midwifereading's reviews
817 reviews

This book is a lot to process in relatively little time. I don't even have much to say. The brutality underscoring the whole thing is intense. 

On the one hand, I learned quite a bit about the history and founding of the LDS church, and where FLDS sects sprang from. The history alone is enough to digest, but when it's intertwined with the murder of a woman and her 15 month old baby girl...

One could almost argue that, without the extreme fundamentalist beliefs, the murders wouldn't have happened. Then again, if it wasn't FLDS, the Lafferty brothers likely would have found something else to justify their violence. We can never know what would have happened, but this book paints a vivid picture that is impossible to ignore.

TW: Some graphic violence, including sexual, is present. It includes graphic descriptions of several murders, and non-graphic but plainly explained sexual violence against women and children. It's all in a journalistic style, with stark language. 

I have now read at least three Russian classics: Anna Karenina, War & Peace, and now Crime & Punishment. Of the three, I think the latter is my favorite.

Opening with a bloody murder is a bold move, and watching the murderer struggle on the brink of madness for however many pages (a lot) was quite the journey. 

My favorite characters where the two young women, Dunya and Sonya, along with Razumikhin (the murderer's BFF). They reflect all that is good in the world, while still carrying human flaws. 

The main character (and murderer), Raskolnikov, was complex and interesting, and entirely unlikeable. And frankly, his "punishment" was pretty unsatisfying, and the ending was far softer than I thought it would be. 

I did listen on audio to the unabridged version, and the narrator was amazing.

This book was a lovely change of pace. While it's not slow moving, it is softly paced, and feels quiet. 

I don't actually know how to describe the feeling it left me with, but it's a mix of longing, fondness, and goodwill. This is a rainy day book. It belongs with a handmade afghan, a cup of something warm, and the kind of drizzle found in the city in a black & white movie. 

Amor Towles knows how to write authentic, organic characters. Each person in these pages is unique, and he does an amazing job introducing each one so it doesn't take much time to have a sense of who they are, their strengths, and their flaws.

It feels very true-to-life, but it also feels like it could end up a fairy tale if it weren't for the real world. I don't know if that makes sense, but it's how it left me feeling. 

I'm disappointed, and almost DNF'd it 1/3 of the way in. I was bored, frankly. I finished solely in order to participate in an upcoming book club at my local used bookstore.

I will give credit where credit is due, however, and say that I liked the magic system and the dragons. I actually think the dragons had more depth and dimension than all the other characters combined, including the main characters. The magic system seems pretty simple and straightforward with rules that feel believable, and I quite liked the ley line setup for magic. It's interesting.

These are the only reasons I bumped it to two stars, making the book *okay* instead of outright bad. 

This was my first experience with cozy fantasy, and I have a feeling it wasn't the best place to start. 

As other reviewers have said, far better than I could, there was entirely too much telling, and very little showing. The characters are all one-dimensional, and there is not a single character arc to be found. Not one. It feels very convenient and sitcom-ish as far as the people are concerned.

The so-called villain is a cartoon, recalling the Queen of Hearts in Disney's Alice in Wonderland -- but if she were the "We have Disney at home" version. The Disney version is more terrifying. 

There's also very little attention to detail. In a world where we might assume there are no stretch fabrics, how would a person wear form-fitting clothes and be able to move well? Do we need long, flowery descriptions? Nope. But, some basic understanding of fabrics available in a traditional fantasy setting and who might wear what wouldn't go amiss. Granted, it's fantasy. You can technically do what you want, because it's all made up anyway, so maybe I'm just nitpicking.

Anyway. I am somewhat interested in what happens with the dragon eggs. I'm not sure if I will pick up the next one or not. This is Thorne's debut, so I assume she'll grow and refine her talent (she does have talent), and maybe the next one will be better. 

I quite enjoyed this book, and plan to read the rest of the series, because I feel invested in the story.

The older I get, the more I value character-driven books. Not that I don't enjoy a fast-paced plot with lots of action and suspense, because I do! But, characters are important. While Sullivan does a good job overall at giving each character their own footprint, none are really as rich or layered as they could be. While they're not great, they are believable, and I can appreciate that enough to care about them. 

I think what Theft of Swords does well makes up for a cast of characters that don't really have much complexity to them. 

The world they inhabit is clear and full, with a believable and beautiful geography, and a rich history. The magic system feels natural for the story and the setting, complete with a bit of mystery to it. The writing itself is well-paced, easy to follow, and encouraged me to keep turning the pages. Overall, it's a fun, quick read.

I have some problems with some of the writing knocking me out of the world sometimes. For example, one wounded character is wrapped in bandages "like a mummy." Excuse me? Is there an ancient Egyptian empire in Elan? 🤔 There are a lot of similar examples throughout that I had to just accept and move on.

In addition, when we meet Esrahaddon, a 900-year-old wizard, he speaks the way the world did in his day. And it's glorious! And kind of funny. Until Hadrian and Royce convince him to learn modern idioms and grammar instead. This disappointed me greatly! Maintaining his use of Old Speech would have, for me, deepened the world immersion by leaps and bounds! Instead, we have a cast of characters who all speak the same way. None of them really has a unique voice all their own. 

All in all, if you're looking into trying fantasy, Theft of Swords would be a great way to start.

I genuinely liked it quite a lot, but I wouldn't say I *loved* it. However, it's such a well-written story that 3 stars doesn't cut it. 

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a window into a culture I am not remotely familiar with, and yet there are universal human truths that I recognize. The struggle between pleasing and helping your family, or throwing it all away isn't something most of us in the U.S. have to worry about. Especially in the 21st century. Yet, the struggle to be SEEN is still very familiar. It hits close to home.

Most of all, the misunderstanding between lifelong friends connects like a solid right hook. These friends are akin to what Anne Shirley means when she calls Diana her "bosom friend." This friendship is serious. And it all falls apart over a single sentence. 💔

The resolution comes too late in some ways, and is a reminder never to take for granted that you know anyone's intentions without asking them.

I want to read it again at some point. Beautiful book.

Everything about this book feels real. Shakespeare is never once mentioned by name, and that's because he's not the center of this story. Instead, we find Agnes, his wife, at the center. Everything revolves around her--an intelligent, intuitive, and strong healer and mother who could not save her son.

Hamnet is a book about grief. Especially the grief of losing a child. It's very human, very rich, and very poetic. There's a dreamlike quality to it that suits the story, and it should be ready on a gloomy, rainy day. 

O'Farrell paints a vivid picture of both the characters and the setting. The book has a strong sense of place and time, and the setting is almost a character itself. In addition, each character stands out as a richly colored portrait with depth and color and feeling. I found myself utterly lost in the pages. 

I loved it.