nice_frogboy's reviews
720 reviews

Provenance by Ann Leckie

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4.75

Rosewater by Tade Thompson

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mysterious reflective 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? No
The Lion of Senet by Jennifer Fallon

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adventurous tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Darkness That Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker

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dark sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

i heard that this was really misogynistic going in, and i thought i was prepared for the severity of it. i was not. pretty sure every named female character in here gets raped at some point. almost every male POV character is a rapist either by force or deception. i say "almost" because the most likable one pays for sex and is emotionally abusive. so that's good, get a little viewpoint diversity there.

i'd say other stuff, but i'm not sure it matters. the sexual violence in Game of Thrones and Malazan washed over me like a cool breeze, and i wrapped this up thinking the cops need to set someone to watch this guy's house.
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The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

this has a lot going for it in terms of the prose and the worldbuilding, but one thing that does bother me is how dim the main characters are. Nahri in particular is presented as a clever thief and con artist, but the writing from her perspective reveals her to be kind of generally uncurious, never asking the right questions or putting anything together on her own, and perpetually a step behind everyone else around her. maybe modern fantasy is just spoiled with political intrigue written from the standpoint of characters who actually are razor sharp (Tyrion Lannister, Inquisitor Glokta, Baru Cormorant...)
A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 35%.
STOP!! this book is preceded by a couple novellas that are not really skippable like one might assume. start with A Dead Djinn in Cairo.
A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

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adventurous dark 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? No

2.5

this book blends involuntary compulsion and sex in a way that was not disclosed, and which i personally do not care for. in the first half of the book, we have:

attempted rape on a protagonist, whippings of magically compelled S&M slaves, someone discloses being compelled to offer sexual favors in the course of an ordinary business transaction, involuntary boob grabs, one protagonist straps the other to a bed and summons a nude clone of them for implied sexual gratification, magical torture, magical chains, the other protagonist is in the bed again...


and so on. there are readers who will enjoy this, but me, i think i really need to know up front if the author intends to go all Anne Rice and such.
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Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie

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adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5