Rosh's Reviews

AUTHOR: Alicia D. Williams GENRE: Middle-grade fiction RATING: 4.75 stars. When you read a book intended for children, you know that it will be simple at heart and straightforward in flow. There will probably be a moral, and usually, a happy ending too. These reasons make children's books the best for those days when you want something good and uplifting. But what if the book does much more to you that satisfy these simple aims? What if you feel emotionally connected to the book and just want to step in and hug the protagonist? This happens very rarely with me. It happened with Auggie Pullman in Wonder, and it happened with the lovely little girl who is the lead in this lovely little book. Genesis Begins Again tells the story of Genesis Anderson, a 13 year old from Detroit. All through her young life, she has been told by almost everyone that she is black and hence, ugly. Add to this an unreliable alcoholic father who frequently abuses her verbally, and some school mates who act s...

AUTHOR: Sarah Andersen GENRE: Graphic Novel PUBLICATION DATE: September 1, 2020 RATING: 4.25 stars. This is such a cute book. I never thought I'll enjoy a love story between a vampire and a werewolf this much. The story is quirky and funny and sweet, all at the same time. Sarah Anderson fans would already know her sense of humour and she doesn't let them down with this book. Totally recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

AUTHOR: Sylvia Plath GENRE: Roman à clef PUBLICATION DATE: RATING: No idea! How do you rate a book that you liked and didn't like too? A book that doesn't leave you even after you turn the last page, and yet a book that you don't think you can read again? A book that is as intellectually stimulating as it is emotionally exhausting? Honest answer: I don't know. As Sylvia Plath's only published novel, The Bell Jar has been in my TBR since a long time. Especially as I'm not much into poetry, this book seemed to be a great way of knowing the troubled poet intimately. I'm glad that I waited all this time before attempting the book because I wouldn't have been able to appreciate the dark beauty of this painful story in my younger years. Esther Greenwood, the leading character of this semi-autobiographical novel masquerading as a fictional bildungsroman, is an intelligent college student with dreams of becoming a poet. After being selected for a summer internsh...

AUTHOR: Jenny Ashcroft GENRE: Historical Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: June 1, 2020. RATING: 4.5 stars. I must confess. The first thing that appealed to me about this book was its title. "Bombay" is not just a word, it is a feeling. I have never been able to feel as close to the word "Mumbai" because I have grown up in Bombay. So when I saw the ARC of this book listed on NetGalley, I had to have it, irrespective of its genre. It has been ages since I've read a romantic drama, but I am glad that this time lapse was rectified by this book. It is such a gem! Maddy Bright and Luke Devereaux meet in the British-governed Bombay of 1913. Head over heels in love from the moment they see each other, they start making plans for the future, which has different plans for them. The First World War brings in its wake an unexpected upheaval in the lives of the young couple and their families. Jenny Ashcroft has a firm grasp over her plot at all times. With a deft use of varied tim...