Short AF Book Review | The Noh Mask Murder | ARC Received By Netgalley

Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "The Noh Mask Murder" by Akimitsu Takagi. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"A bewildering locked - room murder occurs as an amateur crime writer investigates strange events in the Chizurui mansion in this prizewinning classic Japanese mystery.

This ingeniously constructed masterpiece, written by one of Japan's most celebrated crime writers and translated into English for the first time, is perfect for locked - room mystery fans who can't resist a breath-taking conclusion.

In the Chizurui family mansion, a haunting presence casts a shadow over its residents. By night, an eerie figure, clad in a sinister Hannya mask is seen roaming around the house. An amateur murder mystery writer, Akimitsu Takagi, is sent to investigate - but his investigation takes a harrowing turn as tragedy strikes the Chizurui family.

Within the confines of a locked study, the head of the family is found dead, with only an ominous Hannya mask lying on the floor by his side and the lingering scent of jasmine in the air as clues to his mysterious murder.

As Takagi delves deeper into the perplexing case, he discovers a tangled web of secrets and grudges. Can he discover the link between the family and the curse of the Hannya mask? Who was the person who called the undertaker and asked for three coffins on the night of the murder? And do those three coffins mean the curse of the Hannya mask is about to strike again?

The Noh Mask Murder's legendary ending offers locked - room mystery fans the perfect coda to an ingeniously constructed mystery."

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley, however all opinions are my own.

How I read this book: eBook.

So the reason I wanted to read this book is because I was scrolling through the "read now" section of netgalley and the cover caught my eye. I am so glad that I was able to get a hold of this book because it genuinely was such an interesting read. The start of the book is a little slow because it is basically describing how the characters come to be together in the same house and explains in detail about Noh, which for me who knows nothing about Noh was really cool to read and learn more about, but soon picks up as we move through the book. I didn't realise until after I read this that this was originally written in 1950 (according to goodreads) and has only just been translated in English. I will say if you're going to read this it truly does read like a book that was written in the 50s and the way that things were handled back then. Most of the book is written in the form of Koichi's journal and very much keeps you gripped in chapter after chapter. I really enjoyed that Takagi placed himself in the novel as being the person who investigates the case and how smartly his character is written. This book is also filled with twists and turns at the end and I definitely would recommend this to anyone who loves their mystery/thriller books.

My Favourite Characters:

I'm not going to lie friends. I don't really have a favourite character in this book. So many of the characters are written to be cruel/unjust and it was just really hard to feel attached to any of them. That isn't to say the characters aren't written well. The author actually did an incredible job at writing them, I just didn't love any of them.

My Least Favourite Characters:

- Rintaro: Rintaro is a literal ass throughout the book and I actually wish we got less of him. The author did a very good job at writing him to be hated though.

I gave this book a 4/5 star rating on goodreads.

This book is going to be released 4th June 2024!

What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!

Short AF Book Review | Five Feet Apart

Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "Five Feet Apart" by Rachel Lippincott, Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"In this moving story two teens fall in love with just one minor complication - they can't get within five feet of each other without risking their lives.

Can you love someone you can never touch?

Stella Grant likes to be in control - even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. Six feet apart. No exceptions.

The only thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. He couldn't care less about his treatments, or a fancy new clinical drug trial. Soon, he'll turn eighteen and then he'll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world, not just its hospitals.

Will's exactly what Stella needs to stay away from. If he so much as breathes on Stella she could lose her spot on the transplant list. Either one of them could die. The only way to stay alive is to stay apart. But suddenly six feet doesn't feel like safety. It feels like punishment.

What if they could steal back just a little bit of the space their broken lungs have stolen from them? Would five feet apart really be so dangerous if it stops their hearts from breaking too?"

So the reason I wanted to read "Five Feet Apart" is because I've wanted to watch the movie adaption for the longest time and I have that silly thing where I'd rather read the book before watching the movie than vice versa. I didn't know too much about what I was getting into when starting the book other than the movie trailer and the goodreads synopsis. I knew that this book was one of the ones that were written along the timeline of "sad YA books" such as "The Fault In Our Stars" by John Green and "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon so I knew I was in for some heartbreak, I just didn't realise how much. "Five Feet Apart" was beautifully written and made you get attached to almost every single character in the book. The heartbreak I was expecting to happen and the heartbreak that did happen was completely different, I would definitely recommend that if you're going to read this you have a box of tissues next to you. If you enjoyed this genre of YA fiction I definitely would recommend "Five Feet Apart" and this definitely is something that I will be re-reading in the future and I will 100% be watching the movie of it as soon as I can!

My favourite characters:

- Poe: Honestly, Poe is everything you could wish for as a best friend if you were going through something like they went through together. I really love Poe's character, he was very much a source of comedic relief throughout the book and was 100% my favourite character in the whole book. 

- Stella: Once again, a young woman who was written to be extremely smart with a good head on her shoulders. Stella for me didn't need too much character development but she definitely got it. I really enjoyed getting to read through her perspective in the book/

- Will: Will definitely had the most character development for me - I'm not gonna lie when the book started I wasn't the biggest fan of him. I found him to be incredible selfish and unlikeable, but by the end of the book I loved him just as much as I loved Poe and Stella

My least favourite characters:

In all honestly, I didn't have a least favourite character in this book. I feel like it'd be hard to villainize any of the characters of this book with everything they're going through. Even when people were acting not the greatest it was very much understandable as to why they were acting in that way.

 I gave this book a 5/5 star rating on goodreads.

What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe

Short AF Book Review | The Modern Girl's Guide To Magic

Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "The Modern Girl's Guide To Magic" by Linsey Hall. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"So here's the deal - I'm a magival disaster. A witch from a family of witches, and the only one whose magic blows up in her face. Which is why I came up with my rules... 1. Never get involved with magic. 2. If you must, do not enter a competition to win the biggest magical fortune in England. 3. And definitely don't fall for Callan Hawthorne, the sexy billionaire mage who you've hated for years. So how the heck do I end up in a situation that promises to break all those rules? It's the only way to save Seaside Spells, my family's magical potion shop. But it's cool. When I go back home to Charming Cove - a village of ancient pubs and foul - mouthed familiars - I will totally ignore Witch Weekly's Sexiest Man of the Year. I'll win the competition, and if I'm lucky. I won't turn myself into a toad in the process. This'll be fine. It'll all be fine. Riiiight.

The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic is a fun, light romantic comedy full of laughter, love, and magical hijinks. It's the first in a series of stand alone romances set in the seaside village of Charming Cove."

How I read this book: eBook

So honestly the reason I wanted to read "The Modern Girl's Guide To Magic" is because I thought the cover was cute and it was available on my kindle unlimited subscription. I did not know anything about this book going into it. I found this book to be such an easy read throughout most of it. I'm not going to lie however, there were times where I was getting a little bored. This book very much seemed to switch between fast paced and slow paced and I really couldn't keep up most of the time. I feel like if you love romantic comedies this would totally be your vibe (I'm more of a young adult romance girly myself). However I just didn't find myself falling in love with it. There was also a spicy scene which just killed the whole vibe of the book for me (personally I thought it was unnecessary to be in there and I'm not the biggest fan of spicy scenes either as I'm asexual). Otherwise it was a good, light-hearted read. Are there some things I didn't think should be in there and didn't like? Absolutely! Would it stop me from reading another one of Linsey Hall's books? No! If you love romantic comedies I'm absolutely certain you would love this book. This just was not the one for me.

My Favourite Characters

- Catrina: Honestly, when you read this book you'll figure out why Catrina is one of my favourite characters. Being the youngest character mentioned in the book, it amazes me how smart and talented the author made her. I love seeing when writers give young women, and children, a strong personality.

- Tabitha: I think we can all agree that Tabitha is the best friend that everyone wants in their life. Tabatha is honestly Aria's biggest cheerleader and it's great to read women supporting women within a book.

My Least Favourite Characters

- Terry: When you read the book you'll find out why I dislike Terry. It's hard to like the other contestants which weren't Aria and Callan, however at least they (somewhat) have redeeming features. There was nothing redeeming about Terry at all but I guess if we've got to have a menace it might as well be him.

I gave this book a 3/5 star rating on goodreads.

What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe

Short AF Book Review | We Were Liars

Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends - the Liars - whose friendships turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The Truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and Printz award honouree E. Lockhart.

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE."

How I read this book: eBook

So the reason I wanted to read "We Were Liars" was due to booktok. "We Were Liars" has definitely been mentioned on tiktok multiple times and when I saw that it was on kindle unlimited I knew I had to read it. This was another book that starts off kind of slow, however due to the short chapters it made it a very easy read. The characters were so easy to find yourself getting emotionally attached to and I really enjoyed learning more about them and their dynamics throughout the book. This also was another book with a bunch of twists and turns and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a good twist within their reads. All of the characters were beautifully written and so was the story and I really wish I had picked this up earlier and I definitely will be reading more of E. Lockhart's books in the future! 

My favourite characters:

- Gatwick "Gat" Patil - Gat was such an interesting character and I loved his development throughout the book. He really grounded me as the reader into the differences between him and the rest of the characters and I genuinely enjoyed all of the scenes that he was in!

- Mirren - Mirren was by far one of my favourite characters throughout the book, she was definitely one of the characters that I got more attached too and was the character that was used the most within the book to explain the dynamics and what was going on.

My least favourite characters:

- Cadence "Cady" Eastman - Yes, Cady is the main character and, yes, she is easy to get attached too also, but throughout the book when you find out more and more about her character, she's very easy to start hating.

- Penny Sinclair Eastman - What is with books with really bad parents?? I understand that if Penny hadn't of done what she did the book wouldn't of happened but I just really dislike her as a character and wish she was just better??

I gave this book a 4/5 star rating on goodreads.

What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe

Short AF Book Review | Howl's Moving Castle

Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "Howl's Moving Castle" by Diana Wynne Jones. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there's far more to Howl-and herself-than first meets the eye."

How I read this book: Audiobook

So the reason I wanted to read "Howl's Moving Castle" was obviously because I wanted to read the book that the movie was based on and see what was different! This book wasn't at all what I expected! Yes, there are so many similarities in the book and the movie but the differences within were exponential as well! There were just so many things I wasn't expecting (for example, did you know Howl is Welsh of all things?!) The one thing I will say in regards to that is this book can be difficult to listen to at times (with the woman reading it trying to put on a Welsh accent) so I would definitely read this as an eBook or physically instead. The book was just as magical (if not more) than the movie and I really enjoyed diving into the world that Diana Wynne Jones puts us into. I feel like we got to learn so much about Howl within this book and I adored finding out more about him. There's also so many differences when it comes to Sophie and it made joining both the characters on their journey so much better. This is, however, one book that I feel the movie really did it justice even though there was some things that were missed out. This book is also the first in the series so I think I will definitely be reading the rest of the series also (however, I will not be listening as I tried to with the second already and the accents that are put on are horrific).

My Favourite Characters

- Michael Fisher - Michael was also a lot more flushed out in the book than he was in the movie. I really enjoyed the scenes that he was in and found him to be adorable throughout.

- Annabel Fairfax - Annabel really gives us much more of an insight to Howl's and Sophie's personal lives before they met each other and I wish we got more of her

- Lettie Hatter: Lettie was such an interesting and smart character in the book, but was once again another character I wish we got more of.

My Least Favourite Characters

- King Of Ingary: As much as I understand why he was part of this book I just found him rude and annoying at times? He's very much an important part to play but I just wish there was a bit more character development with him

- Lily Angorian: I cannot say much about Lily without giving away most of the book, she's very much written for you to love her and then to hate her and the author did a good job of portraying how we should feel about her at which times.

I gave this book a 5/5 star rating on goodreads.

What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe

Short AF Book Review | Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

 Hi friends! So today I'm going to be doing a review on "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs. This review is going to be short and sweet (like the title suggests) and spoiler free (however there will be the Goodreads synopsis in this and sometimes it can contain spoilers so please keep that in mind!)

"A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children," an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its decaying bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that Miss Peregrine's children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow - impossible though it seems - they may still be alive."

How I read this book: eBook

So I'm not going to lie to you guys, I watched the movie of this before reading the book so I had some idea of what I was getting into but oh boy I did not realise just the depth of it. The book had so much information in it in regards to what and who everyone was, that the movie simply did not have. I loved diving into the world and finding out more about the characters! I really enjoyed the photographs that were included within the book so that you didn't have to try and imagine what they were explaining in regards to the peculiar children, they just simply showed you. There was so much character development throughout the book and it definitely left me wanting more. I really enjoyed seeing everything through the eyes of Jacob. There was so much world building but they also didn't over explain everything that you were seeing at the same time (which I really don't like in some fantasy books). It was really nice to read about unordinary things happening in the setting of such an ordinary island. I will be very much reading the second book in the series as soon as possible!

My Favourite Characters

- Emma Bloom: Please note, I really loved Emma in the movie. But Emma in the book is far more complex. I loved seeing her character development throughout the book and just enjoyed seeing her peculiarity play through in the book.

- Millard Nullings: Millard made for some comedic entries within the book and also is the most knowledgeable character in regards to what was happening and how to approach everything. I loved every time he popped up in the book and want to learn more about him.

My Least Favourite Characters

-  Franklin Portman: Franklin is honestly such a bad dad. Just read the book, the lack of empathy he has for his son as well as lack of responsibility just grinded my gears. I hope he gets better within the next couple of books.

- Enoch O'Connor: Enoch is just simply cruel. He also seems to have the least amount of character development in the first book. I'm hoping he gets more character development in the next few books but at the minute I very much doubt he will. He seems very set in his ways.

Overall, I really enjoyed "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children" and definitely will be reading more into the series. I'm very excited to see where the series will take the story!

I gave this book a 5/5 star rating on goodreads.

What did you think of this book? Who were your favourite or least favourite characters? Do you have any books you'd recommend for me to read and do a review on? Please let me know down in the comments below!

Have a wonderful day!

Love, Doe!