alireuter's reviews
244 reviews

what a book. before delving into this extraordinary story, i had heard some great reviews met with some not so great ones. i’m happy to say that i’m absolutely in love with this novel & the themes surrounding it. it tells the story of a quiet rebellion, filled with academia & the question of identity. the setting of oxford is magnificent, an epicentre of intellectualism but is not hard to grasp for the reader. the weaving in of magical realism elevates the risks & further reveals the depth of the issues of the british empire. at first, it makes the reader analyse with rose tinted glasses, yet illustrates a sense of doubt that
 grows throughout the book. the most prominent thing that is like to applaud is the writing of kuang, who balances the variety of elements that makes this book so interesting, enchanting & overall enlightening. it’s a hefty story, but deals with the characters’ stories & the intense themes so well that it doesn’t patronise the reader at any point. at 500+ pages, it’s a lot to get through but it really doesn’t feel that long. i’ve realised that my big book fear was only down to me not reading the right ones. it entices you from the first page, & what unfolds is a great epic of secret societies, expression & loss, along with discussion around translation which are just fascinating. kuang may just become one of my favourite writers of all time. 

i said i’d continue looking into this genre since my last cozy fantasy book & i obviously have in this book. however, i’m started to see a pattern that they’re a bit too similar for my liking. it seems that it’s the same town, with similar characters & always a small business that the protagonist needs to save. this won’t deter me completely from reading more of the genre but it is something to take into  consideration in the future. one thing that i found less appealing in this book was the lack of magic & fantasy elements, even though it’s a staple of the genre as well as literally being in the title. i understand this may grow over the series & explore the magical elements more but for fans coming into this book with expectations, this may be disappointing. i thought the character development was good, with more complicated stories & backgrounds of the habitants of the town. i also felt that the side romance was refreshing, a slow burn yearning that obviously is supposed to develop over the future books. overall, a good murder mystery with fun & quirky characters that keeps you reading until the last page. 

i’m happy to announce my first (& hopefully not last) five star book of the year! this book may not be for everyone but it was a huge hit for me. it both feels like a hug & a slap at the same time, reminding the reader of the reality of heartbreak but does so in a comforting manner through humour. i’ve never been divorced but it felt so relatable in its execution that i could pick out moments or themes that i saw myself in, & i’m sure this would be the case for most readers out there. is the protagonist chaotic? yes. is she unlikeable sometimes? yes. but isn’t that part of being human, especially going through something as traumatic as heart wrenching heartbreak? i love an anti-protagonist especially when it comes to experiencing life normally but making mistakes on the way. maggie goes through so much but doesn’t take herself too seriously. i found myself giggling to myself over her hilarious quips & smiling at her times of deep reflection. this is one that i will definitely be revisiting if it ever seems necessary, especially in its patient & understanding delivery. one of my favourite tropes is just women in their 20s, & this really examines a significant part of life in that time: love & loss. of course, i really recommend this book, not just for its exploration of heartbreak, but because the overall message is just to make most of life & that everything will work out just as it should. 

after reading & analysing two chapters for my a level english literature course, i knew that one day i would revisit it in its entirety.  although not a christian myself anymore, i think being brought up religious helped me  explore this controversial representation of god & satan, as well as preserving adam & eve in different lights. milton subverts expectations by compelling the reader to be more interested in satan, the antagonist of all christian culture, presenting him as sexually endearing & morally grey rather than pure evil. i hate to say it but this may be the origin of the “i can fix him” trope! milton expertly fades the barrier between heaven & ‘goodness’ with hell & ‘evil’ by giving satan a captivating moral dilemma while depicting god as both ‘the creator’ & ‘the punisher’. god is arguably equally as flawed as satan. jesus ‘the son’ being in it was an interesting choice for me, introducing the idea of him being just as omnipresent as god, although he came across as a whiny chil in my opinion. 

now the most enticing element…eve being seen as inferior to adam. very traditionally domestic archetypes are used, portraying adam as protective yet controlling in all aspects, which i always imagined him as. i like to perceive this ‘fall of mankind’ as eve using the apple as a way to break constraints to achieve true independent fulfilment. she knew she was already trapped & if she wasn’t unhappy in paradise, i can’t blame her trying to get out & away from a man. obviously this is quite a feminist & modern way of reading paradise lost but i hope i’m not alone in my opinion. i’ve also used some of my favourite quotes & my annotations from my past self!

a great diversion from the typical spy novel & story, le carre paves the way for a new genre of storytelling. set in a time of high tensions & lack of trust, the novel breaks the mould of a bond-ish story of plain black & white morals. i love how the reader are forced to questions who to trust alongside leamas, even suspicious of the protagonist himself. i also applaud the character of liz, the naive female love interest who gets chapters dedicated to her own investigation & ideas. although this is better than the attraction dependent women of other spy stories, leamas’ attitude towards her as pathetic but loveable betrays her trust in aspects, revealing how he unfortunately may have used her for her moral innocence rather than anything else. something else to note is how well done i find the ending. of course i can’t spoil it but i think it paints a great portrait of the overall themes of the book; loyalty, betrayal & the limits of humanity. 

this is a beautiful collection of poetry & short stories that transcends the boundaries of female experience, friendship & childhood. i want to first off applaud the editing as everything flows so satisfyingly & effortlessly. as someone who usually struggles with poetry & short story collections, it really helps when each work connects to the next page. from poems full of humour like how to lose friends (you don’t really like) to stories that tug on intricate memories like walking on amsterdam, the butterfly bruises helps you imagine the journey the author has gone on through the intertwining themes that are so incredibly relatable. smith touches on different topics so carefully & lightly that makes you think but aren’t overwhelmed. the timid yet thorough discussion on body image & beauty standards elevate the imagery that is written so well. there are also themes of insects & animals, especially the environmental toll in DEATH/plastic, perhaps exploring how the breaking down of the world is parallel to how we break down ourselves? overall, as all poetry is, it’s partly autobiographical & i loved getting to know her through the wonderful references to other literature & characters. 

 this book isn’t about johnny rico. it could’ve been about anyone in the same position & that’s what i love about it. i found that the lack of detailed descriptions reflected the uniform (sorry for the pun) nature of the military as well as the first half of the book not quite feeling like a science fiction world at all. this makes it very easy to understand & has a grounding effect on the reader, connecting with the characters & story through recognition of their own reality. heinlein is very smart in the way he does this, being very methodical in the book’s omissions & therefore carefully choosing what to focus on feels very reminiscent of the repetition of military life. through this, he gets to prioritise the messages he conveys, whether a critical comment on politics, technical advancements or the dying environment of earth. this book is full of humanity, discussing morals, using humour in the hardest moments &  portraying the bugs as a blank palette for all of our ‘enemies’, whether a physical person or our own selves. i know this review is quite bleak but i wanted to be sincere in how the book treated difficult topics. ultimately, heinlein shows the cyclical nature of war in the story’s  beginning & end; no matter how long & hard you fight there will always be another battle. perhaps this was intended to be an extended metaphor for life?

the best way to emulate my feelings on this book is by comparing it to the titanic movie. this may be random but both have disastrous plots & make you feel like you’re waiting for the major event to happen. i was really interested in getting to know the characters & how they react to the volcanic eruption, including how they would survive & what they would do with others. unfortunately, after meeting an array of characters throughout the book, the event happened only in the last twenty pages & exclusively focused on the three main characters. i found this a shame because the reader therefore has a limited few of the wreckage & how other characters are affected. on the other hand, i loved the power of the dramatic irony the reader has as they read the everyday activities of the characters & how even though there was so much drama, none of it mattered because of the inevitable ending for everyone. i think this is a really interesting concept to explore & ponder over. 

this could’ve been such a good story from Frances’ point of view but alas. i have a list of classics i wish were more female centred & now this is added to the collection. i’ll be focusing more on the characters than anything, as i feel it was a character centred story with a plot to drive them along, which i appreciate a lot. william, however, was not a great protagonist. although awkward & therefore sometimes funny, his judgement on women, values & intentions seemed to expose his immoral tendencies. his ‘flirtation’ with zoraide reuter (yes it was weird to read about a character whom i share the name surname with), was less of a romantic connection but rather a sad case of leading an older woman on-who he had called ugly as soon as he met her-then demonises her as soon as she felt betrayed. probably one of the early accounts of a ‘love triangle’ & i’m not even a fan of them in modern books. also, he was frances’ teacher. i don’t need to explain how falling for your pupil is weird but i understand it’s more of an exploration of the gender power struggle. frances was instead the ambitious & self determined character, a great example of an individualistic career driven women who is still sensitive & romantic. (spoiler: i also loved how they didn’t have children until she wanted to & after she was happy with her career). overall, an entertaining read with drama, a pathetic protagonist & questionable plot lines. i probably should’ve rated it lower but it was just so fun to read!

Kleeman explores the hallucinogenic nature of the modern American lifestyle, delving into a realm of classic dystopia. The key themes examined are those of the cultish, corrupt and claustrophobic, leading you to question whether everything those in the higher ups are really looking out for you. I found this notion very relevant these days which was discussed through multiple storylines very well. if you’ve ever seen the the film under the silver lake starring andrew garfield this is the same vibe. i enjoyed the characters’ backstories, especially looking into patrick’s family position & internal relationships. in the least negative way possible, i preferred the side plots rather than the main storyline. the mystery of wat-r was fun & intriguing but the thing i wish was more focused on was the cult that was-although on the other side of the country-which was the most thematically reflective of the rest of the book. i loved the ambiguity of the ending & the question raised about how much you can truly escape the control of larger corporations that actually rule the world. overall, a great read but i couldn’t help but not enjoy it a certain points unfortunately. i’d love to look into what else kleeman & what others thought of the book. if you like the sound of it then please give it a go!