rg9400's reviews
229 reviews

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious relaxing 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

4.75

One of Sanderson's absolute best

The Surviving Sky by Kritika H. Rao

adventurous mysterious 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

4.5

This book is very unique, and I don't think I've ever really read anything like it. Flying cities, tons of plant magic, a failing marriage, a very unique approach to families and relationships, and so on. 

I did have one criticism. I think the last 15 to 20% of this book becomes pretty heavy on exposition with multiple reveals and developments just being info dumped. I think the author could have just done one and saved the rest for future books. 

This Gilded Abyss by Rebecca Thorne

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

4.5

Bioshock x Arcane x lesbians. Yes please.

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty

adventurous funny slow-paced

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

3.5

The Will of the Many by James Islington

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

The best book of 2023 for me.  I haven’t been hooked by a book like this in a long time, and once I started, I was so fully engrossed. The excellent pacing combined with constantly throwing in new elements just at the right moment worked so well. There is a fantastic blend of genres (including even a little horror), strong characters even outside our main protag in Vis, an interesting Roman-inspired setting whose lore and worldbuilding and political system are all working in tandem to further fuel the themes. And the themes…an excellent examination of what it truly means to be part of a political system you disagree with, and what the cost of revolution is compared to the cost of inaction. 

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

challenging slow-paced

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

2.25

The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

I loved this book. It’s a puzzle box love letter to books, with tons of references throughout including in some of the best chapter epigraphs I’ve read. Also, it’s great to see a library as the main setting for a book, and I found the exploration scenes of the labyrinthine shelves to work better than say something like Piranesi. Can't really say much more without spoilers

Kings of Paradise by Richard Nell

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

2.75

Untethered Sky by Fonda Lee

adventurous fast-paced

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

3.75

Along the Razor's Edge by Rob J. Hayes

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

3.5