merrrry's reviews
368 reviews

Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious

4.25

Light, humorous, fantasy novel with the fun fantasy tropes and pizzaz we know and love. A bit heavy on info dumping sometimes, but everything else is consistently entertaining enough that I can get through it. 

Will definitely be continuing the series! I need more Hadrian and Royce and Esrahaddon!

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

medium-paced

3.0

The second half was significantly more engaging than the first, and the last 15-20% was interesting enough that I couldn't put the book down. If it weren't for how tiring the first half of the book was to get through, I'd have no qualms about reading the rest of the series. I'm also guessing that none of the characters or relationships will stick with me long enough for me to pick up the second book. 

The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

adventurous fast-paced

4.0

Started reading this immediately after bingeing the show so I went in already liking the world and characters. Due to primacy bias, I actually liked the show more than this first book. I definitely liked the second half of the show a lot more than the first half though, so I’ll have to read the second book to really say. I was surprised how different the characterizations of Lockwood and George going from the show to the book. Lockwood’s main flaw that we focused on in the show was his desire to gain notoriety for his company. Taking on risky cases recklessly. I really liked how that played off his confidence in his team though, and it is a great plot device for getting the crew into dire situations. Most of this trait was missing from the novel. Lockwood is a lot more considerate and mature, which was nice, but a little boring. George is also very different. He comes off as reserved and endearing in the show, whereas in the book makes him a lot more abrasive and less nerdy somehow. They also call George fat a lot which was… a choice. It gave me lowkey Dudley vibes. I’d also say that I prefer Detective Barnes in the show so far — he hasn’t gotten much screen time in the first book though so we’ll see. Characterizations aside, I enjoyed everything else that was going on in the book. Despite knowing the plot from the show, it was still fun to follow the squad through the investigation again in written form. The descriptions were fun and some of the banter was cute. I also did have a lot of fun just seeing what changes the show made, so I will definitely be continuing the series :) 

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

4.25

Peaked at The Husband Stitch imo but the entire thing was very well written. 

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

hopeful

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

Very wholesome :)

Kings Rising by C.S. Pacat

emotional

4.75

Screaming crying throwing up (because I binge read this instead of sleeping and it's 5am and I get sick when I stay up late these days). Literally could not put this down. Ugh I'm deceased I have passed away. I was so afraid that Pacat was gonna pull an emotional manipulation moment at the end and kill Laurent – I haven't felt that much relief to get to the end of a book in a long time. This book was a lot more wholesome than the last two. Which is much needed (and felt deserved) after two volumes of stress. All in all, this felt like a short story. It left me wanting more, but at the same time I know I wouldn't like anything else. I don't think I'm so in love with this series that I'll reread it. That doesn't take away from this being one of the most enjoyable stories I've read this year. 

Black Wings Has My Angel by Elliott Chaze

adventurous

3.5

Another NYRB recommended by Man Carrying Thing. This reminded me a lot of The Mad and the Bad — probs bc man carrying thing also recommended that one and its another noir novel published by nyrb. That being said, I think I liked the mad and the bad more. Imo Manchete’s tone is stronger (or resonated with me more), whereas this one mostly stood out for me because it sounds like the 50s (an era I don’t read much of). Noir isn't a genre I gravitate towards in general, so this was still a refreshing and interesting read. I wasn't exactly moved by it, but it's obviously well written so I’d still recommend it. 

Prince's Gambit by C.S. Pacat

4.5

Ok. I get it. I wholeheartedly understand the hype now. the last chunk of this had me REELING. I went in a lil skeptical, but still expecting a good time, and it delivered far beyond my expectations. With the bulk of the world building out of the way, we got time for some wonderful character work. The characterizations of Damen, Laurent and the side characters, and the interactions between characters was so unbelievably well done. Their relationship was subtle in all the ways that good romances are, while maintaining a tense pace for the underlying plot. I was absolutely inhaling the political intrigue in this one. I often find overly politically heavy plots dense and draining, but this one has me in a choke hold. The last third of this was a whole journey omg. Having seen how things play out in this book, I also now appreciate the first book a lot more. So much of this relied on little things that were established previously, and we don't directly see the main antagonist at all this book, so I was extra impressed by how often I'd go “ahhh ya that makes sense” as I remember a tidbit from the first volume that related to something happening in this one. I'm just having fun reading this, and I'm genuinely excited to read the third one as soon as I can. I can't wait to see the fallout of all the stuff that happened at the end of this book. 

Berserk Deluxe Volume 5 by Kentaro Miura

dark tense

3.0

Golden Age is over and now we’re back to Black Knight shenanigans. So a lot of this was just ppl get ripped apart in Hell and Casca being naked a whole lot (and raped this time D: girl can’t catch a break). I can’t say I’m loving the beginning of the conviction arc. I’m not a big fan of Puck, and Guts hasn’t had the chance to show much complexity yet in the black knight persona. Kids killing each other in fairy form is indeed unsettling though so it’s getting some emotional reaction from me. tbh I mostly just can’t stand how Casca is treated as a character. which isn’t anything new — but it still bothers me to no end and takes me out of the story.

I’ll keep reading though probably.

Five Little Indians by Michelle Good

challenging emotional fast-paced

4.25

A heart-wrenching (and important!) story of residential school survivors getting through life. I wished we'd gotten more of each person in each stage of their lives, because there was a lot packed into this 300 page book. It was still effective in painting clear pictures of each character though, and everyone felt real despite the little bits of time we got with each of them. More than anything, all the injustices and pain that the system put on them really came through. I also love reading about Canada. It's strange when I know exactly what streets their talking about, and amazing that Indigenous voices are being represented in fiction. Also loved the audiobook!