Rating: 90% | A- | ★★★★★
Warnings: + Violence Synopsis (from Goodreads): On the eve of eighteen-year-old Lady Helen Wrexhall’s presentation to the queen, one of her family’s housemaids disappears-and Helen is drawn into the shadows of Regency London. There, she meets Lord Carlston, one of the few who can stop the perpetrators: a cabal of demons infiltrating every level of society. Dare she ask for his help, when his reputation is almost as black as his lingering eyes? And will her intelligence and headstrong curiosity wind up leading them into a death trap? Spoiler-Free Section: The Lady Helen Trilogy epitomizes YA historical fantasy romance. Like the His Fair Assassin Trilogy, the Lady Helen Trilogy is bolstered by its in-depth historical research, period-appropriate language, and outstanding world-building. Goodman take it upon herself to both recreate Georgian England and create her own magical world. Helen is a strong, admirable protagonist. Her headstrong attitude not only makes her a formidable opponent of the demons that she is enlisted to fight, but also the perfect person to speak out against the sexist double standards of Georgian England. However, Helen isn't perfect, and Goodman makes that clear. She is impatient and impulsive, and yet that makes her all the more endearing. Helen is also framed by an impressive—if a little static—cast of supporting characters: the mysterious Lord Carleston, the charming Duke of Selden, and the supportive brother-sister duo Lady Margaret and Hammond. The only complaint I have about the trilogy is its pacing. The trend among all three novels is a slow build-up at the beginning, and a fast acceleration towards a thrilling ending, which can make the overall story feel very off-kilter. Often the action (the demon-hunting) is interrupted by mundane (though historically accurate) activities, such as shopping for gowns and dining accoutrements. Ultimately, the Lady Helen Trilogy is a worthwhile read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction and acolytes of the Jane Austen School of Romancing While Not Being Allowed to Stand Too Close to One Another. (Click "Read More" for spoilers.)
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Rating: 89% | B+ | ★★★★★
Warnings: + Violence Synopsis (from Penguin Random House): As darkness falls, a man caught in a snowstorm is forced to shelter at the strange, grim house Wuthering Heights. It is a place he will never forget. There he will come to learn the story of Cathy: how she was forced to choose between her well-meaning husband and the dangerous man she had loved since she was young. How her choice led to betrayal and terrible revenge – and continues to torment those in the present. How love can transgress authority, convention, even death. Spoiler-Free Section: The problem with reviewing classics, I find, is that one's opinion seldom avoids the weight of that very word: classic. I believe that readers sometimes find it hard to admit that they dislike classics—that they find Hugo too circuitous with his words, or Dickens too unwieldy with his pacing. Admitting that you dislike a classic is akin to you admitting that you don't like chocolate ice cream—everyone likes chocolate ice cream, so what's wrong with you? This is all a very long-winded way to say that I didn't have that problem with Wuthering Heights. I bought Wuthering Heights in order to participate in the Penguin Classics' essay contest (which was canceled due to COVID-19). I wrote excessive margin notes, juvenile attempts at analyzing Brontë's use of nature in paralleling the pace of her story as well as the parallelism of quotes. Wuthering Heights reminded me that reading literature from more than a century ago is enjoyable, despite the sometimes antiquated language. (I will admit, however, that I skimmed through most of Joseph's sections.) I loved the tone of the book. The darkness of the moors and the characters' moods. The unbelievable way every character was unlikeable. Brontë's beautiful writing, some sentences so lovely that I had to copy them down for later. If you've never read a classic from the Romantic period, I highly recommend this one. It is absolutely stunning. (Click "Read More" for spoilers.) Rating: 99% | A+ | ★★★★★
Warnings: + Sexual Content + Mental Illness Synopsis (from Goodreads): At school Connell and Marianne pretend not to know each other. He’s popular and well-adjusted, star of the school soccer team while she is lonely, proud, and intensely private. But when Connell comes to pick his mother up from her housekeeping job at Marianne’s house, a strange and indelible connection grows between the two teenagers - one they are determined to conceal. A year later, they’re both studying at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne has found her feet in a new social world while Connell hangs at the sidelines, shy and uncertain. Throughout their years in college, Marianne and Connell circle one another, straying toward other people and possibilities but always magnetically, irresistibly drawn back together. Then, as she veers into self-destruction and he begins to search for meaning elsewhere, each must confront how far they are willing to go to save the other. Spoiler-Free Section: Normal People grabs you by the hair, tugs at the roots in your scalp until it is almost painful, and never lets you go. I picked this book up the same week I had a chemistry final and a ten page research paper to submit. Though my stress had already led to several uninterrupted days of migraines, I somehow believed it was a good idea to pick up a book and cram more activities into my already packed schedule. I don't regret it. (Although I could have definitely done better on my chem final.) I first encountered Normal People--oddly enough—not through book-related media, but on my Youtube explore page in late March, when BBC released the first look at its television adaptation of the book. The trailer is indelible and mesmerizing for one reason: its normality (no pun intended). There is no grand political backdrop, or fantastical magical world surrounding Connell and Marianne. Instead, there is only the two of them, endlessly orbiting each other in the ordinary world that they live in. Normal People is not beloved because it is a masterpiece. It value lies in its unflinching analysis of ordinary life and ordinary people—the decisions, the tragedies, and the dreams that make us ruinous and ruined. (Click "Read More" for spoilers.) Rating: 99% | A+ | ★★★★★
Warnings: + Violence + Implied Sexual Content Synopsis (from Goodreads): Chain of Gold is the first novel in a new trilogy that stars the Shadowhunters of Edwardian London. Welcome to Edwardian London, a time of electric lights and long shadows, the celebration of artistic beauty and the wild pursuit of pleasure, with demons waiting in the dark. For years there has been peace in the Shadowhunter world. James and Lucie Herondale, children of the famous Will and Tessa, have grown up in an idyll with their loving friends and family, listening to stories of good defeating evil and love conquering all. But everything changes when the Blackthorn and Carstairs families come to London…and so does a remorseless and inescapable plague. James Herondale longs for a great love, and thinks he has found it in the beautiful, mysterious Grace Blackthorn. Cordelia Carstairs is desperate to become a hero, save her family from ruin, and keep her secret love for James hidden. When disaster strikes the Shadowhunters, James, Cordelia and their friends are plunged into a wild adventure which will reveal dark and incredible powers, and the true cruel price of being a hero…and falling in love. Spoiler-Free Section I picked up my first Cassandra Clare book back in 2015 and since then, her work has rarely failed to astound me with its depth of emotion and intricate plotlines. Chain of Gold is the newest addition to her Shadowhunters universe, and has quickly become one of its most notable. Because of the book's position in the Shadowhunter canon (chronologically, it is fourth out of the thirteen main books), readers should regard Clare's previously published books as prerequisites for this one. At the very least, readers should read The Infernal Devices series in order to understand the characters' relations to each other in Chain of Gold. There are also certain minor characters and subplots that will have more meaning to people who have read all of the books in the Shadowhunter universe. Chain of Gold represents Clare's writing at its finest: witty, sad, charming, and elegant without overcompensating. The characters are far from flat; instead, they radiate with the kind of soulful honesty that only results from a diligent author. My only complaint is that there are moments in the book where it's clear that Clare is juggling too many characters and plotlines. The frequent swapping of character perspectives between—and sometimes within—chapters creates a sense of discontinuity and disunity. (Click "Read More" for spoilers.) |