Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine. Really, she is. She goes to work, eats the same meal deal, drinks two bottles of vodka on a Friday night and wakes up on a Monday ready to do it all again. But one day, by complete coincidence, she meets Raymond, a middle-aged tech support worker who introduces her to new things, and forces her to confront things that she has tried very hard to forget...

But this is not a love story. It is a story primarily about loneliness, and about the best and worst that humankind has to offer.

This was an amazing story, but it took me a while to get into it. For the first third or so, I didn't really get where it was going, I didn't get the point. But after that, it became very clear very quickly, and now it has become one of those books that I will continue to think about, even though I've finished it.

I cannot recommend this book enough. It is just one of those feel-good books that will stay with you for ages after you finish reading it.

Review: The Wicked King by Holly Black

Jude has bound High King Cardan to her for a year and a day, to look after the throne while her brother grows up. But he despises her for this, and has taken it upon himself to make her life as difficult as possible. Despite this, the two of them have feelings for each other that neither one can explain, and this only makes ruling a kingdom even harder.

I really enjoyed this book, but I have given it four stars for two reasons: the first is that I found Jude really quite irritating. She's incredibly selfish and makes rash decisions without really thinking things through. The second is that cliff-hanger ending! It's brilliant, but it's annoying that the next book isn't out until next year.

I like the fact that we get more details about Elfhame in this book, and we find out more about how the ruling family is linked directly to the throne. I also like the fact that we find out more about the other courts in Elfhame. This book is full of twists and turns, and it was hard to put down.