Thursday 31 January 2019

Book Review: The Suspect by Fiona Barton


Book: The Suspect

Author: Fiona Barton

Pages: 381

Read on: Kindle

Read in: 3 hours

Plot Summary: When two eighteen-year-old girls go missing on their gap year in Thailand, their families are thrust into the international spotlight: desperate, bereft and frantic with worry. 

Journalist Kate Waters always does everything she can to be first to the story, first with the exclusive, first to discover the truth – and this time is no exception. But she can’t help but think of her own son, who she hasn’t seen in two years, since he left home to go travelling. This time it’s personal.
And as the case of the missing girls unfolds, they will all find that even this far away, danger can lie closer to home than you might think. 

Things I Liked:
1. The premise of this book is very interesting and gut wrenching. As a parent, there is, possibly, nothing worse than your child going missing! So, imagine your young daughter going missing during her gap year in Thailand! Miles and miles away in every which way from your life in small-town England! So scary! 

2.  The story unfolds from three different perspectives- that of Kate Waters (the reporter), Lesley O'Connor (the mother) and Alex O'Connor (one of the girls who goes missing in Bangkok). Through each of these perspectives, we get to see a different side of the same situation- the reporter hustling, building a rapport with the victims' families to get her story, the parents- their anguish and agony and, finally, we see events unfolding in Thailand from the moment Alex and Rosie get there. 

3. The story is very fast-paced and the events unfold in rapid succession. There is never a dull moment in this book. There are new developments galore and the story of the missing girls shifts from being one thing to being another. 

4. If you've been following Barton's other books (The Widow and The Child), you will like getting to re-visit with some familiar characters such as DI Sparkes and even Kate Waters, our trusty investigative journalist, which is always a nice thing. 

5. The mystery behind the missing girls builds up nicely and is also resolved quite satisfactorily. 
6. I like that there was no time wasted in regards to the fate of the girls, we find out pretty soon what became of them and we don't spend a massive chunk of time wondering and worrying about them. I like books that don't prolong the agony. 
7. I also really enjoyed the setting of this book, Thailand- where most of the action takes place. I liked that we were taken to the seedier side of Bangkok. The grimy hotels, the dirt rooms and the people that inhabit this world, really added to the story. 

Things I Didn't Like: 

1. I know that there has to be a certain suspension of disbelief when it comes to fiction and psychological thrillers. But still...there were some things that happened in this book that were just too convenient for my liking. Some people and some connections were far too convenient to be believable! It sort of ruined the book for me! 

2. At the end of the book, Kate makes a certain decision about the actions of a certain character, which I am not too thrilled about. It went against what Kate has stood for the past two books. Don't want to discuss it here because it is a huge spoiler! But, if you read the book, you will know what I am talking about! 

Rating: 3.5/ 5

Tuesday 29 January 2019

Book Review: The Forest of Enchantments by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.


Book: The Forest of Enchantments

Author: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (CBD)

Pages: 372

Publisher: Harper Collins

Read On: Hardback edition picture above

How Long it Took Me To Read: 3 days

Plot Summary: The Ramayana, one of the world's greatest epics, is also a tragic love story. In this brilliant retelling, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni places Sita at the centre of the novel: this is Sita's version. The Forest of Enchantments is also a very human story of some of the other women in the epic, often misunderstood and relegated to the margins: Kaikeyi, Surpanakha, Mandodari. A powerful comment on duty, betrayal, infidelity and honour, it is also about women's struggle to retain autonomy in a world that privileges men, as Chitra transforms an ancient story into a gripping, contemporary battle of wills. While the Ramayana resonates even today, she makes it more relevant than ever, in the underlying questions in the novel: How should women be treated by their loved ones? What are their rights in a relationship? When does a woman need to stand up and say, 'Enough!'

Review: CBD's books are somewhat of a place of comfort for me. In her characters and the worlds they inhabit, I often find myself soothed and reminded of stories told in my family. It is a place I am familiar with. Maybe, it has something to do with being a Bengali and reading her books take me back memories of aunts and grandmothers and summers spent in Calcutta. I have read everything she's ever written, barring I think The Mistress of Spices- which for some reason doesn't quite appeal to me- needless to say, I am a fan.

Like everyone else, I read The Palace of Illusions and loved it. It wasn't a surprise that I did. The Mahabharata is my favourite epic/story/tale of all time. I will forever and more want to read different versions and interpretations of it. And to see that world from Draupadi's perspective. I WAS SOLD. I haven't read the book since it first came out and I really need to give it a re-read. I am sure I will love it now, as much as I did back then.

My enthusiasm for this book wasn't nearly as high. Simply because I am not The Ramayana's biggest fan. To me, this epic feels like a sermon. A lesson in needless self-sacrifice and full of sanctimonious characters, none of whom I grew to care about. Plus, as a modern thinking woman, I find several aspects of it deeply problematic.

So why did I pick this book up?

Good question!

First up, this is one the most gorgeous books I've seen in a long, long time! It is stunning. A work of art. I am so happy I got this book, a hardback and didn't opt for or rather wait for the paperback edition to come out.

Secondly, I'd read anything CBD writes. I love her work and I was curious to see if, after reading this book I felt differently about the characters of the Ramayana. Though, truth be told, I knew that I wouldn't change my mind in a big way, I just wanted to see if my dislike for them softened a bit.

And did it?

Maybe...

Things I Liked: 

1. The writing as expected was wonderful, the place and time and these legendary characters were all done justice to.

2. Sita- we see her whole entire life in this book. From her early childhood, idyllic and full of kindness and good people to her days in Ayodhya and it's many complicated and shifting equations and to her seemingly hard life in the forest during her exile and the year she spent in Lanka and the heartache after. We see her navigate these different periods of her life and see her evolve yet remain the same person she was raised to be. So in so many ways the Sita you see here and get to know is so much more relatable than you'd imagine. I found her more real and less Goddess and more flesh and blood woman. She was still incredibly virtuous but her thoughts were surprisingly realistic. I felt like we saw a much more nuanced Sita. She was so much more than a wife of a God, a Queen or a woman who comes across as a damsel in distress. She was a woman wronged, a wife abandoned and a single mother raising her twin boys in the middle of the forest, she had to have been more than just a woman pining away for her man.

3. The men in this book and honestly in the original epic have got to do better. I absolutely loved how Ram and even Lakshman were depicted in this book. Maybe, that's because it completely matched with how see the two brothers. While their devotion to each other is commendable, I always found it a little unnerving and honesty, a bit much. It's like there was no room for anyone else in their lives. Ram in particular always seemed a little too good to be true. So pious and so right and so good that he never seemed human to me. And in this book, we see him flaws and all.

4. The pace of this book was pretty fantastic, for all that it covers, it does so swiftly and yet doesn't compromise on content.

5. I really appreciated that we stayed with Sita throughout her life and didn't unnecessarily deviate off to see Ram's journey. I was kinda dreading that we'd have to read about Ram and Lakshman's adventures in trying to rescue Sita. But I was so happy to see that those parts of the story were not focussed on.

6. There were some portions of the story I preferred over the others. The Ayodha bits were fun, simply because we met the Queen mothers and delved into their backgrounds and tensions among them. I liked how Sita navigated her new home and how she found her place in the palace. The exile portions were interesting too, especially seeing how what seems like an out and out punishment to some, might just be, even fleetingly, a respite from royal responsibilities.

7. Lanka and it's people and seeing the havoc wrecked upon them was perhaps my favourite portion of the book. Seeing these so called monsters through a human lens was fascinating and interesting.

8. The book, apart from being focussed on Sita, also looked at other important women in the epic and gave them and their stories some importance, instead of leaving them as mere footnotes in the great story of Ram. Women like Mandodari, Surpanakha, Urmila, Kaikaiye and Kaushalya are all fleshed out and reading about them was truly enjoyable.

Things I Didn't Like: 

My edition had two typos. One towards the end was a minor one where someone's name was misprinted. This was no biggie.

But in the very beginning of the book, it said that 10 years after their wedding Ram was exiled. I think it was meant to be 10 months and not 10 years. This mistake might really throw off a reader who doesn't know the epic well enough.

I also felt like there was a lot of foreshadowing throughout the book, so in in some ways this book just assumes that you know the Ramayana, which was fine for me but might be slightly off-putting for a reader who comes into this book not being well-versed in their study of Indian epics.

Rating: 4/5

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and I overall really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.


Monday 28 January 2019

Book Review: The Stranger Upstairs by Melanie Raabe

Book: The Stranger Upstairs

Author: Melanie Raabe

Pages: 346

Read On: Kindle

Read In: 4 hours

Plot Summary: Several years ago, your husband, and the father of your young son, disappeared. Since then, you’ve dreamed of his return; railed against him for leaving you alone; grieved for your marriage; and, finally, vowed to move on.

One morning, the phone rings. When you answer, a voice at the other end tells you your husband’s on a plane bound for home, and that you’ll see him tomorrow.
You’ve imagined this reunion countless times. Of course you have. But nothing has prepared you for the reality. For you realize you don’t know this man. 
Because he isn’t your husband, he’s a complete stranger – and he’s coming home with you.
Even worse, he seems to know about something very bad you once did, something no one else could possibly know about . . . Could they?


Things I Liked: 

1. The premise of the book seemed really interesting. A man gone for seven years and an imposter has taken his place! What is not to like about such a premise?! I was quite excited to pick up this book to figure out if the man returned after seven years was, indeed, Sarah Petersen's husband or not. 

2. The build up of the story and suspense is nicely done. Once "Peter" returns, it is interesting to see how Sarah reacts and how "Peter" keeps baiting her- not fully saying whether he is Peter or someone else. 

3. There is some mystery connected to a date night gone wrong several years ago, just before Peter left for his ill-fated trip to Colombia. There is a fair amount of intrigue around that as well. 


Things I Didn't Like: 

1. The pace of this book was insanely slow! There were multiple useless, pointless chapters from Sarah's perspective ruminating about her days in the garden, about some long-ago event she went to with Peter- none of these were needed! They did nothing to enhance the story in any which way! 

2. There are also alternating chapters from "Peter's" perspective. They give us nothing! He just sounds sinister and makes it seem that he is not Peter in some of these chapters or that he is Peter in some other chapters! It is just so pointless! 


3. The book's ending was ridiculous! It was so weird, so silly and so inane that, as the kids these days say, "I just can't even!" I mean, the whole book was utterly pointless! (I don't want to spoil the ending for those who still want to read it!) 

Rating: 3/5 

Thursday 24 January 2019

Fashion Haul/// Embroidered Totes from Ahambhumika.

Hello! 

One of my favourite places to shop from is from local artisans. Especially rural artisans who work so hard to keep our handloom and handicraft traditions alive. I'd rather spend my money and support these artisans than give my money to big corporations. It makes me happy, so happy to support and in  my small way keep these arts flourishing. 

I came across Ahambhumika on IG and fell in love with their things. The aesthetic and art is simply splendid. And it's all made with love and by hand. They support rural artisans in and around Bhopal and help better their lives. A cause I am more than happy to support. 

I got a few things from them, some tote bags and cushion covers. 
Today I'll be sharing the gorgeous tote bags from them. 

Let's jump right into it..


Flying Free. 
My sister loves birds. So we couldn't resist getting this tote with flying birds on it. 
So gorgeous! 


Oh my! 
:) 
Look at how vivid and beautiful the work on this tote is. The embroidery is stunning and flawless. 



This tote reminded me of the old school Natraj pencils from my childhood. 
So cute! 



I am so happy with every single one of these totes. 

They are the perfect size. 
Well-made. 
The embroidery on each item was perfect!!! Gorgeous! 

I highly recommend you check them out! 


Sunday 20 January 2019

Stationery Sunday: Frankie Journal 2019

Today I want to share some snippets of my sister's gratitude journal for 2019- the Daily Journal by Frankie Magazine.


We got out first Frankie Journal in 2013 and then onwards, we have been using it off and on- skipping a few years in between- and we always find ourselves drawn to the beautiful illustrations!

This year's journal is no exception. Let's take a look!




The cover is always cloth bound, which feels so lovely on the hands. 




Look at the end pages. So pretty! 




This is what each month-at-a-glance looks like. 




Look how pretty!!! 




This is what a weekly spread looks like. There is a section for notes and for listing down new plants seen, which I think is so cute! 


I love having pages to jot down birthdays! 




Look at how pretty February looks! 



There are always these tear-out to-do lists and reminders! I always pull these out and stick them in my other journals/ planners. 

Hope you enjoyed this little sneak peek into the Frankie Journal. It's sold out for this year, but if you liked the overall aesthetic, then do pick it up next year. 

Saturday 19 January 2019

Whimsy Wear: Embroidered Circle Bags from Riddhi Pankaj

 Hello all,
I wanted to share a really beautiful recent addition to my purse collection- this beautiful 'P' initial floral embroidered circle bag from Riddhi Pankaj!

This is, perhaps, the sixth or seventh bag we have from Riddhi and each bag is so pretty and meticulously made!

Take a look!




Love the colours and the beautiful ribbon flowers! 





I love the various pinks on this bag and love how the burgundy 'P' stands out. 





This bag is quite spacious and is framed in really soft leather. The back pocket has a fair amount of give and can easily accommodate a phone and a slim card holder/ wallet. 

Really excited to carry this beauty out later this month! This was one of my Christmas gifts and I am waiting for the right day of fun to cart it around! 

To buy one of Riddhi's beautiful bags, you can reach out to her on her Instagram profile.

Tuesday 15 January 2019

Book Review: A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi




Book: A Very Large Expanse of Sea

Author: Tahereh Mafi 

Pages: 307 pages 

Read on: Kindle 

Read in: 3-4 hours 

Plot Summary: It’s 2002, a year after 9/11. It’s an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who’s tired of being stereotyped.

Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She’s tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments—even the physical violence—she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. So she’s built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother.

But then she meets Ocean James. He’s the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. It terrifies her—they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds—and Shirin has had her guard up for so long that she’s not sure she’ll ever be able to let it down.

Things I Liked:

1. Set in 2002, this book brings to life the everyday struggles of being Muslim in post-9/11 America. Shirin wears a hijab and because of that has to face endless harassment in school and on the streets from perfect strangers. The hatred she faces on the daily has made her turn away from making friends and letting anyone into her life. Shirin's loneliness, the hatred she endures and her defense mechanisms are heartbreaking yet relatable. 

2. I loved the little break-dancing crew made up of Shirin's brother- Navid- and three of his friends. Their daily practice sessions was the only socialisation that Shirin had and she made the most of it. The camaraderie of that bunch and their dream of performing in the school talent show was just about the only "normal" teenager-y element in the book. 

3. Ocean and Shirin's love story is rather sweet. The way they fall for each other, Shirin trying to push Ocean away afraid that him being seen with her would jeopardise his basketball career... Ocean's attempts to convince her to the contrary- all of it was quite cute. 

4. Through this book, the author attempts to show how much like everyone else a Persian family is- not like I needed convincing of that fact, but it was nice nonetheless. I loved all chapters, which showed Shirin and Navid's parents, all the yummy descriptions of Persian food and just their daily lives. More books should show glimpses of "normal" family lives of the people of different cultures because it simply underscores the universal truth that all families, at a very basic level, are all the same. 

Things I Didn't Like: 

1.  The drama over Shirin-Ocean's relationship from multiple quarters of the school, including Ocean's coach, was a bit ridiculous! It was equally ridiculous that the whole brouhaha over their relationship died down almost as quickly as it happened. 

2. Also, Ocean's big angst in life was a bit meh. It seemed almost forced- like "let's give this white boy some deep angst, so that we can make him more relatable"! 

Rating: 3.5/5 

Monday 14 January 2019

Book Haul: Christmas Book Haul! (Last Book Haul of 2018).


What is Christmas without a book haul? 
I like to treat myself every Christmas to to pile of new books! 
Why not? 
Ain't no present as good as a bunch of new books!!! 

Sorry this post is so late. Time just got away from me. 
But better late than never. 

I got all of these books from Amazon. 

Let's see the new loves added to my shelves during Christmas time. 


A Penguin English Library, honestly any excuse to buy these gorgeous books. 
This is a collection of short stories that I am keen on reading really soon. 


The complete short fiction of Virginia Woolf. 
Now I had ordered a prettier version but got this not-so-pretty-but-its-fine edition. 
:( 
I will make do. 
Also I am excited to jump into these soon. 
Though I might save them for October. 



I want to read more Premchand. I have so far read a few stories here and there but nothing definitive. I would love to read his work in Hindi but I read so slowly in Hindi it's not even funny!!! 
So for now translations will do just fine. 
Also, how gorgeous is this book? 
They have a whole set of these, his stories centred around various other topics. 
I might just get the rest of the books too soon. 



A story about two brothers and family secrets, sounds wonderful and I am really, really excited to read this soon. Maybe even this month. 


My current read and I am loving it. 
Short stories set in turbulent times and during times of peace. 
This gorgeous book had been on my radar all year long, so as my last book buying experience of 2018 I had to get it. 



Anita Nair is always a good idea. 
I read this in the last few days of 2018 and enjoyed it. 
I will be doing a full review of it soon. 


BOOKS BOUGHT/// 

1. THE GARDEN PARTY BY KATHERINE MANSFIELD 
2. STORIES ON WOMEN BY PREMCHAND 
3. EATING WASPS BY ANITA NAIR
4. PEACE HAS COME PARISMITA SINGH 
5. THE HAUNTED HOUSE- THE COMPLETE SHORTER FICTION OF VIRGINIA WOLF 
6. DARK CIRCLES BY UDAYAN MUKHERJEE 

So happy with everything in this haul. 
My reading life is full of good books in the near future. 

Happy Reading folks! 


Sunday 13 January 2019

Stationery Sunday: Haul/// Bookmarks from Obvious State.









Hello! 

For today's Stationery Sunday I wanted to share the other set of bookmarks I got from Obvious State back in December. This set had my heart from the first time I ever laid eyes on them. I saw them all over IG and I couldn't wait to get me a set of my own! I mean look at them. 
Poetry and Florals. This is a match made in aesthetic heaven! 
The Bloom Bookmark set retails for $5 and is worth every penny. 

I finally got this and few other bits from Obvious State during their Black Friday sale. I have shared my previous batch of bookmarks HERE. 

Those ones are mainly for my sister but this set here is my love. I am so happy I finally have these gorgeous bookmarks. Honestly, I am never going to have enough bookmarks. These ones are so well made and study and the art and print on them is perfect. I am so glad to finally have them. 

I have some bits from the shop and will share them soon! 

Hope you've been having a great Sunday. 
:) 

Friday 11 January 2019

Friday Favourites: Pins + Cushion + Sunsets + Flowers + Plushie.

Hello! 

My first batch of Friday Favourites for the year. 

Let's get started..


1. Sloths forever! In any shape and form, I love all things form. 
:) 




2. A favourite cushion of mine. The cover is from Chumbak. 
Bloom and Grow. 


3. Flopsie, a new furry friend from Miniso. 


4. Mellow golden sunsets. 


5. Gorgeous flowers. 

Have a great weekend ahead folks. 
I hope to hunker down and get started on a new book and read my weekend away. 


Thursday 10 January 2019

Book Review: Magic in Mussoorie by Atul Sethi and Vikas Upadhyay.


Book: Magic in Mussoorie

Writer: Atul Sethi

Art: Vikas Upadhyay

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Pages: 64

Read On: Paperback

How Long it Took Me to Read: 1 hour

Plot Summary: Nakul Sahej and his friend Kuku stumble upon an antique book while on holiday in Mussoorie. The book turns out to be a magical one that transports the two back in time to the Mussoorie of over a century ago. Meeting historical personalities of that time-like Sir George Everest, who lives in a sprawling estate on the outskirts of Mussoorie, as well as the young maharaja of Punjab, Duleep Singh, who has been exiled by the British and is spending a summer in the hill station-Nakul and Kuku get involved in an intriguing adventure that sets off a series of events which can change the course of history! 

Action-packed and unputdownable, this thrilling adventure is the first in a series of comic books set in the Garhwal Himalayas.

Things I Liked:

1. A book of magic, adventure, time travel and history. There is so much in the premise of this book that had me interested. And even though there is so much going on in the book it never felt too complicated or crowded.

2. A comic book full of adventure and a hint of magic is perfect for young readers and people of any other age group.

3. I liked the art in this book too. There are gorgeous panels depicting monasteries, hills and even scenes of the past.

4. I love books set in the hills and especially books set in Landour one of my favourite places in the world. This book just took me back to the quiet hills of Landour and it's quiet beauty. Made me want to pack my bags and head back to Landour.

5. The pace of this book is wonderful, it's one thing after the other and it will have you enthralled.

6. I love time travel, if given a choice I'd love to travel back in time, so reading about it is one of my absolute favourite things in the world. The time travel in this comic book goes back to pre-independance India, which is one of the time periods I always enjoy reading about.

7. My favourite thing about this book is the presence of Ruskin Bond as a character! How freaking cool!!!! I loved, loved, loved it!

Rating: 4/5

The folks of Puffin India sent this book to me for review but the review and thoughts are all my own.
This was such a fun ride of the book and my last read of 2018 and the perfect way to end my year. 

Wednesday 9 January 2019

Hello 2019 + Reading & Blogging Resolutions!

Hello! 

So 2019 is here and it's time to make some resolutions and set some goals for my reading and my blog. 

I took the first week off from Blogging, fairly undecidedly. TBH, my 2019 was not off to the best possible start. I talked about it on my IG stories, but in a nutshell on the 1st of January 3 Amazon packages went missing from our home. The next day we found out that the lady who collects the garbage from our building is the ones responsible for stealing them. We got back two out of three things (Thank God), but my book never did. And somehow this really made me sad, not just the book being sold for scraps, It was being stolen from the people I've been nothing but kind to. I have been feeling just untethered and out of sorts. Not the best way to start a new year. 

So that's why I have been missing in action on here. 

But I've got to snap out of it. 

So here we are trying to forget the first week of 2019 and making a fresh start. 
In this one week I have already read 3 books and making my way through the 4th! 
Yay! 
I have already read a brilliant book- My Sister The Serial Killer, it's reviewed below. So in some ways 2019 is going well. 


2019 READING RESOLUTIONS/// 

1. Read 150 books. My Good Reads reading challenge is mostly set to an even 100 but this year I want to set it to 150 and hopefully do well on it. 

2. Read more World Literature. I want to read from as many countries as I possibly can. 

3. Read 5 classics. Every year I make a goal of reading more classics but I am not wholly specific about it. And guess what? This is the one goal I suck at every single year. I am way better than reading modern classics. So this year I intend to read 5 classics, a mix of Victorian Literature and Russian Literature and even a Japanese classic. I will share my Classics TBR soon on here. 

4. Read more non-fiction. This is one genre I immensely enjoyed in 2018 and want to read more from. 

5. DNF books I don't like. Life is too short to read bad books. 

6. Read Children's Classics and re-visit some childhood favourites. 

7. Re-read old favourites. 

8. Read an Agatha Christie book a month. 



BLOGGING RESOLUTIONS/// 

1. Do more book reviews. 

2. Be regular with Monthly Favourites. 

3. Share even the books I didn't like. 

4. Do monthly reading wrap-ups. I don't know why I suck at this! 

5. Do more hauls..because they are just fun! I tend to do spontaneous hauls on IG stories but I want to do them here too. 

6. I also want to be more regular with my planner and stationery posts. I felt like I slipped up in that department last year. 


Happy New Year my loves. 
I hope 2019 treats you well and is everything you want it to be. 

:) 


Tuesday 8 January 2019

Book Review: My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite



Book: My Sister, the Serial Killer

Author: Oyinkan Braithwaite

Pages: 240

Read on: Kindle

Read in: 2 hours

Plot Summary: When Korede's dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what's expected of her: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach. This'll be the third boyfriend Ayoola's dispatched in, quote, self-defence and the third mess that her lethal little sibling has left Korede to clear away. She should probably go to the police for the good of the menfolk of Nigeria, but she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first. 

Until, that is, Ayoola starts dating the doctor where Korede works as a nurse. Korede's long been in love with him, and isn't prepared to see him wind up with a knife in his back: but to save one would mean sacrificing the other.

Things I Liked: 

1. I have been hearing really good things about this book for a very long time and so, I, finally gave in and bought it! The premise seemed interesting, intriguing and like it would be a dark comedy- all things I enjoy! And, the book did not let me down! It was all those things and more! 

2. Korede is a very relatable character- she is hardworking, has a strong moral compass and seems to be the only one, who can see things for what they are. She is also "plain" and has always led her life in the shadow of her younger sister- Ayoola's- unusual beauty. Korede does everything she can to help Ayoola after each of the murders and somewhere, as a reader, you wonder if there is more to this loyalty than just simple sibling love and affection?! Korede's moral quandary, the choices she makes and her fate at the end of the book are all very interesting and you will end up discussing her and her fate even after the book is long over. 

3. Ayoola is an interestingly written character. The author does a great job of leaving you wondering why she kills the men she dates- are they always violent or bad? Or is there another deeper reason? As you go through the book, the author offers some reasons and possible reasons for Ayoola being the way she is and, again, that is something that you will also end up discussing long after the book is over. 

4. The book is very un-put-downable and I found myself reading it in one sitting. The writing is beautiful. The story pulls you in and you find yourself rooting for Korede and, even, unwillingly, for Doctor Tade! 

Things I Didn't Like: Nothing, really. This is a great novella! 

Rating: 4.5/5