jersy's reviews
645 reviews

At the Mouth of the River of Bees by Kij Johnson

mysterious sad tense slow-paced

3.0

While there were some outstanding stories, most of the collection blurrs together in my head. They all have the same sad and somber mood which is fine for a few stories. The content is not always explicitly sad and varies a lot from story to story, so it's not like it ever got boring, some stories just resonated less with me.
If gloomy and dreamlike fantasy and magical realism is your thing, this is a good collection. I think Kij Johnson, for me, would be an author where reading one story at a time in an anthology might be really effective but a whole collection is a bit much.

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

A charming slice-of-life novel full of amusing anecdotes but also sad undertones. There are contunious arcs and the book doesn't feel episodic, but there isn't really a plot either. It's a peak into the life of some spinsters and how their quirks and their dominance of this village shape it. The ladies are both likable and believable and I enjoyed my time with them.

The Secret Horses of Briar Hill by Megan Shepherd

3.0

I really like historical middle grade books because while they convey a good sense of a time period, they are focused more on personal stories than the bigger picture and combine the tragedy with beauty and magic. This book is no exeption. It's just as engaging to adult readers than to its target audience. The clear writing works really well and the setting and atmosphere are spot on. Emmaline is a believable protagonist, too, and her quest very appealing.
Some minor critiscm is that I wasn't invested enough into the non-magical elements of the book and didn't feel for the characters the way that I should. I think that is due to Emmaline focussing way more on the horses with everything else happening on the side. Also, in this magical realist kind of stories, I like the magical elements to aid the real life part of the story, but in this, it felt like when Emmaline pursued her goal she was actively going against that. It made sense, it just isnt my preference.
Still, I had a really good time with it and it truely had the elements of a classic story.

The Will to Battle by Ada Palmer

4.0

While I really enjoyed this book as a whole, I think the first chunk of the book was a bit drier than the rest. I would say the first half of this book is a lot of scenes that show what feels like real-life politics, which is cool because it's very authentic but also wasn't what I wanted the focus to be on because I attempt to avoid politics as much as possible in real life. (Here I didn't actually mind since it aren't the same debates one has heard a million times and it gave us more worldbuilding.) In the second half it felt like there were more moments that felt closer to the characters I got to know over the course of the series and a lot of effective scenes.
In general, this book has a lot of the fancy writing techniques that are part of what makes the series special and although I feared I might have forgotten a lot of this complex world since reading part two, almost everything was memorable enough to stick with me. I'm really courious about where the final book will lead me.

Wolf's Brother by Megan Lindholm

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

The Reindeer People duology intruiged me with its setting, left me really caring for some of its characters and surprised me with topics I didn't expect in 80s fantasy. Especially the ending evoked so many emotional responses from me.
While I still slightly prefer her later books as Robin Hobb, I'm looking forward to read more unique and impactful novels from Megan Lindholm.

Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens

3.0

I'm probably just not in the right headspace to appreciate Dickens right now, it felt especially wordy. However, there were great characters, moving moments and interesting themes, so I definetly want to reread it in the right mood.

Von Flusshexen und Meerjungfrauen by Lisa Rosenbecker, Lukas Hainer, Matthias Teut, Liane Mars, Mira Valentin, Astrid Behrendt, Jennifer Estep, Nina Blazon, Anika Beer, Frank Friedrichs, Lynn Flewelling, Julia Adrian, Michelle Gyo, Caleb Roehrig, Tanja Karmann, Lena Klassen, Liza Grimm, Christian Handel

3.0

Märchen mit Bezug zum Meer ist eine schöne Idee für so eine Anthologie und so gibt es auch dieses Mal wieder abwechslungsreiche und atmosphärische Erzählungen.
Leider hat es mir inhaltlich diesmal weniger gefallen als in den vorherigen Bänden. Es haben mich einfach nicht so viele Geschichten begeistern können. Manchmal wollten die Autoren einfach zu viel, manchmal gab es zu wenig neues oder es traf einfach nicht meinen Geschmack. Vielleicht habe ich auch einfach schon zu viel in diese Richtung gelesen. Trotzdem gibt es auch wieder echte Highlights, wie die Geschichten von Julia Adrian, Lynn Fleweling und Mira Valentin.

Der Verfluchte by Bernhard Hennen

2.0

Ich weiß nicht wann ich das letzte Mal so schnell von einem Buch mitgerissen wurde. In den ersten 70 Seiten hat mich Bernhard Hennen komplett für die Figuren und die Handlung fasziniert - ...nur damit wir dann 50 Jahre in die Zukunft springen und mit nichts davon mehr viel zu tun haben.

Was danach kam konnte mich einfach nicht mehr so fesseln. Klar, der Autor schreibt trotzdem noch mitreißend und die ganzen Ideen um den Krähenmann und die Mären haben mir gefallen, aber er geht leider sehr viel mehr um Milan und die Rebellen, eine Handlung die, bis auf ein paar neue Einschübe, man schonmal erlebt hat.
Das größte Manko war, dass ich mit keinem der Charaktere so wirklich warm geworden bin und mit dem Protagonisten konnte ich am wenigstens anfangen. Dazu kommt, dass einige Beziehungen der Figuren untereinander einfach nicht glaubwürdig wirkten, am allerwenigsten die Liebesbeziehung. Da war keine Chemie und wenn sich der Mann sowieso in jede verliebt mit der er schläft dann bezweifel ich auch ob das die große Liebe ist.
Da mir die Figuren relativ egal waren und der Fokus oft nicht da lag, wo ich ihn wollte, konnte ich mich auch immer weniger für die Handlung interessieren.
Für mich war es leider eher enttäuschend, aber ich könnte mir vorstellen, nochmal was von dem Autoren auszuprobieren.

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

Dragon research and victorian influences sounded awesome and the book embraced it, though both aspect could have been even stronger for me. The book is mostly an adventurous good time. The best aspect is probably Lady Trent herself and her narration. She has a very strong narrative voice and I loved listening to it. I never felt like I wholly got to know the other characters and in the later parts the story focused more in the mystery aspects, which I wasn't expecting and didn't seem like the most interesting direction for me. However, I really enjoyed both the English inspired and the foreign culture in this and how Isabella reflects on things in the furure. Everything concerning the research was delightful and was positively surprised how the book avoided some historical fiction pet peves of mine. Lady Trent felt like a person of her time but could still comment on some problematic elements with hindsight, without making the setting less fun.
It was a nice read but I probably won't continue the series.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0