luhos's reviews
206 reviews

Authority by Jeff VanderMeer

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

Annihilation was a tough act to follow. It built so much mystery and revealed it masterfully, developed some likability in the characters, had an interesting and unique story. Authority continues where Annihilation left off - back in the world outside of Area X, at the Southern Reach. We're introduced to Control - the acting director of the Southern Reach - whose task seems to be to try to un-mess the mess that has been created by the former director and the last expedition.

Pacing was a huge issue for me - there were so many moments that just lingered for too long; a lot of Control's backstory felt unnecessary, especially considering he was an unlikeable nepo baby and I barely cared about his motivations for 85% of the book. About 1.5 characters were fleshed out in a meaningful way, and I didn't really care for any of them, and what I wanted more of was not given (the biologist - although maybe to come in book 3?).

I did get into the story in the latter third of the book and totally bought into it, although a lot of the 'reveals' I thought a bit predictable, especially the inevitable ending.

I'm looking forward to Acceptance but just hope that it is a bit faster paced and with better characters and character development.

Wicked: Volume One in the Wicked Years by Gregory Maguire

adventurous dark reflective 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

3.0

It's impossible to read this, as a fan of the musical and the movie, without making comparisons. The musical/film adaptation storyline deviates quite a bit from that in the book, and I can understand why. Wicked is a richly detailed and slow-burning story over the entirety of the Wicked Witch of the West's life, from birth, up to the end; this is truly a fantasy novel with rich world-building and some strong character development, a lot of which would not fit into a 2.5 hour musical, nor ~5 hours of film.

It's impressive what Maguire did with the story of the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz. She is troubled and complex, and the novel adds dimension to her and many other characters (though not all) that is absent from the subsequent adaptations. The core message of this novel is about what is good, and what is evil, and it is explored in a multitude of ways throughout. I appreciate that it is never pointed out to the reader, it's left for us to decide ourselves.

While I enjoyed the story, it felt at times a little slow and dawdling. I'm also writing this almost immediately after completing the book, and I am not sure how I feel about the ending. Despite my comment about the slow nature of the book, the ending felt incredibly rushed, and I wish there was more to explore. Also, never thought I could hate Dorothy that much.

Defeating the Ministers of Death: The Compelling Story of Vaccination, One of Medicine's Greatest Triumphs by David Isaacs

informative medium-paced

what a compelling story on the history of vaccination, from the earliest techniques used by people centuries ago to modern and future vaccine development. this is well-researched, and Isaacs systematically documents our successes with vaccines in the past and the potential to continue this success into the future.

it's well written and easy to read, even for a non-scientific person. I appreciate how much Isaacs emphasises the human elements of our progress towards eradicating infectious disease and how he indirectly relays information about how science is done.

of course, he also recognises the important impact that the anti-vaccination movement has had on vaccine uptake. as Isaacs points out, so many diseases that are preventable by vaccine have not been observed by many people living in developed countries today (small pox, polio, measels...), maybe it's easy to overlook how devastating such diseases can be. 

this was published in early 2019, just shy of the COVID-19 pandemic, but I'd be fascinated to read an additional chapter by Isaacs on that, and the rapid and worldwide vaccination effort enacted. 

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

adventurous 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

4.5

ok who’s coming with me to area x

All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews

challenging emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.5

The Anthropologists by Ayşegül Savaş

reflective 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

4.0

the perspective of two young adults, a couple, trying to find their way in a new-ish city that they call home, and trying to make sense of the world around them, the people, the places, their relationships. hits hard 

Living Things by Munir Hachemi

adventurous reflective fast-paced

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

4.25

Mammoth by Eva Baltasar

dark reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

One's Company by Ashley Hutson

reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

this was so surreal. after reading the plot i wasn’t drawn to it and it sat on my shelf for a while, but i finally picked it up and wow. it is so much more than the blurb on the book says. it’s about so many things; grief, loneliness, perception of self. a totally pleasant surprise 

Thunderhead by Miranda Darling

challenging dark reflective fast-paced

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

4.0