final_maks's reviews
44 reviews

The Sandman Universe: Dead Boy Detectives by Jeff Stokely, Nimit Malavia, Pornsak Pichetshote

adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

My main mistake was picking this up before the Dead Boy Detectives Ominubus simply because my local comic shop has this stocked and not the other. That's the only thing that lowered my enjoyment of this run.
Overall, the plot is solid and the way the writer's culture is woven into the story is really interesting and done really interestingly.
Also yay Edwin is closer to figuring himself out!

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

The teen drama is teenagering, the mystery is mysterying. Rose was an idiot throughout all of it, but that's how I like her. She was also intensely queercoded, but what else is new.
The buildup to the final battles was probably the best so far, and losing Dimitri was a great choice. Sadly we find him again, but you can't have everything from life.

Vampire Academy Books 1-3 by Richelle Mead

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adventurous emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

The first trilogy of VA books is a tight series, even for such sprawling books.
While Frostbite is the worst of the three, it works extremely well in conjunction with Shadow Kiss. The teenage of the characters does slightly overpower the plot, but that is a feature, not a bug of this story.
That said, god I wish Rose was gay. It would make this so much better

Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix by Gabe Cole Novoa

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emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I'm not a great fan of Pride and Prejudice, so the bits where it was just a retelling were a bit of a slog. That said, they were not as much of a slog as the original, and were greatly improved by the bits original to this story. I absolutely loved seeing Oliver and Darcy's story in ways Darcy and Elizabeth from the original never gripped me.
My only problems were 1) a rushed climax, 2) the author's constant use of the word boy where man would fit just as well if not better, and 3) the narrative's refusal to acknowledge the historical practice of lavender marriages.

Arsenic for Tea by Robin Stevens

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I can admit I probably wouldn't have rated this so high if I didn't love the series and it wasn't a re-read. It is good, and the mystery is well-crafted, but what really made this reread great was what I already knew putting the book in context.
For example, I knew

that when Bertie refused to admit why he needed the bathroom, it meant Stephen decided to have celebratory sex with his boyfriend after being told his murder attempt was successful.

Definitely made the reading experience better.

Frostbite by Richelle Mead

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adventurous lighthearted tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Sometimes you need to read trashy 00s paranormal YA books. Just the inescapable need to read teens being dumb fucks. Also Adrian Ivashkov. That's a need as well.
Is it good? No. Is it progressive? Couldn't be further from. Is it exactly what I want from it? Yes

How to Sell Your Blood & Fall in Love by D.N. Bryn

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adventurous emotional lighthearted sad 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? Yes

5.0

An improvement over the first book of the series, the build-up was impeccable both on the romantic and the more plot-heavy side. Appearing earlier, the plot felt well meshed with the romance, and the climax felt more final than book 1's. The lore was also much better woven into the story.
And improvement what I fought was already a really good book, reaching 5 starts.

How To Bite Your Neighbor & Win A Wager by D.N. Bryn

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lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced