kendylldrilling's reviews
715 reviews

The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

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adventurous 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? Yes

4.25

The Thousandfold Thought by R. Scott Bakker

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-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? Yes

5.0

“Faith, they say, is simply hope confused for knowledge. Why believe when hope alone is enough?”

With this conclusion to The Prince of Nothing, Bakker has solidified himself as one of the greats.

There is so much to say about this series, but I would need many hours of reflection to put them all into words. As I’m writing this review, it’s only been about five minutes, so I will do my best. Truly I am blown away by Bakker’s ability to meditate on deep themes that work so well in such a bleak and harrowing world, and yet they also relate to our modern day experiences—be they joyous in nature or the consequences of simply living.

This whole series ultimately follows the path of humanity’s relationship with belief, truth, and love in its many forms. How do we each define them for ourselves? At what point can we reflect on the choices before us and compromise on self-governed laws for life that would have previously been unbearable? Our characters have different limits for these, and the paths they chose brought me anguish several times. Even those that we follow who seem less than human were grounded by the mistakes, the desires, and the allying of forces that brought them to their final resolution (or ambiguous ending for now). Even having closed this book, I feel conflicted about certain journeys and could defend either side of an argument—and that’s the point. There’s an infinite depth here to explore, beautiful because of all its terror. But humanity is that way, too.

“Nations tolerate only those beliefs that conserve the great system of interlocking actions that makes them possible. For the worldborn, you realized, truth is largely irrelevant. Why else would they all dwell in delusion?”

Need I even reflect on Bakker’s prose? I suppose so. It’s nearly impossible for me to describe, but the way the philosophy just bleeds through every paragraph is such a special quality. Not only this, but he writes in such a way that completely visualizes a scene and makes them impossible to forget. From quiet reflections, to guttural action, to twisted personal actions, these books pack a punch.

Go, young Zaudunyani, we’ll make a believer of you yet!

“Of course we make crutches of one another. Why else would we crawl when we lose our lovers?”

Children of Fallen Gods by Carissa Broadbent

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medium-paced

3.5

Bunny by Mona Awad

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced