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kelsyer's reviews
845 reviews
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I am someone, who has never seen the movie or read the book before.
If you are in a similiar situation, GO AND READ THIS BOOK! Right now.
Just be careful not to interrupt your flow.
I enjoyed this fairytale wrapped in a frame of a modern story, especially the (very important and often hilarious additions, which I have been guilty of doing ever since I remember).
If I want to be totally honest though? What I will take with me from this story is I am Inigo Montoya and I do not accept defeat.
If you are in a similiar situation, GO AND READ THIS BOOK! Right now.
Just be careful not to interrupt your flow.
I enjoyed this fairytale wrapped in a frame of a modern story, especially the (very important and often hilarious additions, which I have been guilty of doing ever since I remember).
If I want to be totally honest though? What I will take with me from this story is I am Inigo Montoya and I do not accept defeat.
Indigo by Chi-Ho Kwong
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Thank you for Netgalley for a copy of this ARC!
Indigo hooked me with the cover and the idea of the story. The illustrations were nice, especially the ones about animals (so I give the sole star for the illustrations), but they started out colorful and suddenly switched over to black and white - without any reason I could discover.
Sadly the concept hasn't delivered for me either.
I still say that the idea of the story was great, but it was rushed too much. We barely scraped the surfice of the characters. We got to know something about them and BAM we were speeding somewhere else on a motocycle, meeting up with other characters or BAM getting a flashback and just... overall bouncing around in this universe.
This story had everyhing, but only on a shallow level. I think it would have been best to choose just a few for a first issue and develop the rest slowly, over time.
Indigo hooked me with the cover and the idea of the story. The illustrations were nice, especially the ones about animals (so I give the sole star for the illustrations), but they started out colorful and suddenly switched over to black and white - without any reason I could discover.
Sadly the concept hasn't delivered for me either.
I still say that the idea of the story was great, but it was rushed too much. We barely scraped the surfice of the characters. We got to know something about them and BAM we were speeding somewhere else on a motocycle, meeting up with other characters or BAM getting a flashback and just... overall bouncing around in this universe.
This story had everyhing, but only on a shallow level. I think it would have been best to choose just a few for a first issue and develop the rest slowly, over time.
Shiver by Giuliana Victoria
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I have reveived an ARC copy.
I applied for a copy of this book mainly because the female main character has PCOS, which something that affects me daily. I would have loved to see a discussion about it with the male lead and some more details about it in Samara's life, because this sucker is a complex condition (e.g. how did she discover she has PCOS; did she get from her doctor 'just loose weight and everyhing will go back to normal' etc.), but I am grateful for the representation anyways and the mention of her swollen ankles.
I think this book found me at the exact right time.
I really enjoyed Samara's snark, how her and Luca's personalies developed as we get to know them, the dual POV, the family dynamics, how they both give back to their community. The author made them almost real.
I was pleasently surprised that Shiver brought up a space to talk about the harmful side of social media, how others opinions harm our relationships with ourself (even if they mean well) and how different people's trauma responses can be (and yet they are all valid).
Do I wish that we got into more details about both Samara's and Luca's past? Hell yes.
The epilogues were a nice touch, but I would have loved to see them on their healing journey as well.
I also really enjoyed the playlist and got a good chuckle from the Table of Cocktents.
All in all, this was an enjoyable, fun read for me and an excellent pallet cleanser.
I applied for a copy of this book mainly because the female main character has PCOS, which something that affects me daily. I would have loved to see a discussion about it with the male lead and some more details about it in Samara's life, because this sucker is a complex condition (e.g. how did she discover she has PCOS; did she get from her doctor 'just loose weight and everyhing will go back to normal' etc.), but I am grateful for the representation anyways and the mention of her swollen ankles.
I think this book found me at the exact right time.
I really enjoyed Samara's snark, how her and Luca's personalies developed as we get to know them, the dual POV, the family dynamics, how they both give back to their community. The author made them almost real.
I was pleasently surprised that Shiver brought up a space to talk about the harmful side of social media, how others opinions harm our relationships with ourself (even if they mean well) and how different people's trauma responses can be (and yet they are all valid).
Do I wish that we got into more details about both Samara's and Luca's past? Hell yes.
The epilogues were a nice touch, but I would have loved to see them on their healing journey as well.
I also really enjoyed the playlist and got a good chuckle from the Table of Cocktents.
All in all, this was an enjoyable, fun read for me and an excellent pallet cleanser.
Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
First time trying out a new rating breakdown.
Plot/story: 4
Writing: 4
Chracters: 5
Romance: 3
Enjoyment: 4
Re-readingability: 5
What I enjoyed in the first book was that Deonn made the main characters and the side characters loveable, they were communicating, healing, resolving the issues. The adventure was refreshing to see as well. Mainly though, I loved that altough it was a YA series, it didn't really feel like one, because they were acting in a more mature way than I am used to in the case of YA novels.
In the second book that has changed, so it brought down the enjoyment for me somewhat, but this is a me issue, 100%. (Altough, to be totally honest, if I was a teenager now, I would still very much dislike the fact that there are people who want to protect Bree for good reasons and she has no understanding and empathy for that, she is anxious, angry and angsty. It does make sense, but the people who love you will want to protect you, always.)
I loved Alice, William (the voice of the reason) and a new character, Valec (who reminded me of Crowley of Supernatural, because of course he did), the most. (I wish that in the next books we will see more of the community of the root users.)
I also loved that the actions have consequences here (e.g. if something happens to your body, you don't just bounce back because of *magic*). Makes it feel more real, like a true parallel to our world.
What I have beef with, however? After the events of book 1, Bree and the gang had one month until the events of book 2. Once again, I know that it was a lot to process, I know what there were lies involved (to the parents, which is another thing - Are teens not calling parents anymore? Do they just accept that at 16/17 years old you will only call home 2 times a month, because you are busy with exams?!), buuuut I still feel that Bree had tools at her disposal that she could have tried to crack at that time and maybe if she would have done that, half of the mess would have been avoided here.
I will continue with the series, but probably only in 2026.
Plot/story: 4
Writing: 4
Chracters: 5
Romance: 3
Enjoyment: 4
Re-readingability: 5
What I enjoyed in the first book was that Deonn made the main characters and the side characters loveable, they were communicating, healing, resolving the issues. The adventure was refreshing to see as well. Mainly though, I loved that altough it was a YA series, it didn't really feel like one, because they were acting in a more mature way than I am used to in the case of YA novels.
In the second book that has changed, so it brought down the enjoyment for me somewhat, but this is a me issue, 100%. (Altough, to be totally honest, if I was a teenager now, I would still very much dislike the fact that there are people who want to protect Bree for good reasons and she has no understanding and empathy for that, she is anxious, angry and angsty. It does make sense, but the people who love you will want to protect you, always.)
I loved Alice, William (the voice of the reason) and a new character, Valec (who reminded me of Crowley of Supernatural, because of course he did), the most. (I wish that in the next books we will see more of the community of the root users.)
I also loved that the actions have consequences here (e.g. if something happens to your body, you don't just bounce back because of *magic*). Makes it feel more real, like a true parallel to our world.
What I have beef with, however? After the events of book 1, Bree and the gang had one month until the events of book 2. Once again, I know that it was a lot to process, I know what there were lies involved (to the parents, which is another thing - Are teens not calling parents anymore? Do they just accept that at 16/17 years old you will only call home 2 times a month, because you are busy with exams?!), buuuut I still feel that Bree had tools at her disposal that she could have tried to crack at that time and maybe if she would have done that, half of the mess would have been avoided here.
I will continue with the series, but probably only in 2026.
The Butcher's Masquerade by Matt Dinniman
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Y'all are not ready for this floor.
This was a rollercoaster. Lots of ups and downs.
We are back to 4 stars.
I really appreciate some characters growth over the space of the story. They made me tear up a couple of times, in the best way.
This was the longest installment so far, 150% full of chacters and actions. It got to the point where I am a bit confused about the rarely mentioned classes or races and my memory card is filled to the brim.
I know many people who started this series as a fun, entertaining read between heavier books, a pallet cleanser, if you will. I will say though, things are happening in this book that started as small interactions in previous books, that are picking up speed here.
This was a rollercoaster. Lots of ups and downs.
We are back to 4 stars.
I really appreciate some characters growth over the space of the story. They made me tear up a couple of times, in the best way.
This was the longest installment so far, 150% full of chacters and actions. It got to the point where I am a bit confused about the rarely mentioned classes or races and my memory card is filled to the brim.
I know many people who started this series as a fun, entertaining read between heavier books, a pallet cleanser, if you will. I will say though, things are happening in this book that started as small interactions in previous books, that are picking up speed here.
These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs
After I got to this qoute, I have been thinking about it often, as I was reading. Am I the problem? Am I forcing the narrative in my head to the story, specifically, judging the characters by my own moral code and find them lacking?
The first ever thought I put online about this book was after Chapter 1: 'I define myself as an open-minded person, who prefers to inspect, theorize and empathize first, ask questions second. I never had an experience where I hated a character right off the bat. I don't know how I feel about this.'
I have been a reader for a long time. I know myself as a person and as a consumer of content as well, so if immediately I wrote off a character, because that is so clearly the point, the author is painting her deliberately in a stark, brutal light, my hackles are raised.
I still had hopes for the book, because what little I knew about the book (it came highly recommended from somebody, who got it on good authority that the book is great) was promising and the gender roles* (more specifically that you can choose - or as we later on learn, switch - and that's just a part of reality).
Unfortunately, I am left feeling disappointed.
A worldbuilding this size would be ambitious for anyone, especially a debut author.
I was so excited at the first 1/3 of the book, because worldbuilding is my favourite (closely followed by complex characters) and we got so much from Jacobs. I love to get dropped into a whole new universe, seeing how and why this world works the way it is:
I am here for the unique, mundane details
- what products do you use?
- what type of food are you eating?
- is school mandatory? etc.
the religious ones
- is there only one god or a pantheon, multiple deities?
- are we worshipping them because of tradition or is it more of a geographical conclusion?
- do they show up in some capacity?
If you bring them up, I want to have a meaning for it. Otherwise it's not going anywhere, it's just a filler that could have been great, but isn't and it's taking the time away from things that would have been interesting to know)
the language
- do we have a common tongue?
- are there unique ones?
-translators, diplomats - where do they learn the language?
Oh, gender roles*. It came up pretty early, in Chapter 1. I was fascinated and horrified at the same time (admittedly, unconsciously I sat on the Stanger Things-Holocaust train, a rather interesting connotation from the start). Back to the topic at hand: we have a character that we meet at different times and they have changed their gender marker. Okay, cool concept, but what does it mean in practice? Does it matter at all? Do you have to use different words now, besides the pronouns when you are referring to them, or that's just it?
Sadly, where I am standing, both religion and gender where only used by some powerful characters as a tool to put down and ridicule others.
And the characters? I love exploring the relationships between characters, getting to know their hopes, dreams, motivation, fears and how the author is using these against them.
It worked great with Jun and Liss (I loved their relationship), but not well for Chono and Esek.
Why not?
Chono is a person that I supposed to resonate with (Well, her and the Smart guy, Ilius.) She has her moral compass that she is standing by, but as we went along with the story, she used it as a jumprope rather than a compass.
I am surprised that others described Esek as charming or complex. The way I read her, she only did good things out of calculation. She does have her shades of grey, I give you that, but for me, she moves in a very simplistic 'I do what I want to do, whether it's brutality-sex-violence-or torture'. Oh, but she is also ambitious! Is she though? For somebody that is as sure of herself and in her power/abilities, who is the youngest and best etc., she should have done whatever it needs to be done in order to achieve her goals. They don't play fetch or tag with their little murderous frenemy.
While I like Jun the most of the POV characters, she felt stuck to me in her growth as a person. Possibly as a trauma response. I am sure Liss also helped her during their relationship, but I can only assume, as we haven't seen a lot about their past.
By the time I got to Chapter 18, half of my brain checked out of the story. I noted to myself that 'WE GET IT, even future space in not safe from corruption and Powerful Families going to greath length for wealth. I really hope that we will see them all burn under these stars, an everlasting fiery death.' At that point I was just waiting for the merciful end of the book.
I feel that the way the story was built, the whole point was to get to the "big twists" and that I should have got whiplash because of them. My issue is, very early on I knew that 2 out of the big 3 will happen (except I was thinking that we will get to see more of Alisiana, not Six) and by the time we got to the last one, because I didn't connect with them, I couldn't care less.
adventurous
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? Yes
3.5
... it must have fit the narrative in your head - Chapter Sixteen, Esek
After I got to this qoute, I have been thinking about it often, as I was reading. Am I the problem? Am I forcing the narrative in my head to the story, specifically, judging the characters by my own moral code and find them lacking?
The first ever thought I put online about this book was after Chapter 1: 'I define myself as an open-minded person, who prefers to inspect, theorize and empathize first, ask questions second. I never had an experience where I hated a character right off the bat. I don't know how I feel about this.'
I have been a reader for a long time. I know myself as a person and as a consumer of content as well, so if immediately I wrote off a character, because that is so clearly the point, the author is painting her deliberately in a stark, brutal light, my hackles are raised.
I still had hopes for the book, because what little I knew about the book (it came highly recommended from somebody, who got it on good authority that the book is great) was promising and the gender roles* (more specifically that you can choose - or as we later on learn, switch - and that's just a part of reality).
Unfortunately, I am left feeling disappointed.
A worldbuilding this size would be ambitious for anyone, especially a debut author.
I was so excited at the first 1/3 of the book, because worldbuilding is my favourite (closely followed by complex characters) and we got so much from Jacobs. I love to get dropped into a whole new universe, seeing how and why this world works the way it is:
I am here for the unique, mundane details
- what products do you use?
- what type of food are you eating?
- is school mandatory? etc.
the religious ones
- is there only one god or a pantheon, multiple deities?
- are we worshipping them because of tradition or is it more of a geographical conclusion?
- do they show up in some capacity?
If you bring them up, I want to have a meaning for it. Otherwise it's not going anywhere, it's just a filler that could have been great, but isn't and it's taking the time away from things that would have been interesting to know)
the language
- do we have a common tongue?
- are there unique ones?
-translators, diplomats - where do they learn the language?
Oh, gender roles*. It came up pretty early, in Chapter 1. I was fascinated and horrified at the same time (admittedly, unconsciously I sat on the Stanger Things-Holocaust train, a rather interesting connotation from the start). Back to the topic at hand: we have a character that we meet at different times and they have changed their gender marker. Okay, cool concept, but what does it mean in practice? Does it matter at all? Do you have to use different words now, besides the pronouns when you are referring to them, or that's just it?
Sadly, where I am standing, both religion and gender where only used by some powerful characters as a tool to put down and ridicule others.
And the characters? I love exploring the relationships between characters, getting to know their hopes, dreams, motivation, fears and how the author is using these against them.
It worked great with Jun and Liss (I loved their relationship), but not well for Chono and Esek.
Why not?
Chono is a person that I supposed to resonate with (Well, her and the Smart guy, Ilius.) She has her moral compass that she is standing by, but as we went along with the story, she used it as a jumprope rather than a compass.
I am surprised that others described Esek as charming or complex. The way I read her, she only did good things out of calculation. She does have her shades of grey, I give you that, but for me, she moves in a very simplistic 'I do what I want to do, whether it's brutality-sex-violence-or torture'. Oh, but she is also ambitious! Is she though? For somebody that is as sure of herself and in her power/abilities, who is the youngest and best etc., she should have done whatever it needs to be done in order to achieve her goals. They don't play fetch or tag with their little murderous frenemy.
While I like Jun the most of the POV characters, she felt stuck to me in her growth as a person. Possibly as a trauma response. I am sure Liss also helped her during their relationship, but I can only assume, as we haven't seen a lot about their past.
By the time I got to Chapter 18, half of my brain checked out of the story. I noted to myself that 'WE GET IT, even future space in not safe from corruption and Powerful Families going to greath length for wealth. I really hope that we will see them all burn under these stars, an everlasting fiery death.' At that point I was just waiting for the merciful end of the book.
I feel that the way the story was built, the whole point was to get to the "big twists" and that I should have got whiplash because of them. My issue is, very early on I knew that 2 out of the big 3 will happen (except I was thinking that we will get to see more of Alisiana, not Six) and by the time we got to the last one, because I didn't connect with them, I couldn't care less.
The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Ouch.
This was a very fast read, as it's more of an illustrated fable than anything else, but I wouldn't recommend it for kids.
For me the story reads almost like the way we relieve memories in dreams. Some parts are true as we know it, others are grotesque or so beautiful it hurts. We are trying to make sense of it, any way that we can.
What I've learned:
- it's dangerous to be a people pleaser, in more than one way
-(sometimes it's damn good that we live in an age when we have search engines in our pockets so we can easily look up the answers to all our questions)
- I need to read more Murakami
This was a very fast read, as it's more of an illustrated fable than anything else, but I wouldn't recommend it for kids.
For me the story reads almost like the way we relieve memories in dreams. Some parts are true as we know it, others are grotesque or so beautiful it hurts. We are trying to make sense of it, any way that we can.
What I've learned:
- it's dangerous to be a people pleaser, in more than one way
-(sometimes it's damn good that we live in an age when we have search engines in our pockets so we can easily look up the answers to all our questions)
- I need to read more Murakami
Home by Nnedi Okorafor
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
I really enjoy that Binti bumps into all kinds of different alien races on her adventures.
The math parts still take me out of the flow of the story, but math and I were never really friends.
I am glad that we are not shoving everything under a rug. PTSD is real, even in space. (Actually, if I think about it, not a lot of things have changed, except for the technological advancements. People are still people, even when they are not human.)
I have some issues with the pacing. Everytime I felt like yes, this is good, let's get more into that, we were suddenly taking a left turn to do something else and that is the hardest part for me to wrap my head around.
My heart goes out for Binti though. Little kid Binti who just wanted to dance and ran away from home. Teen Binti who wanted to go where nobody from her tribe has been and ran away from home. 17 year old Binti who wants to go home, but doesn't know what it is and where it is.
The math parts still take me out of the flow of the story, but math and I were never really friends.
I am glad that we are not shoving everything under a rug. PTSD is real, even in space. (Actually, if I think about it, not a lot of things have changed, except for the technological advancements. People are still people, even when they are not human.)
I have some issues with the pacing. Everytime I felt like yes, this is good, let's get more into that, we were suddenly taking a left turn to do something else and that is the hardest part for me to wrap my head around.
My heart goes out for Binti though. Little kid Binti who just wanted to dance and ran away from home. Teen Binti who wanted to go where nobody from her tribe has been and ran away from home. 17 year old Binti who wants to go home, but doesn't know what it is and where it is.
Binti: Sacred Fire by Nnedi Okorafor
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Oh how I wish this was somehow woven into the first book in the series.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I love the way Bardugho wrote this book. Felt like a surreal and bloody fairy tale, similiar to the styles I've really enjoyed in the days of my early adulthood. A real smoke and mirrors.
This was a hard book to get into (but that's on me, got into a reading slump after Priory) and to get through. The bathroom scenes. And the party scene with the Merity. Holy fuck. I was hoping that there would be a good enough reason for those and they certainly made Alex into who she is. Avenging and protecting others the way she should have been. A one woman army.
Still, I can't decide how I feel about this book.
On one hand, the crusader in me is glad that somebody is taking action agaist heinous magical crimes and protecting those that can't protect themselves.
On the other hand... There are so many impossible things and events in this book that are somehow still possible and easy, even, that at this point, impossible just means, hehh suckers, you just don't know enough.
And of course, love conquers all.
This was a hard book to get into (but that's on me, got into a reading slump after Priory) and to get through.
Still, I can't decide how I feel about this book.
On one hand, the crusader in me is glad that somebody is taking action agaist heinous magical crimes and protecting those that can't protect themselves.
On the other hand... There are so many impossible things and events in this book that are somehow still possible and easy, even, that at this point, impossible just means, hehh suckers, you just don't know enough.
And of course, love conquers all.