cherrykois's reviews
16 reviews
Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh
4.75
Spoilers
This book was a ride. Set in medieval times, the horrors described in this novel were unsettling, yet fascinating. Each character is on itself a contradiction between the most primal of a human being and the complexities behind emotion, morality and restraint. Villiam, the feudal lord of Lapvona was probably one of my favorite characters. And let me get this out of the way: he IS an asshole. BUT I couldn’t help but laugh when his scenes came around. Maybe I should check on that with a therapist. I ended up hating the protagonist, Marek as much as everyone in his life did, but I felt like he was such a good character, to me he felt alive. And most of the characters did for this story is FILLED with interesting points of view. I feel like im just rambling about how good this book is but I can only recommend you to read it. It is def not for everyone, it is disgusting, raw and has no chill but it the best of ways, so if that sounds good, definitely give it a go.
This book was a ride. Set in medieval times, the horrors described in this novel were unsettling, yet fascinating. Each character is on itself a contradiction between the most primal of a human being and the complexities behind emotion, morality and restraint. Villiam, the feudal lord of Lapvona was probably one of my favorite characters. And let me get this out of the way: he IS an asshole. BUT I couldn’t help but laugh when his scenes came around. Maybe I should check on that with a therapist. I ended up hating the protagonist, Marek as much as everyone in his life did, but I felt like he was such a good character, to me he felt alive. And most of the characters did for this story is FILLED with interesting points of view. I feel like im just rambling about how good this book is but I can only recommend you to read it. It is def not for everyone, it is disgusting, raw and has no chill but it the best of ways, so if that sounds good, definitely give it a go.
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
4.0
“𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝, 𝐩𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐬.”
The story starts with two characters Cleo, a British artist who's in her twenties, and Frank, a self-made man who’s in his forties. I thought the whole book might be about the relationship between these two people, but the story is actually about a group of people who lived in New York. A group of people who were all broken in different ways, and still trying to make sense of their fucked up lives.
This book is a lot more on self-discovery and reflections about someone’s mirror, love, trust and perseverance; their grief and longing, selfishness, desire and lust. And Coco Mellors was really successful in encapsulating such heavy contortions on the nature of humans and their dissonance with each other in such a beautiful way. Great characterizations, majestic conversations, plot and settings, also beautiful prose and analogy that draws you in the second you read this book. The characters are reckless, ignorant and vulnerable, leaving a gigantic hole within themselves. Some are so annoyingly pretentious, while others were simply just “vibing”. They were all flawed, to the point that they no longer had a hold on themselves.
“𝐖𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤. 𝐖𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐭.”
Mellors used symbolisms of dresses, paintings, and lights. The monthly basis of the story is a common way to show the readers the intensity of their journey. Which over the course you can tell by the chapter’s titles. The sentiment of being quite literally alone and being alone but only with one’s mind is striking and even pointed out a few times. How your friends were not your friends at all and how some stranger may become your greatest assurance. Also, let’s not forget to mention the familial issues that everyone in this book has. A reminder that no family is perfect, and that shouldn’t be a hindrance for you to live a normal life, like normal people.
Some drawbacks in the book might be how selfish and cold hearted some characters can be or how some parts were so rushed the inexplicit reasons for their actions can only corroborate how lost you might feel. It does get too predictable at times but I enjoyed it nevertheless!!
Finally, let’s end this review with another quote,
“ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞.”
The Last Russian Doll by Kristen Loesch
4.0
This is a wonderful plot driven story of survival told through multiple point of views and times. Dolls and fairy tales play a large role in the narration of the story, which is an interesting twist on normal novel-writing. The novel starts with Raisa, our heroine, living in London with her unhappy, alcoholic mother, who has a collection of Russian dolls. Raisa is invited by a Russian historian to spend some time in Moscow as his assistant. From there the backstory evolves and the characters become alive. During revolutionary times, we meet an unhappily married princess, a vocal revolutionary, an evil-minded noblewoman and her daughter. The scenes of revolutionary times are vividly drawn. We experience the siege of Leningrad - written with its own wonderful twist of a character writing stories on walls from with the paper and glue had been removed to serve as food. We see the horrific lifelong effects of imprisonment in the Gulag - long after the prisoner has been technically "freed". I thoroughly enjoyed this novel - - not only did it have lots of Russian history and well done characters, but the use of the dolls and the fairy tales added a great deal to its intrigue. My only negative is that the plot is quite intricate, and I did feel that one large piece of the plot was not resolved to my satisfaction (but maybe I need to reread that part!!!).
Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler
4.0
I’ll start of by prefacing that this is NOT a love story, it’s not a romance at all. It’s compelling, it's heartbreaking, it's raw and more than anything it's real. To see her journey navigating mental illness, depression, and grief to survival and healing was just wonderful. I think as a woman, all of us have either been Adelaide or have known Adelaide. I wanted to scream at her so many times, and others wrapped my arms around her and never let her go. My heart hurt reading Adelaide's story and I applaud the author for writing this debut so well, it’s written beautifully.
If you’ve ever been madly in love with the wrong person or if you’re in your 20s and ever felt lost, this one is for you! The underlying message of the story is to take charge of your life and prioritize your mental health. It's all about putting yourself first and how life goes on.
If you’ve ever been madly in love with the wrong person or if you’re in your 20s and ever felt lost, this one is for you! The underlying message of the story is to take charge of your life and prioritize your mental health. It's all about putting yourself first and how life goes on.
The No-Show by Beth O'Leary
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
When I first read the blurb, I was immediately intrigued by the premise. I wanted to know exactly how this all works out. After all, it’s a rom-com, there’s no way Joseph Carter is cheating on all of these women, so how exactly do all of these storylines merge? I had some initial thoughts that I constantly adjusted as I learned new information, but it turns out that my first real feeling about it was the closest of them all.
I loved that information is revealed slowly as the narrative progresses, and there is nothing more satisfying than the eventual confessions that connect the final dots. But what I felt is one of the most important aspects of The No-Show, is how Joseph changes over time, how his life is heavily impacted by each of these women, and how their relationships with him affect each other. The transformation comes in phases, and it was so interesting to finally piece it all together. I love stories that show the impact people have on each other, even people who have never met, and to see how these women quietly influenced each other was just so compelling.
I’m not a huge rom-com person, but I enjoyed the premise, and continued reading because not only did I believe the author did it justice, but I also liked her characters. The best praise I can give this novel is that nothing is shock value, O’Leary clearly sets up all of the reveals. You may guess some of them, and miss others, but nothing feels like a gotcha surprise. It all makes sense in the end.
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I had never heard of the shadow children series before until my boyfriend told me this was one of the few book he's actually read and loved, he asked me if I could read it to him so he can hear it again and so I did! I immediately became hooked on the first few chapters and as the story progressed it was so hard to put the book down. The writing is excellent, engaging, and heartfelt. I can't wait to continue the series!!!
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Daisy Jones & The Six takes on an interview style whilst centring around a popular 70s rock band, from their rise to fame to the heartbreaking split in the height of their popularity. Topics of drug abuse and alcoholism were heavily explored in this book and the way TJR approached the unreliability of addiction captured the true dark, devastating nature of it. I didn’t expect to like this style of writing as much as I did and I loved how each characters had contradicting narratives, making it realistic but also funny when placed next to each other. I thought the full album lyrics at the back of the book was so smart and I’d wish for nothing more than to actually hear the full album (which I’m hoping we might get in the TV series that’s coming out this year). I LOVED the way TJR left the story open with that last page and ended it on a hopeful note.
A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Something that makes Dorothy so unforgettable is the harsh, blunt language she uses throughout the novel. She doesn't once shy away from the brutality of her crimes, or of the inherent messiness that comes with the evisceration of one's life. Pun intended. She's cold and calculated, looking at the people around her as prey; as toys to be used for sex or sustenance or both. At its core, A Certain Hunger explores what happens when a woman will go to any lengths to sate herself...burned bridges (or corpses) be damned.