rartastic's reviews
343 reviews

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

mysterious slow-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? Yes

2.5

Just blah. I found the main character annoying. 

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

dark mysterious medium-paced

3.0

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

3.75

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

hopeful mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated

5.0

Game Changer by Rachel Reid

funny fast-paced

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

3.75

Would You Rather by Allison Ashley

emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

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

5.0

Glitch Feminism: A Manifesto by Legacy Russell

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

3.0

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

emotional funny medium-paced

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

4.0

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous 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? It's complicated

4.0

Perdido Street Station by China Miéville

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

This review sums up my feelings pretty well: https://ucsdguardian.org/2015/04/01/fully-booked-china-mievilles-perdido-street-station/

Also a quote from someone else that he tries to give us too much breadth in the book, so he ends up twisting characters into things they wouldn’t normally do. 

I got tired of how gross and dark the city was. There was some deus ex machina toward the end that I found annoying. 

It felt like it was trying to be a new Ankh Morpork/Discworld. But it was way darker and worse. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Violence

Moderate: Gore, Torture, Self harm, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Rape, and Drug use