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ambarbaq's reviews
54 reviews
The Will of the Many by James Islington
3.0
This books is just Red Rising but not QUITE as good, and a little more YA-y, which your tolerance for it might vary. I love the “magic” system and the scaling of it. I do think the main character is also way too perfect at everything he attempts, but lacks the charm of Darrow from Red Rising. Maybe I shouldn’t have read it so close to when I finished the Red Rising books, because it is certainly tainting my perception of it. I am intrigued to see where it goes from here, as the politics of the world seem to have a bigger play in the rest of the series.
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
4.0
This probably shouldn’t be a 4 star book, but man I am a sucker for a Jurassic Park-like, if you will. It’s got all the right tropes, the characters are just stupid enough that I enjoy seeing their mess ups and the consequences for them. The gore was well done. I love the mermaid design in this, truly fascinating how much thought Mira Grant put into their biology. Loved the submarine sequence, very tense had me on the edge of my seat flipping through those pages.
The Ruins by Scott Smith
2.0
*loud buzzing noise* I did not vibe with this book at all. I was never scared, the kills were not good, the killer wasn’t interesting, the ending was unsatisfying. I love the concept, killer plants! Amazing! I did REALLY like the use of sound and mimicry. Some very clever ideas but overall, not my cup of tea. Also, idk it wasn’t racist or anything, but the way the Maya tribe is portrayed rubbed me the wrong way.
Dune by Frank Herbert
4.0
This took me legit 4 years to finish lmao, I started it when the pandemic began and I finished it a week before the second movie came out. With that being said, I loved it! The world is so rich, the political machinations are SUCCULENT. It’s crazy that Frank Herbert managed to fit this huge universe into a single book. Yes there’s sequels, and I’ll get to those, well at least Messiah hehe, but even as a stand alone Dune is jam packed with information and world building.
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
3.0
Like MANY of these fantasy series the first book is a lot of info dumping to get the ball rolling so it is slow. Joe Abercrombie really knows how to write compelling dipshits though. Everyone in this book is borderline irredeemable, I guess it is the “grimdark” of it all, but still they’re all captivating. Will never forget some of these action sequences, so well written and “choreographed”, bloody as hell too.
Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
4.0
A world spanning adventure! I enjoyed having the main crew split up and seeing different corners of this world Abercrombie has built. Once again the characters really shine, the story is relatively simple, at least on the (conventional) heroes side but it is full of just raw character work. The real treat in this book is following Glokta’s escapades in Dagoska. As it has become a theme in my list of pros for books, it’s got GOOD POLITICAL INTRIGUE! Lotta backstabbing, and plans within plans within plans. And it introduces the greatest First Law character, Nicomo Cosca, mercenary extraordinaire.
Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 1 by James Tynion IV
4.0
In my graphic novel era. The main characters name is Erica Slaughter