Liss

Not my usual genre but Booktube kept mentioning it and I liked the cover, so when I spotted it for cheap in my local supermarket I figured why not.

This book has the single most unlikeable MC that I've ever read. Not only a terrible Mary Sue but has no redeemable qualities about her. She does the absolute opposite of anything she's told and goes out of her way to make trouble and answer back on everything. She's supposed to be 19 but has the attitude of a spoiled 12 year old. The real fantasy part of this book is that a man would ever fall for someone who is constantly fighting him.

It definitely feels like it was written as a fanfic by a teen in 2004. But I weirdly find myself wanting to read the next one, even though I couldn't say I enjoyed this, and this first novel is a self contained story. So I don't neeeed to read the next one, but I still might.

Let me be clear when I say that my rating is for Lucien, the only character with any real depth.

A light, almost melancholic read about life and where it leads us. Is it okay to do what you want in life? Is it okay to not want to be part of the rat race and live at your own pace?

Follow the lives of the employees of Hyunam-Dong bookshop as they struggle with the rat race and their decision to leave it, which brings together people from different walks of life but who have all asked the same question - is it worth it?

Relationships are masterfully woven without excess romance or spice, but just the slow, gentle appreciation that one person can have for another. The acknowledgement that who we are today might not be who we are tomorrow, and changing our lives is not always a bad thing.

This was a great cosy read that left me questioning my decisions in life, and made me more motivated to get to where I actually want to be, instead of where I think I should be.

I don't want to be unfair to this book because I did end up enjoying it. But it starts off incredibly dull.

Nothing is ever really explained; the author preferring to leave things up to interpretation. If you aren't a fan of ambiguity, this probably isn't a read for you. Although it would be a good book to read with kids, as the stories are short and the end message is worth the read.

A bit of a slow start where it spends maybe too long explaining the relationships between the Permanents, focusing on all but one, who never really gets fleshed out at all.

The mystery builds and leaves you guessing the whole way through with twists and turns I never saw coming.

Unfortunately the end is some Deus Ex Machina situation where it swoops in, fixing everything before we move on to the aftermath and an opening for a sequel. It felt rushed and like the buildup through the whole book was pointless.

Probably not an author I'll pick up again, which is disappointing as I liked everything up to that point.