ellemnope's reviews
2345 reviews

The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I started off REALLY enjoying this novella. The story was intriguing and the writing is really good. I enjoyed the protagonist's POV and the character development that came out of her. The nature of the narrative just meshed with me and I literally thought to myself at about 20 minutes in, "I am loving this book".

But then the ending came. For some, an open, kind of abstract, ending intrigues them and totally checks all the right boxes. For me, that's not the case. I need nice and solid endings where I feel like I really understand everything that happened. In this situation, I was seriously lost. Did I enjoy the writing right up to the end? You betcha. Would I have continued to read if more of this story was written/explained? Absolutely. I NEEDED that.

This ending left me confused to the point that I did a web search to see what others had said in spoiler style reviews. And that only helped because at least I know I'm not alone in my reaction of "What the heck just happened? I'm so freaking lost. Did I miss something?" Frustrating...but...it didn't detract completely from the fact that I really enjoyed Knutsdottir's writing. Dang it.

Will I read more from her? If it's available in translation I will 100% give it a shot. Just please give me a complete ending. I beg of you. 
Daughters of Bronze: A Novel of Troy by A.D. Rhine

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adventurous challenging emotional reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This second in a duology works well as a standalone, but was so intriguing that I will now be going back to read the first in the small series. A somewhat reimagined/enhanced telling of the siege of Troy, this historical fiction is written fully from the female perspective of the war between the Achaeans and the Trojans. The chapters are a cycle of 4 POVs that are interwoven quite well and give a wide expanse telling of the events with emotional acuity. More than just a historical telling, this is a piece that delves into the humanity of the situation, including the thoughts of mothers, slaves, and warriors. Extremely well-written and full of tension. It can be a bit confusing due to all the moving pieces and some familiarity with the historical characters will absolutely be helpful, but the story still stood quite well on its own and had me highly invested even if I already knew how the (historically told) ending would play out. There are some liberties taken on the interpretation, which is covered very well in the author's note and that I honestly think were well thought out approaches to telling the story. I'm no historian, but it all seemed believable to me. It rises above the fantastical of mythology and sticks fairly well to a historical tale, but there are some bits that definitely verge into fantasy (it's hard to portray Cassandra without this detour). Highly recommend for historical fiction buffs, especially those who love tales of Ancient Greece and Turkey.

 
A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson

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adventurous tense medium-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

4.5

I'm gonna need a sequel. Though this was admittedly a bit slow to start while the world building took place, the resulting novel was a really great debut. WWII codebreakers meets dragon fantasy...who would've thought of that combination?!?! But it was such good fun. Great tension and character building. Some bits of the plot do require suspension of disbelief, but it's a fantasy...so you kind of have to expect that to a certain degree. The plot wraps up well, but leaves SOOOOO much room for this to continue as a series. And I would totally be here for it. That last page....ugh. I NEED to know more.
The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

The Encanto's Daughter by Melissa de la Cruz

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mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

I liked the idea of this book, but it just didn't pan out for me. Though it had good bones and included a lot of Filipino myth/fable that I didn't previously know, this story just felt a bit meh for me. I loved the pieces of fantastical elements, but I really wanted more world-building than I was given. I feel like this world de la Cruz created deserved much more exploration. For my tastes, the writing style didn't quite fit the YA read I was expecting, but instead came off a bit more middle grade. I read a lot of middle grade, so this would have been fine, but it didn't fit with the age of the MC or the way the tale was structured. It felt like the story was at odds with itself a lot of the time. There was a lot to explore and develop and it didn't feel like there was much in-depth digging. A bit mystery, a bit fantasy, and a bit romance, all three of the genres seemed to get the shaft in development. I don't say this a lot, but I really think this story needed to be a few hundred pages longer to give more nuance and development to the plot. The basis of the story was good and I liked the pieces of tension and relationship development I was given, but I was just left wanting. I haven't decided whether I want to continue the series or not. 
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

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4.0

Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Though not as powerful as the first in the series (mostly because the shock appeal does wear off after you've learned a bit of what to expect), the sequel in the Finlay Donovan series still packs a punch. The banter is just as witty and Finlay is still just a bit off her rocker. There is a need to have some suspension of disbelief in these tales and just ride the wave. The story is super fun and fast-paced and somehow the grit of the situation still comes off as just goofy and funny. Hired assassins? Dangerous mob? Death threats? Somehow not daunting, just entertaining. It's a feeling I'm not sure I've quite experienced outside of this series and it's really making me like mysteries again. This series continues to be a good time and the ending wraps up well enough to feel solid while still leaving a nice bit of cliffhanger. At this point, I'm not sure I'll get tired of reading any of these books. 
Spells of Iron & Bone by Sarah Piper

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Dune by Frank Herbert

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adventurous challenging tense 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

3.5

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0