angelsbeforeman's reviews
1077 reviews

this was my first time reading chen chen, and i knew i loved the themes explored here just based on the blurb. but my god, the execution is amazing. beautiful !!

of course i love a manga about paranormal cats. love the super cute art style, the story itself was amusing and i like the way japanese culture was incorporated. adorable and a comforting read ^_^

i'll always eat up a book of wilde's quotes. might not be everyone's thing, but it for sure is mine.

historical fiction with gothic elements and vampires? and a romance that actually worked for me? yeah, i liked this ^_^ i'm super happy that it was engaging to read, and i'm a fan of the writing style because the descriptions were really good. the character development was good, so the romance didn't feel nonsensical since i felt like i actually knew the characters. i also loooove vampires, so i was excited for this novel and happy that it delivered and didn't disappoint me. it's also historical fiction for sure, by which i mean the historical elements are actually well done. the commentary on social issues is pretty good as well. my only complaint is the pacing because it was a bit off at times, especially at the start.

liked the movie better because this story just isn't memorable to me at all

i can definitely see the the secret history comparison. and the secret history is one of my favourite novels. so yeah, i loved this. and i'm shocked that this is apparently a debut?? 
anyway, the story follows two students called paul and julian. we get to see their relationship as it goes from a friendship to a romantic relationship and then to something um. intensely obsessive. and quite insane! the character analysis here is stunning, it's even more interesting because paul and julian intrigue me both individually and in their relation to one another. the writing is incredible, once again i'm baffled at the thought of this being a debut novel. it's just too good. this book made me feel such a wide range of emotions, and now that i've reread it i can say it's just as good when you reread it. really love the story, the foreshadowing and symbolism, and the characters. they're not good people in the slightest, they're quite horrible truly, but so good to read about! i do personally prefer julian, though. there's just something about him. either way, another san favourite! ♡ 

didn't expect to like the theme of this as much as i ended up liking it. i guess i just enjoy the way franny choi specifically incorporated it ^^ i've read her work before, two poetry collections actually, and i liked her style there. that applies here too! overall, a really good collection ♡ 

read this because i loved what moves the dead by the same author. everything i loved about what moves the dead, i loved here. especially the writing style, i feel like kingfisher's writing style is very unique and suits horror perfectly. i can also see the inspiration that was drawn from classic horror stories. the atmosphere is perfection. the plot itself was super entertaining and i was engaged throughout, however i liked this less than what moves the dead because it feels a bit more repetitive. along with that, the attempts at humour didn't work for me and i don't think they fit the story. 

such an underrated movie, but i personally love it and it's one of my favourites. so i had to read this, and of course i loved it. ghibli and cats .... perfect.

one of my favourite ghibli movies, so of course i had to read this ♡ so wonderful!!