allyjshand's reviews
208 reviews

Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie

Go to review page

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I dream of the day that I correctly guess a whodunnit. I guessed aspects of the final solution, but again was still surprised by the classic Christie plot twist.
Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Had me guessing until the very end! My favourite quotes from first few opening chapters are as follows:

“If there is a fault about the British it is that they're inclined to be a bit stand-offish until they've known you a couple of years.”

“It is romantic, yes”, agreed Hercule Poirot. “It is peaceful. The sun shines. The sea is blue. But you forget, Miss Brewster, there is evil everywhere under the sun.”
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

“These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections - sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent -that happened after I was gone.“

Having been on my TBR pile for a good while, I was eager to finally read The Lovely Bones. I haven’t seen the film so I went in completely blind and I was immediately struck by the narrative. Bring told from the omnipresent perspective of a deceased, it was completely unlike anything I’d ever read before. The quality of writing isn’t amazing, although good, and I can understand why this book is polarising. But, for me, I was drawn into the characters and their raw emotions. This book is heartbreaking, but I found it to reach a satisfying end.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Read following several viewings of the film adaptation. Even though I already knew the plot and the final twist, I still couldn’t put the novel down.
The added details and depth really enhanced the protagonist’s background and the extent of his delusions.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Pray by Caleb Azumah Nelson

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

An emotive short story that’s impact reaches far beyond its length. 
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A poetic novella delving into love and life as a black person in South East London. The young couple traverse from friendship into the open waters of a relationship.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A moving novel discussing themes such as love, loss, identity, and race. Initially, I felt indifference towards the main protagonist however, by the end of the novel, Sameer undergoes such character growth that the reader feels extremely fond of him. I loved seeing how the narrative of Sameer his grandfather intertwined. I only wished the final chapter didn’t seem rushed - a lot of plot was put into the final few pages and then was not fully explored. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Passing by Nella Larsen

Go to review page

dark reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Intrigued to read the inspiration for Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half, I was not disappointed by this short novel. As a reader, you quickly become enveloped in Irene’s narrative and are enthralled by Clare’s manipulative nature. The power struggle between the two characters is captivating.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
The Essential Difference: Men, Women and the Extreme Male Brain by Simon Baron-Cohen

Go to review page

informative medium-paced

3.0

The Mothers by Brit Bennett

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Such a complex character-driven novel. Bennett has a talent of making you simultaneously love and hate a character. Would have loved to have delved further into some of the characters’ pasts and family relationships.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings