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40x40

ClareR (5864 KP) rated Cleopatra and Frankenstein in Books

Jan 29, 2023  
Cleopatra and Frankenstein
Cleopatra and Frankenstein
Coco Mellors | 2022 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book has divided opinion on Goodreads - I’m coming down on the “I enjoyed it” side. I like a book that has absolutely nothing in common with my life: the vulnerable, arty Cleo, and the quick, excessive Frank may as well be from another planet with their lifestyle, excesses and impulsive marriage.

There are a fair few vulnerable characters in this novel: Cleo, Zoe (Frank’s sister), Quentin (Cleo’s gay best friend) and Eleanor. Actually Eleanor comes late to the story, and I could have read so much more about her. She’s funny, has an interesting family and simply has a lot of interesting things to say.

I’ll just add that there’s an attempted suicide in this, and both Cleo and Frank have some pretty serious mental health issues. Whilst I think they were sensitively and well dealt with, they may be upsetting for some readers. And then there’s the Flying Squirrel incident. I’d be more than happy to never have to think about that again.

So, if you like reading about complicated relationships and self-destructive behaviour, then this will be the book for you. It’s certainly a book that I’ll remember.
  
40x40

Southern Today (21 KP) rated And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga #1) in Books

Nov 7, 2017  
And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga #1)
And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga #1)
Kiersten White | 2016 | History & Politics
4
6.9 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
And I Darken: Audio Book Review
Contains spoilers, click to show
Historical fiction! Heavy on the fiction, light on the historical, and a good young adult. Now, this is young adult fiction, the kind that even adults can appreciate. Though, this is not for YOUNG young adults. If you are wary of what your kids read, stay away from this. I enjoyed this story, and loved the twists and turns the author took us on.

Again, I did not like the voice of the reader for this novel. She was grating, could not do much variation of the voices and I wish she would not have tried, and was the reason I often considered stopping the track. And I have no idea how to spell any of the names without looking them up.

This novel, by Kiersten White, follows Lada and Radu, in the 1400s, in the Ottoman empire as insurances for the Sultan.

I wonder if, like many young adult series, this would have been better as a single book with the next being far in the future or following other characters during the same time frame.

If you enjoy war novels, historically-set novels, or stories of growing up in difficult circumstances will enjoy this.

Alright, SPOILERS BELOW, SPOILERS BELOW, PLEASE SCROLL FOR DISCUSSION there, that is out of the way.





So, this book covers a good lifetime, showing us the development, fully, of characters. Saw the gay man coming as soon as he was born, which is kind of sad. Why, why make the gay man beautiful? Why make it so obvious from the start?

Why have her fall in love with the future Sultan?

I wanted her, based on the description of the book, to be in her homeland more often than they are. The hatred between the siblings isn't what is odd, but what causes it. How Radu doesn't understand Lada's love towards him and what drives her. I do not understand it.

This book is also supposed to be a gender-bend of Dracula the Impaler. Which is interesting, because I did not figure that out from reading it. It is the correct time period, but gender bending DOESN'T WORK historically. I am sorry, it would be far to complicated to do that. It, it just doesn't work. You can write it and ponder what it would have been if one character was different. But not all. So, is that what this is?

I think I will be reading (or listening?) to the second book of this.

THIS VOICE IS TERRIBLE!

Alright, there. Little bits done