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onegin's reviews
36 reviews
Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho
4.0
These short stories are magical. Ghosts, spirits, dragons and other mythical creatures make an appearance here. National identity is a common theme (many of the point of view characters are expats), as well as the question of what "home" is: is it the place or the people?
The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Yet another brilliant book by Mary Robinette Kowal. The Relentless Moon is driven by its characters, solving problems on the moon colony where any misstep can lead to disaster. I loved the details of life on the moon, the astronaut mindset of solving problems under pressure - very technical, presented in a way that served the storytelling beautifully.
I loved the characters, very complex and very human. Especially the point of view character Nicole Wargin: she came alive on the pages, and althoug I we do not have anything in common, I could empathise with her on a level I rarely come across in my reading.
It's the details that makes this story believable - both the science fiction setting, and the highly competent characters - they're exceptionally trained, representing the best, and yet they never lose their humanity: like all of us, they make mistakes, seek forgiveness and love.
I loved the characters, very complex and very human. Especially the point of view character Nicole Wargin: she came alive on the pages, and althoug I we do not have anything in common, I could empathise with her on a level I rarely come across in my reading.
It's the details that makes this story believable - both the science fiction setting, and the highly competent characters - they're exceptionally trained, representing the best, and yet they never lose their humanity: like all of us, they make mistakes, seek forgiveness and love.
The Copper Promise by Jen Williams
adventurous
fast-paced
3.5
If you're in the mood for fantasy, this is the book for you. It has all the ingredients of a solid fantasy novel: magic, swords, dragons, epicly high stakes. It has all the tropes we know and love, but they don't feel stale.
Chapters are very short and switch point of view, which makes this a quick and fun read.
Chapters are very short and switch point of view, which makes this a quick and fun read.
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
dark
slow-paced
3.5
This book shows us other side of the coin, that is the glorious and heroic Trojan war.
The fate of women that were enslaved is described in detail, in beautiful language. What is survival when you've lost everything? How do you live with pain - how do you survive when you see fates much worse?
The Silence of the Girls deals with the complex emotions of tragedy, and what happens after. It adds another layer to the ancient Greek tales, making them more human and real, without losing the magic of legend.
The fate of women that were enslaved is described in detail, in beautiful language. What is survival when you've lost everything? How do you live with pain - how do you survive when you see fates much worse?
The Silence of the Girls deals with the complex emotions of tragedy, and what happens after. It adds another layer to the ancient Greek tales, making them more human and real, without losing the magic of legend.
The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee
adventurous
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
If you liked the prequel (The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue), you'll love The Lady's Guide as well: it follows the exact same format. Here, it's Felicity "I'm not like other girls" Montague's turn to take centre stage and go on an adventure, to discover herself and change her preconceived notions.
It's a good book, albeit not quite for me. I only read it because I wanted to see pirates.
It's a good book, albeit not quite for me. I only read it because I wanted to see pirates.
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The past is never as distant as we think. Kindred shows us in a visceral way that what we read in the history books happened by and to real living people. Does the society around us make us what we are? Can we act in accordance with our values, when they are contradictory to the values of the society? Were the people who lived in the past evil and ignorant, are modern people better? Kindred does not answer these questions, but hints that today and yesterday are not so separate, even if it's easier to think that way.
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