by Hwang Bo-Reum
06/29/25 - 07/04/25
I started this book a couple of months ago and paused reading it when I just couldn't get into the story, so it stayed on my paused shelf on Goodreads for a while. Last June, I found myself on a streak of reading books about books and thought, "Hey, why not try finishing Hyunam-Dong?", and so I picked it back up. I decided to reread the entire thing from scratch since I could barely remember the plot where I left it at. This book, while definitely comforting, didn't hit the same way that the other books about books that I've read did. I saw a review on Bookwyrm that worded well what I felt about the book, reading this book felt much like watching a lake. Yes, it was beautiful and peaceful, but that can get boring after a while. The characters were definitely complex, each with their own quirks and troubles and I didn't find myself apathetic towards them. I just couldn't fully care about them and likened myself to a stranger people-watching in the bookshop. Curious as to what they'll do, but never enough that I'd go out of my way to pour emotional energy into them.
One of the book's main themes was about work, how it affects those with and without it, and its place in our world. There were a lot of interesting aspects and perspectives on it littered throughout the book that I enjoyed. I mainly picked up this book because I liked the idea of a book through the perspective of a bookshop owner as that was my childhood dream, much like Yeongju. But, I found myself disheartened about that dream as the reality of running a bookshop was made clear throughout the story, and while I knew it would've never been a walk in the park, it saddened me a bit to learn that a long-running independent bookshop would be a rare occurrence. This book left me a feeling of melancholy over my childhood dream. I do see myself rereading this book, not for the plot but for the overall atmosphere and vibes it gave.
by Aoyama Michiko
06/26/25 - 06/28/25
I really enjoyed this read, each perspective held my attention and there was never a point in time where I felt bored of any of the characters or their lives. While slightly formulaic, I think that it was done extremely well in that while each person goes through a similar path in finding the solutions to their problems, it wasn’t blatantly obvious as to how the tools that were handed to them were going to shape their endings. I liked the wide array of books that were introduced and how they helped each person find what they were looking for. The individual voices of the characters really shone through and I never felt that one was too similar to the other, they each felt unique to me. I’m looking to read more of this author’s works just because I really had a fun time reading this one.
by Becky Chambers
06/17/25 - 06/26/25
I genuinely thought it would never come but it did. My first five-star! If I could only use one word to describe this book, it would be ‘comforting’. This left me feeling warm after I finished it, in a way that I haven’t felt in a while. It’s a pretty short story which was perfect for me because I was trying to get out of a reading slump. Despite the small page count, it didn’t feel rushed at all and made the most of the limited time it had. I think the moment the book cemented its 5-star status to me was definitely during the later chapters, especially the final one. The conversations that were had hit close to home, especially with Dex and their struggle with purpose. It just suddenly clicked in my head, “Ah, this is five stars.” My rating system is largely based on my feelings and I tend to be picky with my five stars. This one just sparked that feeling in my chest that just felt right. Overall, it was a wonderful read and I’ll definitely be checking out the sequel.
by Park Seolyeon
04/19/25 - 04/19/25
I really wanted to like this. I was attracted to the title and the cover (which is an easy 10/10, it's beautiful) because I love the magical girl genre. To see a novel about magical girls interwoven with the complexities of the modern world and workforce, I was really expecting to like this.
Sadly, the entire thing was just one big meh. I wasn't interested in any of the characters; they were husks with no real substance. It just lacked depth, in my opinion. I mean, the story starts with her about to commit suicide, and that's all washed away after she finds out she's a magical girl. While there were references made throughout the story, her suicidal behavior was just gone after the first chapter.
The relationship between Roa and MC is also so hollow and empty. I don't know if I'm dumb and missed it all, but I sensed no chemistry or romantic tension between Roa and MC. It took me completely off-guard when Roa confessed to MC after running out on her when she found out she wasn't the Magical Girl of Time. Like, huh? No moments or developments could've led to that before the scene.
The big villain was disappointing as well. I felt that Mirae also had a great start in the story with her backstory as a domestic violence survivor. Still, all that's washed away when she just became all "I'm gonna kill all the magical girls and the world, I could've done so much worse, so you should be thanking me for being so patient." There was so much potential that just wasn't handled right; her reasonings for ending the world faster were never explained, she just provided her belief that the world doesn't need humanity, which could allude to her experiences of domestic abuse, BUT NONE OF THAT WAS EXPLAINED.
This book was just disappointing overall. It was all strong starts with lots of potential to go off that, but it fizzled out in the end. The MC isn't even named, and I don't know whether that's for some symbolic purpose. I wanted to like this book, but it fell short in many aspects.
by Heather Fawcett
04/15/25 - 04/19/25
A good sequel indeed! I enjoyed reading Map of the Otherlands as much as Encyclopaedia of Faeries. I couldn't help but squeal whenever there were cute and romantic scenes between Emily and Wendell since the first book pretty much only gave crumbs of their relationship, but this book was different, let me tell you that. Their relationship got me kicking my feet like I was back in high school.
However, I still like the first book more than the sequel as I think the writing and plot sequence were better handled than in this one. The unique journalling format was lost in some chapters in favor of a more immersive experience, but the first book's prose was what drew me to the series. I also didn't come to love the newer characters as much as I did the Ljoslanders. The villagers in St. Liesl were all nice, but they didn't play as much of a role in the story. Rose and Ariadne, on the other hand, I have no qualms with. I liked reading their scenes, but I didn't connect with them as much. Speaking of Ariadne, I read a lot of comments that found her annoying, but she was a fine character for me. I didn't find her irritating or unlikeable; I actually liked her, much more than Rose anyway.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the third one, which I will probably read after a palette cleanser. I hope we can get more of the detailed journalling format seen in the first book since there was so much of Silva Lupi introduced in this book that I can't wait to learn more about.
by Eliza Clark
02/16/25 - 02/27/25
Star rating aside, I really enjoyed this book! It was the perfect read for me when I was in a reading slump because the short-story format didn't put too much pressure on me to keep up with names and other things you'd usually focus on in a normal one-story book. There were some misses in this book, specifically 'Goth GF'. I just didn't like it, the entire plot was pretty much a horny nothing burger. I kept waiting for the ball to drop and it never did.
On the brighter side, I absolutely loved 'She's Always Hungry', 'Extinction Event', 'Nightstalkers', and 'The King'. These four chapters are amazing! They're all very different in terms of the plot but boy, do they all just hit different. I really like how Eliza Clark can just write prose in such different themes and styles, like I can't believe the same person wrote 'She's Always Hungry' and 'The King'.
The reason I rated it 3.5 was that I did struggle to finish the book, as you can see from my reading dates. While it wasn't because the stories were bad (except for that single one), I just couldn't get into the other ones as much as the four chapters I mentioned. Either way, I still would recommend reading this, especially if you're in a reading slump or you're looking to just read something easy.