Book Review: Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood

Rating: 9.5/10

Favorite Character: Clytemnestra

I loved this book. It’s super impactful. The story of the Trojan War told through the perspective of Clytemnestra and Helen, I was delighted to finally get to read this myth from a woman’s point of view. Even though I’ve never liked Helen, the author managed to portray her with such nuance and emotion that she became an empathetic character. Additionally, the struggles Helen faces are clearly influenced by her womanhood. If she were a man, she would not have been judged the same way. She was blamed for the war, and admittedly, running off with Paris was an idiotic thing to do, but in reality, the war actually had very little to do with her. She was simply an excuse. Meanwhile, finally Clytemnestra’s side of the story is shown. She is so often reviled, yet she suffered so much. Her husband killed their daughter to fight a war; she didn’t kill him out of greed. Through this book, Clytemnestra has earned a place as one of my favorite characters of all time. This book is wonderful and everyone should read it.

Book Review: This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

Rating: 7.5/10

Impactful, devastating,— and utterly depressing. And that’s coming from someone who praises a book by saying, “It made me cry.” Admittedly, it is meant to be depressing. After all, a story about a school shooting could never be anything else. Honestly, it was a good story, and I think it’s important to read. I liked it, though I didn’t love it. The plot was intricate and made sense. I cared about most of the characters. However, the pacing often prevented me from becoming wholly absorbed. Still, overall it was a good read.

Book Review: The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec

Rating: 9/10

If you like Madeline Miller’s books, especially “Circe,” you should read this.

This book is just so good. Angrboda is an amazing character; she practically flies off the page. Her love is so passionate and steadfast, despite how much she is hurt. Her devotion to her children is the story’s anchor. Personally, my favorite of the kids was Fenrir. Despite being torn apart by pain and betrayal, Angrboda never stops giving to those she loves. I loved the plot twists, especially the romantic ones. The relationships between the women are so well-written and complex. This is such a wonderful modern adaption of Norse mythology; It provides a fresh take while still being totally plausible in Norse myth. Please read it. You won’t regret it.

Superlatives

Best Alternate Universe: Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Just- I love this world. I would kill to live in this world. I am devastated that 2020 did not go like this.

Best Fandom: All For The Game by Nora Sakavic

This fandom is just honestly really great. It’s very niche, and there isn’t a lot of fights in it or anything. I mean, I’m not super involved, but from what I’ve seen most people are pretty nice. Also, this fandom is pretty active and so much of what is produced has incredible quality.

Cutest Couple: Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe (Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery)

Obviously, everyone has different opinions on this, but I adore this relationship. Honestly, it’s just developed so well. Montgomery is a genius.

Best Fantasy Universe: The Shadowhunter Universe by Cassandra Clare

I’ll admit, this one was actually pretty hard, but I just love the lore Clare created for her series, though honestly, the alternate demon universes are a bit much. One was enough. However, the whole system, especially the Downworld, is pretty amazing and detailed. Also, it just gets more complicated and intricate as you go on!

Most Dangerous: Jude Duarte (Folk of the Air Series by Holly Black)

I love Jude, and one of my favorite things about her is that she is terrifying. Not only is she incredibly capable and skilled, she’s ruthless as well.

Book Review: If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio

Rating: 10/10

Oh. My. God. This was THE most intense book I’ve ever read. Ever. Seriously, it was… a transcendental experience. Somehow, the author managed to make the scenes in which the characters were using Shakespeare’s words, not their own, devastating and rife with subtext. I felt like I understood how the words were conveyed and how the characters reacted.

Ok, so I’m going to back up now, though I’m not done gushing over this book yet. It’s set in a demanding Conservatory, where each year, students are cut from the college. Only seven students in the drama department, the main characters, survived the yearly purges to become seniors. So, for starters, super high stakes environment from the very beginning. I’m not going to go into much more plot detail, because MAJOR SPOILERS, but this book very much qualifies as dark academia, rife with murder and betrayal. Despite this, I see it as, above all, a story about love. The relationships in this book are all so intense that they practically leap off the page, and the characters are incredibly well-developed. While each character falls under a stereotype, they quickly prove to be very complex. Some of them, like Meredith, are limited while simultaneously being abetted by these stereotypes. Honestly, Meredith definitely gets the short end of the stick a fair bit. I’m certainly no actor, but I felt like I could truly understand the students, down to their all-consuming obsession with Shakespeare. Furthermore, though I actually managed to guess the ending after I read Act I (the book is divided into five acts), the story was still full of plot twists, mystery, and unexpected discoveries. I spent a significant amount of time while reading this book screaming- and not all of it was internal. I think my parents actually started to worry. Though I did have to take breaks from reading to process- the book is incredibly dramatic and impactful- I honestly loved the experience of reading this all-consuming book.

Book Review: A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

Rating: 9/10

Favorite Characters: Polyxena and Penelope (Penelope writes these amazing, dry, sarcastic letters to Odysseus throughout the book as she hears about his journey.)

Honestly, I loved this book. Considering how many women were involved in the Trojan War, I always found it shocking that the Iliad focused so much on the men. This book gave me the wonderful opportunity to learn the story of the females involved in the Trojan War. The story shows how what is often considered heroic and epic, tends to actually be quite tragic. It was beautifully written, and provided a deeper look at certain aspects of war that are often brushed over. I would definitely recommend it for anyone fond of Greek Mythology, especially if you’re tired of the prevalent sexism that so often dehumanizes the females in these myths.

Book Review: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Rating: 9/10

So, this is probably not a good thing, but I immediately found the main character, who is also the narrator, super relatable. I realized that that may be a tad worrying right around the part in which the main character tries to commit suicide. But honestly, her narrative voice is amazing. It is, hands down, the best thing about the book. Esther, the main character, is very witty and dry, but the best part is the practical way she looks at the world around her. Her scathing reviews of other people made me laugh out loud. This story is a poignant commentary on mental health as well as the experiences of a young woman, and frankly I would recommend everyone read it.

Book Review: People Like Us by Dana Mele

Rating: 9/10

This book really kept me on my toes. I couldn’t put it down. A murder mystery at an all-girls private boarding school, the twists and turns in the story are shocking. The book constantly keeps you guessing, wondering who did it and just what is going on. You know the narrator is keeping secrets, you just don’t know what they are. All of the characters are incredibly complex, as are all of their relationships. This book really shows you that nothing is black and white.

Book Review: The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Rating: 10/10

Favorite Quote: “Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it.”

This book was fantastic. I am so obsessed. It’s very powerful. I think the most haunting thing about this book is how it explores humanity and the limits we place on ourselves. Honestly, the best way to describe this book is dark academia. It focuses on six classic students who are, in many ways, isolated from the rest of their liberal arts college, grappling with the classical ideals of life, beauty, virtues, emotions, and death. The story goes into the dangers of concentrating on the aesthetic, in a way that is almost reminiscent of Oscar Wilde’s the Picture of Dorian Gray. As the story goes on, different secrets are revealed, from murder to romance. Al the different complicated plot lines interweave together to create a rich tapestry describing a dangerous, deadly, passionate story. I would definitely recommend this book- it’s actually one of the best I’ve ever read. The plot is absorbing and captivating. The characters are complex and vibrant, with all their own unique eccentric quirks, as well as their own secrets. The dynamics between the characters, which develop throughout the story, are fascinating. I very quickly became seriously invested in the book and the characters. Beautiful, philosophical, terrible, and absorbing, this is definitely a book everyone should read.

Book Review: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Rating: 6/10

So, I finally finished War and Peace. The thing about this book is that it isn’t bad. It’s actually quite good. The problem is, Tolstoy thinks too much of his own opinion. I’m reading the book for the story, not for his theories on philosophy, religion, history, human nature, and everything in between. It would be all well and good if he published these theories as a work of philosophy, but to hide them in a fiction book! Not only does it make remembering the different, ever-evolving, complex theories and philosophies of each character (and there are a good many characters) even more difficult, but frankly, it can be boring. It’s rather annoying to be pulled out of a particularly intriguing part of the story by a 30 page treatise on the military strategy of one particular battle, and Tolstoy’s opinion on it. From the way he writes, one would imagine him to be an omnipotent expert on every subject imaginable, the only person in the whole world who knows the truth of things. He may have been a good writer, but half the book had no plot at all, and was just Tolstoy discoursing! The characters, however, were incredibly well-developed, intricate, and complex. Despite all the dry lecturing, I actually did enjoy the book, which I would say is a testament to the admirable quality of Tolstoy’s writing.