sophiesometimesreads's reviews
221 reviews

Turns out I'm a big fan of political intrigue because this was so interesting to me, despite a lot of it being rooted in the politics of the world and clan interactions. 

It was slower paced at the start than some fantasies but I loved getting to know the characters, which are arguably the strongest part of this book, as well as the world and magic system. As the book progresses, we get more action, but the core of this book is rooted in the politics of the world, so this may not be for everyone but it was for me.

A deep and complex world, a fleshed-out magic system and an interesting and real cast of characters. I cannot wait to dive into the rest of this series!

The writing was wonderful and so much felt like it happened in such a short number of pages, with such good characterisation. One of the best short stories I’ve read recently.

I feel like this rating is kind of an unpopular opinion? It's not that I didn't like it (because 3 stars is not a bad rating!!!), I can see why people love it, I just wasn't completely invested in the story. I also think I may have read it quicker and enjoyed it more if I'd read it at a different time, I just ended up being busy and the classical writing style was too much for my tired brain. 

The writing was funny at times, but sometimes the wording was confusing, but I feel like this is a sign of the time it was written and I have historically had an interesting time with classical writing. Bilbo Baggins was funny as a character and I did enjoy his character, but I never really felt emotionally connected or invested which meant I never got completely involved in what was happening.

Definitely not a bad book by any means and if you're into funny, goofy fantasy then this would be for you!

This book was an interesting mix of a range of comics, in terms of art style, content and audience. For the most part, it was relatively enjoyable. Some comics were more enjoyable or relatable than others, and some were easier to read from an artistic and lettering point of view, but most still contained interesting stories. It's quite an intersectional anthology of comics, dealing with topics alongside queerness such as racism and bigotry. 

There were a couple of comics, however, that didn't sit quite well with me and felt out of place in relation to the diverse nature of the rest of the comics. In particular, one about a military "hero" who was apparently gay was celebrated with no acknowledgement of the role he and the US military played in the oppression and genocide of the indigenous population. The one trying to get me to sympathise with queer conservatives was also a choice...

Overall, I did get a lot out of this and did like the intersectional stories, but some of the choices of stories featured to try and highlight "both sides" left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.

Ouch. This was such a harrowing, heartbreaking, painful yet heartwarming read. I'm still thinking about Salama and Kenan over 24 hours after finishing it. It's horrific to think how many people live in this reality every day, and it hurt so much to think about it but was very important to confront the real atrocities happening in our world. Though it shed some light on some awful things, it also was a bittersweet story of hope amongst a war and the strength of human survival. I think this is an important read and recommend for everyone.

I don't rate memoirs but this was amazingly written and had such a profound effect on me. It has to be one of my favourite memoirs, despite not knowing who Michelle Zauner was prior to reading. I loved how raw Michelle was in her retelling of her and her parents' story, how she exposed the good and parts of herself in a way that was innately human. An interesting and complex representation of mother-daughter relationships and growing up Korean-American. At first, I wasn't sure about the non-linear retelling and, though maybe we did rehash the same events a couple times, I think it worked in favour of the story Michelle was portraying.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a deep, emotional and real memoir, even if you aren't familiar with the author herself.

I enjoyed reading this and liked the representation. The art took me a moment to get into but I really liked the style by the end. It was a bittersweet story, but I liked the hopeful ending for Dylan.

Though it's good to see ace representation, it felt like ace and aro were confounded here and there was never a clear explanation around how they're different things and you can be ace without being aro and vise versa. It is completely valid if the character was supposed to be aro ace, I just would have liked this to be fleshed out more and explained properly.

Wow, what a wonderful, complex, layered and emotional story. I loved the way three different timelines/POVs were woven into the story and interconnected to tell a story of immigration, coming out and familial love. I also really enjoyed the insight into the author's decisions regarding the stylistic and story choices he made whilst writing the story.

I enjoyed reading this, I really liked Hector's character and all the food. The art was cute, though the colour scheme did mean I had to look at the drawings a bit closer at times to distinguish what was what, but this was only a couple times. 

I felt like things could've been fleshed out a little more, including why Ari reacted the way he did as it felt kind of sudden. I feel like there could've been a good conversation about mental health or finding yourself or living up to the expectations of others here, but it really only scratches the surface of these things. Also, his friends never had his back despite him telling them multiple times he was trying to find a solution so he could move in with them but we never completely addressed how unfair they were being. 

I believe there's a sequel coming out, and I would be interested in reading it to see how the story continues, though.

I've seen a lot of people talk about this recently and wanted to reread it to see how I felt about the lead up to the twist, now knowing how the book ends. Obviously, it didn't pack the same punch second time around as I knew what was coming but I still had a fun time and still felt the suspense at times. I can see why people think the ending/resolution isn't super realistic, but I thought it all came together in context of the rest of the book. In saying this, I'm very much someone who just needs the book to make sense within itself, instead of being completely realistic, so if you want something that's realistic then you may feel differently.

I'm opting to leave my rating as the original rating I gave this book (5 stars), as it's hard to change my rating knowing how the book ends, and that's really what thrillers hinge upon. I had a great time both times around though.

Original review of paperback edition in Feb 2023:
I can properly review this now Harper Collins and the Union have signed a contract, yay!

I really enjoyed this book. It was intense, the stakes were high, my heart was pumping and it was definitely thrilling. I haven’t been this engaged in a book for a long time, I literally ignored all my adult responsibilities just to finish about 60% of this book in a day.

I felt a lot for the characters, so much so that I even teared up at parts of the story which I did NOT expect going into a thriller. I also wanted to rip my hair out at some of the characters and their decisions but that just made it even more fun. I can appreciate absolutely horrible characters as long as they make you feel something and have a purpose in the story.

Maybe I should have seen some of the twists coming but I was so engaged in the story and was devouring it that any small details that may have hinted at the twists just went under my radar because I was distracted by other things. That’s something that I find Holly Jackson does really well and this is no exception. The plot may have been a bit out there and not completely realistic but I could suspend disbelief enough to enjoy it and ride the roller coaster that was this book.

The writing style was different but I think it was a great choice to highlight the important parts of Red personality that played a big role in the rest of the story.

Overall, I had an excellent time with this book and I’d recommend it to anyone who is a fan of thrillers. Somehow I felt scared, angry and fearful and cried at the same time, which is definitely a feat for me.