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bnsfly's reviews
511 reviews
Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
The Measure by Nikki Erlick
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
Eh. It was fine. An attempt to examine prejudice without the baggage of existing prejudices; didn't really live up to that though. Just a kind of simple "ensemble cast"-style story of characters in this new world, none of whom particularly grabbed me. Didn't really lead up to much or have a noticeable climax. Just kind of happened. Writing style unremarkable, so it's not one of those literary "nothing happens but it happens beautifully" kind of books.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I didn't hate this. I really loved the way Collins ended the trilogy; it was so interesting and real, in a universe that wasn't very. So I was curious to see how she'd do Snow. I think the biggest issue I have is the pacing. The heel turn feels sudden and late, even if there are some smart breadcrumbs left along the whole journey. I also expected the heel turn to be *in response to something* but I think it was sly that it was basically always in him. He was never going to be anything else because of his basic flawed belief system. A lot of "banality of evil" stuff here. So I liked it overall but yeah I think it could've been better paced and while I thing Collin's is smarter than some of her "dystopian YA" peers about the things she writes about, I don't know that this one will stick with me too long, like the epilogue of the trilogy did.
Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
I liked it but I'm not _sure_ I liked it enough to read a second (or third). I think maybe just the whatever it is, Victorian? setting doesn't grab me. The magic hovered between system-based or even scientific, and mystical, and I kind of wish it would just pick a lane. And Marbur and Marlowe are so easy for my head to mix up, and then you add in that Jacob Marbur is nearly the classic Dickens name Jacob Marley…
Yeah. I liked it but didn't love it. Maybe I'll come back to the series in a while when this book has settled into my brain a bit.
Yeah. I liked it but didn't love it. Maybe I'll come back to the series in a while when this book has settled into my brain a bit.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Russian Sleeper Cell by Nathan Monk
3.75
I really enjoyed a lot of this book. The style is fun and smart; the way it kind of meandered into the main plot was interesting rather than insufferable, and somehow the very unavoidable presence of the author's voice (which often takes me out of a book) engaged me and kept me reading. But the actual plot of the book was actually kind of weak/straightforward and strangely concluded (what even was the "sleeper cell" the book is so bluntly named after?). Interesting and enjoyable read that was … I don't know, a little bit of a mess in the end.
Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks
2.5
There was a lot I really liked about this book but much more than any other Weeks book I've read, it spent way, way too much of its time musing on the breasts and bodies of its female characters. Weeks has definitely done some of this in other books and there's some level to which you can write this off as "we're seeing the world through the eyes of a young male character" or whatever, but it was just too much in this book. It dragged the book down a lot, to an extent that I almost DNF'ed.
End of Story by A.J. Finn
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
Honestly the mystery wrapped up really nicely with nothing coming out of thin air and yet I didn't figure basically any of it out. A very satisfying mystery with what I think is a well-handled "trans!" twist that doesn't belittle the character, reduce her to the twist, or treat her as abnormal. But I'm an outsider there as a cis dude so maybe I'm off base.