Emperor of the Eight Islands by Lian Hearn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
There was a lot more mythology than I expected in this book. I thought it would be much more about the warrior culture and political intrigue.
It was still a really interesting read, and I loved some of the 'magic', but it was also a difficult read sometimes with so many similar names (especially when listening to the audiobook) and I felt like it was a little long.
View all my reviews
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I'm sure that the historical importance and themes contained in this book make it an enduring classic with lots of value to the literary world, but I really struggled with it. I just didn't find it that engaging and the use of the same names for generations makes keeping the characters straight really confusing. I tried going from audio to ebook and back again, but it didn't really help that much in the end. Just not for me.
View all my reviews
Faithful by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
"What is behind you is gone, what is in front of you awaits"
I loved this line from the book because it perfectly sums up the crux of this novel.
Shelby is involved in a terrible car accident as a teenager and shuts herself away from the world. We follow her over the next several years as she copes (or doesn't) with her guilt and anger and slowly reconnects with the world.
This is only my second Hoffman novel (the first being The Dovekeepers) and the novels couldn't be more different in topic, but also I found the writing of this book much more accessible and contemporary. I was surprised to find myself wanting to be friends with Shelby and really caring about her and not wanting to say goodbye at the end of the novel. And for anyone to be able to write characters like that is a real skill.
I recommend this to anyone that loves an easy to read contemporary fiction about life, love and family.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
View all my reviews
When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
McLemore writes magical realism very well. Her first novel, The Weight of Feathers took me a little while to get used to and then I loved it. This book I found did the opposite. I fell in love from the start, and then it slowed down considerably and I would have liked to see a braver edit to keep a more steady, albeit still relatively slow, pace.
The author explains in her Author's Note that her husband is transgender and this, along with her interest in bacha posh (a cultural practice in parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan in which families who only have daughters dress one as a boy in order to be the "son" of the family) became the inspiration for this story about a girl called Miel who appeared out of the water on day with roses growing from her arm, and Sam the boy who has secrets he wants to keep.
It is a Young Adult book so there was a bit of teen angst, and beyond the magical realism there was also the "mean girls" story with a group of four perfect sisters who want to ruin what Miel and Sam have.
I would recommend to anyone who enjoys magical realism or stories about identity and truth. I look forward to the next novel the author releases.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
View all my reviews
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I enjoyed about 80% of this book. It had some interesting characters and setting with a bit of a mystery surrounding the watchmaker, Mori, his craft and his abilities. Unfortunately the end of the book was confusing and disjointed and left me feeling quite unsatisfied.
Great premise and cover and the writing was quite good, so I would probably read more by this author.
View all my reviews
Why I read this: I requested and received a copy from NetGalley. I thought the cover was awesome and the description really interesting. It is hard to resist a carnival novel!
Genre: Historical Fiction with a dash of magical realism
In a Nutshell: Coney island, plague, lots of death and some graphic scenes
Would suit fans of: Jessie Burton and Alice Hoffman
Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet by H.P. Wood
Set on Coney Island in 1904, this story follows an unlikely group of friends as the island is thrown into quaratine due to an outbreak of the plague.
Although there is some historical basis for the book, the plague never did hit Coney Island (or the east coast of the US), so for the most part this is a work of fiction about what may have happened if it did
.
So, if not exploring historical events what is this book about? There is a quote that I highlighted
"...But here on Coney Island, we learn to take each other as we are"
and for me this is the overriding theme and purpose of the novel. We have such an interesting bunch of characters including a man with no legs, a young boy with a flea circus, a con artist, a politician's son, and English lady, a leopard trainer, a "half and half" (one side male, one side female) and even an automaton. This doesn't even cover all of the characters, who call themselves "unusuals", but gives you a flavour of whom you will meet.
Towards the end of the book there is quite a bit happening, and I think that the sheer volume of characters did the book a disservice as the end felt like it was a rushed attempt to let the reader know what happened to everyone. However, I did really enjoy this novel and felt like I was on Coney Island right along with them.
3.5 stars
View all my reviews
