Review: Queenie

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A rather insightful train wreck story, with some important themes written with a great balance of comedy and heart.

Queenie is a chaotic black woman being undermined by everyone around her. She's 'too -' everything - too loud, too bold, too sensitive, too ... HER.

Now if that doesn't resonate, this book might not be the one for you.

While I can't relate to Queenie's Jamaican-British heritage in any way, I can relate to the experience of people trying to silence you because you make them uncomfortable.

Sure, Queenie doesn't respond the best to some situations - making for some great comedic moments, as well as some more tragic results - but she is constantly undermined and subjected to racism and sexism, both blatant and more subtle. I felt for her and what she was experiencing, and I was glad there were characters who loved her exactly as she was anyway.

This is not a story about fitting in. This is a story about being loud and (eventually) proud; of owning who you are, even if there are some problematic behaviours while you figure out how to do that. There's a respect for mental health, and this book raises some interesting topics around it.

There's no guidebook to life, and Queenie is figuring it all out the best way she can. I loved that, even if it didn't always go Queenie's way. This book understands the messiness of life, and treats it with respect, humour, and unconditional love.

The writing finds a great blend of seriousness while still remaining comedic; it raises multiple topics and treats them with respect and insight, yet still finds a way to keep things lighthearted and amusing.

I really enjoyed reading this one as it gave me a better understanding of racial challenges as well as just a fun time watching this human trainwreck from a safe distance. It's easy to cringe and judge some of her decisions, but ultimately Queenie is a character you will root for and embrace.

This was Book 4 of my Advent Calendar Challenge

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Review: The Crustacean

The Crustacean by Jang Jinyeong
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Narrated by Jesse Baek
Presented by Octopus Audio

A strange book, that's mostly kind of dull until you get into the secrets.

It follows a lonely teenager as she seeks attention in many destructive ways, but without the context it's quite hard to like the protagonist. I guess that's probably the point.

This is a rather short story, about innocence and its destruction. It's not really long enough to be clever and memorable, but it raises some interesting ideas about the fragility and impressionability of youth.

The narrator does a decent job, but the voice didn't feel quite right to me. It was easy enough to listen to, but there were strange inflections here and there, with a few awkward pauses and emphases. I'd happily give this narrator another chance, though.

It was an average sort of story for me, but a full length novel of a similar idea would be rather interesting from this perspective.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

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Review: V for Vendetta

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I get why this is considered a masterpiece.

Some elements of it were a little too hard to make out and the art style, while perfect for the gritty story, wasn't entirely appealing to me.

Still, an absolutely brilliant read that I highly recommend.

It's a dystopian future where people are constantly watched and controlled - a la 1984. V is an anarchist, rebelling against the system with plots and bombs. He rescues a young girl, allowing her a glimpse behind the curtain - thus giving us access as the reader.

There's a rather large cast of characters, which can be confusing at times, and the story can sometimes be so compelling that you forget to take in the intricate details of each panel. Which can be quite detrimental, as the art is used brilliantly to tell the story in its own subtle way.

There's a reason so much of what Alan Moore writes becomes iconic - he uses the medium brilliantly, making sure both words and visuals complement and enhance the reading experience.

Essential reading for fans of George Orwell's 1984, and for graphic novel fans in general.

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Review: How to Kill Your Biggest Fan

How to Kill Your Biggest Fan by Helen Blair
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Narrated by Susie Riddell
Presented by Bolinda Audio

This was really fun! A great, easy listen.

Hazel was such a conflicting character - I definitely went through a range of emotions towards her!

Highly recommend.

Hazel is a successful author who hates people. When she receives some disturbing fan mail, it sends her on a quest of sorts, to root out the stalker and turn it into her next hit.

Honestly, Hazel was such an interesting protagonist. You really go through all kinds of emotions where you dislike a lot about her immediately, but then some aspects win you over, only to then be disappointed again in something she says or does.

At the same time, there's an aspect of fun in watching the wrecks she makes, and seeing her struggle as a consequence.

This is light and zippy, but it has some darker themes too that are worth consideration. There's a feministic streak that will have women onside, and will allow for deeper reflection beyond Hazel's antics.

A lighthearted story, but certainly not lacking depth.

The narrator did a great job differentiating between characters, and used appropriate tones without any awful long pauses. I'd happily listen to this narrator again.

All in all, a fun audio diversion for cosy crime fans.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

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Review: Last One Out

Last One Out by Jane Harper
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Honestly a disappointing offering from someone who started so strong. I find Jane Harper's stuff really hit or miss!

If you're into the atmospheric stuff, you might enjoy this tale of a dying town, but I wouldn't look here for a good crime story.

The story begins with a kid going missing, after visiting three abandoned houses. The story then shifts to the present, where we learn more about the abandoned houses than we do about the kid that's gone missing.

It sets the tone for a novel that then discusses every element of the town's collapse, and draws all fun out of the mystery by burying it in dust and broken things. There are broken relationships across town, with many caused by people staying-or-going as the town becomes slowly less inhabited.

It was written well, for sure - no one can ever say Jane Harper doesn't know how to craft a well-written story. It's just that the subject matter wasn't all that interesting.

We do get a payoff eventually, with the mystery unravelling towards the end, but it's mostly dull up until that point so rather disappointing.

If you like the slow stuff that explores relationships between people and setting, this might still entertain. But crime fans might be disappointed if drawn here after reading the more entertaining The Dry or The Lost Man.

With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC

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Review: Baby Teeth

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This didn't feel like horror to me - more like just hellish parenthood.

The premise is a troublesome child who is an angel for dad but targets mum with psychotic behaviour.

Presumably, the horror is how demonic the child is, but honestly she really just strikes me as a bad kid, rather than anything supernatural. Because of that, it's hard to really get sucked into the novel. It really feels more like you're reading about the experience of a mother trying to manage a child with chronic bad behaviour.

There are some interesting ideas around parents hating their kids, or loving them unconditionally, or wishing to go back to the simpler time before kids, so I think these themes will really resonate with people who have kids and have secretly held similar thoughts. These are taboo topics that you're almost forbidden to discuss as a parent, so the sentiments in the book might help examine personal feelings.

As a childless adult, though, it just wasn't that entertaining.

There's nothing horrific here, and while the kid does some messed up stuff, none of it really jumps out as particularly demonic. A little evil, perhaps, but not enough to bring a lot of liveliness to the story.

I enjoyed it okay but it just wasn't anything particularly special.

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Review: Warrior Princess Assassin

Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Bruh. This was all kinds of not-for-me and I will be forever scarred by its one spectacularly graphic sex scene.

The whole story feels pretty weak from the get-go: a forced marriage between a Princess who is often excluded from politicking by her brother, to a brutal king who is rumoured to be bloodthirsty and awful. And unfortunately her deadly assassin best friend can't save her.

Naturally, all of the roles are lies - the princess isn't pampered, the brutal king is a sweetheart, and the deadly assassin is broken by his past. The alpha male here is the king, so get ready for him to be overprotective and somehow immediately saving their asses at every turn.

The story is a rather bland journey from one kingdom to another, filled with more loaded glances and stroking hair off faces than any kind of drama or action. There's so much touching and mooning that it becomes unbearable almost immediately. It is very much a story that is just an excuse to build a romance, rather than an organic romance that grows from the story.

The whole thing is actually painfully PG up until the last 50 or so pages when it becomes extremely explicit, so romance fans will be mostly disappointed until the last little bit, and non-romance fans have to suffer through an excruciating slow-burn for the entirety of the book.

This really was painful from start to finish, and very clearly a romance written for romance's sake, without much thought to building a strong story. I was not a fan at all, and I don't think I could even recommend it to romance fans as it's dramatic 180 in the romance side of things makes it alienating for both explicit and non-explicit fans. Perhaps those who enjoy slow-burn and are willing to skip over the graphic stuff will enjoy this the most.

With thanks to Harper Collins for an ARC

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