Elevation by Stephen King – A book review

Elevation by Stephen King – A book review

How much does an author’s name influence your liking or disliking of a book, consciously or otherwise? How far would you go before it changes your opinion? And I got to finally pick up Elevation by Stephen King, who is one of my favorite authors. Read ahead to see how it worked out for me!

Elevation by Stephen King is a novella that will hold your attention and won't haunt you like his other books. But that may not be entirely a good thing.  Read more about here. Click To Tweet

About Elevation by Stephen King

Elevation Stephen King

Book Name: Elevation

Author: Stephen King

Genre: Fiction – ParanormalThriller

Characters: Scott Carey, Missy and Deirdre, Doctor Bob Ellis

Setting: Castle Rock, Maine, The United States of America

Plot Summary of Elevation

Set in the much beloved Castle Rock, the recent divorcee Scott Carey has a peculiar problem. He is constantly losing weight even though his form doesn’t change and he has been eating quite well.

He nor his doctor can find the reason and Scott doesn’t want to make a spectacle of himself by undergoing tests. What would happen to him when he finally reaches zero on the scale remains a mystery either of them. 

Meanwhile his lesbian neighbors faces pressure from their conservative towners. While Scott doesn’t get along with them initially, he befriends them and tries to help them win over the others as well. What does it have to do with his losing weight?

You might have to read Elevation by Stephen King to know more. 

Book review of Elevation

Obviously I picked Elevation because it was written by Stephen King and all the hype it received on the Goodreads. Well, he nor his writing disappointed me. I usually love him making his political stands in the story, even if they seem overdone sometimes. And well, I was given what I asked but the Castle Rock was color red? That was shocking.

I am not into Science Fiction, like at all. So I wasn’t prepared for sci-fi (I am being really generous about the label) to be sold as horror. It is not horror. I can’t believe how Elevation won the Goodreads Choice awards for horror in 2018. (What were you all thinking when you nominated/voted, people?) 

Like many other books of his, it left me with a few unanswered questions. I wish it were a bit longer and gave a bit more depth to the characters. Well, I can only wish. 

And to answer my own question, yes, I read and enjoyed Elevation only because of King’s name on it. And I can only wonder if I would have done either if it were someone else’s or even if it labelled correctly as fantasy, instead of horror.

Things that worked for me

  • I loved King’s not so subtle dig at the USA’s political scenario.
  • I liked the writing (obviously) and made me wish it was a bit longer.
  • It is not the usual “horror” that we are used to in Stephen King’s books, and it is not entirely bad thing.

Things that didn’t work for me

  • Well, it is not quite your usual King’s horror and it definitely not going to keep you awake all night.
  • If you are someone who wants politics away from reading, then this might be a distraction.

Bottom-line

Elevation is a novella that will hold your attention and won’t haunt you like the other Stephen King’s. But that may not be entirely a good thing. 

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Elevation by Stephen King – A book review

One day in December- A book review

How do you feel about insta love or love at first sight? Well, that is what will make or break One Day in December by Josie Silver for you. And a lot of people, bloggers and bookstagrammers alike, love this book and might queue up to fight if you didn’t (I am kidding.. maybe). Let us  see how One Day in December turned out for me in my book review, ok? Read on!

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About One day in December

One day in December

Book Name: One Day in December

Author: Josie Silver

Genre: Fiction – Romance

Characters: Laurie James, Jack O’Mara, Sarah, Oscar Ogilvy-Black

Setting:  LondonEnglandThe UK

Plot Summary of One day in December

One Day in December Laurie is staring out the bus window and she chances upon a guy sitting in a bus stop reading a book. He looks up and they have an instant connection, so strong that she believes he is the one. She spends the next year looking out for the guy with her best friend Sarah. 

During the next Christmas season, she finds him again at a party, only to find that he is Sarah’s boyfriend. When she realizes he doesn’t recognize her and that Sarah is in love with him and he likewise, she quickly gulps down her feelings and tries to stay the third wheel to the supposed “match made in heaven”. 

Over the next decade, they spend time finding themselves with different partners and many missed opportunities. How they end up together forms the rest of One Day in December by Josie Silver.

Book review of One day in December

One Day in December has everything needed for a perfect winter romance – insta love, strong female friendship, falling for the said friend’s boyfriend and then getting friend zone. I enjoyed Josie Silver’s writing and her voice, that made it hard to put the book down.

I loved the first few chapters and I really tried hard to like the entire book the same way and I failed terribly. 

My main problem was that I felt lukewarm about the protagonists. There was nothing special about them. And they were supposed made for each other and soul mates, we never see it. They do not even take any step whatsoever to be with each other. 

Sigh. I really tried to like One Day in December more.

Things that worked for me

  • The premise was cute and the angst was real.
  • The writing and the pace were perfect for a winter afternoon read. 
  • I liked Sarah and her friendship with Laurie. I wish we saw more of Sarah and Laurie’s history. 

Things that didn’t work for me

  • I didn’t like the protagonists especially Jack nor did I warm up to them until the end even.
  • I love British romance mainly for their witty banter. Nope not much on that front.

Bottom-line

If you are looking for a cute romance filled with angst, you can choose One Day in December by Josie Silver. Perfect for fans of Bridget Jones!

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Elevation by Stephen King – A book review

Dinner, The – A book review

How far would you go to save your loved one from the law and public eye when you know they are guilty? Would your stance change if it was only you that knew they were guilty? Well, the Dinner is based on this dilemma and much more. 

I came across the Dinner when I was hunting books for my infamous Flyaway Friday feature to Netherlands. Written by Dutch author Herman Koch, the plot definitely caught my eye. So let us see how that turned out for me, shall we?

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About the book

Dinner

Book Name: The Dinner

Author: Herman Koch

Genre: Fiction – Drama

Characters: Paul and Claire Lohman, Serge and Babette

Setting: Netherlands

The plot

The Dinner begins with two brothers (Paul the narrator and his brother Serge Lohman), and their respective wives (Claire and Babette) meeting for a dinner at a high end restaurant. Though most of their dinner conversations are polite and filled with small talks, they have gathered to talk about something very serious – regarding their sons and their recent activities.

Between courses of the meal, they talk about everything under the sun from movies to relationships. They welcome external interruptions, try to undermine each other, as dysfunctional families do, and anything to avoid discussing the acts of their fifteen year old sons.

When they finally open the topic, the true nature of the parents and the distance they would go to protect the children surface.

What their sons did and how their parents decide to handle the situation during and after the dinner forms the rest of the story in the Dinner

My initial thoughts

I began reading the Dinner by hating the narrator’s pretentious elder brother and then realize one by one that each of the characters are wile and truly wicked. I think the strength of the author lies on the fact that the shift happened so subtly that you never see it coming.

As someone who is not a “foodie” and does not really understand the fad about over highly priced food, I am totally with Paul’s hilarious commentary about all the pompousness associated and his brother’s pretentiousness.

The Dinner doesn’t shy away from talking about the dark and disgusting side of humanity and discusses taboo topics like the pressure to seem like a “perfect happy family”, mental illness and dehumanizing others based on labels etc

Things that worked for me

  • Every character is flawed and their gray shade made the book more interesting.
  • If you like biased and unreliable narrators, then you are in for a treat.
  • The writing and pacing are so well done that I grew as impatient as Paul at the many interruptions that kept them from discussing the topic at hand.

Things that didn’t work for me

  • If you are looking for a book with like-able characters, the Dinner is not for you.
  • The Dinner might seem unbelievable to happen in real world if you truly think that humans can’t be morally reprehensible. You will be shocked.

Bottom-line

Read the Dinner if humanity continues to shock you, and you still want to read about the dark, dark place humans can go for selfish reasons. Perfect for you if you liked Dark places by Gillian Flynn or the Vegetarian by Han Kang

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Elevation by Stephen King – A book review

Vices/Virtues – A book review

I know it has been quite a while since I wrote a review. Don’t worry I will be giving a detailed update on what kept me away from blogging and my readers in my Sunday Post, but for now you have an Indie review of Vices/Virtues to catch up on.

If you are looking for a light, not-so-clean read about a sex dungeon and the lives of dominatrices, Vices/Virtues could be your choice. #IndieReview #Indiebook @desoprontu Click To Tweet

About the book

Vices/Virtues

Book Name: Vices/Virtues

Author: Beatrice DeSoprontu

Genre: Fiction – Drama

Characters: Cristela/Clara, Daisy, Virginia, Justine, Griselda, Noelle 

Setting: The United States of America

The plot

Vices/Virtues revolves around the dominatrices working in a sex dungeon in New York and their lives. Our main character Cristela works as a domintrix but in secret. She even creates an alter ego to keep her dual life apart. 

Her coworkers also have secret aliases and they do not see each other outside the dungeon. We also read about their backgrounds and their vices and virtues. 

The book has a bunch of mini stories each named after a vice or virtue about the related inner conflicts the characters go through, while the sex and BDSM just offer a backdrop. How far would Cristela to protect her secret forms the rest of the story in Vices/Virtues.

My initial thoughts

I quite recently watched the Sex education on Netflix. So I picked this book up because I was intrigued by the premise and I was not disappointed. 
While there is no linearity among the flow of the story, the format, as a collection of short stories, worked better for me than it would have as a novella. 

There are some references made to Hindu deities which were not correct and definitely will seem distasteful to religious people. Thankfully, there were just few of them. I wish the author would have discussed about this representation with a sensitivity / beta reader before she added to the book. 

Things that worked for me

  • The premise was unique and I like how the kinky sex dungeon was just a background.
  • Read it like a bunch of short stories, instead of one long book and you might enjoy it better.
  • The writing was interesting and I liked how the writing style changed when there was a switch between POVs. 

Things that didn’t work for me

  • I wish it were funnier, given the bizarre nature of the premise. 
  • You may love or hate the philosophical discussions about the vice/virtue nature of each chapter – there is no in between.   

Bottom-line

If you are looking for a light, not-so-clean read about a sex dungeon and the lives of dominatrices, Vices/Virtues could be your choice. You can read the author’s guest post on Tips To Writing Characters In Poverty here on my blog.

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Elevation by Stephen King – A book review

Five feet apart by Rachael Lippincott- A book review

I jumped at the chance to buddy read Five feet apart by Rachael Lippincott, because it is not something that has ended up quite well for me historically and I would not pick it up on my own even though it was on my TBR. Go figure!

It has been a while since I read a young adult based in a hospital romance (or sick-lit, if I may). Yes it is supposedly a trope by itself, if you had not known earlier.

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About Five feet apart

Five Feet Apart

Book Name: Five feet apart

Author: Rachael Lippincott

Genre: Fiction – Romance, Young Adult

Characters: Stella and Abby Grant, Will Newman, Poe, Camila, Mya

Setting: The United States of America

Plot Summary of Five feet apart

Stella Grant is a high schooler who is at the final stages of Cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic disorder that mainly affects the lung. She has been a regular at the hospital for most of her life. She loves lists and being in control is the only way she knows to cope up with her health.

While she has a great support system and friends circle in and around the hospital, she has to avoid putting herself at the risk of infections she would be eligible for lung transplant.

Will Newman is a new CF patient to the hospital and all he wants is to get away from it. He has spent most of his life between clinical trials and staying at various hospitals and is now waiting to turn eighteen so that he can get away from all these restrictions and enjoy life as it should be. 

When they both stumble upon each other, they know they should stay away from each other. But what if they maintained a five feet distance between each other? Would that be so bad forms the rest of Five feet apart.

Book review of Five feet apart

Due to my earlier disappointments with the romances with sick teens, I was skeptical when I started reading Five feet apart and I was mildly surprised that I enjoyed it as much. Though I have a few misgivings about the plot, the easy writing and witty dialogues kept me going. 

I wish books would stop portraying that kids who are suffering some physical ailments do not get to enjoy anything in life and they need to break free of their treatments / medical restrictions to get to be “normal”.

I liked reading about the CF which is a new thing for me, and the story was cutesy as YAs tend to be and am totally looking forward to watching the movie Five feet apart starring Cole Sprouse now.

Things that worked for me

  • Five feet apart plays exactly into the trope of sick lit and does a good job with it.
  • I enjoyed the easy writing style and the witty banter between the characters.

Things that didn’t work for me

  • I didn’t feel related to the characters but it is just me. It did not hinder my reading.
  • As I mentioned earlier, I personally had issues with the trope that encourages patients to break free of the treatment.

Bottom-line

Five feet apart is a typical sick lit that does its job in opening up talks about the CF with a positive ending. I would recommend it for all John Green (of course) and Nicoola Yoon fans.

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Elevation by Stephen King – A book review

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle – A book review

If you have been reading my reviews for a while you might know that I love jumping into a book without even reading the synopsis of a book. And I solely depend on recommendations and reviews of other bloggers and my mood swings to pick a book. 

When I assumed that it was a contemporary murder mystery, I could not have been more wrong about The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton when I picked it up, after three other bookworms suggested it to me. I can’t wait to rave talk about the book to you all. Shall we get on with the review now?

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About The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Book Name: The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Author: Stuart Turton

Genre: Fiction – Thriller, Paranormal

Characters: Evelyn Hardcastle, Sebastian Bell, Dr Dickie, Aiden Bishop, Daniel Coleridge, Michael Hardcastle, Charles Cunningham

Setting: The UK

Plot summary of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Our protagonist wakes up with just a name in his mind and no other memory what so ever. He does not know his name or his history, except that he has to save Anna. He finds his name to be Sebastian Bell, a drug peddling doctor who is invited to a party at the Blackheath estate. 

Soon he realizes Bell is just one of his hosts and has eight days and eight lives each in a different person’s body tasked to find the murderer of Evelyn Hardcastle, one of the heirs to the Blackheath. 

He discovers that he is Aiden Bishop who is stuck in a time rut and until he finds the murderer he has to relive these eight days for eternity. What brings Aiden to Blackheath and does he solve the murder forms the rest of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.

Book review of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a perfect blend of mystery novel with time travel fantasy. It took me a few pages to get into the story especially since I was not sure what to expect. But once I did, I just couldn’t put the book down until the end. 

I should start with I have not read a book as complicated as The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle in the recent while, or maybe in a long time. 
And it reads like a puzzle than a typical mystery novel.

It offers more than unexpected twists and suspense that is maintained till the last page. There are quite a number of captivating plot lines and characters that make us question our trust and their perceptions. 

Things that worked for me

  • As a newbie to the time travel genre, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle blew my mind and I am sure it would be as good even if you are a regular.
  • I loved the methodical approach in solving the mystery, which is becoming a rarity these days.
  • And also, here is another unreliable narrator to love and rave about.

Things that didn’t work for me

  • Being a vividly plotted novel, many may consider the pace to be slow, especially for a murder mystery
  • I felt The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was a little long winded during the last few chapters. 

Bottom-line

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is one of those rare books that I would not mind rereading for the plot itself, just to make sure I had not missed out anything. And I am sure The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle will be worth reading twice. Just pick it up already. 

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