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the_midwest_library's Reviews (796)
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I think there are books that when you read them, at the right moment in your life-they have a profound impact on you. This feels like one of those books that needed that. For me this was the right book at the wrong time. I was expecting more ..overall it's well written of course. But the story felt very devoid of joy, hope, and humanity in a way I wasn't super keen on. I think my perspective would have been completely different if I read this ten years ago. But given the current state of the world, the state of the US, the 2025 setting was a bit too meta for me in an extremely chaotic and stressful sociopolitical landscape.
I'll sit with this a while but 3 stars feels right.
I'll sit with this a while but 3 stars feels right.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
I absolutely love Robin's writing, her other two books, Gathering Moss and Braiding Sweetgrass are some of my favorite nonfiction pieces and this is no exception. She has such a beautiful, and hauntingly honest way of presenting her viewpoints and while the information was never wholly new to me, it leaves me awe inspired. There's something so beautiful within the gift economy that I feel very passionate about, and I agree with her that mistreating gifts has emotional, and ethical gravity that is lost in a capitalist economy which values your ability to maximize profits. The gift economy provides a slice at the alternative, where we don't pile up "injustice along with plastic" and I think this is a beautiful book everyone should read.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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:
No
Well another spectacular installment in this world, I'm addicted, I'm sat, I'm in desperate need of book 3!
We once again find our dynamic duo on the hunt of a killer, but unlike book 1 we have expanded our world. Specifically regarding the political maneuverings of this land, we learned more about the leviathans, the political factions, and the empire itself.
Ana and Din are both excellent characters, Ana is such a little freak I love her so much. Truly everyone in this world is some brand of neurodivergent and I eat it up!
I'm excited to see where book 3 takes us. I think the ending was nice and open and will let RJB take the plot in a lot of different places 👀👀
We once again find our dynamic duo on the hunt of a killer, but unlike book 1 we have expanded our world. Specifically regarding the political maneuverings of this land, we learned more about the leviathans, the political factions, and the empire itself.
Ana and Din are both excellent characters, Ana is such a little freak I love her so much. Truly everyone in this world is some brand of neurodivergent and I eat it up!
I'm excited to see where book 3 takes us. I think the ending was nice and open and will let RJB take the plot in a lot of different places 👀👀
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Okay, while this is a 3.5 star read for me overall I did have a good time. This book unfortunately suffers a bit from a lack of editing. For a debut there are a LOT of FABLOUS ideas here, however I wish there were about 20% less ideas and an increase in execution for necessary plot elements.
The characters are where this book shines and this plot and world is really fun. I think there were a lot of worldbuilding/history elements that would have been better if provided in a prequel or novella vs interwoven into the bloated main story. Then"trials" took a back seat and were a bit underdeveloped for my liking even though that was objectively the main plot of the book hahaha
I had fun with this and think a lot of people will love this one. With another round of edits this would be a knockout. I'll be excited to see what book 2 will bring!!
The characters are where this book shines and this plot and world is really fun. I think there were a lot of worldbuilding/history elements that would have been better if provided in a prequel or novella vs interwoven into the bloated main story. Then"trials" took a back seat and were a bit underdeveloped for my liking even though that was objectively the main plot of the book hahaha
I had fun with this and think a lot of people will love this one. With another round of edits this would be a knockout. I'll be excited to see what book 2 will bring!!
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was surprised by this little novella. Well written with interesting characters, and the pacing was great for how short it is. I really enjoyed the ending especially, I thought it added some layers to the story. There's apparently a sequel to this so I'll def try and grab that in the future. I'm glad I picked this up!!
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was admittedly a bit disappointed by this. The concept was so cool, our MC has some spooky deathspeak abilities and is bound in a pact with an otherworldly type being. However, the pacing was reallIIIIlly slow for me and the world building was a bit clunky. The relationships between the characters were great and what
I enjoyed in this one but yeah not really my fav. I think this author has killer concepts though.
I enjoyed in this one but yeah not really my fav. I think this author has killer concepts though.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Don't take my 3 stars as a negative review, I actually had a lot of fun reading these. But fun is where these will stay for me. I can see how so many people adore these, if you love a meta, sarcastic, quick and punchy story these will probably be a knock out for you.
For me, Carl was a little one note for me until the end of the book and some of the in world elements are so ridiculous lol. These are fun though, the audiobooks are killer and I'll absolutely continue at some point, these feel like a great choice for in-between chonky fantasy!
Also are you aware Carl used to be an active military service member? I'm not sure if you picked that fact up, he only mentioned it 500 times hahaha 😂
For me, Carl was a little one note for me until the end of the book and some of the in world elements are so ridiculous lol. These are fun though, the audiobooks are killer and I'll absolutely continue at some point, these feel like a great choice for in-between chonky fantasy!
Also are you aware Carl used to be an active military service member? I'm not sure if you picked that fact up, he only mentioned it 500 times hahaha 😂
adventurous
fast-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 received this as an audiobook arc from Libby so thank you to Libby and the author/publisher.
I think there are some short stories within this collection that are fabulous, but this is a very bizarre collection. None of the stories have cohesive strong enough with each other for them to really make sense. The book is pitched as a folklore-esq collection all rooted in mythology and while that may be true, some of these are contemporary and science fiction which I found jarring when switching between stories.
The first few stories I wasn't as into but around the midway point I found the stories a lot stronger. I would be curious to see what this author may release in the future!
I think there are some short stories within this collection that are fabulous, but this is a very bizarre collection. None of the stories have cohesive strong enough with each other for them to really make sense. The book is pitched as a folklore-esq collection all rooted in mythology and while that may be true, some of these are contemporary and science fiction which I found jarring when switching between stories.
The first few stories I wasn't as into but around the midway point I found the stories a lot stronger. I would be curious to see what this author may release in the future!
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I will start by saying historical fiction is a hard sell for me, and unfortunately I was a bit bored by this one. The story is interesting and I liked our main character. But frankly I wasn't really in the mood to read a story set in the 1700s about men not believing women. I'm living through that currently hahaha so I just wasn't super engaged with the story. I know a lot of people love this, I just didn't find the ending particularly satisfying. It was good not great for me. The writing was nice though, I would pick up something else by this author, setting and time period dependent.
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
So I have complex feelings on this one. On the one hand this is a spectacular story of mental health and how lack of support in children can have devastating implications. The fantasy world is paralleled against each of the characters in world negative experiences, with a particular focus on bullying. I enjoyed the premise, the overall plot and ending and our main character.
However I had a bit of a problem with the pacing, narrative voice and overall writing. The writing feels very young to me, and I could easily see this as a middle grade book, I found it to be quite simple. I also had issues with how repetitive it became passage over passage, without adding any additional layers to the story or underlying message presented.
This is a good book, I absolutely would recommend it. I just didn't LOVE it.
However I had a bit of a problem with the pacing, narrative voice and overall writing. The writing feels very young to me, and I could easily see this as a middle grade book, I found it to be quite simple. I also had issues with how repetitive it became passage over passage, without adding any additional layers to the story or underlying message presented.
This is a good book, I absolutely would recommend it. I just didn't LOVE it.