Review: Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Why, WHY is this terrible book beloved???

Firstly, let me be clear. I perfectly understand that everyone being horrible was the point. I'm not an idiot. I also don't totally hate the notion of a love story between two despicable people (see second star).

For me, my biggest issue was how long and pointless it began to feel.

This book was constantly advertised to me as the pinnacle of gothic romance - an epic love story for the ages. But there was nothing epic here at all - it's two people who love each other but hate everyone around them and make themselves, each other, and everyone else miserable.

It's also twice as long as it needs to be, with the second part really being a sad echo of the first. Again, I can see the intention to have this be a clever redux with small yet significant differences, but that didn't mean I enjoyed reading all the same boring happenings again.

Not to mention that I couldn't understand a damn word out of Joseph's mouth.

There is some small pleasure in loathing these characters, and that also contributes to the second star I offer. I don't believe a book that focuses entirely on despicable people is necessarily bad. For me, the real crime was just in how dull the thing was. It essentially amounts to 300-odd pages of mean name-calling and metaphorical hair-pulling. There are numerous treks back and forth between the properties, wandering the moors, etc. but there's very little to note beyond births, deaths and general horridness.

Credit where credit is due - there are some truly despicable acts that do entertain with their scandalous nature. But on the whole, not nearly enough to make this book stand out for that reason, either.

I don't know how much sense this will make, but if lukewarm dishwater were a book, this would be it.

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Review: Bring Up the Bodies

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well and truly hooked on this history, now! Brilliant, despite being so intimidating.

This is not an easy series, but it is incredibly rewarding. No matter how much effort I put into this review, it won't do it justice.

Mantel's writing will leave you scratching your head at times, but the richness of this story is, to me, unparalleled.

This second volume in the series sees the fall of Anne Boleyn, heavily instrumented by Thomas Cromwell. The man is a master of manipulation and here we get to see him really shine, with all his scheming and fingers on the pulse of everything.

It was much easier diving into this one, being already familiar with the writing style, but I still found I needed to have a clear head while reading because any word missed obscures any further meanings. Every word of this book seems essential, even when discussing something seemingly trivial.

I'll be real - I couldn't tell you half of the events that transpired in this book. I was swept up in semi-understanding, appreciating all the little moments as they related to the bigger picture. I think this is the kind of series that would be enhanced by a re-read, with more details sinking in on a second pass. As it was, I really enjoyed it but will freely confess that I really only understood about 80% of it. The politics are A LOT.

This is not light fare, but is fascinating both in content and delivery. I'm really enjoying learning about this period of history in such detail, and I'm oblivious of enough of it that I'm curious as to how the series will conclude.

A book for the deep thinkers and great appreciators of historical fiction; for those who love challenging wordplay and richly developed characters. Not one for those who want a fast pace, but absolutely worthwhile for those who don't mind lingering in a particular period and mulling over the intricate details.

Read as part of the Wolf Crawl slow read with Footnotes & Tangents

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Review: The Cinnamon Bun Book Store

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

THIS IS NOT A COSY BOOKSHOP BOOK!

This is romance 100% and the cover is a CON.

I thought this would be a cute lil mystery about books, with a side of soft romance.

WRONG.

This is explicit and made me more uncomfortable than Sarah J Maas ever did.

Cute loser librarian uses hot playboy for fun summer, explicit sexual activity ensues.

There is no mystery, no clue chasing - no dead bodies or anything! What the heck!

I was fooled by the cover and I've never blushed harder. Goodness.

So yeah I guess if you like romance this'll get your rocks off but if you want a cosy bookish mystery bring some pearls to clutch.

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Review: Days at the Torunka Café

Days at the Torunka Café by Satoshi Yagisawa
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Bit of a nothing book - sweet, simple, but nothing particularly gripping. A cosy little slice-of-life fare.

The story is divided into a few smaller stories, all centred around the titular cafe. They're pieces of lives that allow us to get to know a couple characters for a brief period of time, before moving on.

It was sweet enough a read but mostly forgettable. Moments that mostly make you think about life and whether you're making the most of it.

This is another book that was outside my usual, and I don't think I'd bother with a sequel. It was okay but just not enough to drive interest or stand out as unique.

Perhaps one for readers who want to slow down and remember to not let life pass by too quickly.

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Review: The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 1: The Faust Act

The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 1: The Faust Act by Kieron Gillen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A fun idea, but disappointingly vague in execution.

From the get-go, this is a confusing mess.

12 gods come back every 90 years, live for 2 years as rock stars, then die and have to wait another 90 years. That's the basic premise.

So we begin with a rock concert, and then next minute people are dying, there is chaos, and our protagonist nobody is suddenly best friends with the gods?

The action is all over the shop, making it way too hard to comprehend what's happening, and there seems to be zero character building at all - we're expected to just know who everyone is, how they relate to one another, and why they're important to the story. I had no clue about most of it.

As pretty as the artwork is, it doesn't really help out at all. There's no cohesion between the art and the dialogue, and no logic to the panels to help fill in the gaps.

I wanted so badly to like this, and even read the next five issues after this book, but it's just too much to wrap my head around. Which is a shame because the premise and the character designs work for me.

Fans of convoluted literature-type graphic novels that you have to unpick a line at a time might appreciate this one more, but you can't take this one at surface value and have it make sense.

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Review: On Mystic Lake

On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A bit cliche and predictable but still an enjoyable read.

I've been trying to broaden my genre horizons this year and read a few more things I wouldn't normally read - this was one of those.

Annie's life comes crashing down around her when her husband of twenty years confesses he's in love with someone else. Devastated, Annie returns to her childhood home of Mystic Lake, where she hopes to find the woman she lost so many years ago.

Everything about the story is predictable, but Annie is a likeable protagonist and a familiar figure as a mum who gives everything to everyone else and loses herself in the process. In Mystic Lake, Annie begins to remember the things she enjoys and it's nice to see her allow for her own growth.

Naturally, there's the local hottie she was in love with as a kid, and he's available but not without his own history and baggage.

There's plenty of character depth, and while there's nothing really original it's still a pleasant enough read. The characters are (mostly) likeable and you do root for Annie and those around her who deserve good things.

The pacing is fine, and while there's nothing too dramatic happening, there's still enough to keep it interesting. It's not my usual fare at all but I did quite enjoy reading it.

A sweet, coming-home kind of story, that will keep you entertained. It's nothing too special, but it also has enough depth to round it out into a solid story.

With thanks to NetGalley for a digital copy

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Review: The Makoto Murders

The Makoto Murders by Richard Jerram
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Narrated by David Lee Huynh
Presented by Dreamscape Media

Odd and uncomfortable, but fun for exactly that reason!

I get the Dexter comparisons - this book is told by a serial killer who just wants to be loved and admired again for his photography. Cannot see anything wrong with that, nor the stalking of a friend's ex-wife. Poor guy.

Obviously, he's a psychopath.

It's an interesting story because it's told from the point of view of this loathsome guy, who clearly can't see anything wrong with his very wrong actions. There's no sympathy, of course - just more this baffling understanding that, wow, this guy really has no idea he's awful??? As the story progresses, we learn more from his unreliable narration and form a better understanding of what drives him.

I liked reading from this perspective - it made things a lot more fun. At the same time, there's nothing to like about this guy and there's no sympathy for the victims by nature of the narration, so it feels a bit disappointing. It's hard to really enjoy a book when you don't like the main character.

The narrator did a great job differentiating between characters, and adding excitement to the delivery. Pace was decent and his voice was entertaining.

It didn't quite live up to my expectations, but it was still a fun crime story from the perspective of a killer, making it different to the normal fare. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't as gripping as I wanted it to be. Still, I'd recommend it for crime fans looking for a fresh perspective, and fans of Dexter in particular should appreciate it.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

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