I’m hopefully back to blogging consistently (I still posted some of my reviews on goodreads or youtube but I’ve been very bad at blogging). January was a horrid reading month due to final exams but hopefully the rest of the year won’t be so bad
Bound by Mark Lawrence (Book of the Ancestor 2.5) - 5 stars
I didn't read much at all during January thanks to final exams taking up most of my time, but when I found out that this existed I just had to read it even if it meant getting basically no sleep, and I'm really glad I did. The story picks up not too long after Grey Sister ends, there's been 3 young Sis murdered, despite their extensive security measures. As a result Ara goes undercover to investigate who is behind the murders and yes, the answer was pretty satisfying to read and very fitting for the series. So yeah, the whole "it is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size" kept coming to mind when thinking of this being "a kissing story", though if you're expecting some romance you won't be disappointed (hint: it's lesbians, again, but new pair, that I was very much cheering for). Overall it was definitely the best way to kickstart my reading year but it was over way too soon and it's making the wait for Holy Sister even more torturous (I got an ARC of Grey Sister about a year ago, it's been a long wait! If I don't get one for Holy Sister soon I might just die and no, I'm not being overly dramatic!)
Miss Burma by Charmaine Craig - 4 stars
I read Miss Burma because while it didn’t appeal to me, someone told me it was similar to Pachinko but better, and that made me want to start it immediately. It took me a really long time to read, because it took me a really long time to get into it. The writing style is weird, it’s very dry at times and sometimes it feels very removed when it shouldn’t be. Miss Burma is a weird mix between a family memoir and a history book, telling the tale of Louisa’s and her parents’ life, what was going on historically to affect their lives, and the effect they had on the history of Burma. I found the historical aspect very intriguing, the race aspect of it was very strong - all the discrimination the Karen people faced in Burma by Burmans and white people alike, despite their strong loyalty to the British. However, the memoir component didn’t quite do it for me. Around halfway through the book (which is also around the time Louisa’s point of view is introduced) it felt to me like characters were more interesting and intriguing without seeing things from their point of view, for example, Louisa seen through everyone else’s eyes feels way less one dimensional than she does when you’re seeing the world through her eyes. Regardless, the historical component and the discussion of belonging, race and discrimination is certainly very strong and I can definitely appreciate the amount of work the author did to build up the historical context around her family’s history, even if the characters could have done with more work or a different writing style.
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