flufflepuff-reads

[flufflepuff-reads]

Nҽαɾ ƚσ ƚԋҽ ɯιʅԃ ԋҽαɾƚ (Spoiler Free Review)

Aυƚԋσɾ: Clarice Lispector Rҽʅҽαʂҽ: December 1943 Gҽɳɾҽ: Classic, Fiction Rαƚιɳɠ: 3.75 stars

“𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐭.”

Pɾҽɱιʂҽ:

During this novel we flash through different abstracts of the consciousness of Joana, throughout her life. Joana wonders about the meaning of life, true freedom and the purpose of her own existence.

"𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧. 𝐈 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞."

Rҽʋιҽɯ:

This novel is filled to the brim with beautiful quotes and offers many existential questions, that I adore. Joana is a very interesting character because of the way she feels and perceives the world around her, it feels like her soul is constantly plagued by some sort of hunger. Still i couldn't enjoy the book as much as I had hoped and my hopes were VERY high. The plot of the story is basically non existent, because everything that happens is often hard to understand and Joana's life is rather ordinary. It just feels like something was missing to make this novel feel whole, other than beautiful quotes and questions to ponder the novel doesn't offer much. It is first and foremost a think piece and not quite a story. I did enjoy it, I just yearn for more. Maybe I will revisit it again, later in life.

⭐⭐⭐.75

“𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐠𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠?—𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐩 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐞.”

Journal pages:

[flufflepuff-reads]

Fɾαɳƙҽɳʂƚҽιɳ (Review with Spoilers)

Aυƚԋσɾ: Mary Shelley Rҽʅҽαʂҽ: 1818 Gҽɳɾҽ: Sci-fi, Horror Rαƚιɳɠ: 2.5

"𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞. 𝐈𝐟 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐟𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫."

Pɾҽɱιʂҽ:

Scientist Victor Frankenstein yearns to achieve a revolutionary discovery. He is obsessed with the idea of creating artificial life, but once he does, his own creature disgusts him.

“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥. 𝐘𝐞𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧; 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞.”

Rҽʋιҽɯ:

The short version of this review is: Sadly the vague idea I had of the novel, before reading it, was way better than the novel. The long version is this:

Frankenstein is not only a classic, but the birth of the sci-fi genre! (One of my favourite genres of all time) The idea behind it is fantastic and it was revolutionary for it's time, however I am unhappy with the execution. It was most likely wonderful for it's time but from a modern standpoint it just doesn't deliver, it feels too soft and I was just missing a real built up. First of all this book does not feel like horror, it is just not scary. And (this is the part of the review with which is gonna get my ass beat) I cannot share everyone's sentiment for the monster. Everybody seems to adore this story because of it's deeper messages. They say that Frankenstein and the people of this story are the real villains, because of how they treated the monster purely based on it's looks, which in turn, turned it into a monster. This would be a fantastic story, if that was the case, but to me, the monster was never really good. Good people aren't good because they, not only want to, but feel entitled to be loved by others.

Even back when the monster was "supposedly" good, it did terrible things and the blind man, for example, was not scared of the monster, because of the way it looked, but because of the way it has stalked his family. The monster wants to abduct a child, because it thinks it is easier to raise a child to love him, than to get other people to love him and when that child is scared, which it has every right to be, the monster kills it. If the execution would have been different and the monster would have actually been good, then this book would be perfect, but that just isn't the case. Also I just feel it is so disgusting that the monster forces Frankenstein to make him a wife, when he himself cannot bear his own existence. He is fully prepared to inflict this terrible fate on somebody else, for his own selfish reasons, which washes down his hatred for Frankenstein and his craft. I'm sorry but it just feels hypocritical and also, once again, entitled, because why was he so sure that woman would love him?

Every other review I have read sees Frankenstein as the monster and the monster as a poor victim, but to me, it just feels like the story of two men, who think they have the right to do whatever they want and feel entitled to nothing but love, no matter how much they destroy in the process.

⭐⭐.5

Journal pages:

[flufflepuff-reads]

Oɳƈҽ υρσɳ α Ⴆɾσƙҽɳ ԋҽαɾƚ (Spoiler Free Review)

Aυƚԋσɾ: Stephanie Garber Rҽʅҽαʂҽ: 28th September 2021 Gҽɳɾҽ: Fantasy, Romance Rαƚιɳɠ: 4 stars

“𝐈 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝𝐲. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.”

Pɾҽɱιʂҽ:

Heartbroken Evangeline Fox strikes a deal with a fate, the prince of hearts, to stop her true love from marrying someone else. She is convinced that her boyfriend Luc was cursed into marrying her step-sister. However she greatly underestimates the contents of her deal with the prince of hearts.

“𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞.”

Rҽʋιҽɯ:

Sadly I was unaware that OUABH is a spin off series to Stephanie Garber's Caraval series and thus I am missing a load of world building, which made it a really confusing read for me. It felt hard to picture the scenery and feel of the world, however that is most likely my fault.

This book is a really fun and fast-paced read. The story relies heavily on both using and simultaniously subverting typical fairytale tropes, which made it really interesting. It can become rather sappy and the characters feel dull at times but in the end I still enjoyed it a lot.

I know some people dislike our main character for being so very naive, but I don't mind at all, because I do not think it is overdone. Yes Evangeline does naive things and has a naive outlook on love itself, but it doesn't hinder her in this story to an annoying degree. She was born to people who had a fairytale type of love and so that is what she seeks, and she does realize that it is not as easy as she has always thought and that she also makes mistakes. Yes Evangeline is in a lot of ways the stereotypical fairytale girl, but she doesn't just get strung along by the happenings of her world, she thinks, she strategises and she acts. She is what truly impacts the storyline. "But Tara, she's literally the main character." Yes! But sadly, in these types of books, it is often rare. We get female main characters that basically don't do anything other than look pretty all of the time, and I am glad Evangeline does not do that.

The supporting characters however fell flat a bunch of times, other than Jacks and Marisol I could not care less... ( I loved Marisol, I don't know why but I was OBSESSED with her while reading the book)

There is one scene near the end of the book that gets a teeny tiny bit spicy, so just in case that bothers you, it might not be for you. But although I don't like spice in my books at all tbh I didn't really mind it this time (I don't know if it gets more in the future books of the series).

Overall I think if I had read Caraval previously the book would have been a lot more coherent to me, the world building felt very patchy at times, because it was just SO MUCH cramped in one world. But like I said I enjoyed it, I like our main characters, I like the writing style and I'm excited to see where it goes!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Journal pages:

[flufflepuff-reads]

Tԋҽ Gσԃ σϝ ƚԋҽ Wσσԃʂ (Spoiler Free Review)

Aυƚԋσɾ: Liz Moore Rҽʅҽαʂҽ: 2nd July 2024 Gҽɳɾҽ: Mystery, Thriller Rαƚιɳɠ: 5 stars

„𝐓𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜, 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐓𝐉, 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭. 𝐓𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐭‘𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝.“

Pɾҽɱιʂҽ:

Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.

“𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐲—𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰—𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬.”

Rҽʋιҽɯ:

Oh my God! The writing in this book!! Liz Moore is a godess at setting the atmosphere and every single sentence is just so full of intent. Every chapter is so thrilling, I could not put this book down.

If I could steal anyone's writing style, it would be hers. Liz Moore doesn't tell you how her characters are feeling, she shows you, she makes you feel it with them. It is never outright said but portrayed with so much detail, which just makes the characters feel so real. Even the writing style changes with the characters feelings, extending them to the reader.

The way the book kept jumping between timelines, unfolding two cases at once... it just feels like a masterpiece. Both cases kept me glued to the pages at all times. It has been ages since I have devoured a book like this. This book is the reason I started reading again and why I wanted to write reviews, it singlehandedly revieved my love of literature. We constantly not only switch through different timelines but also through different characters and I thought it was brilliant.

Also the women in this book!!! For once it feels like the women are actually main characters in a book with male characters only there to support their storylines. I’m sorry but that is rare and a refreshing sight! This book and the relationships in it are so tragic and beautifully done.

Plus I could not call a single plot twist in this book, which is incredibly rare for me and the last 100 pages had me literally screaming and kicking my feet at how good they were.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐲, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧, 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.”

Journal pages:

[flufflepuff-reads]

Tԋҽ ʂσɳɠ σϝ αƈԋιʅʅҽʂ (Spoiler Free Review)

Aυԋƚσɾ: Madeline Miller Rҽʅҽαʂҽ: 20th September 2011 Gҽɳɾҽ: Historic Fiction, Romance, LGBTQ, Fantasy Rαƚιɳɠ: 2.5 stars

"𝐇𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐲"

Pɾҽɱιʂҽ:

A retelling of the Illiad that portrays Achilles and Patroclus as lovers. We follow Patroclus' story as he grows up, meets Achilles and fights in the Trojan War. In this book Achilles is not invulnerable like he is in the original myth.

" 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐧"

Rҽʋιҽɯ:

I'm about to make myself very unpopular, I know this book is y'alls roman empire...

Listen...the storyline itself was great, but it's a retelling, it has been around since before Madeline Miller and I can't quite put my finger on it but somehow I just couldn't enjoy it?? Reading it felt like a chore.

This book just felt like a drag and I don't know why, probably the pacing? This book would have made a wonderful short story, it has great moments it has beautiful quotes but something is just off... Either you do a fast, interesting pacing, that keeps you glued to the pages or you go slow and put in the details. Yet this book did neither. It was slow but where was the love in the details?

Both the main characters, especially Achilles, were never really explored deeper than their surface and this made the entire romance feel superficial. Whenever Patroclus thinks about his love for Achilles it's about his looks, never his soul. (Also about his feet. FOR GODS SAKE STOP TALKING ABOUT HIS FEET)

I'm really upset about not enjoying this book and weirdly I can point out ALL the moments that had other readers feeling this story and yet I couldn't feel anything, eventhough it was easy to know when I was suppossed to?

When I think back about the contents of this book I don't remember anything super negative. I remember a great story, I just couldn't feel it while reading it. I think this would have been better in any other format...

⭐⭐.5

Journal pages:

[flufflepuff-reads]

Nҽαɾ ƚσ ƚԋҽ ɯιʅԃ ԋҽαɾƚ ( Quotes )

I‘m halfway through „Near to the wild heart“ by Clarice Lispector. Here are my favourite quotes until now:

„𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬: 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞, 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞.“

„𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝, 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞“

„𝐈 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭, 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭, 𝐈‘𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧“

„𝐉𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞.“

„𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐰𝐨, 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐰𝐨, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬, 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲.“

„𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐉𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟-𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐫 ��𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞. 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐧‘𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨.“

„𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲“

[flufflepuff-reads]

Dυɳɠҽσɳʂ αɳԃ Dɾαɱα (Spoiler Free Review)

Aυƚԋσɾ: Kristy Boyce Rҽʅҽαʂҽ: 9th January 2024 Gҽɳɾҽ: Young adult romance, (fake dating) Rαƚιɳɠ: 3.5

"𝐇𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐈'𝐦 𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭"

Pɾҽɱιʂҽ:

Riley Morris is a musical loving teenager, forced to work at her dads gaming store, after getting in trouble for stealing her mothers car. There she has to work with Nathan Wheeler, unlike her he has a lot of passion for board games and adores her fathers shop. Even though they can't stand each other, the two of them agree to fake-date to make both Riley's ex and Nathan's current crush jealous. So Riley joins Nathan's current DnD campaign as the party's bard.

“𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥. 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐮𝐩.”

Rҽʋιҽɯ:

Is the premise new and inventive? No. Is the writing good tho? Sadly, also no. Terrible even in some instances... but did I enjoy it? Hell yeah. Listen this book, objectively, is not good, but I just had to buy it because I LOVE musicals, dnd and this absolutely adorable cover. This book had a lot of aspects that really bothered me at the start, for example that the main characters started out extremely unlikeable, thank god it changed. However it did not change through character growth, it just changed, suddenly. Another thing was that the reason Riley had a difficult relationship with her dad just felt so stupid, like I genuinly can't. Still, despite all that, I loved it, the book had me giggling and kicking my feet at the end. Not only is the romance adorable, but I also just loved to see Riley's original feelings towards DnD change and her absolutely loving life as a bard. A second book is going to come out soon, turning this into a series and I definetly plan on reading it! I'm just a little sad it's about a new couple and not Riley and Nathan.

⭐⭐⭐.5

[flufflepuff-reads]

I ɯԋσ ԋαʋҽ ɳҽʋҽɾ ƙɳσɯɳ ɱҽɳ (Review, slight spoilers tagged)

Aυƚԋσɾ: Jacqueline Harpman Rҽʅҽαʂҽ: 1st January 1995 Gҽɳɾҽ: Dystopia, Feminism, Science Fiction Rαƚιɳɠ: 5 stars

"𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐈'𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐲"

Pɾҽɱιʂҽ:

39 women and a young girl have been imprisoned in a cage underground, none of them know who their captors were or how long it has been since their last day of freedom. Our main character, the young girl, has no recollection of her previous life or the outside world.

"𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐛𝐬, 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥."

Rҽʋιҽɯ:

I feel like people either adore or hate this novella and I for one do not understand how this book can leave anyone dissapointed. I expected it to go an entirely different route based on the cover and premise and yet I am not upset about it. This book explores loneliness in a beautiful and haunting way. It deals with loss and love and poses the question what it is that makes us human? Is it the experiences and memories we made all our life or the feelings we feel for others? This is a short novella without chapters to divide it and I would honestly recommend taking your time with it, this book will get you fully immersed. I cannot understand how this book isn't considered a classic by now.

𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰

Yes this book leaves questions unanswered, but it's entire essence would be lost if it didn't. We are made to feel the same feelings of frustration and anger as the women are, and this is done fantastically. Yes you are left, in a way, unfulfilled but that is it's purpose. That is what drives this story home. This story is a tragedy.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Journal pages:

[flufflepuff-reads]

There is this horror book series called House on Cherry Street, which I reread every spooky season when I was a young teenager. (I still pee myself thinking abt it tbh) Although my copy is nearly falling apart (it was in my family for a while) I can‘t wait to read it again!! (Should I just drop all my current reads to pick it up again? No, but what if the answer was yes?….What if I should buy a new copy…….)

Weekly Bookish Question #412 (October 20th - October 26th, 2024)

Do you read spooky books? If yes, what is one of the spookiest you've read? If no, what would make you consider picking one up?

[flufflepuff-reads]

wtf do I do when my future home doesn‘t look like this

I found this in an architecture shaming group! Shame on you, OP, I love this pink shelf and the turquoise accents in the room.

[flufflepuff-reads]

Tԋҽ Fυʅʅ ɱσσɳ Cσϝϝҽҽ Sԋσρ (Spoiler Free Review)

Aυƚԋσɾ: Mai Mochizuki Rҽʅҽαʂҽ: 8th July 2023 Gҽɳɾҽ: Magical Realism, Contemporary Fantasy Rαƚιɳɠ: 3 stars

„𝐂𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝. 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲.“

Pɾҽɱιʂҽ:

During The Full Moon Coffee Shop we meet 4 different people, living in Kyoto. Their stories are deeply intertwined and now it seems they all have lost their way in some sense. A magical coffee shop, run entirely by cats, appears to them in their time of need. One after another these cats guide them on an astrological journey to better understand their own past and move into a brighter future.

„𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐌𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝.“

Rҽʋιҽɯ:

The book has an interesting set up with a lovely atmosphere. Sadly the string of stories itself was just okay and in the end they felt repetitive. One love story would have been nice, but making all 3 chapters about romance and 2 of them about cheating was too much, especially with the way it was handled. The men in these situations were never really faulted by the characters themselves or the author, the blame is passed onto the women without a second thought. As readers we are just expected to pretend cheating is totally normal and nearly inevitable just as japanese women are sadly forced to do by their society. (The japanese dating scene is nightmare fuel, I just wish this book would have displayed a more critical view on it). Still the book offered interesting knowledge about astrology, which I liked a lot. The ending was a nice attempt at connecting the stories even further, sadly it felt rushed in a way and left me confused at times, it was by no means bad but I had other expectations and wished for a different ending for the cats. Overall I felt let down, I LOVED the premise, but the book just didn‘t achieve what it tried to do. (I don‘t even like the advice the cats give)

⭐⭐⭐

Journal pages:

[flufflepuff-reads]

please please please please please read The god of the Woods it is so so good! Literally how I rediscovered my love for reading, I am obsessed!!

on todays episode of “there aren’t enough hours in the day to read all of the books i want”

[flufflepuff-reads]

Tԋҽ Sαʅƚ ɠɾσɯʂ ԋҽαʋყ (Spoiler Free Review)

Aυƚԋσɾ: Cassandra Khaw Rҽʅҽαʂҽ: 2nd May 2023 Gҽɳɾҽ: Horror, Fantasy Rαƚιɳɠ: 3.5 stars

„𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐯𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐧“ Pɾҽɱιʂҽ:

Tha Salt Grows Heavy is a reimagination of the classic mermaid myth filled with a horrific and dark atmosphere. In this story the mermaid, who has been partially dismembered by her prince, now travels the ruins of the kingdom, that was devoured by her daughters. By her side is a plague doctor who is equally as mysterious as her.

„𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥“

Rҽʋιҽɯ:

Listen… I‘m not even sure what I read. I feel like there‘s a big part of the story I missed due to this novella being a really difficult read, but I liked it! Especially the mermaids backstory pulled me into this book and the fact that it’s such a weird couple made my interest spike. It is unlike any book I‘ve read before, the atmosphere basically spilles out of the pages. It‘s a beautiful, tragic & gothic tale, a great horror-fall read. The lyrical writing is gorgeous and this book is filled to the brim with amazing quotes, however the excessive use of extravagant vocabulary made it confusing and even made it feel fake at times. But still, in the end I adore the world & characters Khaw has created. I‘m definetly going to revisit the book again some day, I feel like it has a lot to say, that I just couldn‘t grasp quite yet.

⭐⭐⭐.5

Journal Pages:

[flufflepuff-reads]

Wanna follow me on goodreads to see what books I‘m currently reading?🥺💕

[flufflepuff-reads]

Aɳɳҽ σϝ Gɾҽҽɳ GαႦʅҽʂ (Spoilers in Journal Pages)

Aυƚԋσɾ: L.M Montgomery Rҽʅҽαʂҽ: 13th June 2018 Gҽɳɾҽ: Coming of Age, Childrens Book Rαƚιɳɠ: 4 stars

"𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐆𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞"

Pɾҽɱιʂҽ:

Anne Shirley, a young orphan, sets off for her new life at Green Gables but upon arriving she has to learn that the siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert wanted to adopt a boy, not a young girl with an imagination so huge it just spills out of her.

"𝐈'𝐦 𝐬𝐨 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬"

Rҽʋιҽɯ:

Anne Shirley might be the most delightful character ever written. Although the stroyline itself is rather simple this book is wonderful and has so much character and just left me with a warm and homely feeling everytime I put it down. The characters just feel real. ALL of them. Anne, at least to me, the most relatable and loveable of them all. I grew up on many different tv adaptations of this book and I adored them all, Anne has somehow always been a part of me. As a child seeing a character that was as "weird" as me somehow healed apart of me, it felt like a cathardic cry. Anne is deeply flawed and shows a lot of AuDHD traits, she maladaptively daydreams constantly, which gets her in trouble a bunch of times. But seeing a character like this, which is so accurately portrayed, has just always brought me joy, even back when I had no understanding of it. There is a reason this book just keeps and keeps getting different adaptions, it will always be a timeless classic.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

SPOILERS FOLLOWING

Journal pages:

[flufflepuff-reads]

Tԋҽ Pσρρყ Wαɾ (Spoiler Free Review)

Aυƚԋσɾ: R. F. Kuang Rҽʅҽαʂҽ: 1st May 2018 Gҽɳɾҽ: Grimdark Fantasy Rαƚιɳɠ: 5 stars

"𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠"

Pɾҽɱιʂҽ:

War orphan, Fang Runin, tries to avoid being sold to an old man by applying to Nikara's most elite military academy. When she gets in, it is not the end of her struggles, at school she is faced with racism and abuse, all while a new war looms on the horizon.

"𝗪𝗮𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼'𝘀 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁. 𝗪𝗮𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀."

Rҽʋιҽɯ:

The poppy war is probably one of the best built up fantasy novels of all time. It is a beautiful display of great world building, wonderful and real, complex characters and beautiful writing. This story has meaning, it has purpose and it does what other authors have shyed away from. However this story is NOT for the faint of heart. It is, although sometimes funny, first and foremost a war story. It is ugly, disgusting, brutal and it's real. It is real, because this war happened.

The poppy war is an alternative retelling of the 2nd Sino-Japanese war, set in a fantasy world that is HEAVILY based on china and it displays The Rape of Nanjing, one of the ugliest and darkest massacres in human history, in great detail. The gods and magic might not be real, but this war was. I have never ever heard or read something as vile in any other sort of media, this isn't a typical hero story. Kuang does not shy away from the undescribable horror that this massacre was and she does not lessen war in any way in this book. Trust me, this is not what you are used to.

Eventhough I felt the book was perfect, I struggled with the moral question of wether or not using a real massacre like this in a fantasy novel was ethical for a very long while. Who knows. I am not the authority to decide this matter, but here are some of my thoughts:

Kuang is by far not the first author to base a fantasy novel on real events and real wars, perhaps the most famous example would be J. R. R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings, however there is a fundemental difference in the way they do. Tolkien makes it a typical hero story, he poses no question wether or not war is right or wrong, he doesn't make it possible for you to question who the good guy is, because the Orcs are made specifically to kill and destroy, they live no other life, they serve no greater purpose. He may not be romanticising war, but he definetly lessens your understanding and expections of and around it. Kuang does the opposite, she shows you a real war. Nobody in her story is right and without fault, nobody gains anything from this war, all it brings is pain, death and suffering in abundance. To me, reading this book felt like a wake up call, suddenly I had to realise that war was nothing like I imagined, because no matter how hard I'd have tried, I could never have imagined these horros. These horrors which were the ends of real peoples lives, not too long ago. I think this understanding of things and our own world is important. In a very rough way this book educated me on a matter I had unknowingly closed my eyes on, and to me that is worth something. I think this book has a far greater purpose than just entertainment and if you think you can stomach it, I think you should read it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Journal pages:

[flufflepuff-reads]

Why do I see people barely showing Moo Deng’s mom? Clearly the cuteness runs in the family