erin_mae9797's reviews
14 reviews

This story is a very slow build. I think it definitely has its audience but aspects of the book's pacing and style were not for me. 

There is not necessarily a "main character" for us to follow, but rather a collection of pov's at different points in history coming together to build the story. The closest we have to a main character could maybe be Judyta, our main investigator. I liked her sections the most since I felt like she actually helped move the plot along. I liked aspects of most of the other characters stories, but at points it felt like it was meandering. I definitely see why each story is included. They do a good job of establishing the conclusion, but in the moment they can feel like a drag. 

Having read other books that jump timelines and pov's, it can get very confusing. It took me a while to get my bearings with this one since they give us SO many characters, but the inclusion of a timeline and character names at the start of each chapter really did help. I appreciated the choice to list out the entire timeline while highlighting where we currently were in the story. I've read other books that list the dates, but never the whole timeline, which I found super helpful. 

The story definitely picks up in the last quarter. For the most part, I enjoyed the conclusion. I thought it was satisfying but not really in a "grand reveal" sort of way. I think there are things to enjoy from this book, but for a lot of it i just felt like  ╮ (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) ╭ 

The world of Iron Widow was really interesting and I loved the main characters. It does a good job tackling serious topics without it feeling completely depressing. I think there are a lot of important themes and messages throughout the book, and I appreciate that it doesn't shy away from them. It was also just a really fun read! I think it's a great pick for younger readers. 

My only complaint was that some of the writing/dialogue felt a little too simple or on the nose. But I fully acknowledge that this is probably because I am not the intended age demographic for this book. Also, our protagonist is young, so it makes total sense why some of her lines would feel a little over the top. I could see myself being super into it if I read this during my teens. 

Overall, it was still a super fun read, and I would definitely recommend.  (✿◠‿◠) 

I decided to read this book in light of everything going on in American politics, and wow. This book is so important, and I feel like everyone should read it, especially those who often choose inaction.  

Atwood does an incredible job of handling such serious subject matters. She takes great care to portray the events as realistically as possible. She manages to create such a captivating story without it feeling exploitative. I love the way she writes our main character. She is complicated. She is not the heroine she wishes she could be, and she feels so much like how we would probably react given her situation. Both the characters and the world feel so painfully realistic, and the fact that everything she writes about has had some historical basis is haunting. 

Every page felt like it was full of meaning and impact. This is the first book I have ever felt the need to annotate. There are so many lines and messages that will stick with me forever. 

At points it can feel very slow, but I was so in love with the intricacies of the author’s writing that it didn’t bother be at all. The way she describes the circus and everything surrounding it was enchanting. Her vivid depictions of each of the tents was one of my favorite parts of the book. 

At times it felt a bit confusing with the staggered timelines and the amount of characters to balance, but by the end I felt like I had a good grasp on everyone. The only thing I wanted more from was the romance between Marco and Celia. It felt kind of sudden and I wish that we got to see them fall for each other over time.

Other than that, I really enjoyed all the characters. Everyone had something that piqued my interest and I enjoyed getting to learn more about them. 

This book was very charming and felt like a cozy little treat to come back to each day. 

Happy to have finally read this. I thought the whole premise and themes were super interesting and the execution was very effective. I could have gone without some of the portions about Ellen. Granted, I don’t think we are meant to see our main character as super likable, but his thoughts about her did throw me off. But who knows? Maybe that was to show how human hatred keeps persisting despite that having been what led them to where they are now. 

EDIT - removed my rating because I just found out the author has several SA allegations.
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Initial rating/review - 4.5

I really wish I could have experienced this book blind! I absolutely adore the movie, and I imagine the book would've been that much more enticing if it were my first introduction to Coraline. That being said, it was still a fun and creepy little story with a lot of charm.  ヘ(◕。◕ヘ) 

Really liked the multiple perspectives and non-linear story telling. I also really enjoyed learning more about Theo & Alicia's story. It felt a little disconnected at times, but then it all comes together at the end :o. Good stuff :)

This was not for me. I really wanted to like this book, but most of the stories did nothing for me. At points it felt like I was just reading descriptions of events & places with no connection to how any of the characters were feeling. I found that most of the characters were just there or were really unlikable. There are little quotes I liked from each chapter, but they were so sparse. I may have DNF'd it if it weren't for the fact it was for a bookclub :S.

I will say that I did end up enjoying a few of the short stories, those being "Colossus of Rhodes," "Johnny Kingdom," & *parts* of "Eva." I feel like these were some of the only ones where I could relate to/understand each characters' feelings (

not Joe though! >:(

). 

Overall, I think it has a few stand-out stories, but most of them I could've gone without.  ╮ (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) ╭