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curiousdoodler's reviews
68 reviews
Honor's Reserve by Michael La Ronn
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Disclaimer:
I follow this author on youtube and got this book for free on his website (not an arc, anyone can get this book for free by joining the author's fan club). I do not know the author personally, but I was predisposed to liking the book as I enjoy his content on other platforms.
Link to my philosophy on reviewing books: http://www.curiousdoodler.com/myblog/2021/1/15/philosophy-for-book-reviews
Overall Thoughts:
Overall this book was a fun campy sci-fi adventure. You really have to suspend a lot of disbelief on the science front to enjoy this book, but if you can do that, it's a good read. This gave me huge Star Trek the Original Series meets Doctor Who vibes. The main character is earnest, and easy to love. The morality is a bit more black and white than what I usually enjoy, but grounding my expectations in the realm of campy sci-fi, I was able to let that slide. The world building is interesting if you ignore science. I really enjoyed the blending of common sci-fi tropes with modern tech. The main character flys through space for his dayjob, but his mom still has a landline phone. The settings were well thought out and I was able to easily visualize them.
Deeper Dive:
My biggest complaint about this book was that it felt disjointed. It's fairly short, but there were three distinct parts to the story, and they didn't blend together well. Particularly near the middle, there is a large plot point that comes out of nowhere and doesn't seem to have any bearing on the rest of the story. The first third and the last third make sense together, but there is an intermission that doesn't really land for me and interrupts the flow of the action.
There are some cheesy scenes in here, both cheesy dialog and action. For me, this went along with the campy flavor of the book, but readers who can't stomach cringy dialog might want to pass on this one.
There is also some heavy leaning on the 'evil race is evil and does evil things' trope in this book. This again calls back to the black and white morality issues. The book has a tight point of view focused on one character. It's easy enough for me to hand wave this as the character's perspective, but it was a bit overblow at times. I think it can be bundled into the campy nature of the story, but it was present throughout and got a bit uncomfortable in some places.
This is the first book in a series. It does read like a complete story. It doesn't necessarily lead me into the next book very cleanly. I don't know if I'll continue with the series, but I will read more by the author.
I follow this author on youtube and got this book for free on his website (not an arc, anyone can get this book for free by joining the author's fan club). I do not know the author personally, but I was predisposed to liking the book as I enjoy his content on other platforms.
Link to my philosophy on reviewing books: http://www.curiousdoodler.com/myblog/2021/1/15/philosophy-for-book-reviews
Overall Thoughts:
Overall this book was a fun campy sci-fi adventure. You really have to suspend a lot of disbelief on the science front to enjoy this book, but if you can do that, it's a good read. This gave me huge Star Trek the Original Series meets Doctor Who vibes. The main character is earnest, and easy to love. The morality is a bit more black and white than what I usually enjoy, but grounding my expectations in the realm of campy sci-fi, I was able to let that slide. The world building is interesting if you ignore science. I really enjoyed the blending of common sci-fi tropes with modern tech. The main character flys through space for his dayjob, but his mom still has a landline phone. The settings were well thought out and I was able to easily visualize them.
Deeper Dive:
My biggest complaint about this book was that it felt disjointed. It's fairly short, but there were three distinct parts to the story, and they didn't blend together well. Particularly near the middle, there is a large plot point that comes out of nowhere and doesn't seem to have any bearing on the rest of the story. The first third and the last third make sense together, but there is an intermission that doesn't really land for me and interrupts the flow of the action.
There are some cheesy scenes in here, both cheesy dialog and action. For me, this went along with the campy flavor of the book, but readers who can't stomach cringy dialog might want to pass on this one.
There is also some heavy leaning on the 'evil race is evil and does evil things' trope in this book. This again calls back to the black and white morality issues. The book has a tight point of view focused on one character. It's easy enough for me to hand wave this as the character's perspective, but it was a bit overblow at times. I think it can be bundled into the campy nature of the story, but it was present throughout and got a bit uncomfortable in some places.
This is the first book in a series. It does read like a complete story. It doesn't necessarily lead me into the next book very cleanly. I don't know if I'll continue with the series, but I will read more by the author.
The Factory Witches of Lowell by C.S. Malerich
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
<a href="http://www.curiousdoodler.com/myblog/2021/1/15/philosophy-for-book-reviews">Read my philosophy for writing reviews here.</a>
I was torn between 3 and 4 stars for this book. It had such an interesting premise and I was excited to read it, but I don't think it lived up to my expectations, so I ultimately went with the lower star rating. I loved individual elements of this book, but they didn't come together well for me. The magic system was interesting, the setting was believable, and the characters were fleshed out well, but the story didn't work. I think the problem was that stakes were not clearly outlined at the beginning of the book. It wasn't until the book was almost over that I understood what I was meant to be worried about. If those stakes had been seeded better at the beginning, this would have been an easy four stars.
I was torn between 3 and 4 stars for this book. It had such an interesting premise and I was excited to read it, but I don't think it lived up to my expectations, so I ultimately went with the lower star rating. I loved individual elements of this book, but they didn't come together well for me. The magic system was interesting, the setting was believable, and the characters were fleshed out well, but the story didn't work. I think the problem was that stakes were not clearly outlined at the beginning of the book. It wasn't until the book was almost over that I understood what I was meant to be worried about. If those stakes had been seeded better at the beginning, this would have been an easy four stars.
Refuge by Jj Blacklocke
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Link to my philosophy on book reviewing: http://www.curiousdoodler.com/myblog/2021/1/15/philosophy-for-book-reviews
Overall Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book! I am a sucker for a good political sci-fi story and I love the exploration of different cultures and this book really hit that spot. It's an interesting blend of sci-fi and fantasy. The setting and most of the alien races in the book are firmly sci-fi, but the main characters and their culture feel plucked from a fantasy world. So you have this interesting dynamic of a fantasy race trying to get by in a sci-fi world.
The pace of this book is very slow. In 450 pages, we barely get through three days of story time. This means that we get a lot of different perspectives from a variety of characters providing a rich, fleshed out view of the cultures and character dynamics, but if you're looking for a quick, punchy sci-fi adventure, look somewhere else!
When I stepped away from this book, I found my mind drifting back to the characters and the story while doing other chores. For me, a book that I can't get out of my head is a good book!
Deeper Dive:
My biggest complaint with this book was that it leans a bit too heavily for my liking into overly emotional female characters. It's not bad enough to ruin the book for me, and as a reader, I am fairly sensitive to this. Still, it stuck out to me as annoying in a few places. For example, lecturing a young female character about 'controlling her emotions' is a bit cringy to me, even though there was some justification for it in the context of the story. That being said, if it didn't ruin the book for me, it isn't likely to ruin it for most people. This is a personal pet peeve.
This story plays with tropes and conventions of sci-fi and fantasy, but does usually pulls and twist those tropes enough to not be predictable.
There is a lot of PoV jumping from chapter to chapter in this book and it is handled very well. The different PoVs serve the story well and provide a nuanced perspective on the story. Each character had a unique voice and their own goals and concerns. I enjoyed the different PoVs.
There is a lot of world building to be done in this story. As mentioned in the overall thoughts, this story shows a contact point between a sci-fi world and a fantasy world, which means there are two worlds that need to be world built. Because the story takes place in the sci-fi world, a lot of the early exposition focuses on that setting and only the bare minimum of the fantasy elements are explained. This establishes a sense of mystery around the magic that the main characters use. For those who want to know all the rules of a magic system from the start, this might be frustrating. Major elements of the magic system aren't positioned until the last hundred pages of the book, and even then it's a sparse description. That being said, while there were a few points where I was confused by the magic, I think it overall worked for the story. The main characters deeply understand their own magic system, so it would be strange for them to wax poetic about it. I hope future books provide more opportunity for the characters to better explain what their magic can do and how it works.
There is a frustrating note to the driving tension throughout the book, especially the first half of the book. One major character is absolutely grating. For me, the frustrating elements were tempered enough with other story beets that it didn't drive me away, but a reader who just doesn't like that frustrating driving tension might not enjoy this story.
This book contains a simplified language that is common between all species. It's awkward and stilted and there is dialog spoken in this language. That dialog can be confusing to follow. I think it works for the world since the language is as unyielding and confusing for the characters as it is for the reader and this writing choice helps with immersion, but for readers who don't like that sort of thing, this might be off putting. I will say, there aren't many conversations in this mutual language and most dialog is perfectly understandable.
I'll keep my comments on the ending vague as I want to keep this review spoiler free, but I found the ending satisfying. It is clear that the story is the first in the series and it sets up a path forward, but it doesn't end in an unsatisfying way. The story's main threads are all wrapped up by the end of the book.
Overall Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book! I am a sucker for a good political sci-fi story and I love the exploration of different cultures and this book really hit that spot. It's an interesting blend of sci-fi and fantasy. The setting and most of the alien races in the book are firmly sci-fi, but the main characters and their culture feel plucked from a fantasy world. So you have this interesting dynamic of a fantasy race trying to get by in a sci-fi world.
The pace of this book is very slow. In 450 pages, we barely get through three days of story time. This means that we get a lot of different perspectives from a variety of characters providing a rich, fleshed out view of the cultures and character dynamics, but if you're looking for a quick, punchy sci-fi adventure, look somewhere else!
When I stepped away from this book, I found my mind drifting back to the characters and the story while doing other chores. For me, a book that I can't get out of my head is a good book!
Deeper Dive:
My biggest complaint with this book was that it leans a bit too heavily for my liking into overly emotional female characters. It's not bad enough to ruin the book for me, and as a reader, I am fairly sensitive to this. Still, it stuck out to me as annoying in a few places. For example, lecturing a young female character about 'controlling her emotions' is a bit cringy to me, even though there was some justification for it in the context of the story. That being said, if it didn't ruin the book for me, it isn't likely to ruin it for most people. This is a personal pet peeve.
This story plays with tropes and conventions of sci-fi and fantasy, but does usually pulls and twist those tropes enough to not be predictable.
There is a lot of PoV jumping from chapter to chapter in this book and it is handled very well. The different PoVs serve the story well and provide a nuanced perspective on the story. Each character had a unique voice and their own goals and concerns. I enjoyed the different PoVs.
There is a lot of world building to be done in this story. As mentioned in the overall thoughts, this story shows a contact point between a sci-fi world and a fantasy world, which means there are two worlds that need to be world built. Because the story takes place in the sci-fi world, a lot of the early exposition focuses on that setting and only the bare minimum of the fantasy elements are explained. This establishes a sense of mystery around the magic that the main characters use. For those who want to know all the rules of a magic system from the start, this might be frustrating. Major elements of the magic system aren't positioned until the last hundred pages of the book, and even then it's a sparse description. That being said, while there were a few points where I was confused by the magic, I think it overall worked for the story. The main characters deeply understand their own magic system, so it would be strange for them to wax poetic about it. I hope future books provide more opportunity for the characters to better explain what their magic can do and how it works.
There is a frustrating note to the driving tension throughout the book, especially the first half of the book. One major character is absolutely grating. For me, the frustrating elements were tempered enough with other story beets that it didn't drive me away, but a reader who just doesn't like that frustrating driving tension might not enjoy this story.
This book contains a simplified language that is common between all species. It's awkward and stilted and there is dialog spoken in this language. That dialog can be confusing to follow. I think it works for the world since the language is as unyielding and confusing for the characters as it is for the reader and this writing choice helps with immersion, but for readers who don't like that sort of thing, this might be off putting. I will say, there aren't many conversations in this mutual language and most dialog is perfectly understandable.
I'll keep my comments on the ending vague as I want to keep this review spoiler free, but I found the ending satisfying. It is clear that the story is the first in the series and it sets up a path forward, but it doesn't end in an unsatisfying way. The story's main threads are all wrapped up by the end of the book.
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
adventurous
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I really enjoyed this book! It was a blend of sci-fi and literary. I'm not a bit lit reader, but this book worked well for me.
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book was so good! I'm glad there's some time before the sequel comes out though because I need some time to digest it before I dive in again.
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
2.0
It made me cry like it was supposed to, but other than that I found the book predictable and a bit pretentious. I was waiting for something outstanding when all I got was a cast of nearly identical teens that spoke like adults. I think I just expected more after all the hype :(
Arthur Quinn and the World Serpent by Alan Early
2.0
This was disappointing. I expected more from a book with Eoin Colfer and Loki on the cover.