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May 9, 2019

STEPSISTER by Jennifer Donnelly

May 9, 2019

Book cover & and 4.5-star rating for STEPSISTER by Jennifer DonnellyThe first time I heard the term “retelling,” I expected it to refer to reimagined fairytales. I didn’t exactly expect these to be simply be stories inspired by fairytales. Stepsister, however, is exactly that which I had originally expected of a retelling. It builds upon the well-loved fairytale of Ashputtel, blood and all. It was entertaining with its dark humour as it continued to tell the story of how it might have continued. Stepsister was more detailed since it’s a novel rather than a short story but stylistically, it still very much read like a fairytale.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: abuse, ambition, american authors, betrayal, bravery, death, despair, fairies, family problems, fate, feminism, forgiveness, friendship, gender, grief, hardship, hope, horses, jealousy, life, loss, magic, on love, poverty, relationships, retellings, romance, royalty, self discovery, self-esteem, single parenthood, sisters, stepsiblings, villains, war

October 30, 2018

FAMILY AND OTHER CATASTROPHES by Alexandra Borowitz

October 30, 2018

Book cover & rating - Family and Other Catastrophes by Alexandra BorowitzGood satire makes you laugh while simultaneously reflecting on the subject matters. Rooted in reality, it makes you wonder how serious these characters are (very) but then on second thought you realise that they’re world views are so black and white, they couldn’t be for real. With that in mind, Borowitz used satire very effectively in Family and Other Catastrophes. Emily was so neurotic but with the kind of mother she had, it kind of made sense. Her sister Lauren, was fully committed to feminist social activism, in stark contrast to their brother, Jason, who was a desperate divorcé and quite the sexist.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: dating, diverse books, divorce, dysfunctional families, family problems, feminism, gender, politics, pregnancy, secrets, sexism, sexual assault, social justice, weddings, work life

February 11, 2018

REBEL OF THE SANDS by Alwyn Hamilton

February 11, 2018

Book cover & rating - REBEL OF THE SANDS by Alwyn HamiltonThe first 200 pages were not written well. I was bored and felt growing discomfort with the mangled Middle Eastern culture this fantasy book was premised on. At least the next 150 odd pages picked up a little in terms of plot and also storytelling, so I didn’t end up thoroughly hating Rebel of the Sands. Still, this book has so many problems, I’m relieved I didn’t order the sequels before finishing this one first.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: ableist, abuse, alcoholism, assault, beliefs, betrayal, canadian authors, choices, cousins, death, disability, diverse books, domestic violence, ethics, family, gender, ghouls, half-siblings, identity, insurgency, jinn, magic, murder, mythology, on the run, poc characters, relatives, religion, romance, royalty, secrets, self discovery, shapeshifting, siblinghood, truth, violence

June 29, 2017

A SHADOW BRIGHT AND BURNING by Jessica Cluess

June 29, 2017

Book cover & rating - A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica CluessWhen I first stumbled across A Shadow Bright and Burning, I passed right over it. After some time though, the hype wore me down, and curiosity got the better of me. I looked up chapter samplers, and was hooked.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: alcoholism, ambition, american authors, assault, beliefs, cheating, demons, feminism, friendship, gender, hardship, inequality, jealousy, lies, magic, monsters, orphans, poverty, secrets, self discovery, tradition, violence

June 7, 2017

SPELLSLINGER by Sebastien de Castell

June 7, 2017

Book cover & rating - Spellslinger by Sebastien de CastellSpellslinger is a rather quirky book, which I enjoyed very much. A young mage who’s struggling with magic, a traveller passing through who can’t keep her hilarious social commentary to herself, and a snarky talking squirrel cat? This combination was most peculiar, making me laugh and smirk throughout.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: abduction, abuse, ambition, beliefs, betrayal, bullying, canadian authors, conspiracy theories, culture, death, dysfunctional families, eugenics, family, gender, humour, identity, inequality, jealousy, lies, loyalty, magic, monsters, mystery, oppression, power, revenge, rituals, sacrifice, secrets, self discovery, siblinghood, slavery, snarky characters, truth, violence

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About

Joséphine. Word reveller. Loves books. Reads books. Talks about books. Photographs books. When she’s not blogging, she can be found on Instagram under @wordrevel.

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