Review: The Apartment

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

Well damn, this was creepy as f***

I mean, it starts out a little dull and vague but it's the vagueness that draws you in and keeps you reading. Even though it's not particularly action-packed, there's this driving need to figure out exactly what's going on, and what we're missing.

The Paris apartment is totally creepy. I myself intend to visit for a holiday in just over two months and I have to say, this raised all kinds of worries about my trip that I'd never considered. Just that notion of being isolated in a foreign country, surrounded by unhelpful strangers, added an extra level of chills to the story. (I'm hoping the creepiness of this story will have faded by the time I go there, though.)

And you know what? The apartment itself is not actually that haunting - it's just run down. It's more like a modern day horror - living without wi-fi and a proper coffee machine. Oh, the terror!!

It's just so mysterious. Clearly something weird is going on but how does it all relate?

I confess, I didn't like Mark from the get-go. I like brave characters and this he was not. Steph definitely wears the pants in the relationship and I loved her for it, though I got frustrated when she put up with all his crap.

The fun(???) thing about thrillers like this is that you wonder how much is legit supernatural occurances and how much is in the mind of the protagonist(s). I suspected a little PTSD but the story keeps you questioning and there's that slow leak of facts and happenings that draw you in no matter your theories. I'm not entirely sure I enjoyed reading it, but I certainly couldn't stop.

I don't even think the story was that great but it's left me with a serious case of the willies so I've gotta give it props for that. It also gave me some mad cravings for coffee.

Not exactly a fast-thrills horror story but a distinct creepiness and mysterious happenings will keep you hungry for an answer. Don't get too excited about the Parisian setting - there's very little about quaint cafes and beautiful boutiques and minimal reference to the Eiffel Tower - but it does offer a unique darker glimpse at the city of romance.

... and now I'm off to find something ridiculously cheesy to read.


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Review: Shadow and Bone

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well it was no Six of Crows but it was still a pretty fun read!

It was slower to get into but once it got rolling I enjoyed it. I actually really liked The Darkling! I expected him to be the evil villain but then he was all shy and considerate and helpful and I kinda fell for him a bit. (view spoiler)[So yeah, he kinda blind-sided me there. What. A. Jerk. (hide spoiler)]

Alina was okay but definitely could have used more sass. I mean, I liked that she said what she thought but she did also start mooning over The Darkling pretty quick. I mean, I don't blame you, girl- dude's got game! but it took away from the sass and that made me sad. I'm also a bit confused about how her power works (come on, guys, it's not a spoiler, it's in the blurb, ok?). Like, it seems to be heat and light but the sun is pretty powerful so does she modulate it or does it not burn her because she's weak? I think it just could have been explained better. Same will all the -aki Grishas - they all mingled together and were confusing to keep track of and I was thankful I read Six of Crows first so that I kind of had an idea of what things were but wow. So much magic. So much confusion.

The general plot was a bit familiar - orphan discovers super magic powers, goes to special facility to train, is teacher's pet - but I still kinda enjoyed it? I guess that's why the formula is repeated in so many fantasy novels - it works. I missed Mal, though.

I can't say too much more without spoilers and who can be bothered hiding them all but let me just say it was a decent, not-too-much-of-a-cliffhanger ending that still makes me want to read the next one. I'm also still kinda waiting for one particular character to show up coz okay maybe I spoiled one or two things for myself by reading SoC first but *shrugs*

So now I have to go buy the next one. *sigh* I need to stop reading first books and actually finish some of these series.

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Review: Three Dark Crowns

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

(view spoiler)[I TOTALLY CALLED IT. (hide spoiler)]

Dang, how about that ending, huh??? *wink*

But seriously, this started out so dull but totally had me hooked once I started shipping Joe and Mira. I'm not the only one, am I??!

So, okay, look, this is real confusing at the start but once you accept that and kind of just go with it it's not so bad. I wasn't really taken with any of the characters at first but they did become a little more badass further on and now I'm pretty keen to read the second book.

I got a bit confused about who some of the characters were but they didn't seem too important. For example, Luke. Totally forgot who he was, how old, how they knew him etc but I knew he was kind of a pal? So yeah lots of names with immemorable descriptions.

There's some real nasty goings on here. So much plotting! But it's not really clever plotting? I don't like that all the grown-ups are doing all the hard work while the kids just follow blindly. I think that's why I liked Mira so much.

So plot wise it takes a bit to get into it all but the second half of the book races along and is a lot of fun to read.

I felt like there were a few errors though - it's got this gorgeous map in the front but it must have been flipped at some stage coz travel down the 'west coast' mentioned a lot of places in the east, according to the map. There was something else I spotted but I forget so ehhhhh. I basically got really lost trying to understand where everything was.

It's interesting that the blurb makes naturalists sound like glorified gardeners when I think it's pretty cool that they get familiars. As if we haven't all imagined having a badass pet we could turn loose on our enemies. Animals make any story a hundred times better. Especially when said animals are loyal sidekicks.

Kat was dull and I totally thought Pietyr (seriously what is UP with that spelling??) was a swine so I wasn't wholy on board with his character development. Arsinoe and Billy were cute together but Jules and Joe was a no-go from me so I was pretty happy when he went off on that sailing trip. (view spoiler)[He and Mira are the best couple in this book. They actually have passion and I don't know about them but I have no regrets about the time they spent together. (hide spoiler)] Mira was the most fun because she actually sticks up for herself a bit and goes after what she wants.

As for all the rituals and stuff, I no comprendo. It was pretty confusing and I didn't really get the point of it all. These people are weird. *shrugs* (view spoiler)[Also, what exactly was Arsinoe's plan before the bear plan? Was she just gonna get up on stage and stand there? (hide spoiler)]

And now we come to the spoiler discussion about the ending.

(view spoiler)[So I TOTALLY CALLED IT about halfway through. It seemed too obvious when Arsinoe had no animals and Kat got sick. I was kinda hoping it would come to light with Kat's snake biting her and consequently causing her death or with her taking control of the bear as her familiar but I guess Arsinoe not dying from poison keeps them all alive for the sequel. Plus I love the idea of vengeful Kat. But it was also kind of a giveaway when I started thinking how weird a name Arsinoe is and how it sounds a lot like arsenic. (It did take me half a book, though, coz I was mentally pronouncing it as Ariss-inoe.)

I am very much looking forward to Kat getting some brilliant revenge on Pietyr for being an A Grade douchebag (and spelling his name in such a ridiculous manner) and I hope her dead snake was not her familiar and she gets some totally awesome animal that can mess him up. Imagine if she got, like, a cockroach or something. Man, would that suck.

I hope Mira continues to kick butt in the second book and that her romance with old mate Joe gets so steamy Jules sets her cougar on him. I love Jules being all wound up over it. Mira's a lot of fun with her attitude and power combining to make a fierce character. I have so much time for her. Not the priestess, though. Screw her. (hide spoiler)]

Slow start to an unusual series but I did end up really enjoying it and I look forward to reading the sequel!


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Review: The Suspect

The Suspect by Michael Robotham
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was going to give this 3 stars, but I think that's just being far too generous.

The blurb starts by saying our protagonist, Joseph O'Loughlin, seems to have the perfect life. Then a body turns up and everything starts to get complicated.

The book is divided into three parts, and the first part is boooooorrrrring. It talks about the 'perfect life' and is incredibly dull. I mean, the body turns up pretty much straight away but then we hear all about Joe's daily routine and his perfect wife and perfect child. Over and over and over ...

But of course everything is complicated so Joe also has a bit of an illness to contend with, and he's so freaking mopey about it. I get that it's a sucky thing but if you're not gonna talk to people about it then you don't get to mope about it. What. A. Drainer.

So yeah, first half is dull and Joe is an unlikable protagonist.

The second part amps up the action a bit, though, as we start to learn more about the crime and chase suspects and try to figure out what the heck is going on. This hooked me a little more, because I love the psychological stuff and this is where it started getting tangled.

Part three is the climax and conclusion and it was so mehhhh. I was underwhelmed and kinda saw it coming without even knowing what IT was. (view spoiler)[IE I knew DJ was suss, and I knew there'd be a reveal of someone unexpected involved in the murder. Usually it turns out this person is actually the murderer, but in this case it was a second person when I didn't even know we were looking for an accomplice. (hide spoiler)]

So most of my complaints are with the main character, and how the story unfolds. I straight up didn't like Joe one bit because he's a liar and doesn't help the detective at all, making him seem overall like a pretty dodgy, conceited fellow. (view spoiler)[Wasn't thrilled with his cheating, either. What a douche. (hide spoiler)] Plus did I mention he whines a lot? He makes himself out to be such a victim and he does stupid things and it made me SO FRUSTRATED.

The story drags through the first half and then actually gets interesting in the second part. But the third part is a disappointing conclusion that doesn't actually cover most of the important stuff and is more about Joe being hard done by than any actual exploration of our killer and why they did what they did. (view spoiler)[For example, I kept waiting for the explanation of how the killer convinced Catherine to stab herself, and why. It never came. (hide spoiler)] It felt like such a crappy conclusion (view spoiler)[there was no real twist, and no psychological explanations to make up for it. (hide spoiler)] and none of the characters really made me feel anything, even when we discovered why the killer did their killing. It was all surface stories and emotions and I just never got attached because it was too distant and bland. I finished it last night and I've already forgotten how it actually ends. That's how uninteresting it was.

I'm hoping the second one in the series gets a bit more exciting and does more mind-meddling than this one. I probably wouldn't even bother with the second book if I didn't already own it.

Not great as far as psych thrillers go but there's probably people who will like Joe more than I did and therefore appreciate this a bit more.

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Review: The Hate U Give

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After all the reviews I've read I knew this one would be moving, but this is also such an important voice to listen to and I honestly feel that EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THE WORLD NEEDS TO READ THIS.

I can't possibly feel what it must be like to face the challenges of a black person living in the USA - all I can tell you is how this novel made me feel, as a white female living in a predominantly white country.

It made me feel ignorant.
It made me feel despair.
It made me feel guilt.
It made me feel lucky.
It made me feel disgust.
It made me feel gut-wrenching sadness.

But it also made me laugh, and it filled my heart with appreciation for family and community.

This is not necessarily a novel about how hard it is to be black.

This is a novel about a teenager, for whom the colour of her skin dictates the way she is treated by society as a whole.

It's a small story that is a mere glimpse of oppression, and it's told with incredible skill and heart and it is impossible to read this story and not feel anything. As an Australian, this level of injustice is a story on Page 3 - maybe - and to think this permeates the entire lifestyle of a country breaks my heart. There's so much in this book that I needed to read to understand exactly how deep the wounds go. Even still, I don't think I'll ever properly understand, but I know I'll make more of an effort to pay attention to the things I say and do.

Now, since this is also a story told by a teenager, we're facing more than just racism here. Clearly that's the KO, but there's plenty of jabs about sibling rivalry, friendship, fitting in and family. Starr is facing all the normal issues that come with being a teenager and that is something everyone can relate to. It injects humour into a dark story, and is another facet of what makes this such a powerful novel.

I have to be honest - I hadn't even planned to read this book yet. I just happened to glimpse at the first page to get an idea, and 13 hours later I was finishing it. It grabbed me instantly, stuck its claws in, and refused to let go. It is utterly heartbreaking but also uplifting, and even though all this bs is happening Starr is part of an incredibly strong family unit that sticks by her like glue no matter what. Even when she's in trouble they've got her back, and that's exactly what family is and I'm so, SO glad that her family was written that way.

On a much lighter note, I also really enjoyed the sneaker talk. I'm becoming a bit of a sneakerhead myself so it was a lot of fun to actually know what Jordans she was talking about and understand their value. It made me love her instantly.

This novel is written brilliantly, so that you're getting this powerful story with all the sass of a teenager. The language makes it so easy to play this as a movie in your head, and see the characters brought to life. The novel covers a hard topic, but using the voice of a teenager cuts out all the political bs and it all boils down to a very simple message: why is one life worth any less than another?

Now, here's the tough part.

I've never considered myself racist. I've never thought people should be treated any different just because of the colour of their skin, or how they look. But when I look deeper at my thoughts and reactions to people who are different, I have to seriously consider how much of my ingrained behaviour actually makes me racist without realising it?

And I think that's what makes this such an important novel for everyone to read.

It's not enough to just say, 'I'm not racist.'

We need to recognise all the behaviours that are so natural yet damaging to minorities. We need to actually consider things from the other side of the coin and acknowledge our white privilege as a serious thing. We need to accept: white people have it pretty good.

This book really made me think, but it also broke my heart (and then stuck it back together).

Honestly I encourage everyone to read this novel because it will open your eyes and hopefully allow you an insider's glimpse at a world you're completely ignorant of. The better our understanding, the better our chance of changing the world.

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Review: Traitor to the Throne

Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The first book in this series, Rebel of the Sands, was a lot of fun. We got to know Amani and Jin, and learn a ton about all the myths and legends in this world. It was a good adventure story with fun characters.

This one is so much darker.

There's a lot of politics and death and slavery and torture and Jin and Amani are fighting but the reason is WEAK. Apparently during the story between the two we have, Amani got herself shot and Jin disappeared because he couldn't hack it. So there's this weird, lame tension that's never really tense because, duh, we already know they love each other so it's just ridiculous to believe they're mad at each other. So yeah, Jin is gone so no Jin really in the first chunk of this book.

Then Amani winds up in the Sultan's palace (it's only a spoiler if I tell you how - she's there for a decent chunk of this novel making it kind of the main story) and it's all intrigue and politics and 'oh, maybe the Sultan isn't such a bad guy' which, compared to Kadir, he's kind of not? But he still kills people whenever he feels like it so, um, yeah. Definitely a bad guy.

There's a ton of ladies in the Harem (go figure) so there's nastiness (though I would have been entertained by more) and not nearly enough eye candy (figuratively speaking, of course) but there's a tiny ray of hope in Rahim, who is the prince-who-is-more-of-a-soldier, typical-good-guy, selfless type. A reasonably familiar character, but I liked him all the same. I'm expecting a solid love triangle in the third book, but that could be wishful thinking. Just for the drama, though!! Jin will always be my fave <3

Amani's still pretty sassy which I truly appreciate because all of this drama needs some sass to lighten the load a little. Also Shazad hangs around a bit here and there which is a blessing coz she's totally badass. There's a new fellow, too, who is fun.

Guess who DOESN'T spend time at the palace? *eyeroll*

If you go into this book hoping for fun hijinks from the dashing Jin, you will be sorely disappointed. (I was.) There is NO JIN at the palace. Which, as mentioned, is most of the book. *tears*

So no, this book was not nearly as fun as the first one, but that being said I do think it was an important story to tell. We needed that insider glimpse of the Sultan so that we can properly understand our villain, and I think it's valuable that he's fleshed out with a bit of grey, too, because that creates a much more entertaining dynamic. It was good getting to know a few more characters, and build on the dynamic between the existing. I did get a little mixed up with all the rebels, though. I couldn't remember who did what and who was related to whom. (There's a handy little character chart at the front, though.)

It was a slightly disappointing read after how much I enjoyed the first one but mostly just because it felt half-baked. It was such a long novel compared to Rebel ... but it needed more depth; like the emotion was missing a bit and things were being told instead of felt. I love Amani as a protagonist (though not entirely sure I'll be backing her in the next one) and I love her and Jin as a team, so I'm kind of just clinging to that. I'll be really interested to see how the series concludes because this was such a change from the first one - things escalated really fast so will be interesting to see what kind of scale the conclusion is on.

Fingers crossed for a lot more Jin in the next one, too!


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Review: The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Look I get it and I also kind of don't.

The themes and story are powerful; this is a dark, dystopian world not too far from our own, and a lot of its ideas make sense in a really scary way. I don't want to delve too deeply into female oppression and misogyny etc. but this made me furious at times and had me ranting like a rabid feminist when I've never considered myself such before. I can't imagine the effect it would have had on women at the time of its original publication.

The whole premise is that women are divided into categories, and the protagonist is a Handmaid - a woman whose sole job is to fall pregnant to important men in the place of their wives. It's pretty sickening but here's the thing: the whole reason is never really fully explored?

I take it the wives are barren, and this is a fairly recent change to society so many of these marriages were probably already in place, but I didn't really comprehend how the pairing up works, and how widespread it is, and how women are divided up into the other roles, like Aunts etc. It was so focused on the consequences and the now of this horrid society that it didn't really seem to be properly explained. It was kind of like a feminist version of 1984 only there was not really a lot of explanation of why . Why are children so important? Why is procreation considered the single most important thing in this new society? It painted such a bleak picture but it lacked that 'this is possibly our future if we keep doing x' factor that helped 1984 pack such a punch.

Also.

The writing was TERRIBLE.

I understand that it's a stylistic thing designed to symbolise the telling of the story, but here's an example that hopefully explains my frustration:

'Nights falls. Or has fallen. [...] Maybe night falls because it's heavy, a thick curtain pulled up over the eyes. Wool blanket. I wish I could see in the dark, better than I do.'

Honestly I found it tedious at times, dealing with her musings. There are so many commas and disconnected thoughts, and the tense jumps around all over the place. I understand why it was written that way, but it made it harder to read and that could easily put people off.

I did actually really appreciate the story, as it gets the wheels turning and it encourages discourse on gender inequality, which I think is incredibly important. Surface level, I was so curious about her past so putting all the pieces together was actually kind of fun. I suppose I just felt like the jigsaw was only 80% completed, and missing all the outer edges.

The ending was never going to be happy but dang, was it frustrating! (See below rant of immediate impressions) Screw that. It was such an enormous let down. Can't say I was surprised, though.

As for characters, they were pretty bland, as far as characters go. There's not really any attachment because they're so imperceptible; they live inside their definitions and there's no room for their personalities to really stretch out or break free. The Commander was strange, the Wife was sullen, Nick was a barely defined outline and Offred herself was difficult to understand, particularly as an unreliable narrator. i found it so hard to align the present-day narrator with the past she spoke of. It seemed like such a dramatic change in so short a time and I think that right there pretty much sums up my biggest issue with this novel. I think I figured out that all of this had come about in the space of three years? Hmmmm ...

I still have so many questions and this one really hurts my head to think about it any kind of detail. It's a fascinating commentary on society but a somewhat shallow, as opposed to comprehensive, viewpoint, in my opinion. It is an interesting story but this is a politically charged novel and not a light read.

I understand why it's popular: it raises some important questions through portrayal of a society drastically changed by ideals that are rampant in our present day society. It is written in a unique style, and everything is written with purpose. I think these things allow some to overlook the tedious writing, and gaps in the world-building. The story is enjoyable enough on the surface, but I wouldn't call it a page-turner. This is another book that's all about what's being said between the lines. I liked it, but I won't be raving about it.


***

Immediately after finishing:
...

WHAT THE FRENCH FRY WAS THAT???!

Nah, screw that ending!! I'm so mad!

What a load of ... !!!!

I'm too mad to write a proper review. I'm gonna need a minute over here.

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