merrrry's reviews
368 reviews

Berserk Deluxe Volume 2 by Kentaro Miura

adventurous dark fast-paced

3.25

Drasticly better than the first arc of the story. I’m starting to see why Berserk is so beloved now that some themes are beginning to show and character building is being done. I see why Miura started the entire story on Black Swordsman now, because seeing how Guts is as a adult (as well as where he’s at with Griffith) makes the journey towards that point much more intriguing.

A major gripe I have with Berserk as a whole right now is the way Casca is dealt with. I cannot get over how often Miura makes Casca naked for absolutely no reason. I like her as a character so far, but she feels like a female character that a man writes while thinking “wow I’m so progressive and feminist look at me making a girl a strong important character in my story” — then writing in the most inane reasons to have her naked in half the scenes she's in. You’d think I’d be used to this kinda treatment in manga and anime but alas, I am not. Will definitely be continuing the series regardless. I may be bothered but I am unshaken by misogyny. Everyone says that Berserk only gets better so I have high hopes.

The Sign of the Dragon by Mary Soon Lee

adventurous

3.0

Some very strong sections, but failed to really captivate me as a whole (as you can tell from the 6 months it took me to fully read this). 

I loved the idea of a begrudging king and I love Asian-inspired fantasy. And while I didn't mind that Xau was overwhelmingly noble, I did find the themes surrounding him to grow repetitive the further I got. There were also some poems that felt a bit too on-the-nose (such as when describing Xau's enemies) and some that just felt like someone was fangirling over Xau. 

I will say that I just generally like really flawed characters and I'm not particularly moved by optimistic fantasy as a genre (at least not yet), so maybe this collection just wasn't for me. On a more positive note, I did enjoy some of the imagery and it is super commendable to have all the world-building, character development, and plot-writing done completely through poetry.   

Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke

hopeful reflective

4.25

If I had read one of these letters with zero context, it would still be glaringly obvious that they were written by a poet. Beautifully written collection that I will definitely be reading again (likely from a different translator next time). 

Gleam by Raven Kennedy

3.25

By far the best in the series so far. Multiple plot threads were progressing, all the characters were doing things, and I either finally got used to the writing style or it got better. We also got some interesting new characters and set ups. 

Not sure if I’ll be reading the next book very soon though because I came for the trash and it appears to be getting less trashy.

Glint by Raven Kennedy

2.0

This breed of fantasy-romance novels is getting too comfortable with having nothing happen for the entire book then slapping a big reveal/cliffy at the end of the book. Somehow, this sequel did even less than the first book. I was expecting some Rip development and angsty Auren x Rip moments but nothing really happened. As a whole, I liked this more than the first book even though it wasn't really much better. It does replace the ruthless toxicity with the beginnings of character development for Auren, albeit with zero subtlety. It is just as juvenile and shallow as its predecessor in its messaging, world-building, and character writing, but that won't stop me from continuing the series lol. Raven Kennedy got me with the cliffhanger and these books are a breeze to read. I am entertained.

Gild by Raven Kennedy

fast-paced

1.75

Trashy, juvenile, perpetuates a lot of problematic ideas about relationships and aggressively objectifies women — but hey, it was entertaining. 

The Mad and the Bad by Jean-Patrick Manchette

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.75

A French noir full of gore and neat descriptions. Very much a book that stand out due to its ambiance and tone rather than its story. The writing style was unlike anything else I’ve ever read, and while I wasn’t particularly taken by the characters or plot — this blasted me out of my reading slump. 

I am now exponentially more interested in reading NYRB classics and French lit.

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk

informative

3.25

Very basic psychology/neuroscience heavy, so it was kinda draining to read. Densely packed with information cut with some anecdotes. I was just too mentally tired to enjoy this to its fullest potential. Listened to as audiobook.

In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction by Gabor Maté

challenging informative

4.25

Highly informative and inspires compassion. Great mix of both personal experience and scientific information surrounding addiction. Covers the psychological, neurological, historical and sociological facets of addiction. A lot of the developmental psychology and trauma-informed aspects reminded me of Dr. Bruce D. Perry's work (who is cited multiple times). Also particularly appreciated that the book was set in Downtown Eastside Vancouver! As similar as we are to the US, it's nice to read about Canada specifically sometimes, especially when it addresses social issues happening in Canada.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

1.5

I am so relieved to be done this book. Outlander has been at the bottom of my tbr since 2016. Good thing it stayed there for 6 years becuase I would never have made it through this book at 16 years old. The only reason I barely finished the book now is becuase I was listening to it at 2.5x speed by the end. I didn't care about Claire or Jamie which made most of the book rather dull since so much of it was just them going at it. Jamie is a literal man-child and Claire has so little personality she might as well be y/n. The entire romance felt like a middle aged white woman's fantasy, which is fine except I am not middle aged, nor white. The historical elements were cool at times, but turns out I don't really care about Scottish history.

Sidenote, this really doesn't matter in the grand scheme, but I was so bothered that Claire was able to repair Jamie's hand?? Like the man had some severe damage done to his bones and nerves with a mallet — damage that would take a highly trained plastic surgeon specializing in hand injuries to fix with the help of modern technology. Claire even acknowledges that theres millions of nerves and complex bones in the hand, but I guess we can't very well let Jamie lose a hand. Obviously I haven't read onwards so I don't know how the hand ends up, but it definitely would not just "seem stiff and useless right now... only because its splinted", you're lucky if you move anything in the hand in the next decade. I know it's a super small point but I was so bothered by the book as a whole at that point I just couldn't get over it. Anyways, Geilie was the only character I kinda enjoyed and they went and killed her so I really have no reason to continue the series.

 

All that said, Gabaldon is definitely a good writer — this book was just not for me. Also, I didn't know she has a MSc in Marine Biology and a PhD in Ecology?? That's so cool??? Good on her for being a scientist, a history enthusiast, and an accomplished writer.