hybridhavoc's reviews
332 reviews

Magic Kingdom for Sale/Sold by Terry Brooks

2.5

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Did not finish book. Stopped at 1%.

The narration was so bad I stopped almost immediately. This is not a judgment of the story.

Machine Vendetta by Alastair Reynolds

dark tense slow-paced

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

4.0

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

I really did not enjoy this one. Not my cup of tea.

The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey

dark medium-paced

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

5.0

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

adventurous medium-paced

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

4.0

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

adventurous mysterious

• 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

3.5

Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky

adventurous medium-paced

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

4.0

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

reflective tense 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? No

4.5

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

2.5

The most interesting story being told is actually the flashbacks (so many books with flashbacks these days) to the childhood of one of the characters. The things going on in the present with the newly-homed AI Sidra are not especially interesting to me. 

Part 3 in the book finally saw some action take place, and it was action that was primarily set up by the flashbacks, with some emotional impact / payoff from the present-day stuff. Good ending that was ultimately let down by a disappointingly uneventful first two Parts.

I think this must be in part "cozy" sci-fi. If so, I might have just learned that this subgenre does not especially interest me.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse