savage_book_review's reviews
273 reviews

I have been in love with this story since I was about 11 years old, when a friend lent me the book for reading time at school. So when I discovered it was a available as an audiobook, it jumped straight to the top of my Audible wishlist. 

I will admit to being slightly nervous about buying it; what if the narrator ruins it, or it overrides the images I've always held? Fortunately, it's a very good rendition! The narrator is lively and engaging, bringing life to the characters and giving them their own voice without straying into caricature. Yes, I have always pictured the story being based in a little fishing village in Devon/Cornwall, whereas the narrator has chosen to give the vast majority of characters Irish accents, but the whole point is that the author never specifies a 'real' place or time for the setting. As a result, I was perfectly happy to accept the rendition while keeping my own headcanon intact. There were a couple of occasions where the accent wandered slightly, but nothing so obvious as to spoil the immersion into the story.

She also did an excellent job in bringing Marnie and Raven's hand words to life, making them just stilted enough to allow your imagination to see them discussing things with signs, while not disturbing the overall flow of the narrative. Likewise, I think she did a good job with Raven's mouth words, making them sound true to life without overdoing things and making them sound like bad impressions. The only thing I found slightly annoying was the indecision about how to pronounce the name Isake (Eyes-ache vs Isaac). There's a bit of both in here, and I feel like the pronunciation should have been decided upon prior to recording. 

Turning to the story and the writing, everything about this book spears straight to the core of my soul. Right from the first line, you are drawn into this world of the downtrodden, poor, common folk of the Middle Ages, and their fear of anything different. It doesn't feel like a perspective we get to see very often, and the author does an amazing job at expressing the struggle that is their daily life and exploring the reasoning behind their closed-mindedness. 

Our main characters, Marnie and Raven, are completely real to me and I feel everything as they do, from the joy of their communications to the terror of the whip and the hangman's noose. They are both spellbinding (and not just because of the witchcraft!). I literally walk every step of the story alongside them, dancing with them, fearing with them and just breathing with them. And like them, I do not have enough words to convey just how much this story means to me.

Adam Silvera's trademark style of sensitively exploring the discovering and acceptance of sexuality through the lens of a teenage boy, complete with a sci-fi twist is on full display here, and it makes for a beautifully written, heart-wrenching, terrifying-and-yet-completely-relatable read. 

Aaron is a fairly typical teen on the surface - always playing ridiculous games with his mates, taking the girlfriend who adores him out on dates and writing his own comic book. But his life hasn't been easy - he has the scar on his wrist to prove that. I cannot fault the characterisation; Silvera's writing perfectly captures that balance of a person being "normal" on the outside and yet struggling with trauma and their own demons on the inside. His is definitely not a sugar-coated existence, and Silvera has a real knack for making his lead characters so incredibly real, which just makes the 'fantastical' element that much more engaging.

In this case, it's name-dropped a few times early on in the story, and if you've read the author's other works it's not hard to take a stab at guessing what might be on the horizon. But likewise, he's all about giving you hope. And in this case, the twists and turns are perfectly timed to keep you engaged and to keep that hope burning in your chest. 

The secondary characters are also well drawn, but ultimately the more central they are to the story, the more fleshed out they are. This does mean that people like Aaron's mother, brother and his old friends are there and interesting, but they just don't have the same depth to them. In turn, as Aaron's interactions with them are important catalysts in the story, it does leave the whole work feeling just a little bit 'thin' for me. I could have done with perhaps another hundred pages where the background story was developed and explored in more detail. That being said, I can potentially see this issue as perhaps being a writing device, as it does sort of fit with the POV. Nevertheless, I still feel like I needed more. 

In a roundabout way, this story explores what might happen if a person could be "cured" of homosexuality. IMO, what's there to cure?! It's a beautiful illustration of what the struggles people go through when discovering their own preferences might feel like, and how the temptation of 'normality' might appeal, but that who you are will shine through no matter what. It's also a study in acceptance; even the harshest of days contribute to who you are. I can't say it's an uplifting read, but it holds a powerful message.

Absolutely worth the read!

Robert Hunter is a top detective with the Robbery Homicide Division of the LAPD, well used to investigating the grizzliest of murders. Called out to a scene with his new partner, he sees the results of a sick and twisted psychopath first hand... and then discovers that it might just be a killer he thought he'd already brought to justice.

Robert Hunter is very much straight out of central  casting for cop shows; good looking, intuitive and has that little something 'extra' about him that makes him your main character - in this case, a specialism in profiling and an insane level of intelligence that saw him attend university in his mid teens. However, he's not a cardboard cutout; the author has given him depth and personality, flaws and foibles that really bring him to life. Yes, elements of his character are predictable and you are left wanting more from him, but as an introduction this book serves both him and his partner, Garcia, as a good introduction.

You are thrown straight into the middle of the story, the first chapter being a heart-in-mouth thriller of a scene, which hooks you in immediately, even before you have any idea who the people involved are. It also sets the tone for the type of violence and level of disturbing action you'll be getting from the book and the series. As this is a reread, I did find it less shocking and overall more tame than the first time I picked it up, and certainly subsequent books in the series do become more twisted, but this is definitely not something for the faint-hearted. But, considering I hate gore in films, I was surprisingly OK with this! 

The plot is very cleverly drawn and important scenes are meticulously written to try and lead you down a false alley. I can't say for sure whether there are enough clues in the writing to lead you to the identity of the murderer (I don't analyse books in that way) but there are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. However, despite the gruesome nature of the crimes, this does generally come across as a fairly standard police procedural, so if you like that sort of thing you should feel right at home here. 

Overall, the fact that I'm drawn to this series despite my general apathy to crime/thriller novels is a ringing endorsement in itself, and I'm looking forward to rereading the next few in the series, then picking up on the newer ones for the first time.

This is a short audiobook, only 2 hours and 20 minutes, giving an overview of the life of Anne Frank before, during and after the writing of her famous diary. I was just looking for something quick to listen to while I did a bit of knitting, and as I am constant fascinated by Anne's story, this seemed like a good fit.

The narrative and narrator are top notch here. It's clear and yet conversational, sensitive yet matter of fact. Despite not having my full attention, it was incredibly easy to stay attuned to what was being said and to take in the information being presented. Its concise and chronological structure serve brilliantly as an introduction to those who are approaching Anne's story for the first time; it covers the people, places and history, as well as the aftermath without putting pressure on the reader to have to refer to the diary or other works to understand the context.

Likewise, it still serves very well as a little extra for those who are familiar with the subject - it remains engaging and clearly pulls from many sources outside the diary itself; there are moments I recognise from books by Miep Gies and several of Anne's friends, as well as Anne's biographies. In pulling the strings together, it gives the reader a wider view of the stories intertwined with Anne's whilst keeping her as its central focus. 

It also goes into some detail about the stage play and film, the challenges to the diary's authenticity, the investigations into who betrayed the Secret Annexe and so on. It doesn't try to push an agenda, only tries to illustrate Anne's message of goodness and hope when examining these aspects. 

For what is a very short book, I'm very impressed by it. I feel like the author could have written a full length biography or history and provided more in depth analysis, but for what this is it's pitch perfect.

This was a recommendation from a work colleague back in 2022, but it's only just reached the top of my TBR pile. We follow the four daughters of Baptist minister Nathan Price as they are uprooted from their every day existence in 1960s America and deposited in the Belgian Congo on the eve of its independence to support their father in his mission to preach the word of God. 

While I think the writing is very good, the style severely lets the story down. Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the daughters; one of whom is very young, another of whom is unable to speak and whose brain likes to process and interpret things backwards. It therefore feels like you're reading extracts from four diaries and trying to piece together the wider story from snippets of information the girls include. So as you can imagine, you don't actually get a lot of detail about the wider goings on; everything each girl says has themself at the centre of things. In some places, it almost reads like gibberish. It's clear a lot of thought has gone into the structure and the characters, but I just couldn't figure out what the story was meant to be about or why I was meant to care.

It also didn't help that none of the characters appealed to me. I got frustrated with the typical selfish teen behaviour of the eldest, the submissive mother and the idiocy and obstinacy of the father. Honestly, I think the only character that had even a modicum of appeal was Leah. 

The attitudes of the characters reflect the period setting, so there is a lot of dismissal of Congolese culture as 'pagan' or 'idolatrous' compared to the zenith that is Christianity, a strong thread of xenophobia and a fair smattering of sexism and misogyny. And yet the author has managed to illustrate how moronic these attitudes are through the complete lack of understanding Nathan has for his surroundings. This was very cleverly done, but nevertheless does make for quite uncomfortable reading in many places. 

It was certainly worth a try, but this was just too far outside my comfort zone to appeal.

I need to preface this by saying that I love A Court of Silver Flames as a story. It absolutely works for me, and is tied with Mist and Fury as my favourite book of the series so far. But, objectively, there are many things wrong with it. This fic is not a rewrite, but instead explores how things might have played out if Nesta had been given a little more support and understanding in the aftermath of the war with Hybern, and she wasn't subjected to forced proximity with Cassian. 

Firstly, this softer version of Nessian is just beautiful. They still spark off of one another, still bicker and drive each other up the wall and the core of their characters remains true to the source material, but the fact that they are given the time and space to explore eachother and come to more of an understanding of eachother is so satisfying. It's more of a gentle fall than a raging inferno, and it is brilliantly done.

Nesta standing on her own two feet is a sight to behold. She is a powerhouse character in this, showing what feels like a more true to life recovery. The relationships she builds, both that mirror Silver Flames and the ones of the author's own creation, feel like they do far more service to her as they are so organic - again, she's not forced into the circumstances that introduce her to her friends, so the relationships are missing her self-loathing undertone that comes through in the book. And the Balthazar that's in here is my official headcanon from now on - LOVE his characterisation, and need more of him!

Likewise, Eris is the character I didn't know I needed more of until I started reading fanfic. I adore his characterisation in this; still a snake, still not someone you are going to completely trust, but at the same time he and Nesta have full on bromance vibes and I am here for it! Throw in something of a Tamlin redemption arc (after a fashion) and my goodness does this fic do great things for the 'villains' of the piece! 

That being said, as much as I get the scorn poured on the Inner Circle as a result of Silver Flames, I do struggle with them all being treated as being vile because of their treatment of Nesta. Somehow though, the author of this fic has managed to walk the line between making it crystal clear that the IC are in the wrong and are not treating one of their own in a disgusting way, and yet still managing to maintain a healthy respect for the characters we came to know in the previous books. They're not the idealised group that we see through Feyre's adoring eyes; instead they are seen with Nesta's sharper, more critical and world weary view, with a healthy dose of disdain due to the way they treat her, Illyria and so on. I think this was what SJM was aiming for in the books, but it didn't quite come through properly.

The pace of this fic is spot on; it kept me reading to such an extent that I did not want to go to work! It ebbs and flows like the tides, with moments of stillness, calm and romance interspersed with moments of heat, drama and flair. It's a spectacular take, and I've gone so far as to download it for reading over and over on my Kindle (LOVE that AO3 gives you that option!). As it's fanfic, there are of course occasional typos, formatting errors and so on, but they do absolutely nothing to spoil your enjoyment of this epic read.

Mallory was a child chess prodigy, until her family fell apart. Now 18 and stuck in a dead end job with no prospects, a chance to play at a local tournament comes up, in which she makes one hell of an impression by taking on the world's top player. As things progress, she attacks, defends, takes out pieces and players alike, but might just end up backing herself into a corner. Is she a pawn in a larger scheme, or the Queen of her own destiny?

Summing this book up is relatively easy - it's essentially 'The Queen's Gambit' by Walter Tevis, but without the drugs and alcohol. If you've read that one, this does feel rather tame and cutesy in comparison. That's not to say it's a bad book; it's very easy to read, even if you don't know much about chess, and is generally enjoyable. If you need a quick distraction read, this is a good one to pick up. 

I do like the social commentary aspect of this book though; the breaking down of an 'old boys network' and the fact that women will unconaciously underperform in certain circumstances (like when playing chess) when they 'know' they're facing a man. The 'old boys' in this case aren't that old, but have the attitude that the main character is intruding in their man's world and has either been given an unfair advantage to get there, or has slept her way to her spot. So there is definitely a sense of satisfaction when they receive their comeuppance. Otherwise though, there's not a whole lot of depth to the story - it is primarily a beach read romance. 

If I suspend my disbelief, I can get on board with the relationship between our two protagonists. I'm not entirely convinced a relationship would develop like this in the real world, but hey, that's why it's fiction! They are very sweet and a well matched pair, and the gentleness with which they fall is lovely. My main frustration however is that the author spends almost the whole book building up the fact that Nolan wants to face Mallory in a professional game with proper stakes... and then draws the book to a conclusion without giving us the payoff to that build! It just needs one more chapter! 

I also have to say that I found Mallory's younger sisters REALLY annoying, especially Sabrina. I felt they added very little to the story, and it felt like quite lazy writing when their whole attitude changes on the strength of one conversation. They were just the least believable part of the writing for me. 

Overall, it's not quite what I was expecting, but it is about on par with what I was expecting.

I was introduced to Grand Duchess Elizabeth last year when I saw the docu-drama 'Royal Mob', and immediately found myself frustrated that the view of Tsarina Alexandra I was taught at school was so narrow that I didn't even know she had sisters, let alone that they all loved such fascinating lives. Elizabeth is Alix's second-eldest sister, and married into the Russian royal family first - she was married to Nicholas II's uncle, Serge, while Alix was still a girl. 

This book takes you through Ella's life, from her arrival in Russia and being heralded as one if the most beautiful women in the world to her experiences at the hands of Bolshevik revolutionaries. It's narrative is clear and concise, focusing on those moments in time where there is something of importance to note, but at the same time all of the characters (and there are quite a lot) are well drawn and come to life very easily. I will admit to getting a little confused on a couple of occasions as to who was who, but there's a very handy spotters guide at the front of the book which helps a bit. 

I haven't got a huge amount of knowledge about them, but from what I have seen and read about Elizabeth and Serge's relationship I can imagine there are many theories out there about it. In this case, the author paints their marriage as one built on a foundation of love, even if Serge fails spectacularly at showing his affection in public, and is unwilling or unable to enter into a physical relationship in private. I rather like this take as, even when he is being overbearing and wielding his authority over his wife, there is this little speck of insight that there might be a reason behind it. It gives his character a whole other dimension, which I can imagine is missing from other sources who paint him purely as a man who rules his home with an iron fist. 

Ella's religious development is also very interesting. Again, somehow the author manages to make her struggle with converting from Lutheranism to Orthodoxy feel like the reader's own, and the steady realisation and solid, deeply held beliefs that follow are wonderfully illustrated. Her devotion to her religious and charitable works is amazing, and it is clear her genuine calling was to do good and help those in need. In turn, this makes the tragic aspects of her life even more so.

Outside of the main character, it has certainly highlighted for me the depth of Alix's shift in personality, and yet at the same time it illustrates so well her stubbornness and desire to cling to what she believes in. From the shy but beautiful girl who was Queen Victoria's favourite and totally willing to give up the man she loved to avoid turning her back on her faith, to the seemingly cold Empress who is so far removed from her people and willing to endure humiliation to keep 'Our Friend' by her side; I've never really understood her as a person, but this book really does make you question what she was thinking a lot of the time. 

There are a few formatting issues with the text on Kindle and the odd typo, but nothing that takes away from your enjoyment of the book too much. I would say there are probably a couple of moments where the focus is on secondary characters that could have been excised to save a bit of confusion, but generally this was a very good read and I would highly recommend.

A freebie on Audible, I picked this one up as an alternative to listening to my usual history podcasts to fall asleep to. I have read this before... in fact I think I only removed the physical copy from my bookshelf last year to donate to charity, so it was vaguely familiar, but equally I've read lots of the different books on this topic by various authors, as it's endlessly fascinating to me! 

You can certainly tell this is an older audiobook because of the recording quality; it's clear and the narrator is very good, but the length if pauses between paragraphs is very long and there's a distinct crackly undertone to the sound. The narrator also pronounces certain words in an odd way, 'joust' being one example (I've only ever heard it said as "jowst", but she pronounces it like "juiced"). I get different strokes for different folks, but this did bug me a bit after a while.

The book is split into the usual dynastic groupings, with a different author taking on each period. While it is fairly detailed and yet concise, I do think it is a shame that Antonia Fraser didn't take this task on herself; she's a great historian in her own right and I think having her perspective one each ruler would be very interesting. As it is, it's a little bit all over the place; some authors focus more on the historic events, others the people, and each author seems to have a clear 'favourite' so you don't get a consistent approach to each examination.

The age of the book does also let it down. Initially published in 1975, this version has been updated to bring us up to 1999, but it's still comes across as  rather traditional history. All if the featured authors are male (as far as I know), and the gender biases of the time do come through quire clearly in places; none of the Queens get a particularly glowing reception, and something about their chapters just seems 'off' to me when compared with the various Kings.

If nithing else, I can recommend this as good for those who struggle to fall asleep - in the nicest possible way, it did the job I asked it to - it's engaging enough that my brain wants to listen and understand rather than start whirring with all my worries, but it's not over-stimulating so sleep comes far more naturally. And it is worth a listen if you have an interest in the subject, but there are definitely better versions out there.

This book has confirmed my feelings that I prefer the story told from Hades' point of view. The story feels like it has so much more depth and scope than in Persephone's novels; his solo trips and the bits that Persephone doesn't see are far more engaging and add to the levels of intrigue, threat and mystery perfectly. From a practical perspective, without these books I think the upcoming finale would be missing a lot of background information that I suspect will become important.

Getting to understand and appreciate Hades' internal struggles is also a massive bonus of these books. He's a great characters through Persephone's eyes, but seeing his world-weariness, the depth of his love for Persephone and his darker impulses rounds him out so well. In some ways, it also gives the spice a bit more of a reason for being; he readily admits he's insatiable! 

Similarly, the pacing of Persephone's trauma and recovery seems to be reflected better through Hades' eyes. His determination to take things at her pace, his fear of inflicting further hurt and his genuine horror when things go awry feel more true-to-life and more deeply considered here. There are still moments that don't sit quite right with me, but it's certainly better. 

I also loved the insight into the Dionysius and Ariadne relationship and the twists introduced to that part of the mythology. Likewise, I'm really enjoying the twist of making Greek heroes into anti-heros or outright villains, and there is a big part of me that hopes the author rips up the rule book in the finale and Hades and Persephone end up as King and Queen of Olympus as well as the Underworld...

My biggest criticism is that it appears the author got slightly lazy towards the end of the book. The closer to the end you get, the more errors there are in the text - definitely needs another going over by an editor. And then to find that the last chapter is just cut, copied and pasted from Malice is quite disappointing - I was hoping for a little extra to bridge the gap between this and the finale. 

So glad I don't have to wait very long for the next book in the series to come out!