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leksikality's reviews
117 reviews
The Will of the Many by James Islington
slow-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
0.25
The idea is fantastic but the execution is dire. If you don't have a decent grasp of Latin, you're going to be very confused.
That is not the worst, however. Vis somehow manages to hit the rightful heir, chosen one, a drags to riches tropes all at once while being the Mary Sue-est of Mary Sues. Throw in some plot chasms, plot changes, characters magically appearing and disappearing, and the casual altering of the world's logic and there you go. It's unfortunate.
That is not the worst, however. Vis somehow manages to hit the rightful heir, chosen one, a drags to riches tropes all at once while being the Mary Sue-est of Mary Sues. Throw in some plot chasms, plot changes, characters magically appearing and disappearing, and the casual altering of the world's logic and there you go. It's unfortunate.
Breaking Chaos by Ben Galley
dark
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a pretty fun series. Around the middle of Book 2, I began to worry a bit about the pace - most of the characters seemed to be in more of a holding pattern than actively participating - and the end of both this book and the overall arc aren't quite as tight as they could have been.
Still, it was entertaining. Most of the characters are awful people but you can't really fault them for it.
Will say, though, this last bit could've used a bit more editing.
Still, it was entertaining. Most of the characters are awful people but you can't really fault them for it.
Will say, though, this last bit could've used a bit more editing.
They by Kay Dick
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
It's a weird sort of bopk. Not a story, exactly, but something. An idea, maybe.
The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I would not have guessed this was the same person who wrote The Dresden Files, and that's not a compliment.
The writing is very artificial and downright ridiculous in some places that I wondered if it was meant to be a spoof. It is not.
Some of the characters are very endearing, though and he does cat very well. The narrative seems to really fall down when he switches to the POV of the young women. Grimm is very well-rounded, but Gwen and Bridget don't have a natural verb in their actions. They also fall into the two primary female tropes in fantasy - fiery princess who's more than just a pretty face and oafish, awkward giant who's a little bit infatalised and is only valued because she's really frickin strong. Think Brienne of Tarth but less confident.
Basically, a bunch of incredibly exceptional people come together to do incredibly exceptional things in an incredibly exceptional way very, very slowly ... but we never see any of the incredibly exceptional for ourselves.
The last 2-3 chapters are quite exciting, though. I may give the second book a go in case the series just had to warm up.
The writing is very artificial and downright ridiculous in some places that I wondered if it was meant to be a spoof. It is not.
Some of the characters are very endearing, though and he does cat very well. The narrative seems to really fall down when he switches to the POV of the young women. Grimm is very well-rounded, but Gwen and Bridget don't have a natural verb in their actions. They also fall into the two primary female tropes in fantasy - fiery princess who's more than just a pretty face and oafish, awkward giant who's a little bit infatalised and is only valued because she's really frickin strong. Think Brienne of Tarth but less confident.
Basically, a bunch of incredibly exceptional people come together to do incredibly exceptional things in an incredibly exceptional way very, very slowly ... but we never see any of the incredibly exceptional for ourselves.
The last 2-3 chapters are quite exciting, though. I may give the second book a go in case the series just had to warm up.
Grim Solace by Ben Galley
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Chasing Graves by Ben Galley
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm still not quite sure what genre it fits into but it's almost like a post-apocalyptic fantasy. Or this world, but several thousands of years in the future with fantasy.
It's really enjoyable, though, and all the characters are horrible. Definitely not your expected protagonist types for this kind of thing and that's a nice change.
It's really enjoyable, though, and all the characters are horrible. Definitely not your expected protagonist types for this kind of thing and that's a nice change.
Four Seasons in Japan by Nick Bradley
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The story of Kyo and Ayako is almost everything you want a story to be.
The story of Flo is the annoying stranger who sits beside you on thw train and won't shut up.
For both, though, Bradley's writing is stilted and unsure. It's most noticeable in Flo's chapters because there is very little substance to her to begin with, but it also interrupts Kyo and Ayako, which is unfortunate.
Skip Flo. Read Sound of Water. Be patient with Nick Bradley's prose.
The story of Flo is the annoying stranger who sits beside you on thw train and won't shut up.
For both, though, Bradley's writing is stilted and unsure. It's most noticeable in Flo's chapters because there is very little substance to her to begin with, but it also interrupts Kyo and Ayako, which is unfortunate.
Skip Flo. Read Sound of Water. Be patient with Nick Bradley's prose.
The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This isn't your typical action-packed zombie novel. If anything, I'd say it isn't about zombies at all. They're just the landscape these people are walking through and they don't matter any more than a river or a ravine that needs to be dealt with.
It's philosophy without pretension, this book. It's about connections, duty, love, loneliness, beauty, despair, and all the things no one talks about.
It's philosophy without pretension, this book. It's about connections, duty, love, loneliness, beauty, despair, and all the things no one talks about.