Scan barcode
hollyway's reviews
439 reviews
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
First off, let's just be clear that Suzanne Collins remains a master of the page-turner. This was, on purely an engagement/entertainment level, a great read. But as for the nitty gritty of the story itself... I can tell it's going to take me quite a while to figure out exactly how I feel about it all.
I think one of my issues is sort of fundamental, and it's the reason it took me so long to get around to this in the first place: Coriolanus Snow was never a very mysterious figure to me. I never felt as though I didn't understand him. I never wished for any greater insight into his mind than what we got in The Hunger Games. And despite the fact that I love a morally dubious or straight up villainous protagonist, I didn't find his psyche as presented through his POV in this book to be all that compelling. He wasn't a boring protagonist, but he didn't thrill me either.
But the biggest problem is simply this: I made predictions. I didn't mean to. I am not a person who actively tries to guess the plot, because I KNOW it's a recipe for disappointment. But my brain did it all on its own. By the halfway point, I had subconsciously developed my own ending, which seemed to fit so perfectly with the narrative, themes and character arcs that I couldn't shake it off despite knowing it would most likely not play out the way I imagined. And it didn't, cos it never does. But sometimes it's just really hard to abandon the invented plot that felt so right to you and accept the one in print. I have to wait for the real ending to cement in my brain before I can really judge it.
Anyway, I never expected this to resonate on the same level as The Hunger Games, which ensnares my heart as much as my pulse. I don't know that it really enriched my relationship with the original story but like I said, it was an entertaining and easy read and I really did enjoy it. And as I embark now on my Hunger Games reread, I suppose we'll see what Songbirds and Snakes brings to that experience.
I think one of my issues is sort of fundamental, and it's the reason it took me so long to get around to this in the first place: Coriolanus Snow was never a very mysterious figure to me. I never felt as though I didn't understand him. I never wished for any greater insight into his mind than what we got in The Hunger Games. And despite the fact that I love a morally dubious or straight up villainous protagonist, I didn't find his psyche as presented through his POV in this book to be all that compelling. He wasn't a boring protagonist, but he didn't thrill me either.
But the biggest problem is simply this: I made predictions. I didn't mean to. I am not a person who actively tries to guess the plot, because I KNOW it's a recipe for disappointment. But my brain did it all on its own. By the halfway point, I had subconsciously developed my own ending, which seemed to fit so perfectly with the narrative, themes and character arcs that I couldn't shake it off despite knowing it would most likely not play out the way I imagined. And it didn't, cos it never does. But sometimes it's just really hard to abandon the invented plot that felt so right to you and accept the one in print. I have to wait for the real ending to cement in my brain before I can really judge it.
Anyway, I never expected this to resonate on the same level as The Hunger Games, which ensnares my heart as much as my pulse. I don't know that it really enriched my relationship with the original story but like I said, it was an entertaining and easy read and I really did enjoy it. And as I embark now on my Hunger Games reread, I suppose we'll see what Songbirds and Snakes brings to that experience.
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
*read for book club*
Kazuo Ishiguro is impeccable at what he does - but what he does is just not quite for me. This was my second novel of his and it was very similar in both tone and structure. Excellent, well-crafted books and I understand how they absolutely click for some people, but calculated detachment is still detachment and I tend to need that emotional connection to really care about a story. I'm glad I read this for book club, both because it has cemented for me that although I respect Ishiguro I really don't need to read anything more from him, and because I just know this will be a much more interesting book to discuss than it was to read.
Kazuo Ishiguro is impeccable at what he does - but what he does is just not quite for me. This was my second novel of his and it was very similar in both tone and structure. Excellent, well-crafted books and I understand how they absolutely click for some people, but calculated detachment is still detachment and I tend to need that emotional connection to really care about a story. I'm glad I read this for book club, both because it has cemented for me that although I respect Ishiguro I really don't need to read anything more from him, and because I just know this will be a much more interesting book to discuss than it was to read.
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Not quite what I was expecting - but then again, how does one "expect" a book like this which is so utterly singular? Witty, vulnerable, captivating. I am definitely interested to explore more of Jeanette Winterson's work.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Deliciously dramatic and works so well as a work of suspense, but the gothic elements are so much more than set dressing. The characters and dynamics in this book are incredibly complex, and though the core mystery was solved in the end, I was left with more questions than answers about the psyches of our central characters (in a good way). Good stuff!!
This is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
The writing is competent but just not my vibe at all and for once I'm just gonna let it go lol
Animal by Lisa Taddeo
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really liked this. It didn't quite flow perfectly but it was gripping and unapologetic and really packed a punch.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What an interesting reading experience! Something about Theo's narration - I can't put my finger on exactly what - seemed to keep me at a distance a lot of the time, yet at other times I was moved to the point of physical heartache. Overall I did enjoy the story, and even in the first 200 or so pages when I wasn't really feeling it at all, something kept pulling me back. It wasn't a chore to read despite being almost 900 pages. It's no The Secret History for me, but entertaining and thought-provoking all the same.
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I first read this book in 2007 when I was 12/13. It was probably the first real adult book I read and became an instant favourite. That was almost twenty years ago!! So I thought it was time to revisit it and figure out whether Interview with the Vampire qualifies as a favourite book or merely a foundational one.
Well, I can safely say it is a favourite, favourite, favourite, and I knew within pages that it would be. The narrative voice is impeccably dramatic, rich and spellbinding, the characters are iconic and the world is built up for us in descriptions so gorgeously original that I couldn't help but soak up every word. I was surprised and pleased with how genuinely creepy and disturbing it was at times, as well as hypnotically beautiful.
Beyond simply being effective in its style, this is a deeply philosophical novel in the vein of Frankenstein. Louis' eternal anguish over his very nature is agonising. Though he is lamenting life eternal and the parasitic nature of the vampire, it all echoes very human concerns. Themes of grief, love, hate, lust, self-loathing and the very meaning of life reverberate throughout every page of this novel - but never preaching to the reader, merely searching hand in hand for answers to unanswerable questions.
Though I struggle to conceive of what the hell I got out of this book at the ripe old age of 12 lol (I have to imagine that 90% of it went over my head) I'm not at all surprised at the way the characters and their relationships stuck with me over the years. No matter my distance from the novel, no matter the fact that I have never watched the movie all the way through and haven't yet watched the new adaptation, Louis and Lestat have remained vivid in my imagination this whole time (I'm surprised at how little I remembered of Armand, though, cos um. oh my god?). They are the kind of characters that truly take on a life of their own, tuck themselves in your pocket and travel on with you. I'm glad I met them when I was a kid and it was a pleasure to get reacquainted with them.
God I love reading!!!!
Well, I can safely say it is a favourite, favourite, favourite, and I knew within pages that it would be. The narrative voice is impeccably dramatic, rich and spellbinding, the characters are iconic and the world is built up for us in descriptions so gorgeously original that I couldn't help but soak up every word. I was surprised and pleased with how genuinely creepy and disturbing it was at times, as well as hypnotically beautiful.
Beyond simply being effective in its style, this is a deeply philosophical novel in the vein of Frankenstein. Louis' eternal anguish over his very nature is agonising. Though he is lamenting life eternal and the parasitic nature of the vampire, it all echoes very human concerns. Themes of grief, love, hate, lust, self-loathing and the very meaning of life reverberate throughout every page of this novel - but never preaching to the reader, merely searching hand in hand for answers to unanswerable questions.
Though I struggle to conceive of what the hell I got out of this book at the ripe old age of 12 lol (I have to imagine that 90% of it went over my head) I'm not at all surprised at the way the characters and their relationships stuck with me over the years. No matter my distance from the novel, no matter the fact that I have never watched the movie all the way through and haven't yet watched the new adaptation, Louis and Lestat have remained vivid in my imagination this whole time (I'm surprised at how little I remembered of Armand, though, cos um. oh my god?). They are the kind of characters that truly take on a life of their own, tuck themselves in your pocket and travel on with you. I'm glad I met them when I was a kid and it was a pleasure to get reacquainted with them.
God I love reading!!!!