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When I started it, I was very hopeful that I would like it, because it seemed like the author understood Austen's Emma. The tone was very sarcastic, and it dealt mainly with the flaws of Mr. Woodhouse and Emma herself. However, as the story progressed, I was more and more disappointed. Emma is a terrible person, there is nothing redeemable about her. In fact, in the end, when she supposedly understood the hurt she caused, she keeps being extremely selfish, and only tries to set up Harriet and Robert Martin so she can have Knightley to herself. Emma and Harriet's whole relationship is weirdly presented here. Emma actively dislikes Harriet, yet decides to help her anyway. But any time they are together, Emma complains about how much she dislikes Harriet, so why would she? Their relationship is also weirdly sexual, to the point where I thought this was a sapphic version, but no, all the descriptions of Harriet's beauty and her lips, painting her naked... are there for no particular reason. The romance with Knightley is not developed at all, to the point where I thought it would just not be included in here. I would have been fine with that, since Austen's Emma is so much more about the social criticism than the romance, and in fact, it seems added at the end as an afterthought. However, in this one, since it was going to be included, it needed at least a little development. Emma and Knightley barely interact in this version, yet they end up together anyway. Some of the translations into modern culture were also weird, like Emma's obsession with finding Harriet "a sugar daddy". There were better ways of doing that. The author has no problem changing certain things from the original (like Harriet and Robert Martin dating from the beginning), so I don't understand why in other places he sticks to the original, but doing a poor job of adapting it. The author doesn't seem to care about the plot of the original at all, only including some of the major beats, but without any of the character development that would make readers care about it. I'm very disappointed with this one.

Every book I enjoy more than the last. I love Celaena's character development. Even though I really liked Celaena/Chaol in the previous book, I love their developments apart from each other. Chaol couldn't truly love her the way she is and she is moving past Celaena to becone Aelin. I love that nothing is set in stone.I thought it was obvious Sorscha was a spy but I enjoyed her romance with Dorian, even if in the end she was more of a narrative device to get Dorian to where he is now. I'm on the Celaena/Rowan train at full speed.The only part I didn't love were Manon's chapters. She was so disconnected from the rest of it that I just didn't care.The more I think about it, the more I like it. It's sort of a transition book. Its function is mainly to put everyone in the positions they need to be for the rest of the story. And yet it felt really engaging of its own. This series keeps getting better.Starting Book 4 right now

The influence from the show is clear in this, and I really liked that. Even though it is its own thing, it feels complimentary to the TV show, I feel like fans of the show would take a lot from this too and viceversa. I liked the protagonists in this much more than Offred in the original. Offred's narration is very detached, which is understandable, she's also trying to protect herself from feeling or thinking too much about her situation, but that doesn't make for an engaging reading experience. I felt a stronger connection to these characters. I think the three different POVs are very smart, since you have the girl who's been raised in Gilead, the girl who's been raised outside of Gilead and one of the founding Aunts, so you get very different perspectives on the situation. I loved Aunt Lydia's POV, she's such a complex character, and I love that the novel is very neutral towards her: yes she's done terrible things, but it's not all black and white, in her own way she is also a victim and a survivor. The writing is once again very engaging and I read it quite quickly.

This is an excellent book. I read the first half in one go and only put it down because it was really late and I had to get up early the next morning. I had trouble sleeping because I couldn't put it out of my mind. I then spent the next day thinking about it. So it's a book that haunts you. However, the second part of the book didn't have the same effect on me. I didn't connect so much with it, and the gut punches weren't as effective. I still recommend this to everyone, obviously. But it's not an easy read. There was a moment when I had to put the book down and take a couple of minutes before I took it up again (the visit to the doctor, if you're curious) because I was so disgusted by what was happening that I couldn't keep reading. I think Atwood writes the story masterfully, because the protagonist sometimes throws details like they are irrelevant for her, and they are a really strong punch to the stomach for readers. I was angry and disgusted through most of the book. This is obviously a feminist book, denouncing the way women are treated in most societies. However, what I liked the most is not the big stuff, like the way women are treated in Gilead. I really loved the details, how it denounces more subtle misogyny. It's obvious to anyone reading that Gilead is a sexist society, but then there's things like Luke being a bit of a misogynist pig, or some of the comments the Commander makes. I did like the setting too, but what I enjoyed the most about this book were the little things.---------------------------------2nd time - May 2022I liked it better this time. I still have some trouble connecting with the protagonist, because I find her unlikeable. It's a tragedy that, old as this novel is, every time I read it, it's still perfectly current.