lbatch's reviews
298 reviews

Dawnshard by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

This was fun and filled in some gaps!

The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

Hmmm people talk about this like it's the best book ever written, and I think it's rather overrated; it's pretty underedited (lots of odd grammar/uncorrected quotation mark placement moments, and I feel like a strong editor would had advised not using italics for so much of the dialogue) and the pacing is off, especially for a book that while technically standalone seems very much like setup for a series the author ultimately decided not to continue. However, the main characters here had a lot of depth and were well-written, and the magic/action sequences were great. This really starts to rip around the halfway point.

Viewfinder: A Memoir of Seeing and Being Seen by Jon M. Chu

inspiring reflective fast-paced

3.5

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman

challenging emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

Like Beartown, incredibly real and heart wrenching. With a touch of populist political corruption so, y’know, timely.

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Gorgeously written

Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao

adventurous funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

In my opinion this was much better than the first one! I know it took a long time to come out but seems to have been time well spent.

The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

Creepy! Quick, devourable read that I stayed up late to finish in one sitting.

Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring mysterious tense fast-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

Ok, so, this book needed to be edited down; a lot of the

Kaladin as therapist

stuff was so drawn out that it made it a bit corny. But as usual the ending was perfect and won me back over. How are we supposed to wait for #6??

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

emotional funny hopeful 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

3.75

This was a little redundant in spots but it won me over by the end.

I knew it!!

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

Oh this was a treat. Devoured it, really interesting and creative and unexpected.