Gemma
Ok, I don't think I understood what I was getting into when I requested Skyward Inn for early review. I've seen someone refer to it as ‘new weird', a little in the vein of Vandermeer and I think that gives a little bit of an insight into the style. I preferred this over the Vandermeer I've read for a few reasons.
I found it much easier to follow and get invested in the narrative as the reader is given a clear idea of the initial ideas. The characters were distinct and easy to get a good idea of and I liked reading about them. I thought they seemed like people I could have met in real life and that lent them a richness that helped carry me through any of the confusing new weird moments.
The ‘weird' part of science fiction isn't one I have liked in the past, but I'd definitely make an exception for Skyward Inn. I thought the characters were engaging, the world exciting to read about and the twist towards the end makes me want to re-read it already, only a few months later.
Ok, I don't think I understood what I was getting into when I requested Skyward Inn for early review. I've seen someone refer to it as ‘new weird', a little in the vein of Vandermeer and I think that gives a little bit of an insight into the style. I preferred this over the Vandermeer I've read for a few reasons.
I found it much easier to follow and get invested in the narrative as the reader is given a clear idea of the initial ideas. The characters were distinct and easy to get a good idea of and I liked reading about them. I thought they seemed like people I could have met in real life and that lent them a richness that helped carry me through any of the confusing new weird moments.
The ‘weird' part of science fiction isn't one I have liked in the past, but I'd definitely make an exception for Skyward Inn. I thought the characters were engaging, the world exciting to read about and the twist towards the end makes me want to re-read it already, only a few months later.
The Lamplighters was a creepy, quick read that I couldn't put down the whole way through. If you've been flicking through mystery/thrillers, enjoying them but haven't been impressed in a while, this book is a definite change of pace from most.
Firstly, the setting and original concept was a great draw. I love a locked room mystery, and the added intrigue of an isolated lighthouse made that all the more attractive. I also liked the atmosphere it lent to the book because the whole time it felt creepy and otherworldly while we remained in the lighthouse. If the whole book had focused on the men in the lighthouse I think I would have enjoyed it even more.
Unfortunately, the author looks at the mystery through the lens of an author writing a book about the tragedy, and the author gets in contact with the spouses of the men. This angle made the mystery all the more down to earth, removed a lot of the atmosphere I was enjoying so much and really began to focus the mystery through the eyes of the spouses.
The Lamplighters was a creepy, quick read that I couldn't put down the whole way through. If you've been flicking through mystery/thrillers, enjoying them but haven't been impressed in a while, this book is a definite change of pace from most.
Firstly, the setting and original concept was a great draw. I love a locked room mystery, and the added intrigue of an isolated lighthouse made that all the more attractive. I also liked the atmosphere it lent to the book because the whole time it felt creepy and otherworldly while we remained in the lighthouse. If the whole book had focused on the men in the lighthouse I think I would have enjoyed it even more.
Unfortunately, the author looks at the mystery through the lens of an author writing a book about the tragedy, and the author gets in contact with the spouses of the men. This angle made the mystery all the more down to earth, removed a lot of the atmosphere I was enjoying so much and really began to focus the mystery through the eyes of the spouses.
I had forgotten the pitch for All Girls by the time I came around to reading it, and all I could remember was that it was a thriller set at elite boarding school. That pitch does not describe the book I read, but nevertheless the book was a pleasant surprise.
Like I said above, I was convinced this was a mystery/thriller novel. I even think Goodreads has it categorised as a thriller. All Girls is more a literary fiction study of how the ripples of a rape accusation from 20 years ago affects the current day students at a boarding school. The incident in the blurb is not the focus of the story and we only really learn about the event through newspaper clippings and emails from staff.
I think this was a good angle to explore. I am not interested in reading a story that uses the character???s pain as a backdrop to make the story seem like it has meaning. I???ve found that to be the case with a lot of literary fiction I???ve read. In this book the students are concerned with the case, and especially how safe they are at a school where an incident like this has happened before.
Over the course of 300+ pages, we meet a series of students who were all great to read from. They each felt realised off the page, we experienced parts of their past or daily life outside of where the plot takes the character. I enjoyed that the characters were each connected to each other through the various points of view. There was a sense of how interconnected the lives of these girls are as they live together and learn together in a small school.
The writing flowed seamlessly through the various points of view. You stay with each character for exactly as long as they are needed for the narrative, so the plot feels like it is progressing quickly as it is propelled by the POV switches. While with the characters we live their life deeply and in detail for as long as we remain with them. The characters were varied and flawed. I thought Layden did a great job of writing the characters so they were believably 17/18 years old.
This not an easy topic to read about. The layers of removal from the incident is also helped by the students disconnection from the victim. The incident happened before they were born. However, the students discover that as the accusation comes to light it stirs up questions and worries they have about their safety and life experiences. I thought Layden did a great job handling a difficult topic.
I had forgotten the pitch for All Girls by the time I came around to reading it, and all I could remember was that it was a thriller set at elite boarding school. That pitch does not describe the book I read, but nevertheless the book was a pleasant surprise.
Like I said above, I was convinced this was a mystery/thriller novel. I even think Goodreads has it categorised as a thriller. All Girls is more a literary fiction study of how the ripples of a rape accusation from 20 years ago affects the current day students at a boarding school. The incident in the blurb is not the focus of the story and we only really learn about the event through newspaper clippings and emails from staff.
I think this was a good angle to explore. I am not interested in reading a story that uses the character???s pain as a backdrop to make the story seem like it has meaning. I???ve found that to be the case with a lot of literary fiction I???ve read. In this book the students are concerned with the case, and especially how safe they are at a school where an incident like this has happened before.
Over the course of 300+ pages, we meet a series of students who were all great to read from. They each felt realised off the page, we experienced parts of their past or daily life outside of where the plot takes the character. I enjoyed that the characters were each connected to each other through the various points of view. There was a sense of how interconnected the lives of these girls are as they live together and learn together in a small school.
The writing flowed seamlessly through the various points of view. You stay with each character for exactly as long as they are needed for the narrative, so the plot feels like it is progressing quickly as it is propelled by the POV switches. While with the characters we live their life deeply and in detail for as long as we remain with them. The characters were varied and flawed. I thought Layden did a great job of writing the characters so they were believably 17/18 years old.
This not an easy topic to read about. The layers of removal from the incident is also helped by the students disconnection from the victim. The incident happened before they were born. However, the students discover that as the accusation comes to light it stirs up questions and worries they have about their safety and life experiences. I thought Layden did a great job handling a difficult topic.
Unfortunately, this book ended up as a DNF for me. I've delayed writing this review because I was hoping I could get back into it as I have another Selby on my shelves and was intrigued by all the 5 star reviews.
The main barrier to enjoyment was the writing style. This world uses a lot of unique language and unique wording, which I have enjoyed from other authors in the past (notably The Bone Ships by RJ Barker) but I never reached a point where I found myself understanding the language used. This is a pretty important aspect of the writing for me as I don't want to have to stop and re-read to gain more context to puzzle the writing out. It stops me from getting integrated into the book.
I really liked the concept for the book and the idea of reading about a fantasy postal service was really working for me. I also enjoyed the intrigue provided by the secondary POV, a magic user hunting for a rare group of people. I think this could be a great read and one I might revisit in the future to see if the writing works for me.
If the writing style works for you, there's quite a few interconnected books to explore.
Unfortunately, this book ended up as a DNF for me. I've delayed writing this review because I was hoping I could get back into it as I have another Selby on my shelves and was intrigued by all the 5 star reviews.
The main barrier to enjoyment was the writing style. This world uses a lot of unique language and unique wording, which I have enjoyed from other authors in the past (notably The Bone Ships by RJ Barker) but I never reached a point where I found myself understanding the language used. This is a pretty important aspect of the writing for me as I don't want to have to stop and re-read to gain more context to puzzle the writing out. It stops me from getting integrated into the book.
I really liked the concept for the book and the idea of reading about a fantasy postal service was really working for me. I also enjoyed the intrigue provided by the secondary POV, a magic user hunting for a rare group of people. I think this could be a great read and one I might revisit in the future to see if the writing works for me.
If the writing style works for you, there's quite a few interconnected books to explore.
I had a lot of fun reading If I Disappaear. It starts rather abruptly following Sera as she is already most of the way to the ranch the book is set on and explains the reasoning behind her choice to come and check on her favourite podcaster. I think this opening scene could have done with a bit more set up as I found it to be fairly unbelievable. Otherwise, the plot moves fast and kept me engaged. I liked the unreliable characters and how it kept me guessing thoughout the book.
The exposition style re-write of the ???final??? reveal was not my cup of tea. I think it would have been a stronger ending if the twist had been incorporated into the narrative rather than feel like I was reading it removed from the story.
Sera was missing something to make her stand out as a character. I felt like we were missing some backstory or character building moments to understand her decisions. I also thought the sudden inclusion of the anti-men narrative was so randomly placed in to the story especially since Sera???s closest friends from her backstory are both men.
I had a lot of fun reading If I Disappaear. It starts rather abruptly following Sera as she is already most of the way to the ranch the book is set on and explains the reasoning behind her choice to come and check on her favourite podcaster. I think this opening scene could have done with a bit more set up as I found it to be fairly unbelievable. Otherwise, the plot moves fast and kept me engaged. I liked the unreliable characters and how it kept me guessing thoughout the book.
The exposition style re-write of the ???final??? reveal was not my cup of tea. I think it would have been a stronger ending if the twist had been incorporated into the narrative rather than feel like I was reading it removed from the story.
Sera was missing something to make her stand out as a character. I felt like we were missing some backstory or character building moments to understand her decisions. I also thought the sudden inclusion of the anti-men narrative was so randomly placed in to the story especially since Sera???s closest friends from her backstory are both men.
The premise of the sisters hunting for their mother was dropped fairly quickly into the novel and wasn???t picked back up until the end of the book. While it was the instigating force of the plot, it wasn???t the driving force and for much of the book we are simply following the lives of these siblings. As a result, I wasn???t as interested in the middle of the book where we change focus.
I thought the assault plot line came out of nowhere, but I really did not like the inclusion of the speculative element. Characters from history appear and talk to our characters briefly, appearing a few times. It???s not too often, so if its not an element you enjoy you can quite easily move past it. In fact, I didn???t even realise that was what was happening at first. If it had been a bigger element of the plot I think it would have worked well but in the end I thought it was just a bit ill-fitting.
This book had great writing, and I enjoyed the characters. I just think there were too many elements half committed to and if there had been a bigger focus on just a couple the book would have worked better for me. As it is the book felt like it was missing an identity.
The premise of the sisters hunting for their mother was dropped fairly quickly into the novel and wasn???t picked back up until the end of the book. While it was the instigating force of the plot, it wasn???t the driving force and for much of the book we are simply following the lives of these siblings. As a result, I wasn???t as interested in the middle of the book where we change focus.
I thought the assault plot line came out of nowhere, but I really did not like the inclusion of the speculative element. Characters from history appear and talk to our characters briefly, appearing a few times. It???s not too often, so if its not an element you enjoy you can quite easily move past it. In fact, I didn???t even realise that was what was happening at first. If it had been a bigger element of the plot I think it would have worked well but in the end I thought it was just a bit ill-fitting.
This book had great writing, and I enjoyed the characters. I just think there were too many elements half committed to and if there had been a bigger focus on just a couple the book would have worked better for me. As it is the book felt like it was missing an identity.
A quick read, very informative and gave a good solid timeline and basic understanding. I feel more prepared to go on to read more of the books I've got waiting on my shelves that cover related topics.
A quick read, very informative and gave a good solid timeline and basic understanding. I feel more prepared to go on to read more of the books I've got waiting on my shelves that cover related topics.
As my first book in my 2021 non-fiction reading challenge, The Impossible State felt at times like an impossible challenge. It was randomly selected for me by the tbr game I am playing each month and it has been high up on my priority list of physically owned non fiction.
In The Impossible State, seasoned international-policy expert and lauded scholar Victor Cha pulls back the curtain on provocative, isolationist North Korea, providing our best look yet at its history and the rise of the Kim family dynasty and the obsessive personality cult that empowers them. Cha illuminates the repressive regime???s complex economy and culture, its appalling record of human rights abuses, and its belligerent relationship with the United States, and analyzes the regime???s major security issues???from the seemingly endless war with its southern neighbor to its frightening nuclear ambitions???all in light of the destabilizing effects of Kim Jong-il???s death and the transition of power to his unpredictable heir.Ultimately, this engagingly written, authoritative, and highly accessible history warns of a regime that might be closer to its end than many might think???a political collapse for which America and its allies may be woefully unprepared.
The Impossible State
The first recorded trade between the two Koreas was in November 1988, in the form of a forty-kilogram (90-lb) box of clams that arrived in Pusan. The next was a shipment of 612 pieces of Korean artwork that arrived in Pusan on January 1989.
As my first book in my 2021 non-fiction reading challenge, The Impossible State felt at times like an impossible challenge. It was randomly selected for me by the tbr game I am playing each month and it has been high up on my priority list of physically owned non fiction.
In The Impossible State, seasoned international-policy expert and lauded scholar Victor Cha pulls back the curtain on provocative, isolationist North Korea, providing our best look yet at its history and the rise of the Kim family dynasty and the obsessive personality cult that empowers them. Cha illuminates the repressive regime???s complex economy and culture, its appalling record of human rights abuses, and its belligerent relationship with the United States, and analyzes the regime???s major security issues???from the seemingly endless war with its southern neighbor to its frightening nuclear ambitions???all in light of the destabilizing effects of Kim Jong-il???s death and the transition of power to his unpredictable heir.Ultimately, this engagingly written, authoritative, and highly accessible history warns of a regime that might be closer to its end than many might think???a political collapse for which America and its allies may be woefully unprepared.
The Impossible State
The first recorded trade between the two Koreas was in November 1988, in the form of a forty-kilogram (90-lb) box of clams that arrived in Pusan. The next was a shipment of 612 pieces of Korean artwork that arrived in Pusan on January 1989.
I have seen a lot of hype surrounding Jane Harper???s previous books, particularly The Dry. I knew that I should check them out as I enjoy a good mystery and all the reviews I had seen where full of praise. I decided to try out the latest release on Netgalley and I am so glad I did. Spoiler alert: a lot more praise coming from me.
Coming home dredges up deeply buried secrets???
Kieran Elliott???s life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences. The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home.
Kieran???s parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn. When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away???
Kieran hoped the numbness would set in soon. The ocean???s icy burn usually mellowed into something more neutral, but as the minutes ticked by he still felt cold. He Braced himself as a fresh wave broke against his skin. The water wasn???t even too bad, he told himself. Not at the tail end of the summer with the afternoon sun doing its best to take the edge off. Definitely goosebumps rather than the hypothermia. Kieran knew he had personally described water far colder than this as ???nice???. Only ever here in Tasmania, though, where sea temperatures surrounding the small island were relative.???
But no, Kieran was serious. Because all he could think of was Finn???s warning. If you???re in here at high tide, you are not coming out.
I have seen a lot of hype surrounding Jane Harper???s previous books, particularly The Dry. I knew that I should check them out as I enjoy a good mystery and all the reviews I had seen where full of praise. I decided to try out the latest release on Netgalley and I am so glad I did. Spoiler alert: a lot more praise coming from me.
Coming home dredges up deeply buried secrets???
Kieran Elliott???s life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences. The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home.
Kieran???s parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn. When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away???
Kieran hoped the numbness would set in soon. The ocean???s icy burn usually mellowed into something more neutral, but as the minutes ticked by he still felt cold. He Braced himself as a fresh wave broke against his skin. The water wasn???t even too bad, he told himself. Not at the tail end of the summer with the afternoon sun doing its best to take the edge off. Definitely goosebumps rather than the hypothermia. Kieran knew he had personally described water far colder than this as ???nice???. Only ever here in Tasmania, though, where sea temperatures surrounding the small island were relative.???
But no, Kieran was serious. Because all he could think of was Finn???s warning. If you???re in here at high tide, you are not coming out.
