A Quick Recap:
The Lost in Translation Tag was created by Eryn @ Love Your Shelf, but I discovered it through Neri @ Postcards from La-La-Land & my post format will closely follow hers. You can see my original post here.The Big Reveal:
Book 1 Translation : Guest List
English --> Croatian--> Malagasy--> Thai --> English
Actual Title: The Guest List by Lucy Foley
The Review: 5/5 Stars
This is a drama filled, kept me on the edge of my seat, murder mystery that left me guessing time and time again. It's not for the weak of heart--there's lots of graphic sex scenes, explicit language, and trauma. Lots and lots of trauma. I have never wanted the death of a character quite as much as I have while listening to this novel--and the author's good, almost too good. I say this because the murder victim isn't revealed until the last quarter of the book. So as the story unfolds, readers have no idea who dies or who the murderer might be--but that doesn't stop readers from trying to figure out who-dun-it.
Book 2 Translation: Woman of Air and Darkness
English --> Romanian --> Serbian --> Igbo --> English
Actual Title: Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare
The Review: 5/5 Stars
This is an exciting and satisfying end to the Dark Artifices series. I love Cassandra Clare and the Shadow Hunter World she has created. I used to read these novels like candy and now I'm listening to them like candy as I drive between home, babysitters, and work. I do have to admit, I'm writing this review before actually finishing the novel (I have two discs left--out of 24). There's lots of demon slaying, world hopping, fairies, wizards, and forbidden love to go around and I'm loving every second of it.
Book 3: Fashion Again, Fashion Again
English --> Luxembourgish --> Maori --> Samoan --> English
Actual Title: Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes
The Review: 5/5 Stars
I love this book so, so, so much. First of all, it's a sports book that doesn't feel like a sports book. Sports books bore me. Maybe it's because this sport in particular is fencing--but I absolutely love the history, the moves and how the author ties it directly to the main character's every day feelings, challenges, and struggles. This book is also super important because it's an own voices story about first hand colorism. The main character, Donte, and his brother are biracial, but Donte has darker skin than his brother, and in a mostly all white prep school, readers get to see what colorism looks and feels like. It's an eye opening experience, but it doesn't feel like the book only serves the purpose of exposing or relating readers to these topics. The characters are so three dimensional and their growth is fantastic. This is a quick, fun read with lots of important topics and experiences.
Holy Unexpected, Batman! I was secretly right about the third one! That was the only recent title I could find with a repeated phrase separated by a comma! I'm starting to think Google Translate has a ways to go with their Maori translations -- my most far-off ones involved Maori too. I mean, I'm pretty sure they have words for brother and again XD
ReplyDeleteThe other two translations were way more spot-on than I expected...I was the one imagining something more convoluted. It belongs to me.
[That's Latin (mea culpa) > Maori > Sinhala > Somali > English ;) ]. Hats off to Google in those cases!
Well done to Neri for figuring them out! I honestly didn't really try v.v
ReplyDeleteLove the book reviews! I feel like I should have figured out the first one, ah well.
Speaking of these mystery reads, I have a blog coming this Friday that will also be included in this mystery book translation tag! I figure if I say it here, I'm more likely to actually finish it and get it posted :P I'm such a bad procrastinator!