"The first time August met Jane, she fell in love with her for a few minutes, and then stepped off the train."
After reading and loving Red, White & Ro"The first time August met Jane, she fell in love with her for a few minutes, and then stepped off the train."
After reading and loving Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, I was beyond excited to pick up One Last Stop, their sophomore novel. And while it was a similarly well-written, romantic and original story- it was missing that spark for me.
"That’s the way it happens on the subway—you lock eyes with someone, you imagine a life from one stop to the next, and you go back to your day as if the person you loved in between doesn’t exist anywhere but on that train. As if they never could be anywhere else."
One Last Stop is a sapphic time-loop romance with elements of found family, humour and lots of love. I had such high expectations because of RW&RB, but unfortunately they worked against me when it came to this book. Because while I can acknowledge that this was undoubtably a good book- I was still left feeling disappointed.
I can't help but think that if this book was narrated by anyone except August, I would have liked it more. She is surrounded by a cast of such colourful and diverse characters that she just paled in comparison.
I also felt like my enjoyment ebbed and flowed throughout the story, so potentially some pacing issues. It felt like the concept of the story took too long to come to fruition. It felt like I knew what was going to happen for so long before it actually happened, that I was just waiting for the story to start.
I don't want to compare this to RW&RB, because they are obviously different stories and deserve to stand on their own. However, I can't help but think of how the humour just hit in that book, whereas here the jokes didn't quite land for me. Same goes with the chemistry.
If you loved this book- I am so happy for you. Trust me, no one is more disappointed than I am that I didn't love it. But there is always next time! Hopefully McQuiston's next novel will work better for me!
Overall, this is a pretty unpopular opinion. So if you are even the slightest bit interested in the plot, I would still recommend picking it up. And even though pride month is over, it doesn't mean that we should stop reading LGBT+ books! ...more
The Original is a novella length sci-fi novel, available exclusively as an audiobook. It is set in a futuristic world and follows a woman named Holly The Original is a novella length sci-fi novel, available exclusively as an audiobook. It is set in a futuristic world and follows a woman named Holly who discovers that she is a clone created to kill her 'original'. The original Holly has been accused of killing her husband, but nothing is certain in this world built on appearances and 'theming'. Holly has four days to prove innocence, or kill her original and take her place.
I love audiobooks, but I was daunted by this one because of the genre. I typically prefer to read SFF books physically, as it helps me to grasp the world and all its details more easily. With these kinds of books, listening passively for just 30 seconds can really pull me out of the story and make me lose my bearings. This proved to be the case with this book, but not to as a great an extent as I had feared. I feel like I definitely missed some details and would perhaps benefit from a second listening. However, I think this audiobook was perfectly produced. Julia Wheelan expertly narrated the story and I realise appreciated the sound effects and music throughout. They weren't too loud that it drowned out the narrator, and they added tension and suspense to the storyline.
I really enjoyed the themes explored in the book: reality, identity and morality. While pretty typical for sci-fi, the production, plot and short length made it feel refreshed and compelling. It was easy to get hooked into the story from the get go, and made for a really immersive experience.
However, the short run time was also a factor in why I didn't absolutely love the book. I felt like we didn't get enough time to fully flesh out the characters and the world, and would have preferred to take a little more time to do so. But as complaints go, wanting more isn't the worst thing in the world and is probably a side effect of me being used to full lengths novels. I don't think this is the type of book that I will find myself thinking about for years to come, but that's okay! I think it is just important to set your expectations right before starting it.
I appreciated the ending, and think it was probably the best way to go- but I still didn't feel completely satisfied. If you prefer your mysteries completely wrapped up and explained, maybe give this one a miss.
Overall, I found The Original to be a fast paced, quick and immersive experience. If it is available to you and the premise sounds intriguing- I would give it a go! If worst comes to worst, it is only a few hours of your time.
The Minders was my first book by John Marrs but now I am beyond excited to read all of his other works!
I had no idea that this was set in the same unThe Minders was my first book by John Marrs but now I am beyond excited to read all of his other works!
I had no idea that this was set in the same universe as The One and The Passengers, but it didn't impact on my enjoyment of the story- only made me more excited to read those! We follow four people tasked with becoming 'minders' of the UK's most highly classified information. Because of their neurological capabilities stemming from their synthesia, their brains are essentially unhackable.
➽ Flick Kennedy After being 'matched' with a serial killer she became emotionally fragile and a recluse. What sort of person could she be if a murderer is her true love?
➽ Charlie Manchester After all his friends have matches and not him, he slowly becomes more and more depressed. But after becoming a minder he doesn't feel any pain, emotional or otherwise. He finds himself craving the simple act of feeling something, anything.
➽ Sinead Kelly In an emotionally abusive relationship, Sinead has been transformed from a confident, self assured woman into a dependent, shy wife. When she is given the opportunity to become a minder, she takes it with open arms but her 'new life' turns out to be more complicated than her old one.
➽ Bruno York A single parent looking after his autistic son. When one day his son solves the puzzle on Bruno's phone, entering him into the world of the minders- Bruno begins to fall prey to the hallucinations and voices in his head that slowly corrupt him
➽ Emilia After waking up with no memories except her own name, Emilia escapes her prison only to be taken home by a man claiming to be her husband. The key to discovering truth lies with the minders, who she becomes determined to track down.
Where to even begin... The Minders was brilliant in concept and execution. The premise was original and engaging, elevated by the cast of characters and occasional mixed media element. The characters all had such interesting and unexpected arcs. I loved the exploration of choices, and how everything compounds together. I don't want to spoil a single thing about this book- so I won't talk about the ending, only that it was no where near where I expected it to end up when I began. I didn't see any of the plot twists coming, let alone guess at the truth.
My only complaint is that I wanted more. My inner conspiracy theory lover was hanging on to every mention of coverups and lies but because the minders weren't allowed to talk about what they knew, we were only teased about the truth behind some events.
I read this at a really busy time, and so didn't get the chance to become completely immersed in the story. This book was so intricate that I think I need to reread it in order to fully grasp everything that occurred.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this, particularly if you have read and loved John Marrs' books in the past. You might enjoy this one a little more with some background knowledge of the world, but it is definitely not required reading. Prepare yourself, this is a wild ride!
Migrations is set in the chillingly near future, where most of the animals on earth have become extinct due to climate change, deforestation and overcMigrations is set in the chillingly near future, where most of the animals on earth have become extinct due to climate change, deforestation and overconsumption. We follow Franny, on a mission to track the only remaining arctic terns on their final migration from Greenland to Antarctica. She convinces the crew of the Saghani, a fishing boat, to let her join them, following the birds to lead them to fish which are becoming increasingly rare. But Franny is not only chasing the birds- she is running away from her past.
”There is pleasure in the pathless woods. There is rapture on the lonely shore. There is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar”
This novel was written in a haunting beautiful manner. The passages were almost poetic in their composition, but what they were describing was often devastating and mournful. A world without wild animals is something that is horrifyingly realistic, but when I was reading this book it felt like it was inevitable. The sheer extent of human greed and passivity was crushing at times. In this book, the only plentiful animals were those we ate, and those who gave us comfort like pets. Unless they were beneficial to humankind, they were disregarded. While it is sickening to think about, it takes no stretch of the imagination to see such self-centredness in our future.
Despite the themes being uncomfortable and saddening, I appreciated the discussions. They had to be unsettling in order for them to be impactful and provocative. If we understand all that stands to be lost, perhaps our own selfishness can be thing that halts the road to their destruction.
This book was very difficult for me to rate. I wanted to give it 5 stars for the thematic poignance. However, I didn't connect to the main character, Franny, which drastically reduced my investment and enjoyment. I personally found her to be unlikeable and could not understand her thought processes. She was a constant flight risk, unstable and conflicting. I adored her husband, and couldn't help but think he deserved better than constantly waiting or chasing after her. If we weren't so stuck in Franny's head, I think I could have enjoyed the book much more. I wanted more of the crew, more of her husband, less of her.
“my life has been a migration without a destination, and that in itself is senseless.”
I also didn't love the ending. I am not sure if it is because I was gradually becoming less and less connected to the story, and so wasn't paying as much attention but it felt almost incomplete and rushed.
I would suggest taking my review with a grain of salt, as this has been getting extensive advanced praise. If you like slow and melancholy feeling books, and unreliable/unlikeable narrators I would recommend checking this book out, and particularly the audiobook, which heightened the overall atmosphere and had well done accents and voices for the characters (the Australian accents weren't done too badly, for once! And I commend the narrator for her Australian-irish accent for Franny which seems no easy feat).
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Libro.fm for this ALC
Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything is a gorgeous book all the way from the prose to the themes to the beautiful cover.
This book hasSia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything is a gorgeous book all the way from the prose to the themes to the beautiful cover.
This book has many layers to it and is incredibly unique. At first glance, it is a coming of age YA contemporary romance. But woven throughout are deeper topics of friendship, sexual assault, grief and immigration. Continue reading and discover sci-fi and magical realism elements. Sia Martinez is genre-bending, not easily categorised and beautifully authentic.
What immediately captured me was the lyrical writing. Everything is described in a way that feels almost poetic. This really brought Sia to life for me, as it felt as if I was in her head, seeing the world through her eyes. I was seeing things in ways I had never before, from dancing corn to the stunning desert- neither of which I typically find entrancing.
After I connected with Sia, the rest of the story flew by. While I have heard a few reviews saying the first section was slow, I felt the opposite. I adored the contemporary half of the book. The romance felt realistic and well paced, something that tends to be a rarity in YA romances. I appreciated how Sia wasn't instantly 'healed' after her sexual assault (which happened prior to the book) by the love interest, and that he gave her time and space when she needed. However, for a young adult this gets pretty steamy! I liked how sex-positive it was and that it didn't shy away from those aspects.
I haven't had the best experience with magical realism, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it in this book! It effortlessly blends Mexican folklore into the story in a way that doesn't feel jarring.
However, something I did find jarring was the sci-fi plot line. When it was first introduced, I liked the conspiracy theory take on it- but when the book drastically changed in tone and read like an action film- I was disappointed. I was pretty confused about the change in direction and the ending as a whole. After being so invested in the rest of the story, it was dispiriting to lose interest right at the finale. That being said, I am certain many readers will enjoy the twist. Unfortunately, It fell flat for me personally.
If I think of the story as a whole, I had overwhelmingly more positive experiences than negative ones. I adored the characters, writing and majority of the plot. I would without a doubt pick up any other novels by this author, and recommend you do too!
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Audio and Libro.fm for this ALC
Marie Lu is so good at what she does. Apart from this, I have only read the Legend trilogy by her- but Skyhunter was definitely a step up. She takes tMarie Lu is so good at what she does. Apart from this, I have only read the Legend trilogy by her- but Skyhunter was definitely a step up. She takes the structure and tropes of YA fantasy, but somehow makes it feel refreshed and new. Something about her writing makes me nostalgic for early 2010's fantasy/dystopian, and it has a compulsively readable quality to it.
Skyhunter is a blend of futuristic sci-fi, post-apocolyptic and fantasy all in one. We follow Talin, a refugee working as a 'striker' in Mara, the last free nation who hasn't been overtaken by the Federation. I found her to be a likeable character that from the get go was easy to latch on to. Talin is mute, and I really appreciated (but cannot speak to the quality of) the representation. Sign language, and language in general was a big aspect of the story which I found to be such an interesting concept. I think that it tends to be overlooked in most YA fantasies I have read, but as someone who loves languages- I always like to hear about how they work in different fantastical/futuristic worlds.
I don't want to give too much of the plot away, but just know that this is a fast paced, action packed ride. I would recommend the audiobook, but I am sure physically reading this would give the same experience.
I also appreciated that Skyhunter did not fall into the typical insta-love trope I have seen all too often. The bond between Talin and Red was developed and took its time to get going which I loved! I also found the discussion of how Talin is treated as a refugee to be really relevant and unfortunately realistic.
"You have spent your entire lives sneering at the ground I walk on. The style of my clothes and the tint of my skin. The food that I eat. The language of my people, the signs I use because I cannot speak aloud. You have wished for the death of my loved ones by barring them from the safety of your doors, even as you take from them what you like—their jewelry, their customs and food, their traditions. You have taken advantage of my silence in every way, robbed me of my dignity and my pride. You have used me for your own gain."
The main downfall of this book was that I didn't feel enough. The stakes were high, but I didn't find myself fearing for our characters safety or feeling anxious for them. While it was without a doubt fun to fly through, I know it is not something that will stick with me- particularly the side characters. That being said, I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series and cannot wait to see how it wraps up.
I would recommend this book if you have liked Marie Lu's books in the past, but this would also be a good jumping on point!
★★★☆☆.75 stars
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Libro.fm for this ALC!
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