After You [A Review]

After You, by Jojo Moyes

   [Image courtesy of Goodreads]

Few sequels have managed to impress me. This one didn’t either.

This book is about letting go, living, family love and teenagers, among many other things. But it has not managed to move me. In fact, it’s a miracle I managed to finish the book.

Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh. I did enjoy the part when Lily went missing and I was hoping she would be all right. And then there was the part when Sam met with an “incident” on the job. Even though the events were a little cliche and expected. (I shall not elaborate further else I give away the bits that are worth reading.)

Oh, and yes, the British humour Moyes injected into the narrative helped.

VERDICT: Do not expect an emotional ride like what Me Before You is capable of giving.

A Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy [A Review]

A Court of Thorns and Roses (Book 1),

A Court of Mist and Fury (Book 2),

A Court of Wings and Ruin (Book 3) 

A trilogy by Sarah J. Maas

  [Image courtesy of Goodreads]

Reading the first book was like reading Beauty and the Beast, Hunger Games and Twilight all in one story, and it’s enough to hook anyone who has loved those stories before.

What got me started was really because the trilogy was recently completed with the publication of the third book, and the fact that it was actually one of the YA bestsellers in a local bookstore. In fact, I even saw teenage girls reading the third book on my way to work (although I’m not sure the content is entirely suitable for young teens). 

Of course, this being a trilogy and being a Sarah J. Maas creation, “happily ever after” is never an option at the end of the first book.

The plot gets complicated in the second book, and fans of female power will love the way Maas portrays the emotional and physical strength of the protagonist Feyre, and the way she was able to make so many beautiful males fall for her. But the second book was my least favourite, because I think it focused too much on the romantic (and sexual) tensions between Feyre and Rhysand. I shall not say too much on this, so that I do not give the game away, only that I understand the need for Maas to describe a couple of the really passionate scenes, but not subsequent ones. In fact, the subsequent ones just grew to become tired and long-winded for me, because I was more interested in the political and tactical games that the Night Court had to play in order to save the world. Thankfully, the third book had more of the latter, although it got a tad too melodramatic for my liking at times.

VERDICT: Other than the fact that the protagonist was a nineteen-year-old who became a fighting machine in a matter of weeks, this series is not exactly YA material, especially for those below 16, mainly because of the raw manner in which Mass has depicted the sex scenes. Other than that, the story makes for page-turning, fast reading, and is perfect if you want some entertainment that should not be taken too seriously.