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slowreaderpeter's Reviews (212)
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.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Oh this book was delightful! A bit of a clunky first chapter or so, as it drops you into the action a bit unceremoniously, but once it settles in and you understand what’s going on, it’s a very fun time till the end!
It’s rapid paced and the themes are surprisingly strong and done in innovative ways. I would definitely recommend this book!
It’s rapid paced and the themes are surprisingly strong and done in innovative ways. I would definitely recommend this book!
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
This book is, at times, a bit messy. And at times it feels both very dated and insanely of the moment (2024). It’s VERY critical of toxic masculinity (the main antagonist would absolutely refer to himself as an “Alpha” in today’s society), as well as xenophobia, racism, and war/violence. Out of context, the themes almost come across as a rant on 21st century America.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
This series is delightful and charming. I very much liked how this book appears to set up the rest of the series.
adventurous
sad
fast-paced
A solid finale. I think of the trilogy, Black Sun is still the strongest. The story and worldbuilding and execution is all top notch. In retrospect I found Fevered Star to be a bit forgettable, falling into middle book syndrome. So, at times, this book was a struggle as I tried to remember the events of book 2. But this book was definitely better than that. It’s definitely not earth shatteringly good or anything, but it’s fun and different and overall worth the read, especially for the diversity of its place in fantasy books.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found the beginning of this book to be a bit messy and disorienting. Wells didn’t do the best job of tying it to its previous entry or recapping the information from it (this book is a sequel to Murderbot #5, not #6). Add to that the mystery of what information is being withheld to begin the book, and it takes a good bit to really feel comfortable and settled in the story. Overall I’d say the first third is a mixed-bag result, but I understand the idea Wells was going for.
That said, once you do settle into the story it’s just as fun and enjoyable and comforting as the rest of the Murderbot books. I really enjoyed the changing main theme or motif throughout as it explored trauma and how that is processed, how we can learn to understand or identify it. It’s a good evolution of this series and themes within.
That said, once you do settle into the story it’s just as fun and enjoyable and comforting as the rest of the Murderbot books. I really enjoyed the changing main theme or motif throughout as it explored trauma and how that is processed, how we can learn to understand or identify it. It’s a good evolution of this series and themes within.
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
This was honestly. Really fascinating read. Not sure how much of it I agree or disagree with currently, but it made me think.
The final 1/4 or 1/5 of the book did drag a bit and felt like those moments in an anime where you have a character waxing philosophies that sounds more profound than they actually are when you unpack them.
The final 1/4 or 1/5 of the book did drag a bit and felt like those moments in an anime where you have a character waxing philosophies that sounds more profound than they actually are when you unpack them.