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the_midwest_library's Reviews (796)
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
A phenomenal read I picked up for one of the bookclubs I am in. A challenging read, merely because these are the stories of those who contributed to our country through their blood, sweat, tears and lives while being largely erased.
The book is heavy, the topics are heavy, the information is crucial especially in 2025.
The writing is dense but punchy, and I especially loved the quizzes at the end of each chapter, the humor really helped keep the pace, especially through the emotionally heavy topics this book explored.
I would absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for a deeper understanding of why there are some in this country afraid of critical race theory. Their fear stems from the FACT that this country was built by the bodies and souls of black people. Their emotional, physical and intellectual strength is what was exploited to create this capitalistic shit show we see before us.
The book is heavy, the topics are heavy, the information is crucial especially in 2025.
The writing is dense but punchy, and I especially loved the quizzes at the end of each chapter, the humor really helped keep the pace, especially through the emotionally heavy topics this book explored.
I would absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for a deeper understanding of why there are some in this country afraid of critical race theory. Their fear stems from the FACT that this country was built by the bodies and souls of black people. Their emotional, physical and intellectual strength is what was exploited to create this capitalistic shit show we see before us.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
I really loved this installment, I was def harsher on Songbirds and Snakes giving that a 3.5/3.75 but I feel like 4 stars fits this one. Haymitch is such a great character to focus on, lots of people correlate him with his grown adult self (and the excellent portrayals in the movies) but he was a child just like Katniss and learned the realities of Snow and the games in a very similar way to her.
This gives such a beautiful perspective on his relationship with some fan fav characters who I won't spoil here 😜. As always I wish we got to see a bit more of the after game moments but I'm holding out for a book on Finnick that will focus on that aspect 🥲
Themes of propaganda are STRONG here, and very very relevant to 2025. I'm glad this series is on shelves still, I'm glad Suzanne still has something to say, and I'm thankful I grew up along with the publication of this series and with this world.
This gives such a beautiful perspective on his relationship with some fan fav characters who I won't spoil here 😜. As always I wish we got to see a bit more of the after game moments but I'm holding out for a book on Finnick that will focus on that aspect 🥲
Themes of propaganda are STRONG here, and very very relevant to 2025. I'm glad this series is on shelves still, I'm glad Suzanne still has something to say, and I'm thankful I grew up along with the publication of this series and with this world.
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
4.5 stars
Okay so I'm going to tell you who won't like this book, if you are the type of person who hates having to do the boss fight 15 fucking times in a video game because you keep doing one silly thing wrong each time, this book won't be for you. If you don't like DnD, RPGs, or Magic School settings you won't like this.
But if you're like me, and you love that shit, this will absolutely work for you. With a clever writing style that doesn't waste time explaining the type of world you are in right away, you know where we are, we are at a knockoff Hogwarts thrown in a blender with a DnD Campaign. Instead the author uses the plot device (time loop) itself to build the world over and over and over again.
I loved it. I loved the characters, who are teenagers yes (15 as they are in their 3rd year of this school), but this is not a YA series. The world is dark the magic is interesting and this is not what you expect it to be.
I devoured book 1, I'm so excited for book 2 and to see how the hell any of us survive this chaos hahaha
Okay so I'm going to tell you who won't like this book, if you are the type of person who hates having to do the boss fight 15 fucking times in a video game because you keep doing one silly thing wrong each time, this book won't be for you. If you don't like DnD, RPGs, or Magic School settings you won't like this.
But if you're like me, and you love that shit, this will absolutely work for you. With a clever writing style that doesn't waste time explaining the type of world you are in right away, you know where we are, we are at a knockoff Hogwarts thrown in a blender with a DnD Campaign. Instead the author uses the plot device (time loop) itself to build the world over and over and over again.
I loved it. I loved the characters, who are teenagers yes (15 as they are in their 3rd year of this school), but this is not a YA series. The world is dark the magic is interesting and this is not what you expect it to be.
I devoured book 1, I'm so excited for book 2 and to see how the hell any of us survive this chaos hahaha
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this quick, dark little tale. I will say, I'm partial to a novella especially a really short self contained story. I enjoyed this, it's Grimdark, fast paced and a memorable little story. I definitely think the non-stop pace of the writing will be a turn off for some, but I had no issues with it. Overall a great little novella to pick up!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
So disclaimer, I'm no expert here and read these for two reasons. The first being that I haven't touched Homer since highschool and the second being that every man on this planet in the classics space seemed so bent out of shape by Emily Wilson's translations.
These are lovely translations, the introduction is a scooooooch long but really really informative and explains the contextual changes and tweaks made by the author during this process. I really felt the integrity within her process and that translated (ha ha) well into the actual presentation of the story. It's an epic through and through and while dense is filled with humor, love, lust, betrayal and deviation. I'll be picking up the Odyssey as well but maybe after a slight brain break haha 😆
These are lovely translations, the introduction is a scooooooch long but really really informative and explains the contextual changes and tweaks made by the author during this process. I really felt the integrity within her process and that translated (ha ha) well into the actual presentation of the story. It's an epic through and through and while dense is filled with humor, love, lust, betrayal and deviation. I'll be picking up the Odyssey as well but maybe after a slight brain break haha 😆
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Eh this was fine. Overall this is a short novella that focuses on a flawed main character who was raised in an extremely prejudiced social structure. The main plot was interesting enough but the dialogue was really juvenile at times. There were just some really clunky parts that made the book honestly feel a bit middle grade. Which was odd given the tone of the book overall. I think it just needed some polish. EDIT
adventurous
challenging
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:
No
I'm enjoying this series overall, I think the pacing was much much better in this book than in book 2 but this is def a setup book for the last leg of this world as we head into books 4 and 5. Paige is interesting haha half the time I love her and half the time I low key want to slap her. But her actions always make sense in some way so I can forgive some of the tropes relied on. The ending was better than book 2 I really enjoyed the last like 15%
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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 adored this. I cannot believe this book was written in the 90s...I mean I can but it feels like something that could have been written in 2025 which is part of the magic of this story. While the story is centered around the brutal situation these women have found themselves in, the story is however really more of one in which we examine humanity, peace, routine, and community. All against the backdrop of abuse, victimization and brutality.
It's a really interesting book and def won't work for everyone, you aren't going to be given the answers. This is a puzzle that is not intended to be solved. Themes of capitalism, cruelty, dignity are all strong in this book. I could see rereading this and gaining new insight each time.
It's a really interesting book and def won't work for everyone, you aren't going to be given the answers. This is a puzzle that is not intended to be solved. Themes of capitalism, cruelty, dignity are all strong in this book. I could see rereading this and gaining new insight each time.
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:
Complicated
Okay so, I still really enjoyed this one but just not as much as book one. That honestly is only because I felt like this installment suffered from pacing issues. The book realllllly spent a long ass time giving me nothing hahaha but once the plot finally got going after the 50% mark I was really enjoying it. The sequence at the end was interesting, and I FUCKING KNEW THAT MAN WAS TRASH!!!! I appreciate Edward Cullen's commitment to this world and this story and can't wait to see what our rock hard sparkly boy will be up to next installment
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I adore the Greatcoats series and so I was excited to see what a new world from SDC would look like....it looked a bit confused
The concept is interesting, the writing is fast paced and punchy but like nothing is ever fully explained, not the world, the magic or the characters themselves really. There are also a few moments of very cringe middle school humor I think cheapened the experience. It's a bummer because I love love love Greatcoats so much. I'll read book 2 to see if there's improvement up on this world but I wasn't super vibing with this one
The concept is interesting, the writing is fast paced and punchy but like nothing is ever fully explained, not the world, the magic or the characters themselves really. There are also a few moments of very cringe middle school humor I think cheapened the experience. It's a bummer because I love love love Greatcoats so much. I'll read book 2 to see if there's improvement up on this world but I wasn't super vibing with this one