Sunday, March 12, 2023

November - January Wrap-Up [Flash Reviews]

Buckle up, it's going to be a long one. It's been way too long since I've written about what I've been reading, mostly because I haven't had too much time to read, let alone review what I've read. 

Books Mentioned

  • Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong
  • Kaiju No. 8 by Matsumoto Naoya
  • Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama
  • The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
  • If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang
  • Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
  • Book Lovers by Emily Henry
  • Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

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Foul Lady Fortune by Chloe Gong

Rating: ★★★★ (4/5)


This was a very fun and action-filled story following Rosalind Lang and Orion Hong, two Nationalist spies who must pretend to live a happily married life in order to solve the mystery of who is behind the mass chemical killings throughout Shanghai. Gong's descriptive and atmospheric writing shines through once again in this first installment of her new duology, but the dialogue fell through for me once again. I wasn't expecting to like Rosalind, or even be okay with Rosalind, since I wasn't a huge fan of her in the first duology, so I was surprised when I ended up liking her character. Orion and Oliver were two characters I still am not very sure about yet, since they do have a personality, just not one that felt very unique to me. Nonetheless, the thing that really is the shining star of this book is the plot. Gong does an amazing job at setting up the intrigue and the conflict, and also does a great job at peeling back the layers of the mystery one by one. Foul Lady Fortune overall was a very entertaining read and I highly recommend it for any YA fans who love a plot-centered, action-filled book with an ample amount of romance.




Kaiju No. 8 by Matsumoto Naoya

Rating: ★★★★ (5/5)


This latter half of the year I was very blessed with wonderful manga reads. Kaiju No. 8 was both very familiar yet very refreshing at the same time. It follows the tried and evidently successful shonen storyline in a way that doesn't feel too repetitive and thus remains very entertaining. Having an older protagonist also makes things very interesting, since I'm so used to reading manga with young teenage protagonists, but Hibino is very much well into adulthood and finds his purpose later on in life. I also find that sometimes the responsibility that young shonen protagonists take on don't make sense to me, because oftentimes they're a mere 14 years of age and carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. But in Kaiju No. 8 Hibino's sense of responsibility makes a lot of sense, because his teammates are younger than him, many of them teen aged like Kikoru. I loved the relationship between each of the characters, and I thought each and every character was so different in personality and character design. I highly recommend Kaiju No. 8 to anyone who is a fan of shonen manga such as My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer—you will not be disappointed.




Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahame

Rating: ★★★★ (5/5)


I don't think I've ever read a manga quite like Witch Hat Atelier, and I've read a lot of manga over the many years. There is something that is just so sweet and wholesome about this manga, despite it being categorized as a josei and periodically tackling various darker themes. I love the relationship between the girls, and I enjoyed watching their journey in gradually befriending each other. The thing that I adored most about this manga was just how great of a mentor Qifrey and Olruggio were to the girls, and the lengths the two would go to protect the girls. Both the academia part of the manga as well as the overarching plot revolving around the Brimhats are both equally entertaining, and that is honestly a feat to me since I'm personally not a huge fan of the magic school/training arc. I recommend everyone read Witch Hat Atelier, especially fans of fantasy stories.




The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Rating: +0.5 (1.5/5)


I am not going to lie, I was looking forward to writing this one. And as you can see, it was not for positive reasons. 
I truly despised this book. My first gripe with it was the writing style. I personally am a lover of the em dash, but this author does not know how to use one. I was fully expecting to just blow through this book since I read did read this because I wanted to breeze through a suspenseful and plot-centric book, so I wasn't expecting the writing to take away from that experience. This next critique is more of a personal preference, because I really wasn't a fan of the tone of the narrative. This could also have bled into my dislike for the main character, Theo. Despised him. The plot of the story also was really nothing special. There were a lot of very suspicious things that were dropped throughout the story, which I felt were meant to be red herrings, but they were left completely unexplained at the end. I'd expected these threads to be tidied up at least, but they were just left completely unresolved. The plot twist that blew many readers' minds was also nothing impressive to me. I can see how it was a shocking twist, but the execution ruined it. 
Overall, I was very disappointed. I was expecting a lot more from a very widely acclaimed mystery/thriller novel. 




If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang

Rating: ★★★+0.75 (4.75/5)


I was genuinely very surprised with how much I loved this one. The older I get the more I stray from reading YA, which makes sense since I'm older and I'm no longer the target demographic, so I was so pleasantly surprised with how much I was enjoying this story. I am extremely picky about dialogue, so there were times when I had to turn a blind eye to some more overwrought lines, but other than that everything was smooth sailing. I finished this book in about a day and walked into my anatomy class 5 minutes late because I didn't want to stop reading. I thought the characters were all very distinct and their motivations were understandable. The international boarding school setting was also somewhat familiar; I personally didn't go to a boarding school but a lot of my relatives did, and Alice's school felt very reminiscent of their stories. And of course I wouldn't be the first person to say this, but Henry Li!!! I adore him. 
Overall, this was one of my favorite reads of the year! I highly recommend this book for any romance lovers, especially those who love the academic rivals to lovers trope!



Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

Rating: ★★★+0.25 (4.25/5)


I knew going into this one that it was going to hurt, but I was very blindsided by exactly how it would hurt. I went into this book completely blind, and I had no idea what it was going to be about. I think I expected more "drama" than what I got here, but I'm not disappointed by what I got. The care that this family has for each other is what really did it for me. I liked when the story was following the present timeline with Hamnet and Judith, rather than when it reverted to Agnes's past. But the past did serve its purpose, and it was effective in getting me to care about Agnes, which is why I was so distraught at the end.
Overall, this one really pulled at the heartstrings. I was crying on the plane for a good hour.



Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Rating: ★★ (5/5)

I'm definitely not new to Emily Henry. I've read both Beach Read and People We Meet On Vacation, but neither of those I enjoyed as much as this book. It did surprise me a lot how I have decided that I like this one over Beach Read, since I reasoned out that Beach Read was my favorite due to the more somber nature of the book. Book Lovers captured my heart with just how entertaining and fun Nora and Charlie's relationship was. 
Overall, this was just pure fun. It kept me hooked on every page, and I couldn't put it down until I was finished with it. I highly recommend this for anyone, especially romance lovers.





Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Rating: +0.5 (3.5/5)


I very rarely read thriller novels since I am weak of heart, but I wanted to give them a go while I had a very long plane ride ahead, so I picked this one up. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but some of it did not appeal to my personal tastes. I wasn't a huge fan of the tone this was written in. I think Gillian Flynn executed what she was going for very well, but it wasn't my cup of tea. There were also parts of this book that I thought were unnecessarily gratuitous, and it staved my enjoyment of this book. However, Flynn did an amazing job at keeping me on my toes the entire time, and I highly recommend this to any reader who likes thriller novels.

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I can't believe the last time I posted I wished everyone a prosperous 2022 and now we're 3 months into 2023 :") Time really does fly

—璇

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