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anthonybanthony's reviews
491 reviews
Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond
2.0
Rating: D+
A very nothing book. The typical refrain is 'fans of the show will like it', but I don't think that applies. It lacks any intrigue or shocking moments, it's full of run on sentences and bad prose, and it doesn't enhance the world at all. The main villain is established as a Machiavellian mastermind who gets duped repeatedly by a group of college aged hippies. Granted, that's on brand for the show, but the more grounded/serious tone makes it come off as goofy rather than charming.
I will say, they nailed the portrayal of reading Lord of the Rings; it takes the protagonist almost a full year, and multiple characters agree the Tom Bombadil sections are nonsense.
A very nothing book. The typical refrain is 'fans of the show will like it', but I don't think that applies. It lacks any intrigue or shocking moments, it's full of run on sentences and bad prose, and it doesn't enhance the world at all. The main villain is established as a Machiavellian mastermind who gets duped repeatedly by a group of college aged hippies. Granted, that's on brand for the show, but the more grounded/serious tone makes it come off as goofy rather than charming.
I will say, they nailed the portrayal of reading Lord of the Rings; it takes the protagonist almost a full year, and multiple characters agree the Tom Bombadil sections are nonsense.
The Eye of Darkness by George Mann
2.75
Rating: C+
I liked the characters and most of the story beats. The big problem was Mann's writing style. Too many odd phrases, repetitive words, run on sentences. It wasn't all bad, but it was enough of a problem to drag down the experience.
I liked the characters and most of the story beats. The big problem was Mann's writing style. Too many odd phrases, repetitive words, run on sentences. It wasn't all bad, but it was enough of a problem to drag down the experience.
Love from Scratch by Kaitlyn Hill
3.25
Rating: B
What you get if you threw Tweet Cute, Today, Tonight, Tomorrow, and She Drives Me Crazy into a blender. Or, more aptly, a baking tray. Writing was uneven at points, but overall very sweet. Ben Kenobi and Reese's Pieces had great chemistry. The finale was hilarious.
Last book I read in 2024. Not as good as 2022 or 2023, but let's wrap it up.
What you get if you threw Tweet Cute, Today, Tonight, Tomorrow, and She Drives Me Crazy into a blender. Or, more aptly, a baking tray. Writing was uneven at points, but overall very sweet. Ben Kenobi and Reese's Pieces had great chemistry. The finale was hilarious.
Last book I read in 2024. Not as good as 2022 or 2023, but let's wrap it up.
Mastapeece:
Archenemies - Marissa Meyer
Supernova - Marissa Meyer
Amazing:
Their Fractured Light - Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner
Renegades - Marissa Meyer
Divine Rivals - Rebecca Ross
Let it Snow - John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle
Great:
Star Wars: The High Republic: The Rising Storm - Cavan Scott
Instant Karma - Marissa Meyer
Betting on You - Lynn Painter
Begin Again - Emma Lord
Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi - Charles Soule
LeBron - Jeff Benedict
Destroy the Day - Brigid Kemmerer
Past, Present, Future - Rachel Lynn Solomon
You & Me at the End of the World - Brianna Bourne
Eclipse the Moon - Jesse Mihalik
62: Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees, and the Pursuit of Greatness - Bryan Hoch
Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig - Jonathan Eig
Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig - Jonathan Eig
Daughter of Sparta - Claire M. Andrews
She Drives Me Crazy - Kelly Quindlen
Star Wars: Most Wanted - Rae Carson
See You Yesterday - Rachel Lynn Solomon
It’s Better to be Feared: The New England Dynasty and the Pursuit of Greatness - Seth Wickersham
Good:
Shipped - Meredith Tate
The Match - Sarah Adams
A Dawn of Onyx - Katie Golden
The Dragon Prince: Moon - Aaron Ehasz and Melanie McGanney Ehasz
Halo: Renegades - Kelly Gay
Star Wars: The High Republic: Path of Vengeance - Cavan Scott
Halo: Outcasts - Troy Denning
Dungeons & Drama - Kirsty Boyce
Star Wars: Maul: Lockdown - Joe Schreiber
The Cheat Sheet - Sarah Adams
Halo: Envoy - Tobias S. Bucknell
Star Wars: The Old Republic: Annihilation - Drew Karpyshyn
Halo: The Rubicon Protocol - Kelly Gay
Love from Scratch by Kaitlyn Hill
Love from Scratch by Kaitlyn Hill
All Alone with You - Amelia Diane Coombs
Batman: No Man’s Land - Greg Rucka
The Dark Knight Rises - Greg Cox
Halo: Smoke and Shadow - Kelly Gay
Check & Mate - Ali Hazelwood
Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark - Claudia Gray
Blood of Troy - Claire M. Andrews
Halo: Battle Born - Cassandra Clarke
A Reign of Rose - Katie Golden
The Bodyguard - Katharine Center
Below Zero - Ali Hazelwood
The Subway Series: Baseball's Big Apple Battles and the Yankees-Mets 2000 World Series Classic - Jerry Beach
The Subway Series: Baseball's Big Apple Battles and the Yankees-Mets 2000 World Series Classic - Jerry Beach
Okay:
Batman Begins - Denny O’Neil
Star Wars: A New Dawn - John Jackson Miller
Lovelight Farms - B.K. Borison
A Promise of Peridot - Katie Golden
Star Wars: The High Republic: Convergence - Zoraida Córdova
Reckless - Lauren Roberts
Halo: Point of Light - Kelly Gay
Powerless - Lauren Roberts
Marvel Crisis Protocol: Into the Dark Dimension - Stuart Moore
Eh:
Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance - Sean Williams
Star Wars: The High Republic: Midnight Horizon - Daniel Jose Older
The Dark Knight - Denny O’Neil
Only Bad Options - Jennifer Estep
Star Wars: The High Republic: Out of the Shadows - Justina Ireland
Storm of Olympus - Claire M. Andrews
The Jordan Rules: The Inside Story of One Turbulent Season with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls - Sam Smith
Star Wars: The High Republic: Path of Deceit - Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland
The House That Ruth Built: A New Stadium, the First Yankees Championship, and the Redemption of 1923 - Robert Weintraub
The House That Ruth Built: A New Stadium, the First Yankees Championship, and the Redemption of 1923 - Robert Weintraub
Bad:
Star Wars: The High Republic: The Fallen Star - Claudia Gray
Halo: Mortal Dictata - Karen Traviss
Halo: The Thursday War - Karen Traviss
Nothing Like the Movies - Lynn Painter
Batman: The Killing Joke - Christa Faust and Gary Phillips
Halo: Glasslands - Karen Traviss
X-Men: Gifted - Peter David
Garbage:
Star Wars: The High Republic: Cataclysm - Lydia Kang
Fourth Wing - Rebecca Yarros
Redemption - Will Jordan
Elrich of Melnibone - Michael Moorcock
DNF:
We Hunt the Flame - Hafsah Faizal
The Darkness that Comes Before - R. Scott Bakker
Most Wanted by Rae Carson
4.0
Rating: A-
I didn’t hate Solo. I was surprised by how quickly this moved. Short and punchy, with a nice triumvirate of main characters. Nails Han's characterization as well as the atmosphere of Corellia and the surrounding environments.
I didn’t hate Solo. I was surprised by how quickly this moved. Short and punchy, with a nice triumvirate of main characters. Nails Han's characterization as well as the atmosphere of Corellia and the surrounding environments.
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
5.0
Rating: A+ (previously A)
I'm vacillating between 4.5 and 4.75. I'm giving it 4.5 for now. Like Meat Loaf, I need to sleep on it.
Update: I switched it to A+. 5 stars, baby. I thought back to college when I read On the Sublime by Longinus. Everything there applies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6MFR-gDIpY
I'm vacillating between 4.5 and 4.75. I'm giving it 4.5 for now. Like Meat Loaf, I need to sleep on it.
Update: I switched it to A+. 5 stars, baby. I thought back to college when I read On the Sublime by Longinus. Everything there applies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6MFR-gDIpY
Halo: Battle Born by Cassandra Rose Clarke
3.0
Rating: B-
It's unfair to compare this to Aurora Cycle, but it gets the job done. Second half is stronger than the first. I appreciate the smaller scale of the conflict and the kids' lack of experience. (They barely escape getting killed by a single Jackal, and later a single wounded Elite.) Some of the teen drama could be annoying.
It's unfair to compare this to Aurora Cycle, but it gets the job done. Second half is stronger than the first. I appreciate the smaller scale of the conflict and the kids' lack of experience. (They barely escape getting killed by a single Jackal, and later a single wounded Elite.) Some of the teen drama could be annoying.