Tag: Likeable

Susan Hill – The Mist in the Mirror | Review

March 25, 2019
Authors F-J (By Surname)Fiction

Title: The Mist in the Mirror

Author: Susan Hill

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 298

Rating 4.5/5

 

 

I’ve had this book for a while now, but for some reason I’d never got round to picking it up. I think part of the reason for that is that a few of my friends have independently met her in person and both said that she wasn’t very likeable. A pretty dumb reason for not picking it up, really.

That’s particularly true because it turned out to be excellent, and while there were some similarities to The Woman in Black (such as the time setting and the fact that it’s about a young man looking into the buried past), it didn’t feel as though she’d just had a go at duplicating a winning formula.

The focus on mirrors got to me in particular because I’ve always had a little bit of a fear of mirrors and reflections for some reason. When I was a kid and my mum went on holiday, I used to cover all of the mirrors in the house with bedsheets so that I didn’t get too creeped out while she was away.

All in all then, if you’re looking for a creepy little read that’ll give you some chills without taking too much of your time, this is a good place to look. I got my copy pretty cheap from a charity shop and so that made it a no-brainer, but it’s also worth the full RRP if you only buy new. It’s also made me want to read some more of Hill’s work. I’ll get there eventually, I just have so much other stuff on my list.


 



 

Click here to buy The Mist in the Mirror.

John Green – Paper Towns | Review

September 14, 2018
Authors F-J (By Surname)Fiction

Title: Paper Towns

Author: John Green

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 312

Rating: 3/5

 

John Green - Paper Towns

John Green – Paper Towns

 

The first thing to say about this is that you can definitely tell it’s a John Green novel. I’ve heard critics of his who say he can’t write, but whether that’s true or not, he does at least have a distinctive voice that makes sure that you know whose book you’re reading.

I wasn’t much of a fan of Paper Towns, mainly because I really didn’t like Margo, but I also thought that the plot was a little weak. I’ve read four of Green’s books now and this is my least favourite of the lot of them, but it’s still not so bad that it’s unreadable. I guess I can also see why other people like it, because I think that parts that I disliked are the same parts that other people do like.

For me, though, this read more like a YouTuber’s novel than like a writer’s novel, which is a shame because I think he’s got better at it as time has gone by. None of the characters are particularly likeable or even believable, and it also feels more “YA” than most YA novels. It’s almost formulaic, and I can’t say that I was surprised by any of it.

But still, I kept on reading, and I guess that’s all you can ask for in a book like this. I certainly don’t regret reading it because now I can tick it off the list, but I also doubt I’ll be re-reading it any time soon. I think the only two John Green books that I have left are Will Grayson Will Grayson and the story he has in Let it Snow, and after reading this, I’m in no particular rush to read them. But I’m also a completionist, so there’s that.

 

John Green

John Green

 

Click here to buy Paper Towns.