Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire

22 reviews

lanid's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark mysterious
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

cassiealexandra's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

4.75

This was an odd choice for me, a book that I bought for the cover and because I had store credit at the used bookstore. I ended up loving it. It had an interesting combination of Frankenstein and Wizard of Oz. It had twins who can communicate through a link in their minds. It had well-developed characters, despicable villains, and lots of adventure, intrigue, and action. I loved the relationship between the siblings and their quest. As a central California native, the settings of UC Berkeley and the Sutro Baths were familiar and vivid.

This was a long read, and there were a couple times when it felt slow, but I still had very few issues. I started this in print in July and it wasn’t “working” at the time, so when I picked it up again, I decided to change to audio. The narration was fantastic and I could not recommend it more highly. I think the alchemy and details might have been frustrating to me or I might have gotten lost in them with a print read, but the audio made that easier for me.

I love being surprised when reading. This is one of those books that took me by surprise, not in the plot but in what an absolute pleasure it was to read. I see more Seanan McGuire in my future.

The bottom line: Read this if you want a strange and delightful mixture of science fiction, urban fantasy, and contemporary with nods to Frankenstein, The Midwich Cuckoos (new TBR for me), and The Wizard of Oz.

— NOTES —
Genres: urban fantasy, science fiction
POV: 3rd-person, multiple

— MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS —
(all out of 5)

Pace: 4
Enjoyment: 5
Craft: 5
My Gut Feeling: 5

Total Stars: 4.75 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bloodmaarked's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

5.0

reread 06/09/23:

i reread this in preparation for seasonal fears which i just went and bought, and quite honestly i feel just as much love for this book as i did the first time. so yeah, no updates, refer to original review thx

✧ let's talk about books on my tumblr

original review 06/12/21:

come talk books with me over at my twitter!

oh my god i loved this. something about that cover just told me i would. it was sharp and dark and clever - maybe even too clever at some points, but even where there were plot points that took a while for me to grasp, i was still gripped the whole way through. it's so hard to describe, but yeah, this story was a whole weird, mind-twisting journey of alchemy and power and godhood, and i loved every minute of it. what's more, i loved the cast too! roger and dodger have my whole heart, but i also loved leigh and erin who grew on me over the course of the book. i wish i'd had more time to read because i'm sure i would've torn through it at the speed of light rather than over the near-month that it took in reality. but, if you love SFF, and you love a story that will keep you guessing, i would 100% recommend this. seriously can't wait for seasonal fears to come out - not long now!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

cady_sass's review

Go to review page

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

5.0

Wow. I’m going to need anywhere from 7-240 business days to wrap my mind around this one. There is simply nothing else like this… I am so envious of Seanan McGuire’s mind and the way that it works. How do you even come up with this?! 

This is weird level 1000 so if you don’t care for nonsense and pseudoscience then just steer clear. If you’re down for melting your brain, this is the one. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

libraryghost's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

3.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

green_amaryllis's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

diarythebookwyrm's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

Once again, Seanan McGuire proves why she’s one of my favorite authors to date. This has the same kind of evocative and lyrical prose as her writing as Mira Grant, but the same kind of wild things in the real world feel of the Toby Daye series. I don’t know what it is about Seanan and Berkeley, but she really needs to stop putting that poor city through fantasy nonsense. I’m fascinated by this world and excited for the next book. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

oliverreeds's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

no idea what happened. i loved every second

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

leanne_miron's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

yourlocalsadie's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious fast-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

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings