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skai's reviews
6 reviews
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Binti is the most lovable character, and the world of this book breathes with colour. I can’t believe such a short book had such an impact on me. Thank you for this beautiful taste of the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Confinement, and Death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Minor: Cultural appropriation
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is a brilliant book, in my humble opinion. Not only are the characters well crafted, they are also ones you start to care about. This is definitely a plot driven book, but the characters are what stands out. Some of the scenes had me close to tears because I cared about the characters deeply enough. Just... really well done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Vomit, Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, Drug use, and Dementia
Minor: Cannibalism and Gaslighting
Sabriel by Garth Nix
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, War, Violence, Murder, Grief, Death of parent, Death, and Child abuse
Minor: Vomit
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
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? It's complicated
4.0
This review should be spoiler-free!
This book follows a young eighteen year old woman named Casiopea Tun, the Stone Maiden, as she meets a God named Hun-Kamé. They set out on a journey to retrieve artefacts that hold his power, so he can once again be restored to the throne.
Trigger warnings:animal deaths, suicide, death, misogyny and violence
Characters: Overall the book has fleshed out characters that feel like they have motivations behind their actions, most of them having unlikable characteristics that make them feel grounded in reality. I loved all the main characters, including the infuriating Martin, because their arcs felt satisfying and human. The exploration of family and relationships made me love this book even more.
World-building: Mostly done through descriptions of places and their history as the main characters travel through them, is quite interesting. I loved the exploration of 1920s Mexico through the eyes of Casiopea as she was wowed by the differences from her home town. The Mayan mythology tied in throughout the story feels natural and created a magical atmosphere. I cannot emphasise how much I loved the mythology of it all!
Themes: The main themes of this book are the explorations of duty, forgiveness and family. Unsurprisingly, death is also part of the journey when you’re following lords of Xibalba. I feel like Moreno-Garcia definitely had some interesting food for thought throughout the book and handled the more serious events within the book in a sensible way. Despite the darker themes surrounding it, it truly is a hopeful and flawed book which shows complexity of human relationships.
Pace: The pace was pretty quick throughout the book and sped up even more towards the end which may leave some people unsatisfied. I feel like it got repetitious in the middle which made me lose some interest.
The ending: I’m still not sure how I felt about the openness of the ending. It may be unsatisfying to some due to the quick change of pace at the end. I personally was satisfied with the hopeful tone and the wrapping up of character arcs.
Overall: I really recommend this book for anyone interested in a slight sense of magic in their stories, it’s not a straight up fantasy and much more magical realism and history combined with a dash of romance. It has beautiful, rich descriptions of 1920s Mexico although I can’t comment on the representation and accuracy of it all. The quick pace will get you zooming towards the end, just beware of the open ending!
This book follows a young eighteen year old woman named Casiopea Tun, the Stone Maiden, as she meets a God named Hun-Kamé. They set out on a journey to retrieve artefacts that hold his power, so he can once again be restored to the throne.
Trigger warnings:
Characters: Overall the book has fleshed out characters that feel like they have motivations behind their actions, most of them having unlikable characteristics that make them feel grounded in reality. I loved all the main characters, including the infuriating Martin, because their arcs felt satisfying and human. The exploration of family and relationships made me love this book even more.
World-building: Mostly done through descriptions of places and their history as the main characters travel through them, is quite interesting. I loved the exploration of 1920s Mexico through the eyes of Casiopea as she was wowed by the differences from her home town. The Mayan mythology tied in throughout the story feels natural and created a magical atmosphere. I cannot emphasise how much I loved the mythology of it all!
Themes: The main themes of this book are the explorations of duty, forgiveness and family. Unsurprisingly, death is also part of the journey when you’re following lords of Xibalba. I feel like Moreno-Garcia definitely had some interesting food for thought throughout the book and handled the more serious events within the book in a sensible way. Despite the darker themes surrounding it, it truly is a hopeful and flawed book which shows complexity of human relationships.
Pace: The pace was pretty quick throughout the book and sped up even more towards the end which may leave some people unsatisfied. I feel like it got repetitious in the middle which made me lose some interest.
The ending: I’m still not sure how I felt about the openness of the ending. It may be unsatisfying to some due to the quick change of pace at the end. I personally was satisfied with the hopeful tone and the wrapping up of character arcs.
Overall: I really recommend this book for anyone interested in a slight sense of magic in their stories, it’s not a straight up fantasy and much more magical realism and history combined with a dash of romance. It has beautiful, rich descriptions of 1920s Mexico although I can’t comment on the representation and accuracy of it all. The quick pace will get you zooming towards the end, just beware of the open ending!
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