2024 Book Reviews
These are the books I read in the year 2024. Not many, but there are some books I’d like to read again and re-review!
My 2024 Read
📖 Name of the Book: Kill the Beast
📄 Plot: The plot of this story is not necessarily told from the pov of the Beast (or Prince Adam). It does tell his story of how he becomes the beast, but it also tells the story of the old beggar woman who transforms Prince Adam into the beast and how most of these stories will be connected.
📖 Genre: Fantasy Fiction
📄 My Favorite Quotes: None, really.
💭 My Thoughts: Book begins in the middle of “Beauty and the Beast”, but jumps back to before the main character was a beast. Liked the perspective from the Odd Sisters (who we will me later in the series), but it does not tie in well with the movie aspects. Liked how they mentioned the Evil Queen (main character of the first book) and Ursula (third book).
⭐ Star Rating: 4/5
My 2024 Read
📖 Name of the Book: Poor Unfortunate Soul
📄 Plot: Tells the story of Ursula and how she became the way she is portrayed in the movie. It also goes more into detail of the Odd Sisters as well.
📖 Genre: Fantasy Fiction
📄 My Favorite Quotes: No favorite quotes
💭 My Thoughts: The book did seem a bit confusing. The telling of Ursula’s tale was not as prominent, but rather that of the Odd Sisters and their youngest sister’s disappearance. Liked that it mentioned other characters we’ll see in the following book. This book was still a good read.
⭐ Star Rating: 4/5
My 2024 Read
📖 Name of the Book: Mistress of All Evil
📄 Plot: This is Maleficent’s story and is told through the perspectives of the different characters in her life, as well as hers.
📖 Genre: Fantasy Fiction
📄 My Favorite Quotes: As great as this book was, I still didn’t have any favorite quotes
💭 My Thoughts: This book was amazing. The telling of how Maleficent became who she is, was perfect! Seeing this perspective makes you think. It definitely coincides with its movie counterpart just like the first book. This was such a good book with its plot twists and turns and short telling of romance.
⭐ Star Rating: 5/5
My 2024 Read
📖 Name of the Book: Fourth Wing
📄 Plot: Violet Sorrengail is forced to join the brutal Basgiath War College's Riders Quadrant, abandoning her plans to become a scribe.
📖 Genre: Romantic Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, High Fantasy, New Adult Fiction
📄 My Favorite Quotes: None.
💭 My Thoughts: First of all, this book was written by a zionist. Book was barely okay. Characters were written sort of for one purpose, to make the main character look good. The smut was poorly written. Did not finish!
⭐ Star Rating: 0/5
My 2024 Read
📖 Name of the Book: Mother Knows Best
📄 Plot: Explores the backstory of Mother Gothel, the villain from Disney's "Tangled," revealing her descent into darkness
📖 Genre:Fantasy Fiction
📄 My Favorite Quotes: None
💭 My Thoughts: A great telling of how mother Gothel came to be. She was given an amazing background that makes readers actually feel sorry for her, but at the same time, root for the Odd Sisters. It blended great with the plot of “Tangled” and had me wanting to read more.
⭐ Star Rating: 5/5
My 2024 Read
📖 Name of the Book: Giovanni’s Room
📄 Plot: David, a young American man in Paris, is engaged to his girlfriend Hella, who is traveling in Spain. While she is away, David meets Giovanni, an Italian bartender, at a gay bar. Despite his initial hesitation, David begins a passionate affair with Giovanni and soon moves into his small, cluttered room.
📖 Genre: Psychological Fiction
📄 My Favorite Quotes: None, unfortunately.
💭 My Thoughts: I didn’t full thoughts on this book because I didn’t get the chance to finish reading it!
⭐ Star Rating: DNF (BUT I PLAN TO RE-READ IT)
My 2024 Read
📖 Name of the Book: The Odd Sisters
📄 Plot: Three powerful witches who manipulate the fates of other Disney villains.
📖 Genre: Fantasy Fiction
📄 My Favorite Quotes: None
💭 My Thoughts: The book is well thought out. It catches the reader up on what has happened in the last few books and is told through eyes of the youngest “Odd Sister.”
⭐ Star Rating: 5/5
Hey! So I know some people will have different opinions of these books, and these are mine! You do not have to like them, but for the most part I enjoy reading some of these books and plan to read one of them again to get a full opinion. Thank you for taking the time to read the caption!#2024books #2024bookreview
The 2024 book reviews focus primarily on fantasy fiction with a strong emphasis on retellings and expansions of Disney villain stories, such as "Kill the Beast," "Poor Unfortunate Soul," "Mistress of All Evil," "Mother Knows Best," and "The Odd Sisters." These books intricately explore backstories and motivations of iconic antagonists, enriching the traditional narratives with fresh, interconnected plots involving characters like the Odd Sisters and Ursula. Readers are drawn into a complex world where fate and villainy intertwine, providing a multidimensional view that complements the original movies. In addition to these fantasy titles, the list includes "Fourth Wing," a high fantasy and new adult fiction novel that was critiqued for its character development and smut elements, and "Giovanni’s Room," a classic psychological fiction novel centered on themes of identity and forbidden romance in Paris. While the latter was not completed, the intention to revisit it suggests its recognized literary depth. The reviews provide star ratings and subjective thoughts that highlight narrative strengths and weaknesses, such as plot pacing, character perspective, and thematic coherence with movie adaptations. The recurring presence of the Odd Sisters as a connecting element across several books is notable, inviting readers to follow a saga that spans multiple titles. Readers interested in fantasy retellings will find value in these critiques, which offer insight into how these stories expand the Disney villain mythos while maintaining ties to familiar media. For those exploring diverse genres, the psychological and romantic fiction elements introduce contrasting storytelling styles and themes, broadening the 2024 reading landscape. Overall, this curated collection underscores the dynamic nature of fantasy fiction in 2024, blending traditional fairy tale elements with modern narrative techniques and complex character studies. It serves as a useful guide for readers seeking engaging and thoughtful literary experiences within this genre.
