hopelessfrog

[hopelessfrog]

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

Every time you use your gift, every time you use me, you let me take a bit of your power for yourself. Just as I make you stronger, you do the same for me. You make the blood flow in my veins once more.

stars: ☆☆☆½

having already read (and thoroughly enjoyed) Bardugo's Six of Crows duology in 2020, when the lovely person at the till in Waterstones Liverpool suggested i pick this up, i couldn't say no!

this book was a bit of a slow starter for me. i honestly can't quite pinpoint why, but for the first 100 or so pages i felt like i was having to force myself to read rather than being swept away by the narrative. that being said, once i felt the story had truly kicked in i started having a much better time! if there's one thing Bardugo can do, it's write about magic, and this book is no different. i loved how Luzia's magic was so intrinsically linked to her heritage and ancestry because it made it feel so personal and deeply powerful at the same time.

i also absolutely adored the setting of this book! for me, it was a welcome departure from what i've read of Bardugo's fantasy already. plus, i'm a sucker for historical fiction - especially when its set in a time that i know so little about. i also loved the development of the central relationship within the story: it didn't feel rushed or forced, and i was actively rooting for them to get together which is always lovely <3

my main criticism of this book would be that, at points, it felt pretty repetitive. imo this was rooted in both the plot and the use of language at points. [mild spoilers incoming] like, we get it, Santángel seems mega untrustworthy and freaky, but do we need another character to reiterate this to Luzia? and for her to believe them? lowkey... girl get up lol

[spoilers ahead for the next two paras] another criticism i have is the naming of this book. considering the main plot point revolves around three women clambering for more power in a time and place full of men hellbent on keeping them powerless, i think it's kinda bs to name the book after the one semi-decent man (who is still using Luzia at points). idk.

plus, i know she was far from perfect, but could we not have let poor Hualit get to where she wanted to go? her ending just felt a bit unnecessary to me. i'm not saying women should have plot armour purely because they're women, but i think it would have been far more satisfying to see Luzia, Valentina, and Hualit resist through success and succeed through resistance. i did like the fish bit, though.

overall, i did enjoy this book a lot! i loved Luzia's ending - i genuinely thought that it was beautiful, and beautifully written. also go Valentina, like he literally is just a man so hit him with your car! i also really appreciated how complex and multifaceted the characters and their relationships were. i think i need to read more Bardugo!

[hopelessfrog]

Eyes Guts Throat Bones by Moïra Fowley

They buried me standing so now I can reach. What do you think it will take to wake me?

stars: ☆☆☆☆☆

a collection of lesbian horror and horror adjacent short stories? oh, fuck yes. now, i won't lie, when i picked this book up i had no idea what it was about - i just liked the cover lol. but this book might just be one of my favourites. i am utterly obsessed, and i can't stop talking about it. it is so so unique - Fowley's use of form and structure is incredible; the way she paints such a clear picture with her language choices and descriptions; the overall uncanny tone that threads each story together, yet each one stands on its own... wow. as someone who's preferred form of writing is short stories, this book made me both inspired and envious in equal measure.

my favourites from this collection (spoiler free):

Nature morte - what a beautiful, disturbing, shockingly accurate exploration of grief and creation. it brought me to tears. and such a wonderful use of a somewhat tired metaphor which i found equally refreshing and painful.

The summoning - what is comedy if not the sister of horror? the tone shift of this story in and amongst the rest in this collection caught me off guard in the best possible way. i loveddd the way this one was written, especially in comparison to the more serious ones!

Rath - i finished this book about a week ago and this story keeps popping into my head unbidden. it's just one of those things you read and keep thinking about for years. just so tragic and beautiful and real. the quote i have chosen comes from this story!

Interval: Sad Straight Sex at the End of the World - as an afab person who has had disappointing sex with men... yup. "Oh god. I think I hate him." kinda sums it up.

Honourable mention to both The carrier and Playing house. i LOVE when people write about motherhood in a horror context, and the way that Fowley does it with a love that is so tangible within the page is just grossly gorgeous.

p.s. happy pride month <3

[hopelessfrog]

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

She was smarter than me, or luckier. She's the one who finally kept that sun from rising.

stars: ☆☆☆☆

i mean... where to begin! obviously, it's the Hunger Games so i was guaranteed to love it, but wow. it wasn't what i was expecting, to be honest - and i still don't know exactly how to feel about it.

i loved how Collins expanded the world; i loved meeting people we know and love, but younger; i loved haymitch's character development; i loved the different perspective of District 12. as always, i cannot fault Suzanne's writing and i felt the characters in this book were particularly strong, especially with such a full cast. i cannot begin to express how much i love Maysilee, and don't even get me started on Ampert or Wellie or Louella...

i liked the return to first person pov. especially in contrast to BOSAS. it makes BOSAS stand out all the more because it reiterates just how inaccessible Snow truly is. he cannot be understood by us, nor should he be. i can understand why people were saying SOTR read like fanfiction, but it didn't bother me.

SPOILERS AHEAD

now, the plot. the damn plot. of course, Haymitch had to have done something very dramatic, devious and maybe even rebellious to have invoked Snow's ire the way that he did. so i can understand the scheme to blow up the arena. that makes sense to me. however, there are still aspects i don't understand - why were the gamemakers in the actual arena? what were they sweeping? i'm still so confused by it! maybe i missed something, but i've reread that scene a few times and tbh i still can't visualise the situation.

also, the violence in this book... i felt genuinely sick. it was the most graphic by far, imo. it could be that Collins is making a point about society's thirst for violence, or our ability to accept it as fact. it could be a commentary on how people clambered and begged to read about another Games, effectively making fans into the Capitol audience. it could be that i am simply too familiar with the original trilogy and am myself desensitised to it. i can't say for sure, but i can say i was shocked. poor ampert. poor wellie. poor lou lou. i have no idea how they're going to translate that for the big screen and retain any kind of PG rating.

i also felt the ending was slightly rushed. his return to 12 after the post-games torture (the snake and the rabbit scene also confused me, ngl) until Lenore Dove's death just happened so so fast. i did love the prologue though, of course. the reveal that he knew who Katniss was pre-games? urgh... perfection. i also loved that he was friends with Burdock as a child. the ideal amount of angst and hurt for me.

overall, i loved it. i was always going to. however, i do think it had its faults, and it is the weakest of the Hunger Games books so far for me. however, i will 100% reread it at some point. maybe i'll update with my thoughts after then!

[hopelessfrog]

Babylonia by Constanza Casati

love is the willingness to lose oneself, to enter a dark room without knowing what dangers lie inside, to be held by someone even if she could slit your throat.

stars: ☆☆☆☆☆

having previously read Casati's Clytemnestra (2023) last year and loved it to it's very core, i knew i was in for a treat here. however, i am incredibly unfamiliar with Mesopotamian history and mythology, especially in comparison to my existing knowledge and love for ancient Greece - which is why i bought Clytemnestra in the first place.

upon opening the book, i was greeted with:

a note from the author

a cast of characters

Assyrian deities

a note on ghosts and spirits

a glossary

the Babylonian calendar

two (2) maps

which, whilst incredibly helpful and exciting, was a fairly overwhelming beginning. however, i found that the characters, world and context were all explained throughout the narrative clearly and intuitively, so much so that i did not feel the need to refer back to any of these.

this fact could have been aided by the speed with which i devoured this book. i simply could not put it down!! Casati's use of language, syntax, structure and world building - my god! i felt like i was there. the images i have chosen to represent this book do not convey how wonderfully colourful this world is. i understood Semiramis (our protagonist) so completely, and i loved, respected, and feared her in equal measure. i also really appreciated how we heard from multiple perspectives with this rich, cruel, violent, vibrant world. for me, it really helped flesh the environment out.

minor spoilers there is technically a love triangle, which i am not usually partial to (the Hunger Games is not a love triangle, okay?!!), but i felt that it worked really well within this book and defied many of the tropes such a narrative often falls into. it added intrigue, increased the stakes, and developed in a way that i felt fit into the world. again, i think the multiple perspectives helped here, as you understand each character's feelings in-depth.

my one criticism is (and i will attempt to keep this as spoiler-free as possible) that the ending felt slightly rushed in my opinion. as previously stated, i did read the book in about two days, so that could be my fault, but the major event seemed to come and go very fast. either way, i loved this book so so much. i'm sure it is one that i will come back to, which is not something i do too often!

[hopelessfrog]

so,

i'm reclaiming my love of reading and i'm going to document them all here! i'm on a grand adventure to rehabilitate my love of books (english lit degree survivor) and i just want somewhere to keep track of them (fuck you goodreads and fuck you bezos). i'll do a wee review of each one, because why not? <3

[hopelessfrog]

just thinking about the fact katniss had been through the reaping three times already before prims name was pulled

[hopelessfrog]

hey december, guess I'm feeling unmoored...

[hopelessfrog]

im really ngl, i only JUST realised goncharov is fake..... betrayal

[hopelessfrog]

[hopelessfrog]

actually nevermind, the whole thing is just humbling in general

being on tumblr on ur laptop on public is so humbling bc itll be like whatever, normal unhinged shit and then boom. porn.

[hopelessfrog]

being on tumblr on ur laptop on public is so humbling bc itll be like whatever, normal unhinged shit and then boom. porn.

[hopelessfrog]

no bc literally what did people do in like the 70s for fun if they were commuting or bored. ive forgotten my book, phone charger and my laptop is refusing to charge on the train and im already on the brink of insanity after 30 mins of being alone w my thoughts

[hopelessfrog]

hey. the celebrities and corporations are going to try tumblr. you may want to drive them off the site, or find them amusing, ie “well THIS one can stay.” they may try to engage with the culture. they may do their research. DO NOT ENGAGE. do not bother. don’t fucking acknowledge them. don’t mess with their heads. don’t reply to them as a bit. let them think this site is a lost cause. let them fizzle out and die

[hopelessfrog]

tumblr is so weird bc its like yeah i can look through an insta account i had years ago but going through a blog is so much more visceral bc you can see all the accounts you used to be mutuals/friends w and its just so... odd. half of them don't even exist anymore. i hope they're well <3

[hopelessfrog]

i am just too soft for all of it. the world is harsh and i am so soft.