Monthly Monkey Mini Reviews – Fun Times for February 2023!

Well not that fun for me, because I managed to get COVID again in January! Sooo not exactly the start to the year I had in mind! Still, there’s always movies and books to keep me going 😉

Rosaline– every so often a flawless rom com comes along- and this was one of those times! I fell head over heels for this Romeo and Juliet retelling. Sending up the most ridiculous elements of the play, it engages with the most famous critiques of the play (ie they don’t know each other, Romeo’s fickle, they’re both too young). And somehow, while we all know it has to end in tears, it manages to stay true to the opening tone, using a comedic style that really works. And, unlike the original, it has a romance that actually works 😉

Coco– oh gosh this was pitch perfect! I know, this is hardly a ground-breaking announcement but YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS FILM!! It’s a deeply meaningful movie about coming together as a family, the fickleness of fame and (of course) music! I loved how this didn’t just give a saccharine message about music saving your soul, showing instead how we can sometimes worship the wrong things and remember the wrong people (while the most important people are forgotten). A truly lovely animation.

When Women Were Dragons– I’m not gonna blow smoke up anyone’s arse- this book was a great big NOTHING. Spending (too many) pages slapping us round the face with a (bad) allegory, where the author imagines women take back their power and spontaneously transform into dragons. (A concept that admittedly sounds rather badass even if you haven’t drunk the Kool-Aid). Sadly, I spent the entire time wondering BUT WHERE IS THE PLOT??! I just wanted to know where it was going and found myself bored. Especially as the dragons don’t do much dragonish things (beyond the initial human bonfires). There’s no sitting on piles of treasure and kidnapping damsels (presumably male ones in the case of this book). They just kinda disappear and then *reappear*, whilst going about normal day-to-day things. It actually gets very campy, with dragons walking round 1950s America with handbags and heels. Which is still not as interesting as I’m making it sound. Just know that the author thinks all women are dragons and hates men and is an intersectional feminist- because the author sure as hell wants you to know that (as she tells her way to a very, very corny World Peace ending). Not trying to get all hot under the collar here- but this book really was not worth my time.

Rating: 2/5 bananas

Dead Romantics– I want to say right away that I was dead impressed with a lot of things in this book. And as long as I don’t think about it too much, a lot of the problems could remain unseen. So if you want to read a cute romance and not have me kill the fun, look away now… Because it is a flawed book. Unfortunately, there were far too many subplots smooshed together. So much so, the tone got lost and it didn’t quite work. I’m supposed to believe, for instance, this is happening in the immediate aftermath of a sudden death. And yet, it didn’t read like the heroine was struggling to come to terms with what would be fresh grief. It’s an oddly timed story where the main character is bouncing along with a ghost and trying to do some writing. Which was odd. That said, I wasn’t exactly haunted by these flaws. I felt like this is the kind of character who doesn’t know how to embrace gloomy, grim reality… and that made an odd sense. Sort of. Like I said: just don’t think about it.

Rating: 3½/5 bananas

Every Heart a Doorway– I really like the concept of exploring what happens when children come back from a portal fantasy world- which is why I have been dying to pick up the Wayward Children series for some time. I had heard it was flawed, but was curious about the unique worlds and writing style. And it didn’t disappoint in that respect- this certainly had unique world building. However, I didn’t feel like this delivered much in other areas. As much as it tries to distance itself from the Chronicles of Narnia (openly critiquing the use of Christian allegory), this read very much as a woke allegory. It didn’t feel like natural storytelling, but rather a forced message about fitting in and acceptance. With a murder mystery thrown in, because there was death in their worlds… I guess? I never entirely understood what that was doing there. A lot of things were never really explained (like why some people got to go back) while other things were over-explained (like how the worlds worked). Still, it was a reasonably short book and I got something out of it- I’m still not entirely sure what.

Rating: 3/5 bananas

Legends and Lattes– ahh this quiet book was a breath of fresh air. The concept follows fantasy characters happens after the adventure has finished… setting up their very own coffee shop! It’s as cosy and sweet as that sounds. With a side of yummy sounding treats and a sweet romance, this was a relaxing read that does what it says on the tin.

Rating: 4/5 bananas

Cursed– this suffers a little from the curse of the finale. While it had some really good twists and a lot of things I liked, it didn’t quite live up to the charm of Gilded. And while I did appreciate the way this continued the motif of storytelling, some parts felt a little contrived and forced. Ultimately though, it took me by surprise enough for me to get a fair amount of enjoyment out of it. It’s just a pity I can’t rave about this as much as I’d like- but I guess all that glitters is not gold 😉

Rating: 4/5 bananas

Daisy Darker– Alice Feeney often comes across as quite a contentious author- you either love her or hate her it seems. I for one absolutely adore her kooky, off-the-wall thrillers. I find in her mesmeric prose a deep sense of place and character. I have often been surprised by her peculiar twists- but I can’t deny they work (for me). With that being said, I wouldn’t blame anyone who thought the twist was a bit left of field. Without spoilers, I can say it’s one that I easily would’ve groaned at. I mean, it’s a little left of field and something that’s not entirely original. And yet, in the hands of this author it completely worked for me. I found myself flicking back through the pages for the clues I knew would be there, thinking “of course, how could I have missed that?” For me, it was a masterclass in suspense and warped storytelling. And I loved every second of it.

Rating: 5/5 bananas

Ten Thousand Stitches– here’s another Regency Faerie Tale that was a PURE DELIGHT! And this time, it plays into the concept of Cinderella, with the best faerie godfather that a maid could find. And while this Cinderella is giving and kind, she’s also angry and irritated (I mean, wouldn’t you be?) I loved the chuckle-inducing wit and wonderfully drawn characters. All of it is stitched together in a vibrant fantasy, with a brilliantly embroidered setting. With beautiful threads about humanity and the purpose of anger, once again Atwater proves she can add depth to her fantastical tales. I highly recommend this series if you haven’t checked it out yet!

Rating: 5/5 bananas

That’s all for now! Have you read any of these? What did you think of them? Let me know in the comments! And I hope you all had a good month! ❤

Monthly Monkey Mini Reviews – January 2023

Hello all! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Here’s to a LOVELY 2023!

I’m feeling fresh and chill after all that SNOW last month!

Cannot believe it’s a new year!! Let’s hope it’s a brilliant time for books, blogging and entertainment! Are we all ready to rumble?! Cos I certainly am!

Do Revenge– well this was a bit of a mess- but an enjoyable mess nonetheless! I had a lot of fun with this chaotic revenge drama… as long as I didn’t think about it too much. The characters flipflop between being good and evil, likeable and unlikeable. And I liked going along for the ride- until of course it overdid it and accelerated right off the tracks. I don’t know what it is about movies like this going one twist too far- yet this very obviously had one (or two depending on your perspective) twist too far. Another massive downside was how keen this campy, absurd movie was to get THE MESSAGE across. I saw one review saying that the good thing about this movie was that it didn’t take itself too seriously- however I don’t think that’s true at all. I think the problem is it takes itself way too seriously. It was trying too hard to be a #MeToo story that it didn’t follow through with the twist. Instead, it went with the obvious villain and the supposed “girl power” ending that didn’t feel earned. Like I said, this is an enjoyable movie. Just don’t think about it too much.

Lore Olympus Volume 1-3– now here’s a classic case of too much of a good thing. I was super impressed by this modern graphic novel retelling of Hades and Persephone. In some ways it wasn’t true to the original- yet the elements that were transformed would work much better for a modern audience. It was sensitive and the poetic licence was intelligently done. Plus, the plates in this book were utterly gorgeous. HOWEVER, this does take slow burn to a whole other level. As much as I liked these books, I don’t feel like finishing this series, because it quite simply doesn’t go anywhere. I would’ve thought after 3 volumes there would be more to the plot than this. So it’s an impressive feat and worth a go- but ye gods wrap it up already!

Rating: 4/5 bananas

The Boyfriend– there’s no way around it- this just was not a great book. There were easily better twists available than the *spoiler alert* boyfriend being a secret sociopath after her money. Now that I’ve told you the ending, I’ll tell you the beginning: it’s about a woman who has forgotten the last 3 months of her life and her new boyfriend (who it transpires she made up). Given that the main character had amnesia, she could’ve asked this guy to play her boyfriend for money. Or she could’ve been the sociopath. Or really anything other than the obvious and boring af answer. Sadly, this book ended up being completely forgettable. All I can say to this book is: it’s not me, it’s you.

Rating:2/5 bananas

London’s Number 1 Dog Walking Agency– this book had me bouncing around with joy! Witty and full of fun doggy characters, it had me barking out laughter left right and centre! I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the personalities in this non fic book (both human and doggy). There were some lovely, memorable moments (some that even made me tear up). And while this book is obviously for dog-people, I’d also say that it can win over even the surliest of dog-detractors (just as the book proves that a dog can eventually win over any person when they set their mind to it 😉)

Rating: 4/5 bananas

Diamond Eye– I don’t want to be too hard on this book, so I will say straight away that there were a lot of things I liked about it. There was some sharp characterisation and a strong sense of setting. Once again, Quinn proved she could bring a historical landscape to life. This time it is Kyiv during WW2- which absolutely makes for explosive drama. The disappointing thing about this book is that it doesn’t stay in wartime Kyiv. Instead, we are sent flitting off to the United States for an assassination attempt that (spoiler alert) never happened (but is that really a spoiler alert given we all know it didn’t happen?!) Personally, I prefer smaller scale stories, where you get down in the dirt with people trying to survive. Once you start bringing in real history, real people and real events… well then you lose me. Because there’s no point (in my mind) to creating a drama around an event where we all know the outcome. The stakes are so incredibly low because we know what’s going to happen from the start. So having this very uninteresting non-event be the climax of the book simply wasn’t exciting for me. Still, as much as I lost my patience by the end, I did get swept along with the story for most of it.

Rating: 3½/5 bananas

Half a Soul– sweetly romantic, this regency faerie tale was exactly what I could’ve wished for. Without being smutty or corny, it takes the historical landscape and sprinkles a pinch of magic to transform it into a delightful read. Not only did I love the characters and the story, but I also really admired how the faerie land was styled. It was faintly ridiculous, with an air of Wonderland. A quirky and dangerous place that captured my imagination. I highly recommend this if you’re looking for fantasy romance (and aren’t remotely impressed by the usual faerie love stories flying around these days).

Rating: 5/5 bananas

That’s all for now! Have you read any of these? What did you think of them? Let me know in the comments! And I hope you all had a good month! ❤