KJK Reads

Rating: DNF  Themes: Mystery Thoughts:  I really struggled with this book and don’t think the series is for me. I found that the characters were pretty much all caricatures which in a series is really unnecessary as we have the time to learn about each new main character and the all cops stupid but the new boy trope was done to an extreme. This felt even weirder to me as the story/mystery was slow to start but it wasn’t because we had to meet the characters in depth since they lacked depth and just followed stereotypes instead. It was also weird that Crystal’s scent was mentioned soo much, even if it is important to the mystery later it felt overboard to have it mentioned multiple times a chapter. I found the Brunswick ‘romance’ element really icky with the age thing even for the time. Working it out Brunswick is about 38 but the girl he is fawning over and chasing is only 19 so it’s nearly a 20 year age gap. As far as the point I DNF’d it, these things were irrelevant but eve...

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Mystery, Suspense, Fiction Thoughts:  I wasn’t sure whether to stick with this book and at one point I mentioned reading it to see if it gets better because it felt like it was taking forever to get started as over 100 pages and we weren’t even in Morocco yet despite the blurb saying soon. I found Florence unlikeable almost from the beginning as she seemed to feel she was better than everyone and deserved more than everyone else while almost blaming them for her not having it yet. I also found Helen and her attitudes unlikeable pretty soon after meeting her so that made me more hesitant about the book but I was confident that they’re being portrayed that way for a reason and they really were. As the real mystery elements unfolded in the latter half of the book I saw that all the build up (that I thought was slowing it down) and Florence and Helen’s characteristics were really important to making the ending work. I was very interested in seeing how the twists...

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Fiction, Mystery  Thoughts: I don’t quite know what to think about this one. I went in thinking it was a thriller mystery type book but while a child does go missing in the first chapter, the story felt like it was missing those elements for me. Especially when we were getting towards the end of the book as Lily’s being found/rescued wasn’t really covered and was more of an afterthought in Rachel’s story. Rachel herself was a character I really couldn’t get along with, while I can see where her dissatisfaction could be coming from she seemed to be completely selfish and centering herself in everyone else's (especially that of Deborah and Mia) trauma. The way in which she spoke about Mia centered herself and almost reduced her as if Rachel had really wanted a doll she could dress and control forever and not an actual child who would grow and develop their own mind. I also disliked the way that as soon as she knew who it was with Lily, she tried to reconstruct...

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Graphic Novel, Romance, LGBTQ+ Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a sweet and slow burn romance. It is advertised as an age gap which is more evident with the older man being a university lecturer but I didn’t realise how small (only 11 years) it actually was until the characters brief bios at the end. I liked that the majority of the story took place either in a library or on scenic car rides as it felt more like a love story for introverts which I don’t see too often. The artwork itself is in black and white which adds a lovely touch as the story isn’t too in your face intense and neither are the pictures. The cover warns of graphic content but that is only in the Bonus Story so those who are interested in the story but not that content can easily skip it without missing out context. Favourite Quote: “I think I was looking for a place I could belong. The more people I interacted with and the ...

Rating: 5 Stars Themes: Fiction, Short Stories, Poetry, LGBTQ+ Thoughts: This is such a beautiful and vibrant book for a Pride read or for those learning to accept and love their identities. I absolutely loved the pride in our identities and the right to be us that flowed throughout the book. Some of the stories were more in depth in and tackling much more complex issues like On the Run and The Other Team but others took a sweeter and little funny look like Penguins (worrying about being outshone by a penguin is both hilarious and totally something I would do). I also liked that it didn’t just take a Europecentric view with The Phoenix’s Fault being included. All the artwork was stunning and complimentary to the stories perfectly, it was also cool to see so many different artists and authors were included to get a taste of all their different works. Favourite Quote: “Remember you have the right to be proud Remember you have the right to be you.”

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Poetry  Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I liked the way in which the poems and essays were set with the essay essentially outlining how Campbell approached each topic and contextualised her poems a little and then the poetry following with the emotive content. I found the way in which she covered loss as it approaches the loss of a relationship that is no longer working on the author's own terms but how it still leaves a mark on us as individuals anyway. The illustrations are sparing but compliment the poems they are with really well and are beautiful in their simplicity.  Favourite Quote: “as i get older i'm starting to realize that nothing's safer if it costs your peace”