Skip to main content

Book Review: Coraline

CORALINE by Neil Gaiman
5 Stars
Verdict: Quirky, creepy, and quick to read!


Bored and alone, with her parents too busy to play with her, eleven year old Coraline ventures through a mysterious door in the wall. It once led to nowhere. Now it leads to an interesting 'other' place, where her 'other' neighbours are much more entertaining than the normal world, and her 'other' mother gives her all the attention she could want. To stay here forever, all she needs to do is one little thing: sew buttons into her eyes...

This is a quick read that I only picked up because I was horribly behind on my reading list but too stubborn and competitive to lose. Fortunately, this is a great book for any age. Full to the brim of weird and wonderful characters, twisted logic, and dry humour, I enjoyed reading this from start to finish.

Gaimen's imagination really is endless. Wit is sew into the narrative like eyes, and it compliments the quirky tone well. The pacing is good, mixing the wondrous and quirky with action and adventure, and there's enough creepiness for me to think Coraline is a braver girl than I was at her age.

There are clever twists and strange discoveries and generally a lot to love. My only complaint is that there weren't' enough pages!

Source: Bought it to complete my 2017 reading challenge.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

I took my book for a walk

I know what you're thinking...or actually, I don't.  It's easy to picture that anyone who reads your work will only see the negatives. They have every right to, after all, and I'm a big critic myself. I find things to improve in most books, even when I give them five star reviews. This is why solidifying one of my novels into print was a big step for me, and because of Sod's Law, it coincided with one of the hardest times of my life to date. When my book published, I struggled to market it. Besides being crippled with morning sickness, followed by a decent into depression and anxiety (coupled with friends not really liking my book - only softened slightly by the fact they don't like YA/reading), I didn't have the energy - emotionally or physically - to give my book the launch it deserved.  It deserved better.  Because no matter what, I put a lot of work into The Clearing. Over several years and iterations, too. I'm proud of the twists, and I enjoy hearin

Book Review: Threads That Bind

THREADS THAT BIND by Kika Hatzopolou Disclaimer time: As always, the following is just my opinion. Other opinions are available.  THREADS THAT BIND is an epic fantasy with an urban feel. It has a fascinating magic system inspired by Greek mythology, and a story that explores the bonds of sibling relationships. Overall, it's a fast-paced book about fate, choices, and forgiving yourself, so prepare for morally grey moments and difficult sibling relationships.  Io and her sisters are descendants of the Fates, which means they're able to see and manipulate the threads that connect people to the things they love. Io is the third sister, and therefore she is able to cut threads. The story kicks off when Io is hired by the 'mobqueen' to investigate murders linked to vengeful wraiths. To top it off, she has to work with the very person she's been avoiding for years, a boy she's fated to love - except he already has a girlfriend. If you think that the above sounds like t

Indie Book Review: The City of Snow and Stars

THE CITY OF SNOW AND STARS by S.D. Howard 4 Stars Verdict: A dark fantasy with a wholesome cast.  Trigger warning for rape/abuse.  'I'm not wanted for me, only what I can give, and there is nothing left.' I don't usually quote books, but this is a very quotable story! The dialogue was powerful in places, and the way the characters bonded together was the strength of this Christian fantasy adventure.   It's written in third person with a narrative that I personally found a little distant at times. That said, the characters are easy to root for. Runaways Trinia and Jayden team up with a wizard to take down Trinia's abusive father before he can take over the kingdom. They're joined by a talking wolf and a shapeshifter called Batanny, who in many ways seems like an older version of Trinia. Threads of pain run through this book and pull the characters together in a way that makes this dark read still feel wholesome at times.  It soon became an easy to enjoy fant