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omnombailey's reviews
96 reviews
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I found the first and last 20% to be really enjoyable and compelling, but the middle was such a tedious drag. Would've finished the book a lot sooner otherwise. At least the prose is gorgeous. Don't think I'll check out the rest of the series tho
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual assault
The sexual assault is an attempt and very brief.
Green Rider by Kristen Britain
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
The first 30% is a slog, but when things pick up, it was hard to put down. Prose is a bit convoluted, though highlights were the character interactions and seeing all the narrative beats from early on finally connect at the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Animal death, Rape, and Sexual assault
The rape mention is literally a single sentence of something that already happened. There are two instances of attempted sexual assault (one brief, the other not so much) and while nothing happens, it was still a lot to take in. Thankfully, the men involved are murdered by ladies.
Old Man's War by John Scalzi
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
While Old Man's War brought very little to the table in terms of new ideas to the sci-fi genre, it executed tropes well enough to remain enjoyable. The plot was a touch predictable, thanks to the numerous info dumps meant to hold your hand throughout the narrative, but the wit in the prose continued to hook me again and again.
If you are giving this book a shot and find yourself struggling in the beginning, the story drags its feet (imo) until about 60% into the story. Then it actually gets interesting beyond the whole training montage sequence the story is up until then. At the same time, the fact it took THAT long for me to finally not put the book down isn't great, either.
There's more to this series, but I'm not really jumping to find out what's next. Maybe I will someday. For now, I'm content with what I read and shall move along.
If you are giving this book a shot and find yourself struggling in the beginning, the story drags its feet (imo) until about 60% into the story. Then it actually gets interesting beyond the whole training montage sequence the story is up until then. At the same time, the fact it took THAT long for me to finally not put the book down isn't great, either.
There's more to this series, but I'm not really jumping to find out what's next. Maybe I will someday. For now, I'm content with what I read and shall move along.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Violence, and Medical content
Moderate: Sexual content
The Red Threads of Fortune by Neon Yang
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
5.0
What a lovely continuation of the first novella. The pacing was much better in this one, in that it doesn't span the length of several decades, but focuses on several days. The shift from Akeha to Mokoya had be apprehensive initially, but watching her development, from processing her daughter's death to learning to trust and love a stranger again, was exactly what the narrative needed. Also yay for a non-binary character who is juggling a chronic illness *chef kiss* just a delight to read. Can't wait to dive into more of this series.
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The fact it took me almost a week to read a novella should be enough of a review, tbh.
I had WAY too high expectations for this. With all the praise my friends gave it, I legit worried I was reading the wrong book. Between the vague attempts at worldbuilding and mystery, the repetitive sentence structures and lack of description of anything, I just... didn't care. Yeah, the POV character's voice was strong and interesting (I too just want to watch downloaded shows while on the job and avoid all human contact), but a personality isn't a plot.
The only reason I finished was because it was short. I don't understand what is oh-so-amazing about this book that brings so little to the table.
I had WAY too high expectations for this. With all the praise my friends gave it, I legit worried I was reading the wrong book. Between the vague attempts at worldbuilding and mystery, the repetitive sentence structures and lack of description of anything, I just... didn't care. Yeah, the POV character's voice was strong and interesting (I too just want to watch downloaded shows while on the job and avoid all human contact), but a personality isn't a plot.
The only reason I finished was because it was short. I don't understand what is oh-so-amazing about this book that brings so little to the table.
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
Holy crap, I could not put this down. What a delicious revenge story. Beautifully written from the prose to the schemes to the sharp wit throughout the cast. A couple of plot points didn't sit well with me, mostly with how jarring they were, but I absolutely adored this book. Picks up right after Six of Crows and never misses a beat. So glad to start the new year with a damn good book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Grief
Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I first read this back in grade school and remembered enjoying it a great deal. I remembered so little about the actual narrative, though, and decided to revisit it. And wow, it was an absolute treat to reread this with older, yet fresh eyes.
The world is quite different from the usual post-apocalyptic sci-fi landscape in that people have managed to survive and thrive outside of whatever urban bubbles the upper crust has locked themselves into. There are subtle hints at what might have happened to cause an apocalypse, but even the main characters do not know for sure. And all of this is a delightful backdrop for the story of a woman who is A) not a young, delicate person, B) not some badass warrior, and C) absolutely capable in her own way and prized for her skills as a healer.
Snake was a gem to follow throughout the story. Her agency is clear and strong, from her knowledge in science to her sexuality to her latter role as a mother. It was amazing to read about someone who is older with some experience, too. And her story hooked me from beginning to end.
Some parts didn't work as well with me, mostly the whole plot point with Arevin. Then again, love at first sight in general just... goes over my head, so maybe it would make more sense to someone who gets that. It was the only part of the story that felt forced, which stood out a great deal against everything else that was rather fluid and organic. The prose aged well enough, but there are times when it's almost too simple and I wish the narrative didn't hold my hand to explain everyone's motives and concerns and reactions and so on.
This was a lovely treat. If I didn't have a mountain of books to dive into, I'd almost be tempted to read it again right now.
The world is quite different from the usual post-apocalyptic sci-fi landscape in that people have managed to survive and thrive outside of whatever urban bubbles the upper crust has locked themselves into. There are subtle hints at what might have happened to cause an apocalypse, but even the main characters do not know for sure. And all of this is a delightful backdrop for the story of a woman who is A) not a young, delicate person, B) not some badass warrior, and C) absolutely capable in her own way and prized for her skills as a healer.
Snake was a gem to follow throughout the story. Her agency is clear and strong, from her knowledge in science to her sexuality to her latter role as a mother. It was amazing to read about someone who is older with some experience, too. And her story hooked me from beginning to end.
Some parts didn't work as well with me, mostly the whole plot point with Arevin. Then again, love at first sight in general just... goes over my head, so maybe it would make more sense to someone who gets that. It was the only part of the story that felt forced, which stood out a great deal against everything else that was rather fluid and organic. The prose aged well enough, but there are times when it's almost too simple and I wish the narrative didn't hold my hand to explain everyone's motives and concerns and reactions and so on.
This was a lovely treat. If I didn't have a mountain of books to dive into, I'd almost be tempted to read it again right now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Stalking
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Infertility, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
The graphic warning for sexual content is not linked to the moderate sexual assault; the graphic sexual content is very consensual and happens with one character while the mention of sexual assault/rape happens with a completely different character (and how the latter is handled is very cathartic, but it's still a thing that exists in the book).