hybridhavoc's reviews
334 reviews

Outland by Dennis E. Taylor

adventurous lighthearted 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

3.5

If I never read another book about coffee it will be too soon.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence

Minor: Death and Sexual assault

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

dark funny mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Blood

Moderate: Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Murder

Origins of The Wheel of Time: The Legends and Mythologies that Inspired Robert Jordan by Michael Livingston

emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.25

It was such a treat getting insight into the creative process of Robert Jordan, and see the wide variety of influences pulled into the Wheel of Time. Was very touched by the opening of the book as well. If you are a fan of the Wheel of Time who has completed the series, I consider this a must-read.

Mystic by Jason Denzel

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

This is a good book for the author's first published work (I think?). I'm not sure if the author intended for the reader to so easily guess many of the twists revealed along the way. I don't think this in itself took away from the reading experience though as the reveals of those twists were not particularly dramatic or explosive - so having guessed them in advance, you weren't missing out on much.

I found it difficult to really connect with any of the characters. The world, however, does feel interesting and sufficiently mysterious that I would like to learn more about it. If you are a fan of a hard magic system in fantasy, with clearly stated rules and mechanics, you may not find the magic of this world very appealing.

I will likely read the sequel at some point, and hope to see some growth from the author.

Super Powereds: Year 1 by Drew Hayes
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.

DNFing at chapter ten. Apart from the book feeling straight up amateurish in its writing, the blatant sexism on display in these first 10 chapters has made it clear to me that the rest of the book is unlikely to be worth my time or attention. I decided to DNF after looking over some other reviews here to get confirmation of that. I've tried to give authors the benefit of the doubt in the past, only to see that particular quality only get worse further into a series.

Legitimately the worst thing I've read in years.

Project Kawayan by Randy Ribay

adventurous dark

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

2.5

I didn't hate it, but it's not a book that I would actively recommend to anybody. It's an interesting format that I've never come across before. It also made me wonder if some of the reviews I saw for the book are fake, pretending to have not understood the core premise of the book in order to make others feel smarter in some way. It's not that hard to understand, and I feel like any reasonable person would catch on quickly to what is happening.

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

I now see why this book is so highly recommended. I now consider it a must-read for science fiction fans.

Genesis by Ken Lozito

adventurous fast-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

2.0

I'm not sure I've rolled my eyes at any book as many times as I did at this one. This is a string of clichés from start to finish. Forced myself to finish, but I'm not even motivated to see if there are more books to follow.

The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

The Fall of Koli by M.R. Carey

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

4.25

Good ending to a good trilogy.  I really enjoyed my time with these books.