A Great and Terrible Beauty – Review

‘A Great and Terrible Beauty’ by Libba Bray is the first book in a trilogy. I read it a long time ago, but never got around to reading the two sequels. These last few weeks, I have been seeing the trilogy mentioned in a couple of videos and, after listening to the audiobook of another of Libba Bray’s books, I thought I might give it a go again.

The book follows Gemma Doyle, brought up in India, who finds herself at Spence, an English boarding school, after her mother dies. Not only that – she has visions. Visions of the future and powers that she is only just discovering. Combine this with trying to fit in with the girls of Spence, and Gemma’s life only gets all the more complicated.

I struggled with this book. I found it quite slow and it took a long time for me to get into. Unfortunately, there were a couple of moments where I just wanted to give up on the book altogether. Despite having read the book before, I had no idea what was going to happen in the book, or even what it was about, which I think may be a little telling. A great part of the novel seemed to be setting up and there did not seem to be much of a threat.

I also felt like a lot of the characters fell a little bit flat and came across as stereotypes in some instances. Even now, shortly after reading the novel, I can only really remember the main few characters. Gemma, as the principle character, comes across as a bit of a brat at some points, although you can relate to her in others.

That being said, the last 100 or so pages of the book were really good. I could not put the book down once we got into the main story. I did manage to guess the twists, but they were still well done and made sense in regards to the story. There was some really good character development and I did find myself enjoying the story towards the end. Not to mention, I really like the cover. I’m not entirely sure how it relates to the book, but I really like it.

I think, despite struggling with this book, I’m going to give it the benefit of the doubt and try the next book in the series to see if it is any better now that the story has got going.

Rating: 2.5/5

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3682.A_Great_and_Terrible_Beauty

The Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/Great-Terrible-Beauty-Libba-Bray/9780689875359/?a_aid=RosieNReads

Book Review: The Cuckoo’s Calling

‘The Cuckoo’s Calling’ by Robert Galbraith (although we all know who it is really by) is a crime novel set in modern day London and follows Cormoran Strike as he looks into the death of famous model Lula Landry. Aided by his new secretary/assistant, Robin Ellacott, Cormoran works his way into the very highs of society and the lows as well in an attempt to solve the case.

I will admit, it did take me a few chapters to get into and as someone who is a massive fan of JK Rowling, I did go in with high expectations. The two main characters, Robin and Strike, are very different which makes their interactions quite fun to read and the development of their relationship interesting to behold. The fact that Robin is a temporary secretary means that her first-hand reactions to Strike and his work as a private detective are very much the reader’s.

The book is well written, it did succeed in keeping me guessing as to the solution of the case. I did guess who it was towards the beginning, but due to a convoluted twist of witnesses and new pieces of evidence arising – both red herring and not, I kept changing my mind throughout the rest of the novel. This made the resolution a twist, but not so much a twist that is was unbelievable.

The middle of the novel did get a bit slow as a result of all the interviews with witnesses and no progress appearing to be made. I wanted to know who the criminal was, and nothing seemed to be happening. Towards the end, when the pieces began to get put into place, it did speed up and the turnout of events was thrilling.

Overall, I would give ‘The Cuckoo’s Calling’ four stars out of 5. The characters have depth, the plot is interesting and the solution is not completely off-the-wall. The clues are thought out and I imagine, on a second reading, I will be able to spot them much more clearly. Definitely worth the read.

Reviewing ‘Thor: The Dark World’

‘Thor: The Dark World’ follows on from the events of the first film as well as what happened in ‘The Avengers’, but is still perfectly watchable for those who have not seen either of those films. The story follows Thor (Chris Hemsworth) as Asgard comes under attack from Dark Elves, believed destroyed thousands of years before, in their quests for the Aether. The big bad this time around is Malekith, played brilliantly by Christopher Eccleston who seeks to plunge the universe back into darkness. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, a fan favourite, makes a reappearance, as does Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) to comical results.

I really enjoyed the film. In it was action, comedy, romance and a lot of exciting twists. I will admit, I saw some of the twists coming, but most caught me off-guard and came with the right effect. There were a few moments which did not sit completely right with me, such as an attempt of a love triangle between Jane, Thor and Sif that did not really go anywhere or seem to have much point to it. One of the Warriors Three was also demoted to his home world, taking him from most of the movie, which I found disappointing. One of my favourite parts in the first film was the dynamic between the Warriors Three. A few loose ends were also left hanging. However, none of that stops me from wanting to see the film again. If you do go and see it, be sure to stick around right to the end of the credits, so you don’t miss either of the end-credit scenes (sneaky Marvel put in two, I ended up missing the second one).

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars