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Prieblanda (25 KP) rated The Tattooist of Auschwitz in Books

May 17, 2019

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Heather Morris | 2018 | Biography, History & Politics, Religion

8.7

(74 Ratings)

Book Rating

Easy read (0 more)

Lack of vivid images (0 more)

Could be darker

The novel takes us back to the WW2 times, the times when concentration camps were running full capacity. And it lets us to get in a life of one of the prisoners at the biggest camps - the Auschwitz. Starting to read, you know beforehand what lies in path of the main character - Lale. Though the story itself happens in dark times (times I consider to be closest to dystopia humanity ever got to), Lale doesn't lose his optimism and it makes the whole story a bit more lighthearted. We don't really get much insight on some more gruesome things.

Summing up, there were some parts that I liked and there were a few that I didn't. But knowing it is based on a true story makes it a forgivable. I just wish the author put a bit more of work in her prose, to paint the images more vividly

Kudos

Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated The Hazel Wood in Books

Mar 2, 2018

The Hazel Wood

Melissa Albert | 2017 | Mystery, Paranormal, Science Fiction/Fantasy

7.4

(33 Ratings)

Book Rating

A little too over the top

I think I completely lost the plot trying to follow this fairytale within a fairytale. A modern day version of a Brothers Grimm-style folklore, the story follows Alice, who is trying to find her missing mother, and discovers that all is not what it seems.

The main thrust of the novel asks whether Alice is a character in a tale herself? And if she can escape her fate by running away from her story. And while I can appreciate the author's creativity, there's very little character development and there appears to be a fair few loose ends. The prose is heavy in metaphors to the point that the first half seemed far too long.

While many have described the book as a dark and creepy fantasy, I think it may have been a little overhyped - it's more of a weird version of Alice in Wonderland. Interesting, but not for me.

Kudos

Anna Steele (111 KP) rated Noteworthy in Books

Jun 28, 2018

Noteworthy

Riley Redgate | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry

8.3

(3 Ratings)

Book Rating

Singing Sharp and Mending Broken Hearts

Riley Redgate is an up-and-coming author and recent graduate of Kenyon College. In her second novel, her main character goes to an arts school and has never been cast in a show. To keep herself on her toes with competition, she goes undercover and auditions for an all-male a capella group. She never expected it to go so far. It reminds me of the anime Oran High School Host Club, with Jordan being a scholarship kid masquerading in an all-male group. I wasn’t sure if a capella would stand as well on the page as it did on the silver screen, but Redgate’s prose throughout the novel sparked my imagination so much that I wasn’t worried about missing the actual notes. Striving for a sense of belonging in an artistic and scholastic setting really hits home with me, as an acting major in college.

Kudos

David McK (3600 KP) rated The Hobbit in Books

Jan 28, 2019

The Hobbit

J.R.R. Tolkien | 1937 | Children

8.4

(144 Ratings)

Book Rating

JRR Tolkiens classic children's(?) tale of Bilbo Baggins, and his journey to the Lonely Mountain in the company of Gandalf the Wizard and 12 Dwarves who are seeking to reclaim their inheritance from the dragon Smaug.

(According to the preface in the edition I read), this was written before his Magnum Opus of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, with Tolkien later going back and revising key portions of this - namely, the Riddles in the Dark sequence where Bilbo encounters Gollum, and finds the Ring of Power - to bring it more in line with those sequels.

Like The Lord of the Rings, while this may be (is) a good story, the prose can also be a little bit on the dry side - I did find myself occasionally skimming through some of the chapters. Not as dry, however, as I remember The Lord of the Rings to be!