cie-reads

[cie-reads]

Normalize going into people’s ask boxes and ask them random ass questions.

Tumblr used to be so much fun with all the asks (anonymous or otherwise), and we need to bring those back, especially now that we finally have a half-decent blocking feature in place.

Ask people things! Message them! Don’t let tumblr inbox die! It’s one of the features that made tumblr tumblr.

[cie-reads]

Currently Reading 🌟 The Old Kingdom by Garth Nix.

I borrowed these from my girlfriend who recommended that I read them, and I'm really glad I did. This series is an absolute delight so far. Such detailed and rich fantasy yet it's portrayed in such a down-to-earth, natural way - I agree with Philip Pullman's quote on the cover.

Full review to come once I've finished reading Sabriel.

[cie-reads]

Hey friends, I need some new blogs to follow!

My dash is super dead right now cause I lot of the people I used to follow aren’t active anymore, so if you are pretty active and post about and/or are interested in any of these things, please like or reblog this so I can check your blog!

📖 books 📖 libraries 📖 bookstores 📖 indie bookstores 📖 book reviews 📖 I think it’s pretty obvious that I love books by now…

✨ dark academia ✨ light academia ✨ cosy academia ✨ chaotic academia ✨any kind of academia, really

Okay, I know this was long, and mostly included books, but thank you in advance! I can’t wait to find all of your amazing blogs!

[cie-reads]

Pandora Hearts Vol. 1

5/5☆ Heartwarming, Horrifying, & full of heart: Lewis Carroll meets Gothic horror meets steampunk meets deep, compelling psychological storytelling.

A series very close to my heart: Pandora Hearts was the first ever manga series I read from start to finish when I was a teenager. Now, revisiting it in 2023, I am just as absorbed by Jun Mochizuki’s spellbinding writing style and captivated by her masterful artwork.

To sum up how I feel about the first entry in one of my favourite manga series of all time in a short review will be a tricky task, but I will endeavour to do so, nevertheless. (Slight spoilers for the first chapter of the book to follow).

The initial pages open this graphic novel on an intriguingly mysterious note, with cowled figures pronouncing a young boy’s very existence to be a sin (yes, his existence), foreshadowing some of the horror and drama to come, but then launches into a contrastingly jovial scene. We are suddenly and merrily introduced to our seemingly carefree protagonist Oz Vessalius bursting triumphantly from his hiding-place - a wardrobe – after he evades the attempts of various household members desperately trying to locate him for his coming-of-age ceremony.

These juxtapositions of tone are extremely common in this first volume of Pandora Hearts and the series as a whole, and they really make for an interesting time reading the manga. You never really know what’s coming in the next few pages – it could be a wholesome slice of life scene between friends or some of the most terrifying images of psychological horror, body horror, and gore possible in both art and writing.

Now, I won’t go too much more into spoiler territory in this review – because, well, that would defeat the point of writing a book recommendation - but I will summarize what kind of reader I think would benefit from reading this absolutely amazing series. I feel like anyone who is a fan of the Alice in Wonderland books by Lewis Carroll or gothic fantasy in general would appreciate Mochizuki’s retelling of some of the classic features of Wonderland with several key twists – she adds in heaps more horror, stitches in subtle and stunning steampunk elements, and so much extremely emotionally taxing character writing. This series is not for the faint-of-heart – it is chock-full of both horrific scenes and heart wrenching ones. But it is fully worth the emotional toil because it is both a beautiful manga to look at and a gem to read.

[cie-reads]

Hello! I'm Cie and this is my blog where I review books I've read. 📚

I've been on tumblr for some time but today is the day when I thought I ought to combine my love of books with my love of writing and get back to writing some reviews of all the books I am reading.

It'll definitely freshen up my writing skills and get me back to working through my reading pile at the same time. (It's a big pile!)

Here's to more reading and writing soon!💛