S. Michelle

Honest and Devastating

Revisado: 08-06-18

So raw and visceral in it's matter-of-factness, I could not put this heartbreaking, devastating book down. It was so interesting to read this right after reading Beautiful Boy, his father's memoir, and seeing how vastly different their perspectives are. In Beautiful Boy, his father is so wrapped up in his addiction and recovery, but he is very absent from Nic's book even though they both write about the same events. It was a fascinating comparison on the lives of an addict and the loved one of an addict and just how different the same story can be when told from two perspectives.

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Loved every minute

Revisado: 06-29-18

Loved every minute of this book. The narrator for the audiobook was phenomenal and really brought the story to life. About halfway through I had to stop listening to it at night because I was too creeped out! Even days after finishing, the story lingers and I'm wary of going downstairs late at night after everyone else is already asleep for fear that the Outsider will be lurking in my home.

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Elio, Oliver, Oliver, Elio - Utterly Exquisite

Revisado: 02-06-18

Exquisite is the one word I would use to describe this book if I had to only choose one. I cannot remember the last time I read a book that was so utterly exquisite. A book that left me in a puddle of my own tears. A book that inspires what feels like true heartache.

A true slow burn even though Elio's obsession with Oliver begins on page one, on the first word. "Later!" This hated word that he ruminates over throughout the entire book and stays with him his entire life. "Later!" A concept that runs through the entire story - later, later, later.

This book is very voyeuristic - the reader prying directly into Elio's thoughts. The narration of Elio enforces that - there is no other omniscient narrator who does the voyeurism on the reader's behalf. This is like one of those books who found as a kid where you weren't sure if you were supposed to be reading it or not, it pushed boundaries, and that made it exciting. I wasn't sure I should be reading this book. Wasn't sure I should be delving into the intense intimacy built between Elio and Oliver. And yet there I was and I couldn't get enough, couldn't shy away from it. I craved this book every moment of my day.

Armie Hammer's narration of the audiobook created an atmosphere of indulgence, his voice taking the prose and making it into poetry. And beyond that, it reinforces the idea of Oliver and Elio blending together where they aren't sure where one ends and the other begins. Oliver, the movie's Oliver, reading the thoughts of Elio as though they were his own. Elio, Oliver, Oliver, Elio. A true blending of these two characters, bodies, hearts, and souls.

I fell deeply in love with this book, with Elio, with Oliver, with Oliver and Elio, Elio and Oliver. One I will reread again and again. As soon as I can recover from this deep ache in my core.

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Stunningly beautiful from beginning to end

Revisado: 01-22-18

As always, Claire North knocks it out of the park. This book was rather different from her other books - it didn't have a real plot, but rather was just a snippet into the life of Charlie, the Harbinger of Death. I found myself savoring this book as I fell more in love with Charlie and the very courteous Death.

Peter Kenny's performance, and I do mean performance, is beautiful. He is one of my favorite audiobook narrators because he always does so much more than just read the story. He truly becomes the characters.

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Could read this again and again - and will

Revisado: 01-19-17

I'm seriously in love with this book. I've listened to it twice now, as I was due for a re-read when I finally got the sequel (also, phenomenal). Hodgson weaves a compelling mystery set in a debtors prison in 1700s London. It kept me guessing until the very end and even on the re-read, I enjoyed the characters so much that it didn't even matter that I knew the ending. The world that Hodgson built was intriguing and well researched because it really came alive for me.

John Lee's narration is incredible as always - he's my favorite audiobook narrator for a reason.

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Cannot. Get. Enough.

Revisado: 02-15-15

The world that Pierce Brown expertly creates in this series, is so compelling, beautiful, and frightening in what it shows humans are capable of when given an ounce of power over another. Darrow is a flawed character trying to do the right thing - but he doesn't always get it right which makes him so compelling to follow. He's hot headed and stubborn and thrust into situations beyond his control and unlike most books like this, he doesn't always come out ahead just because he's the main character. He's faced with impossible choices and doesn't somehow magically always make the right decision.

To compare this book to the Hunger Games (and it gets that comparison a lot) does it a serious disservice. I enjoyed the Hunger Games books for what they were, but Red Rising goes above and beyond in its rich world building, compelling and flawed characters, and the Greek mythology woven throughout. The characters aren't shallow, one dimensional creatures who never develop and there isn't a love triangle that takes precedence above all else. This book is about justice and inclusion and learning that not everything is black and white (Hunger Games felt very black and white to me).

Tim Gerard Reynolds' narration is beyond perfect - he truly brings all of the characters to life.

This is a book series I will listen to every single year just because I love it so much. I laughed with Sevro, I wept with Darrow, I fell in love with the characters and with Brown's writing. I think it's time for a re-read.

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