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icarusandthesun's reviews
127 reviews
Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
dune—but it felt like a cheap knock-off.
there are some bigs twists in this book that should've thrown you off, made you put the book down for a few seconds to comprehend what just happened; should've, but it didn't.
even though the book ends on chani's death and the main character PAUL ATREIDES' LITERALLY DISAPPEARING/DYING, i was left more confused than shocked and unimpressed, too.
it was the writing, mostly. i don't know where frank herbert went wrong (& perhaps i am the problem), but the narration was dry and all the 'political intrigue' a yap-fest.
how the conflict was resolved in the end felt rushed and a little silly.
wasn't a fan.
there are some bigs twists in this book that should've thrown you off, made you put the book down for a few seconds to comprehend what just happened; should've, but it didn't.
it was the writing, mostly. i don't know where frank herbert went wrong (& perhaps i am the problem), but the narration was dry and all the 'political intrigue' a yap-fest.
how the conflict was resolved in the end felt rushed and a little silly.
wasn't a fan.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Body horror, Drug use, Death, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Medical content and Blood
Shy by Max Porter
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
weird, and kinda depressing, but good!
i love how creatively the author formatted the book; it was different and special, and really helped the whole illusion of being in this troubled kid's mind, where not everything (anything) is orderly and pretty and normal.
some sections i had to read twice though, because the vocab threw me off and so did all the references to random topics and songs.
still, i rather enjoyed it.
i love how creatively the author formatted the book; it was different and special, and really helped the whole illusion of being in this troubled kid's mind, where not everything (anything) is orderly and pretty and normal.
some sections i had to read twice though, because the vocab threw me off and so did all the references to random topics and songs.
still, i rather enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Cursing, and Sexual content
Minor: Drug use
Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
distinctly a murderbot diary with its sci-fi action, murderbot's social awkwardness and some nice preservation world-building.
this time there was also a murder mystery which was fun!
i liked it, as in it was perfectly fine and a very comfy read!
however it wasn't the best nor the most exciting one of the diaries.
this time there was also a murder mystery which was fun!
i liked it, as in it was perfectly fine and a very comfy read!
however it wasn't the best nor the most exciting one of the diaries.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Slavery
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
great to read during somber weather.
i wanted to take a little break from science-fiction, and this book seemed to call to me. i liked it—the vibes, the poetic language, the writing style. it was grounding, calming, like stormy weather (but without the lightning and the thunder).
it was nice, but (luckily, i suppose) not relatable for me, right now. i know this is probably a good depiction of grief in many people’s eyes though.
i liked the characters. marin was a little bland, but well, grief does that to a person, so i get it. the author did a good job of telling us about all the things marin used to be passionate about.
the ending was cute, too. it was just nothing special, and wasn’t able to invoke any sort of deep feeling in me, personally.
i wanted to take a little break from science-fiction, and this book seemed to call to me. i liked it—the vibes, the poetic language, the writing style. it was grounding, calming, like stormy weather (but without the lightning and the thunder).
it was nice, but (luckily, i suppose) not relatable for me, right now. i know this is probably a good depiction of grief in many people’s eyes though.
i liked the characters. marin was a little bland, but well, grief does that to a person, so i get it. the author did a good job of telling us about all the things marin used to be passionate about.
the ending was cute, too. it was just nothing special, and wasn’t able to invoke any sort of deep feeling in me, personally.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Cancer, Suicide, and Alcohol
Sands of Dune: Novellas from the World of Dune by Brian Herbert, Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
amazing story collection. can be read immediately after dune and is a great tie-in that adds a bit more depth and background to some of the minor characters.
a fun read that i recommend dearly to every fan of the dune franchise!
a fun read that i recommend dearly to every fan of the dune franchise!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Child death
Moderate: Torture and Gun violence
Minor: Rape
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
this book fried my brain.
i'm a little ashamed to admit that i didn't understand like half of it. maybe it was the english terminology—all the jargon—, or maybe it was the fact i'm not too knowledgeable about neither the Chinese Cultural Revolution nor, well, astrophysics.
maybe my reading was also lacking a bit of personal initiative, because i'm sure a couple more google searches (that i didn't make) would've greatly helped my understanding.
but alas. perhaps i will re-read this book someday and then hopefully understand it a bit better, because the story and ideas weren't at all bad! i still really enjoyed it.
i'm a little ashamed to admit that i didn't understand like half of it. maybe it was the english terminology—all the jargon—, or maybe it was the fact i'm not too knowledgeable about neither the Chinese Cultural Revolution nor, well, astrophysics.
maybe my reading was also lacking a bit of personal initiative, because i'm sure a couple more google searches (that i didn't make) would've greatly helped my understanding.
but alas. perhaps i will re-read this book someday and then hopefully understand it a bit better, because the story and ideas weren't at all bad! i still really enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Minor: Alcohol and Pregnancy
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
adventurous
funny
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
5.0
excellent! i haven't had that much fun in a while.
even though i'm a little too young (or too little of a game nerd) to understand most of the niche 80s game references, i still enjoyed them all.
the world—the stacks, the OASIS, etc.—is so incredibly interesting and made my video-game (and reality-hating) heart do flips of joy.
10/10, so much better than the movie.
even though i'm a little too young (or too little of a game nerd) to understand most of the niche 80s game references, i still enjoyed them all.
the world—the stacks, the OASIS, etc.—is so incredibly interesting and made my video-game (and reality-hating) heart do flips of joy.
10/10, so much better than the movie.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Death, Addiction, Confinement, and Cursing
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Outing, Body shaming, and Grief
Dune by Frank Herbert
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.5
when i first watched the movie (without having read the book) i basically understood absolutely nada, and thus didn't enjoy it very much. i mean... it's a 2-hour long shot of endless dunes and desert.
i re-watched the movie some months ago, but this time i used the little lexicon at the back of the book to guide me—and i loved it. i was (and still am) obsessed.
so i decided to finally read the book (i've owned it for like a year; the pages are starting to yellow).
with the movie as a background, i definitely found the book to be more comprehensible. i think if i hadn't watched the movie beforehand, i wouldn't have understood much. so i do recommend to watch at least the first movie before reading the book.
but the book is super important and makes the whole world really come to life. i've heard many people complain about the movie, saying it was boring and so on and so forth. which—yes, it probably is for many who've not read the book.
but the book is great and provides a lot of context & now i cannot cannot wait to finally watch dune 2.
i re-watched the movie some months ago, but this time i used the little lexicon at the back of the book to guide me—and i loved it. i was (and still am) obsessed.
so i decided to finally read the book (i've owned it for like a year; the pages are starting to yellow).
with the movie as a background, i definitely found the book to be more comprehensible. i think if i hadn't watched the movie beforehand, i wouldn't have understood much. so i do recommend to watch at least the first movie before reading the book.
but the book is super important and makes the whole world really come to life. i've heard many people complain about the movie, saying it was boring and so on and so forth. which—yes, it probably is for many who've not read the book.
but the book is great and provides a lot of context & now i cannot cannot wait to finally watch dune 2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Death of parent, Blood, and War
Moderate: Gun violence, Grief, Drug use, and Pregnancy
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.0
a little unspectacular, but charming nonetheless.
as a reader, reading about someone discovering the magic of books was incredibly heartwarming and very relatable.
the plot was fine—not a lot happened (character-driven book), but I thought the family-dynamic and overall character situation was interesting enough. the characters were unique and likable.
nothing about this book was thrilling in any way, but it didn't bore me or anything, either.
so, just a good, quietly enjoyable read.
as a reader, reading about someone discovering the magic of books was incredibly heartwarming and very relatable.
the plot was fine—not a lot happened (character-driven book), but I thought the family-dynamic and overall character situation was interesting enough. the characters were unique and likable.
nothing about this book was thrilling in any way, but it didn't bore me or anything, either.
so, just a good, quietly enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Minor: Abortion, Infidelity, and Pregnancy
The Friend by Sigrid Nunez
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
charming—i'm pleasantly surprised! i impulse-bought this book even though the synopsis didn't particularly speak to me, and i'm honestly really glad i did.
- there was lots of talk about books and the act of writing and writing as a form of art (a given since both main characters are writers), which i, as a writer myself, throughly enjoyed, but i can definitely see how that's not a relatable topic for everyone.
- the book's quite funny at times, and what i found especially entertaining was the upbeat writing style constantly being paired with incredibly grave topics.
- the characters weren't lovable at all imo (except for the dog, ofc), but rather just plain interesting to observe.
- the feminist commentary (if you can call it that?) was confusing as hell. like it was sort of feminist but then some lines weren't at all—quite the opposite. idk, it was confusing.
- the feminist commentary (if you can call it that?) was confusing as hell. like it was sort of feminist but then some lines weren't at all—quite the opposite. idk, it was confusing.
- the plot... was basically non-existent. no plot, just vibes is all. i guess there was a plot twist, but that one was just really unnecessary. it wasn't impactful at all, because it didn't actually change anything. it wasn't some sort of great revelation that would make the reader feel betrayed, it didn't make the reader feel anything, really.
another point of criticism i have is that most of the book's depth comes from quoting other authors. the narrator references other authors and works like every other page and i found that most of the lines i underlined/annotated were just said quotes. so i'm wondering a little bit—how much did nunez actually add to the depth and grade of profundity of her own book?
something i also want to mention, even though a few other reviews have already done so, is that the book doesn't live up to its synopsis... so if you expect the things in the synopsis it's invariably going to be a little underwhelming, if not disappointing.
but i personally really enjoyed it nevertheless—perhaps even *because* it was so different from what i had expected (since, as i've already said, the synopsis didn't really speak to me anyway.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Grief, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death