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Word Revel

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January 13, 2021

A DEADLY EDUCATION by Naomi Novik

January 13, 2021

Book cover & 2-star rating - A Deadly Education by Naomi NovikA Deadly Education left me with very mixed feelings. The opening line held so much promise. It offered conflict and an intriguing dichotomy right from the get-go. Such as, why would anyone want to kill the very person who’d saved their life? What more when they had saved them more than once? I wanted answers but didn’t feel like I got much by the end of the book. Is this one premise supposed to span across the entire series? Evidently, but the opening of the story arc for it didn’t turn out as solidly as I had hoped.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: american authors, audiobooks, bi- or multiracial characters, boarding school, class struggle, death, discrimination, diverse books, friendship, language, learning process, loyalty, magic, monsters, mothers and daughters, murder, paranormal, romance, rumours, secrets, single parenthood, survival, wealth, witches, wizards

September 1, 2015

VICIOUS by V.E. Schwab

September 1, 2015

Book cover & 4.5-star rating - VICIOUS by V.E. SchwabGoing into books blind, particularly books like Vicious, can be infinitely thrilling. You enter unexplored land and everything is new. You don’t follow the tracks paved by expectations built upon the reading experiences of others. The cover states that it’s “a twisted tale of ambition, desire and superpowers”. It’s very correct in that description. That’s your starting point if you’re up for a thrill. If that’s you, then go on, pick up the book, read it and return to my review later to share your excitement. Now, if you’d rather know what you’re getting yourself into, read on.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: american authors, beliefs, betrayal, college, crime, death, ethics, existentialism, faith, friendship, life, mind control, morality, murder, paranormal, revenge, self perception, superheroes, villains, violence

August 24, 2015

THE REST OF US JUST LIVE HERE by Patrick Ness

August 24, 2015

Book cover of The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick NessGoing into The Rest of Us Just Live Here I felt very disconcerted. The main text reads like a contemporary book but each chapter starts with insights on the Chosen Ones and the gods above. There are however overlaps that can be seen when the paranormal events have an impact on the ordinary people. This makes the setting a very strange yet familiar one.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: alcoholism, anxiety, bi- or multiracial characters, death, eating disorder, existentialism, family problems, friendship, genre-fantasy, high school, mental health, metafiction, multiculturalism, ocd, on love, paranormal, politics, postmodernism, romance, self-esteem, siblinghood, therapy

September 15, 2014

THE STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL SORROWS OF AVA LAVENDER by Leslye Walton

September 15, 2014

THE STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL SORROWS OF AVA LAVENDER by Leslye WaltonThe Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender and I developed a love-hate relationship of sorts. The promises made in the prologue was wondrous and I was so excited to continue reading. By the time I reached the end I felt empty. I loved the style of writing adopted in the prologue. It captured my attention so vividly, I fully expected to fall in love with the rest of the story. Sadly, that didn’t happen.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: abuse, american authors, bakeries, baking, catholicism, death, diversity, faith, family myth, food and drink, friendship, grief, inter-generations, mothers and daughters, multiculturalism, on love, paranormal, religious institutions, siblinghood, suffering, tragedy, twins, violence

July 30, 2014

EVERY DAY by David Levithan

July 30, 2014

EVERY DAY by David LevithanIf there is one thing I adored about Every Day, it’s the prose. The prose was so fluid, it bordered on poetic. It captured many of the ideas so beautifully, it was nothing short of thought-provoking.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: audiobooks, bi- or multiracial characters, depression, diversity, existentialism, fantasy, gender studies, high school, identity, internet, lgbtq characters, paranormal

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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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