Book reviews written by S Johan

Grace

by Richard Paul Evans

Rated 3 stars

“A bit too Christmassy for my taste, but still quite a nice read.”

S Johan wrote this review Thursday, January 5, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

Imaginary Men

by Anjali Banerjee

Rated 3 stars

“Very light read. Uber convenient ending bordering on inconsistent, but then, that's too be expected.”

S Johan wrote this review Saturday, December 31, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

“As the characters are so fond of saying, this one is just 'a pain in the arse'. Neither the hero nor heroine was charming, and they spent too much time being terrified of everything, from imaginary to credible threats to their own emotion (there's hardly a moment in the book when their knees weren't about to buckle). The author somehow feels like she needs to repeat the same thing over and over again, and I'm sure if I stopped to scrutinise over the timeline I would go mad. And to make things worse, the author assumes all readers to be existing fans with access to the back story, so I spent about half the book wondering what was going on when the author could just drop a line or two here and there to help new readers along. And, oh, spoiler - but if you began lusting after your brother-in-law's twin from the very first moment you laid eyes on him before you even knew that was his twin, then isn't that the same as lusting after your brother-in-law?”

S Johan wrote this review Sunday, November 27, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

Pride and Prejudice

by Jane Austen

Rated 4 stars

“I thought Austen's writing is a bit abrupt at first, like the narration would shift every which way according to her whims - but I soon grow used to it and it's just perfectly fun to read. I'd read a few 1800's works before this, and they all took so long to get to any one point - but Pride and Prejudice is just delightfully straightforward. ”

S Johan wrote this review Monday, November 7, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

Minx

by Julia Quinn

Rated 1 stars

“What a disappointing book. It started out well enough, with clash between a tomboy heroine and, as usual, the most sought after bachelor-rake. Then it took a weird turn when he felt compelled to turn her into a debutante, and while the author tries to insist that the heroine is still the same, it doesn't feel like the characterisation is consistent to me. I thought the carefree, convention flouting heroine succumbed and turned into a, you know, debutante. And then the hero and heroine began fighting - and I like lovers' spat in a romance, but theirs is soooo ridiculous it was a chore to read.”

S Johan wrote this review Friday, October 21, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

An Unlikely Countess

by Jo Beverley

Rated 2 stars

“The characters are not charming: she's not headstrong enough, he takes most things for granted, as only the rich can. Although, to be sure, they're quite psychologically realistic - and that being so, I can't imagine them having a happily ever after beyond the book's ending. It's weird to think this of book characters, but they just don't have chemistry. And the villain's so petty it feels like the main characters are just paranoid.”

S Johan wrote this review Monday, October 10, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

A Game of Thrones

by George R. R. Martin

Rated 4 stars

“This is a funny book in the sense that a few chapters into it, I thought to myself, 'Wow, I can't wait to reread this book!' but then I would put it down and not pick it up again for whole weeks. It's a personal record that I managed to finish this, despite taking about 7 weeks to do it - usually if it took that long, I'd already lose interest. I don't know if it's just me or if it's something Martin did, but even when I left the book for more than a week, I did not forget the story. Each time I picked it up, I knew where I was and what was happening.

And now I hate Martin for ending it in such a cliffhanger fashion - a book that big and still a cliffhanger! Now I'm cursing myself for starting on the series in the first place.”

S Johan wrote this review Monday, October 3, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

Man and Boy

by Tony Parsons

Rated 3 stars

“The tone is what I personally call 'British' - it's bitter, disillusioned, with a touch of victim-playing - not because of the British people, but because of quite a few British authors that I've read sounding this way. Although the story does capture me. Being a stepdaughter myself - and blessedly enjoying a very good relationship with my stepfather - I feel for Peggy when reading this. And for Harry, too, as he tries to find his identity as a father/stepfather.”

S Johan wrote this review Friday, August 19, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

Fiona and the Sexy Stranger

by Marie Ferrarella

Rated 2 stars

“Simple, light read with a heroine who suffers from exasperatingly low self-esteem.”

S Johan wrote this review Saturday, August 6, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

The Uncommon Reader

by Alan Bennett

Rated 4 stars

“A short book that one could easily finish in one sitting. Funny, with a fictionalised persona of Queen Elizabeth ii - Bennett plays heavily with the irony of being one of the most powerful people on Earth and yet being unable, or rather, having an incredibly hard time, to indulge in small pleasures such as reading.”

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