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festive_fossil's Reviews (173)
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I absolutely loved this book. Couldn't put it down after I first started it and ended up finishing it in a day. The worldbuilding was done well, was so unique, and I loved the magic that was included. Just so good! The journey of the characters themselves, though, was perhaps the most impressive part of this book. They really transform, and in ways that are so relevant to today: standing up to tyranny, overcoming adversity, understanding and putting aside your implicit biases.
HOWEVER. I think there have been some fair critiques of the stereotypes used in this book (and how they were used) that should be flagged - they can be found on Goodreads, if not here. It also leans on the trope of marginalized groups doing the emotional labor to educate their oppressors. I don't think the author's intentions were malicious in any way, but I wanted to note this theme is present in case anyone wants to skip this one!
HOWEVER. I think there have been some fair critiques of the stereotypes used in this book (and how they were used) that should be flagged - they can be found on Goodreads, if not here. It also leans on the trope of marginalized groups doing the emotional labor to educate their oppressors. I don't think the author's intentions were malicious in any way, but I wanted to note this theme is present in case anyone wants to skip this one!
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I found myself pleasantly surprised with this one. This is my first Stephen King book to date as I cannot handle any kind of horror lol so I have generally stayed away. However, I am a writer trying to get published one day, and I figured I would give this one a try. This book was not at all what I was expecting. While there is a section that is more 'prescriptive', King mostly avoids the route other books in this genre have gone - boiling the writing process down to a cut-and-dry formula. Instead, I got to learn a lot more about King himself and his journey as an author. While I don't agree with all of the few rules he includes in the text, I would still highly recommend this book to any writer, or even anyone interested in Stephen King.
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Silmarillion will always be my number one Tolkien pick. Dense or difficult as the writing style may be for modern sensibilities, the scope, depth of worldbuilding, and emotional drama of the individual stories take the cake for me every time.
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Get your journal out because there is a lot to think and write about here! I think this book can be helpful for anyone who has ever struggled with loving or accepting their body. Plus Taylor's writing style is really engaging, uplifting, and humorous, which can bring you up a little bit after a particularly tough or soul-searching question.
adventurous
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
As a wrap-up to a series, The Seeress of Kell does pretty well. I found it to be a very satisfying conclusion to the story of Garion and the Orb. It has some good laughs in there, some apocalyptic, world-may-end-if-we-fail action, and even a little character development for at least two characters in an large cast. I love the worldbuilding of David Eddings, though to be fair he has had like nine books before this to build it up lol. It is a reasonably original take on medieval-based fantasy at least.
I have always enjoyed The Belgariad and The Mallorean as fantasy series, but I will flag that Eddings (and I believe his wife helped write these as well) does not write women well. Like at all. Many of them are caricatures of how a man might expect a woman to act? And the girls vs boys theme thrown in for 'comic' relief gets reeealllly tiring by the end of ten books. If I were to happen across this in a book these days, I would probably just put it down because why do you even have to put up with that anymore? BUT I read these first when I was very young, so the nostalgia is strong and I still enjoy them despite some problematic content.
Given all this, I would say be aware of this heading into it, but I still recommend the series!
I have always enjoyed The Belgariad and The Mallorean as fantasy series, but I will flag that Eddings (and I believe his wife helped write these as well) does not write women well. Like at all. Many of them are caricatures of how a man might expect a woman to act? And the girls vs boys theme thrown in for 'comic' relief gets reeealllly tiring by the end of ten books. If I were to happen across this in a book these days, I would probably just put it down because why do you even have to put up with that anymore? BUT I read these first when I was very young, so the nostalgia is strong and I still enjoy them despite some problematic content.
Given all this, I would say be aware of this heading into it, but I still recommend the series!
Brain Wash: Detox Your Mind for Clearer Thinking, Deeper Relationships, and Lasting Happiness
David Perlmutter, Austin Perlmutter, Kristin Loberg
DID NOT FINISH
I didn't find that this book provided any great insights that I wasn't already aware of. Much of the advice about using technology/social media less, being outside in nature more, diet, etc., was not groundbreaking. I also very much disagree with some of the Drs. Perlmutter's recommendations, so I decided I didn't need to finish this one. Could still be of interest to others.
I just really could not get into this book. The writing was beautiful, and I found the main character to be fascinating, but the old South setting always gives me uneasy vibes - too real! So I was really hesitant to read further. I could just feel the bad things that were coming. At least that is what it felt like, I didn't get super far into this book (can't remember a page number, maybe 20% in), so can't say for sure if they materialized.
