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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

August 16, 2017

STAGS by M.A. Bennett

August 16, 2017

Book cover & rating - STAGS by M.A. BennettSTAGS isn’t a conventional “whodunnit” mystery novel. It’s clear from the opening sentence that someone died. But who? Now, that’s the question! Sadly, I figured that out way too early, so the mystery aspect didn’t grip me quite as much as I’d have liked. Thankfully, there still was more to the book than meets the eye — some really twisted events and towards the end, some sinister foreshadowing of the future.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: assault, boarding school, british authors, bullying, conspiracy theories, death, friendship, inequality, loneliness, poc characters, racism, romance, secret societies, secrets, suicide, tradition, violence, wealth

November 27, 2016

THE RAVEN BOYS by Maggie Stiefvater

November 27, 2016

Book cover & rating - The Raven Boys by Maggie StiefvaterIt’s amazing how much perspectives can shift upon a re-read. When I first picked up The Raven Boys nearly two years ago, I listened to the audiobook. I loved Will Patton’s narration but had a few reservations about the book itself. Recently, I sat down with the hardcover edition, post-its and pencil in hand, determined to annotate as I revisited The Raven Boys. There were so many things I newly discovered, I grew to love it a whole lot more.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: abuse, american authors, beliefs, brothers, choices, death, domestic violence, family, family problems, friendship, funerals, ghosts, hardship, high school, inequality, language, legends, mothers and daughters, murder, mystery, poverty, psychics, rituals, sacrifice, secrets, self-esteem, single parenthood, time, violence, wealth

December 19, 2015

WINTER by Marissa Meyer

December 19, 2015

Book cover & rating - Winter by Marissa MeyerWinter’s release was postponed by many months, leading to lots of sadness all around. As consolation, we received Fairest (#3.5) earlier this year to ease the waiting. Now the question is, was it worth waiting so long for Winter? I say, definitely! For one, it takes a lot of time to write 824 pages. It also takes a very long time to edit these pages to perfection.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: ambition, american authors, androids, censorship, cyborgs, death, discrimination, friendship, genetic engineering, illnesses, impersonation, insurgency, lies, loyalty, mental health, mind control, murder, orphans, poverty, retellings, revolution, romance, royalty, self perception, solid platonic friendship, surveillance, survival, violence, wealth, weddings

September 14, 2015

THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald

September 14, 2015

Book cover of THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott FitzgeraldI am so glad I didn’t study English Literature at A Levels. The Great Gatsby was a set text for the exams and after finally reading this novel, I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed taking it apart. I have a friend who absolutely adored The Great Gatsby back then and still avidly references it in his conversations with people. Frankly, I don’t see the appeal.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: ambition, american authors, betrayal, capitalism, classics, consumerism, death, modern classics, murder, romance, social commentary, wealth

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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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