Take a photo of a barcode or cover
rednikki's reviews
634 reviews
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
4.25
This was teed up for me as a "fun" book. It is a good book, but I don't think I could call it fun. It deals with the complexities and culture shock of people being moved to a new time in ways that were unique and well thought out. It was emotionally challenging and full of unreliable characters. There was something about the writing that made it feel distanced and almost like it was a traumatized person recounting the story. It does not get a full five stars from me because, in certain areas, the characters had to seriously carry the idiot ball in order to achieve a plot point.
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
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
I read this book in 24 hours. It kept me up late at night and then I got up early in the morning to finish it. No regrets! I loved that the book had people of a mix of ages (that doesn't happen often). I loved the way that some of the plot twists defied my assumptions of how the story would go. This book has somewhat of a Regency vibe but is also set in a fantasy world. I'd recommend it to people who liked Sorcery & Cecilia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevemer, The Glamourist Histories by Mary Robinette Kowal, or The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner, as well as obviously anyone who likes other Kingfisher books!
Matrix by Lauren Groff
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
One recommendation in fiction – both books and film – is that "and then" storytelling is kind of boring, while "but – therefore" story is very interesting. This story starts with a but-therefore...and then most of the rest of it is "and then."
I generally bounce off books where all dialogue is paraphrased, but I was very interested in the period and the setting so I gave it a go. And man, I wish I had not. Most of the characters have very little personality, and they can be identified either by a skill or a deformity. (A couple of characters have Exactly One Quirk. Someone is very rude! Or someone is insane! Or someone is always very sweet! But only a few characters have a personality trait.) As a result, I mixed up the characters a lot.
The author lingered on gruesome death a lot. I get it, "it's 1183 and we're all barbarians!" (to quote The Lion in Winter), but it kind of felt like torture porn.
There were still interesting aspects to the book, and it would probably have been a 3.5 from me if it weren't for the last five pages.The new abbess throws the old abbess's book of visions into the fire, and then (to paraphrase, just like the author does) a little cloud of smoke goes up and it adds to climate change, which in just over a thousand years turns the land to cinders and kills everyone. This is the second litfic book I've read this year that ends with "climate change, everyone dies." And BOY did it feel tacked on when it's a book set in the 12th century. Are publishers now mandating that sort of ending or what?
I generally bounce off books where all dialogue is paraphrased, but I was very interested in the period and the setting so I gave it a go. And man, I wish I had not. Most of the characters have very little personality, and they can be identified either by a skill or a deformity. (A couple of characters have Exactly One Quirk. Someone is very rude! Or someone is insane! Or someone is always very sweet! But only a few characters have a personality trait.) As a result, I mixed up the characters a lot.
The author lingered on gruesome death a lot. I get it, "it's 1183 and we're all barbarians!" (to quote The Lion in Winter), but it kind of felt like torture porn.
There were still interesting aspects to the book, and it would probably have been a 3.5 from me if it weren't for the last five pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and War
A Long Time Dead by Samara Breger
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
What a delight. Poppy and Roisin feel like two real people. Poppy is so unlike the characters that one normally sees in a book like this, and watching her and Roisin slowly transform each other – and, over time, the world around them – is captivating. Every character that appears on the page feels fully realized. I loved this book and I would read it again, or anything else she writes.
North Woods by Daniel Mason
dark
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
2.5
The more I think on this book, the more I dislike it. Much like Edward Rutherford's famous books, Mason tells the history of a place through the people who have lived there over time.
But Mason only tells the story through the white people who have lived (or in one case, visited) there. Excluding people of color from point of view was clearly a decision Mason made. The first time we encounter the place, it is through the eyes of some of the first white settlers of the US; we never see it through the eyes of the historical people of the land. There is one section where there is a person of color living in the place, and Mason chooses to tell the story through the point of view of a white visitor instead.
Rutherford's books also usually have at least some time points where there is hope and happiness. In Mason's world, there is only misery, tragedy and despair. Sometimes it's just an undercurrent, sometimes it is overwhelming – but whenever his characters experience joy they are punished for it.
Do not recommend.
But Mason only tells the story through the white people who have lived (or in one case, visited) there. Excluding people of color from point of view was clearly a decision Mason made. The first time we encounter the place, it is through the eyes of some of the first white settlers of the US; we never see it through the eyes of the historical people of the land. There is one section where there is a person of color living in the place, and Mason chooses to tell the story through the point of view of a white visitor instead.
Rutherford's books also usually have at least some time points where there is hope and happiness. In Mason's world, there is only misery, tragedy and despair. Sometimes it's just an undercurrent, sometimes it is overwhelming – but whenever his characters experience joy they are punished for it.
Do not recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Homophobia, Slavery, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Coming Clean by Jen Trinh
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.5
This book was a whole lot of fun. The author says she doesn't have any experience in Hollywood, but what she has written feels like the way something like this might work in real life. The hero and heroine have great chemistry, and the issues that they have blocking their relationship are deep and feel organic to the story. I liked that it dug deep into their flaws, and that they made big mistakes that they had to recover from. I also liked that the main female character was a Goth - not something you see much of nowadays! Her side characters also feel like real people, and I wanted to read books about more of them.
The Runaway Bride: a Lyme Park Scandal (Stately Scandals, Book 1) by Felicity York
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was not what I expected, because I didn't know it was a fictionalized history! Because it's history, it doesn't follow exactly the narrative that you might expect from the cover, and the beats of the plot are often surprising. But it also gives real insight into what life was like then for a woman who stood to inherit a lot of money but no title. It was a refreshing and compelling read and an interesting antidote to typical Regency fiction.
Tales from the Café by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Kawaguchi could write 100 more books in this series and I would read them all. This book answered some worldbuilding questions I was left with after the first novel. Each story in this is heartwarming and thought-provoking at the same time. It's a quick read but a fulfilling one.
The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay
Did not finish book. Stopped at 27%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 27%.
There is a certain kind of historical novel that erroneously assumes that poor people never had fun, never had friends, and never had any joy in their lives at all. It believes that poor people would betray everyone close to them for drugs, money or both. This assumption is completely wrong, it drives me up a wall and is an immediate DNF for me.
A Second Chance Road Trip for Christmas by Jackie Lau
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
4.5
Awwww...who doesn't love a good Jackie Lau novella? This was exactly what I needed for the holidays. I loved seeing how the fates and Mother Nature pushed these characters together and made them realize there was more to each other than what they remembered. It made me laugh and put a big smile on my face.