oh_renard_lit's reviews
27 reviews

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

A really entertaining book to read. From start to finish, you wonder how far the different characters can go down the "crual, dangerous and/or toxic" path and how it will end. It helped that I didn't know anything about the story prior to reading it and that I spent my time questionning every characters' conduct and discourse (critical thinking, all of that).
This feels to me like a study on how the environment and how someone is treated by the others can influence their behaviour. Compared to the work of her sisters, Emily Brontë gives a refreshing and nuanced point of view on her story. If the plot does consist of merely going back and forth from one house to the other, there are so many twists and turns in the relationships that I never felt it redundant.

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The prose is well written, we reunite with characters that we liked in the first book, the story in itself is evenly paced... However this second instalment of the Last Binding series lacks a je-ne-sais-quoi of charisma, uniqueness, nerve or talent.
I think it does suffer from coming after "A Marvellous Light" : because there was so much done in this first book, everything was already said about Marske's world and the few subjects that "A Restless Truth" tried to touch upon felt like a reiteration.
Overall it was nice to read, but I lost interest for the main intrigue so I doubt I'll read the third book.

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A collection of sixteen short stories. The main point of Kafka's writing style is to set an atmosphere close to oneirism, where you get a feeling of a plot more than an actual plot.
It's hard to understand what is the purpose of most of the stories tho and I think they all end up abruptly. Still, a lot of the stories touch on the subject of alienation and otherness with a relatable and rightly done approach.
My fave story was the one with the monkey that had to pretend to be a human so that he could be treated as an equal.

Fairy Tale by Stephen King

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

First book I read from Stephen King, doesn't make me want to read more.
A lot of things in this story feel like they are juxtaposed but not tied together. It holds til the end only because the reader accepts to turn a blind eye to the inconsistencies/illogicalities/parasite elements. We are supposed to believe in plot point or plot twists when there weren't even any efforts put into making them believable.

Longshadow by Olivia Atwater

adventurous lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Just like in the 2nd book of the trilogy ("10 thousand stitches"), I found the moral of the story strangely done. Once again, the main character presents herself as a justice hero while being at the same time unashamedly unfair to some of the others in the cast.
The plot in itself lacks a bit in terms of excitement during the middle of the story. It was nice to reunite with beloved characters from the series tho, and the writing style is still very pleasing to read.

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton

adventurous funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I had a hard time getting invested in this book. The premises are promising, but once they've been established in the first few chapters (pirate aristocracy, attempted assassination, flying houses, etc) it doesn't evolve past that. The romance is not spared : it is kind of the same be it at page 30 or at page 300.
Still, I think someone else could totally enjoy this book, if they are receptive to the humor and the spicy love-at-first-sight romance.

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book is unlike any other from Jane Austen. The tone is clearly satirical, however I didn't find it subtle at all and on the contrary quite heavy at some times.
I struggled immensely to like the plot and characters during the first 1/3 but it gets more interesting after that. I thought I'd end up liking the book, until the ending rushed everything. Overall it was a bit of a disappointment.

Lady Susan / The Watsons / Sanditon by Jane Austen

lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Those 3 unfinished/unpublished novellas prove -if anyone still needed to be convinced- Austen's talent in terms of character and plot writing. Makes you wish they could have been completed!
A must-read for Jane Austen's fans. Casual readers of the author might not see the purpose.

The Monsters of Rookhaven by Pádraig Kenny
Did not finish book. Stopped at 60%.

From the story events to the characters to the plot twists, it all fell flat for me. I felt there was something missing wherever I looked. It is all a bit surface-level, more than the type of surface-level that you typically find in childhood literature.
A big meh that made me loose motivation to read.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Reading this book is an experience in itself and the true definition of "it's all about the journey, not the destination". The whole point of this book is not only to let you know about this weird house on Ash Tree Lane, but also to make you question the story, the meaning, the hidden clues...
House of Leaves may not be for everyone or may not change the life of every reader that comes by it like some fans say it does, but no one can deny it is one of the most ambitious and carefully crafted work that exists in book form.