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3/25/2019 0 Comments

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

This is a gripping novel telling the stories of a man and four women (three of which has been or are in a relationship with each other) during and after the second world war. The Night Watch was my first foray into Sarah Waters and I really enjoyed getting to know this world-famous lesbian author. Almost all of Sarah Waters’s novels have a clear lesbian agenda, and The Night Watch is no exception. What’s special about this novel though is that it is told backwards.

The story begins in London in 1947 and works backwards to the end in 1941. The storyline follows the fragmented lives and the strange interconnections between Kay, Helen and Julia, three lesbians; Viv, a straight woman; and Duncan, her brother, whose sexuality is ambiguous. The connections between them all their relationships are slowly unraveled through the backward storytelling. The war serves as a horrifying context, especially in the last part of the book from 1941, giving the atmosphere and relationships more gravitas and a sense of urgency. I especially loved learning about Kay’s ambulance job during the war and rooted so much for her. She was my favorite characters of all, the one that felt most true and honorable.

The book is quite slow, and despite the wartime settings, not an awful lot happens. But Sarah Waters’s writing is outstanding with a rich and detailed prose. Sometimes her writing is a bit too excessive for my taste, but I’m glad to have found this interesting author and will certainly read more of her books.

Rating:
3.5 stars rounding up to 4

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Author info:
Sarah Waters

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3/21/2019 0 Comments

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Maybe Someday is a cute and beautiful, but also frustrating, love story. I don’t think I’ve ever rooted so much for any main characters at the same time as I’ve been so angry with them. The story is about Sydney who tragically finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her with her best friend for a long time, and Ridge, a member of a popular band who happens to be the witness of Sydney’s failed relationship. When they start to write music together, a heartbreaking love story unfolds with more obstacles than you could ever imagine.

Collen Hoover’s writing is astonishing in how she can create characters that feel so real, with flaws and shortcomings. And like they could be friends of mine. This book had so many layers, unique characters and questions about loyalty, what is right and wrong when it comes to love. It really shows how much a heart can love and in how many different ways and that there isn’t just one true love for a person. Just because you feeling for someone else does not mean your love for the first person is over.

All in all, an enjoyable but also very frustrating read!

Rating:
3 stars

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Author info:
Colleen Hoover

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3/12/2019 0 Comments

Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton

Hero at the Fall is the third and final book in Alwyn Hamilton’s magical Rebel of the Sands-series following orphan tomboy Amani. Known as the ‘Blue-Eyed Bandit’, she has always been “more gunpowder than girl”. Little did she know, when she eventually managed to escape her dead-end town, that she would come to lead a revolution. But fate leaves her no choice. As she watches those she loves most lay their lives on the line against ghouls and enemy soldiers, Amani questions whether she can be the leader they need or if she is leading them all to their deaths.

This is a satisfying and bittersweet conclusion to a wonderful series, but I would have liked the romance to play a bigger role. I kept waiting to get more of Jin and Amani, but was left feeling a bit let down in that aspect. But just like the previous two books, Hero at the Fall, was an action-packed joyride, with magical creatures, epic battles, friendship and low key romance.

Rating:
3.5 shooting stars rounding up to 4

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Author info:
Alwyn Hamilton

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The Night Watch by Sarah Waters

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton

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