The complexity of life as a young girl has perhaps never been so well articulated as it has been in this novel. The added layer of comfort with thi5/5
The complexity of life as a young girl has perhaps never been so well articulated as it has been in this novel. The added layer of comfort with this being set in Italy made everything more relatable. I need to take a break before I read the sequel because this is a book that peers into your soul. One of the most haunting, jaw dropping final lines a novel can possibly ever have. I think about it a lot ...more
A few times in my life I've read the first five or so pages of a book and instantly known that it'll have a part of my soul in its pages. That happ5/5
A few times in my life I've read the first five or so pages of a book and instantly known that it'll have a part of my soul in its pages. That happened when I read the opening ball scene of Where Dreams Begin. This book is like saturated sunlight on a crisp fall day. Like a warm cup of tea that you warm your hands with as you watch your favourite soap opera. The second Holly and Zachary meet, you can feel the connection between them like sparks flying. You can tell they they're soulmates. Their relationship was absolute perfection. The longing, yearning, joking, small moments, and comfort they found in each other was incredibly real. I've rarely rooted for a couple more than I did for them. This book made me cry for how many emotions I felt while reading their story. Zachary Bronson is hand down one of my favourite male leads in any novel ever, and Holly Taylor has an extremely special place in my heart. Without a doubt, this is one of my all time favourite novels. ...more
Catherine and Leo’s story is SO GOOD. After all the buildup and slow burn throug 2nd time reading
4.5/5
Delightful as always! I adore Leo <3
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5/5
Catherine and Leo’s story is SO GOOD. After all the buildup and slow burn throughout the previous books, the tension was amazing in their own. I loved the romance, I loved both of them so much, and the plot was perfect...more
“You can justify anything if you do it poetically enough.”
This was so perfect and my heart is broken. Gosh. When I was hearing about this book5/5
“You can justify anything if you do it poetically enough.”
This was so perfect and my heart is broken. Gosh. When I was hearing about this book, the two things that hooked me in were dark academia (an aesthetic more books need) and how it’s essentially a love letter to Shakespeare and words in general. After reading, I can confirm both things are true, and I can also say if you’re heart isn’t ripped out by the end you can’t be human.
Actors are by nature volatile—alchemic creatures composed of incendiary elements, emotion and ego and envy. Heat them up, stir them together, and sometimes you get gold. Sometimes disaster.
To start off, I shall examine each main character, because I have so many thoughts on them all.
Oliver Marks: The Loyal Sidekick
The main character, Oliver, is so amazing. I love him. He does everything out of love and deserves better. I don’t want to spoil anything but let me just say he did not deserve ten years in prison, although he was somewhat guilty. His character is very contemplative and loves literature, and also understands human emotions quite well. He overall is an amazing MC and I loved him.
James Farrow: The Hero
I said no spoilers so I’ll just have to scream into the void. HE DESERVED BETTER. And honestly, 6 out of the 7 main actors deserved better so it may not give much away but my god- I love James. From the first interaction between him and Oliver I just knew he was going to be a character I would fall in love with. And I can’t stress enough how much this poor boy went through. He deserved better. He deserved love. And the end-
Alexander Vass: The Villian
Ahh Alex! He was honestly hilarious. I feel sad for him too because of his addiction, and I truly believe he deserved better. He was a character that was sort of uncertain about everything yet confident, and I feel he could have and more development but the lack of it gave him a mysterious aura.
Richard Stirling: The Tyrant
I hate this boy so much. I hate him. I can’t express how much I wish he had never taken up acting and Shakespeare. If you couldn’t guess from his regular stage role, he’s a tyrant. And not a good one. He is controlling and it only gets worse as the book goes on. He is very unlikable and I hate him.
But that is how a tragedy like ours or King Lear breaks your heart—by making you believe that the ending might still be happy, until the very last minute.
Filippa Kosta: The Chameleon
Hmm so we didn’t get much of her. I think, again, based on her role this was intentional. In fact, if we look at the book as a whole, the roles they usually played match up perfectly and I so wish they didn’t. Pip overall was a good friend to Oliver and I think she was truly a genuine person, so there’s that. She was a lifeline for him, in a way.
Meredith Dardenne: The Femme Fatale
Okay so I dislike and like Meredith. Do I think she deserves happiness? Yes. I just was conflicted by her character. Again, I’m sure this was the intention. I just could’ve completely like her. She was very interesting though.
Wren Stirling: The Ingénue
She was again, not the most focused character. Although I overall did like her and I think she is a very cool character. I can see how everyone’s actions affected her and overall did enjoy her:)
Which of us could say we were more sinned against than sinning? We were so easily manipulated - confusion made a masterpiece of us.
The plot is amazing. We have some chapters in present time, but most are in the past, showing how we got to Oliver just coming out of prison. I was consistently guessing over what happens and I was shocked at the end. And the epilogue, you say? Well I think it ended as a sign of hope for meeting in another life- in heaven. But it ended in tragedy, that much I believe to be true. And that what breaks my heart most.
It’s not the whole truth. The whole truth is, I’m in love with him still.
The truth is, the romance in this book was tragic. How they only discovered their feelings and could admit them when they were apart. How they loved each other so much that it lead them down a disastrous path. I can’t say who the couple is, because I truly think it is something that you can guess but seeing it unfold in the book is beautiful. Their interactions had me screaming, the blushes and trust the had in each other. Why must authors break my heart?
Per aspera ad astra. I’d heard a variety of translations, but the one I liked best was Through the thorns, to the stars.
Overall I recommend this book to absolutely everyone and I would love to discuss to if any of my friends do read this. It’s all worth it, having your heart shredded. I promise:)
Re read #1: I’m crying again why did I do this to myself. The foreshadowing in this novel is literally insane and the implications of even the roles they get into the play and how those feed into their eventual fates…. such a masterpiece and I’m crying over James and Oliver once again <3
Re read #2: so back over winter break I decided to fully analyze and annotate the book and nearly every page has something underlined. Literally every sentence has a specific meaning and the characters are so well written and I shall never get over this masterpiece. One of my favourite books ever. And yes! I cried again :)
“The things about Shakespeare is, he's so eloquent...he speaks the unspeakable. He turns grief and triumph and rapture and rage into words, into something we can understand. He renders the whole mystery of humanity comprehensible.”...more
“He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”
Emily Brontë did not hold back writing this book. The 5/5
“He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”
Emily Brontë did not hold back writing this book. The quotes you can take from it are immaculate. This book in general is immaculate. For a classic, the writing is very straight forward and amazingly atmospheric. The moors and Gothic setting of Wuthering Heights come alive and are perhaps a character themselves. I adored this book and the overall theme of revenge and love.
“If all else perished and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.”
The characters in this book are unlikable, and simply do not care for this fact. They are rude and cruel and abrasive, and that’s simply who they are. They make bad choices, but who’s to blame them? Catherine Earnshaw in likely to be the main character, but it’s truly debatable- perhaps Heathcliffe is, or the other Catherine, or Hareaton, or Nelly. Truly, this book is amazing. The characters are so interesting in their unlikability, although you can’t help but have them grow on you.
“You said I killed you- haunt me, then!”
This is a story of lost love and revenge, and the possibility of a new generation correcting their ancestors pasts. This book is told through a story, and it’s very interesting. The ending is so satisfying, and brings everything to a well deserved close. This story has a new take on soulmates for sure.
“Be with me always, take any form, drive me mad! Only do not leave me in this abyss where I cannot find you! Oh, God! It is unutterable! I can not live without my life! I can not live without my soul!”
I think everyone should pick this book up. If a 19th centrist Gothic Tale Of romance and revenge doesn’t interest you, than what will? This book is honestly an excellent example of writing and I hope it stays a well known classic for years to come.
“You know that I could as soon forget you as my existence!” ...more
In the darkness, two shadows reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns 5/5
In the darkness, two shadows reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun.
Okay guys I need everyone to read this book ASAP. It’s so so sooo good. It’s fluffy, tragic, and mythology based. What more could you need? In truth, I expected to love this book but not this much. It’s just so beautiful. Madeline Miller’s writing is so lyrical and I need her next novel right now. She makes such heart-wrenching quotes so easily, it’s amazing.
He is half of my soul, as the poets say.
Our main character is Patroclus. He’s such a cinnamon roll and so sweet and soft and ahhh- He is truly one of the sweetest MC’s ever. His development over this book, becoming someone strong and independent, was so masterfully and well done. Achilles is our other main character and I love him too. His character development over the course of this book is amazing. It’s so satisfying to see him reach his full potential. I loved him very much.
I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.
The romance. Wow. Hands down one of the best romances I have ever read. Ever. The best friends to lovers (superior trope guys) excellency was so on point. The pining and development over decades. The happiness they found in each other. I really don’t think the romance could have been done any better. It was fluffy, sweet, and just so beautiful.
“Perhaps it is the greatest grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone.”
You can hear me quietly sobbing. The plot is so so sooooo good. As with anything based off of Greek Mythology, you have a large and crazy cast of characters. I loved the development in some of them and the little connections to other myths. The plot isn’t the fastest, but as this is a re-telling of a centuries old story that in itself takes place over twenty something years, I think anyone can understand the slower pacing. And it’s better to stay in the happy times, isn’t it? The war scenes were super good. I seriously enjoyed them so much.
“Name one hero who was happy.”
The ending. My god. The last three chapters had me sobbing for an hour straight. I am not lying. I knew it would happen, because I have read all the popular Greek myths and stories. That certainly didn’t make it any less hard hitting. The grief and pain Madeleine Miller was able to create with her words are nothing short of remarkable. She made the grief and pain of this ending raw and real. I loved the emotions in it so much.
In conclusion, I adored this book and everyone needs to pick it up ASAP.
☀︎El In Oz☀︎
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