Take a photo of a barcode or cover
the_midwest_library's Reviews (795)
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
"the hastily dug graves vast against the horizon, like goose bumps on the flesh of the earth."
"it is destiny for facts to be fiercely contested"
I have no words grand enough to describe the impact of this book and the pain I feel in my soul that it had to be written at all and that such realities will continue to be written in our futures.
"it is destiny for facts to be fiercely contested"
I have no words grand enough to describe the impact of this book and the pain I feel in my soul that it had to be written at all and that such realities will continue to be written in our futures.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
This seductive tale follows the lives of several women, as they carry their desires, longings, pain and secrets throughout time. I adored this lesbian vampire story, and I'm glad that V.E. Schwab was able to release it into the world for us all to enjoy.
The prose was magnificent of course, dripping with desire and painting uniquely vivid realities for all our main characters. Each POV was strong, and the side characters for the most part really enhanced the overall story.
I found the plot overall to be a little predictable especially at the end. There was a scene or two that felt very "okay now that everyone is here let's discuss THE PLOT" which is a nitpick for sure. My only other gripe was with pacing which seemed to meander at times in and out of focus.
The characters are where this story shines, and why I will always be Schwabs fan, she just knows what I want especially in her female characters. This book has excellent introspection on desire, freedom, and hunger and overall I really loved it.
The prose was magnificent of course, dripping with desire and painting uniquely vivid realities for all our main characters. Each POV was strong, and the side characters for the most part really enhanced the overall story.
I found the plot overall to be a little predictable especially at the end. There was a scene or two that felt very "okay now that everyone is here let's discuss THE PLOT" which is a nitpick for sure. My only other gripe was with pacing which seemed to meander at times in and out of focus.
The characters are where this story shines, and why I will always be Schwabs fan, she just knows what I want especially in her female characters. This book has excellent introspection on desire, freedom, and hunger and overall I really loved it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
Whoa, I finished!!
This was a feat, and a journey that I'm glad I finally started. Classic fantasy at its best, truly this was a wonderful read. But boy oh boy is this world slow and a bit dense. That doesn't bother me per se, but for a lot of readers the length and drawn out movement of the plot will be a hurdle they fail to clear.
I enjoyed our MC, a young boy with dead parents, who was raised in the kitchens of the castle always underfoot. He finds himself taken under the wing of a mysterious elder within the castle who teaches him history, and some other life lessons. Those lessons are short lived (I mean come on you see where this is going) as our MC finds himself in the center of a larger political and magical plot.
The side characters were great, I enjoyed them a ton, the politics are intense at times. Lots of names, lots of places, lots of history but it all comes together really nicely. The writing is fabulous, even though this book is objectively SLOW I was always into it and wanting to read more. I will continue in this world, I just need a few buffer books to balance this one out before diving into book 2 hahaha
This was a feat, and a journey that I'm glad I finally started. Classic fantasy at its best, truly this was a wonderful read. But boy oh boy is this world slow and a bit dense. That doesn't bother me per se, but for a lot of readers the length and drawn out movement of the plot will be a hurdle they fail to clear.
I enjoyed our MC, a young boy with dead parents, who was raised in the kitchens of the castle always underfoot. He finds himself taken under the wing of a mysterious elder within the castle who teaches him history, and some other life lessons. Those lessons are short lived (I mean come on you see where this is going) as our MC finds himself in the center of a larger political and magical plot.
The side characters were great, I enjoyed them a ton, the politics are intense at times. Lots of names, lots of places, lots of history but it all comes together really nicely. The writing is fabulous, even though this book is objectively SLOW I was always into it and wanting to read more. I will continue in this world, I just need a few buffer books to balance this one out before diving into book 2 hahaha
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Picked this up as part of a lock bookstore bookclub, I wouldn't typically seek out this genre (mystery) but overall the story was interesting. The writing style worked for me, but I did find the plot a bit predictable at times. I also didn't love some of the ways the author wrote the female MC. She was very "hot in a girl next door way but with trauma" which made it very evident this book was written by a man. The mystery was interesting but nothing to write home about.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-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
Overall I would recommend this series. It was exactly what I was in the mood to read. Super cool use of dragons in the world. Fast paced, enjoyable characters. I had a fun time with these.
The series is a bit chaotic in this last installment. I think there were just a lot of good ideas and so some felt too convenient or rushed. There are some concepts that I think should have been introduced far earlier than book 3 and because so much was being revealed, some of the actual REVEALS fell a little short for me simply because they lacked impact. But overall a really fun time. Great for classic fantasy lovers as well!!
The series is a bit chaotic in this last installment. I think there were just a lot of good ideas and so some felt too convenient or rushed. There are some concepts that I think should have been introduced far earlier than book 3 and because so much was being revealed, some of the actual REVEALS fell a little short for me simply because they lacked impact. But overall a really fun time. Great for classic fantasy lovers as well!!
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-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
This was a nice continuation of this world and story. Our MC is facing the consequences of some (immature) actions from book 1, and dealing with new forces coming at him from all sides.
I thought the story for the most part was good, there were a lot of excellent character development moments for the MC and side characters. The plot did go a bit wacky, just a bit too big but I think the author was able to tie it together well enough by the end.
This world has been exactly what I have been in the mood for: fast paced, familiar elements while having a few interesting reveals. The mythical creatures in this world are super interesting iykyk.
I thought the story for the most part was good, there were a lot of excellent character development moments for the MC and side characters. The plot did go a bit wacky, just a bit too big but I think the author was able to tie it together well enough by the end.
This world has been exactly what I have been in the mood for: fast paced, familiar elements while having a few interesting reveals. The mythical creatures in this world are super interesting iykyk.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
A fast paced, fun debut fantasy book that was definitely exactly what I was in the mood for. We follow our young male MC who is arrogant, brash and at times a true idiot lol but he also had great growth throughout the book. Our MC is seeking the truth about what his father really did for their country.
There is a soft, interesting magic system where the use of magic has some harsh consequences. The political system is interesting and a bit messy (filled with juicy drama).
I think this was a really strong debut, if you can find something to love with the main characters PoV even when he's acting like a dumb 18 year old kid, there's a lot to love here.
There is a soft, interesting magic system where the use of magic has some harsh consequences. The political system is interesting and a bit messy (filled with juicy drama).
I think this was a really strong debut, if you can find something to love with the main characters PoV even when he's acting like a dumb 18 year old kid, there's a lot to love here.
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is an interesting read, I picked this up for bookclub and I think it was a fabulous choice for pride month.
The story is very poetic and follows our young teenage female male character as she has a summer away from her parents, visiting her uncle in Maine. Her and her new friends become obsessed with her family lineage and the idea that they could discover a shipwreck offshore.
This is a coming-of-age story, and there is really beautiful writing. However, I did find the MC to be at times unrealistically mature in their thoughts. There were some moments where the thought process felt genuinely very mature for the context of the situation, such that I was taken out of the story a bit and reminded that an adult was writing the book from the perspective of a teenager. if you know what I mean, it's sort of hard to explain, but at times I didn't think the MC "acted their age" in terms of how they handled or thought about things.
I enjoyed this and thought it was a really nice summer read but it didn't really become more than that for me.
The story is very poetic and follows our young teenage female male character as she has a summer away from her parents, visiting her uncle in Maine. Her and her new friends become obsessed with her family lineage and the idea that they could discover a shipwreck offshore.
This is a coming-of-age story, and there is really beautiful writing. However, I did find the MC to be at times unrealistically mature in their thoughts. There were some moments where the thought process felt genuinely very mature for the context of the situation, such that I was taken out of the story a bit and reminded that an adult was writing the book from the perspective of a teenager. if you know what I mean, it's sort of hard to explain, but at times I didn't think the MC "acted their age" in terms of how they handled or thought about things.
I enjoyed this and thought it was a really nice summer read but it didn't really become more than that for me.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I would first like to say that generally speaking I love Joe and his worldbuilding and the quality of his writing. And for those reasons, The Devil's is solidly a three star read for me.
This book is painfully (for me at least) and obviously written to be optioned (which it has been) into a feature film. This is a screenplay first and a book second. Because of this focus, which Joe himself admitted he had while approaching this project in recent interviews, the world building and plot lack depth and substance for me compared to his other worlds.
If you read this as your first Joe Abercrombie and have no frame of reference for his "typically" storytelling abilities I think so long as the humor lands for you, you'd love this. I found it....at times painful.
My other issue, and this one is probably the most offensive one, is that each of these character about halfway through the book I realized with sudden clarity I have seen before in First Law. Every. Single. Main. Character. Each of them is an alternative or watered down version of a very complex character from his other world. Once you see it you can't unsee it (and I'm not alone in this opinion, for I took to the internet after I finished to see if I was crazy LOL).
If you want to read something fun, with jokey jokey humor that you definitely won't grow tired of after 500 pages, and you like the idea of a rag tag group of demonic like creatures out on a quest. You'll probably enjoy this. If you expect this to be on par with First Law you will be less than impressed.
This book is painfully (for me at least) and obviously written to be optioned (which it has been) into a feature film. This is a screenplay first and a book second. Because of this focus, which Joe himself admitted he had while approaching this project in recent interviews, the world building and plot lack depth and substance for me compared to his other worlds.
If you read this as your first Joe Abercrombie and have no frame of reference for his "typically" storytelling abilities I think so long as the humor lands for you, you'd love this. I found it....at times painful.
My other issue, and this one is probably the most offensive one, is that each of these character about halfway through the book I realized with sudden clarity I have seen before in First Law. Every. Single. Main. Character. Each of them is an alternative or watered down version of a very complex character from his other world. Once you see it you can't unsee it (and I'm not alone in this opinion, for I took to the internet after I finished to see if I was crazy LOL).
If you want to read something fun, with jokey jokey humor that you definitely won't grow tired of after 500 pages, and you like the idea of a rag tag group of demonic like creatures out on a quest. You'll probably enjoy this. If you expect this to be on par with First Law you will be less than impressed.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
I picked this debut litfic up in a Barnes & Noble preorder sale kinda on a whim. I am so glad that I did.. I absolutely loved this.
This is a story about motherhood and girlhood through the lens of flawed parental figures and there's a strong thread of trauma and how that informs a young girl's journey into adulthood. I thought the writing was exceptionally lovely, I really liked the characters although most of them take a backseat to our main character. This story feels like it could almost be a memoir in the style of literary fiction. I don't know how much of the story is self insert but the way that the story is told is quite beautiful. For a debut novel I thought this was fantastic and I'll be curious to see what this author writes in the future.
This is a story about motherhood and girlhood through the lens of flawed parental figures and there's a strong thread of trauma and how that informs a young girl's journey into adulthood. I thought the writing was exceptionally lovely, I really liked the characters although most of them take a backseat to our main character. This story feels like it could almost be a memoir in the style of literary fiction. I don't know how much of the story is self insert but the way that the story is told is quite beautiful. For a debut novel I thought this was fantastic and I'll be curious to see what this author writes in the future.