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mageofmip

mageofmip@books.solarpunk.moe

Joined 3 years, 4 months ago

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reviewed The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss

Theodora Goss: The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter (Saga Press)

Mary Jekyll, alone and penniless following her parents' death, is curious about the secrets of …

Review of "The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter" on 'Goodreads'

3.5*

You don't usually have to do homework for a book you read for fun. But after reading about 50 pages of this book, I knew I would have to do just that. I felt in over my head at the mentions of Beatrice and Diana and Catherine. Who were these people? Why did it feel like I needed context for them, when this was the start of the series?

So I put the book aside and, with some easy research, found the other books I should read and started on them. If you're at all confused by the start of this book, you should definitely read [b:The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde|51496|The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde|Robert Louis Stevenson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1318116526s/51496.jpg|3164921], [b:Rappaccini's Daughter|364985|Rappaccini's Daughter|Nathaniel Hawthorne|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390176453s/364985.jpg|1189453], [b:The Island of Doctor Moreau|29981|The Island of Doctor Moreau|H.G. Wells|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388230211s/29981.jpg|68894], and [b:Frankenstein|35031085|Frankenstein|Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1498841231s/35031085.jpg|4836639]. For more context, some other books …

reviewed Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (Legacy of Orïsha, #1)

Tomi Adeyemi: Children of Blood and Bone (Hardcover, 2018, Henry Holt and Co. (BYR))

They killed my mother. They took our magic. They tried to bury us.

Now we …

Review of 'Children of Blood and Bone' on 'Goodreads'

4.99999/5*

My only complaint is that some parts in the middle dragged and I feel like this book could have either been cut down a wee bit, or split into two books with some added padding. I could see the split being somewhere around finding the Diviner settlement. We could perhaps spend a bit more time somewhere in the beginning with Mama Agba learning about all the different forms magic can take, how the clans work(ed) and go more in depth about each of the gods. As it is, I don't think we learn the names of the clans in the narrative, only in the guide at the beginning, and Oya is the only God whose name I remember. Sure, this being a series means we may get to explore this more later on, but I wish it was already present, so I could start feeling a connection of my …

reviewed George by Alex Gino

Alex Gino: George (Hardcover, 2017, Turtleback)

When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she's …

Review of 'George' on 'Goodreads'

I played this short audiobook on double speed as I got ready for work, and on my commute there. This was a mistake, as both the humor and emotions this book evoked were very hard to contain while on the bus and in the breakroom. I had to contain my laughter and my urge to cry on more than one occasion that day, but I couldn't contain my smiles, which this book doled out in droves.

The fact that this book exists for young children is a blessing, and I know many people who would have benefited from it years ago. Thank God it exists now.

reviewed The memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (Author's edition. Works of Arthur Conan Doyle ...)

No cover

Arthur Conan Doyle: The memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1902, D. Appleton and Company)

Contains:

Silver Blaze Adventure of the Yellow Face Stock-Broker's Clerk Adventure of the Gloria Scott …

Review of 'The memoirs of Sherlock Holmes' on 'Goodreads'

3.5/5

I often pick up A Sherlock book when I'm on the go and need a book to read on my Kindle App. They're easy and entertaining reads, and the short stories are good because I find it hard to read more than one in a sitting. This is the case with most short stories, but especially with mysteries. Either way, this was an enjoyable book.

reviewed The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

Kiersten White: The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein (Paperback, Delacorte Press)

Review of 'The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein' on 'Goodreads'

I've never read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein before, so there were several things about this book I wasn't expecting. I looked up a sparknotes summary of Frankenstein, and was quite surprised to see that this particular retelling was actually very accurate to the original story. I'm perhaps more familiar with the story of Frankenstein as it's told in cinema(though, no I haven't watched the original movie, either), so I had no idea that Elizabeth Frankenstein was, in fact, a character in Shelley's story. Or that the child killed by the monster was Victor's brother. Or that Igor WASN'T a character in the original story? Fascinating.

I don't know if one would get more enjoyment out of this book if they'd read Frankenstein first, but I found this book immensely interesting and fun to read.