The BookBee Blog

Nick and Charlie – Book Review

Rating:5/5,⭐

Synopsis-
Everyone knows that Nick and Charlie are the perfect couple – that they’re inseparable. But now Nick is leaving for university, and Charlie will be left behind at Sixth Form. Everyone’s asking if they’re staying together, which is a stupid question – they’re ‘Nick and Charlie’, for God’s sake!

But as the time to say goodbye gets inevitably closer, both Nick and Charlie question whether their love is strong enough to survive being apart. Or are they delaying the inevitable? Because everyone knows that first loves rarely last forever…

Review-

I read this after reading the first four volumes in Heartstopper. This one is totally different from them, this one touches the messy parts of a relationship, making it realistic. It shows more dynamics and sides of Nick and Charlie’s relation.
In Heartstopper, Nick and Charlie are always shown as the perfect couple, this one perfectly balances it. So it was definitely a much needed addition to the series.
It added another layer to the characters of Nick and Charlie, Charlie struggling to communicate his feelings to Nick and as they realise how important they are to each other.
It’s definitely not a filler novella at all. Also I definitely see why it is in the form of a short story and not in comic format. I would recommend reading this after reading Heartstopper, in order to fully understand the story.
If you enjoyed Heartstopper, you should definitely give this a try.

The Divining Thread – book review

Book Review
Rating:3/5, ⭐

Synopsis –
Zarene is about to marry the prince of Shandrabad. A young woman of high standing and impeccable upbringing, she can only be faulted for one thing: her fixation on dressmaking.

Her world is turned upside down when she encounters a ghagra that divines the future. Haunted by the secrets it shares with her in her waking hours and her dreams, she makes it her sole purpose in life to find its maker and become their apprentice.

Review-
I was excited to read it after reading the synopsis, it sounded something like I would enjoy. I was expecting it to be adventurous, following a character on a quest , totally my thing. But it was totally opposite, the author spent more time explaining weaving and delicacies, as someone who doesn’t have much interest in weaving, it was off putting and made it difficult to get through it . I was expecting some intense action packed scenes, but there was barely any of it.
I could see the author was somewhat inspired by ‘The Alchemist ‘ by the way the story is plotted, it reminded me of it. Even though it’s barely 170 pages long, it was slow paced , making it harder to get into the story.
The author also uses a lot of fancy words, making it unnecessarily harder to read.
There were some enjoyable parts. Overall, it was an okayish read and if you are a fan of books like The Alchemist, I think you will enjoy it.

⭐⭐

Piranesi – book review

Rating:4/5,⭐

Synopsis-

Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.

There is one other person in the house—a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.

Review-

This is the first book I read by this author. I solely read this book based on the synopsis. It is written in a journal style.
It takes time to fully understand what’s going on and to get used to the narration style. It was a bit hard to connect to the story but once I did, I kept turning the pages to know what happens next. This book requires patience, if you are looking for a quick read this won’t be it. It’s hard to get through the first half of the book but it’s the second half of the book where things get exciting and becomes more of a suspense novel.

I also enjoyed the philosophical conversations in it. I was impressed by the story telling, it was remarkable. It was a memorable read. If you enjoy books with dark undertones, this one is for you

It was a refreshing read. It is written in form of a journal. I liked the world building and the philosophy discussed in it.

How to Live Your Life by Ruskin Bond – book review

Ratinng:5/5,⭐

Ruskin Bond, is the author who got me into reading books. His stories are simple but very impactful. I love how he includes little details of everyday life in his stories.
In this book he offers advice based on his experience. He discusses topics like talent, time and life, ideas. I also like that it’s very easy to understand. He doesn’t use any fancy sentences. Everyone can learn something from this book. I also liked that there was a handwritten letter from the author included in the book.
The illustrations included made it more enjoyable to read. It’s a short read, it can be easily finished in one sitting. I do recommend it. If you are a fan of Ruskin Bond you should definitely give this a read.

The Ivory Key- book review

RATING: 5/5,⭐

Vira is desperate to establish her legacy as a revered maharani of Ashoka. But with the country’s only quarry running out of magic – a precious resource that has kept Ashoka safe from conflict for centuries- she can no longer protect her citizens from the looming threat of war.

Vira’s only hope is to find a mysterious artefact of legend. the Ivory Key. But in order to retrieve it, she must reunite with her estranged siblings, who have taken very different paths.

Vira, Ronak. Kaleb and runaway Riya each have something to gain from finding the Ivory Key – and even more to lose if they fail. But with each sibling harbouring secrets, the very thing that brought them together could tear apart their family and their world – for good.

I totally enjoyed reading this book and it was a very refreshing read. The story is told through the perspective of the siblings. The author was able to tell the story through different perspectives really well and the transitions were really smooth.

The relationship between the siblings was structured really well. All the siblings were very contrasting and had different personalities.

The storyline was very intriguing and I liked how the siblings solved various riddles. I also liked that the romance doesn’t divert the attention from the actual storyline, it is very hard to find that in fantasy books these days.It is also very unpredictable and had many twists, which made it very entertaining. The ending was totally unexpected, I would definitely read the sequel.

If you love The Originals and love adventurous fantasy books, then you should give this a try.

The Daily Laws- book review

Rating: 5/5,⭐

Blurb: Over the last 22 years, Robert Greene has provided insights into every aspect of being human whether that be getting what you want, understanding others’ motivations, mastering your impulses, and recognizing strengths and weaknesses. The Daily Laws distills that wisdom into daily entries.Each entry delivers refined and concise wisdom from one of his books, in an easy to digest lesson that will only take a few minutes to read, as well as a Commandment — a prescription or prompt for the reader to follow.

My thoughts:
I usually find self-help books boring because most of the times I am not able to connect to the author’s writing style. But I found this book really helpful and the writing style was engaging. I also liked that the author had included examples too which made it easier to understand the concepts.
This book is a great introduction to Robert Greene’s work and it also has extracts from his previous books and as well as from his upcoming book. I would recommend to read it slowly, to understand it better and absorb more of the content.
The only drawback I found was that the book being in the form of short daily entries, the author doesn’t go in depth to explain to concepts. So if you are looking for detailed explaining of the concept than this isn’t the right book for you. This is the first book I have read from this author, now I totally understand why his books are so popular. I would definitely read his previous books now. Overall, if you are new to self help genre or want to enrich your skills you should give this book a try.

Defy the Night- book review

Rating: 2/5,⭐

This is the first book I have read by Brigid Kemmerer. I found the storyline intriguing and it made me pick this book.
I found all the characters very generic and unoriginal. The plot is predictable too, I was able to guess most of the twists and turns.
The only thing I liked was the world building, it was done well and I was able to imagine most of the places.
Overall I found it underwhelming, I think the storyline could have been improved a lot and the story did have a lot of potential. This book does have a refreshing concept but the author ended up using the tropes which I think have been now overused in young adult literature and had nothing new to offer. I hope the sequel will be better.

Iron Widow- book review

Rating:5/5,⭐

I totally enjoyed reading this book. I liked how the author blended Chinese culture and history with fantasy and science-fiction.
All the characters are well crafted are unique in their own way. I loved the main character, Zetian Wu- she is very fierce and easily loveable.
It also features a polyamorous relationship, at first I was skeptical about it but it was very well executed and totally worked with the storyline.
The plot is well constructed, it had many unexpected twists and turns. It ended on a cliffhanger, I would definitely read the sequel. This is my favorite read of this year. If you love futuristic and dystopian fantasy books then I highly recommended this.

Under the Whispering Door- book review

Rating: 5/5,⭐

My thoughts:

This was a heartwarming read. The story is based on themes of death, grief, healing and redemption.
The story is character driven. I loved the way the character of Wallace was developed, throughout it was very raw and real. I found all the characters unique and easily relatable.
It also features queer romance which I found very adorable and sweet. It also deals with heavy topics but the author handled it in a perfect and sensitive way. There are various messages and lessons which are incorporated in the story.
T.J. Klune certainly outdid himself with this book. I totally enjoyed reading it and I highly recommend it

Not Here to be Liked- book review

Rating: 4.5/5,⭐

Blurb: Falling in love wasn’t part of the plan. Eliza Quan fully expects to be voted the next editor-in-chief of her school paper. She works hard, she respects the facts, and she has the most experience. Len DiMartile is an injured star baseball player who seems to have joined the paper just to have something to do. Naturally, the staff picks Len to be their next leader. Because while they may respect Eliza, they don’t particularly like her - but right now, Eliza is not here to be liked. She’s here to win. But someone does like Eliza. A lot. Shame it’s the boy standing in the way of her becoming editor-in-chief….

My thoughts:

This was such a delightful read. It explores many themes like feminism, performative activism, double standards in our society.
The main character, Eliza was easily relate able and realistic. I liked the discussion on the topic, what it means to be a good feminist and it was thought provoking. I liked the way the side effects were fleshed out and they had their own flaws, which made them interesting.
The romance was very well written, it was slow burn which I totally loved.
The pacing of the story was medium, it does get a bit repetitive in the last few pages. Overall it was an entertaining read, I liked that it discusses about a lot of important topics in a balanced way.
I do recommend it.