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takemyhand's reviews
142 reviews
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
3.0
“There is always something left to lose.”
I doubt I have to introduce this one, since it is such a big deal on the internet nowadays, but, I will do so briefly, for anyone curious about to read a summary !
THE CRUEL PRINCE is the first of three books in The Folk of the Air series, and follows Jude Duarte, a mortal who permanently lives in Faerie. Now, a lot of the readers have sold this as an “amazing enemies-to-lovers book”, I have to say this wasn’t exactly the case. Let me explain : the first of the series is great, it introduces Jude and the other characters perfectly, lets the reader slowly accommodate to the faerie universe with loads of world building and details, but it does not focus on the romance. At least to me. I went through these 300-something pages not really paying much attention to how Jude and the romantic aspect of the relationship with the love interest, Prince Cardan, will evolve, simply because Jude has a lot more on her plate. The enemies-to-lovers trope pans out on the entire series however, and it very much satisfies.
THE CRUEL PRINCE is a story of power dynamics, circles of influence and politics, and as Jude tries to go up in ranks despite her impediments, she gets confronted to all of these. It’s a story about alienation, about struggling in a society that is somehow always against you, and having to prove you’re just as worthy as everybody else. It’s a story about coming out stronger, about not always doing the right thing but Jude stands by her choices whether the outcome is what she wanted or not.
As someone who’s not very familiar with the faerie world, this book did a marvelous job at getting me into it, introducing the elements and specificities of the genre in a way that did not feel abrupt, and I loved every second of it. It reads like a fairytale and its execution was wonderfully done !
I doubt I have to introduce this one, since it is such a big deal on the internet nowadays, but, I will do so briefly, for anyone curious about to read a summary !
THE CRUEL PRINCE is the first of three books in The Folk of the Air series, and follows Jude Duarte, a mortal who permanently lives in Faerie. Now, a lot of the readers have sold this as an “amazing enemies-to-lovers book”, I have to say this wasn’t exactly the case. Let me explain : the first of the series is great, it introduces Jude and the other characters perfectly, lets the reader slowly accommodate to the faerie universe with loads of world building and details, but it does not focus on the romance. At least to me. I went through these 300-something pages not really paying much attention to how Jude and the romantic aspect of the relationship with the love interest, Prince Cardan, will evolve, simply because Jude has a lot more on her plate. The enemies-to-lovers trope pans out on the entire series however, and it very much satisfies.
THE CRUEL PRINCE is a story of power dynamics, circles of influence and politics, and as Jude tries to go up in ranks despite her impediments, she gets confronted to all of these. It’s a story about alienation, about struggling in a society that is somehow always against you, and having to prove you’re just as worthy as everybody else. It’s a story about coming out stronger, about not always doing the right thing but Jude stands by her choices whether the outcome is what she wanted or not.
As someone who’s not very familiar with the faerie world, this book did a marvelous job at getting me into it, introducing the elements and specificities of the genre in a way that did not feel abrupt, and I loved every second of it. It reads like a fairytale and its execution was wonderfully done !
Nedjma by Yacine Kateb, Kateb Yacine
3.0
This was one of the most complicated books I’ve ever read in my entire life. As someone who is absolutely not familiar with Algerian literary styles and writing, this turned out to be quite the brain workout, if I’m being honest.
Nedjma tells the story of four Algerian men, and the love they all seem to have for this woman, the eponym character, Nedjma. It is set during French occupation, and after World War II. Reading about my own country’s history through fiction was the most interesting part of this book, as it has allowed me to learn about some events, and the way they may have impacted the population at the time. I found it very interesting how through the narration, which is done through all of the characters’ point of view, we travel in Algeria, seeing different landscapes and cities pan out in the pages. In times where liberation is on everyone’s mouthes, and following the devastating massacre of Setif in 1945, Nedjma is more than just a woman. Kateb Yacine paints her out to be the face of a nation, the nation itself, and the infatuation these men have with her is transposed to the devotion they have for their country. Never explicitly fighting to have her, but always making sure she is out of harm’s way, the author inks out the desire of every Algerian back in the day : freedom.
I do have to admit that keeping up with the narrators was extremely hard, because it is never explicitly stated who is telling the story at which point in time, and it felt difficult to keep up with the timeline as well, as the author jumps in time and reverts, with no warning whatsoever.
Overall, it was a great read, albeit a difficult one, and I’m hoping to read more books by Kateb Yacine in the future !
Nedjma tells the story of four Algerian men, and the love they all seem to have for this woman, the eponym character, Nedjma. It is set during French occupation, and after World War II. Reading about my own country’s history through fiction was the most interesting part of this book, as it has allowed me to learn about some events, and the way they may have impacted the population at the time. I found it very interesting how through the narration, which is done through all of the characters’ point of view, we travel in Algeria, seeing different landscapes and cities pan out in the pages. In times where liberation is on everyone’s mouthes, and following the devastating massacre of Setif in 1945, Nedjma is more than just a woman. Kateb Yacine paints her out to be the face of a nation, the nation itself, and the infatuation these men have with her is transposed to the devotion they have for their country. Never explicitly fighting to have her, but always making sure she is out of harm’s way, the author inks out the desire of every Algerian back in the day : freedom.
I do have to admit that keeping up with the narrators was extremely hard, because it is never explicitly stated who is telling the story at which point in time, and it felt difficult to keep up with the timeline as well, as the author jumps in time and reverts, with no warning whatsoever.
Overall, it was a great read, albeit a difficult one, and I’m hoping to read more books by Kateb Yacine in the future !
Time Is a Mother by Ocean Vuong
5.0
i loved every single word put on these pages, i would gladly spend the rest of my life trying to understand the mechanics of ocean vuong’s literary process
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
3.0
3.5
really enjoyed this, related to esther greenwood a teeny tiny bit too much (maybe this says a lot about my mental health…hah…anyways)
really enjoyed this, related to esther greenwood a teeny tiny bit too much (maybe this says a lot about my mental health…hah…anyways)
As You Like It by William Shakespeare
4.0
my english major brain is not working at the moment but this was pretty damn incredible
Animal Farm by George Orwell
4.0
kinda pathetic how i took three days to read this but it was good, i thought this was hilarious and truly audacious
Women Don't Owe You Pretty: The Small Edition by Florence Given
1.0
“If any part of your identity at all if being squashed, suppressed or erased, they’re not the one for you.”
WOMEN DON’T OWE YOU PRETTY is a collection of small essays regarding different topics of feminism, ranging from race to gender and sexuality, intersectionality being the center of it all. I get why this was a "sensational" book, but, throughout the 200 pages that compose it, I didn't really learn anything; mostly because it was written by a white person and a lot of the reflecting was through that lens. A lot of the ideas I agreed with obviously, but most were just so evident I didn't really understand why it was necessary to put them out in the world that way. But then again, it makes sense for anyone who has a desire to be more educated on social issues to start with the most fundamental of them. Overall, I think this book serves its purpose, it just wasn’t ground-breaking to me.
WOMEN DON’T OWE YOU PRETTY is a collection of small essays regarding different topics of feminism, ranging from race to gender and sexuality, intersectionality being the center of it all. I get why this was a "sensational" book, but, throughout the 200 pages that compose it, I didn't really learn anything; mostly because it was written by a white person and a lot of the reflecting was through that lens. A lot of the ideas I agreed with obviously, but most were just so evident I didn't really understand why it was necessary to put them out in the world that way. But then again, it makes sense for anyone who has a desire to be more educated on social issues to start with the most fundamental of them. Overall, I think this book serves its purpose, it just wasn’t ground-breaking to me.
You People by Nikita Lalwani
3.0
3.5
this was definitely a ride, loads of hard and heavy topics were discussed but i really liked it !!!
this was definitely a ride, loads of hard and heavy topics were discussed but i really liked it !!!