atlas_shruggs's reviews
279 reviews

FANGS, Vol. 3 by Billy Balibally

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Yeah this was cute, but I feel like it could've been at least two volumes if not more. There were so many important things discussed here and it was all done so quickly, you barely had any time to digest what was going on. En and Ichii were still cute but I wanted more of them together, I felt like a lot of it was just exposition and people talking without much payoff. I am however excited to learn more about the world in vol. 4, as it is very interesting.

セラピーゲーム(上) [Therapy Game 1] by Meguru Hinohara

funny lighthearted sad fast-paced

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

4.0

Damn was this cute, I love the amusement park episode trope 🥹 I would've liked more character depth but since this is the first volume I can't say I'm mad about it. The romance was cute and I do love a bet-based romance, even if I know it always ends in a third act breakup. I really gotta get my hands on volume 2 now.

I Didn't Mean to Fall in Love by Minta Suzumaru

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing fast-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

4.0

This is so fucking adorable I love it, Yoshino is so cute and his relationship with Rou is absolutely adorable.

Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.75

The first 90% of this book was absolutely amazing. The characterisation was beautiful, Zetian's journey throughout the book is so amazing. Her anger is palpable and watching her struggle with the balance needed to govern a country was so cool. I also loved Qin Zheng, not gonna lie, I loved every scene he was in even when he was being a dickhead. Their chemistry was electric and watching Zetian manipulate him felt sooooo good.
I also loved how I never really knew where the plot was going, everyone was constantly switching sides and betraying each other, I loved it.
The last 10% was a lot though. The pace went from slow to hyperspeed in a matter of seconds and though I understand why it changed so drastically I feel it would've worked better if the characters had gotten beats in between big events to actually think about what happened and what they've experienced. I liked the ending overall, though I will miss how small the world was before. Still highly recommend and I'm very excited for the sequel!

Hvíti Ásinn by Jóhanna Sveinsdóttir

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

5.0

Guð minn almáttugur hvað ég hefði verið heltekinn af þessari bók ef ég hefði lesið hana þegar ég var unglingur. Söguþráðurinn var svo grípandi að ég gat varla lagt hana frá mér og ég elskaði persónurnar svo mikið. Þær voru svo vel gerðar og lifandi og samböndin þeirra á milli voru æðisleg. 
Heimurinn var líka skemmtilegur og útskýrður akkúrat nógu vel til að vera ekki yfirþyrmandi. Ég kunni líka mikið að meta að það var engin ástarsaga, sem er svo oft sett í aðalhlutverk í unglingabókum, í staðinn var það bara hrein vinátta og fjölskyldutengsl. Ég er mjög spenntur að lesa næstu bók og halda áfram að fylgjast með Jóhönnu, enda er þetta algjör negla. Mæli svo mikið með fyrir öll. 

Wool by Hugh Howey

emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.0

If I had to describe my reading experience of this book in one word, it would be "indifferent". I didn't care about the characters, the only ones I found mildly interesting either had brief cameos or were just there to motivate other characters. I liked the first part, and if it had just been that part I probably would've at least given it a 3, but then the middle just dragged out and the ending didn't make me feel anything. The plot points were predictable and maybe I wouldn't have minded if the world building and characters had been interesting, but they weren't. Despite this I am interested in watching the show, I feel like this might be one of those rare books that works better in a visual format.

Juice Like Wounds by Seanan McGuire

adventurous dark emotional sad 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

4.0

As usual the writing is absolutely stunning in this short story. It expands on Lundy's story and makes it so painfully clear why she left the Goblin Market after Mockery died. I also really liked getting to know more about the Goblin Market and the world around it, and how the monsters of the world are made. And I liked meeting Mockery, if only for a short while.

Eldri konur by Eva Rún Snorradóttir

emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Ég var rosalega spenntur fyrir þessari og ég varð alls ekki fyrir vonbrigðum. Ritstíll Evu er gullfallegur, svo ljóðrænn og draumkenndur en á sama tíma svo tengdur við raunveruleikann. Viðfangsefnið er ekki eitthvað sem ég hef lesið um áður og kom mér alveg smá á óvart en ég sökk alveg inn í söguna. Mér fannst svo flott hvernig aðalpersónan var byggð upp og lesandi fékk að kynnast henni svo vel allt án þess að hún væri einu sinni nefnd. Ég er mjög spenntur að halda áfram að fylgja ritferli Evu Rúnar.

Educated by Tara Westover

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

I find rating nonfiction works to be quite challenging, I can't help but ask myself what makes me qualified to judge someone's life story. Therefore I've decided to judge this mostly on how it made me feel and how I enjoyed the writing. Westover's story is overall a very moving one and it's quite baffling for me, a European, to imagine her living such a life in such recent times. The way she writes about her life is absolutely beautiful and while some readers have complained over the varied pacing I found it added more realism to the story as in real life some events move at the speed of light, while others do not. Her years at Buck's Peak felt languid and dreamlike, transitioning into a nightmare at times. In contrast her life at university went by quickly as her mind expanded and she tried to learn everything she could.
I also appreciated Westover's honesty in writing this book but in the acknowledgements and notes on the text she admits that her memories are not complete and the book is therefore comprised of her memories as well as others. As human memory is fickle this is usually what happens with autobiographical writing and I appreciate that she acknowledged it.

Undir sjöunda þili by Elísabet Thoroddsen

adventurous dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Svo sæt, svo skemmtileg. Tinna er svo skemmtileg og áhugaverð persóna og einn best skrifaði unglingur sem ég hef lesið um í íslenskum bókum. Það er líka eitthvað svo aðlaðandi við draugasögu í skátaskála, en ég hefði samt viljað að meira væri gert úr henni. Hins vegar fannst mér sagan vel skrifuð og mjög spennandi. Ég kunni líka mikið að meta að Dóra og Tinna hafi hætt saman, sem ég veit að er geggjað skrítið en mér finnst mikilvægt að unglingar fái að kynnast því að unglings ástarsambönd eru ekki alltaf eilíf og að það sé bara allt í lagi.