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alexiasophii's reviews
442 reviews
Elodie's Library of Second Chances by Rebecca Raisin
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
A charming quick romance read, with a great message: not to judge people, and books by their cover and give people time and space to open up to us and tell us their stories.
Overall, the book is quick to read and easy to follow, though some parts were rushed, especially by the end. I feel like the last thirty or so pages are very fast-paced and you almost get whiplash from the turns... It's not my favorite from the author but it was a fun read nonetheless.
Overall, the book is quick to read and easy to follow, though some parts were rushed, especially by the end. I feel like the last thirty or so pages are very fast-paced and you almost get whiplash from the turns... It's not my favorite from the author but it was a fun read nonetheless.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
"In the darkness, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun"
This book broke me. It's amazing. It's heartbreaking, it's.... Phenomenal. I am speechless and this is the best book of 2023 so far. I don't usually get emotional with books and I cried at the end of this one, so.. I think that speaks for itself. It's... A work of art. Amazing. Just... Breathtakingly tragic and wonderful.
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book broke me. It's amazing. It's heartbreaking, it's.... Phenomenal. I am speechless and this is the best book of 2023 so far. I don't usually get emotional with books and I cried at the end of this one, so.. I think that speaks for itself. It's... A work of art. Amazing. Just... Breathtakingly tragic and wonderful.
Ithaca by Claire North
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.
DNF @ 6%
I can't. I'm sorry but I just can't with this writing. First, the POV is from Hera (the Goddess) and I usually don't like to read things from the Gods' POV, so that made it not my fav from the start, and then the writing is just... terrible. It's like a mean teen girl wrote everything. Every little quip and stab and sarcasm, it's like dripping with venom. I did not enjoy this and after 6% I can't stand it anymore, I'm sorry. Gonna DNF this one.
I can't. I'm sorry but I just can't with this writing. First, the POV is from Hera (the Goddess) and I usually don't like to read things from the Gods' POV, so that made it not my fav from the start, and then the writing is just... terrible. It's like a mean teen girl wrote everything. Every little quip and stab and sarcasm, it's like dripping with venom. I did not enjoy this and after 6% I can't stand it anymore, I'm sorry. Gonna DNF this one.
Elektra by Jennifer Saint
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Of all the books that retell The Trojan War I've read in the past months, this was the one I liked the least. Primarily because of Elektra's character. I know I'm biased since this isn't my first book on the Trojan War and I'm very familiar with most characters, but I just could not like Elektra. There's one quote, in particular, that annoyed me profoundly and made me hate her:
" They buried the woman [Kassandra], the one I saw walking behind him. No one has told me how she died. I wish that I could have talked to her: perhaps she could have told me stories about my father. The slaves say she was a princess of Troy. She was so lucky to be chosen by a king, the greatest king in Greece, to be brought here to a palace that must be as fine as the one she left. Finer, I’m sure. Whatever wealth Troy possessed, Mycenae had Agamemnon. And she did too, for a little while. "
I mean... how ENTITLED do you have to be to think that a SLAVE is "lucky" to be driven from her home, used by your father, and see her family and home dead and burned just because... what? You miss your daddy? I swear, this character just boiled my blood. And, once again, I'm on Clytemnestra's side in this whole ordeal, though I still find myself wishing she had influenced her children not to be so devoted to Agamemnon but oh well.
Overall, this book is not as good as the ones I've read before and the MC really annoyed me, so it's a 3.7 stars for me.
I mean... how ENTITLED do you have to be to think that a SLAVE is "lucky" to be driven from her home, used by your father, and see her family and home dead and burned just because... what? You miss your daddy? I swear, this character just boiled my blood. And, once again, I'm on Clytemnestra's side in this whole ordeal, though I still find myself wishing she had influenced her children not to be so devoted to Agamemnon but oh well.
Overall, this book is not as good as the ones I've read before and the MC really annoyed me, so it's a 3.7 stars for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, and War
A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
This is an interesting book on the Trojan War. I've read several retellings from the POV of the Trojan and Greek women, but this one was different. Each chapter focuses on one specific woman or deity. It also shows us the POV of the Muse which is invoked in the original epics. While I'm not usually a fan of the representation of deities in modern books, this one was... interesting. Probably because it's similar to how it was done in Ancient Times.
The author was very careful to base her book on the actual classical text (which she names at the end of the book) and that was amazing, because I wasn't familiar with several facts and, when I looked them up, I was surprised to see they were always right! It's so refreshing.
Overall it is a nice book, with a solid foundation, and that allows us a view into the Trojan War from the most neglected POV of all: Women.
The author was very careful to base her book on the actual classical text (which she names at the end of the book) and that was amazing, because I wasn't familiar with several facts and, when I looked them up, I was surprised to see they were always right! It's so refreshing.
Overall it is a nice book, with a solid foundation, and that allows us a view into the Trojan War from the most neglected POV of all: Women.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Child death, Rape, Violence, and War
Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I've been reading a lot of Troy retellings and this one is another on the list. I enjoyed it, it has a good pace and shows us closely the lives of the two sisters. Though I admit that the book did not make me like Helen (I still haven't found a book that does) but I did love Klytemnestra. And I'm glad that the author left out her fate, after the end. Ended it on a good note, instead of the actual tragic ending of the character. Overall, it's an interesting book that focuses more on their private life, inner monologues and feeling than the Trojan War itself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Slavery, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, Violence, Pregnancy, and War
The Women of Troy by Pat Barker
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Just like the previous book in this series, please be careful of the content warnings, they are NOT a lie or minimized, this is a very heavy, graphic, and pain-ridden book.
This one, differently from the first, is a lot slower. Just like the Greeks are stuck in Troy due to the weather, so we are stuck in a moment in time in the plot. The entire book focuses on a very short time spawn and it is very character-focused. The characters are amazingly done and I really enjoyed it, though not as much as the first one!
This one, differently from the first, is a lot slower. Just like the Greeks are stuck in Troy due to the weather, so we are stuck in a moment in time in the plot. The entire book focuses on a very short time spawn and it is very character-focused. The characters are amazingly done and I really enjoyed it, though not as much as the first one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and War
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
DNF'd at 23%
I'm sorry but I just... couldn't care about the characters. It just didn't feel like it, you know? I loved the ambience of the book and the whole mood of it but the characters were just... meh. And if I don't like the characters I usually can't finish a book, so yep. DNFd.
I'm sorry but I just... couldn't care about the characters. It just didn't feel like it, you know? I loved the ambience of the book and the whole mood of it but the characters were just... meh. And if I don't like the characters I usually can't finish a book, so yep. DNFd.
D. Maria II - Tudo por um Reino by Isabel Stilwell
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
Ehh... Não vou colocar rating porque não quero prejudicar o livro quando a culpa nem é tanto dele, mas não consegui. Estava hyped à imensos anos de querer ler os livros da Isabel Stilwell e admito que fiquei desiludida. Ainda quero tentar o de D. Maria I mas não sei como vai correr. Resumindo: A escrita é muito massuda, extremamente lenta (cheguei às 100 e poucas páginas e ainda mal tinha passado um ano na história) e cansativa. Estava com zero gosto a ler e, para isso, prefiro nem ler. Esperemos que o próximo corra melhor.
The Summer House in Santorini by Samantha Parks
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
Ok, I'm sorry but I couldn't.
DNF @ 8%
I imagine the book is great for many people but I couldn't. The book is written in the first person which is not a problem for me, some of my fav books are in the first person but I could not stand the MC. I could not stand the way she talks and she thinks, I just couldn't. Not to be rude but I felt like my brain cells were dying while reading this book, so I DNF'd.
DNF @ 8%
I imagine the book is great for many people but I couldn't. The book is written in the first person which is not a problem for me, some of my fav books are in the first person but I could not stand the MC. I could not stand the way she talks and she thinks, I just couldn't. Not to be rude but I felt like my brain cells were dying while reading this book, so I DNF'd.