ketreads's reviews
339 reviews

Jennette McCurdy and her work in various childrens TV shows are not something I was aware of growing up so going into this I didn't have any particular misconceptions about her time on any of them. Dispite that, McCurdy's choice to have the book take place within the mind of her child-self throughout important moments of her life, giving us a deep and often horrifying look at these moments in her life and just how confused and misguided, and often manipulated, she was in these scenarios is heartbreaking. This was a tough read, even knowing the rough outline of child abuse in the industry. It didn't prepare me for the depth and raw emotion Jennette McCurdy was able to potray and she does a fantastic job of it. I listened to the audiobook version of this and it made for all the more impactful to feel these emotions coming from Jennette herself.

This book is not only an important look at the injustice children in the industry faced, and still face to this day, it's also fantastically written. 

Such a beautifully written story that weaves in many interconnected narrative that culminate in an underwhelming end.

I like to think I'm well versed in slow, and often confusing stories. But, despite my patience with this book, I found the further I got into the story, the less I felt connected to the characters or main story we follow. Morgenstern's writing is undeniably beautiful, but the pacing of the book felt glacial. I don't usually mind slower narratives but in combination with lacklustre characters, and world building that, while fantastic, never really gets explained.

I ended up finishing the book wondering what any of it all means. I get some books allow reader interpretation to truly be part of the magic, but this reader had no clue and ended up kind of bored by the end.

A lovely and thoughtful book that really wasn't not for me.

This is a book I've been meaning to pick up ever since my nurse of a sister recommended it to me. A humour yet real medical diary about interesting medical cases? Count me in!
I managed to nab the audiobook version from Libby which is narrated by the author, Adam Kay himself.

This book managed to perfectly walk the line between fun, weird, and tragic stories of his experiences as a junior doctor working for the NHS (National Health Service for those not from England). Adam Kay is able to make you laugh one minute and cry the next but always had my full attention throughout as even when I could predict some experiences (thanks to my sisters rants about how horribly they're all paid) he still managed to shine a light on parts of the medical system I hadn't ever seen before. While I don't think all his jokes hit, (and maybe wouldn't be enjoyed by all) I do think he was able to strike the right balance without overpowering the stories.

This is a fun and easy read with moments of poignancy that reminded both the author and the reader of what it is to be human. 
10/10 would recommend to any and all who find the blurb even slightly interesting.

This was such a well-timed read with me actually reading it DURING our real-time solstice where the book takes place. While this book is not as 'cosy' as it may have been sold to me. This book managed to fit in perfectly with the series' progression and was an appreciated contemplative look at our characters' journey so far. 

This book deals with the aftermath of all the previous books but none more than book 3, A Court of Wings and Ruin. We get to see the smaller scaled impressions the death, war, and changes to the world has had on the world of Faerûn and its inhabitants. 

While I wouldn't describe this book as 'cosy', I truly did appreciate the realities it tries to address when it comes to hopeful fantasy. For a series that's often diminished because (god forbid) it's marketed in the fantasy romance genre, I find myself enjoying my read of the series and will continue to read it.
I'd recommend this, but it definitely does not work for anyone who isn't familiar with the previous books. If you stopped at book 3, maybe give book 3.5 a go! 

I wanted to love this so bad!

This series started out as overhyped imo but as I read more books, the more the world, characters, and mystery managed to draw me in. I learnt very early on that the final book/s had been written by a different author, Brandon Sanderson, whose work I have previously found very underwhelming but I read review after review claiming that Sanderson's ending was one I would most likely enjoy. When I finally got to his books, the series had grown so much and I'd come to love so many of the characters AND I truly found myself enjoying books 12 & 13. The pacing was still slow, but it was also a staple of the series so I didn't see much issue with it. Getting to book 14, this book, the issues this creates finally comes to a head. Some storylines felt well paced, and the battle itself I did truly enjoy. Just, the more I time I ruminate on my thoughts and feelings on the final book, the more I find myself disappointed in what we got. 

So many storylines were rushed, but the worst was just how many were completely abandoned. There's MANY characters we never see or hear from again and I can't help but consider that Jordan wouldn't have made this mistake. Specific storylines we've been waiting for BOOKS to come to a head and felt dragged to death in book 12 & 13 were unceremoniously thrown at us and then we're immediately dragged on to the next plot point. 

I end up feeling kind of disappointed with the series as a whole, and I HATE saying that. I spent so many hours buying, reading, talking about, and loving these books and to have the final few ruin that for me feels soul crushing. I don't HATE this. I just think the way in which so many people reassured me it was good and how I hyped it up in my own mind set me up for failure. I hope on a reread I can be kinder to the series but right now I don't even want to pick up the prequel.

A fantastic introduction not only into a rich and vibrant fantasy world filled with my kind of dragons (unknowingly powerful & mysterious). It also doubles as a fantastic introduction to our main heroine, Maddileh. The story drops us right into the thick of her story, an attempt to redeem her name as a knight by slaying her first dragon, the powerful White Lady. 

I found the interweavings of other knights tales and the dragons they slayed, and there magical after effects, fascinating & cannot wait to see more of this world. What little I saw has all my attention and flew by in no time at all.

My one minor gripe is barely one at all, seeing as this IS a novella, but the ending felt a little too rushed and bound in a neat bow. I personally loved it, but when reading other readers opinions on it I did find myself agreeing, even if it didn't effect my 5 star rating!

I 10/10 recommend this!

This is one of those rare books where rereading it allows me to gain a whole new perspective and appreciation for the series.

While I don't have a review from my first time reading, I remember my constant frustration with being drip fed the surrounding world lore and mystery. I kept finding myself STILL unsure on the events in some of the first chapters by the end of the book as the author often felt like he had much more 'style over substance' way of writing a story. While I don't disagree with my old self, the reveals are a bit slow and then ALL at once in the final 100 pages, I do recognise that Sanderson was able to drop A LOT more hints than I initially picked up on. I am still confused on a lot of things, I definitely found this reread significantly more satisfying than my initial one. I found myself just enjoying the ride and in turn noticed a lot more hints and drops by both character and author.

I'm still not sure I LOVE the way this book is structured. I'm still not sold on the random character interludes but nor am I as frustrated or bored of them. I really like the mix of PoVs ranging from Dalinar to Shallan and overall didn't find myself upset or bored by having to switch storylines. 
The flashback sequences for Kaladin's backstory is still clunky and done in such a strange way (it skips forwards over major events and then later shows them in greater detail) but it felt less criminal now I knew it was coming.

All in all, I really enjoyed this reread. I still found certain twists and turns surprising (with my 1 brain cell having forgotten them) as well as enjoying twists and turns I DID remember yet still felt excited to read through. I definitely want to continue with me reread especially as I remember the series declining from here on. I only hope I can enjoy them more on a second go as I did this one :)

 I always find myself struggling to write down my thoughts and feelings on the Earthsea series. It's such a profound and impactful series that is (rightfully) well regarded as peek fantasy. 

Le Guin is one of the most thoughtful and reflective authors when it comes to making fantastically balanced characters. She's able to breathe life into what seems like a simple fantasy world on the surface but is slowly revealed to be just as complex as the characters she weaves into it. Every little detail Le Guin adds to the story feels like a part of a bigger whole, one we get glimpses throughout the series. It makes me, as a reader, feel so small yet so significant all the same.

The difficulty I have with her writing is just how meloncholly it all feels. The world, the characters, and the story fell so impactful, and yet by the end of each story, I could not say I end the book feeling satisfied. These characters and the world the inhabit I've come to truly love and understand, especially as I age and keep returning to the series. This book truly made me FEEL, and in every way that matters, it's a massive compliment to the authors skill in being able to do so in what are not very long books. Especially as an avid fantasy reader where the average book length can be into the 600s of pages.

I will continue to love and cry over this series, no matter how conflicted it makes me feel. I hope I can continue with this reread and get to the later books.

This is book 2 in the Ending Fire Trilogy. 
Book 1, The Final Strife, was easily a 5 star read for me so my hopes were very high coming into this book and boy where they fulfilled!

This book starts off exactly where the last one ended, building upon the fantastic and mysterious foundations book 1 had set up. Because I already felt highly attached to the characters thanks to the authors nuanced and enjoyable character work, this made book 2 all the more tense as now these characters have separated once again to follow different storylines, we wonder with the characters if they'll ever see one another again.

While the story premise itself seems cliché when boiled down to it's core elements, El-Arifi has managed to craft such a unique and compelling political drama within a complex and mysterious world. If you know anything about me, it's that I LOVE me a lost history / mysterious lost magic system. 

Without getting into spoilers (as I write this review to convince you to at least try book 1!) El-Arifi took some characters in such unique directions. I should have seen it coming thanks to book 1 out-of-the-box narrative, yet it still felt so natural and left me unsure on what was going to happen next. I love being challenged in our love for characters we KNOW are the good guys but maybe don't end up doing good things. 

The reason this isn't 5 stars is book 1 had a slight edge on this one. I can't quite put my finger on it but I think it wasn't as balanced as it could have been, especially switching between such major PoVs WITH time skips in-between. It's a massively ambitious series and I'm excited to see where book 3 goes.