull, unlike the first two novels in this series. I might have been able to look over some of the sexism and bullying that happened in this novel if I felt it was entertaining and worthwhile. I'm sad to say that I don't remember much about the plot of the story now because that was just how unmemorable the book really was. The basic premise is that characters all go to find these seven lost Lords of Narnia who Prince Caspian promised he would save and rescue after he became king in the last book. I don't really remember why they were that important, only that they were needed to stop a curse from overtaking Narnia.
Overall, this book really bothered me with the prevalent sexism and bullying found in this novel. The characters were really irritating for the most part and the plot fell flat. I think part of the reason why I gave it 2 stars instead of one is simply because of how much I enjoyed the second book and how beloved this series is for so many people. It's not a horrible book, but I don't ever want to re-read this one again. After reading this book, I have decided to DNF the rest of the series, at least for now. There are plenty of other books and series that I'm much more excited to read than this one and I didn't feel that this was really worth my time.
Rating: 2/5 stars
Genre: High Fantasy, Middle Grade
Author: C.S. Lewis
Publisher: Geoffrey Bles
Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the third book in the Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. It follows the younger two Pevensie siblings: Lucy and Edmund. The story always starts out in London, England in the 1950s. The characters quickly find a portal that leads into the world of Narnia and they journey off onto another great adventure. In this book, they are accompanied by their cousin, Eustace, and reunite with Prince Caspian (now King Caspian). Together, they all go on a journey to find the Seven Lords of Telmar to save Narnians from a new evil that promises to enslave them. I won’t say more so I don’t spoil it for anyone who wants to read the series.
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.
Note: This is a middle-grade novel and the intended reading audience is young children. As such, I may not be the best person to judge and rate a novel that was created for someone younger than myself in mind.
Content Warning: My review covers mature themes and topics specifically related to sexism, misogyny, and bullying. Please be advised before continuing on.
Review:
Honestly, I really hoped that I would love this book as much as I had the first two, but I was very disappointed. I had quite a few issues with the way certain characters were portrayed in this book. I felt that the work does not hold up well in the modern-day. The entirety of the book seemed to portray and condone sexist ideals that were commonplace in the 1950s. This really irritated me throughout the book. It actually enraged me so much that I delayed writing this review for a few weeks after finishing the book because I didn't want my overwhelming feelings of anger to cloud or color my review. While I can understand and excuse the behavior in this book to a certain extent give the time period it was written in, it was still no excuse for the behavior. This kind of writing may have been acceptable in the 1950s, but cannot be tolerated in 2020.
It makes me sad to criticize such a beloved, classic children's series but its important to point out the flaws in this series. Beyond the fact that the entire book seemed to make sexist comments about Lucy, I felt that their cousin Eustace was also unfairly treated. Yes, he was a very unpleasant person throughout this novel and he frustrated me to no end, but I still felt that Reepicheep and Edmund mistreated him. Depriving a person of food or water unnecessarily is wrong and cruel. I get that they often had limited food rations in the book, but the times when they had enough food to go around, they purposefully ensured that Eustace did not get enough to eat simply because they disliked him. There were also several verbal altercations in the story that got pretty heated between the characters. This arguing grew so intense, that at one point Eustace wandered off on his own in an unknown land and risked his life.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked Edmund in this book after previously disliking him so much in the first two books in this series. With the exception of the way he treated Eustace, Edmund actually seemed to show some positive growth and character development unlike some of the other characters in this story. Lucy was pretty insufferable in this book and it made me sad, she was often the one to perpetuate some of the misogynistic ideals portrayed in this book and I didn't like this, as I made clear above. Reepicheep was pretty annoying throughout the book and I didn't feel like his character added too much to the story. King Caspian was also one of the characters I liked better in this book and I saw his mission in this story as a noble one. However, I absolutely despised the fact that when he and the rest of his crew are captured, Caspian is well-treated but takes a long time to save his friends. He gets really distracted for a little bit from his mission and forgets about the fact that his friends are being held hostage in abominable conditions.
The plot of this story was pretty boring and dull, unlike the first two novels in this series. I might have been able to look over some of the sexism and bullying that happened in this novel if I felt it was entertaining and worthwhile. I'm sad to say that I don't remember much about the plot of the story now because that was just how unmemorable the book really was. The basic premise is that characters all go to find these seven lost Lords of Narnia who Prince Caspian promised he would save and rescue after he became king in the last book. I don't really remember why they were that important, only that they were needed to stop a curse from overtaking Narnia.
Overall, this book really bothered me with the prevalent sexism and bullying found in this novel. The characters were really irritating for the most part and the plot fell flat. I think part of the reason why I gave it 2 stars instead of one is simply because of how much I enjoyed the second book and how beloved this series is for so many people. It's not a horrible book, but I don't ever want to re-read this one again. After reading this book, I have decided to DNF the rest of the series, at least for now. There are plenty of other books and series that I'm much more excited to read than this one and I didn't feel that this was really worth my time.
Rating: 2/5 stars
Genre: High Fantasy, Middle Grade
Author: C.S. Lewis
Publisher: Geoffrey Bles
