2020/04/30
2020/04/29
BOOK REVIEW:
THE CONFESSIONS OF FRANNIE LANGTON BY SARA COLLINS
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
_____
Title: The Confessions of Frannie LangtonAuthor: Sara Collins
Published: 2019
Language: English
Pages: 384
Rating: 3/5
Summary:
Set in 1826 in London, we meet Frannie Langton, a former slave from Jamaica who has been charged with murdering the couple she worked for.
Review:
There are a lot of things in this book that tick the right boxes for me; it's just the kind of historical fiction that I like, I loved the settings of both Jamaica and London and the whole thing has this fantastic gothic feel to me.
This is a tragic and brutal story and keeps the suspense up through the entire novel. I really enjoyed reading about and getting to know our main character; she's interesting and complicated and we really get to see the inner workings of her mind. I think the side characters are also really fascinating and seeing the relationships between them was really intriguing.
I liked the writing in this and the way it captured the different settings and the atmosphere, but I do think sometimes it feels a little disjointed and get's a little confusing. I think maybe it's supposed to be that way though, so that might just be personal preference.
This is kind of a slow book and I don't mind that but I do think this starts off stronger than it ends; there's a definite dip in the middle of this novel where I found my interest waning and I never quite recovered from that, even though I felt like the end of the book was pretty good.
I would definitely recommend this if you like gothic historical fiction though! It's an interesting and sometimes shocking story with great characters.
You can read more about it on Goodreads
2020/04/26
BOOK HAUL:
APRIL
S P O N S O R E D : O N E B O O K S E N T F O R F R E E
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
_____
April is coming to an end and it's been another weird month for most us. Norway is still in lockdown although a few things like schools are starting to open up. We'll see how it goes though, it's a tentative situation.
Easter has also come and passed, although it sort of got lost in everything else. I spent most of it in self-isolation which wasn't half bad as I got to eat quite a lot of chocolate.
There are a few rays of light in here though; the days are getting lighter, the weather is getting warmer and I've been getting loads of reading done. I've also gotten quite a nice stack of new books, which always makes me feel happier! They're also really colorful this month, which is an added bonus.
( a f f i l i a t e l i n k s + b o o k m a r k e d * s e n t f o r f r e e )
Hope you're all doing all right! Stay safe!
2020/04/25
BOOK REVIEW:
BREAKING AND ENTERING BY JEREMY N. SMITH
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
_____
Title: Breaking and Entering: The Extraordinary Story of a Hacker Called Alien
Author: Jeremy N. Smith
Published: 2019
Language: English
Pages: 304
Rating: 1/5
Summary:
This story explores hacking and cybersecurity, mostly focusing on the story of a female hacker called Alien who entered MIT in 98 and eventually becomes an international expert in the field.
Review:
So, I've been reading this on and off for about two months, keeping an e-book version on my phone to read when I'm out and about and reading a bit in the physical copy at home. I really thought this was going to be the perfect read for me, but it took me such a long time to get through because sadly I didn't really enjoy it.
I think the actual story of this woman is probably interesting and exciting, but for some reason, the way this story is told in this book made it so boring to read. I didn't feel like we got to know this woman at all and I felt like we spent a lot of unnecessary time reading about what she was wearing and who she was sleeping with. There's a lack of substance and depth to the way she's portrayed and it makes it hard to care about her at all.
I didn't find the exploration of hacking and cybersecurity particularly fascinating either, which is a shame, because it's something I'd love to learn more about. The way it's presented in this book does not make it sound like an intriguing topic at all though.
It feels like there's a lack of authenticity to this and it was kind of a superficial book. It's a shame though, because I think this could've been such an interesting story if it was just written better.
You can get this book at The Book Depository (affiliate link)
You can read more about it on Goodreads
You can read more about it on Goodreads
2020/04/24
2020/04/23
2020/04/22
BOOK REVIEW:
THE HEAVENS BY SANDRA NEWMAN
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
_____
Title: The HeavensAuthor: Sandra Newman
Published: 2019
Language: English
Pages: 272
Rating: 1/5
Summary:
Ben and Kate fall madly in love when they meet at a party in New York in the year 2000, but soon, Kate finds herself getting lost in her dreams - dreams that give her the ability to change the past which in turn changes the future she eventually wakes up to.
Review:
This was not my jam, folks.
I've mentioned before that I don't generally love reading books that focus on romantic relationships, but I thought this sounded intriguing because of the time travel element. However, I did not feel like any of these things came together at all; I didn't care about any of the characters, I thought most of the storyline was boring and, somehow, the time travel stuff turned out to be really tedious too.
I also felt like there were several major points in the book that were not explained at all and I found that kind of frustrating. The only reason I finished this book was I thought we would get some answers at the end and I didn't really feel like we got that.
So sadly, I just didn't get on with this at all.
You can read more about it on Goodreads
2020/04/21
BOOKSTAGRAM SPOTLIGHT:
@SIMPLYELA
Allright, today I want to share another amazing bookstagram account with you all! If you don't follow @simplyela yet, you simply must. She has the most harmonious and aesthetically pleasing feed!
Go follow!
2020/04/20
BOOK REVIEW:
SHEETS BY BRENNA THUMMLER
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
_____
Title: SheetsAuthor: Brenna Thummler
Published: 2018
Language: English
Pages: 239
Rating: 3/5
In this, we meet a lonely thirteen year old in charge of the family's laundry business and the ghost of a boy who lost his life much too young, and the story is about what happens when their worlds collide.
Review:
This was a sweet and enjoyable read.
I absolutely loved the art style in this. There is so much detail to it, the color palette is fantastic and I like how there's sometimes a lot of art without any text; the pictures speak for themselves. There are also several full page spreads of just art and they're amazing.
The story explores grief and loneliness, but it doesn't feel overwhelming, it feels pretty balanced. The ghost works as a sort of comic relief in some ways and I think that worked well without it feeling like it was too much.
I do think the pacing is a little off; the end comes about extremely quickly. The plot isn't the strongest either.
Overall though, this is worth the read if you like graphic novels. It's sweet and heart-warming, but still has depth.
You can read more about it on Goodreads
2020/04/19
2020/04/18
BOOK REVIEW:
THEY WERE SISTERS BY DOROTHY WHIPPLE
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
_____
Title: They Were SistersAuthor: Dorothy Whipple
Published: 1944
Language: English
Pages: 464
Rating: 5/5
Summary:
Set in England, mostly in the years between the two world wars, we meet three sisters and follow them and their fates as they marry three very different men.
Review:
Gosh, how I adored this book!
Dorothy Whipple never disappoints me, I always enjoy her books, but this one is the best one that I've read. The story focuses on the relationship between these sisters and how it shifts after they marry, as well as how the women alter throughout the years and throughout their marriages. All of the characters in this book are well rounded, interesting and I just love the way Whipple writes her characters; you can't help but feel for them.
I also love the writing style and the different settings we see in this story. It's a little bit of a chunky book but it never felt long; it's extremely readable and I would've devoured it in one sitting, had I not decided to try and savour the experience of reading this.
I really like that the story explores both good marriages and bad, and I was surprised to see domestic abuse being explored, because you often don't really see that in classic books, often it's much more veiled than it is in this. I thought it worked really well though, and I like that there is darkness in this story and in these characters; it makes for a much more interesting reading experience.
It's a story about domestic life in many ways but it never felt boring to me. If you want to read a classic book about female characters and their lives, I would absolutely recommend this.
You can read more about it on Goodreads
2020/04/17
2020/04/16
2020/04/14
2020/04/13
BOOK REVIEW:
GULLBURET BY CAMILLA LÄCKBERG
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
_____
Title: GullburetAuthor: Camilla Läckberg, Kari Bolstad (translator)
Published: 2019
Language: Norwegian (translated from Swedish)
Pages: 372
Rating: 3/5
Summary:
The scorned wife, a woman who seems to have it all, starts to plan a horrible revenge on her controlling billionaire husband who she's sacrificed her whole life for.
Review:
I totally flew through this book and quite enjoyed it, although in retrospect there are some things about this book that were maybe not as great and it makes me a little confused as to what to think of this.
We see the story from the perspective of the main character, who starts off as the repressed wife begging to be loved by her husband, and we see her transform throughout the book, which was really fascinating to get to see. We also get chapters where we get glimpses into her past, which are pretty dark but really interesting (although I wished we had got more of those chapters, as the glimpses were maybe too scarce). I think overall she's a very complicated character and there's always something interesting about that.
I quite liked the setting of this, I liked the themes the book explores and there is something really compelling about a scorned wife taking revenge. I also really like that there's a really strong female friendship in here, I really loved that.
Now, I quite like reading books about unlikeable characters and I don't want to give anything away, but there were some bits in here where the main character would do something really horrible and it just kind of wasn't even addressed. I sometimes found the way she acted contradictory and confusing, which is the way some people are, sure, but it didn't really feel very realistic. She just kind of gets away with everything and no one seems to really question her, which is odd to me.
There's also a plot twist in the very last sentence of the book and although that was kind of a cool twist, I felt like it came out of nowhere and there was no buildup or explanation for it, so I don't quite know what was the point of it.
Overall though, I did enjoy this and I think it's worth the read if you like suspense and crime novels.
You can read more about it on Goodreads
2020/04/12
2020/04/11
BOOK REVIEW:
THE PRIME OF MS DOLLY GREENE BY E. V. HARTE
I N C L U D E S A F F I L I A T E L I N K S
_____
Title: The Prime of Ms Dolly GreeneAuthor: E. V. Harte
Published: 2017
Language: English
Pages: 288
Rating: 3/5
Summary:
A tarot reader in South West London gets involved in a potential mystery in her neighborhood when she reads the cards of a woman she thinks is going to die.
Review:
Look, if you're looking for a fantastic mystery novel with great writing and amazing characters, this probably isn't it. However, if you want an easy to read, cozy mystery which is just a fun and delightful thing to read, that's exactly what this is.
This is overall a quite pleasant thing to read and one that doesn't require a whole lot of energy. The characters are easy to understand, even if they're a little ridiculous from time to time, and the mystery is intriguing, even if it is a little messy. There's also the element of tarot reading throughout this whole story and a certain level of mysticism and all of that works surprisingly well.
Overall, just very enjoyable and there is quite a bit of humor in this which I really liked. It was a light and entertaining read, and it might actually objectively be more of a 2 star book, but I just enjoyed it so much that I bumped it up to 3.
You can read more about it on Goodreads
2020/04/10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
©
The Book Castle | All rights reserved.