lunabean's reviews
216 reviews

As a boy goes through daily life in 1930s Japan, he comes across several experiences that compel him to reflect and think about what it means to be a good human. Copper speaks to his uncle, who writes letters of advice to him in alternating chapters. They discuss art, science, politics, philosophy, and religion.

A fresh take on these heavy topics, I’ve never read about these things written in a way that is understandable by a child. Great storytelling with a clear “moral of the story” at the end of each chapter. Only complaint I have is how the Uncle makes sweeping general statements and states opinions that I quite disagree with. But I guess it’s useful to note that this book was written decades ago, and was particularly important during its time of publication because the militarisation of Japan was growing and they were heavily censoring anything that criticised the government. Yoshino wrote this for children, to teach them the importance of humanities, morals, to think for oneself and to stand up for what is right. In this aspect, I think the book did a good job.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

Go to review page

lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

3.5 stars! A very easy, quick read, magical and fun! Throughout the book I kept thinking about how this is a perfect mix of TJ Klune’s House in the Cerulean Sea and Kevin Wilson’s Nothing to See Here. It’s a story about family, children, love, belonging, and of course from the title, WITCHES.

Mika Moon is a 31 year old witch living in Britain. There are other witches like her, but they only meet once every 3 months because it is dangerous to have more than one witch together at the same place - magic can be unpredictable! But this is a lonely life, and one that Mika has had her whole life. One day, Mika is asked to care for 3 children who are witches, to teach them how to control their power over a couple months. She becomes a live-in tutor at their house and befriends the gardener, the housekeeper, and the librarian.

This story is about finding family, a place to belong, and fiercely protecting your loved ones despite the risks. It’s a pretty cheesy book, kinda like a YA book but the sex scenes would be weirdly inappropriate if this book is indeed meant for YA. Which is why I was a little confused about the target audience- it seemed a bit too childish and simple and straightforward for adults. The characters are also annoyingly stereotypical - the grumpy cynic meets the bubbly optimist who ends up breaking his rough exterior and they fall in love 🥴 I found myself rolling my eyes lots of times cuz… SO CHEESY.

Plot wise though I quite enjoyed it. There’s a plot twist at the end I wasn’t expecting (the only thing that wasn’t predictable) that I thought was pretty smart. I’d describe this book as a heartwarming cup of tea on a rainy day. Not thought-provoking or incredibly exciting, but fun and feel-good, cosy and snug.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Go to review page

hopeful lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

An easy read, but falling a little flat and predictable with a synopsis of great potential. An elderly cleaning lady in an aquarium (Tova) who befriends one of the aquarium exhibits: a giant Pacific orange octopus (Marcellus). Tova lost her son thirty years ago, and Marcellus ends up being the one who solves the questions Tova has about her son’s death. I thought that the “friendship” could have been explored so much more than it was, beyond just tentacle-hand-holding. If Marcellus was as intelligent as the writer conveyed - able to undo locks, understand words, read, remember the tiniest details - couldn’t he communicate with Tova in other creative ways aside from leaving items for her in places?

The human characters (Marcellus was quite funny) were disappointing and frankly quite unlikeable. Tova with her hard exterior comes off quite confusing to me. Despite the writer depicting Tova as a grieving mother, Tova seems to not care about any of the other people in her life: namely the Knit-Wits and Ethan. Sadly I don’t love characters that are cranky but disguised as “kind” because of a few nice actions toward a few number of people.

Cameron too was quite a frustrating character. The writer tried to make him an intellectual genius with lazy, idle tendencies… Why make him a genius? Why make him smart? Cameron was fired from his jobs multiple times, made dumb decisions, was rude to people, it was hard to root for him. And his whole relationship with Avery felt really unnecessary. It bored me greatly.

The book is an easy read if you’re looking to get out of a reading slump, it has a heartwarming plot twist at the end, but don’t expect to be amazed by this one.

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick

Go to review page

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

The Mothers by Brit Bennett

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

More...

lunabean's reviews 216 reviews

lunabean's reviews
216 reviews