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jpsjps's reviews
41 reviews
The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I loved this book. The humor is right up my alley and had me chuckling quite a bit. I enjoyed all the characters, especially Kinch. He is such a likable bastard. There was some very clever things in here, notably the golem scene and the short term time travel bit. The romance was very sweet and I’d be curious to see how or if it is continued in a sequel.
The only thing keeping me from giving this book a five is a scene towards the end.It is heavily implied that Kinch was raped. I am glad the author didn’t go in to detail about it, but I feel it did not fit the tone of the book. That portion left a sour taste in my mouth and I feel like it was not handled the best.
The flow of the story was almost dream like. The best comparison I have is something like Weaveworld or Imajica by Clive Barker, where bizarre things just sort of happen. I know Buehlman has written horror books and am curious to check them out. Overall, great book here and it is definitely worth a read.
The only thing keeping me from giving this book a five is a scene towards the end.
The flow of the story was almost dream like. The best comparison I have is something like Weaveworld or Imajica by Clive Barker, where bizarre things just sort of happen. I know Buehlman has written horror books and am curious to check them out. Overall, great book here and it is definitely worth a read.
The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wish I could rate this book higher, but I have one major problem. Elvar.
Sorry in advance for the rant.
I want to show my problem with her by using a comparison of a character I enjoy, Finree Dan Brock from the First Law series. Finree’s main character flaw (besides giving birth to Leo) is that she is overly ambitious, like Elvar. However, Finree’s accomplishments feel earned and it does not feel like the author is trying to force us to like her, unlike Elvar. Finree is incredibly smart, especially in the Age of Madness trilogy, and is honestly a badass. Her confrontations with Bayaz, Stranger-Come-Fucking, and Gorst are really something. She also does mess up quite a few times is not perfect. I think it is even implied at the end of The Heroes that she has PTSD. I need to reread it. I started disliking Elvar when she thralled the Gods, really disliked her after her duel with Huld, and hated her when she forced Skald to maim herself. If the book treated her more like Biorr or Guthvarr, were Biorr seems morally grey and Guthvarr is treated like a sniveling weasel, I’d be okay with her. Her new found position by the end of the book felt weird and rushed, especially amidst the other climaxes of the book. I might be wrong, but it just feels strange that a character that is in favor of slavery is being treated this way by the book. I really hope the end of the series resolves my problems with this character. Still rooting for Uspa though.
Everything else about the book is really solid. Orka is still an amazing and engaging character. Varg chapters are great due to his dynamic with the Bloodsworn. Biorr is an interesting and sympathetic look into the villains, also I love Rotta. Finally Guthvarr is a guilty favorite character trope for me, a selfish and cowardly asshole. Also his relationship with his Aunt adds something extra to him.
Passable prose, good dialogue, fun side characters and amazing action make up a good portion of this book. Something about Elvar just really gets to me, but I think I heard she is a lot better in the final book. Looking forward to the end.
Sorry in advance for the rant.
I want to show my problem with her by using a comparison of a character I enjoy, Finree Dan Brock from the First Law series. Finree’s main character flaw (besides giving birth to Leo) is that she is overly ambitious, like Elvar. However, Finree’s accomplishments feel earned and it does not feel like the author is trying to force us to like her, unlike Elvar. Finree is incredibly smart, especially in the Age of Madness trilogy, and is honestly a badass. Her confrontations with Bayaz, Stranger-Come-Fucking, and Gorst are really something. She also does mess up quite a few times is not perfect. I think it is even implied at the end of The Heroes that she has PTSD. I need to reread it. I started disliking Elvar when she thralled the Gods, really disliked her after her duel with Huld, and hated her when she forced Skald to maim herself. If the book treated her more like Biorr or Guthvarr, were Biorr seems morally grey and Guthvarr is treated like a sniveling weasel, I’d be okay with her. Her new found position by the end of the book felt weird and rushed, especially amidst the other climaxes of the book. I might be wrong, but it just feels strange that a character that is in favor of slavery is being treated this way by the book. I really hope the end of the series resolves my problems with this character. Still rooting for Uspa though.
Everything else about the book is really solid. Orka is still an amazing and engaging character. Varg chapters are great due to his dynamic with the Bloodsworn. Biorr is an interesting and sympathetic look into the villains, also I love Rotta. Finally Guthvarr is a guilty favorite character trope for me, a selfish and cowardly asshole. Also his relationship with his Aunt adds something extra to him.
Passable prose, good dialogue, fun side characters and amazing action make up a good portion of this book. Something about Elvar just really gets to me, but I think I heard she is a lot better in the final book. Looking forward to the end.
The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Is this book written the best? No.
Is this book very original? No.
Are the characters exceptional? No.
Was this book really fun and a joy to read? Yes.
This book is not without its problems, but damn is it an engaging read. Orka stole the show in terms of characters, with Varg being interesting as well. Elvar’s sections were definitely my least favorite until the end, but I feel like she has a lot of potential to grow in the series.
This book does suffer a little bit of a slow start, though not as bad as Malice. I’m excited to see how the story continues, especially after that amazing ending. There were some annoyances in the writing. The overuse of thought-cage and any special word being italicized were started to grate on me pretty early.
The action is handled well and surprisingly this book had some good humorous moments. Faithful and the Fallen felt like it wasn’t trying to be funny and when it was it often fell flat, but I chuckled quite a bit during this book. I feel, like with Malice, that the series will only continue to improve from here.
Is this book very original? No.
Are the characters exceptional? No.
Was this book really fun and a joy to read? Yes.
This book is not without its problems, but damn is it an engaging read. Orka stole the show in terms of characters, with Varg being interesting as well. Elvar’s sections were definitely my least favorite until the end, but I feel like she has a lot of potential to grow in the series.
This book does suffer a little bit of a slow start, though not as bad as Malice. I’m excited to see how the story continues, especially after that amazing ending. There were some annoyances in the writing. The overuse of thought-cage and any special word being italicized were started to grate on me pretty early.
The action is handled well and surprisingly this book had some good humorous moments. Faithful and the Fallen felt like it wasn’t trying to be funny and when it was it often fell flat, but I chuckled quite a bit during this book. I feel, like with Malice, that the series will only continue to improve from here.
Absolution by Jeff VanderMeer
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book definitely deserves a rereading after the original trilogy. I assume that after a full reread my score would go up. Favorite parts were Old Jim and Cass. This is the most obtuse of the series, but I did piece some things together. This book accomplishes probably the most important thing for me, which is a desire to reread the series and make sense of it all.
Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Assassin’s Quest is an incredible end to the trilogy. The first half involving predominantly Fitz, moving about coming across new minor characters was new for the series and was enjoyable. Starling is a welcome edition to the cast and I liked Kettle just not as much as Starling. I was not sure if I would like where the story was going when they found Verity, but Hobb stuck the landing and it was very satisfying. Probably my favorite of the series.
The Score by Richard Stark
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Favorite one so far. The beginning was a little slow, but I think the build up was worth it. The section where the POV switched every few pages was excellent, and a welcome departure of let’s follow the guy escaping Parker. I liked the cast of characters here, especially Grofield. I also enjoy the callbacks to previous books, it feel like it adds to the world. Really enjoyed this one.
The Mourner by Richard Stark
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Pretty good. I liked Menlo probably a little more than Stubbs and the story unfolded in a satisfying way. It was interesting to see Parker seemingly caring for someone, in this case Handy. I’m not sure if I interpreted that wrong or not, but he seemed to care for his wellbeing. I wonder if he is going to show up in any other books. Best part was when Menlo saw Parker in the hotel room. Good stuff.
The Outfit by Richard Stark
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This one was really good. I liked the part where it went through multiple different outfit hits. Not anything to crazy here, just executed very well.
Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I liked the first one a little more, but that does not mean this book is not amazing. The writing is still top tier and the characters are wonderful, notably Nighteyes and Kettricken. The very end of the book had a few too many doom and gloom moments for my liking, but it does end on a hopeful and almost bizarre note. There is more exploration of the Wit and the Skill that was interesting and much welcome. I am excited to see how this trilogy concludes.
Welcome to Camp Nightmare by R.L. Stine
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
That ending sucked all the good will out of me. I was enjoying the story up until the last chapter. The stakes were actually high in this one, it seemed like kids were really dying. The twist was infuriating, it was all an experiment, and to make it even worse they were on another planet. I could almost excuse the first twist, but that second one did not need to be there. The ending ruined the entire book for me.