randanopterix's reviews
79 reviews

Children of Dune by Frank Herbert

challenging mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A great follow up on the story of Paul and what comes after him following

his twin children who are also him, and his father, and his father’s father, and are also all-knowing, and one of them turns into a fucking worm like????? This book goes some places.

What I’ve come to love about Dune is how palpable it’s oppressive atmosphere is. Everything is depressingly inevitable in this world and these books really make you think about the inevitability of crushing power structures, religious extremism, and exploitative societies that happen when human civilization comes into existence. 

A book that has the courage to ask “can we really escape our fate?” and then has the gall to say “fuck no, idiot”. 

Great book, loved it. Spent a lot of time during the spice trip segments going like “damn Frank really had a specific image for this in his head and even though I’m having a hard time imagining it I’m sure he’ll forgive me for imagining something that’s close enough.” 

Still not totally sure how Leto turned into an armored worm child but that’s alright. I’m not sure if they established the biological qualities of worm babies in the previous books and I just forgot, but it sure didn’t feel like they had when Leto started wearing them like socks and gloves.

 

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

dark sad medium-paced

3.75

Yo what the fuck was wrong with that woman holy shit

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Le Guin’s prose is so economically lovely, each word feels so deliberate. 
This book feels uniquely like I’m hearing a fable from an orator, it’s very magical/mystical and I appreciated the general atmosphere of the book as a whole. 

The pace slows down a LOT in the final stretch which affected my enjoyment a little bit, but overall a great, quick read. Didn’t blow my mind, but was very cozy. Comfortable. Im excited to pick up the next one.

Educated by Tara Westover

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

hopeful mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-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

Grave Peril by Jim Butcher

mysterious tense fast-paced

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

2.5

Fool Moon by Jim Butcher

mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

I liked this one a lot better than the first one. The M'Ladyisms are cut down a little bit, which made it more palatable (either that or I've started ignoring them more effectively). How many women ACTUALLY accuse people of being 'chauvinist pigs'? Every woman if you ask Mr. Butcher, I assume. Maybe the year 2000 was just different I don't know, I was only three at the time so it's possible I missed something.

Every women in this is still either (A.) Horny as FUCK, (B.) Nagging and completely unreasonable, (C.) BOTH SOMEHOW. I still like Susan, but there were a couple of moments with Murphy that had me pulling my hair out. I hope this improves as the series goes on :/

The action in this one was more violent and heart-pounding than I remember the first one being which is loads of fun. The Loup-Garou scene in the police station was genuinely scary which I loved.

I find Harry Dresden to be charmingly dorky. I believe he's intended to be mostly cool, a little pathetic. I find him to be incidentally cool, and mostly pathetic (I say this endearingly). Something about listening to him describe how much he wants to curl up into a ball, cry, and throw-up makes him relatable. I like my male characters a little vulnerable, sue me. I also appreciated that when he did finally break down because, like, who wouldn't after all of that.

An improvement! I'm sure I'll read more of these now. I wasn't very hot on the first one but I came back because the audiobook was so enjoyable and now I'm glad I did! It was a perfect thing to listen to on a car trip

Borne by Jeff VanderMeer

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is a book that dated to ask “What if the sweetest, cutest, most darling creature in the universe was

a bio-engineered monster with killing built into its DNA and was destined to flatten the world of life as we know it

?”

I have a lot to say but no energy to say it. What a lovely book.

The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan

adventurous 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? It's complicated

4.5