noisydeadlines's reviews
690 reviews

Gentle Rogue by Johanna Lindsey
Did not finish book. Stopped at 47%.

it's a romance, I got to 47% to realize I don't like the romance itself. I didn't like the characters. The first sex scene completely put me off this one. 

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar
Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.

 It's too abstract ro me, too wordy, I couldn't get into it

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective medium-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? No

5.0

This book starts a little slow with lots of world building being the first book of a series. Kaladin and Shallan are my favorite characters, their story builds and builds and I really connected with them. The chapters with Adolin's point of view were my least favorites overall, but his arc is also interesting in the end.  All the character building is excellent and it was satisfying to see how some character’s arc merged along the story. Now I know exactly what "Sanderlanche" is and I enjoyed it! I'm excited to continue the series.

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.

Gory scenes. I couldn’t handle the torture scene on Chapter 3, so I quit.

Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky

challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

 This book starts like the previous ones: a ship travelling the universe investigating what became of planets that were meant to be terraformed and settled by humans. At the start of the book, the focus is more on the failing human colony at Imir, describing their day-to-day struggles through the lens of a little girl, Liff, who was born in that colony. But we also jump to another planet, Rourke, where another group of human colonizers are trying to settle in and where we see the origins of uplifted intelligent corvids. The exploration ship is composed of characters of the previous books: the AI Kern, Portia, Paul, Fabian and the newcomer Miranda (from Nod). It’s hard to talk more about this book without spoilers, but the whole point of the story is discussing the question: “What is sentience?”. And it is a delicious discussion when we get to Part 12. I was a bit disappointed with the big reveal at around 80% but then it pays off beautifully in the last chapters. This is why I read sci-fi: to experience these mind-bending thoughts one in a while. Also, the corvids Gethli and Gothli are awesome, I want to be friends with them! This is my favorite of this series. 

Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas

emotional inspiring fast-paced

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

5.0

 A forbidden love and second chance romance with class differences struggles. Lady Aline Marsden and John McKenna, an orphan stableboy, grew up together. They eventually fall in love and start a secret and forbidden relationship. When they are discovered, McKenna is forced to leave forever. But he comes back twelve years later, as a powerful businessman who wants revenge. This book was very emotional and angsty to me. There is a lot of anger and frustration in the face of situations the characters can’t change. I loved the motherly housekeeper character, who cared about them equally, it was very sweet. There is also Aline's secret: the result of a fire accident and she needs to get over some shame and low self-esteem. It's beautifully written, both characters have suffered and carry this sadness inside of them, but they find joy together in the end. And as a bonus, there is secondary romance revolving around Lady Olivia Marsden, Aline’s younger sister, and Gideon Shaw, McKenna’s American business partner. 

The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness by Morgan Housel
Did not finish book. Stopped at 43%.

I was reading it for a bookclub (Vida Organizada) but I lost interest in it. I want to read other books at the moment.

Real Self-Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness by Pooja Lakshmin
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.

I can never stick to audio books. But also this one wasn't bringing me new information, most of the topics discussed was not relevant to me right now.

Five Minds by Guy Morpuss

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

2.0

It's a bizarre and surreal concept: 5 minds sharing one body. Because of Earth's overpopulation, everybody at 17 years old have to choose between 5 options: play hard and die at 42, work all your life and drop down dead at some point, have your mind transported to an android body and die at 80, or become par of a commune, 5 minds sharing one body, each mind being awake for 4 hours a day.  I don't think we get a good explanation of how the world got to that point with this options being applied to everybody. In order to gain more years to live, the characters go to a Death Park, where they can play virtual reality games with other participants.
So the premise is intriguing, and there is a murder mystery that happens inside the Death Park. I thought the plot was interesting up until 40% of the book, but I missed more depth to the characters. The resolution of the murder mystery was underwhelming. The author is very obvious pointing us to a suspect along the way, while leaving the real killer somewhat hidden. We don't really get any clues of the killer's character and intentions while the plot develops, so it was a weak final plot twist. I didn't like the ending as well.

A Thief in the Nude by Olivia Waite

4.0

This was a short read with an interesting premise. Miss Hecuba Jones is trying to recover lost paintings (painted by her mother) by breaking into an earl's house. In the midst of her burglary she meets John Rushmore (the earl's brother) who is a disillusioned artist (painter). Of course they start an affair with conditions related to said lost paintings, and nudes. Mysteries are uncovered. I learned that Hecuba blue is a colour, and there are lovely dialogues about art and painting in this book.