spootilious's reviews
115 reviews

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

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reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Read: December 12, 2023
Title: The Empress of Salt and Fortune

Series: The Singing Hills Cycle #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 3 / 5
Review:

This was a very beautiful read. It wasn’t exciting or thrilling. It was a simple and beautiful story with a wonderful aesthetic and a folklore feel. The writing was soft and the imagery stunning. No real twists or turns but a story that is meant to be admired like a painting rather than devoured like a meal.

QUOTES:

“Angry mothers raise daughters fierce enough to fight wolves.”

“Honor is a light that brings trouble. Shadows are safer by far.”

Content Warnings

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein

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reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

Read: December 4, 2023
Title: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

Genre: Science Fiction

Rating: 3.5 / 5
Review:

I’ve noticed with this book that people either love it or they hate it and I can definitely see why.

This novel has been recommended to me so many times in the last few years that we I finally found a moment outside of work, school, family functions, and kids I had to pick it up. I have to admit I made quick work of the novel once I started, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed in the recommendation even if I usually don’t find myself reading Science Fiction.

The plot was… decent. I didn’t hate it but I don’t believe that is what is alluring to this novel. The plot is more of a roadway for everything else in this novel. The writing is very technical, which I am not quite use to but was extremely fitting for the POV of the main character which I very much appreciated. There was also a distinct lack of emotional awareness throughout the book making it a poor pull on the reader’s heart strings but also fitting to the POV and relieved somewhat by some of the supporting characters. There were also some very large chucks of information, statistics, physics etc information that were very difficult to digest and not adding much to the story.

With all that said, the mix of cultures in both the language used and the people described is fascinating and while I have always been aware that this is a trademark of Heinlen, seeing it in action is a work of art. His ideas of what the future would look like in this scenario are intriguing and, what I believe, are the causes for this novel winning so many literary awards and having such a large following. It’s not the plots or the characters, it is the questions it forces its readers to ask.

The original ideas of how relationships unfold, like the one the main character is in, the optimistic view of women’s power in a society where they are now so very rare. The gender roles of these women these are all very intriguing.

I also had the privilege of reading this novel for the first time in 2023. Fifty-eight years after the book was written and Fifty-two years before the book is said to take place. This gave me such a strange look into the past’s possible future and an examination of our own future. Obviously, there are things that will most likely never be and things that we’ve already surpassed which makes it all that much more interesting. Asking questions like why he considered a certain tech and not another, or where did we branch away from the foundation of the technology, he was seeing progress?

This work, more than anything, asks some hard-hitting political questions, especially about America. Heinlen paints a very stereotypical America from the 60’s still present and prideful in 2075. Is America this way today? Possibly… Will it be in fifty years? Also Possible… What will that look like? What are we today?

Bottom line: I loved this book. It is a conversation started and a question poser. Two of my favorite things.

QUOTES:

“I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.”

“Easier to get people to hate than to get them to love.”

TW: Child Death, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Grief, Gun Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical Trauma, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial Slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Slavery Violence, War, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Incest, Infertility.

Content Warnings

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

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dark emotional 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? No

1.5

Read: November 29, 2023
Title: Iron Flame

Series: The Empyrean #2

Author: Rebecca Yarros

Genre: New Adult Fantasy
Rating: 1.5 / 5
Review:

Let me start by saying, I’ve been trying…. SO HARD… to like this book and I just… Can’t.

I didn’t care much for the first either, but I’ve been hoping that the series will redeem itself… so far that has not happened.

Did I enjoy reading the book? I suppose so. Is the book good? Absolutely not.

There are two issues more than anything that stand out before I simply provide a list of what I liked and did not like about the book: 1. Yarros seriously needs to find an editor the writing is just terrible! And 2. There is ZERO originality in the series.

Okay… Onto the list of this I liked:
1. The story concept is a good one. And if another author (a skilled one) had written this story I’m sure I would have LOVED it.

2. I like Dragons.

Onto the list of things I didn’t like:

1. I don’t think Yarros understand that in order to build the climax of a story you have to have a consistent baseline that is lower than the climax itself. If the punches never stop then the ‘final blow’ won’t feel any different than the first 100 jabs. There is absolutely zero downtime between ‘big’ events throughout this book and thus the ending (and everything really) wasn’t memorable in the least. Yarros didn’t get herself space to build on when she set the base line on the same level as the climax of the book. Honestly, I’ve never read an author who wasn’t self aware enough (or skilled enough… whatever the case may be) to realize this and it’s EXTREMELY disappointing.

2. Almost all the characters (minus a small handful) weren’t memberable and very flat. I can’t even remember all of Violet’s squad members… I might be able to name… 3? And that’s after the merge. All the characters are 1 dimensional and unremarkable… Too many names not enough characters.

3. As mentioned in the things that I liked, the story is good. Which is a problem because Yarros isn’t. It makes the story disproportionate to the author’s skill level. Which is nothing against Yarros, no one starts off skilled, but when your story is better than your abilities it causes problems.

4. This, like Fourth Wing, felt like a young adult novel wanting to be adult by adding sex and violence. Not a good mix.

5. The main character is EXTREMELY hypocritical, expecting so much from so many people when she does the same exact things with no consequences.

6. There is no real character development for any of the main characters.

7. Violet once again gets away with EVERYTHING with practically no consequences, and conveniently finds the solution to all their problems every time just in time. (superman syndrome) Which is amusing considering this isn’t a ‘chosen one’ series.

8. The pacing is TERRIBLE. Which goes back to the whole jab jab punch thing. All jabs… no punches.

9. Every female character in this series are defined by male characters, with the exception of maybe 2 (Mira and Ri which are in the background).

10. Yarros keeps telling the reader how smart and strong and unique violet is but violets actions never really show it. She always has to be saved or comes to these big epiphanies when guided but not on her own. She doesn’t stand out.

11. Toxic relationship(s) on both (and every) side

12. So repetitive both in dialog and plot points.

13. The hole book felt like a scramble to try and fill in every plot hole found in book 1 while ignoring all the ones in book 2. Which means book 3 will probably be the same.

14. Honestly the entire novel felt like a regurgitated version of Twilight but with Dragons.

15. Which brings us back to the first issue of being completely unoriginal.

Content Warnings

No One Saw a Thing by Andrea Mara

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Read: November 6, 2023
Title: No One Saw a Thing

Author: Andrea Mara

Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3 / 5
Review:

I have to admit, I HATED this book AT FIRST. I recently read The Coworker by Freida McFadden which I would have given 0 stars if I could, but I’m getting off track. Like The Coworker, No One Saw a Thing didn’t have a single character I could root for (at first). Every single person introduced was just terrible people! So, I was really REALLY worried that this was going to be a repeat. I was very pleasantly surprised when it wasn’t.

Granted, the novel wasn’t a homerun, but I really enjoyed it. The writing was very repetitive (If I had to read ‘And then everything changed’ or ‘Everyone found out’ or [insert the same idea in different words here] I think I was going to rip the book apart), and a lot of the smaller ‘plot twists’ were extremely predictable (especially if you have kids). There were too many names thrown about all at once, so it was easy to get them all confused (though later in the books it’s a bit easier), and it was obvious that Mara had absolutely 0 trust in her audience to come to their own conclusions (though I have found this to be the case with most Mystery/Thriller writers today). And the main character is unrealistically dense when it comes to questioning some pretty big things.

All that being said, there were a few main plot twists that I wasn’t expecting (nothing earth shattering but enough to make me go ‘Ah, I see now’). The character development of Jude honestly made the whole book worth it for me. The plot was fairly neatly done, despite the cliffhangers being annoyingly (and unnecessarily) placed. The writing style was decent, and the pace was practically perfect. I’m definitely going to recommend this novel to others in the future.

Quotes:
“Just because someone else suffers more, it doesn’t mean we’re not suffering too. There’s always someone worse off and, by that logic, we’d never be allowed to admit to finding anything difficult at all.”

TW:
Kidnapping, Stalking, Toxic Friendship, Toxic Relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Classism, Cursing, Death, Death of Parent, Emotional Abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Pregnancy, Violence.

Content Warnings

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

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reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Read: October 29, 2023
Title: The Blue Castle

Author: LM Montgomery

Genre: Historical Romance
Rating: 2.5 / 5
Review:

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this novel. I have never read Anne of Green Gables, then again from what I have heard, this book is nothing like those. So, I suppose that is a good thing. Regardless, I was pleasantly surprised by The Blue Castle. It is certainly quaint and adorable but feels far different from any other historical piece I’ve read.

The Blue Castle and may things about it that I do not care for of course. The representation of woman alone is enough to have me sighing (though it was expected, the cruelty of these women were not), the beauty standards as well were repetitively shoved in the readers’ face and the amount of time the main character was called ‘Not pretty’ to her face was quite annoying. The story line was extremely predictable and at points the author grew a bit longwinded on subject that weren’t relevant to the plot; and many of the characters were interchangeable to the point I couldn’t remember who was who.

All that being said, I enjoyed this book immensely. The writing was beautiful. Despite the lengthy bits, the story only seemed to drag in the first half of the novel but really picked up midway. The premise was adorable and I love the moral even if the ending was utterly unrealistic.

Quotes:
“Fear is the original sin. Almost all of the evil in the world has its origin in the fact that someone is afraid of something. It is a cold slimy serpent coiling about you. It is horrible to live with fear; and it is of all things degrading.”

TW:
Body Shaming, Chronic Illness, Classism, Cursing, Emotional Abuse, Gaslighting, Religious Bigotry, Terminal Illness.

Content Warnings

Solomon's Crown by Natasha Siegel

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slow-paced

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

3.5

Read: October 17, 2023
Title: Solomon’s Crown

Author: Natasha Siegal

Genre: Historical Fiction / LGBTQ Romance
Rating: 3.5 / 5
Review:

This book was very cute. There was no real feeling of suspense or worry despite the subjects of war and the like. So, I would classify the novel as a ‘Cozy’ Historical Fiction though I am unsure if others would agree.

The prose was beautiful and well written, reminding me a log of Song of Achilles, and each character was well rounded and unique.

This book was given such a high rating, not because I enjoyed it (tbh I was quite bored with most of it, though it’s obvious that I am not the target audience) but rather because I can not find many faults with the book. The two that I did find were simply that the book’s pace was slow and monotonous, and there were many repetitive aspects of the main characters.

Overall, though, It was definitely a solid read and highly recommend it to individuals that enjoy Historical Fiction and Cozy LGBT novels.

Quotes:
N/A

TW:
Minor: War, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death, and Adult/minor relationship

Content Warnings

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

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

2.0

Read: October 11, 2023
Title: Fourth Wing
Series: The Empyrean #1
Author: Rebecca Yarros
Genre: New Adult Fantasy
Rating: 2/5
Review:

I won’t say that I didn’t enjoy this book…. Honestly, if I didn’t enjoy reading it I wouldn’t have given it 2 stars… it would have been lucky to have 1.

I could spend pages discussing what I didn’t like about the book but instead I’ll list the things I like and disliked then put some notes at the end.

Dislikes first because there are so many:

· This book would have been better if it wasn’t in first person.

· The writing is very juvenile

· The storyline is unbelievably predictable (including the ‘twist’ at the end)

· The plot may have worked better without such a heavy focus on the romance.

· The romance includes EVERY single cliché I can think of (and I do enjoy dark romances so it’s not that I don’t like a good romance… it just need to be… not bad.)

· Repetitive

· The worldbuilding is extremely lacking.

· The protagonist basically gets away with everything

· The protagonist has not self-accountability

· The objectification of other sexes

· I’m unable to find a single original idea in the plot.

· So many plot holes!

· Endless use of the words Fuck and Hot

· The dialog is TERRIBLE.

· Every character is unbelievably immature (including leadership and the parents).

Likes:

· Liam is definitely a gem.

· The plot was entertaining if unoriginal.

Ok, so digging into the details. I have a feeling that if Yarros chose third person for this book it wouldn’t feel so immature or cringe worthy because we wouldn’t be listening to a lot of the cliches that are present. The writing feels like it should be a YA book and not New Adult (though the sex is obviously what pushed it into the category) I probably would have enjoyed this WAY more if it was YA. This was a book club book for us and I made my predictions less than 100 pages into the book about the war and how the book would end and sadly I wasn’t wrong, though it may be because Yarros seemed to take bits and pieces of all the best selling fantasy franchises (particularly ones that have been made into movies) and copy and pasted them into this one after just changing some names.

I love a good romance, especially enemy to lovers with some really dark themes… but this felt, once again… juvenile, forced, and utterly cringe, and to be honest I’m too lazy to provide examples but pick a page at random and I’m sure the main character feels tingling at the back of her neck because the man in question entered the room, or her body heats because she glanced at him, or his core turned to liquid…. Which brings me to my next point, the back and forth and romance between the two main characters were so repetitive that it was almost painful and I really just wanted to skip it all and get back to the story.

The world building is lacking as well. The reader only get tidbits here and there and only if the author thinks its necessary but because of this the sense of the world is so vague it hurts. The reader should know a lot more about the war, considering that this is taking place in a school for military cadets that will be fighting on the front lines… instead it’s ‘guys with griffins are the enemies and they’re attacking us’. Okay…. Who are they? Why do they attack? Did they use to be part of us and broke away? That would make sense with the whole unification thing… Are they attacking the government or just the land…. Etc etc. (this is just an example and the answers can be inferred but they’re never truly explained).

Moving on to the main character who basically undermines her leadership and is constantly insubordinate and breaks practically every rule and never gets in trouble for it. She also never takes responsibility for herself. Everything is always because she’s too small or fragile or because of someone else… and I’m not here for it.

I’m gonna skim over the objectification of the sexes, because it doesn’t need explaining. As mentioned above the story line seems to be cut and paste from a lot of very popular franchises. When I started reading I even mentioned to my buddy that it reminded me of Hunger Games, then Harry Potter, Mulan, Game of Thrones… I could go on. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find a single original aspect to the story, which I was a little disappointed in because, as I said, I enjoyed the read… But then again who wouldn’t if its made up of some of the best and most consumed fantasy entertainment out there.

The plot holes were bothersome for me. I won’t go into too much details to avoid spoilers, but specifically the final War Game. It he main character is so smart then why isn’t she asking questions about the control of the enemy to participate it in, or how could she not come to the conclusion of both betrayals on her own… That along with the reasons the failings are happening and the 400 yr verses 600 year thing… Idk… It’s super bothering me though.

The last three dislikes roll together honestly. I’m so sick of the words Fuck and Hot that I’m ready to pull my hair out. The dialog sounds like a bunch of horny kids just reaching puberty. Actually that’s not fair to the kids… The characters themselves acted that way as well. Even the ‘adults’ or leadership figures were immature even if they didn’t have that kind of dialog. I mean… Violets mother was so one dimensional it was painful. Evil step mother vibes much?

I can’t even justify my likes. The only character I found the least bit rounded was Liam. Which I can’t say more about… So… yea.

Will I recommend this book? Yes, absolutely. To those individuals that love to read YA and are looking for a step into New Adult or Fantasy Romance like The Cruel Prince or ACOTAR or something similar and have never really been interested in High Fantasy.

Will I read book 2? Also yes, as I said I enjoyed the book and despite all my dislikes of it would come back for more. I think its important to realize that something can be objectively mediocre or bad and still have value/still be enjoyable. If it wasn’t we wouldn’t have junk food XP

Quotes:
“One generation to change the text. One generation chooses to teach that text. The next grows, and the lie becomes history.”

Content Warnings

Every Duke Has His Day by Suzanne Enoch

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Read: October 2, 2023
Title: Every Duke Has His Day

Author: Suzanne Enoch
Genre: Cozy Regency
Rating: 2.5/5
Review:

This was an adorable Cozy Regency Romance. I’d say it’s a far less spicy Bridgerton (Queen Charlotte specifically) meets 101 Dalmatians. The writing is well done and the characters are well rounded though the storyline is a bit unoriginal and falls flat. Its cute and fun but I doubt anything would be lost if it were skimmed rather than read. Honestly, it’s a bit longer than necessary. Still, it was enjoyable enough. I’ll probably recommend it to cozy romance readers in the future. A decent novel.

Quotes:
N/A

The Coworker by Freida McFadden

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dark slow-paced

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

0.0

Read: September 25, 2023
Title: The Coworker

Author: Freida McFadden
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 0/5
Review:

I’ve been trying to think of something good to say about this book. I really have. The closest thing I can say is that it wasn’t entirely predictable. The ‘plot twist’ wasn’t too surprising and most of the plot holes were tied up…. But that’s as far as I can go with nice things to say.

To start off, the writing style is extremely immature. It almost feels like I’m reading a fifteen-year old’s first attempt at a thriller novel. I’ve noticed that many people think that it’s due to the main character’s personality and I’m happy that like it, however, with the main characters being so one dimensional I can’t agree.

Natalie is written like a stereotypical B*mbo (I apologize for my choice of words, but it was the best descriptor I could think of), and Dawn is written like the only autistic representation the author has ever experienced is Rain man. The only personality traits are the Nat is considered pretty and Dawn really likes turtles. Honestly it made me want to vomit.

Surprisingly enough the only characters in the entire book that didn’t seem one dimensional were the men… and even then, only barely.

The way the office was written made it obvious that the author has no experience with an office environment and the way the police work was written was sloppy and seemed to have no research done whatsoever (though I may be a bit bias, having worked Law Enforcement).

Fifteen minutes into this novel and I knew I was going to despise it, though I did my best not to, I haven’t found a decent reason to feel otherwise. Overall, the storytelling was boring and flat, the characters were detestable and dull, and the ‘thriller’ part of the book maybe lasted 3-4 minutes before being utterly ruined by the fact that there is not a single redeeming quality to any of the characters, and the terrible, grotesque, and dehumanizing representation of autism in this novel makes me sick to my stomach. I would have called it quits on this novel but wanted to give it a complete chance and finished it… which only made my distaste worst.

I feel terrible having to write such a terrible review and giving the lowest (though I wish I could go lower) review I have ever provided but felt even worse as I was reading.

Minor TW: Death, Self-harm, Vomit, Confinement, Murder, Violence, Suicide, Blood, Ableism, Bullying, Child Death, Emotional Abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Stalking

Quotes:

N/A

Content Warnings

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-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? No

4.0

Read: September 12, 2023
Title: Tress of the Emerald Sea
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
Review:

The biggest take away for this review is that this novel was loads of fun with such a unique world and wonderful characters.

The details: I am no stranger to Brandon Sanderson. I adore his work! That being said Tress of the Emerald Sea, which having the feel of many of his other works, is something unto itself.

The novel is fun and whimsical, with characters that are so lovable it hurts and villains that are just as loath-able. The nods to other worlds and characters in the cosmere is ever present which could be a bit confusing to a casual Sanderson reader (rather than the dedicated ones) but not so much so that it takes too much away from the story.

Sanderson has always had a talent for writing women and there is no exception here.

The world building is stunning (as expected) and so unique (also as expected).

Now, despite all of this it is not a 5 star book in my opinion. The ‘twists’ of the novel are extremely predictable. Perhaps this might be because I have read too much of Sanderson’s works but regardless, I found more of the world building (particularly the spores and interactions with them) far more surprising and intriguing than the actual plot ‘twists’. Though, I find that I am very rarely surprised but plot twists now a day, so perhaps it is just me.

I will also say that one of the signatures of a Brandon Sanderson book is it’s explosive and captivating ending. It is something I have come to expect and is typically delivered, and while the ending of this novel is fast paced and entertaining I would not categorize it as explosive (at least not figuratively) nor captivating. That is not to say that it wasn’t good, far from it, the ending was practically perfect. It was simply not what I had come to expect from a Sanderson novel, it seemed to fall just a tad bit short of my expectations; the book as a whole however met them all head on.

I loved this novel and will be recommending it as a wonderful first step into the Cosmere!

Minor TW: Death, Self harm, Vomit, Confinement, Murder, Slavery, War, Violence, Suicide, Classism, Blood, Guns.

Quotes:

If you wish to become a storyteller, here is a hint: sell your labor, but not your mind.

One of the great tragedies of life is knowing how many people in the world are made to soar, paint, sing, or steer—except they never get the chance to find out.

If bravery is the wind that makes us soar like kites, fear is the string that keeps us from going too far.

More twisted than a librarian’s love life (trust me, they’re a strange bunch)

You can’t taste a memory without tainting it with who you have become.

Memories are fossils, the bones left by dead versions of ourselves.

Worry has weight, and is an infinitely renewable resource.

After spending ages walking around with everyone piling bricks in your arms, it can throw you off balance when someone removes a brick to carry for you.

If we let it, memory can make shadows of the now, as nothing can match the buttressed legends of our past.

Content Warnings

More...

spootilious's reviews 115 reviews

spootilious's reviews
115 reviews