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spellvexit7's reviews
143 reviews
Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
Did not finish book. Stopped at 47%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 47%.
There was a lot to like about this book: the writing was witty and playful, the settings were varied, the plotting was unconventional, and beets were prominently featured. But about halfway through the book my interest was truly waning; it simply seemed to be meandering too much. While I initially liked Alobar and Kudra, their dynamic grew a bit tiresome and their narrative seemed to crowd out the other characters. I'm sure the threads were unified at or near the end, but with so many good books to read and with such a backlog, I simply moved on.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
The opening few chapters were disturbing for me in regards to the treatment of the mermaid. It does get less uncomfortable after that, though I think it's apparent early on that this tale is not going to end in rainbows and sunshine. It was a beautiful, earthy ride, with characters and cultures depicted with nuance and care.
While I found the narrative arc of this book to be fairly predictable, it really was more of a fairy tale than a tale rife with surprise plot twists. The descriptions of the mermaid were particularly striking, and the narration switches between different styles, points of view, and even dialects. I did find myself wishing for a small glossary for some of the local terminology (pot hounds, steupsed, and dou dou come to mind), but it's nothing a bit of Internet sleuthing wouldn't address.
While I found the narrative arc of this book to be fairly predictable, it really was more of a fairy tale than a tale rife with surprise plot twists. The descriptions of the mermaid were particularly striking, and the narration switches between different styles, points of view, and even dialects. I did find myself wishing for a small glossary for some of the local terminology (pot hounds, steupsed, and dou dou come to mind), but it's nothing a bit of Internet sleuthing wouldn't address.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Torture and Violence
Minor: Racism
The Star and the Strange Moon by Constance Sayers
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual harassment
Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
This book baffled me. At times the writing style, especially the dialogue, seemed artless and naive. If you had told me this book was written in English, translated to another language, then translated back to English, I would have thought that plausible. At the same time, its simplicity was kind of refreshing. I found myself enjoying the unadorned descriptions of their travels and even the mundane tasks they performed.
Other times, especially near the end, there were gleeful depictions of horrific torture and suffering. While I enjoyed that the least, and started skimming a rather lengthy torture porn section, I ironically found this to be some of Goodkind's most compelling writing.
There were some big ideas in this book: love vs hate, difficult choices, everything having a price, and so forth. These themes were delivered with such a heavy hand that even though I got through to the end, I can't tell if this novel was successful with me.
Other times, especially near the end, there were gleeful depictions of horrific torture and suffering. While I enjoyed that the least, and started skimming a rather lengthy torture porn section, I ironically found this to be some of Goodkind's most compelling writing.
There were some big ideas in this book: love vs hate, difficult choices, everything having a price, and so forth. These themes were delivered with such a heavy hand that even though I got through to the end, I can't tell if this novel was successful with me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Violence
Moderate: Gore and Sexual violence
Minor: Suicide
Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
While I thought the prose was well-written, and even quite beautiful in places, my chief complaint was all of the table setting in the first third of the book, which hamstrung forward progress. There were so many pauses in conversations and actions where the reader was taken aside for a giant lore dump -- as a result, the pacing was fitful and a bit frustrating. I'm also discovering that I need to like my protagonists to truly enjoy stories, yet Emory was a sullen, uninteresting drip for the most part, misplacing her trust in painfully and obviously misguided ways. As another reviewer noted, I'm also tired of love triangles. I realize this is a YA novel and it comes with the territory, but having an unlovable main character made the triangle even more grating.
Zero Sum Game by S.L. Huang
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence