Review: Death By Scrabble

Death By Scrabble by Charlie Fish
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a funny short story that took a couple minutes to read.

Thanks to the ladies that brought it to my attention; find it here: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-sto...

I liked it. It was funny, random, and I had no idea where it was going. So I enjoyed the ending.

Have fun, kids!

View all my reviews

Review: Geek Ink: The World's Smartest Tattoos for Rebels, Nerds, Scientists, and Intellectuals

Geek Ink: The World's Smartest Tattoos for Rebels, Nerds, Scientists, and Intellectuals by Emanuele Pagani
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ah, this book is gorgeous. I love everything about it.

My single complaint is that I wanted MORE.

I liked that there was info on the artists, and while I wished there was more variety in the topics (lots of Star Wars and HP, not a huge amount of anything else particularly geeky) I really enjoyed just appreciating the details.

Some very clever work by some very talented artists. I did go through and look them all up on Instagram and sadly it seems some of the info in this book is outdated, but I still found most!

I'll definitely keep this one somewhere handy so I can look at it all the time. It's already given me inspiration for more tattoos! <3

View all my reviews

Review: House of Dragons

House of Dragons by Jessica Cluess
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was excited for it, and it did not disappoint.

Despite the fact that it wasn't at all what I thought it would be.

THE PLOT sees five outcasts (and their dragons) called to compete against one another in a set of trials, the outcome of which will decide the new emperor.

So since I love a good motley crew, let's start with who they are and how I feel about them!

EMILIA, aka THE LIAR
Emilia was an easy fave, because she's a book nerd who values knowledge above all else. She's been collecting information on the trials for years, and she's always the one to ask, 'why?' But she also has a deadly secret that will likely get her killed if it comes out. Which made me a bit sad, because it's a pretty epic secret. I really enjoyed her development, and the way she's insatiably curious about everything. But she's also willing to do what it takes to win, because she knows all the good she can do if she's chosen to rule.

LUCIAN, aka THE DREAMY ONE SOLDIER
Ah, Lucian. He's the warrior who doesn't want to be a warrior any more because killing innocent people did some major psychological damage. He's sworn to never pick up a sword again which can be damn inconvenient when all you need is a hero with a sword. Because he is 100% hero material. He's likable, cares about others, and just wants to do right by the world. Bless him. He's also got a soft spot for our girl Emilia and I am THERE for that beautiful friendship. He's constantly trying to be the sidekick when we all know he's the natural leader of this group of misfits.

VESPIR, aka THE SERVANT
Vespir has spent her life bowing to nobles, and now she's up against a bunch to become the most powerful person in the Empire. Thankfully she has a handy knowledge of all things dragon and a knack for getting all the gossip so she's still a contender. She's a bit cowed from years of being treated as worthless but she's not a doormat - she's got that little spark of fire that's just waiting to ignite. I like that she knows her chances are next to nothing, but she's still going to give it her everything anyway.

AJAX, aka THE THIEF
Now this is a kid who was dealt a rough hand. He's a runt from a rather large litter and is not much to look at, so naturally the boy has some major self esteem issues. He's looking at this competition as the chance he's waited for to finally make people notice him, and he's not above all kinds of devious deeds to get what he wants. He's a total weasel of a human being but he's also desperately lonely. His dragon is probably the best though so it all balances out. I enjoyed his sneakiness, and that he spends the entire book talking about how much he wants to be emperor. He's not ashamed of craving power, and I kinda liked that there was no blatant reformation for him - we just learn to love him for all of his weasel flaws. Not that I really loved him. Dude is a superficial jerk.

HYPERIA, aka THE MURDERER
Okay this girl is an ice cold queen. She's all about honour and tradition but she also has a really messed up idea of what constitutes honour. She's happy to murder her way to the throne because she's convinced she's the one destined to rule it. She was probably my favourite character in terms of how she was written, because there's so much to her. She's determined and focused and convinced that she's better than everyone else, but she's not proud. She doesn't let pride stop her from admitting her faults, and she's keen for a fair challenge. She's also a total feminist so even though she seems kinda evil it's hard not to root for her when she's standing up to scumbags who believe women are just toys for men to play and barter with. She's scary as hell and completely psycho, but she's got her own (albeit messed up) code that she's determined to stick to.

THE DRAGONS
Emilia's dragon, Chara, doesn't rate much; nor does Lucian's dragon, Tyche. They're there, but they're not really making themselves known. Whereas Karina, Vespir's dragon, is a tiny thing who is a brilliant flyer, thanks to the bond she shares with Vespir, and Hyperia's dragon, Aufidius is a complete psychopath just like his rider. But the true hero of the dragons is Dog.

Dog is a dragon who behaves like a dog, so he stole my heart pretty early on. Because Ajax was a runt in his family, they were getting pretty scarce on premium dragons so Dog is far from. But his heart is solid gold and he has so much love for Ajax that you just wanna hug him. He's playful and cheeky and everyone calls him dumb and stupid but its said with affection because how could you ever hate something so innocent? Dog is a hero among dragons, idiot or not.

THE TRIALS
I was definitely expecting bloody battles and epic chases and intriguing puzzles but this wasn't like that at all! But I wasn't disappointed, because the trials serve as the means for our characters to get to know one another better. Yes, they're all in it for themselves, but they're also good people at their cores and they're mostly doing it for the right reasons (except maybe Ajax). So there's not really a bloodthirsty element with them trying to destroy one another - they're all just trying to get the job done.

I think the hardest part of the trials was the ambiguity of the 'Great Dragon' who is allegedly in charge of the whole thing. He's represented by two disciples - a priest and priestess who seem cold, unfriendly, and a little like they're making things up as they go.

THE VIBE
I just really loved how this story unfolded. Yes, they're all misfits, but this story doesn't dwell on that, preferring to focus on their strengths and ambitions. You can tell there's a darkness lurking underneath the trials and that things are not quite right, so even while we happily enjoy the trials playing out, you know there's something epic in store. There's a puzzle here to work out, only we don't have any of the pieces yet.

It's quite brutal in places, but then it softens, so it's hard to get a proper read on the tone. It does feel quite dark overall but the characters are very real and so the mood feels real, too. There are light moments when they're smiling and laughing, but when violence comes it's rather nasty. I think I enjoyed the unpredictability of it - you never knew what was going to happen next.

Most of all, I loved the characterisation. These are not cardboard cut outs at all - they have their own hopes and fears and are quite clearly driven by them. They behave as their character dictates, but they are multi-faceted as well. I found them all very believable.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
This book promises dragons and it delivers dragons, but it also serves up five kids who have been thrust into an unexpected situation and are just trying to make the most of it. While there's a lot of fun to be had in this novel, it definitely feels like it's setting us up for some pretty epic action in books to come. But now that we've gotten to know these characters, I'm really looking forward to them coming into their own in the next book and delivering chaos, destruction and magic.

Fingers crossed!

View all my reviews

Review: The Breeding Season

The Breeding Season by Amanda Niehaus
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I think, if I actually understood appreciated literary fiction, this would have been a slightly higher rating. But I don't. Why does lit fic always involve making up new words and abandoning proper grammar and formatting? Why is that considered 'clever'?

Add to that, the story was weird and confusing for 3/4 of the book, and it's only the final quarter where things actually get kind of interesting and suddenly there's a decent story to get caught up in.

So, here's the deal: Elise and Dan have lost a child. The grief sees them dealing very differently - Elise throws herself into her weird science work that involves sussing the messed up breeding behaviours of some kind of rodent/marsupial (I think?) that I've never heard of before, while Dan gets caught up in the kinky art of his uncle, about whom he has been tasked to write.

Firstly, it's super confusing. It drifts straight from symbolism or simile into action without pause, so it's hard to work out what is memory, what is analogy, and what is actually happening for real. I don't know how much of what I think happened actually happened. Elise's animal fixations were also kind of confusing and I realise there was supposed be a lot of crafty, intelligent symbolism there somewhere but mostly it was a headache to work out what the point was.

Adding to the confusion of Elise's scientific studies is the art studies of Dan. He's focused on the art of his uncle, which is basically all female anatomy. There is a lot of mention of vulvas in this book, and a ridiculous focus on sex. I knew that 'breeding' would be a consideration of this novel, but it's more like an obsession, and I still didn't quite understand how it was all trying to connect. Not a book for the more conservative folk, I'm afraid.

There was just so much of this novel that I didn't get. As such, there was no warmth to it for me, there was no sympathy or any real emotion at all. I spent so much of this novel getting caught up on all the made-up words that it read more like nonsense than clever literature.

I wanted to feel more for Elise and Dan than I did, but they came across as such space cadets that I just wanted to slap them. I never really felt their grief or their pain. I certainly became more invested towards the end, but it still never grabbed my emotions.

I do think there was a story here that had potential. But it was trying so hard to be clever and unique and symbolic that it ended up making me feel more amused at its pretentiousness. I wish it had just been written plainly, with less 'cleverness' and more heart.

Likely to be loved by people who enjoy untangling symbolism, but the writing absolutely ruined this one for me.

With thanks to A&U for an ARC

View all my reviews

Review: The New Girl

The New Girl by S.L. Grey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ayyyy this book went full Downside.

This series messes with me so much. They're all standalone books but the experience is much more fulfilling when you read them in order. So taking that into consideration, this review may contain spoilers for the previous two books, The Mall and The Ward.

This book spoils us with three viewpoints: Ryan, Tara and Penter, with the latter giving us our very first glimpse into the mind of a Downsider. The blurb will make the uninitiated think this is about a pervert fascinated by the new girl at the school where he works, and a lonely woman who makes lifelike dolls and receives a rather strange commission. But those of us who know about the alternate world this series is based around will realise early on that there's something much more sinister happening.

The Downside plot has gone upside, with them making waves in our world this time. They're hiding in plain sight at a school this time, and their project involves something to do with children. But what is the connection to the strange baby-doll that has been requested of Tara? And exactly what is this fake family tasked to do?

I loved how much more information this unveiled about the Downside, yet I still long for more and more of this strange world. It's finally starting to become a clearer picture in this novel, but I feel like I will always have questions, and always want to know more. It was such a great experience reading the chapters from Penter's POV but it's still a puzzle to work out.

At the same time, this one was not quite as tense and puzzling as The Mall and not quite as horrifying as The Ward. There's a flicker of disgust at Ryan's perverted ways, and a clench of sympathy for Tara's twisted devotion to her lifelike dolls, but ultimately this feels more like a darker fantasy novel where the goal is just to provide more detail about the Downside. As such, it's more intriguing than horrifying.

While they can be considered standalone novels, I don't know that this one will be interesting to anyone but those like me who are thirsting for more knowledge of the Downside. Even then, I found myself hoping for more references or cameos from characters I'd met in the previous novels to properly tie it all together. But this is another section of their world again, so once again it's a foreign world that we know very little about. There's far more to learn here, though, and that was what I enjoyed most. I believe this is the last of the series and that makes me sad, because I still want to know so much more about it.

The story itself basks in the strangeness we have come to expect from this series, so if you're going in cold, prepare to be very, very confused. If you've read the previous novels, you won't get quite the same chills but you'll get a lot more information about this strange other world.

Not my favourite of the series for plot, but it felt like a fix I needed to feed my strange addiction to this world.

View all my reviews

Review: Change Your Thinking to Change Your Life

Change Your Thinking to Change Your Life by Kate James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A lot of the information in this book I'm already familiar with, but it honestly didn't hurt to hear it again. It also served as fantastic confirmation that I'm finally on the right path.

Kate James is a psychologist and mindfulness coach and she brings her knowledge and personal experiences to this book to help you re-shape your thoughts in order to re-shape your life. There's a spiritual side to it - with its strong focus on meditation and mindfulness - but it also offers practical methods suggested by other respected experts. The general idea: if you can recognise negative thoughts and where they come from, you can learn to manipulate them so that they have a positive influence on all aspects of your life.

I really enjoyed the multi-faceted approach. This book provides multiple theories and exercises, so that even if some don't resonate there will still be something that does. Personally, I found Internal Family Systems (IFS) to be a little too wacky for me, but I really loved the information on 'fixed mindset' vs 'growth mindset'. There were a lot of things that resonated, and I enjoyed learning about them; and about myself through thinking about them.

I also particularly enjoyed doing the 'Strengths' test HERE and comparing results with my family and friends. If you decide to take it, please feel free to share your results and/or thoughts!

The 'workbook' format bothered me a little as I'm someone who likes to read uninterrupted, but I can definitely see the benefit to it. It does provide lines in the book so that you can jot down your answers and thoughts but it also recommends writing things down in a journal and I personally think that would be more beneficial. This is a book you should take your time with if you want to get the most out of it. Particularly Part One, which covers Connecting With Your True Self. You picked it up for a reason, right? So take your time and maximise the benefits.

I loved the practical element of it, and how there are plenty of questions you can challenge yourself with. A lot of it comes back to meditation, as this helps still the mind and allows you to connect deeper with your thoughts, but I think even if you're not a fan of meditation you can still get a lot out of just taking the time to think about your answers to the questions proposed. The author has done all the leg work in gathering information and strategies from notable experts - all we have to do is apply what works best.

This would be a great starting point for someone wanting to gain a better understanding of how our thoughts shape our lives. It's fairly easy to digest and the exercises are quite practical. At the same time, for those of us to whom this information is familiar, I believe it's still worthwhile having it reiterated. I believe working through the exercises properly will help weed out any lingering difficulties and bring more to the surface that we can work on. I may be familiar with the concept of questioning my thoughts but I'm certainly no expert at it, so it was helpful to go through the processes here and I'll likely go back to it repeatedly.

My advice? Start the year right by treating yourself to a beautiful, new, blank journal, get a copy of this book, and enjoy the process of getting to know yourself and your dreams a little better.

Releasing 27th Jan 2021. With thanks to Macmillan for my ARC

View all my reviews

2020 Reading Wrap - Up

What a massive year of reading 2020 was!

I don't think I'm alone in reading more than usual - extra time at home meant extra time for reading! Although I know many of us also experienced reading slumps along with extended lockdown periods. I found it was a lot harder to concentrate on reading at times.

All the same, I did manage to read 150 books all up, and completed the Dymocks 2020 Reading Challenge.

Here's the list:

✔Australian Author: Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte (AA) Review Here
✔Indigenous Author: Catching Teller Crow by Ambelin & Ezekiel Kwaymullina (AA) Review Here
✔From Top 101: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black Review Here
✔Kid's Top 51: Withering by Sea by Judith Rossell (AA) Review Here

✔Dymocks 'Book of the Month': House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas (March) Review Here
✔Re-read favourite book of all time: The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien Review Here, Here and Here (updated from The Three Musketeers)

✔Friend's recommendation: Mao's Last Dancer by Cunxin Li (AA) Review Here
✔Featuring favourite country (France): Josephine's Garden by Stephanie Parkyn (AA) Review Here
✔From TBR pile: North Star Guide Me Home by Jo Spurrier (AA) Review Here
✔Award winner: Gemina by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (AA) Review Here
✔Mystery/Thriller: One Last Child by Anni Taylor (AA) Review Here
✔Memoir: A Sceptic's Search for Meaning by Mike Willesee (AA) Review Here
✔Outside usual genre: Entranced by Nora Roberts Review Here
Short stories: A Gathering of Ghosts by David Haynes Review Here (updated from Saga Land)
✔Self Help/Motivation: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Review Here
✔Fairytale/Fable adaptation: Beauty in Thorns by Kate Forsyth (AA) Review Here
✔Book 1 in Fantasy series: Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan Review Here

✔Teaches something new: Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall Review Here (updated from The Power of Positive Thinking)

✔Adapted to film/TV series: You by Caroline Kepnes Review Here
✔Red cover: Cherry Pie by Leigh Redhead (AA) Review Here
✔Colour in title: Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin Review Here (updated from Beyond Black)

✔Read in a day: Weapon by Lynette Noni (AA) Review Here
✔About books: The Girl Who Reads on the Metro by Christine Feret-Fleury Review Here
✔Makes me laugh: Challenge Accepted by Celeste Barber (AA) Review Here
✔Published this year: Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (AA) Review Here
✔Said I've read but haven't: The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien Review Here (updated from Wuthering Heights) 

I only ended up switching out five titles which is pretty good for a notorious switcher! (What can I say? I'm a mood reader.) Still, I enjoyed challenging myself with some of the prompts. It also helped me get through some of the books that have been staring at me from my shelves for several years or more!

I had a lot of fun with my reviews as always and enjoyed interacting with others on Goodreads over both shared and opposing views. It's such a fantastic community for book lovers so I'm always grateful when people take the time to like and comment. 

I really did read a lot of incredible books last year, and even discovered some new favourite authors. 

Here's my Top Ten Reads of 2020:

1. The Inner Self by Hugh Mackay (AA)

2. City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

3. Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings (AA)

4. Kin by Kealan Patrick Burke

5. A Sceptic's Search for Meaning by Mike Willesee (AA)

6. The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

7. Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall

8. Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

9. Ghost Bird by Lisa Fuller (AA)

10. Honeybee by Craig Silvey (AA)

I was also pleased to read so many fantastic Australian authors! We really are spoiled with talent here so I'm enjoying actively seeking to read more Aussie authors.

Overall, 2020 was a pretty successful reading year for me. :)

You can read my full breakdown of what I loved, hated, re-read, etc. and read a little more of my ravings on my Goodreads review of 2020. Find it HERE

Keep an eye out for my new reading list for the 2021 Dymocks Reading Challenge, coming soon!

Happy reading, friends!

Review: A Gathering of Ghosts

A Gathering of Ghosts by David Haynes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Silent Bell - 3/5 stars
I love the idea of this one, and there's definitely a creepiness factor, but I feel like it could have had a better delivery. The reasoning was a bit shallow and I'm not really sure why it went down the way it did. But definitely a properly creepy idea that still gave me a shudder at the end.

The Stonegate Manor Collection - 4/5 stars
Yikes, this one is probably going to give me nightmares. *nervous laughter*
This has the classic Victorian horror feel to it - a gloomy manor, an eccentric master, dreary weather and strange happenings. Really liked it! I did keep reading 'Slee' as 'She' which did get super confusing, and I'm not 100% sure of what happened right at the end there, but overall this was definitely dark and spooky and really enjoyable.

The Haunting of Reverend Carson - 4/5 stars
Another one that certainly gave me the creeps! I saw a crow wander past the window while I was reading and it scared the crap outta me.
I enjoyed the way this one played out. Loved Musgrave; he's such an interesting character! Great story.

The Last Waltz - 3.5/5 stars
This was more of a sweet sort of ghost story - less about the chills and more about that longing that exists between the living and their lost loved ones. I was a bit worried his obsession might get a little out of control, but in the end I feel content. No scares here, but still a satisfying ghost story.

The Speaking Tube - 3/5 stars
Well this is clearly a family of despicable people. Hated them all, although revenge is always fun to read about so I quite enjoyed it for that! Not a lot of ghostly chills from this one, more chills at how horrible humans can be. But a fun tale of revenge.

The Ghost Train - 3/5 stars
This was a bit of an unusual start and I have no idea why Godfrey got involved but I liked it anyway. Again, a tale of revenge, so I was invested in a morbid sort of way!

Overall thoughts
I really enjoyed this collection, and it was such a quick read! I loved the writing - it never felt overdone yet it still created the atmosphere effortlessly with as few words as possible. I enjoyed the variety to the stories and how sometimes our protagonist was not someone to root for.

I think The Haunting of Reverend Carson was probably my fave, mostly because I really liked Musgrave - I think he had the best character growth of the whole collection.

Overall, it was just a really fun, creepy read that was light on but still created plenty of chills. Definitely recommend for horror lovers!

View all my reviews

Review: The Ward

The Ward by S.L. Grey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**Re-read 10/20**

Holy crap, this was so much better the second time around. Bumping it from 3 stars to 4.5.

Firstly, it made a lot more sense, having already experienced a little of the Downside in The Mall. The place absolutely fascinates me, so this time around I was able to just relax into the utter strangeness of it and really enjoyed how freaky everything was.

This time, the story follows Lisa, a plastic-surgery addict with body dysmorphia, and Farrell, a photographer whose recent fight with his model girlfriend is the last thing he can remember before waking up blind in hospital. Strange things are happening in this hospital, and together, the two are drawn down into a darker world where they will both have to face their darkest fears ...

This was so much creepier than the first book, even already knowing about the freakiness of the Downside. There's something about the vulnerability of being in hospital that amped up the tension, and I really loved how this hospital is just so completely unreliable.

For me, though, the most effective 'horror' aspect to this series is how tempting the Downside actually is. This was particularly strong in this novel, because Farrell is such a jerk he makes the bad guys look like the good guys. I spent so much of this novel rooting for the other side. Lisa is so spineless and pathetic, too, which made me feel so sorry for her, so when she was treated respectfully I really warmed to those characters, and when she stood up for what she wanted, I supported her 100%.

Ever since my first reading of this book seven years ago, the Downside has stuck with me. I'm just so fascinated by this backwards world that values all the things our society looks down on. It's straight up and honest and if you're one of the lucky ones, you're treated with so much respect. The surgical focus of this novel definitely has a lot of questionable activities and freakiness to it, but somehow it just seems okay. The way this novel is written, the Downside seems like a perfectly normal alternative world to be part of. Sure, the unlucky ones don't do so well, but that's just their assigned role. I love the concept, and I love the way it gets me puzzling over it all. This world is an addiction I can't get enough of.

That being said, if you're not expecting the bizarre, this might be a little much. If you haven't read The Mall first, you'll spend a lot of this book trying to work out what exactly is going on. This is not a psychological thriller - this is supernatural horror. This is intriguing weirdness that will draw you in deeper and deeper as you read. I loved it, but it won't be for everyone.


**Original review 10/13**

Really don't know how I feel about this. It held me captivated the entire way through, but for mixed reasons. At the start, it had the makings of a good psychological thriller. About halfway through, it slipped out of reality and had me wondering what exactly it was getting at. Very intriguing ideas, and I loved the character explorations even if the situation was somewhat hard to grasp. Reading some of the other reviews on here it seems this is actually more of a sequel, so I'd probably recommend reading the other book first, as that may lend some more comprehension to the reader. 4 stars for the writing itself, 2 stars for the weirdness factor, thus the three.

View all my reviews

Review: The Happiest Man on Earth

The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

OH MY GOD.

I am SO GLAD I read this book.

There's a story here - a fascinating survivor's tale - but most of all there is hope, and love, and above all, kindness.

This is the story of a man who suffered through great tragedy and hardship, who spent years fighting one day at a time just to LIVE, and who came through it all with an unbreakable spirit.

It's absolutely inspiring.

I hate war stories, because it pains me so deeply to read about people suffering, but there is so much inextinguishable light in Eddie's story that I just couldn't stop reading. No matter all of the horrible things he endured, he was able to appreciate the precious moments and use those to find the will to go on.

What an incredible man.

This story is filled with heart and light and HOPE and the message that kindness is one of the most valuable things we all have to give, and it costs us nothing but rather doubles our stores when we give it.

The story is a quick read, though incredibly emotional. Things are told quite simply, but that doesn't affect the feeling of the story - you will easily become immersed in Eddie's story and I don't think anyone could possibly read this and not be moved by it.

I hope many people read Eddie's story and take away that message of the value of kindness and the importance of hope. Especially in these troubling times when so many people are driven by fear, hatred and greed.

What a beautiful soul. Thank you for sharing your hope.

With many thanks to Macmillan for sending me a copy.

View all my reviews

Review: The Other Bennet Sister

The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This novel is recommended by its relation to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice but I do believe the story suffers for it.

While P&P allowed us to fall in love with love through Elizabeth and Mr Darcy, this novel chooses instead to focus on plain Mary Bennet, who is somewhat neglected by the original.

The first part is a bland retelling of P&P with the focus this time on Mary and the neglect she suffers from being plain and constantly compared to her more beautiful, livelier sisters. The second part is more like a sequel, where the ongoing happiness of Mary's sisters throws her own misery into the spotlight and dowses any hope we had of feeling the same sort of affection we had for the original by sucking all the joy from previously loved characters and not giving us much to love in the new. Then, finally, as the story reaches part three, Mary begins to experience her own unique story, and we are finally afforded the chance to know her as an individual and witness her own growth.

I found it dreary and tedious to begin with, and I think that's mostly because it's attempting to put a new spin on an old favourite and doesn't quite pull it off. I love the idea of this story focusing on the sister we heard so little about in the original, but this story doesn't do her any immediate favours. Instead, we're forced to experience the events we're already familiar with from a much more depressing viewpoint. Mary is constantly beat down by her mother and thinks so little of herself that it's hard not to get frustrated with her. So while you do originally feel a little sympathy for her, it does get tired quite quickly.

The second part doesn't do much better - we see how life is going for Jane, Elizabeth, Charlotte and their families a couple years after the events of P&P, but Mary is still as dull as ever. There's no joy in the glimpse at an unofficial sequel, because we're too busy being weighed down by Mary's fears and loneliness.

However, by the time we come to part three, we finally have the chance to taste an original story - featuring Mary - and it is here where this story begins to come alive. Without the comparisons and the overbearing mother, Mary is finally allowed to experience her own life, make her own choices, meet her own friends, etc., and it's much more refreshing. It's here, in fact, where it most suffers from its attachment to P&P, because Mary's story from here could easily have been a novel in its own right. I would have much preferred an original story with similarities to this attempt at new object of affection within the confines of a world already known and loved.

There is actually a pretty sweet, meaningful story here about living life on your own terms, the battle of head VS heart, and appreciating the little things in life. There's an interesting divergence from P&P with the way it discusses the constraints of 'polite society' during this period and Mary is a fascinating character in the way she both yearns to express herself yet still maintain her place in a society which has treated her cruelly. But just as you begin to appreciate the story there's an unseemly reference to P&P and you're forced to once again confront the fact that this is not even close to the endearing original. It tries so hard to steal that affection that is has the opposite effect - instead, it just reminds us of all the things we're missing. Towards the end, the direct quotes definitely had me cringing.

Yet, Mary's story on its own was quite enjoyable towards the end, and even though there were far too many inconvenient interruptions for my liking, it held together well enough. It was predictable and painful, certainly, but I really feel that if Mary's story had been written completely detached from the world of Pride and Prejudice I would have enjoyed it far more.

Quite ironic that a book that pushes the message of being true to yourself suffers from trying so hard to be like a much loved original.

I suspect some fans of P&P will love any further foray into the lives of the Bennet family, but for me it didn't quite hold the charm I'd hoped for. I think I'd rather just re-read the original.

With thanks to the publisher for a copy

View all my reviews

Review: 2020 on Goodreads

2020 on Goodreads by Various
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I tragically failed my rating of 2019 so look at me overcompensating by going ALL OUT for my 2020 review! Enjoy!

Highlights:
: I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. It explores faith from a cynical viewpoint that eventually flips in the face of the author's own discoveries. I didn't entirely agree with him, but I really enjoyed the strength of his conviction.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

: This was a strange read for me, because I really enjoyed it without actually really knowing why. It was a unique feeling, which is what made it such a highlight. I just enjoyed the experience of it.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

: Going back and re-reading this trilogy after 20-odd years was such a delight. I really love this world so this time around I absorbed a lot more of the details, and it made me fall in love with it even more. It's definitely a comfort world for me, so felt fitting to escape the drama of 2020 into Middle Earth.
Review(s):
FotR: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
TTT: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
RotK: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

: This just ticked all the boxes for me. I'm a big Aladdin fan so this was full of things I loved, and even though the politics were a little confusing I got so swept up in the story. It caught me by surprise and I fell in love with it more than I expected to.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

: It was a short story but it was so captivating! Whimsical is the word that always comes to mind when I want to describe it; it's real, and a little gritty, but there is this unique, dark beauty to it. Really enjoyed the way it had my imagination running wild.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

: It's been a while since I read a self-help book that affected me quite so much as this one did. It just makes so much sense, and I really enjoyed the practical, honest way it was all set out. It's a book that I encourage everyone to read.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Disappointments:
: I wanted this to be so much more thrilling than it was. I think it just worked too hard to be a standalone novel, where it would have really benefited from more world-building. I scored an autographed copy, too, so I'm sad it turned out to be such a miss for me.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

: This was influenced heavily by my favourite book of all time, The Three Musketeers, only it included angels. I figured it was destined to be one of my favourite reads of 2020 but it ended up being one of my biggest disappointments. It had very little to do with the original story I love so much, and instead just borrowed character names and smooshed them into this world that was far too confusing. It broke my heart a little, to be honest.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

: I expected this to be so much more interesting than it was; it ended up being slow and messy and even though it had cool mantis monsters to give it an extra star, they weren't enough to save it from a savage review.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

: Oh boy did this one do me in. I was so keen to read it - I loved Eragon, and even though the rest of that series fell apart for me I figured enough time had passed for this guy to pick up his writing game a fair bit. I was wrong. It was dull, repetitive and about 500 pages longer than it should have been.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Re-reads:


5-star reads:


Popular Reviews:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

View all my reviews