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just_tommye's reviews
367 reviews
The Mysterious Life & Times of Bug by Kate Simkins
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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? No
5.0
Aiduel's Sin by Daniel T. Jackson
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
5.0
Aiduel’s Sin is a fast-paced, more action-packed sequel to the brilliant Illborn by Daniel T. Jackson. Despite being around 670 pages, this book was quick to read, with the ending of every chapter leaving you no choice but to continue reading!
A Great Sequel
Often, though not always, the book that follows a brilliant debut can be disappointing, because of just how good the first book was. This is not the case with Aiduel’s Sin.
In my opinion, Aiduel’s Sin might even be a bit better than Illborn, and I read them back-to-back. Because we don’t need to be introduced to any characters, main locations, possible threats, ect, the story can just be told swiftly and easily with nothing to bog it down.
As I mentioned before, Aiduel’s Sin is a more action-packed book than Illborn, with the conflicts huge in scope. The fallout from these conflicts and the consequences of characters’ actions have major impacts on the world and story.
Magic, Mystery & Twists
This is a spoiler-free Aiduel’s Sin book review, so it’s a bit tricky to cover these parts of the book, but they played a huge role in my enjoyment of the book.
There is a lot of payoff from book 1, Illborn. Daniel T. Jackson is either an obsessive plotter and has this story mapped out like Tolkien or Sanderson, or he’s a genius at writing off the cuff!
Either way I am astounded by how well everything links together. Sure, there are still 1000 questions I want answers too, but we are given enough in book 2 to keep us excited about finding out more.
Character Work
In Aiduel’s Sin the characters shine through. Now the learning curve of the first book is over, so much more time is spent developing their fears, motivations, and relationships.
Allana and Arion are particularly interesting characters, with the former having very surprising and intriguing twists. We begin Illborn believing our point of view characters are “good” but things are more complicated than that.
I don’t mean the characters are “grey”, like one might say of those in A Song of Ice and Fire or The First Law series. These people feel real, with inner conflicts that could make them just emotionally upset, or cause them to do a lot of harm.
No one is a cardboard cutout and everyone is at risk of dying. My heart was in my throat during so much of this book!
Final Thoughts
I have had an amazing time with Aiduel’s Sin and was genuinely sad it was over! I was lucky enough to have no breaks between books 1 and 2, but now I’m already waiting for book 3.
If you haven’t read Illborn, you are missing out. If you have read book 1, dive right into Aiduel’s Sin – you won’t be disappointed!
A Great Sequel
Often, though not always, the book that follows a brilliant debut can be disappointing, because of just how good the first book was. This is not the case with Aiduel’s Sin.
In my opinion, Aiduel’s Sin might even be a bit better than Illborn, and I read them back-to-back. Because we don’t need to be introduced to any characters, main locations, possible threats, ect, the story can just be told swiftly and easily with nothing to bog it down.
As I mentioned before, Aiduel’s Sin is a more action-packed book than Illborn, with the conflicts huge in scope. The fallout from these conflicts and the consequences of characters’ actions have major impacts on the world and story.
Magic, Mystery & Twists
This is a spoiler-free Aiduel’s Sin book review, so it’s a bit tricky to cover these parts of the book, but they played a huge role in my enjoyment of the book.
There is a lot of payoff from book 1, Illborn. Daniel T. Jackson is either an obsessive plotter and has this story mapped out like Tolkien or Sanderson, or he’s a genius at writing off the cuff!
Either way I am astounded by how well everything links together. Sure, there are still 1000 questions I want answers too, but we are given enough in book 2 to keep us excited about finding out more.
Character Work
In Aiduel’s Sin the characters shine through. Now the learning curve of the first book is over, so much more time is spent developing their fears, motivations, and relationships.
Allana and Arion are particularly interesting characters, with the former having very surprising and intriguing twists. We begin Illborn believing our point of view characters are “good” but things are more complicated than that.
I don’t mean the characters are “grey”, like one might say of those in A Song of Ice and Fire or The First Law series. These people feel real, with inner conflicts that could make them just emotionally upset, or cause them to do a lot of harm.
No one is a cardboard cutout and everyone is at risk of dying. My heart was in my throat during so much of this book!
Final Thoughts
I have had an amazing time with Aiduel’s Sin and was genuinely sad it was over! I was lucky enough to have no breaks between books 1 and 2, but now I’m already waiting for book 3.
If you haven’t read Illborn, you are missing out. If you have read book 1, dive right into Aiduel’s Sin – you won’t be disappointed!
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
Both characters have hobbies that are pretentious as fuck, but the book isn’t, and the characters themselves aren’t either. This proves you don’t have to be a massive prick to appreciate “Culture”.
The humour is one of the main ways we see Kit and Theo as normal human beings, rather than swatty professors. Sure, they’re smart as hell and will lecture on about architecture, wines, and fine art, but they also joke about sex and… mostly sex.
I read most of this book during the evenings, getting my youngest to sleep, so there were definitely times I laughed or chuckled and the little guy woke up! I don’t really laugh at books - just do that quick exhale of air thing - but The Pairing had me fucking cackling.
Oh, but now I want to talk about the relationship between Theo and Kit:
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
This book is insane in all the best ways and I can’t read anything else until I’ve talked about it or I’ll never be able to focus. No spoilers, as always, but I have one or two seperate essays stewing.
“There is perhaps nothing as true, as enduring, as fitting a tribute to the Renaissance as being so horny you could die on the streets of Florence.”
- Kit
Theo and Kit broke up several years ago, before they could go on a food and wine tasting tour in Europe. With their tickets about to expire, they both (having kept their tickets) seperately book the same trip and have an awkward reunion on the tour bus…
From the premise you can see that this book is going to be insane, and it is. So that’s what I want to talk about first: the humour.
Theo and Kit broke up several years ago, before they could go on a food and wine tasting tour in Europe. With their tickets about to expire, they both (having kept their tickets) seperately book the same trip and have an awkward reunion on the tour bus…
From the premise you can see that this book is going to be insane, and it is. So that’s what I want to talk about first: the humour.
“Nobody’s straight on a European vacation.”
“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience,” I observe, picturing Kit picking up tourists at bars in Montmartre.
“Historic precedent. They switch everyone to bisexual at passport control.”
Both characters have hobbies that are pretentious as fuck, but the book isn’t, and the characters themselves aren’t either. This proves you don’t have to be a massive prick to appreciate “Culture”.
The humour is one of the main ways we see Kit and Theo as normal human beings, rather than swatty professors. Sure, they’re smart as hell and will lecture on about architecture, wines, and fine art, but they also joke about sex and… mostly sex.
I read most of this book during the evenings, getting my youngest to sleep, so there were definitely times I laughed or chuckled and the little guy woke up! I don’t really laugh at books - just do that quick exhale of air thing - but The Pairing had me fucking cackling.
Oh, but now I want to talk about the relationship between Theo and Kit:
“The problem is, we’ve only ever been everything or nothing to each other. I don’t know how to start being something to him.”
- Theo
These guys are adorable. Horny, yes, so horny, all the time, but also adorable. The way they think of each other had me in tears at times.
These guys are adorable. Horny, yes, so horny, all the time, but also adorable. The way they think of each other had me in tears at times.
“Her boots pound against the stones, and my first thought is, good. Theo should always walk with heavy footsteps. She should leave deep tracks wherever she goes so everyone can know she was there, like a historical event. Archaeologists should put tape around her footprints and study them with brushes.”
- Kit
The way they communicate, the process of their thoughts about each other, the way… shhh spoilers!
There are problems, of course - they split up several years ago, remember? So you can guess that the point of this book is to explore their journey of inner discovery while they travel across some georgous locations in Europe.
I’m wracking my brain trying to think of a negative for this review of The Pairing by Casey McQuiston and the only one I can think of is that is’s too long.
I would have read more. I adored this book and wouldn’t change a thing, but that’s emotional. From a technical perspective, sure, cuts could have been made - even though that breaks my heart - but also maybe that’s not really the point of art.
Sometimes, when something is good and people enjoy it, there should be more, even if it “doesn’t add anything” from a literary perspective. I mean, how many fucking seasons of CSI or whatever, have they made?
The point of this review of The Pairing is that the book is amazing and you should read it. Basically.
If you like rom-coms, great queer rep, extended (and frequent) sex scenes, and want a bit of a Call Me By Your Name vibe, this book is for you!
Sluts forever!
The way they communicate, the process of their thoughts about each other, the way… shhh spoilers!
There are problems, of course - they split up several years ago, remember? So you can guess that the point of this book is to explore their journey of inner discovery while they travel across some georgous locations in Europe.
I’m wracking my brain trying to think of a negative for this review of The Pairing by Casey McQuiston and the only one I can think of is that is’s too long.
I would have read more. I adored this book and wouldn’t change a thing, but that’s emotional. From a technical perspective, sure, cuts could have been made - even though that breaks my heart - but also maybe that’s not really the point of art.
Sometimes, when something is good and people enjoy it, there should be more, even if it “doesn’t add anything” from a literary perspective. I mean, how many fucking seasons of CSI or whatever, have they made?
The point of this review of The Pairing is that the book is amazing and you should read it. Basically.
If you like rom-coms, great queer rep, extended (and frequent) sex scenes, and want a bit of a Call Me By Your Name vibe, this book is for you!
Sluts forever!
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
3.0
View more reviews at The Fantasy Review
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander is a nice, simple fantasy story. The main character’s voice made little sense and his gollum-like companion was irritating.
It was fun to read, for the most part, but I don’t think I will be continuing this series.
I never read The Book of Three or this series as a child so I do not have the same nostalgic feelings towards it as some reviewers seem to.
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander is a nice, simple fantasy story. The main character’s voice made little sense and his gollum-like companion was irritating.
It was fun to read, for the most part, but I don’t think I will be continuing this series.
I never read The Book of Three or this series as a child so I do not have the same nostalgic feelings towards it as some reviewers seem to.
Numa. The Hunter. by Stas Borodin
5.0
As I am writing this review I am suddenly very aware of how out of my depth I am!! All the same, I will keep things Spoiler-Free and just focus on the general things about this graphic novel that I want to share with you.
I saw The Fantasy Hive do a cover reveal for Numa The Hunter by Stas Borodin yesterday and it grabbed me immediately. I was really in the mood for a graphic novel and Stas kindly offered me an arc.
My main focus for this review has to be the artwork. I'm not an artist myself - I can write but drawing or painting of any kind is far beyond my talents. Even so, you know when art is good. And damn is this beautifully illustrated!
I should probably mention that there are no words in this graphic novel. I don't know what that particular form is called (if it has a name) but the best way I can describe it is you're watching a silent film.
I've read this book twice today (it's not too long) and I savouries each page on the reread. After posting this review I'm going to read it again. When it's available in print (please tell me when!!) I'm getting a copy for my shelf and one for every friend I think should own it!
It's hard to know what to say. Maybe a little on the story. You might find it hard to pick up a plot when you begin, but the layout of the images moves the story along in a fluid and natural way. Even on a kindle the images felt alive and following the main character was a fantastic journey.
Numa The Hunter is available for pre order now and I definitely recommend you check it out! Go over to Stas Instagram account for a link and follow him while you're there for pictures of his incredible illustrations.
(this review is not paid for or sponsored - just giving an honest opinion on a book freely gifted by the author)
I saw The Fantasy Hive do a cover reveal for Numa The Hunter by Stas Borodin yesterday and it grabbed me immediately. I was really in the mood for a graphic novel and Stas kindly offered me an arc.
My main focus for this review has to be the artwork. I'm not an artist myself - I can write but drawing or painting of any kind is far beyond my talents. Even so, you know when art is good. And damn is this beautifully illustrated!
I should probably mention that there are no words in this graphic novel. I don't know what that particular form is called (if it has a name) but the best way I can describe it is you're watching a silent film.
I've read this book twice today (it's not too long) and I savouries each page on the reread. After posting this review I'm going to read it again. When it's available in print (please tell me when!!) I'm getting a copy for my shelf and one for every friend I think should own it!
It's hard to know what to say. Maybe a little on the story. You might find it hard to pick up a plot when you begin, but the layout of the images moves the story along in a fluid and natural way. Even on a kindle the images felt alive and following the main character was a fantastic journey.
Numa The Hunter is available for pre order now and I definitely recommend you check it out! Go over to Stas Instagram account for a link and follow him while you're there for pictures of his incredible illustrations.
(this review is not paid for or sponsored - just giving an honest opinion on a book freely gifted by the author)