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hansreviewsstuff · 2 years

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Rolling with the LGBT

I've learnt that buying books just because they have gay people in them isn't always for the best, but here are my reviews of two queer books that I read recently(ish) and enjoyed. The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller (I am a sucker for trends and booktok ok) and Afterlove by Tanya Bryne.

10/08/2022

The Song Of Achilles

By Madeline Miller

3.5/5

I have mixed feelings about this book. As someone who knows next to nothing about Greek Mythology, (I've listened to Achillies Come Down, and that's about it) I went into this book completely blind as to what to expect. I'm assuming the story was quite traditional and similar to the myth, so I can't really critique it? I don't know? Sorry. I vowed to myself to explain more of the story and my thoughts about it in these reviews but I've kind of forgotten this particular book's , and I guess that means it wasn't very good. At least to me! Miller is a beautiful writer though, and descriptions were done with quote-worthy style. The ending was sad, and looking back it reminds me of Merlin quite a bit. Nice and devastating. What is it with MLM and devastating endings?? Achilles and Patroclus were both idiots, but it added to their charm and sometimes characters who don't do what you know is the right or most practical thing to do are most interesting.

I feel like I dipped my toe into something I had no idea about, and came out rightfully confused. But if you like Greek Mythology, go ahead! (Although my guess is you've already read it!)

Favourite character: Brises

Would I recommend this book: Like I said, if you're a fan of Greek Mythology, a MLM love story, and beautiful descriptions you can lose yourself in, please go ahead. Honestly, it's a good book, but not really my thing.

04/11/2022

Afterlove

By Tanya Bryne

4/5

I remember this book more! I didn't give it more than a 4 because the tension, suspense and plot twists that I love in books were quite minimal, although I can't really think of where there would be a place for them. Some really beautiful, peaceful passages before everything goes wrong surrounding WLW love and just love in general, which weighed out the reduced tension. I like both soppy and dramatic tales!

On the surface, the story was about a girl falling in love, dying, and then trying to find her love again as this grim-reaper type character. But more deeply, it was about the affects of early passing (see below my favourite extract about this- one of my favourite extracts ever!) , the affects of death on loved ones and the beauty of the cycle of life. I really enjoyed it, although it deifnetly ignited lots of my fears about dying! A beautiful tale, if a bit quickly ended. Clearly the writer did not want a sequel.

Favourite Character: Poppy probably

Would I recommend this book: Absolutely. A beautiful tale, with a deep meaning behind. Creative as well, I had never seen life after death put in that way (and life after death is something I'm very interested in) Read it!

It's a bit long, I know, but beautiful.

I hope you enjoyed these reviews, super old reviews now. I've read a bunch of books recently, and the two I want to cover are Legendborn and How To Kill Your Family. I think I'll clear the list I wrote on the last post, as I have no memory of most of them. Oops.

See you,

Hans

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hansreviewsstuff · 2 years

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Liar liar

Over the years I have collected a vast selection of books with "lie" or a variation of it in the title, so I decided to read them all. Here are my reviews of We Were Liars, Lies Like Poison, The Supreme Lie and One Of Us Is Lying. Janus Sanders would be proud!

23/10/2022

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

3.5/5

Booktok book, oh no! To be honest, I can see why it is popular. It's main theme of familial/generational trauma is expressed incredibly well, and even me, who's experience in that subject only stretches to watching Encanto, could really see the reality of the terrible Sinclair family, and how it affects those who are a part of it. I didn't go into the book expecting a story about that (the perils of no blurb) but it was interesting to read about anyway, and I feel those who relate more closely to the subject would enjoy it even more. Now. The plot twist. I try my best to do spoiler-free reviews, so I won't reveal it, but. The plot twist, the overall "answer to the underlying question throughout the book", was a simple solution. A bobs your uncle, here's how it actually is, done, solution. Shocking, no doubt, and I will enjoy reading the book again in the future and spotting all the things that reveal it, but nothing to uncurl. Not sure if I liked it. As a fan of murder mysteries which have complicated solutions that you have to get your head around, it wasn't exactly my piece of cake. And finally. The metaphors. I have seen other people on TikTok comment on this, so I'm not alone. They were a bit too good. So much so that I didn't know whether our main character actually got "shot" or whether it was just a metaphor. This happened all throughout the book and I got very confused!

Favourite Character: Johnny

Would I recommend this book: Mm. Depends. As I said, if you are interested in familial trauma and it's effects, and are ready for a frankly devastating plot twist, go ahead. Just be prepared.

I feel like past me may of slandered this book a bit too much. I skim read it a bit, I think. It's very good, I promise!

1(4? my handwriting)/11/2022

Lies Like Poison by Chelsea Pitcher

3/5

I really enjoyed This Lie Will Kill You by Pitcher, so I had high hopes for this book, but I'm sad to say that it let me down. There were almost two books in one, the murder mystery story and a story about the main characters' journeys and emotions, discovering things together and apart. The latter could of existed without the former perfectly, with some tweaks. I guessed the murderer and the story behind that pretty quickly, and if it was just that, without the beautiful description of emotions, then this book would be a 1/5! (Sorry). Two books in one. Focus on one thing please! Sufficient gay and trans people though.

Favourite character: Lily

Would I recommend this book: Sorry, no. Read This Lie Will Kill You!

21/11/2022

The Supreme Lie by Geraldine McCaughrean

3.5/5

I think past me may have been a little bit too nice to this book, giving it the same rating as We Were Liars.

Halfway into this story I discovered that McCaughrean was quite an established author, writing popular novels which were mainly for people younger than me. It definitely gave that vibe, of a story a children's author has been building in her head for a while, wanting to finally write it down to produce something different than her usual novels. I say this because it was an incredibly well designed world, meticulous and, frankly, very creative. Many stories could be told in that one world. I did have to keep referring to the very useful map! The twist villain didn't really work for me because, to put it simply, I wasn't paying attention when it was said who he was! Oops. Slow start, and also alternating chapters. Listen, I have nothing against alternating chapters! Me with a short attention span sometimes likes two stories going on at once, and I especially like when they cross over beautifully. But the second, not main story in The Supreme Lie about some boy and his dog, I really didn't care about. At one point I was tempted to skip every other chapter. Sorry! I think I said this book wasn't a complete failure because 1) the characters were quite loveable, and 2) the end was quite good with the tension. But the rest of the book dragged!

Favourite character: Kovet (I have completely forgotten who this is)

Would I recommend this book: Maybe for people younger than me. I only bought it because of the cover and the blurb, and because it was in buy one get one half price, but I don't completely regret it. Read other people's reviews of this book, maybe. This review, I realize, is not very helpful! (Basically, the book is about a country plagued with endless rain, and after the leader dies, a simple serving girl must pretend to be the leader as not to send the country into complete dismay. I probably should have mentioned that!)

02/12/2022

One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

4/5

Dammit, this book could of been a 5! All throughout reading it I was like this is really good, really good, this could be a 5. But then I guessed the murderer. And it was, frankly, a really disappointing solution. The kind of solution you jokingly guess. Devastating, but I enjoy classic whodunnits where you, well, catch whodunnit. I've heard that the TV show has a better, more surprising and thought out solution, and it's a shame the book doesn't as well. I guess that's why they changed it! Nonetheless, the book was still really good. Different character POV chapters were nice and refreshing, (another reason why the ending was disappointing- I wanted one of the seemingly truth telling character POVs to be lying!) and I liked the whole omniscient-edgy-tumblr-poster-seemingly-murderer making fun of everyone struggling to find them. And again, sufficient and realistic gay people. I was genuinely engrossed in all the characters stories, and even, for once, the romance. Good book.

Favourite character: Kris

Would I recommend this book: Let's be honest, you've read it.

Sorry if the last review was a bit spoilery. But, as I said, you have most definitely either watched it or read it. Hope you enjoyed these reviews!

Books I still have left to post: ↪ The Song Of Achillies ↪ How To Kill Your Family ↪ House Of Hollow ↪ Afterlove ↪ A Whole New World ↪ Splinters Of Sunshine And I want to do a Glass Onion/ Knives out post. Goddammt, I have just realized you press shift new line to make a new line without a huge space. Ughhhhh. Expect better formatting next time, then.

See you, Hans :)

#books #bookreview #one of us is lying #we were liars #the supreme lie #lies like poison

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hansreviewsstuff · 2 years

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Two Alice Oseman books and a partridge in a pear tree

These next book reviews up until I eventually review How To Kill Your Family (Bella Mackie - why must she have named it this way) will all be from my paper reading journal, so quite old reviews which are all quite short. We'll start off with Loveless and Radio Silence by Alice Oseman.

10/08/2022

Loveless by Alice Oseman

4.5/5

I don't really know what it was about this book, but I really enjoyed it. The characters were nice and relatable (even a bit too relatable!), and the LGBTQ and theatre aspects mixed together meant the book was right up my street. Surprisingly gripping, although I did get a bit bored with Rooney missing at the end. The heavy description, metaphors, etc. that I love in books wasn't particularly prominent in this one, but that wasn't what I was looking for. I was looking for a nice, feel good story from an author I really enjoy and I certainly got that. Oseman writes emotions wonderfully, and me, a teenager, can really relate to what her life-like characters experience.

Probably one of the highest ratings you'll see me do!

Favourite character: Jason or Sunil.

Would I recommend this book: Yes. Teenagers, whether LGBTQ or not, would especially enjoy this book. It's not a heavy read, but it's a must-read. A stunning tale about finding yourself.

(In my reading journal it also has "favourite plot point" but that's just spoilers! I won't include that in these reviews.)

18/08/2022

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

4/5

Another beautiful book by Oseman. I love how she crafts stories of normal life, that could happen two doors down from you, but in an engaging and gripping way. You want to know what happens next, not needing any fast action scenes with death and destruction like so many books try to grip readers with. Her books are a pleasure to read. Radio Silence was very similar to a book I read awhile ago, called Eliza And Her Monsters, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It's subtracted -0.5 because I didn't particularly like one of the main characters much, Aled. But I often don't like characters in books and it doesn't really change things. Simple, life like story about the internet, academic pressures and strong friendships put in an amazing way. Oseman does it again!

Favourite character: Raine.

Would I recommend this book: Yes. If you like one Oseman book, for example Heartstopper, you'll like them all. Wonderful book.

I seem pretty positive at the moment, huh. But seriously, read her books! I've also read Solitaire, but that was a while ago. Equally as good.

I'm saving I Was Born For This for a reading slump. It better not disappoint me!

Many more book reviews coming.

And now, a quote from Loveless,

“I used to dream of a spellbinding, endless, forever romance. A beautiful story of meeting a person who could change your whole world.

But now, I realised, friendship could be that too.”

Beautiful.

See you,

Hans :)

#bookreview #aliceoseman #loveless #radiosilence #newaccount #entertainmentblog #reviewblog #books

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