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maudsmeets's reviews
121 reviews
The Diviners by Libba Bray
4.0
I just finished this, here are some quick thoughts:
(This review is a mess, maybe I’ll edit it later, probably not)
What I loved:
•This book was incredibly atmospheric and engaging.
•This book has a lot of different POV’s and it was done in a beautiful way. Each character had a different backstory and a ‘mystery’ attached to them and slowly you start to piece everything together. It’s one big puzzle and so! much! fun!
•If you love audiobooks, this is a must read. The narrator did such a good job. Damn.
•It really makes you think. About history, about religion, about more things than I can name. It brings up a lot of important discussions.
•Our cast of characters is incredibly diverse and so incredibly loveable. (With exceptions of course)
•I’m in love with Sam Lloyd.
What I didn’t like:
•The ending felt a bit rushed, tension keeps rising, the stakes get higher and it felt like those expectations weren’t met. It felt like everything was fixed in about five minutes which was disappointing.
•That romance was so incredibly forced. Girl, you can do so much better than him. He has as much personality as a wet piece of paper. Ugh.
(This review is a mess, maybe I’ll edit it later, probably not)
What I loved:
•This book was incredibly atmospheric and engaging.
•This book has a lot of different POV’s and it was done in a beautiful way. Each character had a different backstory and a ‘mystery’ attached to them and slowly you start to piece everything together. It’s one big puzzle and so! much! fun!
•If you love audiobooks, this is a must read. The narrator did such a good job. Damn.
•It really makes you think. About history, about religion, about more things than I can name. It brings up a lot of important discussions.
•Our cast of characters is incredibly diverse and so incredibly loveable. (With exceptions of course)
•I’m in love with Sam Lloyd.
What I didn’t like:
•The ending felt a bit rushed, tension keeps rising, the stakes get higher and it felt like those expectations weren’t met. It felt like everything was fixed in about five minutes which was disappointing.
•That romance was so incredibly forced. Girl, you can do so much better than him. He has as much personality as a wet piece of paper. Ugh.
Jackaby by William Ritter
3.5
I loved this. If you, like me, are a big fangirl of all things Sherlock, you will probably fall in love with Mr. Jackaby and his amazing assistant. I know I have.
(I highly recommend the audiobook, the narrator was amazing.)
EDIT: I’m considering dropping this to a 3 stars because whilst I loved the setting and our main characters, I did not care much for the overall plot and was a bit underwhelmed by the conclusion of the mystery
(I highly recommend the audiobook, the narrator was amazing.)
EDIT: I’m considering dropping this to a 3 stars because whilst I loved the setting and our main characters, I did not care much for the overall plot and was a bit underwhelmed by the conclusion of the mystery
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
3.25
This book makes me mad.
What I loved:
-The writing was beautiful (sometimes difficult to follow, especially when English isn't your native tongue. It's very descriptive, sometimes a bit too descriptive) so it was really easy for me to visualize. I have a very vivid image of the old city of Weep in my head and that doesn't happen often for me.
-Lazlo was a great character, he was unique, he was strange. I loved him.
-This book talked about the consequences of war in a brilliant way. It talked about hate, guilt, revenge and the repercussions of being a survivor. A lot of characters in this novel were so blinded by their rage and their thirst for revenge that they forgot to take into consideration that their enemies might be just as broken and lost as them.
This is what made me angry:
-The ending was really confusing for me. I didn't start to understand what was going on until everything had already happened. I don't know if the book had anything to do with that, but it did take away from my enjoyment.
-The execution of that romance was so incredibly stupid. It was the epitome of insta-love (one of my least favorite tropes ever) for me, which sucks because the romance is one of the biggest driving factors for the plot of Muse of Nightmares. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion but I just wish that those two would have remained friends. Not every book needs a romance and it was especially unnecessary in this one.
What I loved:
-The writing was beautiful (sometimes difficult to follow, especially when English isn't your native tongue. It's very descriptive, sometimes a bit too descriptive) so it was really easy for me to visualize. I have a very vivid image of the old city of Weep in my head and that doesn't happen often for me.
-Lazlo was a great character, he was unique, he was strange. I loved him.
-This book talked about the consequences of war in a brilliant way. It talked about hate, guilt, revenge and the repercussions of being a survivor. A lot of characters in this novel were so blinded by their rage and their thirst for revenge that they forgot to take into consideration that their enemies might be just as broken and lost as them.
This is what made me angry:
-The ending was really confusing for me. I didn't start to understand what was going on until everything had already happened. I don't know if the book had anything to do with that, but it did take away from my enjoyment.
-The execution of that romance was so incredibly stupid. It was the epitome of insta-love (one of my least favorite tropes ever) for me, which sucks because the romance is one of the biggest driving factors for the plot of Muse of Nightmares. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion but I just wish that those two would have remained friends. Not every book needs a romance and it was especially unnecessary in this one.
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
3.5
I have always loved fairy tales. when I was young, I loved the princess and the magical happily ever after. But whilst I still love those, fairy tales have gotten a new meaning to me. They’re fascinating. Most of them are dark stories without a happily ever after.
If you love those, this is a book that will probably interest you.
We follow Geralt, a witcher, who kills monsters on several adventures. This brought up a lot of interesting discussing on what a monster truly is, what does it mean to be evil? That was one of my favourite things about this book. It explored the subject of morality in a new and exciting way.
But with that being said, this book got a little boring for me sometimes. It is a short story collection and some of the time (especially during the middle) it felt disjointed. The story wasn’t building up to something so there was nothing that kept you on the edge of your seat. It was missing a climax. (That’s what she said hehe)
I feel myself beginning to ramble so I’m going to try and wrap this up quickly. So, if you’re interested in a whole new fantasy world this is a good book to read. Read it if you’re craving something original that will take the fairy tales you already know and love and will turn them into something new.
I had a lot of fun whilst reading this and I am excited to see where the rest of the story will take me.
If you love those, this is a book that will probably interest you.
We follow Geralt, a witcher, who kills monsters on several adventures. This brought up a lot of interesting discussing on what a monster truly is, what does it mean to be evil? That was one of my favourite things about this book. It explored the subject of morality in a new and exciting way.
But with that being said, this book got a little boring for me sometimes. It is a short story collection and some of the time (especially during the middle) it felt disjointed. The story wasn’t building up to something so there was nothing that kept you on the edge of your seat. It was missing a climax. (That’s what she said hehe)
I feel myself beginning to ramble so I’m going to try and wrap this up quickly. So, if you’re interested in a whole new fantasy world this is a good book to read. Read it if you’re craving something original that will take the fairy tales you already know and love and will turn them into something new.
I had a lot of fun whilst reading this and I am excited to see where the rest of the story will take me.
In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
5.0
Katherine Lundy is one of my new favorite characters ever. I'm currently unable to find the words to describe her (I just keep deleting what I've just written) because none of them do her justice. This book is so short and still it touches on so many important issues. These books highlight the things we don't like to talk about. This book discussed grief, bullying, feminism, not fitting in, family and friendship and everything felt so real and so genuine. The other books in this series discussed asexuality, toxic gender roles, being overweight and the difficulties of being transgender and damn that's so important. I don't know how to review this series because it just feels like I'm gushing and like none of my words make sense, but I do want to say this:
These books take me to another world. They make me happy and they make me feel understood in some sort of way. They are a tribute to all the fairytales that I love, have loved and will love. They make me feel welcome and not alone. It feels like pure magic. It feels like coming home. This sounds so cheesy but these books are important and soft and I love them. If you feel misunderstood and like you don't belong, please read one of these books. It feels like they were written for the nerdy kid in class who loved fairytales and who's imagination was way too big for a world that can be harsh and cruel. Remember, magic can be found everywhere. I found magic in my journey to the Goblin Market with Katherine Lundy and it was a journey that I will never forget.
These books take me to another world. They make me happy and they make me feel understood in some sort of way. They are a tribute to all the fairytales that I love, have loved and will love. They make me feel welcome and not alone. It feels like pure magic. It feels like coming home. This sounds so cheesy but these books are important and soft and I love them. If you feel misunderstood and like you don't belong, please read one of these books. It feels like they were written for the nerdy kid in class who loved fairytales and who's imagination was way too big for a world that can be harsh and cruel. Remember, magic can be found everywhere. I found magic in my journey to the Goblin Market with Katherine Lundy and it was a journey that I will never forget.