toreadistovoyage's Reviews (1.58k)

This was okay. The plot and characters were good. That being said, I had some issues with the writing itself - it was choppy and there was no real sense of atmosphere (which is too bad considering the setting is 1920s Harlem). The book was fairly predictable, and the main character was inconsistent in temperament. 

That being said, if Afia writes a sequel, I will probably read it. I think there is potential here.

A thriller is a thriller is a thriller.

So, this was fast-paced, had unreliable narrators, and some twists. All of which are what you want in a good thriller. Yet, this one just didn't hold up for me. I called all the twists ahead of time and nothing was shocking. I didn't like any of the characters. There didn't seem to be any real character growth/development - they just went through some things. 

Damn, Elizabeth Acevedo can write.

This is a slow, looping, generational saga. It's beautiful. There are stories within stories. There are strong women and women trying to be strong. There is family and magic and happiness and despair. There is a plot, but also it doesn't; rather, it loosely gives the histories of several women.

I found myself unexplainably crying at the end. I will reread this in the future.

So, my son thought parts of this were funny. He was confused about the narrator being a dog (he is six, so not the target audience of this book and not the book's fault). He wants to continue the series, but the next one isn't on the library app. It has a clever concept, but the execution just wasn't there.

I don't know how, but despite this book being boring and frustrating, it was hard to stop reading. Ultimately, I could have skipped it and been fine. I enjoyed the depictions of life in Paris and the literary scene. However, I found myself curious to know how much speculation went into this account of Hadley and Ernest's relationship.  

This was so well done. A great story, interesting characters, intrigue and mystery. This has a lot of trigger warnings, including grooming, abuse, murder, and more. There were a few places where I thought it moved a little slow, but other than that it was excellent. 

I didn’t expect this to be so sad. Well written book in verse with realistic characters. Definitely see why this resonates so much with middle school students. 

I think I liked this better than the first, but I am still not loving this series. The main character is sort of boring, which is weird since she is in disguise learning to be a knight. Or maybe the plot is boring, which is also weird since there is a lot going on that should be exciting. Even the love triangle is boring. I don't know. Maybe it's too boring for me.

I want to know what happens, since I am halfway through the series. But I don't know if I want to finish reading them.

Also, can we talk about the fact that Alanna has everything?

Two men who love her, healing powers, integrity, knighthood, a powerful brother, a magic sword, a talking cat, friends who don't ditch her after she tells them she has been lying for years....

I feel like this is the type of book I would have been into as a kid had I found it then. Alanna is strong, clever, feisty, and speaks her mind. The book is written for young adults, but it has a mature tone (not mature content, though). There are some issues with it - there are never any consequences when people find out her secret, there is almost no way she would have been able to keep it a secret for so long and from so many, there is not a lot of character development, there is plot but nothing is really happening. 

Ultimately, the only reason I read this is so I can read book two. And that may seem strange (and it definitely is), but I need book two to complete a reading challenge I am participating in. The requirements of the challenge left me with a lot of not great options, so book two it is.

I have read The Moonstone at least four times, the earliest of which was when I was an undergrad. I had been assigned Collins' The Woman in White in a Victorian Literature course. It was so enjoyable that I read this one too. Since it had been years since my last reading, I added it to a reread challenge I am participating in this year.

The Moonstone is largely considered to be the first detective story. Told through the written accounts of multiple characters in the story, the mystery of a missing diamond unfolds. There are likable characters, despicable ones, insufferable ones, and clever ones. Despite being rather long, it maintains interest and the plot moves. There is some subtle social commentary (society and class, gender norms, imperialism). 

This is a book that I know I will revisit in a few years.