Suzi
I've been a fan of Philippa Gregory's fiction for years now so when I saw she was coming out with a non-fiction about women in history I knew I had to read it, and I absolutely loved this from start to finish.
The sheer amount of research which would have gone into this book is staggering, and it's unbelievable how women's rights have changed so vastly over the centuries, going from bad to worse to better again. The stories in this book are shocking and heartbreaking at times, but also inspiring and uplifting.
This will definitely one of my favourite books of the year and I could actually see myself revisiting this, which I rarely do for non-fiction. 100% recommend for everyone!
3.5 stars
I've gone back and forth on a rating and review for this one, as there are many things this does well but also things which, after thinking longer on them, just irritated me.
So one of the strongest elements of this story is the setting and the atmosphere, from the very start you really get a sense of the time period and how stark life was for people who weren't part of the gentry and how people's minds could be swayed by someone in power. The entire idea that women who worked with herbs were branded witches by the King and therefore everyone immediately hated and hunted them. In a modern world, this type of mass thinking is baffling.
The main issue I had with the book was the main character, she was a walking contradiction. At 17 and onto her 4th(!!) pregnancy, she is naturally concerned about losing another baby but just rides around the country on her horse willy nilly until literally giving birth. And when she finds out her husband has a mistress hidden away at her old house, of course she's angry and refuses to speak to him, but then a few chapters later "Oh I forgive him everything". Girl, just no.
So yes, very conflicted. Overall I did enjoy it as a historical story, but when the main character is really just a bit of an idiot it's hard to root for her.
DNF @ 40%
I love a good police procedural but this was tedious to get through.
Despite having short quick chapters the pace was slow and unnecessarily drawn out, the characters had no depth and everything felt surface level and the dialogue was stilted and unnatural.
I had another of the series downloaded too but I'll not be continuing which is a shame.
There's a lot to like with this book - its dark, it's atmospheric and it's exciting. I loved the setting and the different vampire families with their differing abilities, then having the half bloods being the ones to hunt those vampires whilst battling their own inner need for blood. It was all very well done.
As much as I enjoyed(?) the subject (don't judge me!), it just felt a bit repetitive after a while. For such a short book, it felt long.
The book covers a few years at the start of the doctor's career as a medical examiner but there's so much dialogue between her and colleagues I wonder if she wrote it all down at the time or if its just been made up to simulate what would have been discussed. It just felt a bit off.
Definitely worth a read, just perhaps written in a bit of an odd way for a nonfiction/memoir.
Part of the Creature Feature Collection from Amazon.
This one was very like Ankle Snatcher in that it had a slightly too long build up for being so short, and then ended so abruptly it seemed unfinished. Perhaps that's the intent, to leave the reader just freaked out enough that their imagination does the rest, but I quite like at least a hint at an ending.
I'm quite conflicted on this one as there were times where I was completely invested and others where the pace slowed down so much and meandered. Perhaps I'm not a fan of a character study type of story, or maybe the writing just isn't for me but it felt overwritten and could have been trimmed down to a novella and had the same impact.
Part of the Creature Feature Collection from Amazon.
This one was just okay for me. I've never read anything by this author before so it was a good intro to his writing, however it felt unfinished. I get its a short story but there was very little build up and it ended so abruptly, so felt quite unsatisfying.
I can't believe I've finished this behemoth of a book and it's only part way through the series.
The sheer scale of the world Ryan Cahill has created is hugely impressive and to keep so many different storylines both interesting and perfectly paced is incredible. At no point in nearly 1500 pages was I bored.
It took me around a month to read this but I'm happy it did, I wanted to take my time with it and take a break when needed, otherwise it could seem overwhelming. I didn't want to be put off or not want to read it at any point.
I laughed, I cried, I feel exhausted but I also need the next book soon please
3.5 stars
This was a lot better than I initially expected! It's more about the reaction to the zombie outbreak by various countries around the world and the effect it had on people during and after.
As its told completely in interview format, it really suits being consumed in an audiobooo format as its a full cast and all of the voices and accents are done well.
I will say that due to the interview format it got a little repetitive towards the end, but its not a long book so easy enough to get through.
2.5 stars
This was.....fine.
As a atmospheric, moody, autumn read this hits the mark - the writing and setting really give a dark, cold and sparse feeling, however it really lacked in the pacing and plot.
The setup of the story was so slow and long that it felt like it took up over half the book, then there's a disappearance as a plot point then all of a sudden it's all wrapped up and ends. The ending is very rushed so felt unsatisfying.
I will say I absolutely love the cover!
