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Ross (3284 KP) rated Starve Acre in Books
Nov 1, 2019
A very unusual book
Starve Acre is first and foremost a book about loss. Richard and Juliette Willoughby have recently lost their 5 year old son, and both are struggling to come to terms with their loss and grief in their different ways. Richard has taken to digging up a nearby field, looking for evidence of an ancient oak tree that once stood there. Juliette has just gone into herself and refuses to let Ewan go, convinced she heard him at night.
The interactions between the two, and the lack of interactions, beautifully tell a story of shared yet so personal loss. Neither can truly help or understand the other's loss.
Throughout the story, which is told without chapter breaks, we get a picture of Ewan's short life and the beginnings of odd behaviour, as well as some odd findings while Richard is digging in the field.
There are some very odd, creepy moments in this book, and some very touching moments. However, I felt slightly let down by the ending. There was a good amount of exposition in the last couple of pages (which may sound like a cop-out rushed ending but is well delivered) but the very final scene felt like a missed trick to me. I was expecting a very horror ending, but while what I got was unsettling, there was an element of ridiculousness to it that spoiled it.
A very enjoyable short read.
The interactions between the two, and the lack of interactions, beautifully tell a story of shared yet so personal loss. Neither can truly help or understand the other's loss.
Throughout the story, which is told without chapter breaks, we get a picture of Ewan's short life and the beginnings of odd behaviour, as well as some odd findings while Richard is digging in the field.
There are some very odd, creepy moments in this book, and some very touching moments. However, I felt slightly let down by the ending. There was a good amount of exposition in the last couple of pages (which may sound like a cop-out rushed ending but is well delivered) but the very final scene felt like a missed trick to me. I was expecting a very horror ending, but while what I got was unsettling, there was an element of ridiculousness to it that spoiled it.
A very enjoyable short read.
Based on a real place and a real period of history, Jordan Elizabeth imagines fictional characters living in the settlement of Hillside, New York in the 1890s. The main character, Viola, is a young school teacher at a one-roomed school where nothing out of the ordinary happens. That is until she learns her dying Aunt Helen is harbouring a huge secret.
Aunt Helen revealed she abandoned a daughter and Viola decides to surprise her by finding her long lost daughter, Bessie. But in finding Bessie, Viola discovers the reason Aunt Helen ran away from home, putting everyone who lives in Hillside in grave danger.
Although short, Jordan Elizabeth packs in romance, family, murder and historical fiction into her novella Hillside, the second instalment of theEchoes of New York series. The story does not follow on from the previous book, however, it is set in the same area. The amount of research the author has done to create an accurate setting is clear from the authenticity of the story.
A tiny element of the supernatural appears inHillside, although not as much as in the previous book in the series. This is by no means a bad thing, however, since it does not detract from the storyline and historical accuracy.
Personally, I did not think Hillside was one of Jordan Elizabeth's best books but it is a good story to read when you need something to pass a short time.
Aunt Helen revealed she abandoned a daughter and Viola decides to surprise her by finding her long lost daughter, Bessie. But in finding Bessie, Viola discovers the reason Aunt Helen ran away from home, putting everyone who lives in Hillside in grave danger.
Although short, Jordan Elizabeth packs in romance, family, murder and historical fiction into her novella Hillside, the second instalment of theEchoes of New York series. The story does not follow on from the previous book, however, it is set in the same area. The amount of research the author has done to create an accurate setting is clear from the authenticity of the story.
A tiny element of the supernatural appears inHillside, although not as much as in the previous book in the series. This is by no means a bad thing, however, since it does not detract from the storyline and historical accuracy.
Personally, I did not think Hillside was one of Jordan Elizabeth's best books but it is a good story to read when you need something to pass a short time.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated A Blink of the Screen: Collected Shorter Fiction in Books
Nov 8, 2019
For someone who was as prolific at writing novels as Terry Pratchett he didn't write much in the way of short stories. As he himself comments in this collection of his work this is because 'they cost blood' to write and he wondered how others such as Neil Gaiman could write so many short stories. This is all the more surprising given his grounding in journalism, something that demands producing a story withing a set number of words.
The basis for this seems to be that the nugget of an idea behind a Pratchett book was rarely simple enough to be encapsulated neatly in the short story form; his characters and ideas took time to develop and that's before the addition of the amusing footnotes and his skill at producing pastiche, parody and satire of many different things without the narrative stumbling or swerving.
This collection shows that although relatively few in number, the Pratchett short story was just as fine as could be expected. Sometimes they could be a little rushed to get to the point before the end (best seen in his tale of a gnome from the country that finds other gnomes in a department store - the story that was later rewritten fully as Truckers)
This is also a somewhat eclectic mix. There is the first story that he was paid for about the devil wanting to promote hell, which he wrote at school but it is clear that he already had the flair for writing even then. A few science fiction stories including the prescient and dark #ifdefDEBUG "world/enough" "time" about someone retreating to a virtual reality world. There is the story that formed the first ideas that would eventually become The Long Earth and of course some Diskworld shorts and related notes.
Taken together they show that over a long span of time Pratchett was coming up with great ideas. There is a little uneveness but part of this is due to his writing style being different between Diskworld and his more science fiction based stories (something that confused a lot of Diskworld readers when they read The Long Earth, but goes back even to The Dark Side of the Sun and Strata both of which are very different to Diskworld in tone.
To this end the editors have been wise to have the Diskworld stories as the second half with the 'other' stories at the beginning. This avoids the tone changing too much between stories.
This sounds like it might be for the Pratchett 'completist', like one of those greatest hits albums that comes out with just one or two rare tracks, but really this is a great collection of short stories by any measure. A couple of these are fairly well known - Troll Bridge and Theatre of Cruelty - but there is nothing gratuitous here. And of course there are plenty of laughs and subtle takes on society and humanity.
The basis for this seems to be that the nugget of an idea behind a Pratchett book was rarely simple enough to be encapsulated neatly in the short story form; his characters and ideas took time to develop and that's before the addition of the amusing footnotes and his skill at producing pastiche, parody and satire of many different things without the narrative stumbling or swerving.
This collection shows that although relatively few in number, the Pratchett short story was just as fine as could be expected. Sometimes they could be a little rushed to get to the point before the end (best seen in his tale of a gnome from the country that finds other gnomes in a department store - the story that was later rewritten fully as Truckers)
This is also a somewhat eclectic mix. There is the first story that he was paid for about the devil wanting to promote hell, which he wrote at school but it is clear that he already had the flair for writing even then. A few science fiction stories including the prescient and dark #ifdefDEBUG "world/enough" "time" about someone retreating to a virtual reality world. There is the story that formed the first ideas that would eventually become The Long Earth and of course some Diskworld shorts and related notes.
Taken together they show that over a long span of time Pratchett was coming up with great ideas. There is a little uneveness but part of this is due to his writing style being different between Diskworld and his more science fiction based stories (something that confused a lot of Diskworld readers when they read The Long Earth, but goes back even to The Dark Side of the Sun and Strata both of which are very different to Diskworld in tone.
To this end the editors have been wise to have the Diskworld stories as the second half with the 'other' stories at the beginning. This avoids the tone changing too much between stories.
This sounds like it might be for the Pratchett 'completist', like one of those greatest hits albums that comes out with just one or two rare tracks, but really this is a great collection of short stories by any measure. A couple of these are fairly well known - Troll Bridge and Theatre of Cruelty - but there is nothing gratuitous here. And of course there are plenty of laughs and subtle takes on society and humanity.
Debbiereadsbook (1202 KP) rated The Glasshouse (Lavender Shores #6) in Books
Apr 24, 2018
love love LOVE this series!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 6 in the series, but you don't need to have read there other books to follow this one. They can all be read as stand alones. But they are all 4 and 5 star reviews, from me!
I keep flipping from 4 to 5 stars and back to four again, and I have no idea why I keep crossing the numbers out at the top of the page, so gonna split the difference and call it 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 for the blog!
A little bit more of an emotional read, this one. I felt for Harrison, I really did. I cried for him when he runs, first from Will then from Adrian. And cheered for him when he finds himself, after being someone else for everyone for so very long.
But equally, Adrian wrecks your heart too! While he fights for what he feels for Harrison in the beginning, then letting it all out and going all in, and when he was waiting for Harrison to come back to him. Oh Lord, the waiting was painful!
Harrison's brother Jasper plays a huge part here, and I think he should get a story too. Adrian's brother too, but to a lesser degree. He needs a happy ever after though, after such loss. OH!! Did I see that one being laid out?? Maybe not, we'll see!
But my overwhelming feeling (and ya'll know I'm all about sharing the feelings!) is that I want, no, I NEED the story of Adrian's uncles, Alex and Alan. Alex' diary was found in one of the couples (I forget which) house when they are remodeling. Adrian references Alex' diary here, and I so desperately want to hear their story. Although members of the Founding Families, they didn't have it as easy as the guys in Lavender Shores do now. I think THEIR story would be a welcome addition to this series.
As I read each one of these books, I find once I start, I cannot stop and I have read most of them in one sitting. They aren't short books, some 300 pages but everything just grinds to a halt when I start. So, please, keep them coming!
Ah stuff it!
5 full and shiny stars!
**same worded review will appear elsewhe
This is book 6 in the series, but you don't need to have read there other books to follow this one. They can all be read as stand alones. But they are all 4 and 5 star reviews, from me!
I keep flipping from 4 to 5 stars and back to four again, and I have no idea why I keep crossing the numbers out at the top of the page, so gonna split the difference and call it 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 for the blog!
A little bit more of an emotional read, this one. I felt for Harrison, I really did. I cried for him when he runs, first from Will then from Adrian. And cheered for him when he finds himself, after being someone else for everyone for so very long.
But equally, Adrian wrecks your heart too! While he fights for what he feels for Harrison in the beginning, then letting it all out and going all in, and when he was waiting for Harrison to come back to him. Oh Lord, the waiting was painful!
Harrison's brother Jasper plays a huge part here, and I think he should get a story too. Adrian's brother too, but to a lesser degree. He needs a happy ever after though, after such loss. OH!! Did I see that one being laid out?? Maybe not, we'll see!
But my overwhelming feeling (and ya'll know I'm all about sharing the feelings!) is that I want, no, I NEED the story of Adrian's uncles, Alex and Alan. Alex' diary was found in one of the couples (I forget which) house when they are remodeling. Adrian references Alex' diary here, and I so desperately want to hear their story. Although members of the Founding Families, they didn't have it as easy as the guys in Lavender Shores do now. I think THEIR story would be a welcome addition to this series.
As I read each one of these books, I find once I start, I cannot stop and I have read most of them in one sitting. They aren't short books, some 300 pages but everything just grinds to a halt when I start. So, please, keep them coming!
Ah stuff it!
5 full and shiny stars!
**same worded review will appear elsewhe
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated An Untamed Land (Red River of the North, #1) in Books
Jan 2, 2019
Life is too short to read books I don't like. This is a book that I got for free from Barnes & Noble and didn't even make it half way through. I was going to try and push through, but every time I went to read it, I got a feeling of dread in my bones. So, I decided that I would put it down and read something else. There are too many good books out there to spend time on one that does not interest me, and causes me mental strife.
**Spoilers**
The Bjorklunds are a Norwegian family and have been dreaming of life in America for years now. And the time has come to make those dreams a reality. The prologue begins in 1877 with the family discussing plans to start saving and send two of their sons and their families to America. When Chapter One begins, it is a different year which is not mentioned, and I was extremely confused. In the prologue Roald's wife's name is Anna, and then all of a sudden it's Chapter One and Ingeborg is introduced. I had to flip back and forth a few times trying to make sense of everything. It turns out that Anna died and Roald remarried a few years later to Ingeborg. However, my main reason for disliking this book is Roald. He treats his wife with contempt and obviously withholds any affections he has towards her. I get a bad taste in my mouth every time I think about the way Roald treats Ingeborg. I understand a lot of it is cultural and the era. But I do not enjoy it. He rules his house with an iron fist. Ingeborg is afraid to even let a sigh out accidentally for fear of her husband.
I read a couple other reviews and found that the book does not have a happy ending. This was one of the determaning factors I used when I decided to set it down. I did not want to push through a book I did not enjoy to have it leaving me feeling miserable. I may pick this back up in the future, but it is being shelved for now. I have not given up on Lauraine Snelling either. This was the first book I have read by her and am interested to see what other books she writes.
Bethany House Publishers
**Spoilers**
The Bjorklunds are a Norwegian family and have been dreaming of life in America for years now. And the time has come to make those dreams a reality. The prologue begins in 1877 with the family discussing plans to start saving and send two of their sons and their families to America. When Chapter One begins, it is a different year which is not mentioned, and I was extremely confused. In the prologue Roald's wife's name is Anna, and then all of a sudden it's Chapter One and Ingeborg is introduced. I had to flip back and forth a few times trying to make sense of everything. It turns out that Anna died and Roald remarried a few years later to Ingeborg. However, my main reason for disliking this book is Roald. He treats his wife with contempt and obviously withholds any affections he has towards her. I get a bad taste in my mouth every time I think about the way Roald treats Ingeborg. I understand a lot of it is cultural and the era. But I do not enjoy it. He rules his house with an iron fist. Ingeborg is afraid to even let a sigh out accidentally for fear of her husband.
I read a couple other reviews and found that the book does not have a happy ending. This was one of the determaning factors I used when I decided to set it down. I did not want to push through a book I did not enjoy to have it leaving me feeling miserable. I may pick this back up in the future, but it is being shelved for now. I have not given up on Lauraine Snelling either. This was the first book I have read by her and am interested to see what other books she writes.
Bethany House Publishers
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Bright Pink Ink: New & Selected Poems in Books
Feb 3, 2020
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<b><i>‘’I was born to destroy everything you ever loved before me.’’</i></b>
It is very hard for me to judge this work and write a book review. It's hard to tell you what I think because I don't feel like I'm an expert in poetry. I love reading poetry, but I don't read it as much. I love poetry, but maybe I don't understand it.
<b><i>Bright Pink Ink: New and Selected Poems</i></b> has a jolly vibe to it, a lot of love & happiness, emotions of loss, missing loved ones and love, as well as a feminist vibe that is refreshing. It was an enjoyable read.
However, it also holds a little bit if monotony with it, very short poems or poems that are written as prose. I encountered a few repetitive sentences on a few occasions and while I know that repeating a line is common in poetry to straighten the meaning and add rhythm - in this occasion it wasn't pleasurable to read.
<b><i>"Maybe I should tell them about my husband's laugh. A sound that erupts as suns inside me till I float - free as dust." </i></b>
I loved <b><i>‘’A poem from 4/14/2015 read on 6/21/2017’’.</i></b> It is written quite well, with two parallel stories happening while you read, in a different timeline. I really enjoyed it, despite the great annoyance that is the date. The only logical date format I know of is day - month - year.
There were a lot of feminist vibes through the poems, which was pleasantly enjoyable. On this topic, <b><i>"Mortal Gods Demand a Sacrifice"</i></b> was my favourite one.
<b><i>"The moon must've thought you were the sun." </i></b>
Thank you to the author Laura Dinovis Berry for sending me a copy of Bright Pink Ink in exchange for an honest review.
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<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Book-Review-Banner-3.png"/>;
<b><i>‘’I was born to destroy everything you ever loved before me.’’</i></b>
It is very hard for me to judge this work and write a book review. It's hard to tell you what I think because I don't feel like I'm an expert in poetry. I love reading poetry, but I don't read it as much. I love poetry, but maybe I don't understand it.
<b><i>Bright Pink Ink: New and Selected Poems</i></b> has a jolly vibe to it, a lot of love & happiness, emotions of loss, missing loved ones and love, as well as a feminist vibe that is refreshing. It was an enjoyable read.
However, it also holds a little bit if monotony with it, very short poems or poems that are written as prose. I encountered a few repetitive sentences on a few occasions and while I know that repeating a line is common in poetry to straighten the meaning and add rhythm - in this occasion it wasn't pleasurable to read.
<b><i>"Maybe I should tell them about my husband's laugh. A sound that erupts as suns inside me till I float - free as dust." </i></b>
I loved <b><i>‘’A poem from 4/14/2015 read on 6/21/2017’’.</i></b> It is written quite well, with two parallel stories happening while you read, in a different timeline. I really enjoyed it, despite the great annoyance that is the date. The only logical date format I know of is day - month - year.
There were a lot of feminist vibes through the poems, which was pleasantly enjoyable. On this topic, <b><i>"Mortal Gods Demand a Sacrifice"</i></b> was my favourite one.
<b><i>"The moon must've thought you were the sun." </i></b>
Thank you to the author Laura Dinovis Berry for sending me a copy of Bright Pink Ink in exchange for an honest review.
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;
ClareR (5726 KP) rated Call Me Mummy in Books
Feb 19, 2021
Call Me Mummy had me on tenterhooks from the first page. I don’t think I’ve been this emotionally invested in a book for a while. I read it on The Pigeonhole app, so it was serialised over 10 days - and the wait for each stave seemed interminable! Thank goodness I read it during the half term holidays so that I could get stuck in every morning!
Mummy abducts five year old Tonya from a supermarket when her mother, Kim, is preoccupied on er phone. Kim, in Mummy’s eyes is not the epitome of outstanding motherhood. In fact to Mummy, she’s the exact opposite: poor, working class, eternally pregnant, children from different fathers - common. So in Mummy’s mind, she’s rescuing Tonya from a life of want and neglect.
Except there are two sides to this story. Whilst Kim may have had a terrible upbringing and a bad start in life, she loves her daughter fiercely and in the months that follow, the loss of her daughter nearly breaks her.
To be honest, Mummy is hardly a leading example of motherhood. She’s mentally unstable, has also had a devastating childhood and drinks to excess. Not the best idea when you hardly eat anything.
Interspersed with short chapters alternating between Mummy and Kim, are the glimpses into the murky world of social media, where the terrible judgements would be terrible for Kim to read - if she read them, that is. But Kim takes a rather defensive view of herself and her family. She won’t play nice to the media or her community. But we as the reader get to see what’s going on in Kim’s head, and frankly, it broke my heart. Prepare yourself for that, by the way, because this book will have you swinging manically between heartbreak (fro Kim and Tonya) and murderous rage (for Mummy).
I’m not going to say any more. You’ll just have to read this book. I loved it, and the ending was perfect - my favourite kind of ending, in fact!
Thanks to Pigeonhole for serialising this, and so much thanks to Tina Baker for joining in with her comments and interactions with us Pigeonholers in the margins! I think I’m safe in saying that we all had the best time reading this!
Mummy abducts five year old Tonya from a supermarket when her mother, Kim, is preoccupied on er phone. Kim, in Mummy’s eyes is not the epitome of outstanding motherhood. In fact to Mummy, she’s the exact opposite: poor, working class, eternally pregnant, children from different fathers - common. So in Mummy’s mind, she’s rescuing Tonya from a life of want and neglect.
Except there are two sides to this story. Whilst Kim may have had a terrible upbringing and a bad start in life, she loves her daughter fiercely and in the months that follow, the loss of her daughter nearly breaks her.
To be honest, Mummy is hardly a leading example of motherhood. She’s mentally unstable, has also had a devastating childhood and drinks to excess. Not the best idea when you hardly eat anything.
Interspersed with short chapters alternating between Mummy and Kim, are the glimpses into the murky world of social media, where the terrible judgements would be terrible for Kim to read - if she read them, that is. But Kim takes a rather defensive view of herself and her family. She won’t play nice to the media or her community. But we as the reader get to see what’s going on in Kim’s head, and frankly, it broke my heart. Prepare yourself for that, by the way, because this book will have you swinging manically between heartbreak (fro Kim and Tonya) and murderous rage (for Mummy).
I’m not going to say any more. You’ll just have to read this book. I loved it, and the ending was perfect - my favourite kind of ending, in fact!
Thanks to Pigeonhole for serialising this, and so much thanks to Tina Baker for joining in with her comments and interactions with us Pigeonholers in the margins! I think I’m safe in saying that we all had the best time reading this!
Louise (64 KP) rated A Tyranny of Petticoats (A Tyranny of Petticoats, #1) in Books
Jul 2, 2018
A Tyranny of petticoats is an all female written anthology about badass females. The 15 stories consist of Pirates, Assassins, Ghosts and Robbers whilst covering relevant American history such as Gold mining, the slave trade and war.
The stories are written in historical order, starting from 1710-1968. These are my ratings for each story:
Mother Carey's table by J.Anderson Coats ⭐.5 stars
The Journey by Marie Lu ⭐⭐⭐stars
Madeleine's choice by Jessica Spotswood ⭐⭐⭐.5 stars
El Destinos by Leslye Walton ⭐⭐⭐stars
High Stakes by Andrea Cremer ⭐⭐⭐ stars
The Red Ravenue Ball by Caroline Tung Richmond ⭐⭐stars
Pearls by Beth Revis ⭐⭐⭐.5 stars
Gold in the roots of grass by Marissa Meyer ⭐⭐⭐⭐stars
The Legendary Garnet Girls by Y.S.Lee ⭐⭐⭐stars
The colour of the sky by Elizabeth Wein ⭐⭐⭐ stars
Bonnie and Clydebank by Sundra Mitchell ⭐⭐⭐stars
Hard times by Catherine Longshore ⭐⭐⭐stars
City of Angels by Lindsay Smith ⭐⭐⭐.5 stars
Pulse of the Panthers by Kekla Magoon ⭐⭐⭐ stars
The whole world is watching by Robin Talley ⭐⭐stars
I wanted to read this collection of short stories as I had heard great things about it. This book should have been ideal for me, it's feminist historical fiction. Sadly this didn't deliver, none of the stories blew me away. In actual fact I have a hard time remembering what the stories were about. Some of the stories felt like they were an excerpt from a novel, some felt rushed and others under developed.
However,I am glad I got to read this as I get to explore authors that I have not read before and got to sample their work and see if I get on with their writing styles.
The book also has a short note from the author as to why they picked the era, why they contributed to the anthology and so on. I definitely want to explore more novels with American history such as the gold mining and slavery thanks to these authors.
Overall I rated this 3 out of 5 stars
The stories are written in historical order, starting from 1710-1968. These are my ratings for each story:
Mother Carey's table by J.Anderson Coats ⭐.5 stars
The Journey by Marie Lu ⭐⭐⭐stars
Madeleine's choice by Jessica Spotswood ⭐⭐⭐.5 stars
El Destinos by Leslye Walton ⭐⭐⭐stars
High Stakes by Andrea Cremer ⭐⭐⭐ stars
The Red Ravenue Ball by Caroline Tung Richmond ⭐⭐stars
Pearls by Beth Revis ⭐⭐⭐.5 stars
Gold in the roots of grass by Marissa Meyer ⭐⭐⭐⭐stars
The Legendary Garnet Girls by Y.S.Lee ⭐⭐⭐stars
The colour of the sky by Elizabeth Wein ⭐⭐⭐ stars
Bonnie and Clydebank by Sundra Mitchell ⭐⭐⭐stars
Hard times by Catherine Longshore ⭐⭐⭐stars
City of Angels by Lindsay Smith ⭐⭐⭐.5 stars
Pulse of the Panthers by Kekla Magoon ⭐⭐⭐ stars
The whole world is watching by Robin Talley ⭐⭐stars
I wanted to read this collection of short stories as I had heard great things about it. This book should have been ideal for me, it's feminist historical fiction. Sadly this didn't deliver, none of the stories blew me away. In actual fact I have a hard time remembering what the stories were about. Some of the stories felt like they were an excerpt from a novel, some felt rushed and others under developed.
However,I am glad I got to read this as I get to explore authors that I have not read before and got to sample their work and see if I get on with their writing styles.
The book also has a short note from the author as to why they picked the era, why they contributed to the anthology and so on. I definitely want to explore more novels with American history such as the gold mining and slavery thanks to these authors.
Overall I rated this 3 out of 5 stars
BookInspector (124 KP) rated My Sister, the Serial Killer in Books
Sep 24, 2020
This novel is not very long, but every short chapter carries a lot of important information. The protagonist in this novel is Korede, a nurse in a hospital in Lagos, Nigeria. Korede likes everything neat, tidy and according to the rules. Her younger sister Ayoola, on the other hand, is an absolute brat, who has no cares in her life. She is addicted to male attention, good life, and I could not stand her. Ayoola is a horrible person, and I don’t see a justification for any of her actions. :/ I really liked Korede in this book, I think she is kind and strong at the same time, but even her decisions left me confused sometimes.
The narrative is told from a single (Korede’s) perspective, even though it was enough to grasp the storyline, I would’ve loved to read Ayoola’s thoughts as well. The plot is very compressed in this novel, I liked the way Korede talks not only about the present events, but brings the reader back to the past, to show what events shaped her to be the way she is today. This book analyses such topics as beauty and it’s influence, strong sisterly bond, abusive father, etc. This novel takes you on a journey, there is not many twists or turns, but it is a very enjoyable read.
Kudos to the author for her original writing style, I see it as minimalistic, It has the information I needed to fully understand the story, and spared me the details of unimportant things. I really liked the setting of this novel, I have never been to Lagos, so the atmosphere and the language used was very exotic for me. I loved the short chapters, and it was a really quick read for me. I liked the ending of this book, I think it is quite challenging and allows the reader to think of what would they have done in Korede’s situation.
To conclude, it is a very original book about an incredibly strong sisterly bond, which can withstand even murders. It is filled with very believable and interesting characters and a very creatively written plot. I truly enjoyed it, and I do strongly recommend to give this book a try if you looking for something different and fresh. I hope you will like it as much as I did. 🙂
The narrative is told from a single (Korede’s) perspective, even though it was enough to grasp the storyline, I would’ve loved to read Ayoola’s thoughts as well. The plot is very compressed in this novel, I liked the way Korede talks not only about the present events, but brings the reader back to the past, to show what events shaped her to be the way she is today. This book analyses such topics as beauty and it’s influence, strong sisterly bond, abusive father, etc. This novel takes you on a journey, there is not many twists or turns, but it is a very enjoyable read.
Kudos to the author for her original writing style, I see it as minimalistic, It has the information I needed to fully understand the story, and spared me the details of unimportant things. I really liked the setting of this novel, I have never been to Lagos, so the atmosphere and the language used was very exotic for me. I loved the short chapters, and it was a really quick read for me. I liked the ending of this book, I think it is quite challenging and allows the reader to think of what would they have done in Korede’s situation.
To conclude, it is a very original book about an incredibly strong sisterly bond, which can withstand even murders. It is filled with very believable and interesting characters and a very creatively written plot. I truly enjoyed it, and I do strongly recommend to give this book a try if you looking for something different and fresh. I hope you will like it as much as I did. 🙂
Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated Firefly: Big Damn Hero (Firefly #1) in Books
Nov 30, 2020
WOW! No, really, <b>WOW!</b> That was gorram incredible!
It's been ages since I read any fan fiction, as so much of it, at the end of the day, was just glorified 'Shipping. It's been almost two months since I have picked up anything (comic or prose) to read, as my wife and I have been through a hellish two months (started with the MS diagnosis, and ended with our 14 year old Mini Schnauzer having to be put to sleep). Long story short, not a whole hell of lot of reading going on my life, as I have been walking around in a fog, caring not one whit about much of anything, including eating or reading.
FIREFLY: BIG DAMN HERO came out on my Kindle November 20th, the day before my 50th birthday (without Lily, our 14 y.o. Mini, no longer with us, it was more like an UnBirthday, as I really felt it was no longer worth celebrating). I read the first two Chapters, or rather, I <i>tried</i>, but they seemed as though I had not when I returned to the book last week.
No matter, for it appeared not to affect my overall satisfaction that the FIREFLY prose novels were off to a very good start indeed! And I was able to focus my attention enough to finish the book in such a quick time!
From beginning to end, we are a presented with a tale of the SERENITY and her crew early in the first Season. Everyone is true to form, from Mal to Wash and Zoë to Simon and River, etc. No one ever seemed out-of-character.
At a base level, this was a Mal-centric story. We gain some backstory into his past, on Shadow, just prior to the War. We are also given an inside track to his inner thoughts, allowing us to gain an even deeper understanding of his character, beyond what we learned in the short-lived TV series and subsequent movie SERENITY.
DOCTOR WHO is a hot mess right now, something I am unable to get behind (after being a fan for almost 48 years). Too many changes, good and bad. Fortunately, though, FIREFLY remains the same, untouched, let to continue as the way it was intended, and I am totally fine with that!
If you love FIREFLY as much as I do, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up!
It's been ages since I read any fan fiction, as so much of it, at the end of the day, was just glorified 'Shipping. It's been almost two months since I have picked up anything (comic or prose) to read, as my wife and I have been through a hellish two months (started with the MS diagnosis, and ended with our 14 year old Mini Schnauzer having to be put to sleep). Long story short, not a whole hell of lot of reading going on my life, as I have been walking around in a fog, caring not one whit about much of anything, including eating or reading.
FIREFLY: BIG DAMN HERO came out on my Kindle November 20th, the day before my 50th birthday (without Lily, our 14 y.o. Mini, no longer with us, it was more like an UnBirthday, as I really felt it was no longer worth celebrating). I read the first two Chapters, or rather, I <i>tried</i>, but they seemed as though I had not when I returned to the book last week.
No matter, for it appeared not to affect my overall satisfaction that the FIREFLY prose novels were off to a very good start indeed! And I was able to focus my attention enough to finish the book in such a quick time!
From beginning to end, we are a presented with a tale of the SERENITY and her crew early in the first Season. Everyone is true to form, from Mal to Wash and Zoë to Simon and River, etc. No one ever seemed out-of-character.
At a base level, this was a Mal-centric story. We gain some backstory into his past, on Shadow, just prior to the War. We are also given an inside track to his inner thoughts, allowing us to gain an even deeper understanding of his character, beyond what we learned in the short-lived TV series and subsequent movie SERENITY.
DOCTOR WHO is a hot mess right now, something I am unable to get behind (after being a fan for almost 48 years). Too many changes, good and bad. Fortunately, though, FIREFLY remains the same, untouched, let to continue as the way it was intended, and I am totally fine with that!
If you love FIREFLY as much as I do, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up!