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slowreaderpeter's Reviews (208)
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
I absolutely adore the Murderbot Diaries, and Network Effect is no different than the rest of the series. It’s such a beautifully human look at characters, and achingly relatable at times. Murderbot is an incredible character that I can empathize with.
One of the strengths of Network Effect is the secondary characters. In many of the previous books, that was the weakest part. But here they were quite excellent and well-utilized.
One of the strengths of Network Effect is the secondary characters. In many of the previous books, that was the weakest part. But here they were quite excellent and well-utilized.
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Gideon the Ninth was truly one of the weirder and more frustrating books I’ve read recently. There was so much to like about it! Great characters, unique magic system, cool and interesting world, very interesting setting/location, some excellent and varied humor. But there were a couple things I really did not care for.
First, the plot was barely a plot. That may be a bit harsh, but I can’t think of a nicer way to put it right now. It felt like the author took a lot of really awesome concepts, and then cobbled together a plot around them. What characters did in specific moments made sense, but their grander motivations for the novel often didn’t as much. The plot definitely felt secondary to the character and especially the concepts.
Beyond that, I really did not care for the writing. Grammatically the book was a bit all over the place. Lots of run-on-sentences, too many semicolons, commas splices, etc. At times it was a bit of a mess, and that made following the story quite difficult at times. The sentences being so long and fragmented into so many thoughts sometimes made it quite difficult to visualize what was actually happening in a scene. It took about 100 pages to get used to the writing, about the same length it felt it took for the author to settle into her own writing.
All-in-all, very unique concepts with some fun characters and an awesome location for everything to take place. But overall, I found this a bit of a mess and almost dropped it on several occasions. Personally, I doubt I’ll continue with the series.
First, the plot was barely a plot. That may be a bit harsh, but I can’t think of a nicer way to put it right now. It felt like the author took a lot of really awesome concepts, and then cobbled together a plot around them. What characters did in specific moments made sense, but their grander motivations for the novel often didn’t as much. The plot definitely felt secondary to the character and especially the concepts.
Beyond that, I really did not care for the writing. Grammatically the book was a bit all over the place. Lots of run-on-sentences, too many semicolons, commas splices, etc. At times it was a bit of a mess, and that made following the story quite difficult at times. The sentences being so long and fragmented into so many thoughts sometimes made it quite difficult to visualize what was actually happening in a scene. It took about 100 pages to get used to the writing, about the same length it felt it took for the author to settle into her own writing.
All-in-all, very unique concepts with some fun characters and an awesome location for everything to take place. But overall, I found this a bit of a mess and almost dropped it on several occasions. Personally, I doubt I’ll continue with the series.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Like everything I’ve read by P. Djèlí Clark, I loved The Haunting of Tram Car 015. Please read all of the Dead Djinn Universe!
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Firekeeper’s Daughter is hands down one of the best books I’ve ever read. This book is beautiful and devastating. I really am not the most emotional person, but this book had me in tears at points. Not sobbing, but definitely tears.
Thematically it touches on so many things - trauma, generational trauma, assault, sexual assault, drugs - and yet somehow it all felt balanced. No theme or part of the story felt short-changed. Everything got it’s proper due.
Daunis is one of my favorite and best YA protagonists I’ve ever read. She is smart, capable, emotional, and respectful. The two things I love most though are how she never, or almost never, comes off as overly melodramatic. Everything feels appropriate, not hammed up. And I love her connection and devotion to her Indigenous roots. They are a part of her, always have been, always will be. They are deeply ingrained into who she as a character is, not just something sprinkled on top.
This book is a must read, and it genuinely should be required reading for high school students. Utterly phenomenal.
Thematically it touches on so many things - trauma, generational trauma, assault, sexual assault, drugs - and yet somehow it all felt balanced. No theme or part of the story felt short-changed. Everything got it’s proper due.
Daunis is one of my favorite and best YA protagonists I’ve ever read. She is smart, capable, emotional, and respectful. The two things I love most though are how she never, or almost never, comes off as overly melodramatic. Everything feels appropriate, not hammed up. And I love her connection and devotion to her Indigenous roots. They are a part of her, always have been, always will be. They are deeply ingrained into who she as a character is, not just something sprinkled on top.
This book is a must read, and it genuinely should be required reading for high school students. Utterly phenomenal.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I’m not gonna lie, I was very surprised by Jade City. With a lot of recent fantasy I’ve noticed that YA-style melodrama has bled into a lot of the character. I’m not sure why, but I completely expected Jade City to be enjoyable, but mostly just another melodramatic urban fantasy romp. I was so wrong!
There was a surprising complexity to this story, from the plot to the characters and motivations to the themes throughout. The city is beautifully and wholly realized. All the characters are crystal clear, with their motivations and nuances brought through marvelously. The theme of familial and generational trauma in the mob/gang setting makes complete sense, and yet fits so much better than I would have expected. You feel for each of these characters, what they have suffered and how they’ve adapted to the world presented to them. Truly a fascinating and wonderful book!
I will be honest though. I’m not sure why, but I’m not sure if I will continue with the trilogy. I imagine I probably will. But while I was fully engrossed in the story and marvel at how well it was written, I cannot say that I was overly in love with it. Nothing was missing. Nothing at all. It just didn’t capture me as much as I would need to immediately run out and grab the sequels. I’ll probably finish the trilogy, but it will likely sit on the back-burner for a bit. But don’t take that as a reason to not read. Jade City is genuinely excellent and I definitely recommend it!
There was a surprising complexity to this story, from the plot to the characters and motivations to the themes throughout. The city is beautifully and wholly realized. All the characters are crystal clear, with their motivations and nuances brought through marvelously. The theme of familial and generational trauma in the mob/gang setting makes complete sense, and yet fits so much better than I would have expected. You feel for each of these characters, what they have suffered and how they’ve adapted to the world presented to them. Truly a fascinating and wonderful book!
I will be honest though. I’m not sure why, but I’m not sure if I will continue with the trilogy. I imagine I probably will. But while I was fully engrossed in the story and marvel at how well it was written, I cannot say that I was overly in love with it. Nothing was missing. Nothing at all. It just didn’t capture me as much as I would need to immediately run out and grab the sequels. I’ll probably finish the trilogy, but it will likely sit on the back-burner for a bit. But don’t take that as a reason to not read. Jade City is genuinely excellent and I definitely recommend it!
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
One of the things I liked most about The Blade Itself was how it felt like fantasy akin to the likes of The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss or The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, but it felt much more accessible. Both Ruthfuss and Sanderson write in a prose that is often overly dense, as well as meandering in the case of Rothfuss, or a feeling of superiority for Sanderson. Abercrombie writes in a style that is still challenging but much more accessible, something I must give immense credit for. That is not to say Rothfuss or Sanderson are bad, not at all. Both are incredible writers with wonderful worlds. They are just not as much for me. I find the need to meander or make it seem you’re the smartest guy in the room to often be a turn-off. But that’s just me. Additionally, I love Abercrombie’s ability to take the same style fantasy and also make it sardonic! Makes the humor hit in all the right spots!
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I remember reading Black Sun last year and thinking that I loved the world and the story. It was engrossing and so good! But I felt the writing itself lacking and was quite disappointed by that. I ended up not liking the book as much as most other people.
BUT, this is not the case for Fevered Star. Here, it is noticeable how much Rebecca Roanhorse has continued to improve as a writer. The writing itself feels significantly more refined and mature. It adds that much more to the wonderful world of Meridian.
BUT, this is not the case for Fevered Star. Here, it is noticeable how much Rebecca Roanhorse has continued to improve as a writer. The writing itself feels significantly more refined and mature. It adds that much more to the wonderful world of Meridian.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
As with A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe, this book was. Delight from start to finish! Just pure fun and I loved every minute!