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mahiyaa's reviews
48 reviews
Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots
adventurous
dark
tense
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
i support women's rights but more importantly i support women's wrongs. and their godgiven right to crush on buff women and supervillain cyborgs. (cough, vesper and leviathan , anna has two hands, cough)
shoutout to all the people who watched avengers civil war and thought, wait, why is having a bunch of property-damaging self-proclaimed good guys being held accountable by an international court of law a bad thing. this one's for us!
shoutout to all the people who watched avengers civil war and thought, wait, why is having a bunch of property-damaging self-proclaimed good guys being held accountable by an international court of law a bad thing. this one's for us!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
this is classic sci-fi: welcome to quantum theory 101 and the crippling paradoxical philosophy we as human beings have about the morality of life. what else can ya hope for?
scientifically, other thanthe 11 dimension proton folding and quantum entanglement being used for data transfer , the scientific theory in this book was so entwined with reality i was on the edge of my seat the whole time. truly, cixin liu has such a deep personal interest in these subjects and it shows!
philosophically: it is only humanity that can look at the stars with so much hope and wonder and awe that we forget that we are also starstuff—we are also part of the universe, for better and for worse. liu's work is a great reminder of this. we are also part of the great nothing, and that includes our wars, our prejudice, our love, our empathy, our shrewdness. all of it.
scientifically, other than
philosophically: it is only humanity that can look at the stars with so much hope and wonder and awe that we forget that we are also starstuff—we are also part of the universe, for better and for worse. liu's work is a great reminder of this. we are also part of the great nothing, and that includes our wars, our prejudice, our love, our empathy, our shrewdness. all of it.
Speaking Bones by Ken Liu
ken liu is an artist. the world of dara and ukyu-gondé is a realm i cannot leave behind or forget, and i have lived and breathed thousands of pages alongside his characters. i've loved lots of stories—but not all of them have their own life in them. this one does.
adventurous
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-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
5.0
a wile goose flies over a pond,
leaving behind a voice in the wind.
a man passes through this world,
leaving behind a name.
ken liu is an artist. the world of dara and ukyu-gondé is a realm i cannot leave behind or forget, and i have lived and breathed thousands of pages alongside his characters. i've loved lots of stories—but not all of them have their own life in them. this one does.
The Veiled Throne by Ken Liu
adventurous
challenging
reflective
tense
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
5.0
i love ken liu but i also stopped reading for like a week after thera and takval were betrayed . yes, i am biased and play favorites. no, i am not ashamed of it.
this series has so many characters, each with their own political views, that it's kind of impossible to not play favorites. but liu is so good at making sure that each character's motivations are explained and given so much heart that even if you don't agree with them, you understand where they're coming from. and that makes this series so enjoyable.
this series has so many characters, each with their own political views, that it's kind of impossible to not play favorites. but liu is so good at making sure that each character's motivations are explained and given so much heart that even if you don't agree with them, you understand where they're coming from. and that makes this series so enjoyable.
(except cutanrovo all my homies hate cutanrovo .)
The Wall of Storms by Ken Liu
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu
adventurous
challenging
fast-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 Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Ōoku: The Inner Chambers, Volume 1 by Fumi Yoshinaga
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
5.0
first manga i've ever read and i am absolutely blown away. ōoku is a breathtaking world of alternative history and i finished the first volume in one sitting. eighty years after a plague ravages medieval japan and causes its male population to be far more scarce than its women, ōoku does not shy away from its discussion of sexism, gender roles, and the classist barriers of feudal japan.
this is not a world with simple politics: while matriarchs now rule their families, they do so with a "male" name—it sounds more proper—a remnant of society from eighty years past. men of the ōoku are in a dog eat dog world, simultaneously victims and benefactors of their station. the poor are still, well, poor, and those unable to pay a groom price must find other ways to continue their families.
far from some other genderswapped histories, ōoku is thoughtful, engaging, and brutally honest in its dissection. i could not recommend it more!
this is not a world with simple politics: while matriarchs now rule their families, they do so with a "male" name—it sounds more proper—a remnant of society from eighty years past. men of the ōoku are in a dog eat dog world, simultaneously victims and benefactors of their station. the poor are still, well, poor, and those unable to pay a groom price must find other ways to continue their families.
far from some other genderswapped histories, ōoku is thoughtful, engaging, and brutally honest in its dissection. i could not recommend it more!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault