atlas_shruggs's reviews
239 reviews

Lysistrata by Donald W. Sutherland, Aristophanes

Go to review page

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

3.5

This play is so fucking funny, it's just dick jokes upon dick jokes and apparently my humour really is that simple. The characters were amazing as well and the banter was immaculate. Again, I think reading it in English might work better for me, but hey I enjoyed the ride anyways.
Antigone by Sophocles

Go to review page

dark emotional informative sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I will admit I struggled quite a bit while reading this. I don't know if it's the play itself or the translation I read but I just felt the language to be very hard to get and the story hard to connect with. After discussing it in class I do have a greater appreciation for it, which bumps it up to 2.5, so I might give it a go in a different translation in the future. 
The Epic of Gilgamesh by Unknown

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny informative fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

My favourite thing about reading this was knowing I was reading something that was written 4.000 years ago, it kind of blew my mind. I read excerpts of the Odyssey shortly afterwards and it felt so cool to see how similar they were.
The homoerotic energy is sooo strong in this one (but Enkidu really needs to see someone about that seven day erection).
I do wish I had enjoyed it more, but maybe I will when I read it a second time, and maybe I'll give the English translation a go then
Fjallið sem yppti öxlum - maður og náttúra by Gísli Pálsson

Go to review page

informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

This book is fairly interesting, I liked the inside view the author had on the lead up and aftermath of the eruption in Heimaey, but I think I would've liked it more from the perspective of someone who was actually there and went through it themselves. I did like how he spoke about the connection between man and nature though. 
The Princess Trap by Talia Hibbert

Go to review page

dark emotional funny relaxing medium-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

3.0

I really wish I'd liked this book more than I did, but alas, something about this story just didn't click with me the way the Brown sisters books have. Maybe it was because I read the entire thing on audio despite not liking the narrator (or his subpar danish accent), or maybe it was the fact that I read it on and off for almost a year. I just didn't really connect with the story. I really liked Cherry and Ruben, their relationship was very cute and I found their characters fun, but I just did not care about the whole royalty thing and I felt like it could've been done a bit better. It also got wayyy to dramatic for me in the last quarter.
I think I'll give the physical version a go at a later date, but for now it's a three star. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
ラプドサーカス by Nemui Asada, 朝田ねむい

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

3.0

This was certainly and interesting story. I had never heard of this manga, but I've been looking for more standalone manga to read, so when I saw this at the comic store I decided to pick it up and give it a try. Ironically enough, the story felt very rushed and shallow and probably would have benefited a lot from being a short series rather than a standalone.
I absolutely did not like that Kei wasn't informed what was about to happen before he met his first client, that was definitely an unnecessary plot point that did nothing to the story or characters. I also would've liked to see more of the guys' interactions with their clients.
I did love their little found family, they were such a great unit, and the characters were very fun.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Spy x Family, Vol. 3 by Tatsuya Endo

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was adorable as usual. I absolutely loved the tension between Loid and Yuri and how it seemed to push Yor and Loid closer together. And the PE class? Exceptional. I was not expecting Anya to get her first stella for saving someone's life, but I thought it was very fitting for her character and I really like seeing her use her powers for stuff like that. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective 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

5.0

If there's one thing I've learned in my years of reading this series, is that if you don't love a character or storyline, you just haven't gotten to know it well enough. Reading this book made me have a new appreciation for Cora as a character, and made me genuinely interested in reading Across the Green Grass Fields again, even though it has been my least favourite book so far. Cora also bugged me a bit in Beneath the Sugar Sky since it seemed like her entire character was being fat, but reading this book definitely changed my mind on that. As a fat person myself I've always had a hard time finding a good depiction of fatness in media, but this book did it beautifully; Cora's past issues with her body were written so well and so realistically. It also wasn't her biggest personality trait in this story which I liked, though of course her struggles with body image issues were still a central point in her story. 
I also loved seeing the effect the Moors had on Cora. So far we've only seen the effect the Moors had on Jack and Jill, who are both already morbid personalities who clearly belong there. Cora however is scarred by her short stay there, and I felt that really emphasized the fact that the doors are not necessarily doors to good or perfect places but rather to your perfect place. 
Overall I can't wait for the next book in the series to come out, and I'm still holding out hope for Kade's story to be published soon. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Spy x Family, Vol. 2 by Tatsuya Endo

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings