berlinbibliophile's reviews
1198 reviews

The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson

challenging hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.0

I really like the prose and the world-building in this novel. I had it on my tbr for ages and I am really glad I finally read it now. Fatima is a great protagonist. It's a book where one must have faith, where one must reckon with ambiguity. An interesting experience of a book.

Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson

hopeful 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? No

5.0

What a lovely novella. It's so fun to spend more time with Silas, Elisabeth, and Nathaniel, and to get to know Mercy. Thorn Manor itself has bags of personality as well. A fun romp. Not much plot, but then that isn't the point of this novella. 

Winter by Ali Smith

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

The prose is beautiful, evocative, strange, masterful. The plot takes some strange detours into the surreal and the supernatural, which I honestly did not quite get in the context of the otherwise pretty straightforward plot. But the prose makes it all worth it. 

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

adventurous lighthearted medium-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? No

4.0

I had a wonderful time exploring the libraries and sorcery of this world. I loved Elisabeth as a protagonist. Her tallness, her strangeness, and her affinity to the grimoires were very relatable to me. Silas is a wonderful demon, and I liked Nathaniel's laconic style. The ending was really suspenseful and deliciously emotional. 

A Power Unbound by Freya Marske

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted 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? It's complicated

5.0

I had a great time with the conclusion of the trilogy. The whole gang working together was such a treat. The relationship was so interesting as well, with the well-handled class aspects inherent in it. As well as the fun banter! A great conclusion to the trilogy. 

Tatort Neuschwanstein by Hauke Brost
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.

Well, I started the book and it is so, so bad that I'm DNFing after 35 pages... several typos in that time, generally bad prose, author apparently did no research about police work, seems to include ads for restaurants in the area, and oh yeah, weirdly sexist and orientalist. Not much faith in the depiction of the mentally ill murderer either...

Winds of Fate by Mercedes Lackey

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

It's interesting to see how this book differs from ones written later, especially when it comes to Skif. 
It was interesting to focus on Elspeth and on the Tayledras for a change. The villain is a bit of a caricature, but certainly enough of a threat. Nice to see the world outside Valdemar more clearly. 

Das Fest by John Grisham

funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

Fun little story.

Die Silberkammer in der Chancery Lane: Roman | Der Londoner Bobby und Zauberlehrling Peter Grant ist Kult! by Ben Aaronovitch

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I had a great time with this one, even if the plot seemed a little fragmented. The team has to run all over the place to catch a supposed vengeful angel, and it's fun to see Peter get thrown outside his comfort zone by having to investigate in Manchester. At the same time, it's great to see how far he's come, both magically and diplomatically. 
And the ending was certainly very exciting! I can't wait to see how this will resonate in future books.

2024 reread: This book is great. The way magic has changed and grown, and Peter and Nightingale and all the rest have grown with it since book 1 is amazing. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Tintentod by Cornelia Funke

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring slow-paced

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

4.0

It took me a while to read, but I still really love this book. Everyone is in the same place, working together and against each other and alongside each other. I loved the writing for the scenes with Death and Staubfinger, and Mo's different roles and how they're conceptualised.