spacerkip's reviews
253 reviews

Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins - Yasha Nydoorin by Cecil Castellucci, Ashley Johnson, Matthew Mercer

dark emotional

2.0

The story was enjoyable, but the artstyle nearly made me put it down

Spy x Family, Vol. 3 by Tatsuya Endo

funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This series continues to be so charming

When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

3.0

A powerful story about a part of US history it's tried so hard to ignore. The detached and impersonal writing style wasn't quite to my taste, so it didn't have as hard of an impact on me. I can definitely see it appealing to fans of more literary fiction. Emotions don't come across through the words on the page, but more through the things that aren't said/described. That being said, I think it will linger with me for quite a while. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Animal death, Confinement, and Death

Minor: Racial slurs, Torture, and War

Spy x Family, Vol. 2 by Tatsuya Endo

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Spy x Family, Vol. 1 by Tatsuya Endo

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

 This premise is like my own personal catnip 

Gloom Town by Ronald L. Smith

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

It was an excitable enough story - albeit plainly-written - but then the timeskip made it dive into "insufferably boring" territory about two thirds of the way though.

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
Did not finish book. Stopped at 43%.

The writing style felt very juvenile and clashed too much with the gravity of the subject matter. I didn't find that the historical Chinese influence melded well with the sci-fi setting. It could have! But it needed more work for the two to actually feel cohesive. Most glaringly, this supposed to be a feminist work, but the actual feminism that's presented lacks any kind of nuance. It reads like the Spooky Scary Bad Feminism my conservative household talked about growing up, rather than anything thoughtful or conversation-starting. Made it just shy of halfway before realizing I wasn't enjoying myself.

Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta

adventurous tense medium-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

MAN this was such a good one. Starting a Lancer game this past spring has encouraged me to dip my toes back into science fiction, and this was a wonderful reintroduction to the genre. I love violent, unflinchingly angry girl protagonists. I love romantic side plots that focus more on the universal human need to protect and care for each other. I have discovered that I love giant robots.

The Daughters of Ys by M.T. Anderson

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0