theelliad's reviews
152 reviews
Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
3.5
Sometimes i read a book and i fall in love with words all over again, this is one of them. just like the first one, this book takes you on such an emotional journey and presents such a raw and beautiful story of love that says all the words i wish i could have thought of. my only critique (and unfortunately a bit of a big one) is this is unnecessarily long, as breathtaking as the writing was, the middle portion is slow, repetitive and didn’t really need to be there, once the plot returned this was incredible so i won’t be too harsh though!!
The Maid by Nita Prose
2.5
The narration of this is an interesting exploration of an autistic perspective on the world, and the main character is relatable however, i didn’t find the twists in this plot as exciting as i feel I should, while the overall story was good, it wasn’t as standout as i expected and felt predictable at times (which is to some extent the purpose given that molly often doesn’t see the obvious) so fell slightly flat for that reason. Overall an interesting book with very fitting narration in the audiobook!
A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is so incredibly done and unlike other ‘feminist’ myth retellings, i felt that it actually focused on the women rather than on man hating (silence of the girls im looking at you). I loved that this told so many stories, many of those being ones i’ve never heard before and haynes is a lyrical genius staging this as an epic in its own right rather than an alternative of an existing one! I thoroughly enjoyed it!!
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
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? It's complicated
3.0
I have pretty mixed feelings about this book, I really enjoyed it the majority of the way through (literally couldn’t put it down) but i’m not a big fan of the ending being a cliffhanger for a sequel it feels unnecessary
I really liked the plot though, Im not a huge romance reader so i always enjoy ones like this where there is another storyline alongside the romance
The main character was also terrifyingly relatable at points which was great until it wasn’t (once again reminding you all and myself to check trigger warnings before reading a book i wish i had been more prepared for parts of this) that said the topic of ptsd is handled really realistically, and there was a good balance of humour to help soften the blow of the more graphic trauma heavy parts
Overall an excellent book but probably not one i’ll reread anytime soon…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Violence
Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold by Stephen Fry
3.0
There is something so therapeutic about reading mythology books while on holiday maybe one day i’ll actually make it to greece and read one there 😭
I love Stephen Fry’s coming through on these myths; he presented them in such an accessible way (making this excellent for those wanting to get started in myths without tackling the classics) and also added his own humourous commentary- i have never enjoyed footnotes so much
overall an enjoyable read, i liked the short story devisions which interconnect (very ovidian) and though it took me a while to get through (i’m too easily distracted) it was an easy book to pick up!
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5