Aotea College

50,130 pages read and 2,874 team points

Team members

Sophie

7,922 pts

(7,238 pages read)

All My Rage

By Sabaa Tahir

4 stars

4.5 stars. A beautifully written story of friendship, trauma, and financial hardship between two American-Pakistanis in small- town California.
All That We Know

By Shilo Kino

3 stars

3.5 stars. Mixed feelings. Couldn't put it down, but also despised the protagonist.
The Axeman's Carnival

By Catherine Chidgey

4 stars

4.5 stars. Part of me even wants to give it 5 stars, but had I realised that domestic abuse was the leitmotif of this book, I would never have read it. It's beautifully written. The fact that it's told from the POV of a magpie just works. I thought that it was heading in a Birnam Wood territory (I'm still furious about it), but it doesn't. Chidgey has really proven that she is NZ'S best fiction writer.
A Woman Of No Importance

By Sonia Purnell

5 stars

Excellent account of Virginia Hall's life, including her 3 years undercover in Vichy France during WWII.
People Who Eat Darkness

By Richard Lloyd Parry

4 stars

I found this story absolutely gripping, from Lucie Blackman's time in Tokyo, to descriptions of the Japanese police and judiciary, to the story of the man behind her murder.
The Reappearance of Rachel Price

By Holly Jackson

4 stars

A very compelling mystery, but with a protagonist who I HATED, and characters whose behaviours didn't make sense. It got very frustrating at times. But I was still hooked.
The Valley

By Chris Hammer

5 stars

Another cracking crime novel. Evocative descriptions of rural Australia as always.
The Weekend Away

By Sarah Alderson

3 stars

"I worry, though, that I'm being too stupid and too trusting." Yes, Orla, you absolutely are too stupid and too trusting. I love a good whodunit/ mystery/thriller, but Orla, our protagonist, made stupid decision after stupid decision and it drove me batty. And the final chapter was the *chef's kiss* most unnecessary and frustrating ending possible. I'll give Alderson credit for writing a page turner, though.
If We Were Villians

By M L Rio

5 stars

This book totally hit this spot. I'm a sucker for the American East Coast Ivy League university friendship gone wrong trope. There was way too much quoting of Shakespeare for my liking, but I just skipped through that.
The Great Divide

By Cristina Henríquez

4 stars

This is a book of interconnected stories with the Panama Canal in the background. It's not everyday that you come across a book set in Panama, so if you are looking for something a little different then I really recommend this.
Silver

By Chris Hammer

5 stars

Chris Hammer has become my favourite Australian crime author, he captures of the spirit of Australia so well. Although this book got a little confusing with all the business deals and intrigue, I still adored it.
Hollowpox: The Hunt For Morrigan Crow

By Jessica Townsend

5 stars

Book 3 in the Nevermoor series. Townsend has done such a fabulous job in developing the characters and in the world building.
A Court of Wings and Ruin

By Sarah J Maas

4 stars

The first two thirds was great, but the last third was a slog.
Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow

By Jessica Townsend

5 stars

I'm on my third re-read yet it's like reading it for the first time. I love Morrigan's evolution from cursed child to wundersmith.
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

By Jessica Townsend

5 stars

The third re-read of my favourite "older children's fiction" series. Townsend builds worlds and characters so well. I just wish that I had a Magnificat in my life.
Love Will Tear Us Apart

By C.K. McDonnell

5 stars

The third book in The Stranger Times series, with characters that I love more and more upon each re-listen. Narrator Brendan McDonald's voice work really brings the series alive.
Happy Place

By Emily Henry

3 stars

If everybody in this book just communicated with each other, this book wouldn't exist. I HATE that trope, whether it be in books or on screen.

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Aotea College

50,130 pages read and 2,874 team points

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