berlinbibliophile's reviews
1198 reviews

Für immer vereint by Bianca Iosivoni

adventurous emotional sad 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

A very fitting conclusion to the trilogy. I continue to be impressed with the way the author deals with the deep grief these young characters go through. The ending was very exciting indeed. I feel like the story and the characters were left in a good place, with hope reestablished but plenty left to do to make the world all right again. 

Arsène Lupin - Der Gentleman-Gauner by Maurice Leblanc

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

Very fun! Not super deep, but I had a good time. The story where Arsène Lupin meets Sherlock Holmes is particularly delightful.

Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs

adventurous emotional 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

4.0

Yep, I still really like these characters. I also appreciated the chapters showing us what was happening back home while Mercy and Adam were out of town. The plot gets really wild, but the emotional centre of the book is always there and steady. I had fun.

Für immer verloren by Bianca Iosivoni

adventurous emotional tense 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? No

4.0

I really liked the way the book dealt with Ava's grief from the end of the previous book. It's huge and tangible and really influences the plot, as it should be. I also liked her working more closely with the other young people from the clans, and trying a new way to deal with their powers and politics. I'm starting book 3 right away.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

emotional slow-paced

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

3.0

I was nice to focus more closely on a smaller group of characters. I had more fun with this book than the first in the series. But the plot just barely makes any sense at all. And I hope Celaena gets better at the spy/assassin stuff in the next book.

Ins Herz: Neuschwanstein-Thriller by Markus Richter

dark mysterious tense 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? No

4.0

I rather enjoyed the descriptions of the area of Hohenschwangau. I wasn't expecting this thriller to cover basically only one complete day, but it was very suspenseful and contained many flashbacks to other times to keep it from monotony. I liked it a lot more than I expected to. It doesn't have that many characters, but the relevant ones are very well realised, fully rounded people, fixed in their historical moment. 

The Book of Ile-Rien: The Element of Fire & The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells

adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious slow-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

4.0

This omnibus contains two books. The first is a fine fantasy book with great worldbuilding, but honestly kind of thin characters. But the second book is wonderful! Great characters, great worldbuilding, great mystery and suspenseful scenes. I had a lot of fun with the second book!

Scotland: A History from Earliest Times by Alistair Moffat

informative reflective slow-paced

3.0

For most of the book, I really enjoyed it. Interesting history for sure. But the last chapter was extremely tedious, when the author simply states all election results for the past several decades. I would have been very interested if he had said anything about the policies of the resulting governments, or if he had talked about the historical or social impact of votes swinging this way or that. Not even the impact of partial devolution was gone into, only the votes and names of the prominent politicians. The final chapter is a two-star chapter, but the book as a whole was still okay. 

Legendary by Stephanie Garber

adventurous emotional lighthearted 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

3.0

The plot relies a lot on Caraval being entirely arranged for Donatella's benefit, but I still had a lot of fun. The beginning was slightly difficult to follow because Donatella remembers the events of Caraval very differently from the way they're described in the actual book. I had a lot of fun with Dante and Jacks, and we got a lot of tantalising glimpses of Scarlet and Julian. 

Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan

funny lighthearted relaxing fast-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? Yes

4.0

I had the best time with this. I loved Percy's turn as octopus boy and the pets were great. I hope we see Nope again!