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slowreaderpeter's Reviews (208)
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
This one is very difficult to explain. Parts of it are vivid and atmospheric, parts feel like pieces are missing. Overall an interesting read that I’m happy I read, but probably not one I intend on revisiting.
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This was a fascinating read. I had expected it to continue to grow and grow and grow and get unwieldy in its scale of an epic conflict. And then, instead, it was a deeply intimate and introspective work of literature.
I found the themes came through incredibly strong, but not in a way that smacks you in the face. They were intelligently done. The story explored propaganda (and how personally earth-shattering it is to wake up from that), censorship, racism, nationalism, forms of trauma, and an expanded and broad-encompassing look at toxic masculinity.
This book was so much more than I had expected it to be. The writing genuinely surprised me, and I found some of the character and thematic work to be so vivid and strong. In many ways it reminded me of Babel by R. F. Kuang, but with the addition of some exceptionally written action sequences.
I found the themes came through incredibly strong, but not in a way that smacks you in the face. They were intelligently done. The story explored propaganda (and how personally earth-shattering it is to wake up from that), censorship, racism, nationalism, forms of trauma, and an expanded and broad-encompassing look at toxic masculinity.
This book was so much more than I had expected it to be. The writing genuinely surprised me, and I found some of the character and thematic work to be so vivid and strong. In many ways it reminded me of Babel by R. F. Kuang, but with the addition of some exceptionally written action sequences.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
While I’ll start by saying Sheine Lende is not as good as Elatsoe, it’s still a wonderful novel. The story, at times, isn’t quite as tight and the is a bit slower paced. It can meander a smidge, but it all ultimately serves to flesh out the world and characters.
Little Badger chose a very interesting storytelling decision for the final third of the book that took me a bit by surprise, but I found it quite interesting and am curious how other people took it.
And while it didn’t wrap everything up in a nice neat little bow, I think this was the exact ending this story needed, and I applaud Little Badger for taking that risk.
At this point, one of my favorite authors and I will read all of her books.
Little Badger chose a very interesting storytelling decision for the final third of the book that took me a bit by surprise, but I found it quite interesting and am curious how other people took it.
And while it didn’t wrap everything up in a nice neat little bow, I think this was the exact ending this story needed, and I applaud Little Badger for taking that risk.
At this point, one of my favorite authors and I will read all of her books.
adventurous
fast-paced
This book was honestly pretty frustrating. Reading the first two books in the trilogy I was engaged and having a lot of fun. I had some qualms about decisions I wouldn’t have personally made, but still found the execution to be quite good and overall enjoyable, and I was surprised by the quality of writing. With Catalyst Gate however, I found myself struggling to want to finish or get enjoyment. The first half felt a bit messy and meandering, making things unnecessarily muddy before a big reveal around the halfway point of the book. When that happened, I had hoped to be more engaged going forward, as I did like the way the reveal had been done. But then almost the entire second half of the book felt a bit generic space opera-y. It was messy and had a bad balance of character/action/and plot. While I really wanted to like this one, ultimately I was just happy to get through it, as I almost quit on it a few times.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I was actually rather surprised by this book. I had heard about it floating around booktube a bit, but it was still one of those books that has flown under the radar.
First, I was surprised by the author’s voice, the actual writing. It was more complex than I expected, and in some ways felt a bit throwback in style, not quite what I had become accustomed to in most modern novels. In some ways it reminded me of The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee, but distinct in its own way. I also found the way Barker used gendered phrasing and terminology to be both fascinating and subversive of conventional language, which was very cool to see.
Next, the world building was phenomenal. And what I also appreciated was that the world building was not all front loaded (though, there was a ton to adjust to in the beginning as you, the reader, gets used to the language choices). The world building continued to develop and grow throughout the book, and by the end I felt I was just scratching the surface of a much broader world.
Third (ignore I didn’t use second above), the characters were all very interesting. In some ways they’re all similar, in others they’re all unique. They all feel as though they naturally exist in this world, and in that way similar, but at the same time you can feel how distinct they all are. The individual baggage they come with. And it made for a very rich reading experience.
Fourth, pacing. Now, this book starts slow. Part of that is your brain is adjusting to the language and terminology, part is the actual pacing, but the first 100 pages or so do move slower than the rest of the book, and the final third feels practically racing by comparison. Not in a bad way though, and it certainly doesn’t feel disjointed. I would say though, that with all the events in here, it felt as though there were multiple conclusions to this book, and I was concerned it might be dragging a smidge too long, or including events that should maybe wait for the next book. But by the end, I totally understood the inclusion of everything.
In conclusion, this is a fascinating and unique world, and I was very impressed by the writing from start to finish. I would definitely recommend this book to any fan of fantasy, of dragons and creatures, and fun swashbuckling adventure.
First, I was surprised by the author’s voice, the actual writing. It was more complex than I expected, and in some ways felt a bit throwback in style, not quite what I had become accustomed to in most modern novels. In some ways it reminded me of The Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee, but distinct in its own way. I also found the way Barker used gendered phrasing and terminology to be both fascinating and subversive of conventional language, which was very cool to see.
Next, the world building was phenomenal. And what I also appreciated was that the world building was not all front loaded (though, there was a ton to adjust to in the beginning as you, the reader, gets used to the language choices). The world building continued to develop and grow throughout the book, and by the end I felt I was just scratching the surface of a much broader world.
Third (ignore I didn’t use second above), the characters were all very interesting. In some ways they’re all similar, in others they’re all unique. They all feel as though they naturally exist in this world, and in that way similar, but at the same time you can feel how distinct they all are. The individual baggage they come with. And it made for a very rich reading experience.
Fourth, pacing. Now, this book starts slow. Part of that is your brain is adjusting to the language and terminology, part is the actual pacing, but the first 100 pages or so do move slower than the rest of the book, and the final third feels practically racing by comparison. Not in a bad way though, and it certainly doesn’t feel disjointed. I would say though, that with all the events in here, it felt as though there were multiple conclusions to this book, and I was concerned it might be dragging a smidge too long, or including events that should maybe wait for the next book. But by the end, I totally understood the inclusion of everything.
In conclusion, this is a fascinating and unique world, and I was very impressed by the writing from start to finish. I would definitely recommend this book to any fan of fantasy, of dragons and creatures, and fun swashbuckling adventure.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
This is such a conflicting and difficult book for me to review. I desperately wanted to love it, and just couldn’t quite get there.
Lefteri’s prose is uneven throughout the book. Parts are some of the most beautiful and poetic passages you can imagine, and some just feel clunky and meandering trying to force metaphor or allusion in a way that doesn’t quite work. Parts of the story are tragic and compelling, and other drag for far longer than they should.
Minor spoilerI found the portion of the book that took place in Athens went on for far too long, and at times it felt like Lefteri was attempting to add a smidge of magical realism to the story, but didn’t want fully commit to this idea here. After reading the author’s note at the end, based on her own personal experiences it makes complete sense why this section would be so long and extra time devoted to it. But I do think it is the most difficult section to get through and dragged significantly.
On the whole, I would say this was a good but uneven reading experience. Perhaps I was not in the complete right headspace for this book, and one day may come back and revisit. Despite my complaints, I would say it is still of value in this world for the themes and topics it is trying to convey.
Lefteri’s prose is uneven throughout the book. Parts are some of the most beautiful and poetic passages you can imagine, and some just feel clunky and meandering trying to force metaphor or allusion in a way that doesn’t quite work. Parts of the story are tragic and compelling, and other drag for far longer than they should.
Minor spoiler
On the whole, I would say this was a good but uneven reading experience. Perhaps I was not in the complete right headspace for this book, and one day may come back and revisit. Despite my complaints, I would say it is still of value in this world for the themes and topics it is trying to convey.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
This book was delightful and charming start to finish. I can absolutely see how it started this most recent craze of cozy fantasy. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it definitely helped get my brain out of a funk.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Oh this was delightful! As tends to be the case with Clark. Plenty of fun jabs at various topics and a healthy dose of action. The final act was a twist not yet seen by Clark, and I was probably way more amused for that reason! Definitely recommend.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
This was quite good fun! I love a good timey-wimey story, and was honestly disappointed with the first book for branching away from that. But was pleasantly surprised where it went after. And, am happy to say, this kept things right on going!
One thing I love about O’Keefe’s writing so far is it feels very space opera without being bogged down in fake technobabble. Beyond that, it’s just very readable as a series with a fast-moving plot and a collection of characters you like. I also really appreciate that the story doesn’t get held up or distracted with unnecessary subplots. Everything that occurs in the story has a purpose and ultimately connects.
Finally, I found the conspiracies and plot twists to be quite believable within the universe. Nothing felt out of place or like it had a massive plot hole. Which also made the themes feel like they actually latched onto the story, the world, and weren’t forced onto it.
Overall, a solid and good space opera with deceptively strong writing. The themes aren’t the biggest throughout, but the ideas introduced near the end go in a direction I both love and was not expecting. Am looking forward to completing the series!
One thing I love about O’Keefe’s writing so far is it feels very space opera without being bogged down in fake technobabble. Beyond that, it’s just very readable as a series with a fast-moving plot and a collection of characters you like. I also really appreciate that the story doesn’t get held up or distracted with unnecessary subplots. Everything that occurs in the story has a purpose and ultimately connects.
Finally, I found the conspiracies and plot twists to be quite believable within the universe. Nothing felt out of place or like it had a massive plot hole. Which also made the themes feel like they actually latched onto the story, the world, and weren’t forced onto it.
Overall, a solid and good space opera with deceptively strong writing. The themes aren’t the biggest throughout, but the ideas introduced near the end go in a direction I both love and was not expecting. Am looking forward to completing the series!
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this one.
Asunder was such an interesting and conflicting book and it took me a couple days to figure out how to write this. There were some really excellent and interesting parts of this book, some parts that were vivid and illustrative in their descriptions that I loved. And there were also parts that felt messy and incomplete and I couldn’t visualize anything. And that feels a bit a summary of the whole experience reading this book. It kind of went all or nothing throughout.
The book starts by dropping you into the middle of an investigation of sorts (don’t worry, no spoilers here), and right from the jump this leaves you feeling like you are playing catchup. Structurally the story then has to take you through a series of events and explanations that fill in all the details from beforehand and provide a lot of context and exposition. And this goes on for quite a long time. So, although you are dropped in the middle of the action, it takes forever for things to start rolling and moving along. While I found bits and pieces interesting, I wouldn’t say I got proper INTEREST or engagement until around 150 pages in. But this point of interest happened during what felt like a side quest to the main story.
Without going too much more into things, at the end I felt things wrapped up too abruptly. The pacing of the book felt a little all over the place at times. Certain things were drawn out for unnecessary lengths of time, and then big important moments feel almost afterthoughts for how short they are.
I was also not aware this was going to be the first book in a series, and I kept waiting for events to develop to conclude inside this same book. Which didn’t really happen.
Overall, it’s a unique and interesting world, with a fascinating magic system(s) (though I do wish parts of these were explained or at least described in better detail earlier in the story), and a story that has potential, but that never quite felt like it all gelled together at the same time. I can blame part of this on pacing, but some of it is also poor descriptions. My complaints about the rushed ending aside, I would say the book gets stronger as it goes along, and by the end I am curious about the sequel. But I would definitely like to see better pacing addressed.
Asunder was such an interesting and conflicting book and it took me a couple days to figure out how to write this. There were some really excellent and interesting parts of this book, some parts that were vivid and illustrative in their descriptions that I loved. And there were also parts that felt messy and incomplete and I couldn’t visualize anything. And that feels a bit a summary of the whole experience reading this book. It kind of went all or nothing throughout.
The book starts by dropping you into the middle of an investigation of sorts (don’t worry, no spoilers here), and right from the jump this leaves you feeling like you are playing catchup. Structurally the story then has to take you through a series of events and explanations that fill in all the details from beforehand and provide a lot of context and exposition. And this goes on for quite a long time. So, although you are dropped in the middle of the action, it takes forever for things to start rolling and moving along. While I found bits and pieces interesting, I wouldn’t say I got proper INTEREST or engagement until around 150 pages in. But this point of interest happened during what felt like a side quest to the main story.
Without going too much more into things, at the end I felt things wrapped up too abruptly. The pacing of the book felt a little all over the place at times. Certain things were drawn out for unnecessary lengths of time, and then big important moments feel almost afterthoughts for how short they are.
I was also not aware this was going to be the first book in a series, and I kept waiting for events to develop to conclude inside this same book. Which didn’t really happen.
Overall, it’s a unique and interesting world, with a fascinating magic system(s) (though I do wish parts of these were explained or at least described in better detail earlier in the story), and a story that has potential, but that never quite felt like it all gelled together at the same time. I can blame part of this on pacing, but some of it is also poor descriptions. My complaints about the rushed ending aside, I would say the book gets stronger as it goes along, and by the end I am curious about the sequel. But I would definitely like to see better pacing addressed.