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unboxedjack's reviews
1236 reviews
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Haruki Murakami Manga Stories 1: Super-Frog Saves Tokyo, Where I'm Likely to Find It, Birthday Girl, the Seventh Man by Haruki Murakami
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The usual Murakami weirdness and out-of-pocket sexual comments were still present in this illustrated story collection, but it didn't detract from the stories too much. The artistic style was jarring and sometimes to the the stories' detriment, but overall added to the surrealist minimalism Murakami is known for. 3.75/5.
The Cautious Traveller's Guide To the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
4.25
The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks was an incredible debut novel that I could very much see myself returning to due to its vast richness. The story takes us through the travails and travels of the Trans-Siberian Railway, traversing between Beijing and Moscow at the end of the 19th century. Along this railway is a landscape called the Wastelands, filled with imagined horrors the traveller is encouraged to not attend to for fear of devolving into insanity.
Each section is offset by portions of the eponymous guide written by a trip advisor years earlier. Within each of these portions are chapters written from the perspective of a diverse ensemble of characters. Though I enjoy this type of story, it did take some effort to recall which character was which, but this didn't detract from the bulk of the story.
This book didn't hurt for thematic content. Critiques of globalization, colonialism, capitalism, and xenophobia abound. Yet themes of searching for identity through twin pursuits of individuality & community, ecological stewardship, and what it means to be human are sprinkled throughout just as liberally.
Brooks deftly combines the best elements of Jeff Vandermeer, Ursula K. Leguin, Susanna Clarke, and Josiah Bancroft in this wonderful book. It hit all my magical realist needs in a wonderfully diverse historical fiction setting. All in all a 4.25/5 star read. Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this ARC edition in exchange for an honest opinion.
Each section is offset by portions of the eponymous guide written by a trip advisor years earlier. Within each of these portions are chapters written from the perspective of a diverse ensemble of characters. Though I enjoy this type of story, it did take some effort to recall which character was which, but this didn't detract from the bulk of the story.
This book didn't hurt for thematic content. Critiques of globalization, colonialism, capitalism, and xenophobia abound. Yet themes of searching for identity through twin pursuits of individuality & community, ecological stewardship, and what it means to be human are sprinkled throughout just as liberally.
Brooks deftly combines the best elements of Jeff Vandermeer, Ursula K. Leguin, Susanna Clarke, and Josiah Bancroft in this wonderful book. It hit all my magical realist needs in a wonderfully diverse historical fiction setting. All in all a 4.25/5 star read. Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this ARC edition in exchange for an honest opinion.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Xenophobia, Body horror, and Death of parent
Mort by Terry Pratchett
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? It's complicated
4.0
Beasts Of England by Adam Biles
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo
Did not finish book. Stopped at 60%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 60%.
The pacing was slow, the character development was slim, and I couldn’t get past how it felt the author was talking down to the reader. Whenever she included a Chinese or Japanese word, she would proceed to give a definition from the character’s point of view. This caused it to feel more like a bad attempt at young adult fiction than a well developed adult novel.
Drunk on All Your Strange New Words by Eddie Robson
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Drug use, Murder, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Grief, Body horror, Suicide, Xenophobia, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Evil Eye by Etaf Rum
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I really thought I'd enjoy this book more than I did. The premise of a first-generation Palestinian-American woman exploring oppression, intergenerational trauma, and all that comes with that is very much up my alley. Unfortunately, this fell short. Obviously the reader is primed to be sympathetic to the protagonist, Yara, but the character development was incomplete. That was especially clear in how secondary characters were written. They had no depth, with Yara's being pretty minimal at times. Though I did like how Rum painted well-meaning white people as being just as racist with their microaggressive comments, the dialogue and presentation of this (as well as dialogue as a whole) was repetitive, superficial, and unrealistic. There were plenty of opportunities to dive into these themes more deeply rather than creating a fairly obvious and unsatisfying story. Ultimately, this read like a YA novel rather than something designed for older readers. 2.5 stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexism
Minor: War, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Toxic relationship
The Hunter by Tana French
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
House of Open Wounds by Adrian Tchaikovsky
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I admittedly was not in a good mental space reading this so it took me a while, but I enjoyed the plot for the most part. Tchaikovsky did an excellent job continuing the world building and characterization he did well on with the first book of the series, but he seems to suffer from padding, which makes the pacing a bit off-kilter; that's the primary reason I rated this a 3.5/5 instead of 4/5. Granted, my own attention span could have been the biggest part to blame in that, but I hold firm that this book probably could have been at least 50 pages shorter. Enjoyable, nonetheless.