rjgillmor's reviews
209 reviews

Genesis: A Military Sci-Fi Series by Rick Partlow

adventurous sad fast-paced

4.0

Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

3.5

🎧 - Narrator was excellent, really portrayed the desperation, confusion, and panic well. Plenty of times in the first half where it felt like it was just being draaaaaawn out. Back 30% had me locked in. 

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

🎧 - If you’re an empathetic person —I like to think I am—this is an emotional rollercoaster. If not, it’s a great chance to practice seeing things from varying perspectives. Loved that it was not easy to take a side in almost any of the situations. 

The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

4.5

🎧 - Rounded up. Great book for a Stormlight fan. Really makes me want the lead up to how we got here but also what comes next. 

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

🎧 - I’m a sucker for awkward interactions. Cute book and, as always, incredibly imaginative. Gotta love the Cosmere. Not a fan of the illustration descriptions. 

The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

🎧 - Creative idea, different from his usual. I really enjoyed the fun play of the entire story. I wonder if I still would have liked it as much if I read instead of listened

The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

🎧 - Holy hell, that was brutal. I haven’t been cover to cover uncomfortable since I was a teen and discovered Stephen King novels. Just an amazing use of the second person. I felt like I…me…I was the victim. 

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

🎧 - Guilt and fear can really mess you up.

I really like how the motivation of a lot of what June did was because she felt it was unfair and Athena’s rise was due to her demographics. I also like that the ending shocked a light on how the “hot demographic” also gets pigeon holed. It’s stories like this that help explain the rise of Self Publishing.

Enemies & Allies by Rick Partlow

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

Vox by Christina Dalcher

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.25

🎧 - Not sure if the Author just picked a demographic to demonize or is just anti-male or anti-religion. That being said, I have no doubt something like this could happen. Pick your target group, it can happen when any power hungry righteous organization goes unchecked. Women are the most oppressed people in history, still in many counties today. It’s an important read to challenge your own perceptions. “The Pure Movement” is alive and well in many variations across the world.