The Dragon Republic is R.F. Kuang’s second installation to The Poppy War series, and a hard-hitting punch that fantasy needed so badly. This book has been so unpredictable, so action-packed throughout. It is, undeniably, a striking display from an enormously talented writer—600 pages of pure, readable goodness, chock full of ferocious rage and…
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As much as I enjoy classics, I haven’t picked up Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein until around last month. The work spans about 300 pages, making it a fairly short novel. I got through it pretty quickly. Of course, it was interesting reading Frankenstein as how it was intended to be written. I’ve realized that retellings…
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The evening’s the best part of the day. You’ve done your day’s work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it. Kazuo Ishiguro in The Remains of the Day There is a certain experience that comes with reading this book. Intensely moving and perceptive, The Remains of the…
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I fell in love with The Phantom of the Opera after watching the 2004 movie adaptation. Since then, I have wanted to read the book. I didn’t know what a surprise there was in store for me. The movie was simply a love triangle between Raoul, Christine, and Erik—the “opera…
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Emily Henry’s Book Lovers is a delightful mix of banter, steam, and layers. It made for the perfect, easy read for me to get out of my reading slump. Book Lovers is told from the perspective of Nora Stephens, who works as a literary agent in New York City. She’s…
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Pachinko by Min Jin Lee — international bestseller, book club favorite, proclaimed the best book of the year 2017. This book has consistently received stellar reviews and has even become an AppleTV drama. Reading this, I really wanted to enjoy it as much as others seemed to have. But it…
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Paradais by Fernanda Melchor, masterfully translated by Sophie Hughes, is an absolutely entrancing, visceral read. It spans just over a hundred pages and is densely layered with complex themes written in Melchor’s pitiless prose, from ideas of classism, racism, and misogyny to the macabre acts of rape and murder. This…
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Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow gains its name from Macbeth’s famous soliloquy. As bleak as it is, Gabrielle Zevin creates a new spin on the meaning of “tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow”: in the world of games, it’s the possibility of “infinite rebirth, infinite redemption.” We don’t always understand life and how…
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The existence of fae in A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas should have been a warning sign enough for me to avoid this book. I’ve had bad experiences with fae in the past—namely, The Cruel Prince. And people loved the series, despite my developing an aversion…
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“There’s a difference between really loving someone and loving the idea of her.” Gillian Flynn Gone Girl. At first glance, it seems to be another run-of-the-mill mystery thriller: troubled marriage, cheating husband, runaway wife. It cannot be further off. Let me just say that this book has become a sensation…