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curiousdoodler's reviews
68 reviews
For Better and Worse by E.B. Roshan, E.B. Roshan
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
My philosophy on reviewing books is linked here: http://www.curiousdoodler.com/myblog/2021/1/15/philosophy-for-book-reviews
This book was provided as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Overview:
This book was an exciting, fast paced ride that was gripping and fun to read.
This is book four in the Shards of Sevia series. I have not read the prior three books, and I was not lost reading this book on its own. I don’t read this genre often, but I enjoyed this story!
Deep Dive:
The editing in this book has a solid polish, except for a few awkward moments at the beginning. Any weakness in the story is in the first few chapters, once it finds its feet, it really takes off and there isn’t much to complain about.
The writing style is fantastic. There are two PoV characters and they each have a strong voice. I was fully engaged throughout the story.
The one thing that stuck out as odd to me was the heavy reference to Christian religion. It was so strong, I at one point, checked to see if this book was categorized as christian lit. It was strange and I kept expecting it to have an impact on the plot, but I never saw a pay off for the constant references to religiosity. It provided some interesting insight into characters as they all interact with religion slightly differently.
Some world building elements were confusing, although I suspect that is because I haven’t read the previous books. The confusing parts didn’t impact my enjoyment of the story, but I was left with some questions. I was surprised by how much of the world building I actually got in this book. I learned a lot more about the setting than I expected for the fourth book in the series, but I still was left with questions.
The Unbroken by C.L. Clark
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
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
This book was so good! I loved it so much! Only five stars because I couldn't give it more!
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I drifted between 4 and 3 stars for this one while I read it. The start is slow and there were other pacing issues, places where it felt rushed and places where it dragged. Overall, i enjoyed the book. If you don't enjoy pining romance this is not a book for you.
Shadow of the Conqueror by Shad M. Brooks
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
Got a hundred pages in. I didn't like a single character and the constant sexual harassment directed at female characters was awful.
Wrath of the Winter Witch (The Unholy Witch Wars, #1) by D.L. Howard
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
My philosophy on reviewing books is linked here: http://www.curiousdoodler.com/myblog/2021/1/15/philosophy-for-book-reviews
Overview:
Overall, this book is an excellent read for plot focused readers, especially those who love quest fantasy.
This book was an exciting story set in an enthralling world. The settings and descriptions in this book are where it shines. Each new setting comes to life and sucks the reader in. There is also a great diversity in settings as the characters travel to vastly different locations. The world is well built. Despite one group clearly being the 'bad guys' no culture was portrayed as universally good or evil. There were two magic systems and both had particularly brutal characteristics to them.
Reader be warned, this book is third person omniscient, and it is very omniscient! Head hopping happens with abandon. This isn't a device I see used very often in fantasy, and it took me a little while to get used to it. Once I did get used to it, I didn't mind it, but I know a lot of readers have strong feelings about head hopping! If you can't stand that style of writing, do not read this book!
This book was an exciting story set in an enthralling world. The settings and descriptions in this book are where it shines. Each new setting comes to life and sucks the reader in. There is also a great diversity in settings as the characters travel to vastly different locations. The world is well built. Despite one group clearly being the 'bad guys' no culture was portrayed as universally good or evil. There were two magic systems and both had particularly brutal characteristics to them.
Reader be warned, this book is third person omniscient, and it is very omniscient! Head hopping happens with abandon. This isn't a device I see used very often in fantasy, and it took me a little while to get used to it. Once I did get used to it, I didn't mind it, but I know a lot of readers have strong feelings about head hopping! If you can't stand that style of writing, do not read this book!
Deep Dive:
The biggest weakness for this book was the prose and technical writing. There were a lot of places where verb tense confusion pulled me out of the story as I had to read a paragraph over a few times to figure out what was going on. There were also places where stilted writing made it difficult to enjoy the story.
I also felt the characters were under developed. There are a lot of big time jumps in the story, and I think these made it difficult to follow the characters' growth. It's hard to be invested in or care about character relationships, because they developed off screen. The reader is told the characters bonded, but didn't get to see any moments when the characters became close. Near the end, we spend a big chunk of time with the characters, and relationships that develop there feel interesting and organic.
The plot was the focus of the book. Time jumps and head hopping are employed to focus the story on the plot. Character focused readers and readers who want strong prose aren't as likely to enjoy the books, but readers who want strong plot and adventure through a rich and diverse world will love this story.
I also felt the characters were under developed. There are a lot of big time jumps in the story, and I think these made it difficult to follow the characters' growth. It's hard to be invested in or care about character relationships, because they developed off screen. The reader is told the characters bonded, but didn't get to see any moments when the characters became close. Near the end, we spend a big chunk of time with the characters, and relationships that develop there feel interesting and organic.
The plot was the focus of the book. Time jumps and head hopping are employed to focus the story on the plot. Character focused readers and readers who want strong prose aren't as likely to enjoy the books, but readers who want strong plot and adventure through a rich and diverse world will love this story.
Kill Three Birds by Nicole Givens Kurtz
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
My philosophy on reviewing books is linked here: http://www.curiousdoodler.com/myblog/2021/1/15/philosophy-for-book-reviews
Overview:
This book is a fantasy who-dunnit. Although the plot centers on a murder mystery, the book's real strength is the fascinating world it's set in. The author does an incredible job of crafting a world in fine detail, from the currency to the turn of phrase used by characters. The reader is removed entirely from our own world and placed into a unique world to explore. Perfect for fantasy readers who are looking for a really different world, less perfect for big fans of the murder mystery genre.
This is the first book I've read this year that I ordered the next book in the series!
This is the first book I've read this year that I ordered the next book in the series!
Deep Dive:
The biggest weakness for this book is the mystery. I suspect regular readers of who-dunnit style books will be disappointed in this novel. Unfortunately, I believe this is exacerbated by the unique qualities of the world that I loved. In a regular murder mystery book, the reader can pick up on tropes of the genre and fill in the blanks of the world building. Because this world is so unique, it's hard to follow the mystery as the reader is too busy trying to figure out what's going on between the magic systems and the unique stratified culture of the world.
That being said, I still highly recommend this book to fantasy readers who are looking for something completely different. This book doesn't have a single normal human in it! It is entirely populated by bird/human creatures and that is only the beginning of the uniqueness of the world! The framing of the story as a murder mystery allows the main character to poke around in a few different corners of the world over the short book, giving the reader a good look at the social structure of the world. Also, there's two magic systems!
This book is short. At two hundred pages, it's not quite a novella, but a very short novel for the fantasy genre. I personally appreciate the tightness of the plot and the quick pace, but I do wish a little more time had been spent on world building. The world is so different from anything I've encountered in fantasy, that I got a little lost when new aspects of the world were introduced in passing. The magic system is also relatively soft, which would be fine, except that this is a who-dunnit and the soft magic left me a bit confused where it mingled with the plot. A little more time spent explaining the magic would have been appreciated. I plan on reading the next book in the series. I'm hoping these complaints are resolved in the next book where I will already be familiar with the world of the book.
Overall a very good read. Not perfect. There were typos and a few places where it got a little confusing, but worth it for the uniqueness of the story!
That being said, I still highly recommend this book to fantasy readers who are looking for something completely different. This book doesn't have a single normal human in it! It is entirely populated by bird/human creatures and that is only the beginning of the uniqueness of the world! The framing of the story as a murder mystery allows the main character to poke around in a few different corners of the world over the short book, giving the reader a good look at the social structure of the world. Also, there's two magic systems!
This book is short. At two hundred pages, it's not quite a novella, but a very short novel for the fantasy genre. I personally appreciate the tightness of the plot and the quick pace, but I do wish a little more time had been spent on world building. The world is so different from anything I've encountered in fantasy, that I got a little lost when new aspects of the world were introduced in passing. The magic system is also relatively soft, which would be fine, except that this is a who-dunnit and the soft magic left me a bit confused where it mingled with the plot. A little more time spent explaining the magic would have been appreciated. I plan on reading the next book in the series. I'm hoping these complaints are resolved in the next book where I will already be familiar with the world of the book.
Overall a very good read. Not perfect. There were typos and a few places where it got a little confusing, but worth it for the uniqueness of the story!
Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is very fast. You're dropped right in the middle of the story and by the time you figure out what's going on it's over. Over the course of the 99 pages my feelings swung wildly between 3 stars and 5 stars. The main character is frustrating and her inner world is not a fun place. She is suffering from trauma and the book really tackles how that affects her. As frustrating as the main character is, she also feels real. I personally prefer tighter plot and pacing in a novella, but the story works. It's more of an abstract character study, with one real and lost woman at it's heart. In the end, I went with a 5 star rating. The book isn't always enjoyable, but it is always very good.
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book was alright. I expected it to be really good, but was disappointed. The story took a long time to get started. It was alright when it finally found it's feet, but it wasn't enough to win me back.
The Woman Who Fell Through Time by J. M. Frey
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Disclaimers: I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also I do not read this genre regularly.
My philosophy on book reviews: http://www.curiousdoodler.com/myblog/2021/1/15/philosophy-for-book-reviews
Overview:
I loved this book! It was incredible! The pacing was perfect. Just when I was lulled into a false sense of security, everything changed and I was on the edge of my seat again. The main character is delightful and feels real and grounded. For a book set in the past, it was fun to have such a relatable modern character to follow.
Deep Dive:
I didn't have any major complaints about this book. It was an exciting and engaging read throughout. There were some minor inconsistencies. There is one part where the timeline gets a little confusing, and some small wardrobe inconsistencies, but nothing large enough to interfere with the enjoyment of the story.
The setting was fantastic. It was well written and I could picture everything, despite the fact that I rarely read historical fiction. The descriptions struck a healthy balance. There was enough that I was able to picture each new set piece clearly, while also not going so in depth that I got bored.
The characters were engaging and well fleshed out. The main character felt true to modern times. Her vocabulary was perfect, and positioned well to remind the reader that she is out of place. I would be reading along, used to the historic setting, then the main character would use the word 'bifi' and I was suddenly reminded how completely out of place she was! The other characters also all felt fleshed out and unique. Every character has flaws and virtues (except for one delightfully hateable villain). No one is perfect and it's a lot of fun to see how each character's unique personality clashes and compliments the others.
The chapter headings are great. They set the stage well for each chapter. This book is written in first person, and one problem I often have in first person stories is forgetting the main character's name. I didn't have that problem at all in this story and I think it was because of the chapter titles reminding me of her name at the start of every chapter.
My philosophy on book reviews: http://www.curiousdoodler.com/myblog/2021/1/15/philosophy-for-book-reviews
Overview:
I loved this book! It was incredible! The pacing was perfect. Just when I was lulled into a false sense of security, everything changed and I was on the edge of my seat again. The main character is delightful and feels real and grounded. For a book set in the past, it was fun to have such a relatable modern character to follow.
Deep Dive:
I didn't have any major complaints about this book. It was an exciting and engaging read throughout. There were some minor inconsistencies. There is one part where the timeline gets a little confusing, and some small wardrobe inconsistencies, but nothing large enough to interfere with the enjoyment of the story.
The setting was fantastic. It was well written and I could picture everything, despite the fact that I rarely read historical fiction. The descriptions struck a healthy balance. There was enough that I was able to picture each new set piece clearly, while also not going so in depth that I got bored.
The characters were engaging and well fleshed out. The main character felt true to modern times. Her vocabulary was perfect, and positioned well to remind the reader that she is out of place. I would be reading along, used to the historic setting, then the main character would use the word 'bifi' and I was suddenly reminded how completely out of place she was! The other characters also all felt fleshed out and unique. Every character has flaws and virtues (except for one delightfully hateable villain). No one is perfect and it's a lot of fun to see how each character's unique personality clashes and compliments the others.
The chapter headings are great. They set the stage well for each chapter. This book is written in first person, and one problem I often have in first person stories is forgetting the main character's name. I didn't have that problem at all in this story and I think it was because of the chapter titles reminding me of her name at the start of every chapter.