villagrandres's reviews
31 reviews

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

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challenging dark informative reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

An enthralling read that knows how to hook you and keep you there. Definitely a slow start, and even beyond the point where things pick up it still has its moments to breathe, but with a grand scale sci fi epic like this I feel that it's necessary. Didn't love all of the characters and did get lost in the science at times, but I still couldn't find myself putting it down. Any fan of science fiction must read this.
How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems by Randall Munroe

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funny informative lighthearted fast-paced

5.0

As someone who grew up watching VSauce on YouTube, this books delivers the exact kind of humorous and interesting think pieces I grew up on. An incredibly fun read that stays grounded and valuable with its physics and science calculations, while also spiraling into crazy solutions that left me in stitches. Very fun read!
Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A great sequel story, one that I enjoyed more so than the previous one! I feel that this story really nailed the emotional beats and balanced it well with humor. Truly, any book that makes me cry and laugh out loud is a strong contender for five stars in my eyes. 
Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune

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

5.0

An amazing sequel to the original story! Love seeing the characters again and the introduction of new characters. I did feel that the “tumblr humor” was a little heavier in this book than the first one, but overall it’s still a book that made me cry and smile and fall in love with. Amazing read!
The Anxious Generation: How The Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

An important wake up call for our generation. Love the way the book is formatted for Gen z, parents, and teachers. Also enjoy how all advice is contextualized by the author’s admission that adopting these practices will be challenging and nobody is expected to be perfect (especially since he himself was not).
Come Closer by Sara Gran

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

A great quick read that left me terrified. You get a great sense of how helpless and gradual a possession can occur.
The reason for the lower rating is the prevalence of cheating. Whatever, call me prude, but I really cannot stomach cheating plot points. And with demons, specifically this one, it’s a prevalent and reoccurring plot point. I understand that it is *semi* unwanted, and fully unwanted cheating towards the end of the possession. But I don’t know. For me personally, I can’t stomach it and I hated it.
How Music Got Free: The End of an Industry, the Turn of the Century, and the Patient Zero of Piracy by Stephen Richard Witt

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adventurous funny tense medium-paced

5.0

Very well written and composed book!! Jumping back and forth between stories keep me invested, and the subject matter was fascinating. A wonderful journalistic piece on a subject I am so fond of. 
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

An entertaining and important read. Many times did I finish a chapter and have to just sit there for a moment and process what was on the pages in front of me. The writing was also very well done, great characterization and realism of dialogue. It is weird for me to place a rating on this book because I don’t have that feeling of wanting to read a sequel and it took me a while to chip through the book. But maybe that’s the purpose of this book and how you absorb its message - slowly, and let the implications sit with you for days afterwards to mull over in your mind.
Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Coates is a wordsmith. So imaginative and descriptive with the words used to describe the scenery, character traits, and the murders. Really helps add to the tension and suspense for scenes, made me feel like I was right there. This was also the first book in quite a long time to hook me and give me a desire to keep listening.
I also really loved how there were multiple red herrings - maybe a standard practice for horror mysteries, but I think it was really well done here!
All Star Superman The Deluxe Edition by Diego de los Santos Domingo, Frank Quitely, Grant Morrison

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-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

4.0

The second Superman comic I’ve ever read. I loved the story and characterization of Superman, though I didn’t love the art style and
I expected some of the 12 feats to be bigger than they actually were. I get that it’s a comic series so they need quick endings, but I think there was a lot of potential in some of these short stories to explore further.
all in all it was a great and fun read, I think I’d enjoy reading other Superman comics in the future!