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asterope's reviews
287 reviews
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
funny
reflective
sad
4.5
A weird fever dream of a book. I'm not sure what drew me to this, but I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, the narrator is an unlikeable narcissist. I got past that pretty quickly - the slick writing gives us a clear picture of who she is up front, so this didn't put me off. The book wouldn't have worked if it was about a likeable protagonist we could root for anyway. And she's clearly depressed. She decides to drug herself into sleeping for an entire year, emerging reborn as a new person. I suppose if you're not a fan of unlikeable characters, this book isn't for you.
The author's writing is unbelievably captivating. There's not too much plot going on (considering the whole sleeping thing), but honestly, I would have enjoyed it even if it had less plot. The way places are described (Reva's cluttered apartment), or the weird details of Dr Tuttle and her fat tabby. Every little thing the narrator bought from the bodega. The early 2000s of it all. So bizarrely fascinating. I am very much looking forward to reading more of her work.
I did find the ending was a little quick. It was obvious what would happen, but maybe one more chapter could have made this part more natural. But I liked this a lot more than I expected. And now I'm worried I'll hate the adaptation! I don't trust a man to make this movie. But oh well, I can always come back to the book. I have a feeling I'll reread this and enjoy it even more the second time.
The author's writing is unbelievably captivating. There's not too much plot going on (considering the whole sleeping thing), but honestly, I would have enjoyed it even if it had less plot. The way places are described (Reva's cluttered apartment), or the weird details of Dr Tuttle and her fat tabby. Every little thing the narrator bought from the bodega. The early 2000s of it all. So bizarrely fascinating. I am very much looking forward to reading more of her work.
I did find the ending was a little quick. It was obvious what would happen, but maybe one more chapter could have made this part more natural. But I liked this a lot more than I expected. And now I'm worried I'll hate the adaptation! I don't trust a man to make this movie. But oh well, I can always come back to the book. I have a feeling I'll reread this and enjoy it even more the second time.
The Invisible Hotel by Yeji Y. Ham
dark
emotional
tense
4.0
A unique take on how modern Koreans are dealing with the generational trauma from the war. Very haunting and dreamlike - literally. The main character is plagued with bizarre, feverish dreams of a hotel.
These were the weakest part of the book for me. I felt the themes were clear from Yewon's waking experiences, and the dreams confused me. They were too abstract.
Other than that, the book was haunting. The bones in particular - they caught me off guard at first, and gave me chills whenever they were referenced subsequently. The family relationships were well portrayed and I could easily imagine them as real people. A solid 4 stars.
These were the weakest part of the book for me. I felt the themes were clear from Yewon's waking experiences, and the dreams confused me. They were too abstract.
Other than that, the book was haunting. The bones in particular - they caught me off guard at first, and gave me chills whenever they were referenced subsequently. The family relationships were well portrayed and I could easily imagine them as real people. A solid 4 stars.
The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport by Samit Basu
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
I really liked The City Inside and felt this author did well at capturing my favourite cyberpunk vibes. I don't think this follow up reached those heights.
It's incredibly messy. The book seems start halfway through the plot. As a result, I couldn't connect with the characters properly. They're not fleshed out enough and continue as thin representations of ideas. For example, Bador is a bot designed like a monkey. He's motivated by Bot Rights I guess, but it's only mentioned in passing a couple of times, so it's hard to care about Bador himself. For a main character, he felt sidelined. The dialogue for all characters was downright bad at times, and that's honestly something I don't usually pick up on.
Lina, his human sibling, is supposed to be a revolutionary hero trained from birth by her rebel parents. Again, she didn't feel like a real person. Most of her 'characterisation' comes at the end of the book where she gives a long speech about her life and how she's perfectly crafted to be the big hero. But we never actually saw much of that before this point.
The plot was odd for a scifi book. I know it's a retelling of Aladdin, but it felt too fantastical. What I like about the cyberpunk genre is that you can see how our world could turn into this. But the way plot jumped around and issues got resolved conveniently meant that all the elements didn't mesh together well. I'm not sure how else to describe it, but the vibe was just very...silly, to be honest. And the messy worldbuilding meant I struggled to visualise what was happening.
Honestly, the only reason I kept going is because I didn't want to dnf 2 books in a row.
It's incredibly messy. The book seems start halfway through the plot. As a result, I couldn't connect with the characters properly. They're not fleshed out enough and continue as thin representations of ideas. For example, Bador is a bot designed like a monkey. He's motivated by Bot Rights I guess, but it's only mentioned in passing a couple of times, so it's hard to care about Bador himself. For a main character, he felt sidelined. The dialogue for all characters was downright bad at times, and that's honestly something I don't usually pick up on.
Lina, his human sibling, is supposed to be a revolutionary hero trained from birth by her rebel parents. Again, she didn't feel like a real person. Most of her 'characterisation' comes at the end of the book where she gives a long speech about her life and how she's perfectly crafted to be the big hero. But we never actually saw much of that before this point.
The plot was odd for a scifi book. I know it's a retelling of Aladdin, but it felt too fantastical. What I like about the cyberpunk genre is that you can see how our world could turn into this. But the way plot jumped around and issues got resolved conveniently meant that all the elements didn't mesh together well. I'm not sure how else to describe it, but the vibe was just very...silly, to be honest. And the messy worldbuilding meant I struggled to visualise what was happening.
Honestly, the only reason I kept going is because I didn't want to dnf 2 books in a row.
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 1 by Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe
4.25
Already a fan of the anime so I probably won't start reviewing these properly until chapter 60 onwards. But wow, I haven't loved a manga/anime like this in a long time. The character work alone is wonderful. There's so much kindness here.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Did not finish book. Stopped at 51%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 51%.
I didn't realise this would be a pastiche. I may have enjoyed this more if it wasn't, but I'm not sure. I don't find the main characters interesting, and there wasn't enough fantasy for me. The notes got a bit tiring after a while too. Some of the detail I appreciated though (so many good London namedrops), so this book definitely feels more historical than fantasy.
I made it to 51% but I had been forcing myself to read it for some time. If this book was shorter I would have considered finishing it anyway, but it doesn't feel worth it as it is.
I made it to 51% but I had been forcing myself to read it for some time. If this book was shorter I would have considered finishing it anyway, but it doesn't feel worth it as it is.
Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon Vol. 4 by Shio Usui
emotional
hopeful
3.5
This review is for the whole series, since it's not too long.
This yuri office romance was surprisingly real. Hinako dealing with her mum gave this a depth I didn't expect, along with Fuuka's character This series depicts the expectations of Japanese women and how the characters want to do their own thing.
There's quite a few bittersweet moments in this series. At one point I was concerned about a typical love triangle plot, but it doesn't become stereotypically dramatic.
This last volume certainly felt quite rushed. I thought there would be more epilogue style content to show how the characters deal with the revelations. Maybe even one more volume could have finished it better.
This yuri office romance was surprisingly real. Hinako dealing with her mum gave this a depth I didn't expect, along with Fuuka's character This series depicts the expectations of Japanese women and how the characters want to do their own thing.
There's quite a few bittersweet moments in this series. At one point I was concerned about a typical love triangle plot, but it doesn't become stereotypically dramatic.
This last volume certainly felt quite rushed. I thought there would be more epilogue style content to show how the characters deal with the revelations. Maybe even one more volume could have finished it better.
The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera
An unbelievably brilliant debut. I'm so happy to see more South Asian fantasy popping up. Especially books that are directly linked to my own cultural background!
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5