whimsicallymeghan's reviews
1386 reviews

There is a small café in a back alley of Tokyo that has been brewing coffee for centuries, but what this café offers its patronages, is something beyond just normal coffee, it offers them the chance to travel back in time. In this novel, we meet three individuals who wish to use the experience to visit with a loved one from the past, and one from the future. It was a touching novel, that for the most part, had a really cool concept; the reader was invested, even when things felt a little confusing. The way this was laid out, it took some time to understand the rules of time traveling. For each character, it felt like new rules kept coming up, which made it feel inconsistent and hard to keep track of. It made it seem like each person had their own set of rules, rather than there being a universal set of rules. This then made it feel slightly repetitive because the rules kept having to be explained for each of the four stories. It left the novel reading clunky, and maybe that has a part to do with the translation as well, but it was kinda a bother to read at times. Because we had to spend so much time explaining the protocols, it took away from the storytelling, which is a shame because these stories were so beautiful. This novel was so short that we didn’t feel like we got enough time with the characters and understanding their stories. When you strip it all down, this novel had so much heart with a heartwarming concept that there were times it was hard not to love it. Most of our characters wanted to travel to the past to see loved ones again and to know that things would be okay. A lot of it was reassurance and some stories were just so heartbreaking, but there was something so graceful in the way Kawaguchi wrote this; it was so humanizing and relatable to read of their grief and the different forms it can take. In the end, it was a different read and one that, even though this reader has mixed emotions about, the good outweighed the bad.

A story that spans generations; from the 1960s in Nablus all the way to the 2010’s in Beirut, this novel gave different perspectives to how the constant war has affected one family through the generations. From Salma, to her great-granddaughter, Manar, this told the story of how one family continue to realize they can’t go home. This novel could be so harrowing at times, but also so beautiful as well. Alyan’s writing was so lush that it really drove points home, but it also gave hope and beauty in a world that felt like it was always crumbling. It took time for this reader to get into the story because there were multiple characters spread throughout many generations involved and it was hard to connect with them on any level. As the reader made it further into plot, and they understood it better, it got easier to figure out who was who. It also helped that the author provided a family tree in the beginning to help guide the reader. The deeper we got in the story, the deeper and emotional it got, too. It was a really profound story that painted a picture of a world this reader especially, isn’t used to seeing. It was eye opening and captivating to read. The plot started off slow, but it soon opened up and sped up because it was hard not to put down to see what was going to happen next. The characters were intensely developed; they were rooted in generational trauma and we could see as the next generation wanted to break the cycle from the one before, but found swept in similar situations. Each character point of view was slightly different, but they all still felt alike in many ways and the reader found that powerful to read. This was a really well put together novel, that kept the reader on their toes, and it depicted a life that is probably very relatable to a lot of people and that’s what made this so humanizing to read.

Jules and Mia are now trapped on a spaceship on Gaia, where the race, the Undying live. The Undying are set to invade on Earth and take it back, but no one on Earth knows this is going to happen. Once they make it back to Earth… with two Undying in tow, they try to find help, but no one will listen to them. That’s when Jules and Mia must take things into their own hands to try and stop what the Undying have planned for Earth. Taking place right after the events of book one, the sequel takes its readers on a journey through Europe, which was fun, but not enough to hold this reader. This novel had a lot of promise, but sorta fell flat and that ending felt disappointing. After everything these characters went through, it felt like we zipped past the end to ensure everything was going to be alright. All the stakes really meant nothing. The reader was shocked by events that happened close to the end, because it’s not something that happens often… but then what always ends up happening, happened and they were just disappointed. They were also just disappointed by how fast the ending came and it felt like nothing was really told how it got resolved, it just all of a sudden was. This novel definitely took a bit of a left turn in terms of being a sci-fi novel and felt more like a contemporary YA novel instead. Where the first novel had a lot of jargon that was flying over this reader’s head, this novel had none of that. Instead it felt focused on our main character’s love story, and this reader didn’t really care. We just wanted to know who these alien beings were and why they were so deadest on killing humans and possibly invading Earth. We did get those answers, but it just felt buried among other things. The plot was fast-paced and was easy to read… probably because it felt lighter in tone, compared to the first, so the reader was able to make good progress, they just wanted a little more sci-fi and less romance. Even the new characters that were introduced in this novel all had to have some sort of romantic pairing. Speaking of new characters, they were integrated well, and the reader did like their complexity. They were portrayed as the enemy, but were they truly the enemy? And how could they work together to form co-existence, that was really interesting to read; especially when you have two characters who are on polar opposite sides of the spectrum. Even seeing our old characters interact with the new ones was fascinating and really had them open up to one another and face things they never thought they’d face. It definitely made for some interesting points. For the most part, the reader liked these characters, but sometimes it felt like we got surface level with them and we didn’t dig as deep as we could have gotten with them. They weren’t bad characters, just slightly underdeveloped a bit. In the end, this duology had a lot of potential. It probably could have made a great trilogy, if they had expanded a bit more and not rushed the ending off the way the authors did, but it was still an engaging and interesting read, just not exactly what the reader thought it was going to be.

In Goredd, a very old fashioned town, is where Tess lives with her family. They are taught that women are ladies and men are their protectors, meanwhile dragons can be who they want. Tess is not a lady and does things her way, this is what has gotten her into trouble on multiple occasions. Her family feel the only way to deal with her is forcing her to the nunnery. Tess despises that plan, so the day she is set to join, she runs away. Only she’s not running away but toward something; something she has yet to find. The title of this novel truly tells the story of what this book is about. As much as the reader really enjoyed reading about Tess on her journey to find herself; this felt like it went in and on and on. The reader liked the plot; they liked reading this expedition that Tess found herself on. She didn’t know where she was going, nor did she have to know, but it was really beautiful to see her through all these different places and figuring out who she was as she did this. It was great character development because the reader felt like they really got to know her. She started off as a very one dimensional and predictable character, to a very rounded and multi-dimensional one. That was what the reader really loved about this, and seeing Tess at the end, actually chose herself instead of falling back on old habits, was so good to see. What the reader didn’t care for, was how long this felt. It wasn’t like Tess went to one or two places and did things there, no she went to at least three or more and it just made this plot drag. The writing was fast-paced, which was good because it helped us move through the story, but it didn’t stop it from carrying on for as long as it did. It felt like we read a few books in this one volume. Each place held a different experience for Tess, which, again, was great for her character. The way this ended has the reader curious where the sequel is going to go. Is Tess going to go back home, and if she does, what is going to happen now that she has all this life experience on the road. Lastly, this also took place in the same world as Hartman’s Seraphina duology, it was really good to see Seraphina again. Knowing that there were dragons and other mythical creatures made this a fun read, but sometimes the world building lacked a bit, but that’s not going to stop this reader from picking up the sequel. As for this novel, it was well done, the reader just thought it was a lot to take in, in one book.

This was the author, O’Farrell’s memoir, specifically talking about her brushes with death. Each chapter dove into each encounter she’s had throughout the course of her life. She has had more brushes than your average person, which made this an interesting read, but also a very heavy book to read. This made the reader wonder how much sadness and pain a person can truly take on. Each instance was different as it ranged from almost being hit by a car, to almost being attacked, to the heavier topics like having an illness as a child that left her on the brink of death, to having a miscarriage. Some chapters were shorter than others, and some chapters were deeper than others, but we still felt that heartbreak, no matter the story. The way this was written was also really beautiful. For topics so raw and vulnerable, O’Farrell, was able to captivate her audience with her flowery writing and she made these topics feel like a hug and not as harsh as they were. There were moments throughout where the reader forgot they were reading non-fiction because the writing was so touching, and just flowed so well. There were some stories where she wrote about herself in the third person and the reader wasn’t sure why she did that; to mix things up? Those were the chapters that we felt less connected to. The reader also appreciated that this was told out of order; it bounced around from different ages, which took out the predictability of the story, and made it an even more fascinating read. The fact that it moved around a lot meant that we only got glimpses of things before we read them in depth. It felt like a really clever way to keep the reader engaged. The way this ended on talking about her own daughter’s brushes with death, and how that made her feel as a mother, made this whole book come full circle. It was so gut-wrenching to read the things she not only had to go through as a person, but then go through as a mother with her daughter, it was so sad, but also showed how tough and resilient she is. In the end, this was a harrowing story, but an honest and truthful one that really depicts what life can throw at you. 

Alice has gone to Wonderland and fought the battle, but when one battle ends, another one begins. Now, she must go back through the Veil and back to Wonderland in order to save her friends and stop the Black Night. But the deeper she weaves into the world, the more things become murkier. To add to that, there’s a new player at work, one who can use nightmares to impact the living and raise the dead. Alice must not only battle the demons that come her way, but the ones within herself as well. Jumping right back into where the first book left off, we’re thrown right back into the story, and boy did the reader go for a ride. This novel felt like it was constantly going; one thing after another kept happening that it had the reader furiously flipping the pages, wanting to know what was going to happen next. The pacing was well done because as much as things were going by quickly, we never lost the thread of the plot. Speaking of, the plot was also really good because we’re led to believe that our main characters are on the right path, doing what they need to, only to find out maybe they aren’t and the way McKinney laid it all out was cleverly done so it was more of a slow build up, rather than a rush and it worked very well. The world building in this was superb; we got to see so much more into Wonderland, it really opened up and the reader had a blast learning more and just exploring with our main character, Alice. The reader continued to love the way McKinney incorporated the original Alice in Wonderland story into this, yet made it her own; it was well done and never felt ripped off or cheap. The character development lacked a little in this. We did get to see big moments happen between a lot of our main characters, and we learned new things about some of them, but things progressed really slowly. That was okay because so much else was going on that it didn’t affect the enjoyment or the overall story arc. The reader enjoyed watching Alice and her mom get closer, that relationship is one that felt very relatable. In the end though, this novel didn’t fall victim to second book syndrome, but instead flourished on its own.

 My next classic read is all about King Arthur and the different tales and stories of his adventures. We first learn about his beginnings and how he became King Arthur, which was a nice refresher for me; I’ve never read this, but I’ve seen other various forms of film adaptions of King Arthur. We also see a lot of stories pertaining to the Knights of the Round Table and mostly just the 12 that are constantly mentioned. It’s been a good read so far, although it’s not as engaging as I thought it’d be. We’ll see how it progresses as I’ve only read the first four books out of 21! 

 

I’m a few more books in and it’s really focused on Lancelot and another knight named Beaumains. I’ve been enjoying the stories, but I’m not 100% captivated by them. I don’t really know how to describe it because I know I’m not hating or disliking this, I guess I just expected more from it. The stories, which are chaptered, are really short within each book and so it always feels like things are moving at such a fast pace. It’s what you want in an action/medieval/knight story, but it’s just not sucking me in like I’d want it to. I’m going to keep going because I do plan on finishing it, I just hope I begin to like it more! 

 

The stories have definitely picked up a bit. This last one I just read had me thinking that Sir Tristram was dead and that made me realize how invested I was in this particular character. When you start to see the same characters over and over again, you start to get attached. The last few books have really focused on Sir Tristram, Sir Bleoberis, Sir Lamorak and Sir Palomides just to name a few, and we’re following them on their adventures as save damsels and join Arthur’s round table. Again, not all the stories are the best, but there’s something about this that has me wanting to read more! 

 

There is a lot happening now; I’m definitely in the thick of things… what I’m not exactly loving is all the characters we’re being thrown. It feels like with every new chapter there’s a new knight or king and I’m having such a hard time keeping up with them all. They’re fighting each other for power, glory and women and new men just show up and I’m like wait where did you come from?! It’s been an interesting read; like previous weeks, I’m still not completely sold on this, but I’m also not bored or done with it either. I feel very neutral, but am I liking the reading pace. We’ll see what continues to unfold. 

 

The storytelling is getting better and I’m enjoying this a lot more. We learn of Sir Lancelot’s son, Galahad, which I had no idea about, so that was a lot of fun to read. Now we’re getting adventures with his son and it’s a fun reading experience. I also liked the introduction of Galahad’s mother Damn Elaine, there’s something about her character that I just really like. It feels like she keeps popping up everywhere and just making her presence known. There have randomly been dragons, too, that I wasn’t prepared for, but liked a lot. I wish we had gotten more; I mean, I still have 9 books to go, so they could make a comeback. I’m excited to keep going and see what’s in store for me next! 

 

This has gotten more dramatic than it’s ever been. We had a death of a character, won’t spoil who, and that just kinda set off a lot of anger, betrayal and of course jousting and fighting. It’s been very fast-paced because I’ve had to go back and reread things because I’m like wait, what happened?! Still no more dragons though. There’s still time, but I’m kinda becoming doubtful. I have 4 more books, each varying in chapter length from 10 - 30, but I know that I’ll be finishing this up next week. I’ll be sad to let it go, but it’s been a fun ride! 

 

Well, what a way to go out. I assumed it would end in death… but damn! So we got some betrayal and a good fight scene with a very tragic death. And then after that happens, well the book kinda goes out in a whimper. I didn’t hate it, but I also wasn’t expecting it. Like what happens to Lancelot actually really surprised me; I could not have predicted it. And what I also found really interesting, as this book is about King Arthur and his knights at the Round Table, but it also felt like it was also about Sir Lancelot, too. The amount of story we got about him was just as much, if at times more so than Arthur, and I liked that. It gave a bigger picture to this world and let us explore more. In the end, this was definitely an exciting read and one that I enjoyed; some chapters/books more than others, but it was an overall, well worth read. 

Montserrat is a film sound editor in Mexico City in the 90s, but it’s very much a boys’ club, and she’s quite often overlooked. Her best friend, Tristán is a washed up actor, but when his new neighbour is a cult horror director, Abel Urueta that both he and Montserrat admire, of course they have to meet him. Although, the two do more than just meet him, they befriend him as he tells them all his tales, including the fact that he is cursed. Now that these two have been brought into the fold, there’s no escaping until the curse is broken. At first they are willing, but when the dead start to haunt the two, they don’t know how much more they can take. Do they have what it takes to break the curse? Full of magic and mystery, this had a really great concept, but sometimes the execution wasn’t the greatest; as well, sometimes the pacing was off, which made it hard to read and hard to get into. This started off slow, which let the reader get used to the world, but it also made it feel like it dragged on, too. It got faster as we progressed, which was good because the reader just needed to know what would happen next, but then the pace would slow once more and make the story drag again. It did pick up once more by the end, but it made for a strange reading experience. As for the actual plot, it was clever and well thought out, even if it wasn’t always told very well. The mystery and intrigue were really well set up because it really kept us on our toes. We never knew what was going to happen next. This reader sorta felt like our main character, Tristán. He was always kinda on the outside and never quite getting everything his best friend Montserrat was saying; that’s exactly how this reader felt. These big concepts would be thrown at us and we’d have to try and figure it out, but because of Tristán’s character, we kinda got a breakdown of what was happening, without it feeling overtly expositional. The characters were very well developed. Moreno-Garcia is excellent at writing really flawed characters who are trying to do good, but don’t always do it in the right way. The reader enjoyed getting to know our two main characters, as they’ve been friends since grade school, and to watch them explore their friendship, not just in the present tense, but in the past, was a nice way to get to know them. Obviously, this reader could see what she was teeing her readers up for, so it didn’t come as a shock when it got to the end. Speaking of endings, this had a great ending because we had no idea if the curse would be broken, if the dead would stay dead, and the living stay living; it was really a close to the finish line ending that had us on the edge of our seats until the end. Overall, despite the pacing being a little lacklustre, this was another bold and exhilarating novel from Moreno-Garcia.

Final thoughts: As a whole, this collection of short stories was pretty good. Sure, some were better than others, but you’re always going to have that with a collection. For the most part, each story was well told and had a clear message with a good scare, or gruesome detail thrown in. There were a few that this reader had wished were full length novels because the concept was so good, they couldn’t help but want more; to spend more time with the characters and that world… the you have the Mist, which was long and wasn’t told that great. It was a great concept, but the execution of the whole thing fell flat, and the ending sucked. King had a few ending flops, but he also had a few ending wins that left the reader feeling chilled by its ominous and sometimes just plan scary endings. The way these stories sometimes fit together, but at other times didn’t made for an ok reading experience. Sometimes there felt like there was a theme and others it just felt really erratic in story telling. That’s what made it exciting, but at times also a bit all over the place. In the end, this was an enjoyable read, where this reader would read some stories again, but not the whole collection again.

The Tran family have made their home in Toronto over the last few decades opening and operating a nail salon, Sunshine Nails. But when a new very prestigious salon from the US rolls in on the same street, the Tran family have to find a way of keeping the lights on and the business open. This was such a beautiful story that wove life as an immigrant with culture, work life culture and family. At first the reader thought this had too many points of view. Everyone in this family had a POV and it got a to be a bit much to start, but once you dove a little deeper into the story, it became relevant as to how each of these stories and POVs came together to tell one cohesive narrative. Each character had a part to play in the overall arc. It was such a journey to read about each of these characters; they all had their own struggles, but were really good at putting their family before their struggle. It made this story so enriching to read about such flawed characters. They all had to fail at something, and it really humbled them; they each had this sort of wake up moment that shook them up to see what they really needed to see, and that made this so special. It could get really emotional when we saw each of the characters start to work with each other instead of against each other. This really brought into question the things you’d do for family and how bonded you can become. This was a really well told story; the pacing started off a little slow in the beginning, but it really took off about mid-way and the reader found themselves so immersed in the world they didn’t want to leave. The plots just kept coming and the reader had no idea where anything was going to lead. The highs and lows in this were kinda extreme, but they worked really well and had the reader feeling an array of emotions, from amused to poignant. This was such a compelling and gripping story and a great look into the Asian immigrant story, would definitely recommend.