arealswellfellow's reviews
187 reviews

Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card

adventurous tense 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? No

2.5

Not as strong as some of the other books. It feels like the characters became caricatures. And I feel like the way Petra’s character was taken was a huge disservice.

Review for the whole shadow series. Definitely read Ender’s Shadow if you liked Ender’s Game but you can skip the rest.

Berserk Deluxe Volume 13 by Kentaro Miura

adventurous dark emotional tense 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? Yes

4.5

Volume 37: 4.5 stars
Volume 38: 4 stars
Volume 39: 4.5 stars

The journey is finally coming to a conclusion and it’s much more emotional than I expected. Really some great chapters in here.

Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card

adventurous tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This is a huge change of tone from other Ender’s Game books. It’s hard to say if this even counts as sci-fi, it’s more of a political intrigue/thriller.

I think I would rate it higher if I knew what to expect, but I was expecting more sci-fi stuff so I was a little disappointed.

I really like Card’s style of writing though.

Hegemony or Survival by Noam Chomsky

challenging dark informative sad tense medium-paced

3.0

Chomsky’s message is good, but he’s really hard to read. This book is dense and almost feels like a laundry list of America’s crimes in the past 50 years. 

If you already know about them, you can probably skip this book. I’d recommend it if you want to share it with older people who are overly pro-USA. I feel like my parents would like it, idk.

Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection by Junji Ito

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Junji Ito’s short stories are always fun to read and unique. Not too scary though, and sometimes I wonder if a little bit of the magic is lost in the English translations. There are a few final lines that feel like they could be punchier.

Floaters was my favorite story of this set.

Joe Hill's Rain by Joe Hill, David M. Booher

dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

2.5

First part is really really intriguing. The rest not so much.

Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy by Cathy O'Neil

challenging dark informative sad fast-paced

3.0

Great introduction to the topic of big data ethics. Not recommended if you are looking for something more in-depth or technical.

README.txt: a Memoir by Chelsea Manning

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Great biography for people interested in Trans rights and/or the “war on Terror”

But I think an even better biography for people growing up in the digital age. Chelsea’s story resonates deeply with those who grew up on the internet and there are not many books documenting that life yet.

How to Live Well Without Owning a Car: Save Money, Breathe Easier, and Get More Mileage Out of Life by Chris Balish

informative fast-paced

4.0

Berserk Deluxe Volume 12 by Kentaro Miura

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.5

Volume 34: 5 stars
Volume 35: 4 stars
Volume 36: 4 stars