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tien's reviews
3860 reviews
The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
3.75
This is one of those books where I went oh, pretty cover and did not even know anything about the book before I started it reading it. I enjoyed the prose and the characters. The world building is just gorgeous; I could imagine myself in forests and scary gothic castles. The ending was a bit of a downer but then again, I did find out what this book is supposed to be 'retelling' of so that's the only ending that's possible. This story tells of the background of those so called 'brides' of Dracula. Even as they were mere mentions in the classic tale, this author sought to bring them to life. I love these female protagonists; they may be twins but they own their own characters and are strong both on their own two feet or together as sisters. It is sad (for me) for the ending to be thus for such strong characters.
Batman: Nightwalker (the Graphic Novel) by Marie Lu
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.25
This is an origin story.
It opens on the night of Bruce Wayne's 18th birthday and is now officially a billionaire (as opposed to being a trust fund kid). The evening did not run smoothly and he found his sense of justice piqued. Yet in the course of him dealing with the evening's consequences, he met people, answered questions about himself, and found himself a defender of justice.
I truly enjoyed this story. It's not as dark as other Batman adaptations and the graphics were just as fun.
It opens on the night of Bruce Wayne's 18th birthday and is now officially a billionaire (as opposed to being a trust fund kid). The evening did not run smoothly and he found his sense of justice piqued. Yet in the course of him dealing with the evening's consequences, he met people, answered questions about himself, and found himself a defender of justice.
I truly enjoyed this story. It's not as dark as other Batman adaptations and the graphics were just as fun.
Humble Pies and White Lies by Elizabeth Penney
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Murder at the Beauty Pageant by Helena Dixon
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Vox by Christina Dalcher
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I've been afraid of this book and as I read the first few chapters, I wasn't sure if I could hack it. Condemned to 100 words per day or face the consequences was awful enough but then watching your baby girl not being able to express herself, not in words nor in gestures of any kind; no communication at all would be absolutely heartbreaking. However, things happened and there was a bigger conspiracy to rule over the world kinda trope and the novel ended happily but sadly. What I'm saying here is that I read this book in a single sitting because I couldn't bear to put it down. It was an amazing novel despite my fears of what's happened and what's happening now! Please read this book for yourself. Don't think your single voice/vote doesn't count. Go vote!
Tea Set and Match by Casey Blair
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This instalment was a lot more political than I expected of a cozy fantasy so it was a slow start for me and even considered dnf-ing at 25% however I decided to at least give it a couple more chapters and I got hooked and finished the rest in a single sitting. I have to admit that I mostly skimmed the political bits though... still, I just love the idea of a Tea Spirit and Yorani is absolutely adorable.
Villain by Shūichi Yoshida
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
2.25
I must admit that I think the book is actually brilliantly executed but my rating merely reflects my enjoyment of the read which wasn't particularly great. That is because this book is more of a psychological thriller which I do not usually enjoy these days. I did get this book in 2012 so I may have enjoyed it back then more than I just did. Everyone... absolutely <b>everyone</b> in this novel was lonely and that was just so so sad.
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by Eric J. Guignard, M.R. James, Leslie S. Klinger
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
3.5
As the title suggests, all 8 stories in this collection features an antiquarian and so. relates to objects of antiquities. The introduction notes that author intended these for performance (ie. read out loud during the Christmas English tradition of ghost stories) and as the weather is currently so very grey wet and slightly chilly, I could rather imagine just how fascinating these could be. As ghost stories go, however, these aren't particularly scary if left unexplained - they are supernatural incidents.
Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I am sorry.
It is absolutely distressing when your history is swept aside and your people unacknowledged. Bruce Pascoe has done an amazing job setting out his argument backed by studies and archaeological finds highlighting the fact that the average Australian do not know the true history of the Aborigines. From just how long (and how unacknowledged) their living on this land now called Australia to the author being dismissed by an 'expert tour guide'. <i>Dark Emu</i> is the author's attempt to open a frank discussion on historically correct view of the history of the Aborigines. There were many checkable facts outlined in the book and being a short book, it's packed full of information and yet, this is really just the beginning. This book was first published in 2015 and in view of the disappointing result of last year's referendum, I feel doubly disappointed.
It is absolutely distressing when your history is swept aside and your people unacknowledged. Bruce Pascoe has done an amazing job setting out his argument backed by studies and archaeological finds highlighting the fact that the average Australian do not know the true history of the Aborigines. From just how long (and how unacknowledged) their living on this land now called Australia to the author being dismissed by an 'expert tour guide'. <i>Dark Emu</i> is the author's attempt to open a frank discussion on historically correct view of the history of the Aborigines. There were many checkable facts outlined in the book and being a short book, it's packed full of information and yet, this is really just the beginning. This book was first published in 2015 and in view of the disappointing result of last year's referendum, I feel doubly disappointed.