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ananya_b's reviews
8 reviews
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I am so, so disappointed in this book, considering that I had such high hopes for this series after A Court of Thorns and Roses. But three stars is a really generous rating for the roller-coaster-ride that I was subjected to.
The immature writing packed with obscenities is an infuriating departure from the flowery style of the first book, together with too many repetitions of the words "power" and "male", often in the same sentence. Most of the decisions taken by Feyre and Rhysand seem not to have a good enough reason. Circuitous and difficult paths are taken to achieve goals that could have been attained in simpler ways. Rhys and Co. travel between territories swiftly enough and often enough to leave you reeling and confused. The pacing, once Feyre realises Rhys is her mate, becomes increasingly hurried and garbled during the final chapters, reading more like the werewolf stories on Dreame than anything else.
The characters are completely unrecognisable from the first book: new people with old names.Tamlin, for instance, suddenly goes from a golden hero you'd want to die for, in ACOTAR, to a miserable creep who denies Feyre's agency and resorts to making sneaky pacts with slavery-loving Hybern just to get her back: a complete butchering of his character from the first novel. While we could argue that it's because Feyre is looking at them with new eyes, a gradual change in their personalities, over the course of the novel, would have been more believable — and interesting to read.
As something that progresses the plot of the series, this book is worth a quick read, although it feels like Wattpad fanfiction.
The immature writing packed with obscenities is an infuriating departure from the flowery style of the first book, together with too many repetitions of the words "power" and "male", often in the same sentence. Most of the decisions taken by Feyre and Rhysand seem not to have a good enough reason. Circuitous and difficult paths are taken to achieve goals that could have been attained in simpler ways. Rhys and Co. travel between territories swiftly enough and often enough to leave you reeling and confused. The pacing
The characters are completely unrecognisable from the first book: new people with old names.
As something that progresses the plot of the series, this book is worth a quick read, although it feels like Wattpad fanfiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and War
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a really wonderful read! The pacing is fast and the plot is gripping. I could hardly put it down until I'd finished. Maas has a wonderful writing style too, apart from one too many uses of "my throat closed up" and "my mouth went dry" and a couple of grammatical errors- I found it slightly more ornate than that of most other modern writers, and there's definitely a lot less swearing.
The characters are well-rounded, especially Feyre. However, there are a couple of plot inaccuracies - for instance, the question of why Feyre couldn't see the Attor at first, despite the fact that it wasn't a member of the Spring Court.
Nonetheless, this was one of the best books I've read. I can't wait to read the rest of the series - I hope they're as good as this one!
The characters are well-rounded, especially Feyre. However, there are a couple of plot inaccuracies
Nonetheless, this was one of the best books I've read. I can't wait to read the rest of the series - I hope they're as good as this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Slavery, and Murder
Minor: Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and War
Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
This isn't my first Wodehouse, but I just can't get enough of his works!
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This is a light-hearted, fun read from start to finish. Bertie Wooster, miffed with Jeeves and believing he's just as good at solving problems, tries to help Aunt Dahlia, Gussie Fink-Nottle and Tuppy Glossop overcome their troubles, resulting in chaos and confusion for all concerned. The scene where a drunk Gussie makes a speech and gives away the prizes at Market Snodsbury Grammar School is a riot, as are the conversations between Bertie and Madeline Bassett.
Wodehouse's writing is almost perfect - he manages to find exactly the right words and phrases to ensure that pretty much every sentence is hilarious. Here's one of my favourites:
Wodehouse's writing is almost perfect - he manages to find exactly the right words and phrases to ensure that pretty much every sentence is hilarious. Here's one of my favourites:
A sharp spasm shook him from base to apex. The beetle, which, during the recent exchanges, had been clinging to his head, hoping for the best, gave it up at this and resigned office. It shot off and was swallowed in the night.
This isn't my first Wodehouse, but I just can't get enough of his works!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury
The Rose And The Yew Tree by Agatha Christie, Mary Westmacott
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book started out a little slow for me, but it was so worth it! The plot wasn't even close to what I expected. Although it' s not a thriller like Christie's other works, it kept me hooked till the last page.
The characters were extremely well-rounded and beautifully fleshed out, with diverse, flawed personalities. Although some developments in the plot appeared to be a bit sudden and unexpected, everything is perfectly in keeping with what you know of the characters and how you'd expect them to act. Christie writes insightfully about how everyone has different motivations and approaches to life, and how that shapes their stories.
Despite being slightly predictable, the ending was tied masterfully to the beginning and brought the whole story together full circle. All in all, this was a wonderful, really thought-provoking read.
The characters were extremely well-rounded and beautifully fleshed out, with diverse, flawed personalities. Although some developments in the plot appeared to be a bit sudden and unexpected, everything is perfectly in keeping with what you know of the characters and how you'd expect them to act. Christie writes insightfully about how everyone has different motivations and approaches to life, and how that shapes their stories.
Despite being slightly predictable, the ending was tied masterfully to the beginning and brought the whole story together full circle. All in all, this was a wonderful, really thought-provoking read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Car accident, War, and Classism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Violence
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
For all its hype, I just couldn't get into it. The unnecessarily long explanation about why Goldman felt the need to write the book just sapped my motivation to read it. Personally too, there was a lot on my plate at the moment; maybe I'll pick it up again later.
So far, though, the writing is humorous and entertaining; it was especially interesting reading the parts that were not shown in the movie. I'll come back to this someday.
So far, though, the writing is humorous and entertaining; it was especially interesting reading the parts that were not shown in the movie. I'll come back to this someday.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity and War
The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I've read a few of her other books before, and I really love the way she writes. As far as this book goes, I wanted to be impressed and I was. That's about it.
It seems to me to be a commentary on drug culture, with elements of sci-fi that I haven't noticed in any of her other works yet. It's a fresh, original premise - exploring the past that Dick travels into with enough depth that we get attached to characters we know are already dead, while also staying in the present enough to let us see how using the drug is affecting his health and his relationship with his family. And du Maurier has certainly executed it brilliantly. I wasn't able to put it down until I'd finished, although there weren't that many developments going on plot-wise.
The writing is beautiful, as in her other works, although this book appears to use slightly more informal and modern language. There's quite a lot more cussing than I've encountered in her other books. I wasn't really expecting to read the line, "Prudence my arse", here, for instance.
There are a couple of questions that seem to go unanswered, though, and I'm not sure if that was intentional. For instance, Dick finds the empty bottle marked 'B' in the pocket of Magnus' s dressing gown. But the effects of B, and its relation to time travel, were never addressed in the novel. So what was the significance of bottle B?
Then again, it was stated that only a person with superhuman strength would've been able to drag themselves to a shelter after such an accident. And yet it was assumed till the very end that Magnus had managed to do it.
Finally, one of the main questions that Dick raised in the beginning was why the drug was taking him back to Roger's time. Why not some later time period? What was the link between Roger and whoever was using the drug? This wasn't really addressed later in the book, like I expected it would be.
The ending is ambiguous, and somehow unexpected, although perfectly natural when you think about it. It raises more questions than answers; for instance, does Dick get paralysed? Or will he eventually recover? How much of what he saw was mere hallucination?
All in all, I wouldn't call this her best work, but it was definitely an enjoyable read.
It seems to me to be a commentary on drug culture, with elements of sci-fi that I haven't noticed in any of her other works yet. It's a fresh, original premise - exploring the past that Dick travels into with enough depth that we get attached to characters we know are already dead, while also staying in the present enough to let us see how using the drug is affecting his health and his relationship with his family. And du Maurier has certainly executed it brilliantly. I wasn't able to put it down until I'd finished, although there weren't that many developments going on plot-wise.
The writing is beautiful, as in her other works, although this book appears to use slightly more informal and modern language. There's quite a lot more cussing than I've encountered in her other books. I wasn't really expecting to read the line, "Prudence my arse", here, for instance.
Then again, it was stated that only a person with superhuman strength would've been able to drag themselves to a shelter after such an accident. And yet it was assumed till the very end that Magnus had managed to do it.
Finally, one of the main questions that Dick raised in the beginning was why the drug was taking him back to Roger's time. Why not some later time period? What was the link between Roger and whoever was using the drug? This wasn't really addressed later in the book, like I expected it would be.
The ending is ambiguous, and somehow unexpected, although perfectly natural when you think about it. It raises more questions than answers; for instance, does Dick get paralysed? Or will he eventually recover? How much of what he saw was mere hallucination?
All in all, I wouldn't call this her best work, but it was definitely an enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Infidelity, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Vomit, Car accident, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Cursing, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and War
Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer
I won't even talk about how boring or irritating Bella is. Edward even comes close to admitting, although not deliberately (Stephenie Meyer wouldn't dream of writing that!), that he's only drawn to her for her scent and the mystery of her thoughts. But here's an idea: maybe Edward can't read her thoughts because she hasn't got any!
Apart from a few luckily written phrases, the book also suffers from extremely poor writing. For instance, here's an actual sentence from the book:
It can't really get much worse than this.
I could go on, but I'll end this tirade here. This has to be one of the trashiest books I own. I'm so glad I survived the ordeal of reading it.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
I wish I could say something about this book that fits the grandeur of all of Edward's thoughts. But I can't. True, there are some parts - a thoughtful sentence here and there, and then the last chapter, which evokes feelings of longing and loss - that made me rate this book above just 1 star. But that's about it.
I try to hold myself back, but really, this is just going to be a rant on how badly I want my money and time back. This book was not worth either of them. Here we go!
Why is Edward so straight-up horrible? I don't remember Twilight being this awful, even though that was written from the point of view of a self-insert. He just appears to think himself superior to everyone around him, just because he can hear their thoughts and judge them based on that. But does he ever hear himself? Why is he so snarky and judgmental? He's either criticising people for thinking a certain way, or beating himself up for merely existing. I almost pity the other members of his family, who have to put up with such a mood-dampener on a daily basis, for eternity. And I wish he would either stop thinking about leaving, or just pluck up the courage and actually do it. I know that's the point of the book, but it's just so irritating - you'd think he'd have something else to think about!
And then let's talk about him as a boyfriend. He treats Bella like a fragile infant who isn't old enough to make her decisions. He dismisses her requests and believes that he knows what's good for her, better than she does herself - just like an adult with a child. I know he's technically over a hundred years old, so he should know better than someone who's seventeen - but he's stuck at seventeen, too! His brain is just as immature as hers - what gives him the right to make her decisions for her? It's not even about objective things like food or shelter - he refuses to accept the future she wants because of his misguided religious beliefs, as if he's the only one who's allowed to be right on such a subjective topic.
He's a poor excuse for a boyfriend on all counts. Even during the climax, he does nothing but shout at Alice when she's trying to help, or sob. He never actually helps anyone, even Bella. Here's the most ludicrous example of that: "No longer racing, we moved slowly, Alice pushing Bella in her wheelchair so that I could walk beside her, holding her hand." Notice how the actual responsibilities are shoved off onto Alice or whoever else is around to help, while Edward gets to play the romantic love interest. You'd think if he actually cared for her, he wouldn't let anyone else but himself push her wheelchair!
I try to hold myself back, but really, this is just going to be a rant on how badly I want my money and time back. This book was not worth either of them. Here we go!
Why is Edward so straight-up horrible? I don't remember Twilight being this awful, even though that was written from the point of view of a self-insert. He just appears to think himself superior to everyone around him, just because he can hear their thoughts and judge them based on that. But does he ever hear himself? Why is he so snarky and judgmental? He's either criticising people for thinking a certain way, or beating himself up for merely existing. I almost pity the other members of his family, who have to put up with such a mood-dampener on a daily basis, for eternity. And I wish he would either stop thinking about leaving, or just pluck up the courage and actually do it. I know that's the point of the book, but it's just so irritating - you'd think he'd have something else to think about!
And then let's talk about him as a boyfriend. He treats Bella like a fragile infant who isn't old enough to make her decisions. He dismisses her requests and believes that he knows what's good for her, better than she does herself - just like an adult with a child. I know he's technically over a hundred years old, so he should know better than someone who's seventeen - but he's stuck at seventeen, too! His brain is just as immature as hers - what gives him the right to make her decisions for her? It's not even about objective things like food or shelter - he refuses to accept the future she wants because of his misguided religious beliefs, as if he's the only one who's allowed to be right on such a subjective topic.
I won't even talk about how boring or irritating Bella is. Edward even comes close to admitting, although not deliberately (Stephenie Meyer wouldn't dream of writing that!), that he's only drawn to her for her scent and the mystery of her thoughts. But here's an idea: maybe Edward can't read her thoughts because she hasn't got any!
Apart from a few luckily written phrases, the book also suffers from extremely poor writing. For instance, here's an actual sentence from the book:
He ran and I ran.
It can't really get much worse than this.
I could go on, but I'll end this tirade here. This has to be one of the trashiest books I own. I'm so glad I survived the ordeal of reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Torture, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
Minor: Addiction, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Death of parent
The Law and the Lady by Wilkie Collins
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This isn't one of Collins' best, but it's still an enjoyable, fast-paced read.
I found the chapters on the verdict, and the later portions relating to the finding of the letter the most gripping. But the motivation given for going on with the investigation seemed to be insufficient. Eustace's character is pretty weak and helpless, and Dexter's madness seems to be a little exaggerated. The fact that there was little to no chemistry between Valeria and Eustace didn't help.
I found the chapters on the verdict, and the later portions relating to the finding of the letter the most gripping. But the motivation given for going on with the investigation seemed to be insufficient. Eustace's character is pretty weak and helpless, and Dexter's madness seems to be a little exaggerated. The fact that there was little to no chemistry between Valeria and Eustace didn't help.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide