Haunt
Contains spoilers
I'm so...confused?
The more I think about this book, the less I like it. Maybe it's one of those “great idea, not-great execution” sort of things, because I love (a) retellings and (b) strong heroines and (c) lgbtq+ representation and (d) ya, but I did not love (e) this book. The romance is extremely minimal and 2-dimensional, which simply cannot be the case in a retelling of a fairy tale focused on a romance (or in this case, TWO romances). Kaisa is barely even a character—she doesn't even get any personality traits beyond “gentle”, let alone any actual development, which, combined with the absolutely glacial pace of the alleged romance, culminates in the reader feeling like they spent all that time reading about Ash falling in love with a cardboard cutout. Similarly, the other romance/love triangle is resolved extremely quickly and almost carelessly, even though Sidhean actually feels (slightly) more fleshed out as a character than Kaisa. To me, the book as a whole feels much more like a coming-of-age story than a fairy tale/romance/anything else, except there's also...not really that much notable MC development either.
P.S. The “slow burn” here is so slow you'll die of natural causes before you feel anything.
P.P.S. I'm so frustrated about this book I can't even look at it. It's going straight into the used bookstore trade-in box. Dear Malinda Lo, I am so so sorry.
Dnf @ 67%
This could have been pretty decent, but instead, he rapes her 65% through the book, and instead of him experiencing any meaningful consequences whatsoever, they immediately get married and all their friends (who are fully aware that he's just raped her) act like nothing happened.
Fuck. That.
Side note: it is completely fucking bonkers how many of the reviews for this book don't mention the problems with the male MC at all and instead exclusively complain about the female MC's personality.
2 stars is really the best I can do for my personal reading of this book—but it would probably be great for kids!! Beautiful illustrations and unique (albeit difficult/annoying to read) layout on the “collage” style pages. No sources for information used whatsoever. In many places, the folklore presented was too vague, left out pieces of key related information, etc. For a child, aka “reading for fun and/or to enjoy the illustrations”, I think this would be an excellent choice.
The illustrations are incredible, and I love how the poetic structure is based on a traditional nursery rhyme. It seems like many children who are afraid of the dark, or just a little nervous at bedtime, would be soothed by this book.
4.5 stars: straightforward but beautiful, in both message and lyricism. as a former child/adolescent ballet dancer, I think any young dancer would benefit from reading this book.
This book is so beautiful. All the feelings and quite a few tears.
Edit: Almost forgot! If you love this book, go watch the movie “Troop Zero,” ASAP!
“Some people ask, ‘Why the word feminist? Why not just say you are a believer in human rights, or something like that?' Because that would be dishonest...to choose to use the vague expression human rights is to deny the specific and particular problem of gender. [...] It would be a way of denying that the problem of gender targets women. That the problem was not about being human, but specifically about being a female human.” (p. 41)
This also strikes me as a phenomenal explanation of why “all lives matter” is not an acceptable modification of “Black lives matter”. The problem is the targeting of Black lives, and to try to broaden the scope of the issue (for certain people's comfort, as Adichie implies) results in erasure of the actual problem, sweeping it under the rug rather than highlighting the concern so that it must be directly seen and confronted.
As a whole, this essay is an excellent primer or refresher course on the basics of feminism: what it is, why it is needed, how people respond to the concept. It is largely basic information, but it is written clearly and engagingly, and even those of us well-familiar with the topic may benefit from this work as a quick refresher, or find new, compelling explanations or phrasings of concepts. Adichie also includes many examples and anecdotes from her own experiences in Nigeria, which may provide a novel and important intersectional perspective for many white/Western feminists.
4.5 stars for sure. Really, really liked this one, and am still finding it randomly comes to mind on occasion, over a year later.
4.5 stars
I read this in one sitting. The writing is beautiful and the plot is interesting and twisted, and I really related to a lot of it. It was also awesome to see such accurate representation of being a bisexual female–both in how the characters are treated by others and in how they view their own sexuality.
Unfortunately, the layout was extremely confusing. More than once I went back to read the last chapter or so because I was positive I had missed something important, only to discover every time that I had not. Eventually I started to get the hang of it, but pretty much I spent the first few pages of each chapter trying to figure out where exactly it fit in the timeline.
Lots of triggering material, most of which is easily found on the back cover summary. If you're sensitive to graphic sex descriptions or violent scenes, or alcohol or drugs, skip this one.
4.5 stars — The format with illustrations, pop-ups, and larger print was great, especially because the texts are unabridged. I preferred the first short story, A Scandal in Bohemia (5 stars) [featuring Irene Adler!], over the second, The Blue Carbuncle (4 stars).
3.75 or 4
Pros: The Feels; very intriguing love interest #2; found family; interesting magic(?) system; Ocean(!)
Cons: love triangle (ick); i hate one of the MCs/big subplots (in the bad, don't-wanna-read way)
I still prefer LOTR to The Hobbit more than a little, and I don't expect that will change. But the fact remains that, like all of Tolkien's work, this is a masterpiece in its own right and cannot be forgotten.
4.5 stars - I really liked the format and style of this book. As someone with aphantasia, the regular inclusion of photos was extra helpful, too.
So much absurdly unnecessary drama, and Travis out there looking real obsessive and abusive and psychologically unfit for any relationship, makes it a hell no for me.
The full title of this special Newsweek edition is “J.R.R. Tolkien: The Genius Behind Middle-Earth” (2019). Very well done with great photo spreads and original figures.
The writing was gorgeous and the memoir portions were very realistic and similar to my own experiences, but I found the tone towards the end, in the portions written in present-day, off-putting. Also important to note that Kaysen's account is slightly outdated and, for the most part, does not reflect modern psychology. For a detailed review, please see: http://lapsusxcalami.tumblr.com/post/120077491519/review-girl-interrupted
DNF @ 75%
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Well written but certain plot aspects were not for me. Also, the first few chapters may be extremely triggering for those with PTSD and/or a history of sexual assault, so heads up. Iirc, very comparable to 50 Shades.
