magmmagenta's reviews
81 reviews

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Bit meh. I feel like people put these books up on a pedestal. Lots of these chapters needed to be cut or changed, as they dragged a bit. I liked the introduction of the koloss army, that was fun. I also like her dog friend and the Feruchemists and their relationship. I found their relationship a lot more compelling than Vin and Elend. I don't think that Vin and Elend have much chemistry, or the book doesn't focus on the romance and yet has their relationship as a central point of the book. It's kind of odd. Although I did enjoy that the books stray far away from having tons of sex scenes (has none at all) as many books seem to love to do. It's unnecessary and kinda weird, so I'm glad he didn't include that in the book. Also, I'm tired of girl characters who are either "I hate dresses" or "I only like dresses". It seemed like he wanted Vin to be a more well rounded woman, but then pulled back and had her just reject her femininity in the end. You don't have to be one or the other. You can be a lovely mixture of masculine and feminine. And you don't have to reject your femininity to be strong. It's an exhausting narrative at this point. He obviously hasn't talked to many different women in his life. 

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

I liked Tyrion, John, Arya, and the wolves the best. Bit too long for my liking, but I survived. I'll forge ahead with the second book when I feel up to another long read. (I have never seen the series by the way)

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

I don't know why my teenage self liked this book (probably because I related to not knowing what I wanted to do with my life, and I liked how the main character was gay but they didn't make a big deal about it, which I related to. Who you like doesn't matter one bit.). I just reread it, and it sucks. None of the characters are likeable, except Raine and she's only in the very end of the book. You're supposed to feel bad for Aled. Oh, poor soft boy. He's a piece of shit. All the characters do is cry and complain (although I will say, the crying over the dog was completely justified. I love animals more than anything) about having to go to school. Get a grip. It's not the end of the world. Whether you go to college or not. Make the most of your circumstances, you'll be ok. I suppose that was the message at the the of the book, but I did not enjoy all the whining and drama it took to get to that point. Also, no one cares that you're gay. Stop focusing so much on labels, it's exhausting.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.

Frankly, I couldn't care less about the characters or their motivations. Not compelling.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

5.0

The Odyssey by Homer

5.0

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

5.0

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.

Book had to be returned to the library, but I don't think I will check it out again. Every single character is insufferable. Didn't like a single one of them. People will read anything and say it's good these days huh

The Complete Little House Nine-Book Box Set by Laura Ingalls Wilder

5.0

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

1.0

The gothic romance vibes were definitely there. An easy read. Not scary, just a little spooky/gross.
However I thought there would be more about the Mexican countryside and less about how much they hate white people; like why was it basically just about an (disturbing) English household  picked up and stuck in Mexico. What was the point? It's just a tired story at this point.