galacticvampire's reviews
350 reviews

Um livro mais fraquinho e simples. As pistas são bem mais diretas e sinto que não foi explorado muito sobre Mozart já que o foco foi dividido após a mudança pra Veneza.

Apesar disso o desenvolvimento dos irmãos é ótimo, e infe izmente a Nellie aparece pouco.

O fator nostalgia com certeza afeta minha opinião, mas acho essa série incrível pro público infanto juvenil.

Além de apresentar figuras históricas mundiais para uma criança, a história é leve e engraçada até lendo como adulta.

Rick Riordan cria uma introdução perfeita para o enredo, apesar de talvez algumas pistas serem um pouco complexas (lembro de ter tido um pouco de dificuldade aos 9). Uma pena que a tradução realmente não é das melhores.

Murderbot finally got its full-length novel and it was worth every extra page!

It almost felt like two novellas integrated: we begin with SecUnit and an exploration team being kidnapped by possible aliens in a AmongUs set-up and it evolves to a big world building infiltration and rescue mission in the second half.

What I think Martha Wells does incredibly is controlling the pacing with flashbacks and inner monologue in between the constant action sequences, creating an engaging reading experience.

Of course, the highlight of this book is the return of ART, as its dynamic with Murderbot is unparalleled, and it was great learning more about colonies and the mysterious alien remnants.

Murderbot is funny, relatable and mostly in denial about its own humanity, so it's beautiful to see it slowly accepting it.

We finally go back to the Preservation team and the relationship the SecUnit has with each if them is great, specially Dr. Mensah.

This will very likely be one of my favourite series for life.

I was not expecting to like this sequel even more than the first one, but here we are. 

It focuses a lot on the AIDS pandemic and the fears of not only growing up but growing up as a queer man in the 80s. 

We finally get Ari coming out of his shell and developing beyond Dante, who in turn gets to show he's not always the confident and carefree boy from the first book. 

This is real and raw and full of grief, and I loved every second of it. 

This one was hard to get through. I think I was expecting more of a broad take on art in general, and there is some of that, but it was mostly hooks praising one specific artist in each essay, and if you didn't know about them before it's hard to follow the analysis because *most times we don't have a picture of the work in question*.

We also get a bunch of interviews which honestly didn't feel like added that much considering there were often full paragraphs of a single person talking. It felt like transcriptions of two friends' unplanned conversation: there are some great takes but they're peppered in rambling about the subject.

Still, bell hooks essays on art are incredible, and the one about photography and black culture particularly stayed with me. It's undeniable that even if you don't necessarily agree with something she says, she says it with perfect precision.

Star Wars audiodramas are always a blast! The full cast and sound effects really sell the atmosphere, and this being set as an interview really wraps it all together.

The hardest thing in audiodramas is the lost descriptions. They have to create a dynamic plot for the lack of inner thoughts you get from the characters, but Tempest Breaker found the best of both worlds.

The interview with Lorna Dee gives the perfect opportunity to hear he feelings about the story, while the story expands her relationship with both the good and the bad guys.

I do think this one will be really confusing without following the comics, and there are a few moments where the action got really confusing to follow, but it was a fun experience!

PS: this entry did nothing to help my overall dislike of Avar Kriss.

Wow. Just. Wow.

Bury Your Gays is a clear critique on the exploitation of Hollywood with the thrilling addition of sci-fi esque horror.

Pressured by the studio to change his story, the screenwriter Misha starts to be haunted by his own horror characters in a tense thriller exploring media, queerness and identity.

I particularly liked how it was made clear that every single company choice was driven by profit, and that the executives didn't really care if it they were inclusive or not, following the audience acceptance over bury-your-gays or queer-joy trends. Rainbow capitalism at its finest. Everyone involved in the machine got turned into a product to be used and discarded.

It was, at times, a little too on the nose, and I think the side characters could be a little more developed, but the experience was still incredible.

I understand why this book is talked about like a romance, because Ari and Dante also won my heart, but the truth is that this is an incredible coming of age story.

Somehow, I liked this even more than the first time (and totally forgot it was Lin-Manuel Miranda narrating).

Ari is the perfect main character exactly because he's so imperfect. He's so, so sweet and compassionate but controlled by anger and fear and anxiety. His relationship with Dante is tender but I'd say his development with his parents is really the highlight of it all.

This book is sensible, full of heart and a perfect slow-burn. All the characters are charismatic and have stayed with me for years.

I went into Call Me by Your Name very skeptical. While I haven't seen the movie, the pop culture conversation around it made me doubt I'd buy the romance between a teenager and a post-grad exchange student.

But I was surprised.

The prose is absolutely incredible, capturing the anxiety and inicurities of someone new to love while also providing beautiful descriptions of event both event and feelings, and it would've been enough for me to get over the questionable power dynamics.

But Oliver and Elio's relationship is way more complex than that. The hesitancy around queer desire in the 80s, the fear of rejection, the worry about consequences and the subtlety in which Oliver slowly gives in to Elio's (the teen!) advances made me totally endeared to them.

But probably my favourite thing about this book is that they're not perfect. It didn't feel like I was reading a romance, but a coming of age story. Elio is an annoying teenager who can't deal with his feelings, Oliver is awkward beyond his carisma, the both of them together do honestly really weird shit (

fucking a peach and eating it, or watching each other poop, for example

) and frequently flirt very badly.

They felt human and real and I'm definitely reading anything Aciman releases.