artasticfrog's reviews
115 reviews

The Girl With No Reflection by Keshe Chow

dark mysterious 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

3.0

This book got me in a chokehold with its thrilling first chapters, and I was really invested in the mirror world because the author did such a great job building its eerie and uncanny atmosphere. But everything just kinda went downhill as the book progressed. The characters are juvenile and flat, the romance is under-developed, the story contains so many tropes that it gets predictable, the ending is kinda lackluster, and the writing quality also goes down. The most annoying is how flippant Ying is when it comes to her feelings like girl PICK A LANE! 

Despite the many flaws, I still find this book pretty entertaining, and I think the worldbuilding really carries it. 

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

I love Murderbot. Murderbot is my new scrunkly.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

funny lighthearted relaxing 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? N/A

4.0

I loved Legends & Lattes and was excited to jump into Baldree's cozy fantasy world again with Bookshops & Bonedust, and I'm glad to say the book did not disappoint! I love the setting, which is a small and quiet sea town, and the warm atmosphere of the bookshop. There's plenty of book descriptions of scents and feelings and so many bookish stuffs like blind book dating, book signings, and book clubs. You can feel the joy of books pouring out of the pages! The cast is great, I love Fern as a foul-mouthed rattkin bookseller and Satchel as an animated skeleton who works for the bookshop. The actions and stakes are better than L&L in my opinion, but the romance isn't as interesting and I kinda skimmed through it since I prefer the couple in L&L. 

Overall, this book is very warm and fuzzy and a love letter to book lovers. I highly recommend it if you want to read cozy fantasy!

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

Entertaining and funny from beginning to end. This book has everything I like: simple and lighthearted story, likable characters, nepotism, villainous shenanigans, intelligent cats, and accurate representation of dolphins as foul-mouthed jerks. Don't take this seriously, enjoy the ride!

Daytripper by Fábio Moon, Gabriel Bá

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Beautiful art and story

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa

inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

3.5

Fun, cozy, and magical, very much reminds me of Studio Ghibli films.  The plot is simple and can be repetitive, but I enjoyed the adventures that the characters embark on to save books and the way the main character, Rintaro, solves problems in each obstacle. Rintaro is charming enough to get me invested in his character arc, which is pretty well-done. I enjoyed Rintaro and the cat's banters, though I wish the cat can play a bigger role in the story than just being a guide. The book can be overly cheesy about books at times, but its core themes of loving books and living your best life resonate with me. Some of the quotes in this book are absolute bangers, like: 

"Books can't live your life for you. The reader who forgets to walk on his own two feet is like an old encyclopedia, his head stuffed with out-of-date information. Unless someone else opens it up, it's nothing but a useless antique." 

Overall, it's a book about books to book lovers, a love letter about reading to readers. I recommend giving this book a go if you love books and need something short and sweet. The audiobook narrated by Kevin Shen is pretty good.

The Selection by Kiera Cass

3.0

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

5.0

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

5.0

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

4.0