Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
📝 First Impressions I read Old Man’s War almost breathlessly. From the very first pages, John Scalzi pulled me into a future where old age is not necessarily the end of adventure — it can be the beginning of an…
Tag Book review
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
📝 First Impressions Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows feels different from every previous book in the series almost immediately. Hogwarts is no longer the centre of the story, the familiar rhythm of school terms is gone, and Harry, Ron…
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling
📝 First Impressions Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince feels noticeably darker from the very beginning. By this point in the series, the sense of wonder that defined the earlier books is still there, but it is constantly overshadowed by…
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
📝 First Impressions The Ocean at the End of the Lane feels, from its very first pages, like a story remembered rather than a story simply told. Neil Gaiman takes an adult narrator back to the place where he grew…
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J. K. Rowling
📝 First Impressions I came to Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone having already seen the films, so reading it inevitably brought familiar scenes to mind. That familiarity did not stop me from enjoying the book. I found it easy…
Vegetal by Dănuț Ungureanu and Marian Truță
📝 First Impressions Reading Vegetal by Dănuț Ungureanu and Marian Truță brought back a world I recognised: the Romanian village, with its familiar habits, conversations and everyday life. The descriptions of the people and their surroundings made me think of…
O inimă de broscuță by Gheorghe Vîrtosu
📝 First Impressions O inimă de broscuță by Gheorghe Vîrtosu introduces a world where tiny creatures have plenty to say about some very big questions. Presented as a story for all ages, it brings together the imaginative setting of an…
Ora 12 by Alexandra Gold
📝 First Impressions What caught my attention first in Ora 12 was the visual side of the book. The drawing and overall graphic presentation are easily its strongest elements, and they gave the story a distinctive identity from the beginning.…
Jupiter Storm by Marti Dumas
📝 First Impressions Jupiter Storm had an interesting idea at its core, but for me the story took too long to get to the part that really mattered. The opening spends a lot of time on very small details —…
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
📝 First Impressions There is something instantly recognisable about a Roald Dahl story. The world may begin in an ordinary enough place, but it never stays ordinary for long. Adults can be grotesque, children are often left to deal with…
The BFG by Roald Dahl
📝 First Impressions The BFG is one of those Roald Dahl books that immediately feels larger than life. From the beginning, there is a sense of wonder mixed with just enough darkness to make the story exciting rather than simply…
Matilda by Roald Dahl
📝 First Impressions Matilda is one of those stories I have known in more than one form, and I think that probably helped make it even more memorable for me. I read the book, but I also saw the film…