Scan barcode
daniel_faniel's reviews
60 reviews
The Borders of Infinity by Lois McMaster Bujold
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.75
6 novels and 2 novellas into this series and Lois McMaster Bujold still surprises me with every new story.
The tone of this one wasn’t really my thing, but it was still really enjoyable. I would’ve liked to know if they made it safely or not, but I’m pretty sure Brothers in Arms is the sequel to this so maybe it’ll be explored there.
I feel like this may be a turning point for Miles as a character. Like I just can’t have as much fun in these stories anymore knowing what’s happened here. Like a piece of innocence has been lost lol. Idk. I’ll have to read the rest of the series to see.
The tone of this one wasn’t really my thing, but it was still really enjoyable. I would’ve liked to know if they made it safely or not, but I’m pretty sure Brothers in Arms is the sequel to this so maybe it’ll be explored there.
I feel like this may be a turning point for Miles as a character. Like I just can’t have as much fun in these stories anymore knowing what’s happened here. Like a piece of innocence has been lost lol. Idk. I’ll have to read the rest of the series to see.
Isabella: The Warrior Queen by Kirstin Downey
challenging
informative
slow-paced
4.0
Read this in preparation for my trip to Spain and I’m glad I did.
I like how beginner-friendly this book is, in the sense of newcomers to Spanish history (me who knew basically nothing). She provides maybe too much context. I enjoyed everything and learned so much, but there were some parts where she writes about other people, which was necessary, but I just wanted to get back to Isabella’s life because she was so interesting.
Her portrayal of Muslims is also important to mention because the author specifically says that she’s writing in the perspective of Isabella during her time. Meaning, Muslims/enemies of Spain are written about as Isabella would’ve known them to be. This provided great context to understanding Isabella’s motivations and fears, but left much to desired in terms of a nuanced depiction.
Overall, Isabella’s life is super interesting and so much more globally and historically impactful than I realized. I really wanna learn about her children now.
I like how beginner-friendly this book is, in the sense of newcomers to Spanish history (me who knew basically nothing). She provides maybe too much context. I enjoyed everything and learned so much, but there were some parts where she writes about other people, which was necessary, but I just wanted to get back to Isabella’s life because she was so interesting.
Her portrayal of Muslims is also important to mention because the author specifically says that she’s writing in the perspective of Isabella during her time. Meaning, Muslims/enemies of Spain are written about as Isabella would’ve known them to be. This provided great context to understanding Isabella’s motivations and fears, but left much to desired in terms of a nuanced depiction.
Overall, Isabella’s life is super interesting and so much more globally and historically impactful than I realized. I really wanna learn about her children now.
Captain Alatriste by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Maybe the translation doesn’t do it justice, but I found this book to be really boring. It’s only around 240 pages and yet feels like it drags on and on.
Every plot point can be summed up in a single paragraph. Not a summary/synopsis of the book. No, literally every single event that forwards the story. Almost nothing happens.
The very end of the book was good in all honesty. The conversation and dialogue was super enjoyable. The issue is that everything before that just felt like filler, and the ending is clearly building up to future installments.
And the characters are very flat. It also confusingly jumps between Inigo and Alatriste’s point of view at some parts I seriously didn’t know whose head we were in. I also don’t get the point of being in Inigo’s point of view since he does like literally nothing, and it seems clear Alatriste is the more interesting character and the author believes that as well.
Every plot point can be summed up in a single paragraph. Not a summary/synopsis of the book. No, literally every single event that forwards the story. Almost nothing happens.
The very end of the book was good in all honesty. The conversation and dialogue was super enjoyable. The issue is that everything before that just felt like filler, and the ending is clearly building up to future installments.
And the characters are very flat. It also confusingly jumps between Inigo and Alatriste’s point of view at some parts I seriously didn’t know whose head we were in. I also don’t get the point of being in Inigo’s point of view since he does like literally nothing, and it seems clear Alatriste is the more interesting character and the author believes that as well.
Sons by Pearl S. Buck
Did not finish book. Stopped at 16%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 16%.
I decided to read the plot summary and it didn’t seem interesting, which I hate because I really wanted to love this trilogy since The Good Earth is one of my all time faves.
My issue is that none of these characters are interesting at all. I don’t care about any of them in any way. She sprinkles in her masterful details about their motivations or behaviors. But they lack the emotional impact and dynamics that The Good Earth had.
The Good Earth felt like she had something to say. But Sons felt more like it was made up for the sake of having more rather than being a natural necessary progression to complete what The Good Earth started. Idk if that makes sense.
My issue is that none of these characters are interesting at all. I don’t care about any of them in any way. She sprinkles in her masterful details about their motivations or behaviors. But they lack the emotional impact and dynamics that The Good Earth had.
The Good Earth felt like she had something to say. But Sons felt more like it was made up for the sake of having more rather than being a natural necessary progression to complete what The Good Earth started. Idk if that makes sense.
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
challenging
emotional
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
4.5
Labyrinth by Lois McMaster Bujold
adventurous
mysterious
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
3.75
Daughters of the Stone by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa
Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.
She switches characters just as I start to get into them so I’m left a bit dissatisfied each time. I think I would’ve liked it if their storylines were more interconnected, instead of doing essentially 5 separate short stories.
Shōgun by James Clavell
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.25
I’m proud of myself for finishing this. Some parts were really boring but I loved these characters so I was willing to push through for them.
Ending was kinda disappointing. I sensed it would end something like that, but I wasn’t entirely a fan of it’s execution. But the good parts are phenomenal. So excited to watch the show now.
Ending was kinda disappointing. I sensed it would end something like that, but I wasn’t entirely a fan of it’s execution. But the good parts are phenomenal. So excited to watch the show now.
Second Class Citizen by Buchi Emecheta
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-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? Yes
4.0