readingrobin's reviews
1971 reviews

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious slow-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

4.0

The Kingdom of Back is one of those fantasies that is as magical as you want it to be. The titular kingdom that springs from the minds of the Mozart siblings takes on a life of its own, though there is just enough of a mystery around it for the reader to ask whether it ever truly leaves their imaginations. It leads our protagonist, Nannerl, to become a bit of an unreliable narrator, one that is swept away with the beautiful, yet suspicious magic of the place. I think it gave the story a neat allegorical aspect, to sort of decipher which each aspect of the kingdom represents and if the figures in Nannerl's regular life have any influence in it. There's probably enough evidence to sway readers to either direction if the place is real or not, which naturally lends itself to a great deal of interpretation.

While it is easy to call Nannerl a bit gullible given how easy it is to spot the danger she's in and how insidious the figure tempting her truly is, it's also so easy to empathize with her. There's that inner conflict of wanting to keep loving her little brother and protect him, but also some deep resentment at how he's going to be the more notable prodigy given that he's a boy. Nannerl wants a chance to live on beyond her lifetime through her music, a chance that's easily denied to her because of the age she lives in. Her internal journey leads to emotional, inspiring places that definitely made me want to learn about about her by the book's end.

What I also appreciated is the attachment of the Mozart siblings. They go through their conflicts and have periods of resenting or not talking to each other, but, at the end of the day, they want whats best for each other and will take any sacrifice to make it so. Wolferl never comes off as petulant or egocentric when it comes to his music. He naturally recognizes his talents, but he also highlights and acknowledges his sister's gifts. I may not know much about Mozart in real life, but I do know that a lot of his operas have strong, capable and smart female leads, some stories even being very feminist for their time. It's nice to see that aspect of "drinking the respect women juice" in this story.

While I did ultimately like the book, the slow pacing did make it slow to start. A lot of the time the book just shows the siblings going from place to place, performing to audiences or Nannerl just reflecting to herself. The writing style doesn't really help the pace, as it's not so much lyrical as it matter of fact. There's also a romantic elements that seems like it was starting to go somewhere, only for it to be completely dropped by Act 3. After finishing the book, I just simply looked up who she ended up marrying, so there's a bit of resolution in that, but I think it's something that should have at least been wrapped up in the final chapter.

I think The Kingdom of Back is perfect for the music lovers out there, especially those that are drawn to Mozart's music. I can't vouch for how accurate it is, but it'll definitely give you a new appreciation for the family as well as put the spotlight on a girl that deserved to be in it for far longer than she was.

Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster, by Jonathan Auxier

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

All I have to say is that the best kind of children's fiction tends to be the one that tends to expertly balance the harsh cruelties of life, especially during the Victorian era, with an unshakable sense of hope and a lot of heart. Sweep is one of those books that doesn't shy away from the reality and history of children in peril, but there is a warmness in its pages that comes from feeling and seeing the love and protection of dear ones long since passed. Definitely a bit of a tearjerker, but in a good way.

The Devil Aspect, by Craig Russell

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

The Devil Aspect is a book that's hard to put into words how to feel about it. There are so many layers to its Gothic atmosphere and the lingering malevolence you feel after turning that final page. It talks about the human capacity for violence and evil, the rise of facism in the late 1930s, the effect of superstition and mythology on our perception and rationalization of certain events, all while delivering a compelling and thrilling mystery. It's one of those mysteries where, if you play close attention, all the clues are there right before you, with a red herring or two thrown in for good measure. While I wasn't able to predict the exact outcome, once everything was revealed, I was able to say "Oh yeah, that makes sense." It's a puzzle you piece together without knowing the final image, only to nod in satisfaction when you're finally able to complete it.

I will admit, I'm not a fan of stories set in the World War II era, or even the years leading up to it, as I find them to be particularly one note and depressing. You're not going to find much levity or hope in this book, but Craig Russell did a great job of keeping the time frame as a sort of secondary setting rather than one that dominates the story. It feeds into the concept of evil being naturally drawn to the asylum housing the most sadistic and dangerous criminals, as well as giving context to the characters' opinions and values. It also leaves the reader with a sense of defeat towards the end, that, even though the story is over and evil has been exposed, there are still horrendous things coming for them. It's a dark place to leave the story, but it's definitely appropriate.

If you are a fan of dark thrillers and mysteries, you'll probably have a great time with this one. Just be aware that there is a lot of disturbing content, such as cannibalism, murder including children, discussion of pedophilia and rape, demonic goings on, discussions of eugenics, etc.

Light from Uncommon Stars, by Ryka Aoki

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emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

3.0

Well, chalk this book up as yet another one everyone else seems to be gushing over while I just shrug and go "It's all right." Don't get me wrong, there is plenty to love about this book: its open, honest, and real depiction of being trans, hopeful messages, themes of immigration and the trials of trying to assimilate to a new place, the gorgeous descriptions of food, music, and setting. And yet, even with all those wonderful things, I didn't find myself growing too attached.

For one, I think whoever wrote the blurb for this book gave it a little disservice by marketing it as "Good Omens meets The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet." I haven't read the latter yet, but, as to a former, having a Faustian bargain in a book does not automatically put it in the same league plotwise as Good Omens. There's so much difference between the two in terms of tone, humor, themes, etc. that it makes the comparison somewhat disingenuous. But that's only a small nit from me.

As for our characters, I was the most drawn to Katrina's storyline, as it was one I could more relate with. That, and, out of the other perspectives that we get, her's appears to be the most developed. Her journey has the clearest emotional arcs and the progression moves constantly forward instead of spinning its wheels, which unfortunately happens to the other perspectives as they go on.

Lucy's story is probably the best example of this. Compared to the multiple conflicts of the other characters, her's is solely "I want to go into the family business, but I can't since I'm a girl," which, when that's the only trouble a character faces, it becomes incredibly repetitive. Among our cast, she feels the most irrelevant, especially when she doesn't really interact with the other protagonists all that much, so the overall plot loses some cohesion at times. Her story feels like an afterthought, which is a shame seeing as it could have been more given some better development.

The Tran family also suffers a bit from underdevelopment, mostly from Markus' entirely dropped plotline more than halfway through. All in all, I think if this story had been solely Katrina's, I might have liked it a lot more. I think the fact that this book combines both supernatural and extraterrestrial doesn't do it any favors for me as well, since I find that the two don't really mesh well all that often. I mean....in this world, what's really the difference between demons and aliens if both serve as otherwordly beings? Does the religion of earthly beings have any weight on the aliens? It all becomes a bit of a mess if you think too hard, or maybe that's just me. It also leads to an extremely cop out ending that, while lovely and beautiful in concept, just kind of had me rolling my eyes.

So, this is a exquisitely worded, touching story that will resonate with so many people and one that I will encourage others to read in the hopes that maybe they'll get more out of it than I did.

Shady Hollow, by Juneau Black

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funny mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

I picked up this book, instantly charmed by the description of The Wind in the Willows meets murder mystery aspect. And that book totally delivers in that regard. You see this small animal community that mirrors our own, with its homey coffee shop, bookstore, local drama and curmudgeons, really everything you need in a town. The personalities of our characters aren't exactly three dimensional, but the simplicity of the plot and its players as well as the books' overall aesthetic ingratiated itself to me so much that it wasn't an issue. It was nice to have a mystery that didn't need a lot of brain processing power to deduce, focusing more on its cozier attributes.

While the book was ultimately worth the read for me, it did leave me a touch disappointed in the end.

Spoiler

Along with the basic plot, the book follows a mystery that, if it hadn't been for the animal aesthetic to give it some distinction, would have been seen as entirely cliche. Having the spurned lover on the side ultimately be the murderer seems like such a tired trope at this point along with the whole self-fulfilling prophecy of "jilted lover did the murder slightly out of her anger that everyone looked down at her, but she was a suspect in the first place mainly because everyone looked down on her for being promiscuous." It doesn't come off as too egregious though, since the reveal seems on level for every other twist in the book, but it would have been nice to have something original that matched the overall vibe.

I think I'm going to need another trip to Shady Hollow extremely soon, as it's a great book to curl up with and turn your brain off to.

Reynard's Tale: A Story of Love and Mischief, by Ben Hatke

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective fast-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

A graphic novel/picture book for adults that is purely a Reynard story in its truest form. Tricksy, bold, evocative, and lyrical, Hatke brings the character in a new age, putting a fresh coat of paint on an age old figure.

Arsene Lupin: The Gentleman Burglar, by Maurice Leblanc, Maurice Leblanc

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

If there is one character archetype I love the most, it is the sort of noble thief with the charm, wit, and panache to make you go "he may be a criminal, but he's damn fine criminal." I think what makes Lupin stand out amongst the classic antiheroes is his sense of giving due credit and possessing a bit of heart. He's no Robin Hood, he doesn't steal out of a need to redistribute wealth to those less fortunate, at least, not always, but there are moments when he forgoes theft entirely to appease those he cares for. His moral code is fascinating, always adjusting itself to the situation.

Some of the stories' logic and how they unravel is a bit confusing at times, though that may be me adjusting to that older sort of vernacular and sentence structure or simply a bad translation Still, there wasn't a particular story I disliked and, even if I wasn't entirely entertained by the events, Lupin's inventiveness and personality are always the highlight of any tale he's in. Some of them even tend to be pretty comical at times, whether it's the master thief himself being the victim of a robbery or his crossover with Sherlock Holmes being nothing more than a passing conversation.

Though the stories are simple, surface level stuff, the real draw is Lupin himself, with his unshakable confidence and ability to pull the wool over anyone's eyes.

Dracula, by Bram Stoker

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced