#thestorygraph

I was 15 years old back then... I am now 28, and still alive!

I never had the heart to delete this blog, even when adult life caught up, even when my passion for reading dwindled. I did read some books these past few years (including a lot of fanfiction haha), but nothing that really moved me, nothing that felt the way I felt back then, when I was pulling all-nighters to finish a 700+page book of a saga I adored. So I read slowly, and not much.

I'm realizing now that I was losing my ability to focus on things I used to enjoy, and that yes, unfortunately, the tiktokification of the media we consume and my doomscrolling was actually and insidiously affecting my way of thinking and living.

And I miss reading. I miss hyperfixating on books, on stories, on characters. So I put on some ol' screen time control for certain apps on my phone, and I downloaded StoryGraph. (I wanted to avoid G**dreads since it's part of Amaz*n...). I fixed a goal of 14 books to read this year, which is not much, but realistic I hope, after getting out of a reading slump.

Not really me, because I don't actually have a lot to say? Wrede's Lyra books were some of my favorites when I was younger, but I haven't re-read any of them in a decade or two, until now. (I did Shadow Magic last year.)

I still enjoy them, but I'm not sure this one would land on a favorites shelf now without the nostalgia/formative influence going on. Partly because it's aimed at a younger audience, so I really was the target originally and I'm not anymore, which is fine, no book can be *it* for everyone, but it is a little melancholy to re-read something that was, but isn't anymore, yk?.

I do think Wrede does an excellent job of giving the world depth outside of what the POV/narrator can make explicit, which is something that can be hard to pull off and is very satisfying to read, to feel that even if the main character doesn't know about it, all this history, world & character & magic, clearly exists.

Profile name: dasenergi

I discovered completely by chance that my one novel length fic has been reviewed on GoodReads and on TheStoryGraph!?! - by a sci fi author called Octavia Cade who is now my hero naturally :) I adore everything about her!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64407220-the-only-constant?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_29

https://app.thestorygraph.com/

I thought these sites were just for posting reviews of published books - I had no idea people reviewed fanfic there too.

So - I thought I’d flag this up in case anyone else fancies searching for their fic there - it was a lovely surprise for me!

(And if this is common knowledge and I’m way behind the curve as usual, please just ignore me - Sorry 🙄)

xxx

“Do you think I don’t know what kind of men this world has wrought? Every woman knows. And these men existed before everything fell apart.”

A deadly disease has wiped out most of Earth’s population. Instead of going to a quarantine camp, Red travels through the woods for months to get to her grandmothers house. But in the post apocalyptic world, the woods are very dangerous.

This book kept the mystery going until the very end. It also discussed important topics about todays society. Red was a good main character and she kept me invested in her journey. I love retellings, and this one had to be the most unique Little Red Riding Hood retelling I’ve red. Red isn’t just Red Riding Hood, she is also the Huntsman. The story keeps you guessing as it jumps back and forth between before and after the crisis.

However, the book left many questions unanswered. You could fill in the gaps, but its just left up too your imagination. I also found that the action scenes didn’t really leave you on the edge of your seat.

Although this is a fairy tale retelling, I wouldn’t call it a fantasy book. It felt more like a dystopian with hints of science fiction. If you enjoyed The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken then you would probably enjoy this book too.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Started Reading: 21/06/2022