Ria
3.5 ⭐ generously rounded up for the historical importance of this novel and all those who sacrificed in this war. According to online notes, the author had sadly died of tuberculosis. The writing for this was good, but the story was slow, and the old English kept tripping me up. As well as the main character being only referred to as “the youth”. The story was good, and I can definitely see how it became such a classic, but it's not a high favorite of mine out of all the classics I've read. Recommended if you need an american history lesson!
I wanted to like this as much as everyone else seems to. Normally I quite like this author, yet I feel I'd have loved this story more if I read it as a teenager. The writing felt a bit stiff, however I did enjoy the characters. And the alternate history was interesting, especially as it's not a big piece of history I'm super familiar with. Short, quick read and perfect for the upcoming fall season. 3.5 ⭐ rounded up.
As I'm stumbling through the Newberry book list, I came across this one. I've read Scott O'Dell before and enjoyed their works. I even gave another book of theirs five stars. Though I liked this one, I'll admit it was slightly boring. Good writing and yet the story just wasn't quite there. A solid 3 ⭐.
TW: death of a dog/puppies, implied child abuse, light language, threat of homelessness
This was a beautiful book, but it was slightly knocked off a star with the ending and the poor dogs. Gorgeous writing and I can certainly see how and why this won the Mark Twain Award. I highly recommend it! 4.5 ⭐
(“We'll have a game of chess now,” He occasionally said, “and the rules are that only the boys can play, and the girl will serve cookies each time a pawn is captured”).
-page 13
Most of this book was very off-putting for girls, horribly sexist at points, and just plain insulting at others. This is a disappointment from a favorite children's author. Normally I love her books but this? 1.5 five stars rounded up only for the cover.
It started off strong so I thought that this would be a five star read. But it quickly tanked in its rating. TW for animal death/cruelty, language, body horror, light abuse (emotional? Still thinking that one through, as the husband is obviously not winning any husband of the year awards).
This book reminded me, vaguely, of Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica. It was the same vein of horror feel, but I wasn't anywhere near as queasy with this book as I was that one. Both have the same kind of...feel to it.
I'm still thinking about this book. I'll probably be thinking about this book next year. I'm giving this 3.5 stars rounded up. That was one of the strangest reads I've had this year, and I've read some pretty weird things this year so far. Go into this one at your own risk.
Another favorite from T Kingfisher and one of my top favorite children's fairy tales, sleeping beauty, but this has to be one of the best told versions I've read yet. Also bonus points for the knight being Muslim, and vaguely set in the real world? Not for sure. It definitely had historical bits that I recognized but couldn't place. I need a reread for it once I buy the physical copy! 5 ⭐!
Despite the lovely artwork, this just fell a little flat for me. I'm really wishing authors would take advantage and make new storylines and have parents actually inform their children about important critical information instead of letting them stumble into secrets by accident. Other than that, this wasn't bad but it wasn't high on my favorites. Monstress was loads better, imo!
This book is a perfect reflection of why I hate favoritism. Parents who favor one child and forget the other are utterly appalling and horrible. My grandmother has done that with my mom. My mother was always the disappointment, whereas her sister, a disabled person, could do no wrong, despite she constantly did awful things.
Though I disliked Caroline and Louis's grandmother, the writing immediately drew me in and I kept flipping pages to figure out if Louis could be happy. When at the end she chooses to become a nurse after a man tells her “well even despite being as smart as you are you can't be a doctor because you're a girl” enraged me that she actually agreed with him and went to be a nurse! I know that's what was done back then, but I'm still furious.
Louis is just treated like sh*t throughout the entire book. And the happy ending? She meets a nice man.
Are. You. Kidding. Me?
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for love stories. But this? She gives up her dream of being a doctor and instead chooses nursing and winds up being happy in finding a man?
Hell no.
Not after all the crap she went through. And how perfectly atrocious her grandmother was?
The writing alone is what gets this a grudging two stars and I wavered at the rating before finally acknowledging that despite how furious I am at the way Louis was treated, I still loved the writing. Fyi, if you are reading my review, should I put this review hidden? Please do let me know in the comments! (Review also on my Storygraph account.)
This started off with the slaughter of a Jacobite clan and a girl surviving when most of her relatives are killed in, quite literally, one shot. Sabrina (I kept thinking of Sabrina the teenage witch lol, but definitely not a witch) survives and the Englishman who let her go encounters her again in the future. As this is a historical romance, you can guess where this is going. I'm giving this a 3.5 ⭐. It wasn't bad but it definitely wasn't a top favorite either.