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mapscitiesandsongs's reviews
897 reviews
The Husky & His White Cat Shizun: Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun (Novel) Vol. 4 by Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou
3.0
Concerning the plot it was the weakest out of all four volumes. I didn’t mind it at first but in the end the situations became repetitive. We get constantly reminded that Mo Ran had a hard childhood and didn’t feel like anyone chose him. It’s ok being reminded once a book, but not every 5 chapters. Meatbun‘s writing was out of this world though.
Die Legende der Adlerkrieger by Jin Yong
Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.
I have seen this series countless of times at my local library, but never got the chance to pick it up since the first book was never available. When I finally saw it on the shelf I was delighted to finally dive right into it.
Sadly I was disappointed. It started out good but along the way the story kinda lost me. There was A LOT of talk about fighting, followed by said fighting. I am personally not interested in these kinds of stories. I need a connection to the characters and personal relationships between said characters to be invested. Instead I felt really disconnected from the characters and the book overall.
I would recommend this series for people that enjoy manga like Blade of the Immortal or Vagabond.
Sadly I was disappointed. It started out good but along the way the story kinda lost me. There was A LOT of talk about fighting, followed by said fighting. I am personally not interested in these kinds of stories. I need a connection to the characters and personal relationships between said characters to be invested. Instead I felt really disconnected from the characters and the book overall.
I would recommend this series for people that enjoy manga like Blade of the Immortal or Vagabond.
Waking the Witch by Rachel Burge
3.0
I had the feeling this book couldn't decide what it should be. The beginning feels like the start of a gothic horror novel but around the 60% mark it starts to feel like a YA fantasy.
The elements and the idea behind the story were actually pretty good. It's just that the execution was bad. During the first 60% of the book there is not much development. Around 60ish% the Arthurian elements start to pop up out of nowhere. It was way too late in my opinion. In turn the ending felt rushed and unsatisfactory. I also missed this gloomy island atmosphere I would have expected from a novel about the Arthurian legend, Wales and witches.
I can't really say much about the characters since they weren't that fleshed out. Ivy was getting on my nerves, but since she is a teenager it was also kind of realistic. Her treatment of Tom later on in the book was so unnecessary. He reacted like every normal human being would and in turn Ivy gets pissed at him. I also found the villain quite cartoonish and one-dimensional.
All in all not bad, but the author bit off more than she could chew.
The elements and the idea behind the story were actually pretty good. It's just that the execution was bad. During the first 60% of the book there is not much development. Around 60ish% the Arthurian elements start to pop up out of nowhere. It was way too late in my opinion. In turn the ending felt rushed and unsatisfactory. I also missed this gloomy island atmosphere I would have expected from a novel about the Arthurian legend, Wales and witches.
I can't really say much about the characters since they weren't that fleshed out. Ivy was getting on my nerves, but since she is a teenager it was also kind of realistic. Her treatment of Tom later on in the book was so unnecessary. He reacted like every normal human being would and in turn Ivy gets pissed at him. I also found the villain quite cartoonish and one-dimensional.
All in all not bad, but the author bit off more than she could chew.
Peach Blossom Debt by Da Feng Gua Guo
2.0
The whole review contains major spoilers
What a freaking mess this was. I don't even know where to start
First of all, the pacing and the way the author told the story was just horrific. The beginning was still fine but there is this huge chunk in the middle that kept dragging so much. The de-aging storyline was completely unnecessary and could have been ommited. All in all the way this story was constructed was messy. I spent over 300 pages asking myself what the point of this story is and where we are going with all of this. Around 350 pages we get the reveal and while it was good it didn't justify 300 pages of boredom. Especially because it came out of nowhere and there were no clues sprinkled throughout the story. Instead of leaving small hints the whole reveal gets shoved into one chapter at the end.
The characters were so bland. I never really cared about any of them except the main character. I really felt for him, but in the end he too was kind of an enigma to me. The romance...oh boy. Where was it?! Not here apparently. First of all, it took me 350 pages to find out who the actual love interest is. All this time I thought TS was SY's love interest. And I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for an ounce of romance which never came. And baam, suddenly HW is the true love interest. What do you mean? No, what do you mean? *insert Jennifer Lawrence meme*
I do have to say that I liked the last chapter with all the reincarnations, but the ending was still too convoluted.
Side note: The scene when SY kisses the love interest,who was turned into a CHILD, on the mouth WITH TONGUE was disgusting and completely unnecessary.
What a freaking mess this was. I don't even know where to start
First of all, the pacing and the way the author told the story was just horrific. The beginning was still fine but there is this huge chunk in the middle that kept dragging so much. The de-aging storyline was completely unnecessary and could have been ommited. All in all the way this story was constructed was messy. I spent over 300 pages asking myself what the point of this story is and where we are going with all of this. Around 350 pages we get the reveal and while it was good it didn't justify 300 pages of boredom. Especially because it came out of nowhere and there were no clues sprinkled throughout the story. Instead of leaving small hints the whole reveal gets shoved into one chapter at the end.
The characters were so bland. I never really cared about any of them except the main character. I really felt for him, but in the end he too was kind of an enigma to me. The romance...oh boy. Where was it?! Not here apparently. First of all, it took me 350 pages to find out who the actual love interest is. All this time I thought TS was SY's love interest. And I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for an ounce of romance which never came. And baam, suddenly HW is the true love interest. What do you mean? No, what do you mean? *insert Jennifer Lawrence meme*
I do have to say that I liked the last chapter with all the reincarnations, but the ending was still too convoluted.
Side note: The scene when SY kisses the love interest,who was turned into a CHILD, on the mouth WITH TONGUE was disgusting and completely unnecessary.
My Friend the Octopus by Lindsay Galvin
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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? No
3.0
Slightly torn about this one. There was nothing particularly wrong or bad, but simultaniously there was nothing that stood out. I missed the spark that I so enjoy about middle grade. Additionally, it really dragged and I had to force myself to pick the book up everytime.