rabeekster's reviews
6 reviews

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No

2.5

The Wicked King by Holly Black

adventurous 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

3.0

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang

adventurous tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Things picked up a lot at the end and it has a good stopping point but that doesn't make up for the first half. Both these books feel like they're longer than they should be especially since the characters are kind of weak. Two books and I couldn't find it in me to care about any of them except Kitay and Chaghan. I do like Rin as a protagonist and think she offers something different but her inconsistencies make her super frustrating and her character arc (if you could call it that) is repetitive. Good setup for the third book and it flows better than TPW. 

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

dark emotional informative medium-paced

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

3.75

The world-building for this book was good not great. I say this because it is very strongly based on the Second Sino-Japanese War which is intentional and not a bad thing by any means but definitely takes away from showcasing an authors writing capability (in terms of fantasy world building). The characters were hard to connect to which the pacing did not help with (particularly in Sinegard). The atrocities that were depicted in this book were very graphic but also handled well for the most part and I think Kuang does a fantasitc job in showcasing the effects of war. Considering the ending of the book, I am going to be cautious and mindful going forward and hope the topic is handled well. Overall, a good book! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide and Sexual violence

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Definitely slow-paced for 65% of the book but the payoff in the end is good. The Locke subplot was dragged on for too long and those pages would've been better off spent on some of the politics in the book which felt a bit weak. Obviously, the title of the book is The Cruel Prince but I do think some of his behavior is excessive and unjustifiable; however, the book does a good job of setting up a position for Jude to be in power (so that after a year, there is no power imbalance between the two (I am not sure if this will be the case but perhaps). Nevertheless, Cardan was definitely not as cruel as the other members of his group and I believe this was done deliberately but did end up making the readers have more empathy for him. I liked the Oak plot twist. I liked how the relationship between Jude and Madoc was written. I liked how the three sisters had different relationships with the world. Jude's character herself is very flawed but done in a realistic way and I am interested to see the direction of her character. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying

Moderate: Suicide and Murder

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

adventurous hopeful slow-paced

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

3.5

I think the characters themselves have very good individual moments, especially with how they were set up throughout the book, my favorite is Henry's fear of losing time. The stories of Addies' past were entertaining but also at a point felt repetitive. I also felt very little chemistry between the characters themselves and think the progression of their feelings on all ends was a little too fast. Also, Addie, a character that constantly talks about how she has so much to see in actuality saw very little of the world, and what she saw was painstakingly white. Nevertheless, the book is enjoyable and has some great dialogue!