ellakate_25's reviews
22 reviews

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

challenging emotional funny hopeful fast-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? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. blue and red’s relationship was so dynamic and fun to watch unfold. i liked how they continued to try to one up each others letters. 
this story was more of a character study and the worldbuilding was a vehicle to tell a unique love story , but with it being so vague it took me out the story a lot of the time. i was too busy trying to figure out how the world worked to focus on red and blue. it made it hard for me to be fully immersed. 

Babel by R.F. Kuang

adventurous challenging dark inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

Children of Dune by Frank Herbert

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

4.0

I feel like i liked the book but also i feel like i didn’t. i think this book had a lot of the same problems as dune , there is a lot of philosophical mumbo jumbo that kind of gets in the way of a pretty good plot. the beginning is insanely good. the family drama is well written and the characters and their motivations make sense. as the book goes on the dialogue gets bland and circular and i started to stop caring about certain characters and plot lines. 
ghanima is that girl, leto was fine and then gets weird, KEEP HIK AWAY FROM ANY AFAB PERSON. 

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

dare i say i loved this book more than Dune? idk i just feel like the emotional weight was really palpable in this book. the effects that the jihad had on the people the environment the culture etc. was so heavily felt. i felt like a fremen, yearning for the days of living in a seitch. this book felt like a punch to the chest. paul knows the end is near and his inner monologue nearly brought me to tears multiple times. he is exhausted from the weight of being space jesus and i felt exhausted for him. the standout character is obviously Alia, her struggle between being an all knowing reverend mother and a teenage girl is well executed. her breakdown is heartbreaking knowing what happens to her in the latter books, makes her story even more sad. 

The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

3.5

The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis

3.5

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

I liked this book for the most part, but i feel like the tone didn’t match up with the emotional weight of the story. There is finality in this book and a lot of themes about growing up and letting go. 
This is Peter and Susan’s last time in Narnia. There are some points in the story where you can see them start to struggle with what they know is the end but it’s never expanded on and then they leave kinda unceremoniously. 
The book is called Prince Caspian but ultimately what did we learn about him and who he is as a person/leader? 
I honestly feel like the movie did a better job of taking the events and outcomes  of Lion Witch and the Wardrobe and fleshing out characters and their motivations from it. 
This boon made me sad because of the themes of growing up and how the preventers have to watch Barbie grow without them. 

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

3.5

I enjoyed this book the least so far in the series. It had what I liked from Lewis, funny characters who kinda hate each other, a narrator who constantly breaks the fourth wall. 
I just wasn’t hooked by the story.  i wish it truly was just a road story between a horse and his boy. 
the a plot should’ve been pushed back and the b plot should’ve been brought the the fore front. i liked the prince and the pauper aspect. 
Hey! also the undertone of islamophobia and xenophobic/racist depictions of middle eastern culture/religion wasn’t very slay, this heavily influenced my lower rating tbh.