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norspider's reviews
178 reviews
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Revenge is a buffet served cold.
Black Sun has a deep, rich world that is explored more deeply in each chapter. The pre-Columbian inspiration for the setting is utilized expertly; each faction and sub-faction is given their due.
The pace, dialogue, and plot all kept me wanting to read.
I found myself cheering for each of our POV characters, which is very rare for me. I want Xiala to live rich and well. I want Naranpa to bring honor back to her station. I want Okoa to avenge his mother. And I want Serapio to fulfill his destiny.
There is wonderful LGBTQIA2S+ representation! Not caricatures or jokes, just people living in the world as part of the story. Beautifully done.
The only reason I didn't give Black Sun a full 5/5 is because none of its plots conclude; this is an incomplete book. But I knew this was the start of a series when I picked it up so I can (mostly)look beyond that. And Roanhorse has found a passionate new fan in me!
I can't wait to read book 2!
Black Sun has a deep, rich world that is explored more deeply in each chapter. The pre-Columbian inspiration for the setting is utilized expertly; each faction and sub-faction is given their due.
The pace, dialogue, and plot all kept me wanting to read.
I found myself cheering for each of our POV characters, which is very rare for me. I want Xiala to live rich and well. I want Naranpa to bring honor back to her station. I want Okoa to avenge his mother. And I want Serapio to fulfill his destiny.
There is wonderful LGBTQIA2S+ representation! Not caricatures or jokes, just people living in the world as part of the story. Beautifully done.
The only reason I didn't give Black Sun a full 5/5 is because none of its plots conclude; this is an incomplete book. But I knew this was the start of a series when I picked it up so I can (mostly)look beyond that. And Roanhorse has found a passionate new fan in me!
I can't wait to read book 2!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, Confinement, Death of parent, Drug use, and Sexual content
Minor: Excrement
Dragon Heart by Cecelia Holland
Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.
Why does she want to fuck her twin?
Why is the dragon molesting her!?
Making it so our main character can only be verbal with the creature that abuses her cannot go anywhere good, and I am NOT going along for the ride.
Why is the dragon molesting her!?
Making it so our main character can only be verbal with the creature that abuses her cannot go anywhere good, and I am NOT going along for the ride.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Incest
The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
I was so bored by the characters, writing, and seeming lack of plot.
Abhorsen by Garth Nix
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Magic abound in the Old Kingdom!
Lireal, Sam, Mogget, and the Disreputable Dog are back, on a perilous trek south leading to an epic (final?) confrontation.
Lireal, Sam, Mogget, and the Disreputable Dog are back, on a perilous trek south leading to an epic (final?) confrontation.
Nailbiter Compendium One by Josh Williamson
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
2.75
Nailbiter grabs hold of you in the beginning. Then drags in the middle, and ultimately disappoints in the end.
It feels like the writers were making things up as they went, and did not have a plan for the ending; leaving us with loose ends and unsolved mysteries. It has a sense of *it doesn't need to make sense if it's cool.*
The artwork is stellar throughout, really evoking the horror and suspense they wanted.
It feels like the writers were making things up as they went, and did not have a plan for the ending; leaving us with loose ends and unsolved mysteries. It has a sense of *it doesn't need to make sense if it's cool.*
The artwork is stellar throughout, really evoking the horror and suspense they wanted.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Torture, Death, Blood, Confinement, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide, Kidnapping, and Drug use
God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert
Did not finish book. Stopped at 81%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 81%.
DNF'd at 81% (474 pages) due to excessive homophobia by hero characters.
Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-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
4.0
August: Osage County by Tracy Letts
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Generational ✨traaaauummmaaaaaaaaaa✨
I was cast as Little Charles for a production in New York. This play is challenging, dark, and can be difficult to watch.
The more you examine it the more it unfolds before you, and the more you can take from it. It's got layers!
I was cast as Little Charles for a production in New York. This play is challenging, dark, and can be difficult to watch.
The more you examine it the more it unfolds before you, and the more you can take from it. It's got layers!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Drug use, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, and Alcoholism
The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Sometimes the journey is about the journey.
The Vaster Wilds opens with a young girl running away from the settlement she lives in. Her only option is to run through the wilderness and try to survive. We see her make shelters, hunt food, and do what it takes to keep herself going. Through her desperate plea for survival we are forced to look inward and ask ourselves the most difficult questions.
This book suffers from repetition: run, sleep, dream, run, sleep, dream, run, sleep, dream. But the speedy pacing combined with visceral language and graphic content, topped with existential philosophy, make this story worth your time.
The Vaster Wilds opens with a young girl running away from the settlement she lives in. Her only option is to run through the wilderness and try to survive. We see her make shelters, hunt food, and do what it takes to keep herself going. Through her desperate plea for survival we are forced to look inward and ask ourselves the most difficult questions.
This book suffers from repetition: run, sleep, dream, run, sleep, dream, run, sleep, dream. But the speedy pacing combined with visceral language and graphic content, topped with existential philosophy, make this story worth your time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Excrement, Death, and Colonisation
Moderate: Sexual assault, Grief, Rape, Stalking, and Suicide
Minor: Abortion and Torture
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
You can visit other worlds if you're very, very brave.
The Ten Thousand Doors of January mostly follows January Scaller, a young girl growing up as the ward of a wealthy and eccentric collector. Her days are spent in hazy boredom, missing her father while he works. Until one day, January stumbles upon a door that opens to another world. From then her life is a series of searches, upheavals, chases, and escapes.
The first time I read Ten Thousand Doors I stopped after the first chapter. It was good, just not the story I was looking for at the time. Almost a year later I picked it up again and devoured it. The writing is beautifully imaginative and vivid (too much, at times). Each world you visit feels real and lived-in. The characters described with such depth you can almost touch them. The story could have been told in fewer words, but it is such a rich experience the way it is.
I would have followed January and Bad through another 10,000 Doors.
The Ten Thousand Doors of January mostly follows January Scaller, a young girl growing up as the ward of a wealthy and eccentric collector. Her days are spent in hazy boredom, missing her father while he works. Until one day, January stumbles upon a door that opens to another world. From then her life is a series of searches, upheavals, chases, and escapes.
The first time I read Ten Thousand Doors I stopped after the first chapter. It was good, just not the story I was looking for at the time. Almost a year later I picked it up again and devoured it. The writing is beautifully imaginative and vivid (too much, at times). Each world you visit feels real and lived-in. The characters described with such depth you can almost touch them. The story could have been told in fewer words, but it is such a rich experience the way it is.
I would have followed January and Bad through another 10,000 Doors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, and Classism
Moderate: Racism, Blood, Animal cruelty, and Death of parent
Minor: Violence