angelsbeforeman's reviews
878 reviews

the sudden pro israel section was shocking No thank you 

decided to read it cause of the pretty cover but it read like a bad fanfic so 

i like the theme, i like the idea but that's about it because the execution was abysmal. right from the start i disliked the style, the way the author describes the scenery is so boring and redundant. it's crazy that he managed to describe an island on which a bunch of boys are abandoned in a boring way. it's not just the scenery, everything else was dull as well which is why i never felt excited or nervous for what would happen next. the opposite of a page turner for me.
it's almost like you can only fully enjoy this book if you're a kid so you don't see all its very obvious flaws. the characters are meant to be impactful, but several of them had no core personality traits and you could easily mix up the boys. it's also full of basic character archetypes, which can work, but not here. just not my thing, i wouldn't read anything else by golding. 

incredibly easy 5 star rating. i had extremely high hopes for this because of how promising the blurb was, and i wasn't disappointed in the slightest. the religious themes are so excellently explored, and i really connected with noelle as a character. this was a very introspective read so i think it's not really for everyone, but this is 100% the kind of book i love. noelle's repressed desires, her complicated relationship with her mum, her guilt, her relationship with lomie ... loved it. the writing style is so pretty as well, such a great debut novel. the vampirism also made me very happy. i adore the setting too, i enjoy island books with this kind of vibe. perfect atmosphere. just wonderful. will be reading anything genevieve jagger writes next ♡ 

the point of these stories is perfectly explained in a quote from the book: "it is in the most surreal situations that a person feels the most present, the closest to reality." the stories feel like they're taking you through truly insane situations such as a lady who lives with her husband and a hundred ex-boyfriends. 
it still deals with the issues that people face every day. many of them are specific to, but not exclusive to, asian women. this is a common theme in contemporary east asian literature, the archetype of a lonely woman who doesn't know her exact place in society. another common theme is detachment from reality. it also explores themes of motherhood and how it can impact you. the book touches on culture a lot - what is expected of a woman in east asian culture, but also how not being from america can make you feel alienated. another reason to read this book is that ling ma has a very unique writing style that i really really love. 

the cat scene made me sick to my stomach and i couldn't move on. otherwise, a disorganised plot and a snoozefest.

pretty good! the best thing about this book is definitely the atmosphere. though i wouldn’t describe the author’s style as pretty and i didn’t highlight any quotes that stand out, i think the writing is good in the sense that they know how to write in a creepy, eerie way. 
i enjoy horror related to nature in some way, which is why the bayou intrigued me in the first place, and that didn’t disappoint. the author does a great job of describing the way the bayou inspires dread in people. i do think the characters were a bit underdeveloped, which is alright considering how short the book is, but i still wanted more. though johnny was a cool character, i wanted to know a lot more about his motivations. eugene was alright as a character, better than johnny, but still lacking. mary beth’s development was adequate (she is literally a child so yknow) and her story is intriguing. i do find eugene and johnny’s connection fun to read about and the intimate scenes were good. it lacks depth but it’s fun!! i also liked the paradise lost reference ♡ 
overall — pretty good and i’d read more from this author since i adore atmospheric literature ^_^