Intro
Hello beauties!
Welcome again to my own brand of mini reviews! I never thought I'd do minis, until I recapped a few of my long reviews in some digest post in 2014, and then guest-posted some shorties for a blogging event in 2015. And Karen from For What It's Worth started praising my short recs/recaps 😊. Just to be clear, I'm NOT taking a break from writing long reviews - no such luck LOL. But while I'm making up my mind about a new book I've read, I might as well give you the short version 😉. Just be warned - this feature will be VERY random! So, here goes...
Draw the Dark by Ilsa J. Bick
Rated 4.5 really.
As usual with Bick, the reviews are all over the place. I think what it boils down to is, her fondness for mixing different genres and telling multiple stories at once doesn't work for everyone. It sure works for me. From her, I'll even take history lessons without flinching (yes, average me doesn't get along with history very well. Maybe this makes me a horrible person. Maybe you just have to feed me history in a spoon coated with the sugar of a good piece of fiction. Which Bick is a master at 😉).
I'm not saying that everything works, and I'm not saying that everything makes perfect sense or is plausible (the bits that pertain to the "real" world, that is). I have issues with the psychiatrist going off-script all the time, and with a bully going unpunished and ultimately turning into a psycho while a whole town sits and watches. But I loved the main character and his artistic vision, not to mention knowledge (yes...I even learned something about painting), and the paranormal-meets-mystery plot, and the crazy denouement AND even that infamous open ending. Sue me or read this one 😀.
Full review to come. (Goodreads pre-review)
Dancing on the Edge by Han Nolan
An underrated story of family secrets and the weight they carry. A cast of quirky characters who still manage to sound believable, and - even when faulty - to earn your compassion. Coming-of-age meets mental health in a novel spanning a few years in the life of young Miracle McCloy, while she clings to rites and beliefs, and desperately tries to feel whole and real, until everything unravels.
If you think adults are nonexistent in children/teen books (this one definitely straddles the line), or pale caricatures, Dancing on the Edge is for you. If you're angry at the unfavorable/over-the-top representation of mental health therapy in the aforementioned books, Dancing on the Edge is for you. If you like quiet but intense stories with just a touch of humour, Dancing on the Edge is for you. If you want your books honest, raw, yet infused with gentleness and with a compassionate quality, look no further.
Full review to come. (Goodreads pre-review)
Chronology by J.R. Rain et al.
★★First off, I would like to thank Curiosity Quills for sending me a review copy. I usually enjoy their books a lot, though - disclaimer - anthologies can be hit or miss in my case. I'm sorry to say that Chronology didn't work for me - and to be fair, my rating probably reflects that more than the quality of the book itself. Some of the genres (like fantasy, steampunk, historical and slapstick humour) weren't my cup of tea; some of the stories I ended up skimming because I couldn't feel their pull; some seemed to go nowhere (I usually like open endings, but with a short story, I tend to need more closure, or at least I need to be pointed in a certain direction...). I even skipped the last stories, after having a peek at them, because they didn't sound like something I'd enjoy - so you might say I DNF this one. I suggest that you read the other reviews on Goodreads (some really detailed and thoughtful) and decide if this collection is for you.
Note: definitive review (I don't have enough to say to justify writing a full-length one later, and of course I don't plan to reread this book).
So, have you read/are you planning to read any of the above? And if you have, what do you think of them? Do you post mini reviews? Do you like to read them?
I am intrigued by Dancing on the Edge. Don't be mad, but the cover caught my attention. I also like coming of age tales, good mental health rep, and dance. Sounds like it will make me cry too, which is always a plus.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I'm not mad, I swear. Have a good cry then! 😉
DeleteBased on the genres you are mentioning are in Chronology...it might actually work for me, haha.
ReplyDeleteAnd I've been posting mini-reviews from time to time, mostly on movies. That's because I wanted to watch them without sitting there analyzing it for "review points" the whole time. I do like reading them, as most bloggers are more than happy to talk about them in depth in the comments if you are interested.
Being able to "recommend" a book I didn't like would be funny! But honestly, I think it was more a genre preference than anything for me. Short stories rarely work for me, and I probably expected a bit of time travel or something! I hope it works for you, if you decide to pick it up.
DeleteWriting minis for movies make sense - watching is a different experience entirely from reading. If you should stop in order to analyse this and that, the movie as a whole would be lost on you.
Chronology might work for me too. Nice post—I love the 3-for-1!
ReplyDeleteThank you - I'm so generous LOL.
Delete*clappy hands* You know I LOVE your minis!!
ReplyDeleteDancing on the Edge looks very good!
Karen @ For What It's Worth
Thank you! 😊
DeleteI liked the historical aspects of Draw the Dark too! I think we're in the same camp there. Wrap that history in some compelling fiction, or I don't want it. xD
ReplyDeleteThat's what our man Pike does all the time, isn't it? 😉
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