mythmakers's reviews
228 reviews

Morgan Is My Name by Sophie Keetch

emotional 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? It's complicated

3.0

 positives 

•  the first third/half had me hooked i won't lie
•  i don't read a lot of romance / it's generally a minor part of the stories i enjoy, but the beginning of this one was very cute and i was genuinely rooting for them!
• lots of interesting takes on morgan's character overall, from her early life to her interests, developing her from the bits we see in "canon" arthuriana
• i'm excited to see how her relationship with arthur here develops because the family dynamic WAS interesting. hoping to see more of elaine and morgause in the next book also, because i enjoyed the first parts with morgan's family a lot, and think she could use more time with them!
• quick pacing kept the plot moving along, and there was no lingering on boring descriptions or the like...

negatives 

• ...but it was perhaps too fast-paced, skipping over big chunks of time in a few paragraphs, which made some events more shallow than they should've been and some development in characters' attitudes kind of jarring. one day they're like this, another they're like that, except the four-to-five years in between were barely explored so it felt like an instant change. again, could've used more development
• okay. hater moment. once they got together for real the morgan/accolon romance started to annoy me i fear, she made some Stupid fucking decisions over that guy and the story was literally all about him
  until he left tintagel again
• i've got some characterization issues w morgan herself tbh but i think the book does her a bit of a disservice by telling us about her cleverness but not showing her acting on it. in general the telling over showing and doing over feeling does take away from some of the emotional investment you could have in the characters, and the side cast felt a bit flat as a result, despite morgan's first-person assurances of their qualities and flaws.

OVERALL : 3 stars for me, with a strong beginning that flagged a bit as the fast-moving parts of it started undermining the plot and the telling took over the showing, but since it's a debut, i feel like i'll still check out the sequel because there's definitely room for improvement. 

Le couple et l'argent by Titiou Lecoq

challenging informative fast-paced

5.0

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark

adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-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? Yes

5.0

Exiled from Camelot by Cherith Baldry

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Blessed Bastard: A Novel Of Sir Galahad by Ruth P.M. Lehmann

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

i wouldn't recommend this as a read for someone who's not already invested in galahad's character, but since i am, i did enjoy it very much! one of the best characterizations for him and lancelot i've read so far for sure. my main qualm is that i don't really like the orkneys' portrayals in this one but you win some you lose some. all in all, a great galahad-centric character study!

Miss Peregrine's Museum of Wonders: An Indispensable Guide to the Dangers and Delights of the Peculiar World for the Instruction of New Arrivals by Ransom Riggs

funny informative fast-paced

4.0

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Vol. 1 by Hideyuki Furuhashi, Kōhei Horikoshi

emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

nghi vo banger as always. the study of grief, remembrance and the love that encompasses both got me. 
as with other nghi vo works, some may be frustrated with the lack of explanations, but i'm fine with it. sometimes it's enough to bask in the world and think about the Themes.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

not my usual kind of read, but this was really difficult to put down. you think "my god what a bitch" and then keep going. would repeat the experience 

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.

it was just not good writing, guys. felt like wattpad fic, and not the good kind. the only good point i can give it is that it was really easy to read through, and i only stopped because i don't have time to read stuff i'm not sure i'll enjoy.