Between Halflit Pages

The first part of this book had me genuinely confused because I kept thinking 'why are the characters going back and forth SO much?' Turns out… it was intentional. It was a story within the story. 20 pages of waffle and it wasn't 'real'. I was low-key annoyed.

But once I realised what was going on, the structure actually started to click. The interwoven stories between the 'real' narrative became really interesting, even if I still wish there had been a clearer signal between the two early on.

After that, everything starts tightening up, and you can feel all the hints and threads beginning to connect. I kept switching between thinking I saw the bigger picture, not at all knowing what the bigger picture was, and genuinely wondering if the protagonist was going to die.

And then the ending hit. I can say with 100% certainty I did not expect that. It’s a really strong misdirection and a full-on vibe shift that pulls everything together in a way that’s both clever and slightly nuts. I am a little bit upset on Julia’s behalf, though.

Was the ending maybe a bit out there? Possibly. But I did enjoy the drama of it a lot.

This was such a good in-between read. The whole 'death disease' concept is immediately interesting, and it pulled me in pretty quickly. It was also fun to see how this fits into the wider Nyaxia universe. It really feels like there’s a lot going on under the surface of the whole series.

Lilith is... a lot. Slightly unhinged, but I love that for her. And Vale? Love him. No notes.

Zealots? Absolutely not. Every time they showed up, even for one page, I was like… yeah, no, these people are cooked.

There are some really strong emotional moments in here too. The dynamic between Lilith and Vale isn’t exactly 'cute', but it works and I was fully invested in it. By the end, I was way more attached than I expected to be. And listen... I wish I could say I didn’t cry. But I did.

At this point, I just want good things for these characters. Lilith, Vale, Farrow, Mina. All of them deserve something better, honestly.

Really enjoyed this one. It does a great job of pulling you straight into the heaviness of 9/11 while also setting up the mystery/crime side of things with the whole painting situation. The balance between those worked really well for me.

That said... what is going on with the businessmen in this book?? They acting like undercover spies. At some points they felt more FBI than the actual FBI agents. And that one part nearer the end, with the woman in the hospital? ew. no. why. stop. I didn't need to know her grand plan. I'd rather not know.

But the twists and turns were genuinely fun, and the story kept me engaged the whole way through. The characters were also really well done. Everyone had their own clear motivations, which made the whole thing feel more grounded.

There are some small romance moments that felt a bit unexpected and maybe not entirely necessary, but I didn’t mind them overall.

The settings were very classic crime/mystery vibes, and even though the story moves around quite a bit, everything still felt cohesive and well thought out.

So… you know how I said I was going to get out of my slump in April and read five books?

Yeah. That didn’t happen.

I finished three, got halfway through another, but the last two weeks of April absolutely took me out. Turns out, a concert and two essays due mean my reading plans collapse very quickly.

So, expectations have been adjusted for this month. We’re being realistic now. I will be finishing the book I didn’t quite get through last month. That’s the first mission.

Here's everything I plan to read this month:

False Impression (Jeffrey Archer)

Six Scorched Roses (Carissa Broadbent)

Eight Detectives (Alex Pavesi)

Mistborn: The Final Empire (Brandon Sanderson)

This series continues to be so interesting.

Everything feels slightly off in the best way. Like nothing is quite as it seems on any side, and you’re trying to figure out what’s actually going on. What happened? Who's good/bad? Who's right/wrong? The characters are developing more and more, and all those extra layers are really starting to come through.

And Callum… I hate to say it, but I don’t totally hate him right now. Which feels suspicious in itself, but what can I say... I'm a sucker for a jackass who bares his heart and soul. Y'know?

Atlas, however, is still a snake. I do not trust that man. Not for a second.

Things feel very precarious the whole time, like everything could fall apart at any moment, which made the book hard to put down. And Ezra is... unhinged. Just operating on a different level.

There were also a couple of things that genuinely caught me off guard. Certain reveals, the shifting dynamics between characters… I didn’t see some of it coming, but I was absolutely here for it.

And Libby? Total badass.

I’m really happy with how this series is progressing, and I am definitely reading the final book.

I’m pretty sure there’s a mild translation error on, like, the second page. Meggie’s father gets referred to as “her,” which threw me off for a solid minute. But, I mean… slay, king.

Anyway. This book? So much fun.

I absolutely loved the bond between Meggie and Mo. It’s one of those relationships that just feels warm and wholesome. Honestly, love them. The mix of adventure and danger kept things really engaging without feeling like it was just constant action for the sake of it.

That said... Dustfinger needs a good kick in the backside. Immediately. And Capricorn, Basta, and that whole group? Don’t even get me started.

I really appreciated the descriptions too. They gave me everything I needed to picture what was going on without dragging, which made it really easy to stay immersed in the story.

I was hooked the whole way through, and I ended up loving both the characters and the ending.

Still want to kick Dustfinger, though.

I know. A Christmas book… in March. Unexpected, but I had to read this for my studies, so here we are.

Right away, it’s very clear that Dickens loves describing things. Like, really loves it. I’ll be honest, I did start skimming some of the longer descriptions after a while. But even with that, it’s still a very well-written story.

I really liked the differences between the ghosts and the whole otherworldly feel of their visits. Each one brings something distinct, which keeps it interesting and adds to the slightly eerie feel. The ghost of Christmas present IS my favourite. I love his vibe.

And Scrooge’s journey towards becoming a better person was genuinely nice to read. It’s simple, but effective. And it does what it’s meant to do in making you reflect a little on yourself too.

Also: spooky ooky Christmas fun. Always appreciated.

This was such a fun read from start to finish. The concept alone is so cool. The daemons, their bond with people, that whole “what if/this world but slightly different/magical” feel. It all comes together in a way that’s really easy to get pulled into.

And emotionally?? This book kinda puts you through it. So many highs and lows had me fully along for the ride. The mystery kept me hooked, and when things started unfolding… yeah. The betrayal?? Not okay. (I mean, pop off Pullman... Caught me off-guard.)

The different locations were also a highlight. Everything felt vivid and fun to imagine, which made the journey even more engaging. And Lyra as a main character? I’m fully rooting for her. No hesitation. I need to see what she does next.

Right from the get-go, it’s very obvious where the book and the films differ.

The writing style is that classic tone that I can only describe as kind of… bouncy? It has this light, almost playful feel to it that makes it a really fun book to read. I ended up enjoying both the style and the story a lot. That said, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the songs and rhymes scattered throughout. I know they’re very Tolkien, but they didn’t quite land for me and occasionally pulled me out of the flow a bit.

What I did really enjoy was the journey itself and watching Bilbo’s character development. That progression from reluctant hobbit to something much more capable is just really satisfying to read.

The big battle towards the end felt a little “one and done” for me, especially in terms of how a certain character’s death was handled. It felt like it could have hit a lot harder than it did.

But overall, it was just a really fun read.

March was… a bit of a slow and slightly difficult reading month for me. I still managed to get through most of my TBR, which I’m counting as a win, even if I didn’t quite get to everything.

Six Scorched Roses ended up being the one that slipped through the cracks, but I did pick up A Christmas Carol instead, which was a nice little detour.

Here's everything I plan to read this month:

The Hobbit (J R R Tolkien)

Northern Lights (Phillip Pullman)

Inkheart (Cornelia Funke)

Six Scorched Roses (Carissa Broadbent)

This one started a little rough for me. It was a slow start, to the point where I found myself kind of dreading picking it up at first. But once I actually settled into the groove of it, I ended up enjoying it a lot more.

This is very cliché fantasy. But honestly, that’s part of the charm. I went in expecting that kind of vibe, so it was more fun than frustrating. And the whole café/bookshop setup? Extremely cute. Just a cosy fantasy doing what it says on the tin.

The writing style felt a little clunky in places, but never enough to pull me out of the story completely. Once things got going, the book just kind of settled into its fairly decent rhythm.

The plot also wraps up nicely without loads of mess, which I appreciated. And the little flashback/post-credit-style bit at the end was such a nice touch.

It’s definitely not the most high-stakes or exciting fantasy out there, but that’s clearly not what it’s trying to be.

This book was… an experience. It starts off pretty slow and was a little hard to get into, but once things get moving, the general vibe becomes very clear. And that vibe is mostly me repeatedly thinking, “what the fuck?”

The characters are all genuinely terrible to each other. Like, impressively so. The friendships are messy, toxic, and uncomfortable in a way that feels intentional but also makes it hard to root for anyone. At one point, I had to stop and ask myself if I actually liked any of them. The answer was: maybe Lara. And she’s barely even plot-relevant.

There are also several moments where certain characters (Fabio. It’s Fabio.) suddenly veer into weirdly sexual territory for absolutely no reason, which made parts of the book a little uncomfy.

By the end, I had mostly come to the conclusion that everyone in this story is some flavour of insane.

The ending itself was pretty unsatisfying, especially considering everything that led up to it. Which is a shame, because the book is well written. The writing itself is good. It just didn’t quite land for me.

The world-building is doing a lot in the best way. There’s some really cool lore woven in, and I found myself really intrigued by how everything fits together. And the Kejari? So awesome. The concept was so Hunger Games coded and had me locked in.

There are characters I really liked, and others I was wary of. Not in an 'I hate you' way, but in a 'I’m watching you very closely' way. Which honestly makes it more fun. One thing I will say, is because so much has been (as I like to call it) Fantasified™, I struggled at times to remember names of places, people, and various important fantasy things. It’s immersive, but my brain did have to work overtime. The games themselves were so interesting right up until the very end. I had genuinely visceral reactions to some of the reveals. The kind of reveals where you have to stop reading for a second just to process... or smack the book on your desk. And the ending was exactly what I expected… Until it wasn’t!

My opinions? Shifted. My world? Turned upside down. My trust? Questionable.

Honestly, my friend was completely correct to recommend this to me, and I am now very ready to read more of Broadbent’s work.

Overall: Hunger Games but Fantasified™, morally questionable characters (affectionate), slightly overwhelming in terminology, emotional whiplash.

So, I keep a notebook of my thoughts as I'm reading my books, which I then translate to Tumblr... My writings for this one were so reactive and nigh incoherent, but I have done my best to turn my scrawling into a spoiler-free post for you.

The mystery/thriller aspect kicks off immediately, which I loved. From early on, I was already forming theories and side-eyeing literally everyone. Every time I thought I had something figured out, the book would nudge me in another direction.

There is one character in particular that I just did not trust. From the start. The vibes were off. But the fun part is that the book keeps you in that constant state of: 'Am I right… or am I spiralling?' Which is great, because that's exactly how Alice feels. I kept questioning whether my suspicion was justified or if I was just projecting because it’s a thriller and I expect everyone to be horrible people. The misdirection in this is genuinely well done. I formed a theory early on, dismissed it because I thought, 'lol, that would be a wild plot twist' and then promptly forgot about it.

It was not wild in a joking way. It happened. I won't say what it is! But it freaking happened, and I was not haha laughing.

The ending is such a strong culmination of all those little threads woven throughout the story. It’s one of those thrillers where the final stretch makes you want to flip pages faster. Loved it.

Overall: A very well-executed thriller. Strong pacing, excellent red herrings, and a twist that actually lands.

I finally read the full stories of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, and honestly? So much fun from the get-go.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is whimsical in a way that feels effortless. The wordplay alone is wild. I genuinely don’t know how Carroll came up with half of it. It’s clever without feeling like it’s trying too hard. There’s something really satisfying about finally reading the complete story instead of just knowing it through cultural osmosis and film adaptations. That said… I hate to admit this, but even in book form, I’m still not very fond of Alice herself. I don’t dislike her exactly, but I'm just not fond of her. Though that could be down to the fact that she is a Victorian child. But everything else? The absurdity, the characters, the logic that isn’t logic? It’s all great. Also, it’s fascinating reading something written more or less in the same English as today, but older and weirder. Familiar, but just strange enough to feel off-balance.

Through the Looking-Glass leans even harder into that dream logic, and I loved that. Carroll absolutely nails the weird time inconsistencies and sudden environmental shifts that happen in dreams. The way things just change and Alice goes 'huh, that’s odd' and keeps going. I weirdly relate to that. There’s also a lot of parody and references to pre-existing works mixed in with his own inventions, and he blends them so well that I had to stop a couple times and genuinely think 'wait… did he make this up or not?' That was fun. It’s a strong second story, even with the abundance of logic questions (which made my brain hurt a little). And surprisingly? I actually grew to like Alice more in this one.

Overall: weird, clever, dreamlike classics that absolutely deserve their place. Slightly unhinged Victorian nonsense in the best way.