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miny03rd's reviews
219 reviews
Othello: Revised Edition by William Shakespeare
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Alter Ego by Lisa
adventurous
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
I actually loved this a lot. It’s cute and a fun way for Lisa to extend the lore from her album! Also really cool that Lisa wrote it herself!
Tideborn by Eliza Chan
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
2.25⭐️
I, unfortunately, was not a fan of this book. I liked the first book well enough, I could definitely see the author’s vision, but this one just fell completely flat and did not improve in the ways I was hoping the author would improve from book one.
The thing I disliked most about this book was the way the Fathomfolk were depicted as being just as hateful and bigoted against the humans. The Folk are seen as a underclass to the humans, they are structurally at a disadvantage within society, and even with the introduction of humans having gills now, they are still the underclass. I’m not saying there wouldn’t be bitterness there but I hated the fact that Folk were coming up with derogatory terms/slurs for the humans now that they had gills.
I also just could not connect with Mira. I didn’t really like her in the first book and absolutely did not like her in this book. She’s just so righteously full of herself All. The. Time. and I never felt like she had any growth with that. She’s just always right and no one could ever understand her, not the Tiankawians or the Yonakunish. I was just so over it.
I also didn’t like the split timelines in this. I actually love a split timeline when it’s well-done and feel like both POVs advance the story and they meet up in a satisfying way but I was not satisfied here. The convergence just felt sloppy and over as quickly as it started. I also felt like some of the POVs were completely unnecessary and just jumbled the story up. There was just too many moving parts, in my opinion.
I honestly really wanted to like this book and see Chan grow as an author but “Tideborn” seems to just not be for me.
2.25⭐️
I, unfortunately, was not a fan of this book. I liked the first book well enough, I could definitely see the author’s vision, but this one just fell completely flat and did not improve in the ways I was hoping the author would improve from book one.
The thing I disliked most about this book was the way the Fathomfolk were depicted as being just as hateful and bigoted against the humans. The Folk are seen as a underclass to the humans, they are structurally at a disadvantage within society, and even with the introduction of humans having gills now, they are still the underclass. I’m not saying there wouldn’t be bitterness there but I hated the fact that Folk were coming up with derogatory terms/slurs for the humans now that they had gills.
I also just could not connect with Mira. I didn’t really like her in the first book and absolutely did not like her in this book. She’s just so righteously full of herself All. The. Time. and I never felt like she had any growth with that. She’s just always right and no one could ever understand her, not the Tiankawians or the Yonakunish. I was just so over it.
I also didn’t like the split timelines in this. I actually love a split timeline when it’s well-done and feel like both POVs advance the story and they meet up in a satisfying way but I was not satisfied here. The convergence just felt sloppy and over as quickly as it started. I also felt like some of the POVs were completely unnecessary and just jumbled the story up. There was just too many moving parts, in my opinion.
I honestly really wanted to like this book and see Chan grow as an author but “Tideborn” seems to just not be for me.
The Hobbit: or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
If We Were Villains: A Novel by M.L. Rio
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Oathbound by Tracy Deonn
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
There’s something about jaw-droppingly amazing books that leave me completely unsure of where to start my review. I guess with that, this book was amazing. I’m not sure if it’s weird to call a heavy and gorey horror novel beautiful but this book was.
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is an awesome combination of Interview with the Vampire and Frankenstein with its own unique spin that left me with such great impact. We see a man, a priest, haunted by a Native American vampire told through the priest’s journals as read by one of his descendants. Jones’ ability to write so distinctly between each of the narrators was amazing to read. Each of the three characters are so different, and so Them, it really did feel like a different person was writing each person.
My only negative is that occasionally the writing became a little confusing and hard for me to follow, which ultimately took me out of the story. I do think that it was intentional, to mirror our narrator’s mental state, but it happened enough that it slowed down my reading. This is definitely just a personal thing, however, and others might not even notice it.
The way the story unfolds is a masterclass in narrative structure and storytelling. Jones leaves a sublime trail of breadcrumbs that leaves the reader desperate for more. This book is devastating and a hard look at American history through the scope of a horror novel. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is dark and violent but powerful and poignant, it’s definitely worth the read even if you’re not a horror fan.
This is the first book I’ve read by Stephen Graham Jones but, after finishing this, his other work has definitely made it onto my TBR.
There’s something about jaw-droppingly amazing books that leave me completely unsure of where to start my review. I guess with that, this book was amazing. I’m not sure if it’s weird to call a heavy and gorey horror novel beautiful but this book was.
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is an awesome combination of Interview with the Vampire and Frankenstein with its own unique spin that left me with such great impact. We see a man, a priest, haunted by a Native American vampire told through the priest’s journals as read by one of his descendants. Jones’ ability to write so distinctly between each of the narrators was amazing to read. Each of the three characters are so different, and so Them, it really did feel like a different person was writing each person.
My only negative is that occasionally the writing became a little confusing and hard for me to follow, which ultimately took me out of the story. I do think that it was intentional, to mirror our narrator’s mental state, but it happened enough that it slowed down my reading. This is definitely just a personal thing, however, and others might not even notice it.
The way the story unfolds is a masterclass in narrative structure and storytelling. Jones leaves a sublime trail of breadcrumbs that leaves the reader desperate for more. This book is devastating and a hard look at American history through the scope of a horror novel. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is dark and violent but powerful and poignant, it’s definitely worth the read even if you’re not a horror fan.
This is the first book I’ve read by Stephen Graham Jones but, after finishing this, his other work has definitely made it onto my TBR.
The Prince Without Sorrow by Maithree Wijesekara
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.75
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It took me awhile to really get into but once I was in, I flew through it. I liked the writing, for the most part, however, I will say there were times where I felt the author was trying to sound more sophisticated and it came off as nonsensical.
I think what stood out , for me, is the unique world being built here. “The Prince Without Sorrow” is an Indian-inspired fantasy that includes witches (mayakari) and nature spirits which I really enjoyed. It was refreshing to read about a different kind of fantasy-world than the ones most often seen on bestseller lists. I think there was a good amount of world-building in this book. Of course, I have questions, but I do think the answers are intentionally left out rather than overlooked (or, at least, I hope!).
The characters in this book were also really interesting to me. I found the dynamic between Ashoka and his family really interesting and a different take to a typical evil family vs the one “good one.” I also find Ashoka’s character change over the book to be intriguing. Shakti wasn’t particularly a groundbreaking character for me, but she was still interesting, in her own right. I wasn’t disinterested in her storyline, but where she finds herself right at the end had me on the edge of my seat.
The ending of the book did a great job at capturing my attention and making me want to pick up the next book. It took me from “yeah, I liked it but I don’t know if I’ll read the next book” to “well, shit. now I have to read the next book” within two chapters.
I think this book could be the start of a great new series and I am interested to see if the author can deliver on that potential.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It took me awhile to really get into but once I was in, I flew through it. I liked the writing, for the most part, however, I will say there were times where I felt the author was trying to sound more sophisticated and it came off as nonsensical.
I think what stood out , for me, is the unique world being built here. “The Prince Without Sorrow” is an Indian-inspired fantasy that includes witches (mayakari) and nature spirits which I really enjoyed. It was refreshing to read about a different kind of fantasy-world than the ones most often seen on bestseller lists. I think there was a good amount of world-building in this book. Of course, I have questions, but I do think the answers are intentionally left out rather than overlooked (or, at least, I hope!).
The characters in this book were also really interesting to me. I found the dynamic between Ashoka and his family really interesting and a different take to a typical evil family vs the one “good one.” I also find Ashoka’s character change over the book to be intriguing. Shakti wasn’t particularly a groundbreaking character for me, but she was still interesting, in her own right. I wasn’t disinterested in her storyline, but where she finds herself right at the end had me on the edge of my seat.
The ending of the book did a great job at capturing my attention and making me want to pick up the next book. It took me from “yeah, I liked it but I don’t know if I’ll read the next book” to “well, shit. now I have to read the next book” within two chapters.
I think this book could be the start of a great new series and I am interested to see if the author can deliver on that potential.