rubeusbeaky's reviews
275 reviews

A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge

adventurous hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

5.0

The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh

adventurous dark emotional inspiring tense medium-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

5.0

Cress by Marissa Meyer

adventurous emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Minor: Trafficking

The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer

4.0

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

3.0

In the Woods by Tana French

3.0

I feel like I got tricked :/ This book doesn't read so much as a Whodunnit, as it does a reimagining of "Catcher in the Rye". The narrator is untrustworthy, damaged, largely unlikable, and he makes the story about him when it should be about the murder mystery. It was well written, in a literary study kind of way. But it was not a well written /mystery/ novel, if that makes sense. I called a lot of the ending from the first few chapters.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

5.0

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

3.0

This book, unfortunately, fell to the same curse as the Game of Thrones TV show: It starts incredibly strong, pulling you in with its ambience; then midway you start to wonder "Which of these characters am I meant to be rooting for? I don't know that I like any of them."; and by the end the author is patting herself on the back for the importance of storytellers, and it makes you wonder why you bothered sitting through this tale in the first place.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

2.0

This book had a strong opening... but became incredibly disappointing the minute Darrow entered the above-ground city. Every major plot beat or character moment was lifted straight from Hunger Games. Every bit of action or flavor was The Lightning Thief meets Battle Royale, or Lord of the Flies even. Those mashups might sound exciting, but they came across as crass, even as plagiarism. Everything original - all the space-age technology and culture - was left in the dust in favor of land battles and defecation, which fantasy novels have detailed before, ad nauseum. I regret that the fact that this book takes place IN SPACE, IN THE FUTURE, meant nothing.

If you want a better space-age civil war, watch The Expanse.

Inspection by Josh Malerman

3.0

I'm not sure how to look at this book... It stars children, but is not a children's book, anymore than Logan was a movie meant for children just because it had superkids in it... But if not a children's book, then what? Is this a modern gothic horror story? A parody of the revenge genre? A parable? I can't tell if the author wants me to feel afraid, disgusted, or exultant by the end of the book.

It had wonderful storytelling for 95% of the book. Sometimes the stream-of-consciousness style was confusing for me, but it was artful and purposeful, and there were many passages which stood out as beautiful/universal to me.

But the end happens so swiftly, and almost unexpectedly, that it changed my opinion of the book as a whole. With everything that happens right at the finale... it almost feels like the author is saying, "But see, the bad guys were right!" That's unsettling, the idea that the author actually sides with his villains, and this story is somehow a morality tale?

It's a piece which can be talked about and analyzed, for sure, it's not an ending which makes the story worthless. It's just... hard to process. Confusing.