alireuter's reviews
244 reviews

I’ve always loved the arthurian legends (stemming from the uk show merlin) & this was a good book to show the origin stories of arthur & merlin. i was surprised by the structure; it being more of a collection of short stories rather than a linear plot & it some ways i think this worked however i would i’ve preferred the traditional choice. this is especially clear in the random six year jump at the end of the book so the character i had been learning to understand may have completely changed without my knowledge, limiting my perception of arthur as a whole. what also annoyed me is that the actual plot that i had been waiting for did not happen until the last fifteen pages & was also not explored further at all. i get that this is the first of a series & also a children’s book but it just irritated me. i think the best part of the book was when robin hood & maid marian showed up for a few chapters. does anyone know where camelot is supposed to reside? i want to learn more of arthurian legends but perhaps not through this series…

unfortunately, i don’t have much to say about this one. it’s short & fast paced which could easily get you out of a reading slump. heaven explores the intricacies & complexities of eastern bullying & how this affects young children. it raises important questions on morality, the consequences of actions as well as the significance of childhood on one person. i read this for my book club where we discussed how bullying in the east is so much different to western bullying, especially how in the west it’s much more verbal & subtle than what is depicted in the book. i really liked the letters & how they revealed more about the characters & their relationship, however i still felt i couldn’t understand them fully which is a big deal for me in books. the characters ultimately fell flat to me because of this. i’m a sucker for a character led story but i felt like kawakami was threatening me that something bad was going to happen every time eyes got emotionally distressed  yet since i didn’t know him as well as id hoped, i felt lost in what was trying to be displayed. unfortunately an average read for me with interesting insights but lack of character study.

After reading the picture of dorian gray & the importance of being earnest, i was desperate to read even more of wilde’s work & now it has come to fruition. this collection demonstrates the variety of his work in genre & structure, delving into elements similar to shakespeare in my opinion. the ones i enjoyed most were his tragedies, namely vera & the duchess of padua. these explored the most divisive themes of his plays, showcasing rebels at the forefront planning regicide to their oppressive regimes. both link to historical contexts & wilde was obviously inspired by the rebellions in other nations such as russia. one thing to point out is that five out of the seven completed plays had the main female character as the titles, reflecting their complexities within the storyline & how wilde was a pioneer for better representation (& really was for the girls & the gays)! on the other hand, the comedies feel more flat to me & i can blame this on the fact that course plays are supposed to be seen & not read. i’m sure they’re much more interesting & clever in person with context, but the first world problems & dry drama just didn’t work for me in textual form. overall, wilde is easily one of my favourite authors & i’m excited to read more of his stuff & make him my entire personality!

i love mythological retellings just as much the next obsessed person, but this was so refreshing to read as a stand alone stories. i felt that i could understand & learn about the characters much deeper than a popular mythological figure. it’s so interesting to read about the women who have been discarded in history yet were so prominent in greek & roman culture. i’m grateful that the graphic scenes weren’t explicit, but i know this is intentional as the book isn’t about what they do, it’s about who they are. amara is a good protagonist as she’s not different or superior to the other women & you can really feel their love for each other glow on the page. this is a story about women through & through. their hardships, hope & friendship are at the centre point of the book & , although it’s hard to imagine that this is what women experienced, their strength & perseverance remind the reader that they have no choice but to live & get by.  it’s a series which i didn’t realise so i think i’ll be carrying on at some point. i’m not normally a series reader but the ending was quite unsatisfying which i think was quite a clever choice by harper. like so many women at the time, their lives were undetermined & unpredictable every day, especially with no man to support your needs. a fascinating case study into the ancient roman world & of those who have been discarded by society & from the history books.

this was such an interesting read, especially from someone who has a history of studying criminology & is a true crime fan. i said that it reminded me of penance by eliza clark & i think that she may have been inspired by the structure & narrative of his bloody project. it’s publication date of 2015 i was surprising to me because it reads like such a modern classic; the integration of criminological theory carried out in the late 1800s reflects the research & care that has been put into the story. although it can drag at places, every moment is integral to understanding the case & trial, causing you to feel somewhat sympathetic towards the offender in his reflective writing of his life. there is a tone of desperation & fear throughout, & i think it’s really interesting that the roddy’s last name shares the author’s which made me question at first if it was fictional or not. perhaps the book is a confession or admission of guilt from burnet’s life, which then explores the literary theories of the death of the author or the moral connection between the writer & their work. i really recommend this book, especially if you are interested in criminal psychology & the process of justice. 

the dead secret is a great introductory classic if you want to get into them as it is easy to read & follow especially in the gothic mystery genre. it has an interesting premise with enjoyable characters & themes but there are things that i’d have changed if it were up to me. i like how the main secret of the book isn’t revealed until the end however there’s another reveal that happens near the middle of the book which i thought would’ve better if it was revealed at the time of the secret, but i understand for character purposes why it was told to the reader beforehand. as for the mystery, it takes a step back for the majority of the book & only picked back up when there wasn’t much else left to discuss. i liked the character of rosamund & her husband & i wish they were much in the forefront of the book for a longer time, especially when they were the ones that wanted to uncover the mystery itself. the secret itself is a good plot twist that i didn’t see coming & a great reveal after the story. i kind of just wished it was more focused on the mystery & clues were presented throughout rather than straight away. i’ve read that this is a precursor to the amazing book ‘the woman in white’ by the same author which i own so looking forward to reading that!

this was one of the books i’ve been putting off because of my big book fear but i really don’t know why i didn’t read this sooner. i’ve loved austen in the past with pride & prejudice & emma, so this did not disappoint. the characters are witty, endearing & loveable throughout which really gets you wrapped up in the plot & drama. the romance between elinor & edward had me screaming every time there was a plot twist, i was so desperate for them to be together. the marianne storyline, although shocked me, didn’t get me as obsessed. such a cute classic which could be an entryway book to get you into austen & classic works by other authors. the romantic prose really entice you into caring for the characters & empathise with their stories. although i’ve read lots of her main ones, i need to read more of austen, she’s an iconic female figure who is recommend to anyone. plus, i’m gonna watch the film adaptation tonight which i’m so looking forward to!

i can only describe this book as the sex & the city of los angeles. babitz, in her sexual anthropology, explores the nature of relationships in the 60s & 70s & being well ahead of its time. i found the short stories/essays very entertaining, some of course more interesting than others, but nonetheless they existed together flawlessly. the narrative concept of writing a book about your sexual escapades for the guy you’re interested in really just expresses babitz & her vibrant personality in a whole. no one else is as daring or open in her storytelling, even if some of it is exaggerated. what i would’ve liked more is a more linear storytelling style but i understand that’s difficult because life really just isn’t a straight line of experiences. overall, it was a fun read of subtle smiles & raised eyebrows, if you like the idea of a unapologetically confident version of joan dideon, this could easily be on your tbr

i said in my 2024 resolutions that i wanted to explore more genres & tropes than normal, & i think i did just that with this book. i’ve always loved the idea of a cosy fantasy damore does excellent world building to support this! i can definitely see why this was be a comfort series for someone & although i’m not sure if i would continue it, this is a great opening into the world of the stars hollow/halloween town-esque setting. i love a mystery, the paranormal & a slight bit of romance in my books so in the future i will definitely be exploring this genre further. although the writing can be questionable in places, as well as the characters not as developed as i would’ve liked, this is a must read if you’re looking for an easy read with the cosiest vibe imaginable. 

this book demonstrates my biggest fear as a woman & the fact that it has become more relevant over the decades since its release, that makes the story even more frightening. this is one of the few dystopians of its time revolving around the voice, or lack of, of women. since its release we have seen much more, such as the hunger games, but none gravitate around the existence of women in this world than the handmaid’s tale. atwood’s writing is heartbreakingly readable & emulates how realistic the world she created is, because it is the reality for lots of women. she derived lots of inspiration from history itself which this caption will not give it justice. the characters, although bland for the society, portray subtle personality in each breath of a word & each twitch of an eye. the world building is good, but i wish i knew more about the world, its history & how this oppressive regime was established, which i don’t think is explored enough, however i understand this is part of the mystery. in a way i want to say thank you to margaret atwood; thank you for sending chills down my spine, thank you for demonstrating how this world is unspoken in the wants of many men, & lastly thank you for giving more of a reason why feminism exists, to fight so that this never becomes a reality.