Reviews Week 36

  Reviews Week 36

September 5th-11th

Book 118: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

By J. K. Rowling

Read on September 7th

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2022 review-

I love how Eddie Redmayne has read this book in the audiobook version. It was a joy to listen to it again. 

2018 review- 

This is the second time I have read this book, but I decided to listen to the audiobook. If you can, make sure you listen to the audiobook version of this. It was incredible. The production level was top-notch, and listening to Eddie Redmayne read this book in the character of Newt was not only excellent but also the best way to absorb this book. Also, they have the sounds of the creatures playing in the background when he is reading the entries, which makes it atmospheric.

Overall, this is an engaging informational guide about many of the creatures that are in the Harry Potter books and also in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie. It is an excellent addition to the series, and really if you want to read this, I'd listen to the audiobook. It made me enjoy it a little more than when I first read it. Regarding the print book, the notes that Ron and Harry make in the book's margins are funny and a cute little way to tie this in with the series. Especially since this was one of their textbooks. Clever and creative.

Book 119: Norse Mythology

By Neil Gaiman

Read on September 7th

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Many of the tales in this book I have heard before, whether that be from the Magnus Chase series by Rick Riordan, through the second volume of this graphic novel series, or from other Norse Mythology books I have read. It was great listening to this book, which was read by Neil Gaiman. His narration always makes his books even better than they already are. He could read a phone book and I would love it. I'm a big fan of mythology and really have been getting into Norse myths over the past five years or so. This book was an entertaining read with so many great tales.

My favorites are "The Apples of Immortality," "The Master Builder," and "The Last Days of Loki." One of the common factors between all of these stories is my love of Loki as a character. These each deal with his plans that do not go as he expects. He is such an interesting character from Norse Mythology and is definitely my favorite of them by far. 

I would love it if Neil did other mythology books. 

Book 120: Blood of Troy

By Claire M. Andrews

Read on September 6th-9th

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I really enjoyed this take on the Trojan War, especially the diversions from the original story. Going into books about Troy and the war, you come to expect certain key details. Greek Mythology books are some of my absolute favorites, and I have experienced many different takes on the story. Claire's way of handling many of the story beats were some of the best parts of this book, such as Helen's reason for going to Troy, the whole reason the war started, and the gods' part in the war. This book diverged from the original tales quite a lot but still felt true to it. 

One of the parts that surprised me the most about this book was the fact that I did not hate Paris as much as I usually do. I'm not saying I loved him or anything, but he's not as horrible as usual.  He is one of those characters that I never root for at all. This time around, I cannot say that I rooted for him, but he's not as bad. Another aspect that surprised me was how much I rooted for the Trojans during this novel. I will not spoil what happens, but I really enjoyed where Claire took this story. 

My favorite part of this entire novel was the depiction of Helen as a character. I absolutely loved her in this telling. In most retellings of the Trojan War, Helen is not given much in regard to character. She was not only given a good amount of time in this novel, but she also was so much more two-dimensional than most authors will take her. I liked seeing the friendship that developed between Daphne and Helen. The loyalty that Daphne feels for Helen feels so genuine because of this, and I loved seeing that develop throughout the book. 

The only aspect of this novel that brought it down for me was Daphne not being honest with her friends around her. I don't like when withholding information in books causes problems between the characters later on.

Overall, I really enjoyed this take on the Trojan war and the continuation of Daphne's story. Here's hoping for another book, especially with that ending. 

Book 121: Hooky Vol. 2

By Miriam Bonastre Tur

Read on September 11th

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Another great volume of Hooky. I really enjoyed this volume and the adventure that Dani and Dorian go on. The best parts of this were the aspects with Damien and the looks into the past with him and their parents. Cannot wait to see what will happen next in the series. Also, I loved the chapters with the grandmother who was cursed to look like a wolf.