KJK Reads

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Graphic Novel, Historical Thoughts:  I was a little conflicted with this book, it’s handy as a first touch point with the war in Syria and its history but there was something a little lacking. Sometimes it was difficult to tell the characters apart which was a problem when I couldn’t tell which army the character was fighting for until a few text bubbles in. I’m not sure if the art style did this intentionally but I noticed that the art style meant we couldn’t see the differences in skin tone which has been shown to make white people care more. It was good that the weapons used were broken down so to speak each time they were used with the country of origin and who it was supplied to being shown as it shows just how many external countries were meddling in the war on different sides. Overall though, I did get the feeling of hope despite the horrors through this book, especially with the way Yasmin kept having her Freedom Hospital sign put up regardless of wh...

Rating: 2 Stars Themes: Contemprary Thoughts: This book had an amazing premise but it left me feeling really lacking instead. I did find it interesting to see how the different people reacted to/handled seeing the disturbing content every day from falling for conspiracy theories to mental health struggles and even becoming desensitised and shut down. But the use of slurs happened on more than one occasion and was completely unnecessary and the ending left me feeling like we were missing an actual ending.

Rating: 3.5 Stars Themes: Fantasy, Curse Thoughts: Corbett has managed to weave such strong themes throughout this book alongside the story and its curse. The parental themes are looked at from multiple sides with having both a mother and daughter duo and a father and son and she also looked at both strong turmoil and loving  Relationships. I did struggle to feel for Kate at first but that was a little unfair as I disliked how she treated Rhea but the pressure of living with that kind of a curse must have taken its toll on her, especially knowing it will pass on so I should have been more patient with her. I did like the boys and Rhea and I found the banter the characters had quite relatable as a Smoggie myself. I did quite like the journey and really felt the emotions for the way in which it all ended.  Favourite Quote: “To be without any hope of a reprieve is soul destroying.”

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Contemporary, Multiple POV, Psychological Fiction, Pakistan Thoughts: This is a beautifully complex story with so much more to it than just a love story. The setting in Lahore instantly took me to another world than that which I live and I really appreciated that the author put potentially new words in italics the first time they were used since I had to google quite a few of them. The book starting with a short POV from a terrorist just moments before he detonated the suicide vest drew me right in and gave us a warning of the sorts of horrors that may be described straight off. Mona is an awesome and strong female character, although in some instances she is expected to shrink she doesn’t always and instead faces the consequences for being herself instead. I felt for her quickly with her husband not even calling after a bombing was near and the way he behaved felt progressively worse when he bothered to be present in the story at all. Ali is also quite a strong...

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Historical Fiction Thoughts: This book was complex and interesting. Medina was able to convey the pressures of being a firstborn grandchild, especially the male, with the way in which so many different family members interacted with Antón and the way in which his life turned out in the third part of the book. He also tackled the life of an exile really well with the first part building up the climate showing us how so many peoples' lives were and when the revolution came why they needed to leave. I thought it was interesting seeing both Felicia and Antón’s lives in the USA and how differently they adapted due to the age in which they left. I also liked the smattering of Spanish phrases through the book as it feels so authentic and also gave me a glimpse of how Felicia must have felt having to translate things that she didn’t understand regularly. Favourite Quote: “All of society was being turned around and there was nothing to be done about it. The life she...

Rating: 5 Stars Themes: Mystery, Contemporary Fiction, Dual POV, Multiple Timelines Thoughts:  This is such a complex and interesting book. At its heart it’s all about women, femininity and female friendships but the mystery element of what happened on The Last Day of Summer added a building tension throughout. The quick chapters and changing timelines helped build unease very quickly, especially at the beginning. I liked the Dual POV and the way it let us see how the summer unfolded from both sides of the friendship. I found the victim from summer quite illusive with me at one point considering 6 people I thought it could be and I was still wrong. The girls in Deuce were all well thought out characters and it was interesting to see how they interacted coming from such different backgrounds, especially the rich English girl being thrown in with 4 Irish girls.  I also liked some of the lesser mentioned characters, Dolly specifically because she was such a caring character when ...