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mformato's reviews
191 reviews
Vicious by V.E. Schwab
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An enjoyable fast-paced story with enough tension for what will happen as well as what did happen through the flashbacks that it will keep you thoroughly engaged. I enjoyed that there were no good guys in this story, just bad and worse. I also enjoyed the limitations on people's powers as well as how those powers were pushed and worked together. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys urban fantasy or scifi, stories about moral dilemmas, and cat & mouse chases.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Murder
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Keeping the 5 start rating from my first read through, the written review is from my second read through just this week.
Reading the story a second time around, even though it's been over a decade, helped to clear up points that confused me the first time or got muddled in my memory over the years. I can see why this is considered a children's book to some as it definitely seems like it would be a fun bedtime read to a kid. I also think this is just a great introduction to fantasy/reading in general as it is not as dense as LOTR or other big name fantasy stories.
I enjoyed the fast paced adventure and quick wit from Bilbo. I also enjoyed the light-hearted nature of it all. It was interesting to compare the book to my memory of the movies (which I only saw once each) as those had a much more grim tone and made characters like Thorin less fun.
I do wish some of the dwarves had more relevance other than meeting the quota of 13. Ori, Oin, Gloin, Nori, Bifur, and Bofur had basically no memorable parts in the story.
All in all it is a fantastic story and a classic that deserves to be read by all.
Reading the story a second time around, even though it's been over a decade, helped to clear up points that confused me the first time or got muddled in my memory over the years. I can see why this is considered a children's book to some as it definitely seems like it would be a fun bedtime read to a kid. I also think this is just a great introduction to fantasy/reading in general as it is not as dense as LOTR or other big name fantasy stories.
I enjoyed the fast paced adventure and quick wit from Bilbo. I also enjoyed the light-hearted nature of it all. It was interesting to compare the book to my memory of the movies (which I only saw once each) as those had a much more grim tone and made characters like Thorin less fun.
I do wish some of the dwarves had more relevance other than meeting the quota of 13. Ori, Oin, Gloin, Nori, Bifur, and Bofur had basically no memorable parts in the story.
All in all it is a fantastic story and a classic that deserves to be read by all.
The Right Hand of Evil by John Saul
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
John Saul has been my favorite author for over a decade now and this one didn't disappoint. It's been a while since I read one of his books and straight from the prologue I remembered how much I love them. Was this the best book ever? No. But god damn it was fun. I loved the vivid imagery throughout the story. Docking points cause some plot points were very predictable and I don't care for the "god is good" message. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a fun spooky read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol
There There by Tommy Orange
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed how all the stories blended together in one way or another. The build up felt slow but necessary and worth it for the firecracker of the climax. Overall a very good book and I would recommend to anyone who likes multiple POVs, stories about indigenous people, and books focusing on the ugly of America.
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Decent enough story but if I wanted to read Shakespeare I would've just read Shakespeare. I get that the author has a degree in studying his work and that it was utilized to give further depth to the characters, but just the amount of lines taken from plays and sonnets was extremely irritating to me.
The characters also didn't have much depth, and again I understand that is to go in line with the whole Shakespeare-ness that they were supposed to be type casted, but I just didn't care what really happened to any of them. I was curious as to how things all played out but I had no affection for what happened to anyone.
I am giving this book to someone who went to acting school who would probably appreciate it more. It's an okay mystery but none of the twists are really exciting so I wouldn't recommend this to much anyone unless you like modern day twists on Shakespeare.
The characters also didn't have much depth, and again I understand that is to go in line with the whole Shakespeare-ness that they were supposed to be type casted, but I just didn't care what really happened to any of them. I was curious as to how things all played out but I had no affection for what happened to anyone.
I am giving this book to someone who went to acting school who would probably appreciate it more. It's an okay mystery but none of the twists are really exciting so I wouldn't recommend this to much anyone unless you like modern day twists on Shakespeare.
The Employees by Olga Ravn
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I really liked the format of this book. I just don't understand what I just read. I'd recommend this book if you need a quick read or are more capable of understanding themes in stories. I get that this was supported to be something about the human condition, but what exactly I don't know.
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Ignore how long it took me to read this, life just got in the way. When I did read it, I flew through the pages. I was loaned this book after originally thinking I wouldn't be interested and I adored it. Good fast pace writing and interesting stories and characters to discover. Overall it felt like had this been a stand alone fantasy, I would have been satisfied as the story wraps itself up neatly and the world was immersive enough that you could have just let your imagination wander with where things could have gone. But I am interested in seeing how the story actually continues.
Not full five stars because of too many coincidences that move the plot along despite fitting well with the characters themselves.
Not full five stars because of too many coincidences that move the plot along despite fitting well with the characters themselves.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Blood, and Murder
Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
DNF at page 278 (outta 401).
I tried. I really did. I finally got to the point in the book where things we supposed to be ramping up but seeing how much more I had left I just don't care.
The good:
-The prologue was gripping and that is what kept me holding on for so long because I wanted to get to that point in the story where it actually happens.
-There was clear differences in the writing between the POV which made both characters feel unique.
-Clearly the author is passionate about mountaineering.
-There are interesting elements to the story.
But despite all of that, I find the main character annoying and it just has taken too long for anything to happen. So many chapters could have been cut and it wouldn't have affected (what I have read of) the story. The prologue was the best part so far because it gave us an eerie feeling, a mystery, and action right away. Even the mysteriousness of the first few chapters weren't that bad. But then it just drags. It's possible the rest isn't so bad but I am nearly 300 pages in and I am dreading reading this. I can only make a few pages at a time cause I just don't care.
I tried. I really did. I finally got to the point in the book where things we supposed to be ramping up but seeing how much more I had left I just don't care.
The good:
-The prologue was gripping and that is what kept me holding on for so long because I wanted to get to that point in the story where it actually happens.
-There was clear differences in the writing between the POV which made both characters feel unique.
-Clearly the author is passionate about mountaineering.
-There are interesting elements to the story.
But despite all of that, I find the main character annoying and it just has taken too long for anything to happen. So many chapters could have been cut and it wouldn't have affected (what I have read of) the story. The prologue was the best part so far because it gave us an eerie feeling, a mystery, and action right away. Even the mysteriousness of the first few chapters weren't that bad. But then it just drags. It's possible the rest isn't so bad but I am nearly 300 pages in and I am dreading reading this. I can only make a few pages at a time cause I just don't care.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An exciting and fast paced story. I had no predictions for anything because it was full of twists and turns. I enjoyed being able to see inside of history, Sepetys really cares about accuracy in her literature. To know that the living conditions of this story were real is heartbreaking. I also like how the story wraps around if you go back to the prologue after reading the end.
Not a full five stars because of personal reasons. I felt like there was a lot of telling rather than showing in the beginning. Also Cristian felt a little too American for the story. Plot points happened a bit too much out of convenience.
But overall I enjoyed the story and would recommend the book to someone who enjoys reading about revolutions, noir, and an undying spirit of hope in a hopeless land.
Not a full five stars because of personal reasons. I felt like there was a lot of telling rather than showing in the beginning. Also Cristian felt a little too American for the story. Plot points happened a bit too much out of convenience.
But overall I enjoyed the story and would recommend the book to someone who enjoys reading about revolutions, noir, and an undying spirit of hope in a hopeless land.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory: Stories by Raphael Bob-Waksberg
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I added this book to my Want To Read list (as well as received it as a Christmas gift from my mom) back when I was single and not in a good place. Finally getting around to it now when I am doing much better in my life and happily in love took away from the emotions and impact of the stories. Granted, never going through an actual breakup either also took away some of the impact of the stories.
But the stories were good nonetheless. I did skip a couple that I just couldn't feign interest in (the dog one, the superhero one, and the president one, I think that was it). I really liked the absurdity of the wedding story. And being a lifelong New Yorker I always love local stories (which there were plenty in this collection).
I would recommend this book, but also wouldn't be surprised if there are mixed feelings around it.
But the stories were good nonetheless. I did skip a couple that I just couldn't feign interest in (the dog one, the superhero one, and the president one, I think that was it). I really liked the absurdity of the wedding story. And being a lifelong New Yorker I always love local stories (which there were plenty in this collection).
I would recommend this book, but also wouldn't be surprised if there are mixed feelings around it.