Hanzy
This was a classic mystery with all the right elements. It got quite frustrating at times with the small town madness, actions with no repercussions, and the hostility thrown at our protagonist. It wasn't as unpredictable in the whodunnit aspect as much as the whys I'd say, for that is what had intrigued me most
Like the title states, this book is written in praise of shadows. It compares a lot of the Japanese ideals with the western ones and interestingly draws parallels between them.
It reiterates how subtle, mindful, and intentional the Japanese are with just about everything, and in it's own unique way calls out to the Japanese youth to embrace themselves, to embrace a part of them that while it may be different, has its own beauty.
The characteristics described sort of put my explorations of East Asian art and literature in a new light and has made me appreciate the importance of shadows in a way I'd never thought of before.
I was hooked onto this book initially, but the more I read, the less engaged I found myself becoming. I had not read the blurb so it came as a bit of a surprise to see a familiar pattern (the narrative structure of Cloud Atlas sans the changes/shifts in linguistic styles).
There's A LOT going on, like each chapter could be considered a book/short story on its own with all its intricacies, independent yet displaying connections to each other. I could sense how ambitiously this novel may have been written, leaning more towards environmental sci-fi, and addressing a lot of the issues prevalent as of today (plus some relatable feelings as well having experienced a global pandemic)
This was quite a magical read, a mesh of some of my favourite fantasy novels into one sort of. Stories within stories, characters and places all whirling about in a pool of confusion (not in a bad way).
If you don't mind the feeling of being whooshed around in a whirlpool where everything blurs out until you're no longer aware of a coherent structure, you might enjoy this book as it sweeps you off your feet. Maybe you could imagine being lost in the middle of a Starless Sea with no sense of direction or time - this was how I felt for most of my reading experience.
Loved this!
An interesting short narrative of a girl's view of her mother and the growth and changes in her perspective through time. I enjoyed how the ending showed an almost cyclical nature of parenthood. We all have certain criticisms and wishes of doing things a bit differently than our parents. We may not agree with everything they do, or did, and the older we grow, we find ourselves resembling them a lot more than we'd ever anticipated.
This book took me on a nice little journey exploring a world both internally (through Ged's character) and externally. I liked the story, it was an interesting plot but the writing was a bit difficult for me to get into. I found myself skimming through certain paragraphs to get to the more ‘exciting' scenes which weren't too many.
I believe this book could be considered middle-grade and I would recommend it to those wishing to read a clean, high-fantasy story.
I enjoyed reading this book a lot more than I'd expected. Initially, I'd assumed it to be like most YA Fantasy novels as the characters and writing seemed very much like that.
It took me a while to get into the story, the pacing initially wasn't the best. The plot line felt quite interesting though and shadow magic, the world building, the feels, it all felt like a nice blast from the past.
Can't wait for the next book in the series to be released.
I'd been enjoying this read in its initial half, the writing was beautiful and the story quite intriguing. But as much as the first half raised my expectations, the latter half didn't live up to it for me personally as I found myself losing focus and interest. Maybe it's just me and maybe, I wasn't in the right mood to fully enjoy this book.
Absolutely loved this book's take on time travel and the way it reiterates how nothing's ever black or white. I loved how we slowly get introduced to different characters and how familial they become towards the end. I loved how each character sought something and came up with their own unique conclusion, something that I hadn't expected. Also, poignantly beautiful writing <3
I wish I could've liked this better. I guess Emily Henry's books to me have an interesting premise, but poor execution. I like that she tackles certain issues and vocalises certain emotions well through her characters and their lives. But somehow, I feel like it reads like a Wattpad novel with too many unnecessary descriptive details. Not my cup of tea.
(I did like this book a lot better than Beach Read though.)
The first half or so of the book was frustrating, intentionally so if I may add. Perhaps that's the beauty of unreliable narrators, for you're forced to step into the shoes of someone and perceive the world through their eyes. Despite the frustration, I enjoyed the book thoroughly (especially those little tidbits by Molly's grandma). It's not much of a mystery novel or a deeply thought-provoking read. You as a reader can see the whole picture.
The message I receive is clear - Do not judge others, for your perceptions are yours alone.
When starting this tale, I found myself hooked almost instantaneously. This book felt like it was written with the right intentions but sadly, a lot of prejudiced and skewed interpretations made its execution, poor. I liked the premise, the big picture that was drawn upon, and the message, but the nitty-gritty details alluding to misrepresentations is what put me off.