Nina Baxter

Going into this read I had pretty high expectations: people all over booktok had been raving about it , how it made them sob or made them believe in love and as much as I want to love this book, I’m afraid those expectations were let down. The writing style I found was very reminiscent of Wilbur Smith (which obviously has been a very successful style for writing about ancient and even more modern history), the story was also set over several years which also made me think of him. However, unlike Wilbur’s novels, I did not have much of an emotional connection or reaction to this book. This was probably the biggest let down for me because it is such an emotional tale filled of love and sacrifice, longing and hatred but the writing didn’t enable me to feel any of these emotions personally. I wasn’t rocked with pain at Patroclus’ death nor at Pyrrhus’s betrayal despite them supposedly hurting the character's a great deal. The only character that I really warmed to was Briseis and, well, nothing went right for her which I was a bit sad about. On a more positive note, I think the scene setting and description was beautiful, especially pre-war, and a solid explanation of ancient greek living and beliefs were established which I appreciated. The author didn't expect the reader to have much knowledge about Greek Mythology as everything about Zeus and Apollo ect. was explained clearly- but there were a few too many characters to keep up with. I understand that this was Miller’s first novel and I think she did really well at creating a fascinating adaptation on this famous tale. Disappointingly though, I do think there was quite a bit of wasted potential there and though I did enjoy parts of it, The Song Of Achilles wasn’t as captivating as it had been made out to be.

I found this book quite hard to get into at first as there were many characters and a probable suicide case that seemed to be going nowhere. The main character, DCI Anna Travis, is not given much description in the way of appearance nor personality and it is hard to gather much about her until midway through the book when Anna finds herself at an FBI training course in the USA when new information regarding the case comes to light. Anna forms a connection with Don Blane, a tutor at the course, and together they discover that the case is a lot more complicated than first thought to be. The plot thickens and is quite fast moving for most of the second half of the book but many people who hold more power than she, make solving the case difficult for Anna. Almost sure of the events, Anna has no evidence and she knows she is being played by the woman who is the root of it all, Lady Gloria Lynn, a sociopath who has every move anticipated and seems incapable of tripping up. Just when we fear that all is lost and Anna has accepted defeat, there springs a crack in Gloria’s facade and everything bursts out. Though the story does not end how I had anticipated or hoped it to, it was probably the only way to bring it to an effective conclusion while keeping Gloria an authentic sociopathic character. We never do hear what happens between Anna and Don though it is hinted that Anna does not believe it would work out, the story is not mainly romantic and very based around the case and detectives that put their work above their social lives. Anna’s character did develop significantly in the second half of the story as she realises she has majorly healed from her fiance’s passing and she cares for and protects those that manage to become close to her, she is established as a strong leader though her vendetta against Lady Lynn did cloud her judgement significantly as nothing seems more valuable to her than Gloria’s downfall.

This novel was beautiful. The story follows a group of unlikely friends as they grow up through the first world war, through the Jazz ages and into the 40s. Carrie, a lower class orphan who lives with her Granny in Yorkshire, is invited by Lady Fenton to become a companion for her two daughters at the beautiful Georgian mansion that is Gorton Hall and - surprisingly - they hit it off. This book joins this trio, with the addition of Hal, Carrie’s farmboy friend, Violet, the youngest Fenton sister and Rozalind, the Fenton’s cousin as they pass through their years, how their relationships change, break and remold and the girls (and Hal) try no navigate the dangerous world of politics, love and class boundaries, forever tied by the golden childhood that they shared together. The story of these characters is truly heart wrenching as the reader is transported from the vivid country dream of Gorton, to the bustle of high-class London or the tension of Weimar Berlin and experiences several important historical sequences and the turmoil that they cause. I thought the writing was engaging and comforting - yet somehow educating at the same time, I will never regret reading this book.

Honestly, I loved this book. It exceeded my expectations and took me on such an emotional rollercoaster. I mean I tell ya, the amount of times the eternal life church made me want to hurl the book across the room….. At the beginning of the book, I wasn’t really expecting much, I thought it would be a mellow, kind of sad, difficult divorce story or something. I did NOT expect it to become sapphic and frustrating, heart-wrenching even. There were so many twists and turns when the court case came I really didn’t know what to expect. And although I would have loved Zoe and Vanessa to get custody of those embryos, Picoult did not disappoint in bringing the story to a close in a way you didn’t expect; demonstrating that life doesn’t always have happy endings but you have to make the most of what you’ve got. It was so well written that I was in their shoes. I felt the hatred bubbling inside me for Max and his crew, the discrimination, the pain. But even though the reader is trained to dislike the antagonising side, the multiple POV’s gave a sliver of reasoning, even to Max’s actions. I thought that was really well done. Overall, very pleasantly surprised - loved it

I had watched all the movies before even considering reading the books and it was a friend’s recent recommendation that convinced me and, by golly, I do NOT regret it ! Though quite simply written, the first book of this trilogy was engaging and emotional, you receive so much more backstory, of the characters and of Panem and a much deeper insight into, in particular Katniss, but also to some extent Peeta, Cinna and Haymitch’s motives and emotions throughout. I found that the decisions Katniss and the other tributes made, made so much more sense and Katniss’s narrative really brought home the horror of the games, the strategy and the overlying threat of the Capitol to life. The story was captivating and although I already knew how the events would unfold, I was on the edge of my seat, probably would have finished the novel in one sitting! No critiques whatsoever.

This book had a beautiful sense of setting and explored the views of a person through many stages of their life from a child to far into adulthood, the relationships he had with those around him and the secrets that, had his mother not passed, he may never have uncovered . The story begins with the death of main character Mischa’s mother and the discovery of a valuable painting nobody seemed to have prior knowledge of. We travel back in time and follow the boy Micha, who was mute and ignored in his youth, as he finds his voice and creates strong relationships with those around him, some of which would prove to bring him great harm. When he is taken from France by his mother and her partner Coyote - who Mischa idolises- he has to adapt to a life where he knows nobody but for him this is mainly a positive thing as back in his hometown, he was disliked and avoided by many for his muteness and German paternity. However many struggles dampen his character which we never really see return to its happy and likeable roots until near the very end where he finds love with a long lost friend, a connection he has been missing for decades. The theme centered around the painting is quite subtle throughout the novel until near the end of the novel as Micha, now in his 40s, tries to find out how his mother came to have it in her possession. The last couple of chapters unlock a whole new side of the painting, his mother’s and Coyote’s story of crime and betrayal, of which to this point we had been unaware. The ending is happy for Mischa, who has finally found love and closure, only frustrated it was this late in his life that he had discovered that is what he needed.

I thought this was a very thought- provoking novel that explored so many different areas of people; unrequited love, religion, identity, addiction, the flawed law system, horrors of prison and the blurred line between right and wrong. The story follows the main character Delia, a mother, fiance and search and rescue officer as her beloved father is arrested for a kidnapping that took place decades ago, a kidnapping of which she was the victim. The story is told through the perspectives of Delia herself, her imprisoned father, her fiance, best friend and newfound mother ( who Delia had grown up believing was dead), as they deal with the situation and are forced through a trial of a crime that the victim had completely forgotten. Each of these character’s relationships with Delia are tested and forced to change in different ways as Delia tries to decide who she can trust after being lied to for so many years. Memories soon begin to resurface but Delia is unsure whether they can be trusted as the situation and her past seem to become more complicated and twisted than she could have imagined. I thought the storytelling and imagery in this novel were superb and it was smooth to read even though the reader is forced to consider and form their own opinions on the crime and what they would have done in the same situation. The only downside for me was that the plot seemed a little bit unfinished as there are so many questions left about both the past and the future which the reader must come to their own conclusions about but overall, a brilliant read. I enjoyed it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It seems that the series is just getting better; I really enjoyed learning more about Celaena (or Aelin now I suppose) and understanding why she is the way she is, experiencing her trauma with her and watching as she opens herself up to another being, a true friend, perhaps more…? The descriptions of magic in this book, though slightly hard to grasp as it is something the reader obviously won’t have experienced, Sarah makes the sensations seem very real and powerful. The relationship between Aelin and Rowan is playful yet deep and the conflict that arises is utterly unputdownable. I also enjoyed still being aware of what was happening in Riftford as well as the whole new storyline with Manon as a picture begins to build to the inevitable battle between good and evil I am sure we will see in the next few books. I like that, although the reader is partial to more information than any one side of this story, things are still uncertain in our eyes, there are still secrets and plans yet to be revealed. The ending was shocking and very emotional on Aelin’s side of the world - I think I may have shed a tear!- equally as shocking and emotional is what happens in the Glass castle, but for very different reasons. I’m excited to see what happens next.

Love, love, love, love this book! I mean, it’s got it all; magic, friendship, romance, secret societies, grief and self-discovery, but one thing that really stood out to me was the representation of both black and LGBTQ+ folks because, not only was it plentiful, but it didn't’ make up the plot line. Like the race or sexuality of people were just an elements of their character and not the most important or obvious thing about them, even for the minor characters, and yet the prejudice and discrimination these characters faced was still shown and highlighted. I just thought that it was dealt with really beautifully. Another part of this book that was beautiful, along with the relationships and storytelling, was the descriptions and writing style in general. It was really lovely, a pleasure to read, poetic and yet personable and not too flowy. Though I personally still don’t fully grasp it, the society and magic’s structure in this book were very creative and distinctive and unlike anything I’ve read before. I also loved Bree, a protagonist who was strong but not in an in-your-face obvious way and witty but not unrealistically so, who had moments where she was very obviously human which made her all the more relatable and moments where she was grieving, or lost or indecisive. Her resiliency and determination linked her to the other fictional young women that we all know and love and yet she stood out to me. Honestly, there is very little I could fault about this book. Everytime I closed it, I was looking forward to sitting down and continuing, a pleasure to read from cover to cover and a novel that I will definitely be rereading and recommending at every opportunity. Props to Deonn and thank-you so much.

My opinions are divided on this book but none of them overly strong- I thought that the characters were quite well defined and developed near the beginning of the book, however as it progressed, many new characters were introduced and I had trouble remembering who was who. As the book was a sequel and I had not read it’s predecessor, I probably missed some important parts such as emotional connection to the characters and the induction of some of these ‘new’ characters. I did not find any of the books as shocking or gripping as I was hoping it to be however it was quite easy to read and interesting enough that it did not feel like a task. But I definitely found the second half of the book a letdown after high expectations built in the first.