dennasus's reviews
739 reviews

An Argumentation of Historians by Jodi Taylor

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? It's complicated

On one hand I was glad to be back in the world of St. Mary's, it's been a while since my latest visit (book 8 and the following short stories). On the other hand... oh man did this drag on. I don't mind if a large part of the plot takes place in the past, but if it's just Max and no one else with her, it gets a bit boring, doesn't it. From a character exploration point of view I even liked the idea of having her stuck in the past 'for real' with all the emotional and relationship-related problems that entailed. It just took so so long. The "traitor / Ronan's accomplice" revelation in the end took me by surprise. The fact that Ronan was there all along felt a bit farfetched though. All in all, not my favourite of the series so far, but not a bad one either. There are no bad St. Mary novels, are there? (23 November 2024)

[I don't rate books]

Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth

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

I mostly liked this, but I'm afraid my dismissive reaction to how the "playing an online game without knowing who the other person really is" plot was set up, ruined it for me for a bit. Because in parts I expected both of them to not reveal their real name / personality. I'm ok with Jack being Jack, but not at all with whom Vi pretended to be. A boy, yes fine, that's what it says in the summary, but this boy? Oh no. Too easy, too much foreseeable drama and conflict. I also realized I'm not a big fan of computer games and that part of the plot just turned boring for me quickly. All in all, not a bad read, but just not stellar either. (19 November 2024)

[I've stopped rating books.] 

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
Did not finish book. Stopped at 49%.

Ugh. I don't know. Was it all supposed to be a parody on the spy/thriller genre? All characters felt like a over the top caricature. I stopped half way, checked the end to see that one of the incognito people was indeed who I expected them to be. Put the book away.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

That was a sweet YA love story, which plays out over 24 hours basically. An easy read in a way, with a bit of a sad twist. It is told from Hadley - the female main character's POV and that's fine, but in parts I wish we could have gotten a bit more of Oliver's side or backstory and just the bits he shares in conversation. The supporting characters weren't too fleshed out, but that was fine for this kind of story. (3 November 2024)

[I've stopped rating books.]

The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake

challenging dark 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? It's complicated

I have many many thoughts on this third book and the series as a whole. I will need a bit more time to write a proper review (on my blog). I thought this final part dragged on a bit and there was too much happening and at the same time not much at all, if that makes sense. I admit at some point I tried giving up trying to keep up with who was where and doing what and just went with the flow.
 
The experiment itself was a bit of a letdown after the plot had built up to it for about 1.5 of the previous stories. All in all this final book and the ending(s) weren't what I had hoped for or expected, but I sort of still enjoyed it in a way.
 
I loved the variety of ethical and philosophical questions which were touched upon all through the book. Maybe there are many other universes where another form of us exist. Or not. I loved how my allegiances and sympathies changed again. I still loved the writing and thought interspersing the regular POV narrator chapters with seemingly factual chapters like "Book Club Question" or the gazillion scenarios at some point was actually a cool idea. Unique to me anyway and I liked that. (1 November 2024)

[I've stopped rating books in May 2024]

The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake

challenging emotional mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

Oh, what to say. In parts I had a bit of hard time following all the various character's plots and development and the whole magic aspects got a bit more complicated to understand. But all in all I really enjoyed part 2 as well. For the peculiar reason alone that I found my allegiance shifting among those six, which was an interesting process. It makes sense as they are not the same as when the story started two years ago and everyone seems to have their own agenda now, which don't always align with each others. I have absolutely no idea how it will all pan out in the final book, but that's a good thing, right? (19 October 2024)

[I stopped rating books in May 2024]

Don't Feed the Monkey Mind: How to Stop the Cycle of Anxiety, Fear, and Worry by Jennifer Shannon

informative medium-paced

Some of this was quite helpful and I will try to implement it in my life. Some of the example anecdotes got a bit boring after a while, so I often skimmed through those. (19 October 2024)

[I stopped rating books in May 2024]

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

Woah, what a plot twist at the end. I really enjoyed this first book of thy series. Adult characters (more or less), magic an a bit of science and philosophy. High stakes and by the end all a bit darker than I had expected. (08 October 2024)

[I stopped rating books in May 2024]

Jura not alone: 12 Ermutigungen, die Welt mit den Mitteln des Rechts zu verändern by Ronen Steinke, Nora Markard

medium-paced

Tolles Buch! In 12 verschiedenen, aktuell relevanten Rechtsgebieten, wird vieles sehr anschaulich erklärt und es macht wirklich Lust sich zu den verschiedenen Themen weiter zu informieren und zu engagieren. (06 October 2024)

[I've stopped rating books in May 2024]

Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian

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

Another story, which didn't fulfil the high hopes I had set in it, I'm afraid. To me the plot felt too far fetched, the characters and their motivations too vague and the writing felt bland. I'm sorry I don't have anything more positive to say about this. (29 September 2024)

[I've stopped rating books in May 2024]