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cotton_swift's reviews
49 reviews
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Man, what a book
The Purple Haze by Andrew Einspruch
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
There's a lot in this book that I really liked. First of all, the main character, Eloise, was perfectly done. From her personality to her inner thoughts, I thought the author got her down perfectly. How would a teenaged future heir would act on their first trip to the outside world after multiple embarrassments? The answer is Princess Eloise Gumball III.
Another thing I adored were the family dynamics. Being royalty would mess up certain aspects of family. A lot of fantasy media tends to show it just by making the family either terribly dysfunctional or abusive. But I liked that the Gumballs were mostly a good family. Slightly dysfunctional, of course, but there was genuine love that was shown and verbalised.
The worldbuilding! God, I loved the worldbuilding. From the difference in terrains, the one main religion having different sects, the fairs, the names. It was wonderful. The random tidbits were lovely.
The side-characters were, of course, a delight. From the small champion to the ever changing party members, there was real grit and life in every character that presented themselves in the scenes.
Reading this book was like watching a TV show. I mean this in a good way. The chapters were structured in such a way that there was a perfect suspense-knowledge ratio.
The start of the book (a solid 20%) was pretty slow. While it helped us understand the dynamics, I do believe certain things could've been fastened up.
Another thing I adored were the family dynamics. Being royalty would mess up certain aspects of family. A lot of fantasy media tends to show it just by making the family either terribly dysfunctional or abusive. But I liked that the Gumballs were mostly a good family. Slightly dysfunctional, of course, but there was genuine love that was shown and verbalised.
The worldbuilding! God, I loved the worldbuilding. From the difference in terrains, the one main religion having different sects, the fairs, the names. It was wonderful. The random tidbits were lovely.
The side-characters were, of course, a delight. From the small champion to the ever changing party members, there was real grit and life in every character that presented themselves in the scenes.
Reading this book was like watching a TV show. I mean this in a good way. The chapters were structured in such a way that there was a perfect suspense-knowledge ratio.
The start of the book (a solid 20%) was pretty slow. While it helped us understand the dynamics, I do believe certain things could've been fastened up.
Blue on Blue Ground by Aaron Smith
3.5
The second and third half were the obvious better halves. The first one was okay. I like it.
Queer by William S. Burroughs
Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.
Just don't like it, honestly. Not my cup of tea.
Diary by Chuck Palahniuk
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Most of what I read about this book, looks at it through the lens of art and artists and their suffering but truthfully, that particular theme didn't mean much to me. From the first chapter, the only thing I could focus on was the way the rich, old families acted in this book. The refusal to change their ways, the eagerness to abuse someone to earn their fortune, their cruelty.
Misty suffers through the entirety of the novel, and none of the other characters really care, since they need her suffering. Some of her monologues were so rich, I couldn't help but overcome with hatred for everyone surrounding her. Maybe the novel does a better commentary on art but I wouldn't know.
(ps. Misty should be allowed to kill everyone on the island.)
Misty suffers through the entirety of the novel, and none of the other characters really care, since they need her suffering. Some of her monologues were so rich, I couldn't help but overcome with hatred for everyone surrounding her. Maybe the novel does a better commentary on art but I wouldn't know.
(ps. Misty should be allowed to kill everyone on the island.)
Kagurabachi Vol 1 by Takeru Hokazono
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Hall of Small Mammals: Stories by Thomas Pierce
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A really, really great collection of short stories. Some of them were obviously more outstanding than the others. Grasshopper Kings and Why We Ate Mud are my favourites from the eleven stories.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Not as bad as people say it is. Honestly, a decent book, especially in terms of writing a teenager.