fantasy

all that she can see

| nicole
All That She Can See

All That She Can See by Carrie Hope Fletcher

✨ my rating: 1 of 5 stars✨

Mmm… nah. I was intrigued by the blurb and the concept, but the execution was kind of sloppy. Many times it felt like the author was “telling” instead of “showing”, as seen in ridiculous chunky dialogues which sounded like they were ripped out from therapist flyers. The plot in the second half of the book also gets increasingly ridiculous and there’s insufficient world-building to make it compelling. Also, the relationship between the two main characters is so, so forced – they go from hating each other to being absolutely in love without any substantial character growth at all! What annoyed me was also the inconsistencies in writing in terms of plot holes and weird POVs. It was easy to read through, but it wasn’t a good story in my opinion.

🌹date read: 16 jul 2019 🌹

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the night circus

| nicole
The Night Circus

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

✨ my rating: 3 of 5 stars✨

Enchanting prose and very rich imagery abounded, but I found the plot very weak. There is a lack of real purpose to the story, and the various narratives weren’t pulled together tightly enough to make it convincing. Furthermore, the world building – while evocative and imaginative – fails to create its own rules and abide by them, creating a world that, once again, does not persuade the reader’s belief, but rather skepticism.


🌹date read: 19 may 2019 🌹

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a christmas carol

| nicole

A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings by Charles Dickens

✨my rating: 3 of 5 stars ✨

It was a sweet and very creatively spun story, with an endearing moral message – having a spirit of kindness, generosity and joy – and I completely understand why it has become entrenched as such a classic! Dickens makes Scrooge a simultaneously unlikeable but pitiable character, mocking him with gentleness and suggesting an empathy that we should have for all, despite how they may appear on the exterior.

However – and this is with all Dickens novels for me – I found his style of writing very heavy and loaded at times, perhaps slightly overly descriptive, which made me skim over some bits. Nevertheless it was a good read, especially during the festive season!

🌹 date finished: 3 jan 2019 🌹

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