I am disgusted with myself for thinking that this book was excellent. But it would be dishonest of me to say "this was gross and bad" purely in the inI am disgusted with myself for thinking that this book was excellent. But it would be dishonest of me to say "this was gross and bad" purely in the interest of saving face, when I know deep down that's not my truth. The fact of the matter is that I loved it, and it had a forceful impact on me, and months later I'm still thinking about it.
Albeit when I'm alone, in the dark, lying in bed at the witching hour. That's when I think about it.
Warning: don't go into this thinking "how bad can it be". Because it can actually be that bad. And don't go into it with the intention of taking it literally; the talking cows are not actual talking cows. That's not what this is....more
Honestly one of the best fantasies I’ve read in a while. Lush, elaborate worldbuilding, genuine emotional stakes, beautiful imagery, engaging writing,Honestly one of the best fantasies I’ve read in a while. Lush, elaborate worldbuilding, genuine emotional stakes, beautiful imagery, engaging writing, and best of all, the story COMMITTED to itself. The grief, the familial relationships, the depiction of anxiety as an actual debilitating illness - this book showed up and actually delivered on its promises. Not only that, but it treats its villains with compassion and does not rest on the trite cliché of “good vs evil”.
A unique, compelling, exciting read that truly shows what YA fantasy can accomplish.
Also, Dedele exudes the most exquisite lesbian warrior energy and I love her, thanks bye. ...more
I'm supposed to be taking a break from social media right now, so I'll just say this: I feel better, more whole, more comforted, and more hopeful afteI'm supposed to be taking a break from social media right now, so I'll just say this: I feel better, more whole, more comforted, and more hopeful after reading this book. It's visceral, funny, and so poignant; what a memoir should be, real commentary on real life. It's unpretentious, as if Adam Kay had come round for a chat and we got to talking about his time as a junior doctor. It's heartbreaking, a love letter to the people who make the NHS such a precious institution, and a retort to those who have bruised it.
This is what a memoir should be. An elegy, a time capsule. It's a look at a life we so rarely see, but that we should all work to better understand. One of the best books I've read in a long time.
Just so good. My sister and I have a running joke about this series; if one of these books is left unattended, lying on a table or the couch, one of uJust so good. My sister and I have a running joke about this series; if one of these books is left unattended, lying on a table or the couch, one of us will holler to the other, “Lud, Lady Helen has been left here unchaperoned! Most irregular!”
It’s the tense, frustrating, heartbreaking ultimatums between the characters themselves that makes these books so gripping; it’s not just a case of “let’s fight demons” but also their impossible conflicts of the heart, so well drawn and slow-burning, filled with tangible emotion. And Lady Helen is not only a distinctive, admirable character, but also authentically a woman of her era. I’ve read and hated enough unrealistic, cartoonish renditions of this time period to recognise a good one. The author is not afraid to push the boundaries of history, but to remain true to it. As a result, Lady Helen’s regency world is immersive beyond belief. It’s a rare thing to be so wholly sucked into a story and a setting, but here I am, genuinely worried for the fates of these characters as if they were my oldest, dearest friends, and that’s something special.
This is one series that I’ll be sorry to leave behind....more
My skin is clear, my crops are thriving, my children are fed, and this epilogue made me even gayer, which is to say that it truly was a divine [image]
My skin is clear, my crops are thriving, my children are fed, and this epilogue made me even gayer, which is to say that it truly was a divine gift from our Lord and saviour C.S. Pacat. My soul has been saved; no need to send me to heaven, for I have already been there.
And it was told that we should receive an epilogue, so thy author said 'The Summer Palace'. And it was good.
This was absolutely incomparable. A modern classic; a masterpiece. The importance of this book can't be overstated. This is the best book I have read This was absolutely incomparable. A modern classic; a masterpiece. The importance of this book can't be overstated. This is the best book I have read in a very long time.
I'd considered writing a lengthy review of this, but I can't say anything about this book that hasn't already been shouted from the rooftops. Also, it's 3am, and I'm still crying like a little bitch, so it's tricky to organise my thoughts.
This book is just... beautiful. Hopeful. It’s a love letter to all the brave revolutionaries who have stood up against the horrors of institutionalised racism. It's a love letter to those communities, to those families, to those still grieving the unjust losses of their precious loved ones. It's a wreath on the graves of the casualties of a cruel, biased, oppressive system. It's a heartfelt hand outstretched to those who have fought, who still fight, and who keep on fighting.
It was written by someone who loves where she came from, and who loves her community and her family. Who clearly believes in kindness, in honesty, in justice, and that there is a better future ahead of us. Someone who has lived this, who understands this, whose #ownvoice must be heard. Angie Thomas is a staggering talent, and the authenticity of her storytelling is a testament to how important it is to uplift the voices of people of colour in publishing and wider media. It’s long overdue.
This book changed me. I know it changed other people too, and I'm grateful for that. I'm so grateful for this book....more
This was absolutely wonderful. Probably the best book I've read this year. Beautifully written, full of heart, tightly plotted, fun and romantic and sThis was absolutely wonderful. Probably the best book I've read this year. Beautifully written, full of heart, tightly plotted, fun and romantic and sad and so relevant. Seriously, this book was WOKE as fuck and I wish I could read it all over again for the first time just to feel all of the fresh joy that the author has for this story.
This one is a real keeper. Wait while I dry my eyes because the ending was just... The ending. These characters are my babies. All of them....more
I can't with this series. And I can't because it is SO GOOD.
Crystal Storm was a little slower than previous instalments, but shit if the endiI just...
I can't with this series. And I can't because it is SO GOOD.
Crystal Storm was a little slower than previous instalments, but shit if the ending wasn't explosive. In fact, it was fucking harrowing. Basically, don't even talk to me about the ending.
(view spoiler)[Someone needs to find Kurtis and kill him in like a really disgusting way because nobody gets to torture my trash king sweetheart Magnus and live to tell of it. I swear to god, when they put the lid on that coffin and began to bury him, my stomach turned and I threw up in my mouth a little bit. Burying people alive is another level of sick shit.
Remember the alchemist guy that Sam and Dean buried alive in season 3 of Supernatural? Yeah, he was a dick who went around murdering people for his unhygienic organ harvest but I still ended up feeling sorry for him when they buried him alive. It just makes my skin crawl. (hide spoiler)]
It's a testament to how unbelievably enjoyable these books are that I'm dishing out four stars, despite all of the errors in editing (punctuation marks missing, whole words missing, characters' names spelled wrong, you get the idea) and the frequently unnatural stilted dialogue. The writing is as simplistic as it always has been, and not in a good way, but who cares when the story is as gripping as this? This series is one whose flaws I really don't give a shit about, because I love it so much. And I never expected to love it. But I came to know it's heart. (view spoiler)[Like Cleo came to know Magnus's. Jesus christ, I'm getting all emotional. (hide spoiler)]
Look, all I can say is that I'm choking for the next one and crushed that it's not out tomorrow. Why is it not out tomorrow? Balls....more
**spoiler alert** Augghhhhhh. I loved this book so much, so it's agonizing that I can't give it five stars. But I'm sticking to my guns: I have to doc**spoiler alert** Augghhhhhh. I loved this book so much, so it's agonizing that I can't give it five stars. But I'm sticking to my guns: I have to dock a star, first for the incredibly abrupt ending, the pacing lag (we could have spent less time meandering in the last third and more time developing the initial romance), and the really annoying misogyny in the first portion of the book:
"I'd rather spread ideas than legs," I hissed back. "But I doubt you would agree--"
Why was that necessary. It just really wasn't. And it's so weird because the rest of the book is dominated by a heroine who, while initially lacking in personality, develops into a capable, strategic, sympathetic character that I grew very fond of. She was also not at all prudent and shared a close relationship with her headstrong sister, Gauri, and on top of all of that, she ended up sympathizing with and actually being extremely merciful to her villainous ex-sister. I just really wish someone had caught this and edited it out because it seriously irritated me and it was extremely unnecessary.
This book wasn't particularly well received, and I actually do understand why a lot of people didn't care for it. It's perplexing in places, extremely surreal, but I liked that; it didn't bother me that some things happened just because. For me, it was such an atmospheric, absorbing read, beautifully written and full of soul. It was also incredibly authentic, proving exactly how important #ownvoices reads really are. The infusion of Indian mythology felt real, earthy and magical and beautifully unique.
It took me a while to warm to the hero, Amar, but somehow he crept up on me, and there was one moment of startling clarity in which I just surrendered and realised that I was probably as much in love with him as Mayavati was. It was one small passage, this one:
"The doors were flung open and as I stumbled past the entrance, I saw Amar bent over the tapestry. A crown of blackbuck horns gleamed on his head, cruel and slick. In the dark, they looked blood-tinged. His hands roamed over the threads, fingers flicking, yanking, snarled in strands that he pulled out in swift, merciless strokes like he was tearing out throats instead of threads."
I think it was the pure atmosphere of this scene, the absurdity and the darkness of it, the slow and terrifying unveiling of Amar as the Dharma Raja, that just knocked me right back. I read that passage above, and suddenly, I loved him. Because this book, without really stating it plainly, makes its case--death is not evil, and nor is it merciful. It just is what it is. It's a part of nature. This, proven in the story of Nritti, who in the end was not cast in a light of evil or nastiness, but of pity. She tried to cheat death, and that's not how death works, and so she wasn't a villain, really, but a person lost in grief.
A lot of people hated the talking horse, but I adored her. A lot of people hated the writing, but for me it worked. I think this book is really a love it or hate it thing, but it took me on a journey. I wasn't even aware that I was reading a Hades/Persephone retelling until well over halfway through, but that's not shocking, because half of the time when I'm reading retellings I don't actually realise it until I've been smacked in the face with it. I didn't realise that A Court of Mist and Fury was a Hades/Persephone retelling either, but for me this worked so much better as a retelling, because it felt like a fairytale. It was written with the right air of constant magic, whereas ACOMAF felt fanfictiony, the protagonists wafting around with all of their airs and graces and all of it written so jarringly like a modern coffee shop AU romance.
It's maybe a weird comparison to make, The Star-Touched Queen versus ACOMAF, but I kept thinking about it, that Rhysand was meant to be Hades but his character is nowhere near as grey and dark as Amar's, while at the same time being sympathetic. I think it was the total neutrality of Naraka that really intrigued me - Maya isn't running away from evil Bharata and into the arms of some bland Good Guy Prince Charming that we've all seen a thousand times before. She also isn't going to be a queen who flounces around a kingdom in fancy dresses, collecting taxes and boasting her prowess (Feyre, because don't pretend that any of the Night Court royals have actual jobs. All Feyre did all day was wander around the art quarter in a fancy cashmere sweater). Maya loves Amar but she also loves her work, and she wants to be queen of Naraka not just as the wife of the Dharma Raja, but as part of a cosmic balance. She isn't just a wife or a lover, she is a co-ruler. The job she is taking on is imperative to the existence of life itself and it's this she's fighting for, not just for the love of her king.
Overall, a stunning read. It took me places, transported me, and that's exactly what I want from high fantasy. I want a journey, something surreal and inspired and completely unique. Roshani Chokshi makes real magic with her words. ...more
A good ending to the series, blessedly heartwarming, with some decent twists. I just wish it had been a little more...shocking. The ending was a littlA good ending to the series, blessedly heartwarming, with some decent twists. I just wish it had been a little more...shocking. The ending was a little pedestrian for my tastes. I guess I expected something a bit more mind-blowing, but maybe this is for the best.
Me, once again, on my third read of this book: I'VE FALLEN AND I CAN'T GET UP.
This series has ascended, past "really good", through the halls of "magnMe, once again, on my third read of this book: I'VE FALLEN AND I CAN'T GET UP.
This series has ascended, past "really good", through the halls of "magnificent" and on to the throne of "fucking spectacular, perfect cinnamon roll, too precious for this world". This is one of my favourite series of all time. It never ceases to absolutely FLOOR me with so much emotional impact that I practically need to take a nap afterwards to recuperate.
I just... That character development, tho. It is heart-wrenchingly good. You know how sometimes, you come across a great premise, and you find yourself thinking, "I really wish the author had shown us X scenario within this premise, because that would have made it more satisfying". Do not despair, friends. This book knows exactly what its readers are looking for and it delivers it on a fucking golden Veretian platter. It does not leave you wistful, wishing there had been more. It gives you what you want. C. S. Pacat is not fucking around and she did not come here to play.
I understand that Bells and then acknowledgments bothered some folks, and it did feel slightly abrupt. Do I wish there had been an epilogue? Yeah, I do. And we got one.(view spoiler)[But the ending we have now is exactly the one we all wanted: Everybody becomes king, the traitors are brought to justice (with some spectacularly emotional reckonings, particularly the confrontation between Damen and Kastor) and Damen and Laurent will frolic and make kissy faces in the flowery fields of Ios forevermore. It's a win-win. (hide spoiler)]
I just... Goddamn it, that symmetry of the ending! "A fight between ghosts"! I need a joint and a big-ass glass of ice tea after that. Christ on a cracker.
There's nothing else I can say about this book, except that it amazed me. It emotionally throttled me. And I'm sure it will again....more
Bury me in a tomb on the beach, because I am dead.
This book killed me. It was a rollercoaster of emotions. Joyful and strange and confusing and then fBury me in a tomb on the beach, because I am dead.
This book killed me. It was a rollercoaster of emotions. Joyful and strange and confusing and then fucking heartbreaking. Just terrible event after terrible event, but the book itself revolves around a conceptual spoiler; we know how it's going to end. But for some reason, we hope that it might be different this time. It won't.
There's nothing I can, in good conscience, criticise: I hated Achilles with his infuriating hubris, and I hated the looming certainty of the Trojan war, and most of all I hated Pyrrhus, but it's not an irritating hatred. It's a carefully plotted hatred, knowingly tugged from the reader. This book is superbly written, emotionally manipulative in a subtle, intelligent way. The prose alone is beautiful. Bright images, like the bloody chaos of the battle on the beach at Troy, Chiron's crystal cave, the sea spray at Scyros, Achilles and Patroclus against the starry night sky in Phthia.
It's a frustrating read, rage-inducing and only occasionally sweet, but always so lovely. The inevitability of the heartbreaking ending doesn't diminish the purpose of reading it. You don't arrive at the end and feel like all of it was pointless, as is always a pitfall with stories that end this way. (view spoiler)[Half Lost, The Book Thief, you catch my drift. You walk a fine line when you kill all of the protagonists. (hide spoiler)] But this book is deft, and it knows how to handle its subject matter with finality, with frankness, with respect.
After all of this, I think I need to lie down with a cold cloth on my forehead. And I need like seven cups of tea. I feel so drained.
Oh, yeah, and one last note, just to clear up any doubts anybody might have about my feelings towards Achilles, fucking Achilles:
Okay, so do you guys remember when I read Shadow and Bone and I thought the plot was kinda cool, I liked the side characters, I liked the heroine - I Okay, so do you guys remember when I read Shadow and Bone and I thought the plot was kinda cool, I liked the side characters, I liked the heroine - I got on board with her weird morality and can-do attitude - but I fucking hated Mal? (I'm writing this on my phone and iOS 10 actually just autocorrected 'Mal' to 'anal' which is basically the gist of it.) Well guess what.
Round two. Motherfucking Montgomery.
This tool. THIS guy. I swear to fucking god. I actually loved Juliet, because she spoke to me and I related to her and she was proactive and she deeply valued her friendship with another woman who was very different than her, but all of it is overshadowed by her completely bewildering infatuation with Montgomery.
He is the absolute worst character in this book. He was agonising to read about. A little piece of me died every time he was mentioned. And he's so unnecessary; this book is so incredibly original (and extremely well-written, paced beautifully and very deft in its retelling of the 'classic' it's based on) but Montgomery is the typical childhood friend turned bland lover that we've seen about 16,000 times before in YA. There is nothing convincing about his feelings about Juliet or about her love for him. And it sullied my feelings for Juliet, because she was smart and sharp and sometimes brutal, but she let herself fall in stupid love with this dumb asshole. Juliet, pull your fucking self together! Fuck.
In some ways, this book belongs to Edward; he is far and away the most captivating character. I loved him. He was dark and weird and sad, and I related to him, as strange as that sounds. He got me right in the feels, guys. The revelation concerning Juliet's nature felt a little flat to me - like, I was surprised, sure, but it didn't feel as shocking as I think it was meant to. But Edward? By god, chaps! That one knocked me right off my chair!
This book was a nice deviation from your typical Victorian fare: there's nothing stuffy or boring about it, and I fucking hate the Victorians because they're stuffy and boring. I can't stand them. But this book feels...fresh. It feels sprightly and inspired and innovative. I like that it's morally grey and that its heroine has the capacity to be an incredibly kind person but also very ruthless as well. Juliet really, really grabbed me, guys. (Except when she was hanging around that fucking cock Montgomery. What a stupid prick. I want to punch his fugly face.)
I moan, I bitch, I complain. I kid, too. This was actually an incredibly enjoyable read. Dark and twisty and not afraid to be itself. I seriously admire the author for reinventing not only a less well-known 'classic' but also for making it completely her own and by taking thematic risks. This book is not afraid to be gory and weird, and it doesn't shy away from brutality, or from questioning substantial themes like morality and humanity and the blurred lines of family, particular the unfathomable complexity of a father-daughter relationship. It was a nice surprise for me.
So yeah. It was nice.
Except for fucking Montgomery. Fuck off, Montgomery....more
"What if we go on, only to more pain and despair?"
"Then it is not the end."
I've never cried so much over a book. Never. There were points were I had t"What if we go on, only to more pain and despair?"
"Then it is not the end."
I've never cried so much over a book. Never. There were points were I had to stop reading because I couldn't see the page through my tears.
This was a journey, and I don't just mean this book. This whole series has such a special place in my heart, and what I think a lot of people don't realise is that the Throne of Glass series, like the Harry Potter series, was designed to age with its readers. The teenagers who started reading this series at the release of Throne of Glass are now adults, and this series was written for us: to grow with us into our adulthood, to walk with us from our frantic teens to the endless possibilities of our twenties, to change and adapt as our priorities in life naturally do.
I started following this story, of Celaena in a glass castle, solving mysteries and fighting duels, when I was 19. Now, at 24, I've turned the last page of Aelin's story, but it doesn't hurt to say goodbye. It feels full, like a beautiful finished painting, a tapestry with every thread neatly tucked away. If there was a better way to end this, I can't think of what that might be.
This series has meant a lot to me, and while it has its flaws, it's one of those stories that I'll come back to again. Because the themes are timeless, of bravery and love and healing, of family and redemption and hope, hope, hope. All of the books, but this one in particular, is at its heart about the power of never giving up, and of standing up for what you believe in against impossible odds. The wins and the losses - terrible losses that made me openly sob - were sore but meaningful, and that's the greatest triumph of this excellent last chapter. That it all meant something, and that even the small ones, the most unlikely of heroes, the ones that no one saw coming, left their mark.
I've gained and lost a lot of possessions in my life, but my books are important to me. My books have travelled with me across seas, across continents, across great and sometimes painful frontiers in my life. This series is the reason why my books mean so much to me. Because they're transformative, evergreen, a truly powerful form of art. And wherever I end up, wherever that might be, I'll take these ones with me....more
Just... Oh, my god. This book was absolutely sublime. Definitely one of the best books I've read this year. It was just phenomenal. So sweet and funnyJust... Oh, my god. This book was absolutely sublime. Definitely one of the best books I've read this year. It was just phenomenal. So sweet and funny and uplifting and magical. That's what it was: magical.
Oh, and Simon and Baz are my eternal OTP. I will go down with this ship. They are one of my favourite fictional couples of all time. I adored them with all that I am.
Literally the best book I've read this year. It was absolutely excellent. The only thing wrong with this book was all the stupid typos (for real, Kaz Literally the best book I've read this year. It was absolutely excellent. The only thing wrong with this book was all the stupid typos (for real, Kaz is Kat in the fourth or so chapter).
Seriously. That's the only complaint I have. Typos. Just spelling errors. That is it.
I'm drawing some graphics and am going to write a lengthy review for this one because I have so many feelings. But in a nutshell: this book is still aI'm drawing some graphics and am going to write a lengthy review for this one because I have so many feelings. But in a nutshell: this book is still absolutely excellent, and still one of my favourite books ever. There were actual tears coming out of my eyes on more than one occasion as I was reading this.
Five stars. No, six. No, ten. All the stars....more
This book literally changed my life. I am not the same person for having picked up this book. It took me on a passionate, intense, personal journey anThis book literally changed my life. I am not the same person for having picked up this book. It took me on a passionate, intense, personal journey and I feel so incredibly close to the author, as if she had sat five inches away from me and reeled off the story of her life.
As a chronic sufferer of wanderlust (and it is an acute, unexplainable sort of suffering) I connected with, and was inspired by, this book in ways I can't communicate with much clarity. In the best way, this book has to be read to be believed.
Eaves comes under fire for placing a considerable focus on her romantic relationships, but I never felt that as a travel memoir this book flopped. Without relaying the romantic elements, the reasoning and hopelessness of her wandering would be lost. Without the travel, her relationships would have no context. This is not a book about jungles and deserts and oceans, but the people who cross those jungles, deserts and oceans. It's about humanity, finding oneself, and the absolute dysphoria of not understanding just who is behind the face in the mirror.
Towards the final fifth of the book, some momentum is lost, and it becomes vaguely laborious to stay connected with Eaves as a narrator, but somewhere along the line it all comes flooding back, and the final two pages had me in tears. While sometimes missing the mark with her storytelling, and while sometimes blundering on the feminist front (Eaves is quite second wave, and tends to spin a "I'm not like all the other girls" line) Eaves's story is nevertheless so compelling, so brave, and so utterly out of the ordinary. Some travel memoirs are stilted, cash driven trips that drive home too hard a message of "look at me, bettering myself" that they lose the rawness that Eaves has.
I mean it when I say that this book changed me. It truly did....more
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