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evilscientist's reviews
66 reviews
Flux by Jinwoo Chong
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
i love nona a lot
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Gun violence, Suicide, and War
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
adventurous
funny
hopeful
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? No
4.5
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I think this is one I’ll want to read again. I enjoyed the writing style but it was a little hard for me to understand. The first half was very compelling to me but something about the second half seemed to drag it down. Idk
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Suicide, Violence, and Blood
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Suicide, and Murder
Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee
5.0
-i really really enjoyed this book. cheris and jedao were charming protagonists
-the world building and writing style took some time to get used to but it’s very interesting
-idk what it is about possession/bodysharing but i enjoy it, i gotta find more books that feature that trope
-i haven’t read any other sci-fi/fantasy novels that are also hardcore war novels like this one, particularly where the main characters are on the side of the imperialists rather than the rebels. some of the scenes from other POVs are brutal
-jedao is an interesting and scary character to me. you want to like him sometimes but then he reminds you that he is always trying to advance his goal no matter the cost. it’s hard to tell how much of him is genuine and how much is manipulation. the scene where he pretended to ‘go mad’ was very unsettling. also when it’s revealed that he’s [redacted] i was like wowww he’s just like me
-the world building and writing style took some time to get used to but it’s very interesting
-idk what it is about possession/bodysharing but i enjoy it, i gotta find more books that feature that trope
-i haven’t read any other sci-fi/fantasy novels that are also hardcore war novels like this one, particularly where the main characters are on the side of the imperialists rather than the rebels. some of the scenes from other POVs are brutal
-jedao is an interesting and scary character to me. you want to like him sometimes but then he reminds you that he is always trying to advance his goal no matter the cost. it’s hard to tell how much of him is genuine and how much is manipulation. the scene where he pretended to ‘go mad’ was very unsettling. also when it’s revealed that he’s [redacted] i was like wowww he’s just like me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and War
Moderate: Genocide, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts
The Outside by Ada Hoffmann
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
-i listened to this as an audiobook so i don’t know how to spell any of the characters’ names
-yasira was an interesting main character, i liked her. i almost never see books with autistic protagonists. AND to see her interact with an autistic mentor as well was good
-acavi was also a very interesting antagonist. he was clearly not a good person but the narrative managed to make him somewhat sympathetic. also i loved the genderfluid coding
-it was a slow start but the rest of the book hooked me enough that i kept wanting to come back to it, so i finished it very quickly lol
-i didn’t like some parts of the eldritch horror stuff. it’s a thing that’s very difficult to write well and it didn’t hit the mark for me
-also i felt like tiv’s character was kind of flat which annoyed me because i wanted to like her
-finally as a trans person it stuck out to me that the author tried to use trans-inclusive language in some parts but didn’t really consider trans people ever. the only trans character i remember is a non-human nonbinary minor antagonist. didn’t love that
-overall i really enjoyed this book. mind the content warnings though
-also i looked on tumblr and didn’t see ANY fanart for the book. this is a crime
-also i’m still thinking about the worldbuilding. just the idea of having these incredible AIs and choosing to call them gods and their cyborg servants are called angels. love it
-yasira was an interesting main character, i liked her. i almost never see books with autistic protagonists. AND to see her interact with an autistic mentor as well was good
-acavi was also a very interesting antagonist. he was clearly not a good person but the narrative managed to make him somewhat sympathetic. also i loved the genderfluid coding
-it was a slow start but the rest of the book hooked me enough that i kept wanting to come back to it, so i finished it very quickly lol
-i didn’t like some parts of the eldritch horror stuff. it’s a thing that’s very difficult to write well and it didn’t hit the mark for me
-also i felt like tiv’s character was kind of flat which annoyed me because i wanted to like her
-finally as a trans person it stuck out to me that the author tried to use trans-inclusive language in some parts but didn’t really consider trans people ever. the only trans character i remember is a non-human nonbinary minor antagonist. didn’t love that
-overall i really enjoyed this book. mind the content warnings though
-also i looked on tumblr and didn’t see ANY fanart for the book. this is a crime
-also i’m still thinking about the worldbuilding. just the idea of having these incredible AIs and choosing to call them gods and their cyborg servants are called angels. love it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Kidnapping
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Genocide, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
slow-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? Yes
4.5
-this one was A Lot
-liked the characters and different POVs
-and the worldbuilding of the aliens was really interesting
-and the switching between present and flashbacks created tension as we wait to find out how the tragedy happens
-made me think a lot about religion, language, and grief. still not sure how i feel about it
-it was slow to get through the first few chapters but once i connected with the characters i couldn’t wait to finish it
-also had some really funny bits
-liked the characters and different POVs
-and the worldbuilding of the aliens was really interesting
-and the switching between present and flashbacks created tension as we wait to find out how the tragedy happens
-made me think a lot about religion, language, and grief. still not sure how i feel about it
-it was slow to get through the first few chapters but once i connected with the characters i couldn’t wait to finish it
-also had some really funny bits
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Sexual content, and Grief
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0