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luise96's reviews
278 reviews
Donnerstags im Café unter den Kirschbäumen by Michiko Aoyama
lighthearted
fast-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
2.5
I don‘t know what happened. The first book of the Autor was so sweet and whimsical, this book however felt cliché and cringe at times. I felt like it’s just a bunch of stories trying to find deep meaning where there is none. I am willing to accept that this was about me, maybe I read it too quickly or in the wrong mood but I was very disappointed. Maybe it was just a clunky translation. I mainly finished it, because it was a present and I didn’t want to let the gift giver down.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrel by Susanna Clarke
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-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
5.0
Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-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? It's complicated
3.5
A good continuation of the first book in terms of pacing. Unfortunately not a lot happened again and I felt like there some weird time jumps, when we just get to know retrospections from the characters about a small but not insignificant event like for example when Greft proposes to slaughter one of the dragons for its parts . Some parts felt a bit rushed and and thereby I felt like they didn’t have the impact they should have had for example the miscarriage, Greft‘s death and even the ending . Still I love Robin Hobb‘s writing style and the lore of this series so I will definitely keep reading!
PS I love how everybody seems to have the best gaydar now (except Alise lol)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Miscarriage
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Rape
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I am not sure how to feel about this one. I basically listened to this in two days because I was travelling. The first two thirds or so are really amazing, but then it gets kind of weird and I am not sure if that was really necessary. Moreover the book was definitely not subtle in most of its themes, and I am not sure if it really made me think by just so clearly telling me everything. I did enjoy reading from the POV of a unreliable and unlikable narrator.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Sexual assault
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
I listened to this a few years after watching the show. I felt like the pace (especially in the beginning) felt off. A lot of time is spent establishing characters etc. until the real conflicts begins to unfold. However I think the characters is were this book shines the most, all of them felt so real and three dimensional (very different from the show sadly). I was very happy to see (possibly) aro and ace main character in the book that was not reduced to these aspects, although the labels are never explicitly mentioned.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Abortion
Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I went through this book super fast and didn’t even noticed when I reached the end. Mostly because so little happens in this book, but Robin Hobb again managed to write amazing characters that I already love (and hate) and do some incredible world building. This book is very clearly meant as a set-up for the following books to come. The book is a bit shorter than her other books, so it feels like maybe one book got cut into two or something like that. I am excited about what will come next with the dragons!
I really liked the overarching theme of „disabled“ or just different people (and dragons) and how most see them as unfit to live and should be killed at birth, curious to see what will happen with this theme still.
LOL This closet was made out glass for sure. I was happy to see some more queer representation in this book, after I had to endure some pretty homophobic thoughts from Fitz. But sometimes I just would like to read a fantasy book where homophobia wasn‘t a thing.
I really liked the overarching theme of „disabled“ or just different people (and dragons) and how most see them as unfit to live and should be killed at birth, curious to see what will happen with this theme still.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Ableism
The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan
funny
relaxing
fast-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? It's complicated
3.5
Definitely the weakest out of the series (if you even consider it part of the series). It’s nice to delve back into the world and POV of PJ but it just doesn’t feel the same to me. It feels very much like a promotion for the new show, but still has nice themes.
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I listened to this after watching the show. It was nice to see the same story but also the differences, especially the game was a very cool idea.
Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Oh wow! Such an amazing ending to this trilogy. I was so sad and so happy at times and how many story threads came together. I am in awe of Hobb‘s ability to write characters and their relationships with so many nuances.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent
Moderate: Body horror, Torture