4.6/5 stars -- wtf did i just read (in the best way)? the only thing keeping this from being a perfect 5 stars from me was just that i wanted more ans4.6/5 stars -- wtf did i just read (in the best way)? the only thing keeping this from being a perfect 5 stars from me was just that i wanted more answers about her past!
what a bizarre, disturbing, captivating read! I cannot remember the last time I finished a book in one sitting, but I could not put this one down. Knútsdóttir's prose veers from mundane and relatable to spine-chilling, and that duality kept me hooked. while I am someone who always prefers a bit more of a concrete ending with my horror reads, I do feel satisfied with how this story played out, and I cannot wait to see how others react to this eerie, beautifully-written novella. thank you to netgalley and Tor Publishing Group for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!
4.6/5 stars -- nghi vo can just WRITE okay?? and i went into this not even knowing it had themes of motherhood... naturally, i was ecstatic. i'm not t4.6/5 stars -- nghi vo can just WRITE okay?? and i went into this not even knowing it had themes of motherhood... naturally, i was ecstatic. i'm not typically a novella girly but since this is actually a series, i think it will suit me well.
4.4/5 stars — she said the thing TWICE!!!! but in all seriousness, loved the vibes here. the demon business and dry but eloquent voice brought to mind4.4/5 stars — she said the thing TWICE!!!! but in all seriousness, loved the vibes here. the demon business and dry but eloquent voice brought to mind the chosen and the beautiful. I think the mystery was well paced and information about the characters was shared in perfect amounts at the right time to get me invested without feeling like I was too in the dark.
4.4/5 stars, full review to come! imagine creating a character like irene adler and mentioning her in ONE short story, only to focus on sherlock holme4.4/5 stars, full review to come! imagine creating a character like irene adler and mentioning her in ONE short story, only to focus on sherlock holmes… ...more
4.2/5 stars, full review to come! For how short it was, I really enjoyed seeing the development of the characters and I didn’t feel confused or bogged4.2/5 stars, full review to come! For how short it was, I really enjoyed seeing the development of the characters and I didn’t feel confused or bogged down by world-building.
tw: trauma, attempted sexual assault, fire, mild violence
4.4/5 stars, full review to come! What’s there to be mad at when it comes to insurrectionist, sapphic librarians who are living in a dystopian, wester4.4/5 stars, full review to come! What’s there to be mad at when it comes to insurrectionist, sapphic librarians who are living in a dystopian, western future?
3.2/5 stars, full review to come! I honestly think this would have been better off as a full blown novel with fewer flashbacks, but that’s what I say 3.2/5 stars, full review to come! I honestly think this would have been better off as a full blown novel with fewer flashbacks, but that’s what I say about almost everything. Alice and Marilyn’s interactions were my favorite part by far.
3.6/5 stars, full review to come! I really enjoyed the three main characters but the problem with a novella is I don’t get to spend as much time getti3.6/5 stars, full review to come! I really enjoyed the three main characters but the problem with a novella is I don’t get to spend as much time getting to know them as I’d prefer. Cather’s writing was very introspective and I’d love to try one of her longer works.
4.8/5 stars, full review to come! It doesn’t even matter that I read this one out of order because Meg crushes it every time. I love Suze and Jesse wi4.8/5 stars, full review to come! It doesn’t even matter that I read this one out of order because Meg crushes it every time. I love Suze and Jesse with my whole heart.
2.8/5 stars, full review to come! I can appreciate it as a parody but this didn’t do it for me and I was super confused for most of it.
Plot: 2/5 Charac2.8/5 stars, full review to come! I can appreciate it as a parody but this didn’t do it for me and I was super confused for most of it.
3.2/5 stars, full review to come! The writing was beautiful but that plot was eh. Everyone makes a big deal about the incest theme but that was such a3.2/5 stars, full review to come! The writing was beautiful but that plot was eh. Everyone makes a big deal about the incest theme but that was such a blip in the actual story, it’s much more about a codependent relationship and depression...
"You have been a very, very foolish boy, wasting your time dreaming of impossible things when you speak of Mr. Pontellier setting me free! I am no
"You have been a very, very foolish boy, wasting your time dreaming of impossible things when you speak of Mr. Pontellier setting me free! I am no longer one of Mr. Pontellier's possessions to dispose of or not. I give myself where I choose. If he were to say 'Here, Robert, take her and be happy; she is yours,' I should laugh at you both."
3/5 stars
Technically the edition that I read also contained some of Kate Chopin's short stories, but as I only chose to read a few of them and I find it hard to judge short stories (due to their brevity), I'm rating only the main novel.
Plot: 3/5 - The Awakening is often cited as a classic of feminist fiction, and I can easily see why. The story focuses on Edna Pontellier, a wife and mother in New Orleans at the end of the 19th century, as she ascertains what she wants in life- even if it means going against society norms and propriety. The themes of the plot are what kept me engaged, but as for the actual events this is definitely a story that would be described as "character driven". The story unfolds, as so many classics do, over the course of very mundane day-to-day events. Hosting visitors. Reading letters. Playing the piano. It's all very of it's time. I either needed a lot more of Edna's introspection or a lot more spice when it came to her choices (like moving out was exciting and all but... you didn't actually leave your husband). Also... the ending was... a choice
Characters: 3/5 - I found Edna and Mademoiselle Reisz to be the most interesting characters, by far. I didn't dislike Robert but I never felt like I actually knew him, which really stood in the way of me rooting for his and Edna's relationship. As for Mr. Pontellier.. I don't really know why Edna didn't love him? Or why she fell out of love with him? It seemed like there was never an inciting incident or a reason, she just was like "Hm, don't want that anymore, thanks." And frankly I found Arobin to be the most compelling male character of the story yet we hardly had any time with him? And of course there's Madame Ratignolle... she was a nice foil to Edna's change in character, but that's about the only purpose she served.
Pacing: 3/5 - Fine I suppose. Novellas/short stories aren't my favorite format, there's always something I want more from them. In this case, it was what I mentioned in the plot section.
Writing: 3/5 - Kate Chopin peppers a lot of French into her writing, especially due to the story's setting, which is probably awesome if you know French. I do not, so that hampered my understanding from time to time. Other than that I had no issues with comprehension, it was just much less quotable than I imagined a "classic of feminist literature" being. Other than the one at the top of my review my favorite quote was "He could see plainly that she was not herself. That is, he could not see that she was becoming herself and daily casting aside that fictitious self which we assume like a garment with which to appear before the world." But those were the only two I jotted down.
Enjoyment: 3/5 - Overall, it's one that I don't regret reading but not one I'm sure I'd ever reread. If you feel like it's something that calls to you, give it a shot, but if it doesn't seem like your kind of book, you needn't bother....more
Plot: 2.5/5 - The problem with this plot, in my eyes, is that it under-delivered in what the reader was promised (a story about a fami
2.5/5 stars
Plot: 2.5/5 - The problem with this plot, in my eyes, is that it under-delivered in what the reader was promised (a story about a family of water witches), offered up instead a very different but equally interesting premise (a coming-of-age tale that deals with trauma and identity), and also under-delivered on that plot. This is perhaps the nature of the beast with a novella- that the reader is often left wanting more- but I personally feel that if the author had chosen to focus on one of these two plotlines there could have been a more satisfying, fleshed-out story. Though I was intrigued by the idea of the water witches, halfway through the book I found myself wishing I was instead reading an entire YA novel about the "part two" plot. No really, if anybody wants to write a longer book about a Mexican-American girl who needs to escape from her mother's abusive boyfriend and moves to Colorado with her butch aunt who signs her niece up for karate lessons and takes her to sing karaoke I'M HERE FOR IT.
Characters: 4/5 - The characters by far were my favorite part of this novella and the only reason I marked this down was because I wanted to get to know all of them even more. I particularly would have liked more time with abuelita and abuela, who seemed the quirkiest and witchiest of the family. I enjoyed that we got to meet the many generations of women in the family but found their timeline confusing (re: pacing).
Pacing: 2/5 - This pacing was so off to me. There were many sections that didn't seem chronological, which is FINE, books don't HAVE to tell their stories chronologically, but least clue me in as to when we are talking about or how old certain characters are. I'm also a huge fan of short chapters but these were too short for me to even get into the dang stories. Some were two/three pages.
Writing: 2/5 - This section I will admit is perhaps the most subjective (even more than enjoyment, which sounds crazy). de la Luz's writing felt a lot like poetry, which is usually a compliment except I'm one of those sad souls who just can't seem to jive with poetry. It had this We Were Liars quality to it that made me often pause trying to figure out if her language was being literal or figurative (i.e. wtf did she just actually pull a fire ant out of her lady parts or is that a metaphor for sexual abuse? Was abuela actually wearing a goblin mask or was that like.. her expression? An avocado facial? The world may never know). And even if all of this suited me fine I STILL would have taken issue with the utterly nonsensical narration changes. Chapters would alternate from being written first-person, to second-person, to third-person with NO rhyme or reason and it exhausted me. For a while I had invented a character who didn't exist because I was trying to make sense of the narration. I couldn't tell what the point was and the farther I got the more it annoyed me.
Enjoyment: 2/5 - Sadly, this just wasn't my cup of tea. I think there were some excellent ideas and I definitely recognize that there were many important subjects addressed in this story, but that's about all I have to say in favor of it. Also a hinderence to my enjoyment was the really explicit mentions of bodily functions. I mean I get it, we all burp and fart and pee and poop... we all have mucus and saliva and blood. I don't think they need be shamed. I just don't want to read about them every ten pages. Ew....more