Review: Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

 

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I had heard mixed things about Ninth House before I picked it up, some people having loved it, others having not been so keen on it. At first, I wasn’t that keen. I didn’t like Alex’s perspective, I didn’t really understand what was going on and, there were some really graphic assault scenes that I wasn’t prepared for. After reading one assault (because multiple take place in this book and I think that even if you haven’t read this book yet, that’s something you need to be aware of), I took a week off reading because it was just too much, it really shook me and although it made me understand the characters, I would have happily gone without reading it.

 

Once the pace of the story picked up and Alex’s more recent history was delved into, I enjoyed this book a lot more. I liked reading about the different magic systems that could be used and undercovering the mystery behind what was happening in New Haven. I raced through the last 150 or so pages and stayed up until 1am just so I could finish the book that night because I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I didn’t finish it beforehand. On top of that, the ending of the book was really quite satisfying and made my enjoyment even greater.

 

Overall, despite me taking a while to get into this book, I really enjoyed it. I think the trigger warnings for this book (specifically sexual assault, physical assault and injury detail) should be made clear to anyone before they read this book because I think me being unprepared for that to happen was something that really put me on edge and I wouldn’t want anyone to have a worse reaction than the one I suffered. I would have also enjoyed more parts from Darlington’s perspective because he was a great narrator and a great character that I wish we had been able to see more from. However, the story this book told, and its dark academia feel engrossed me and I would definitely read another book set in this universe. 

Review: Working Hard, Hardly Working by Grace Beverley

 

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Going into reading this book, I was apprehensive. I follow Grace Beverly on Instagram and so have seen her productivity posts and watched the YouTube videos of her working insane hours when she was at university. I mean, in my time at university I’ve been guilty of overworking myself, but I’m someone who can’t work well past 5pm so it was more “not give myself any rest days” rather than “working late into the night”. As well, I feel like this book came out at just the wrong time for me. I’m finishing up my degree and going into a job where I can’t implement these techniques. However, what I have applied to my last few weeks at uni has been really helpful.

One thing I initially wasn’t sure of was “micropassions”. Grace gave an example of mind-mapping and that couldn’t be further from what I like to do and seemed so work-orientated in a way that I couldn’t relate to that I was turned off by the whole idea. However, after speaking to my friend she said that she really likes having a job where she can count money and that’s something she’s enjoyed since she was a teenager. Suddenly my whole perspective on micropassions changed and whilst I haven’t figured out what mine are yet, it has given me a more positive attitude to finding out.

The one thing from this book that I’ve been able to implement with a lot of success has been calendar blocking. As my deadlines were handed in one by one I found myself with a lot less to do and therefore was subject to Parkinson’s Law - carrying out a task over an extended period rather than taking the amount of time the task actually needs. Here the suggestion of calendar blocking really helped me; I found myself less beholden to Parkinson’s Law and had more free time.

The goal setting aspects of this book I think will take me longer to implement and I need

to read back over those sections again. Being in education for the past 18 years or so I haven’t found the need to set goals because the next thing I have to do is put in front of me. As I begin a career it will be interesting to try to implement it.

The “hardly working” side of this book was a bit of a let-down. It felt like a lot of waffle and a lot of repeating itself, which was a shame because so much of the book talks about the dangers of “hustle culture” etc. but then it doesn’t address it as much in the second section of the book as I would have hoped. That is the main reason for my star rating dropping down.

Still, this was an interesting and useful read and a book I think I’ll be coming back to refresh the ideas in my mind and to make sure I implement things to improve myself.

Review: Rubicon by Tom Holland

 

⭐⭐⭐

I’m not someone who knows much about Rome and the Romans, and that definitely showed itself as a negative when I started reading this book. I needed to listen to a podcast, ‘The History of Rome’ if you’re interested, to catch me up to speed on what on earth was happening. Podcast listened to up to the point at which this book starts, I tried to persevere again, but again, I found it difficult. People seemed to crop up out of nowhere and although their names were familiar to me, I didn’t really know who they were. So, I would say if you want to read this book, you need a fair bit of background knowledge about what happens before you pick this book up, which is a shame. It’s a shame because this is a narrative history book, which instantly makes it more accessible than a lot of other history books; it’s meant to keep you interested and engaged. For that reason, it should be easier for someone like me to pick up this book and become interested in Roman history, though instead it left me confused.

 

A lot of time within this book was spent on what I’m going to call the ‘mid-section’ from Sulla to the start of the end for Caesar. Coming into the book, despite the confusion it leads to, this makes sense as it’s the basis of what the book is about, but towards the end of this ‘mid-section’ things start to get confusing again. Out of nowhere Caesar is assassinated and then suddenly we’re skipping off to when Octavian ruled and before you know it, he’s dead. It’s a shame because I feel like if this section of the book hadn’t rushed, the book would have been rounded off a bit more nicely.

 

There is no doubt that I’m still interested in learning about the Romans and the Roman Republic, but this was not the ideal starting place. Being honest, I’m not sure at which place reading this book should come. I imagine, because of its narrative style, if you already know about these events then this book may feel a little repetitive, but it is definitely not for the beginner.

[Goodreads parallel]

Review: From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book has a four star rating from me (though would more accurately be 3.5) not because it’s a great book by general standards, but because I really enjoyed it. I think this book falls into the category of a guilty pleasure read and I’m perfectly happy with that.

 

In parts, this book felt like a drag. It’s over 600 pages long and some of those pages went quickly, whilst others went very, very slowly. Because around two thirds of this book is Poppy’s thoughts, it means that a lot of the text feels a bit like filler and also that there are an insane number of ellipses. I don’t know why ellipses are really annoying me at the moment but when I see them in a place where a comma or full stop would suit, how unnecessary they are grinds my gears.

 

Having said that, despite not enjoying some aspects of the book, the forbidden romance aspect, badass heroine and, fantasy elements brought this book together to be something I looked forward to reading and hopefully something I’ll continue to enjoy in the next book.

[Goodreads parallel]

Review: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

 

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

For the size of this book, it was very lacking. After reading A Court of Mist and Fury, I was so excited to read this book, though I was confused as to why there was so much hype around that book, but not this one. Now I know why.

 

My annoyances first. The number of ellipses infuriated me. There were sometimes three to a page and I understand that they’re used to show pause for thought, but for most, a good old comma would do. It became so bad that every time I saw that ‘…’ I considered skipping the paragraph, which is not what you want when reading any book. Secondly, the end was sort of predictable. I guessed how a lot of the battle would play out before the book came and the things that I didn’t predict did seem a little too convenient, even for saviours in battles.  As bad as it sounds, I would have preferred it if more main characters had died as well; it would at least make it seem more realistic.

 

Overall, though, I did enjoy the general plot and it was exciting to see the world expanded upon even more. The progression of the three books definitely got that right by building upon the world little by little in each book. Rhys and Feyre’s relationship was also really nicely done and felt real. They spent enough time apart that the book didn’t strictly turn into a romance but their moments together still made me really happy.

 

I know there are now more books planned to be released related to this series, but I’m no longer as enthused to read them as I might once have been.

[Goodreads parallel]

Review: Dune by Frank Herbert

 

Rating: ⭐⭐

This book was a major disappointment. It tries to sell itself as one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time but falls far short of that title.

 

The main thing that annoyed me about this book is the description of every character’s thoughts. I feel like it shows the weakness of Herbet’s world-building and character development that he has to describe every thought of every character, rather than letting the reader figure it out for themselves and, much like some filmmaking, has to tell us rather than show us the motivations and schemes of the characters.

 

As well, this book took a long time to get going; at least 200 pages or so. This could be justified if those pages built up well to the rest of the book, but it didn’t. The story overall felt like it was going nowhere and the climax was just tagged on the end in a rush.

 

Finally, the treatment of women in this book was disheartening. Even though many of the female characters were shown to have immense skill sets, it seemed like they weren’t effectively utilised and many female characters were just pushed to the side. The Princess who had been telling us so much of the story via the chapter headings was shown as a commodity to be bought or sold, though clearly from her historical writings on the events of the book, she was an intelligent and thoughtful character. It’s a real shame this couldn’t be shown more.

 

The only thing I really enjoyed about this book is the stark contrast of the world to our own and the scientific discoveries and developments that allowed survival in such a place.

[Goodreads parallel]

Review: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

 

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Looking back to when I first read this book, I can’t believe I only gave it three stars. Now it definitely sits at a five and the worst thing? I didn’t write a review the first time I read it so I don’t known why I wasn’t the biggest fan of it.

 

On this read though, I really, really enjoyed it. The decisions of the characters made sense and their actions were justifiable. I think in my first read I might not have understood the sudden change in Tamlin’s behaviour but, having read this book right after reading A Court of Thorns and Roses (unlike the last time when I’d had a year’s break between the two), it makes more sense to me now. I understand that after three/four months Under the Mountain, Feyre and Tamlin would have been suffering massively as a result of that trauma and hence their actions might not seem logical without that prior knowledge of their suffering.

 

I also loved getting to see some action sequences with Feyre now as a High Fae, including the use of her magical abilities. Although the final showdown with Hybern was a bit disappointing in terms of the action, the other parts of this book in which it was explored make up for it.

 

The development of friendships and relationships in this book was also done well. I was convinced that the members of the Inner Circle of the Night Court were friends and I was definitely convinced of the developing relationship between Rhys and Feyre.

 

I think it says a lot about how much I liked this book that I was upset that I couldn’t get my hands on the next one in the series and am discontented at having to make do with only three sample chapters until I can get a copy.

[Goodreads parallel]