How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
The Martins was a very quick, very engrossing read. I greatly enjoyed it. It's not your typHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
The Martins was a very quick, very engrossing read. I greatly enjoyed it. It's not your typical novel - the whole idea of it is that it breaks the fourth wall to begin with, and it stays that way. The story is told through an author's point of view - I'm not even sure if the author is fictional or the actual author of the book. But this author decides to get himself out of a creative rut by writing about the first person he will encounter on the street. It sort of works out that way, except with extra strings attached - he not only gets to write about that person, but their whole extended family as well.
The idea here is that the story of anyone at all can be interesting and dramatic, and carry meaning. The author ends up writing about the Martins - a typical French family, as 'Martin' is about the most common and typical surname, almost like Smith in English. But even these 'Smiths' have very real crises in their lives, and do some very wild things, when put on the spot. The author's intrusion into their lives becomes like a breaking point to a lot of them - and they suddenly end up doing 'make it or break it' decisions which change their lives quite a lot.
I ended up loving the Martins as characters. They were very interesting, and I do subscribe to the idea that just about anyone's life could become a movie, if you were to only pick the right time in their lives and remove the boring bits, such as brushing one's teeth or doing office work. Just ask your grandma to tell you about her youth adventures, and you'll know what I mean.
The Martins reads fast, is well written and will definitely deliver an unexpected, but engrossing and interesting plot. A very unique novel, and I know I would love to read more by the same author.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
4.5 stars
This book really reminded me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but in a weird How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
4.5 stars
This book really reminded me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but in a weird way. In most ways, this book is NOTHING like it. But in some very key, very specific ways, it's SO MUCH like it. The secretive main character. The very things that happen (no spoilers...). The glamour of a coveted life. But - everything is translated into book lovers' lives. Glamorous bookworms. Isn't it brilliant?
Yep, all this story is about writing and the love of reading. The author essentially had a 'playlist' of books to set the mood, as a name is dropped here and there, as the main character keeps coping with situations by either rereading a book, or listening to it on audio. I felt like it captured the essence of a bookworm's life pretty well.
This book was surprisingly emotional though. The main character is lost in her own life, and has many regrets - over how she never reached for her goals, perhaps married too early, never spoke up for herself. She was always blown about in the wind because of what life threw her way. But something happens that makes her do something unexpected - again, because life forced her into it.
And what follows is a transformation. But what I loved about this story wasn't the transformation itself - it's that the main character truly does find herself through it. It's not one of those silly makeover stories where everything changes because you now look different. I don't want to spoil the ending, but I thought the message in the book was great. It's multifaceted and I think most readers will take away different things from it, but one of those things is that, no, the grass isn't greener on the other side - and, no, things aren't always perfect because you remember them that way, or because it appears to be so on the surface. There was a strong message here that resonated with me that I'm finding it hard to even put it into words - but sometimes we get things into our heads that aren't strictly true, and those things block us from moving ahead. This story really accentuated that idea for me.
This was a great book, and I really enjoyed it. Definitely do recommend!!
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
This was such a beautiful book. I stayed glued to the pages all day, and it's funny to admiHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
This was such a beautiful book. I stayed glued to the pages all day, and it's funny to admit I feel this way about a middle grade book, while being a grown woman, but I read this as a thriller and it kept my palms sweating quite a lot. Not a thriller-thriller, of course, the topics are still middle grade, but oh my gosh, was it, well... thrilling!
First of all, the title of the book is... Well, let me tell you, you'll only learn why it's like that when you finish the book. I was puzzled about it the whole time, but when I reached the end? I thought it was pretty brilliant.
Another thing I liked about this book is that it goes deep into several things that are important for a middle grader to know - when an adult is gaslighting you, and when an adult is manipulating people for their own gain. It's also tied into discrimination and judging people based on prejudice, which was a companion theme in the story. Why I say it's important, is because the story teaches children to RECOGNIZE the signs of gaslighting and manipulation.
If anyone had told me what it's like to be manipulated or gaslighted by an adult as a kid? I know for sure some situations would have appeared differently. But children, especially young girls, tend to believe that literally everyone else's word will be taken before theirs is, and they're probably not even wrong, considering how society treats it. Therefore, they don't speak up - worse, they often think it's them who are in the wrong.
This book has a teacher who is clearly manipulating people and gaslighting the main character. When I look at it from my current perspective as an adult, it's painfully obvious. But if I were to look at it from the child's perspective, I know I wouldn't notice it, because I'd just implicitly trust the adults, or think I just don't know something. Therefore, it's incredibly valuable to read this and know what it looks like - and why it's bad when people do it. The author doesn't go into explaining what gaslighting is, but it's not necessary - it's just labelled as a behavior that's not good, and one you should be able to recognize and believe yourself, not the manipulator, which I think is enough for a child to know without knowing much about the terminology. I think it would be even better for this story to be read or at least discussed with parents or guardians, because then the reasons could be explained to the child reading this. It's an important life lesson, one that could prove incredibly valuable if learned early.
But even aside from that - the story is brilliant in its own right. Jaclyn Moriarty is wonderful with children's stories, she's a truly masterful writer. The world is very well built, and it's so colorful and imaginative. The story delves into more serious themes of forgiveness, parenthood, empathy and more. It's just such a brilliant read. I definitely recommend it, no matter whether the reader is an adult or a child or teen. I think everyone can take away something from it.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
What a strange little book - a very interesting format. I haven't seen the anime before (orHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
What a strange little book - a very interesting format. I haven't seen the anime before (or even heard about it), but the book definitely feels a little anime-ish. At first, I didn't enjoy the story very much, but I warmed to it in the end. The way it's told is meaningful, but it also has a lot of word to word repetitions, and that wasn't something I enjoyed too much. I ended up skipping passages cause I remembered them almost verbatim, but also, that was part of the point. I won't deny that I reread some of my favorite passages again and again without skipping as well.
I loved the main idea of the story though. It seems we regret too many things in life, we think that if we only did this one or other thing slightly differently, then everything would have been fine. But this book challenges the idea, because however many ways things seem to go, the main character still ends up making the same awful choices, only in a slightly different way. It's hard to say whether I completely got the message in the end, at least the way it was intended, or if there even WAS a way to understand it 'correctly' - maybe everyone just takes away something of their own from this story. But what I took away from it was that sometimes we just don't value some things we should see differently, and are stuck in our regret mindsets. Sometimes you need to look outside of your own 'four and a half tatami room'.
There is a sort of odd meaning in this, as you read it. You realize, that maybe that awfulness isn't all that bad. Maybe it's just unique and the way this person is being themselves in the world, although they don't seem to quite understand it. It's like, we keep turning in the same circles with the same people, and we do the same things over and over again. It seems we attract the same situations. It's a very interesting way to look at life. As if things could be different, but they're just dressed up a new way, while it's all the same thing, because that's apparently who you are. And maybe there's a meaning of its own there. Maybe the grass only seems to be greener on the other side, and you never bother to look at the grass where you are standing.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
I'm docking a star, because even though this is a book set in England's colonial past, it is also fantasy, and I don't think it was necessary to use tI'm docking a star, because even though this is a book set in England's colonial past, it is also fantasy, and I don't think it was necessary to use the language that was used to describe the people on the Indian colonies. If I was from India, I would be appalled reading it. Then there was all that business of stealing artefacts from other cultures. Also colonial history fact, but do we have to rub it in? Felt very tasteless.
I also found it odd that the characters referred to a woman becoming an actress as 'not being completely ruined'. Judging by the Victorian books I've read, and I've read quite a few, being an actress at the time was often thought to be pretty much a prostitute. I even remember being puzzled about it. So I was surprised to see this here.
Other than that... I love the characters, I love the overall story of the series, but this one was definitely weaker than the previous one. Nothing happened in most of the book. I thought I was in the first third based on what's going on, when I looked down into the corner of my Kindle to see that it's been 77% and nothing has happened yet. Not great. (view spoiler)[And then all of a sudden everything happened? I predicted it all as of book one, by the way. Low key surprised a lot of reviewers seem to be shocked at that ending :D (hide spoiler)]...more
Somehow you don't expect a story that's so largely about racism - in a book about Asia. Racism is mostly discussed in Western settings, and it's usualSomehow you don't expect a story that's so largely about racism - in a book about Asia. Racism is mostly discussed in Western settings, and it's usually between white and non-white groups. Not so here - it's not solely about it, but Pachinko is largely about how racism damages lives, and it's even scarier that this is racism of Asians against Asians - people who are, from a Westerner's perspective, often lumped together into one ethnicity, as opposed to white people.
In Pachinko though, we see how horribly the Japanese treat Koreans during WWII and in the decades after, and we understand how horrible and damaging racism and nationalism can be. I've always known that the Koreans and the Japanese have had a difficult history, and as I've loved both these cultures and studied their languages, I've met people on both sides who explained these things to me in their own way. And yet, knowing all this, it's still just as shocking to read about it, because it seems impossible that such things happened. It was also poignant for me, because my own country has had a similar history with another one, and I could relate to a lot of the things being said in this book. No matter what nationality or geography, people will act a certain way in these situations. Regrettably, as damaging as the labeling is, it's also incredibly human to act that way. This dark side of human nature is something I end up thinking about a lot.
Perhaps the most shocking facet of it all for me, and one that is rarely explored in Western literature, was that even if you're rich - racism against you is still racism, and it doesn't lose its power. Being rich is not armor against it. People judging you and labeling you is still stronger than money and the power it gives you. You know how we tend to think money can solve anything at all? Well, apparently not.
There is also a facet to this story where it's about belonging - kind of intersects with being mixed race/ethnicity, although most of the characters in this book are not. But what I mean is, most of these people, while being Korean, are not thought to belong in Korea anymore, neither by their compatriots, nor by themselves (not even starting with the fact that the country they left technically no longer exists and is now two separate countries which are at odds.) And yet, they do not belong in Japan either, they're loathed there as a minority. Were they to move away to the US or Europe, they would be nothing more than outsiders as well. Weirder than that, most of them can't even travel because they'd be stuck in limbo - like in that movie where Tom Hanks gets stuck in that airport - because Japan won't issue them a passport, and some of them have never been to Korea, because they were born in Japan. Were they to go visit, there would be no home to come back to. This situation is brutal and unimaginable. Having a foreigner husband myself, I have gone through some migration department trouble (the word itself often gives me panic attacks), so reading what these people have had to go through made me feel strangely... Understood. But at the same time, it made me immesurably sad, because I thought my troubles were so big they didn't let me sleep. As if appears, they were not troubles - not by a long shot. Thinking that while this story might be fictional, there were thousands if not millions of people who had this or worse happen to them, makes me sad. And even though this might not be the case in Japan right now (actually, I have no idea whether it still is or not), but it was at one point, and it was so for many decades. Perhaps it is so for other people in other countries as well, especially if they're refugees.
But Pachinko is not only about that. It's also a sprawling history of a family - one that has not had it easy. Histories of war, famine, illness - they're never easy to digest. But even more so, now that I'm reading it in early 2022, only a couple hundred kilometers away from an armed conflict that has shaken the world and that I know will be discussed even after I'm gone from this world, probably. Even only just a year ago, I think Pachinko would have read slightly differently for me. Now, everything is sharper, comes into focus more and prompts completely different ideas in my head.
This is a largely character driven story, and it doesn't attach itself to one character - more like it follows the family, sometimes a few characters at the time, and makes you wonder about how wild, unimaginable and unexpected life can truly be. I ended up being attached to most of them, and they're all so wonderfully distinct and unique. And while you know it's just a book, you also realize you're suddenly remembering all those stories your great grandmother told you that were just like this, but also happened to someone living, not fictional. This book read like life - no embellishments, sometimes even harsher than life seems to be, but... Then you think about it and wonder, maybe you've had it easier than you thought. And you shudder, not knowing what the future might bring, especially in today's context.
Pachinko was unbelievable, and white it's a very long book, I read more than a half of it in one sitting on a Saturday afternoon. I couldn't pry myself away - it's been a while since I've been sucked into a story like this. It's not an easy read, but it's certainly very worthwhile. And now I find myself wondering about the author's choice for the title of this book. Is it Pachinko because the families worked in Pachinko business? Or is it Pachinko because human lives are like those balls, dropped on the pins, where they fall wherever chances takes them, randomly, but with very different consequences for the rest of their lives?...more
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
Well, hell, I didn't expect this story AT ALL. There are so many things that are amazing abHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
Well, hell, I didn't expect this story AT ALL. There are so many things that are amazing about it, but I think first and foremost is the thing that, when you start reading it, you wonder if it's romance. But then you realize that it's not romance. Because it's just not, and you thought it was romance purely because it's about a woman figuring out relationships. And THEN you start understanding the decades of internalized misogyny, because you just caught yourself thinking that when it's a man struggling with his romantic feelings and complicated situations, it's a literary novel, and when it's a woman struggling with her romantic feelings and complicated situations, it's a romance novel. So that's a little bit of a shock to deal with inside of yourself. And when you do, you realize it's awesome to even write a mainstream book that is a statement by simply being what it is. Normalize women's stories and their importance, their need to be taken seriously. Our lives are literary too.
But anyway. This book was a wild ride for sure. It will probably make you feel a lot of things and challenge a lot of moral beliefs you have. Your choice whether to judge the characters, or understand them. The author presents ample chance for the reader to form their decisions and empathize with the characters. And yet, it's also hard not to judge them in some places because, well, they make shite decisions. But sometimes, every decision in the current situation is going to be shite, so you're stuck making one, and that's that. I found that really refreshing about this story.
Another important thing here, is that the main character is kind of set up to be easily slut shamed by the reader. I'm not saying you will, but a lot of readers will want to. A big part of this story is trying to understand the character and getting over your urge to slut shame her, and instead to understand her reasons and what you'd do in her shoes. It's incredibly smart to write it like this, because we like to think we're progressive and liberal in life, we care about what really matters, but in life situations it's easy to go emotional and slip, and default to what society has taught you about women and what their rights and duties are. Reading this challenges a lot of these beliefs that are ingrained in our heads, and I believe it's a good thing. That's what literature is supposed to do.
Some people will be inclined to say that love like the one in the story is overdramatized. Okay, maybe I have not experienced a story this messed up in my life (and thank god for that...), but I can attest to the fact that in my opinion, the author writes life-changing love very well. There were hardships in my personal stories, and I've had some of those conversations. It's unreal how well they were written. As well as the emotions that spark them. A love that comes with hardship, often comes with great reward.
The characters were pretty amazing too. Like, even from the start I could tell some of them would act the way they did later in the story. The author wrote them realistically and to be able to write male entitledness into it is nothing short of genius. It was a brilliant character study in that sense. But even apart from that, there are no idealized characters. They've all got jagged edges, the good and the bad, and they're all so colorful.
About the only thing I couldn't personally vibe with too well was the amounts of physical and sexual stuff in the book, because it's just not my life experience, but that's not to say it's a bad thing (and I'm certainly not docking any stars for it.) I've been able to vibe with the rest of the book and to just take the author's word on the rest of it. So, word of warning - if you don't like explicit scenes, maybe keep an open mind, or do not choose to read the book. It's an important part of the story, so you won't be able to just skip it.
All in all, this is a raw, colorful experience - like any book by this author. I always know I can trust their books to deliver. So did this one!
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received from the author on Netgalley
Omg, what a great book! Haven't read anything this good in a while. Been stuck iHow I read this: Free ebook copy received from the author on Netgalley
Omg, what a great book! Haven't read anything this good in a while. Been stuck in a complete rut where I start a book, and it's just not interesting enough to keep reading, although it should be. But not this one! Read it up fast. It's both serious and playful enough to be a great story, and it keeps the drama going, cause it's about a reality show, kind of.
I've read Bethany Mangle's stuff before and I can't wait to read some more if it comes out, cause it's all been great. I've also read Prepped and LOVED it.
I thank the author and publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Well, I feel absolutely guilty about writing such a review, cause I absolutely love the Parasolverse, and I loved all the characters from the FinishinWell, I feel absolutely guilty about writing such a review, cause I absolutely love the Parasolverse, and I loved all the characters from the Finishing School series dearly. The author also writes really well, and the story is valid and characters act realistic, so it's not like I've got anything to complain about. But this story was about a really messed up and damaging relationship in my opinion, and it just left me angry. Perhaps this story works for other readers, and the author has perfect freedom to do whatever she wants with her world, but... This book seriously didn't work for me.
I'm quite surprised by how sad and depressing it was. Agatha, the way she treated Pillover, reminded me of a friend who dumped me years ago (hey, non-romantic break-ups mess you up!) I thought Agatha cold and hard-hearted, despite understanding that it was meant to display her guardedness and that she was hurting herself too. (view spoiler)[The way she strung him along for so many years was brutal, and then kept coming back only when it was selfishly convenient for her. It was hard not to hate this character for that. I was also very angry on Pillover's behalf. (hide spoiler)]So here I was at the 80% mark, and the story is still depressing and the romance hasn't really started?
In my review of Poison or Protect, I said I thought the book was weak because it was just a romance - nothing else going on. Everything that happened was a backdrop, and a very flat one, at that. Just to accommodate the romance. This one though... Sad to say, I couldn't even call it "just a romance" (not that being "just a romance" is bad, it's just that after the Finishing School series, I expected more world building and general "going on" rather than just dealing in emotion, and to hell with the brilliant world the author built). But back to the point, this book has absolutely nothing going on in terms of the spy lifestyle (unlike Dimity's book had), but it also had precious little going on in terms of romance. To top it off, the main character acted like a cold hearted bitch to the poor soft boy. It was a very sad book. Totally out of left field, as I'm used to Carriger's books being a little more upbeat. Nothing wrong with a philosophical book, but... Sigh. This is an odd series, I guess.
About the only bit of this book I enjoyed was the snippets we get about what's going on with Dimity's family as time goes on. So not much.
Perhaps the author wanted to make this a different book? Make the characters starkly different from the norm, make them independent and complex? I guess that worked. But for me, that made the book profoundly unsatisfying, and it made the relationship appear to be very damaging, maybe even manipulating. I liked Agatha in the Finishing School series. I have a firm dislike of Agatha and her choices now. Ugh.
I wonder what other reviewers will say about this one - I'm off to read some of the other reviews......more
How I read this: Free ebook copy received from a publicist through NetGalley
DNF @ around halfway through
I couldn't make myself finish this book. It's How I read this: Free ebook copy received from a publicist through NetGalley
DNF @ around halfway through
I couldn't make myself finish this book. It's well written and all, but just too sad and brutal for me. Triggers me out every other chapter. There's a lot of violence and PTSD and I just couldn't manage that.
However, I loved how in this story, there are no right sides - both sides have wronged someone. The two main characters are caught in a world of change - the Tsar's family has just been murdered, and the Bolsheviks are trying to take over the country. In a scenario as this, it would be easy to say any one side was bad and the other good. But here, it's not simplified like that. Both sides have committed atrocities, and both of the main characters represent a side - and as they slowly learn about their situations and how their "good guys" have wronged someone, they learn that nothing is ever black or white in life - and nobody can be absolutely right or wrong.
Yet, the story was very hard to read. I couldn't manage more than a few chapters at a time, because it's just so sad, so heavy. Most people's families are killed, there is fear and violence. This book could prove very triggering. There is murder, pursuit, and a lot of other horrible things happening to the characters, some of them you witness. I believe it was needed for the story and its goals, but also, for the sensitive reader, it may prove to be a slow reading book.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received from a publicist 4.5 stars
I thought Twice a Daughter would be a slow evening read – since it’s an audio, I’d How I read this: Free ebook copy received from a publicist 4.5 stars
I thought Twice a Daughter would be a slow evening read – since it’s an audio, I’d listen for a half an hour each evening and be done within the month. Was I mistaken! Finished it in less than a week. The book really drew me in and I just couldn’t stop.
It’s written well, and I enjoyed the narration too. The author is open and sincere, and it just draws you into her and her sister’s story. It's also full of ups and downs. I had FEELINGS on the part of the sisters, and even though I finished the book already, I still have those same feelings regarding some of the stuff that happened. I simply couldn’t stay a passive reader.
The story really does draw you in. And it makes you realize how lucky you truly are, if you’ve never had to ask yourself the questions these women had to ask themselves. The author goes through some emotions and reasonings a lot of us will never have had the chance to feel, and she explains it all very well. So this book is kind of an experience, not just an evening or two reading.
Also, I have to say – what a story. Truly, how unbelievable some coincidences in it were! Stories like this make you wonder, were those REALLY coincidences? Or maybe there’s more to the world than we can see and understand? Otherwise, how can these stories work out better than even the craziest movie scripts?
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
2.5 stars, rounded to 3
It's funny that Lemony Snicket's very praising review is the opener How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
2.5 stars, rounded to 3
It's funny that Lemony Snicket's very praising review is the opener of this book (at least my review copy, and I mean the praise page that often opens a book). Of course Lemony Snicket loved it! How could he not? Something about Rat Rule 79 is so much like his own books. I can't put my finger on it, but it feels like both the writing style, as well as the plot, has a lot of the same feel.
...Aaaand that's precisely why I didn't really vibe with this book. It was fine, and cute, but... There's just so much randomness. A lot of it barely made any sense, sometimes simply didn't. I don't enjoy that much randomness. (Or maybe I'm too adult and boring or something.)
I'm also sad to say that I didn't understand the point of the story or the ending. After finishing, I shrugged, backtracked and... Still didn't get it. What did I just read? I'm not sure what happened. I completely and utterly missed the whole idea :( (view spoiler)[What did happen to her mom? Where did she go and why? Was it because Fred was angry with her? But what did they resolve? Was it all a dream? What..? (hide spoiler)] Those are at least five or six questions after finishing the book, and I'm sure even more of them went unanswered.
But! Safe to say, if you loved Lemony Snicket's style, you will probably adore this book too. There are many people who did - so I'm assuming the rest of the reviews for Rat Rule 79 will be glowing! The book really is cute, the illustrations very unique and cool. The story was good too. And of course, the randomness - uniquely random. And - the author clearly has a lot of love for math, cause the story is sprinkled with a lot of very particular math facts, curiosities and details.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss 4.5 stars, rounded to 5
I haven’t encountered many great books about experiencing and learniHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss 4.5 stars, rounded to 5
I haven’t encountered many great books about experiencing and learning to live with chronic illness, but Life Sciences is definitely one of them. And it’s not a technical book either – I was surprised how something as unromantic and uncomfortable as being chronically ill could be expressed as poetically as it was in this book.
I’ve had my own experiences with the fatigue, alienation and inevitable dismissal by others that comes with being chronically ill or undiagnosed, and what a rocky road it is to make peace with it, to learn to live with it and maybe eventually get better.
From my experience, I can say that not only is this book incredibly on point and relatable, it’s also SO good to read, because you keep saying “yes, YES to this” as you go, and for someone who has been dismissed a lot of times when it comes to your health and how you feel, it’s a liberating experience. Life Sciences by Joy Sorman was definitely unforgettable like that, and it’s also inevitably tied to the experience of being a woman. It’s definitely a book you may want to pick up.
How I read this: Free audiobook copy received through Libro.fm
This is a beautiful story of loneliness and friendship, and I also couldn't quite believHow I read this: Free audiobook copy received through Libro.fm
This is a beautiful story of loneliness and friendship, and I also couldn't quite believe how much happened in this book, because it felt decently long - but not too long, and yet, so many things happened. It's a very full, engrossing story.
The story is told through switching perspectives - one in the past when the main character is young, and one now, when he's quite old. There is a lot of character growth, getting through old pain and letting go, making the right decisions and moving on. Ultimately, we learn the main character's whole life story.
However, many parts of it made me sad as I was reading it, because as a young man who just moved from Jamaica to London in the 50s, Hubert has to face A LOT of open racism. It's very, very sad and you are sort of bracing yourself for the fallout of his and his wife's relationship (she's white) and all the other nasty stuff that you suspect will happen to them, and you just don't want them to have to go through it, because they're such lovely people - and even aside from that, NO ONE should have to go through it at all. It's good that the story highlights it. But it will make you sad, so expect it if you're planning to pick this book up. It's a great read, but I had to keep putting it down for a while again and again, because I just felt so sad after reading just a couple of chapters.
And even apart from this, Hubert kind of has a lot of sad things happen to him, just overall. My heart broke for him. There was a lot of inspiring and great stuff in the end too, but this book also makes you feel how fragile and overwhelming life can be. It's a very honest, but also bittersweet story.
I thank the publisher and libro.fm for giving me a free copy of the audiobook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received from a publicist
I didn't know what to make of this book. It's full of kind of messed up stuff. The characterHow I read this: Free ebook copy received from a publicist
I didn't know what to make of this book. It's full of kind of messed up stuff. The characters even say that "hysteria is real and still happens to people". You know, "girls going crazy for no apparent reason and nobody knows why". Yep, girls specifically. I'm not sure I've ever seen such stuff in a contemporary book written by a woman. Not even written by a man.
The girls are creepy and cultish, they steal, they abuse substances, they abuse each other, and I'm not sure whether it was intended to be "cool" or "creepy". It's unsettling that it's unclear, because this is usually made very clear in books, and if a character is being abusive, self-abusive or using, you know why they're doing it. What these girls do doesn't seem to make sense to me, but not in the sense that they're "unreliable narrators" - rather, in the sense of "I don't know why this is being done for the sake of the story cause I have no clue where this is supposed to go." But that's not even the worst bit for me.
This book should come with a big fat and bold warning of DO NOT ACTUALLY TOUCH MERCURY. IT'S ACTUALLY DANGEROUS (unlike this book says in many instances) and, needless to say maybe, it won't actually send you to the past. I mean, it's obvious - we're all adults here, but are we really? A lot of kids will pick up this book, whether by accident or simply because it will be in the YA section in bookstores and libraries. Which means you've got to take care of what you put in the book.
Seriously, I wasn't okay with how the book was all cavalier like "Mercury is actually not that dangerous, we breathe worse chemicals from car exhaust", basically. What's even more confusing us that it vacillates - the narrator sometimes says "oh yeah, it's totally dangerous to touch mercury" and then in another paragraph the character's inner voice argues that "yeah but no, it's actually fine", and the narrator doesn't challenge it. I'm either dense, or I just don't understand where the author stands on this. Dangerous in the time when people will believe anything about medical matters. You don't just say stuff like this. And okay, the ending does tie things together a bit, but not satisfyingly. It's unclear whether (view spoiler)[only some of the girls made it up, or it was really just hallucinations. Even despite what happens to Adrienne, (hide spoiler)]I don't believe it's enough of a warning that MERCURY IS ACTUALLY DANGEROUS. As a society we're struggling enough right now with health advice from 'Facebook specialists', so I kind of feel very weird about this being in a book.
In the story, the girls touch mercury willy nilly, and even ingest it. One of them keeps it under her bed in an open container. That's dangerous - as little children, in my country we're taught to basically call the police and whatnot if there's a mercury leak. They sort it out because it can create fumes. Like, there's even been a news story of a mercury leak in a public building which was then decommissioned FOR YEARS because it wasn't even safe to enter. And these here girls EAT THE STUFF. Okay???
The book makes it sound like it's no big deal. For a very young and gullible reader that could be dangerous. What if a young teen decides to break an old thermometer just so she can see if you do time travel like the in the book, or not? I get that this is fiction, but why say that it's 'not actually that dangerous', when it IS? I was incredibly uncomfortable with that.
Apart from it, the book was okay - some of it was dark, like say Donna Tartt's Secret History - cliques of people and friendships that go too far. The historical personalities the girls visit were also cool, and the bit with the civil war hospital was definitely very interesting. But it wasn't enough for me to carry the story. There was also no explanation on how the time travel worked (or if it actually was real?), and also - it's not like mercury just appeared in the 21st century. How come nobody in the years of touching it has ever noticed that it apparently makes you travel to the past? The whole premise was just kind of built on air.
So yeah. Can't recommend it.
I thank the publicist and author for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Okay, so the characters were probably not very realistic, but hell - this book is AN EXPERIENCE. And I absolutely LOVED IT!! I wish I could read it agOkay, so the characters were probably not very realistic, but hell - this book is AN EXPERIENCE. And I absolutely LOVED IT!! I wish I could read it again as new, it was just so good. (Nothing like Daisy Jones and the Six, like it says in the blurb, but just as good in its own vein.)...more
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
I have been waiting to read the last book of The Indigo Chronicles series for a while now. How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
I have been waiting to read the last book of The Indigo Chronicles series for a while now. Three years I’ve been following this series, and I can’t say l’ve followed any other one like this – one by one, as the books come out. It’s an experience like no other, and I certainly enjoyed it – incredibly. Children of Shadows was an amazing end to a truly epic series!
The book was a whirlwind. NJ Simmonds is amazing at writing family drama – that’s for sure. The series kept me on my toes, and in some places surprised me with its depth – the patriarchy issue being highlighted, the history of witches, and the complexity of some characters – ones you’d expect to be black or white, but instead, they’re a mixture of both, acting out on both sides, showing one or the other based on their histories. I got greatly attached to some of the characters and truly invested in their stories. These books were quite a ride and I would expect this series to become a best-seller. It will give you a great time!
Evelina | AvalinahsBooks
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