violetturtledove's reviews
403 reviews

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved this book. I know I will read it again. It's just beautifully written, full of rich descriptions and witty comments (although one chapter towards the end is pretty much an epigram battle between two characters, I must admit I got a bit lost there!).
Dorian is both intriguing and infuriating, and the ending is very satisfying. Sometimes classics can turn out to be a bit underwhelming but this one is well deserving of its reputation.
Starborn by Lucy Hounsom

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adventurous 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? Yes

4.5

A really strong start to a fantasy trilogy. It's a fairly standard YA coming of age/chosen one plot but the world is original and richly detailed and the characters have real depth. There's also some very nuanced morality at work, I'm really interested to see where things are going to end up. The ended ending seemed a little confused and disjointed but then it's always a tricky balancing act to give him one a satisfying conclusion while setting up book two, and it's still done pretty well here. 
Queen Victoria's Sketchbook by Marina Warner

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lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

4.25

A lovely, personal look at the life of Queen Victoria. If you want the facts about her life and reign I'm sure there are better books out there, but I don't think you can get the artwork in this book anywhere else. A relaxing, cosy read.
Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law by Haben Girma

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hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

A great, informative read told in a friendly style with good humour throughout. It's really made me think about the issues it covers and helped me understand the world a little more.
Pussy: For Cats That Should Know Better by Puss De Wuss, Mark Roland, Steven Appleton, Christopher Dawes, Paul Thompson

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

So this is a book in the style of a lads mag, but about/for cats. It's daft, a bit rude and a good laugh if you know cats. A lot of thought has gone in for something so silly, the layout, adverts, writing credits etc are all spot-on. 
The Four Profound Weaves by R.B. Lemberg

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emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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

4.5

I was quite enchanted by this little journey into the Birdverse and I'm sure I will want to visit again. It's such a well imagined concept and the characters are sympathetic and believable. Both a fairytale quest and an exploration of the self, life and family.
Gerald's Game by Stephen King

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

4.5

If I saw a premise like this from any other author I'd probably pass. It sounds tediously grim, but as usual King manages to bring his own fascinating touch to it. It's still a very uncomfortable read, but in a gripping, tense way, and the ending is a killer. 
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Get a Grip by Kaz Cooke

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funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

4.25

An enjoyable collection of Kaz Cooke's newspaper columns. It's a style of writing that may have gone out of fashion (if I'm even aware of what is in fashion) but still very funny and relevant. A great light read.
Buffalo is the New Buffalo by Chelsea Vowel

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This is an interesting and important book, because it's part short story collection, part history lesson, and a eye-opening look at the indigenous experience. It's a challenging read at times, both through the inclusion of Métis/Cree words and phrases which aren't always explained (as the author points out, non-English speakers encounter this all the time) and also the uncomfortable nature of the themes of colonialism and oppression. 
I found the first story, 'Buffalo Bird' a bit hard to get through due to the many footnotes on the historical setting, how it differs from the real history and how this story would change the future. It's a lot to take in when you don't know the real world history but that's my own ignorance and not a complaint to the author.
From there I found the stories more accessible, they are in turn funny, sweet, sad and enthralling. They range from alternate history and folk tales to sci-fi or speculative fiction, and each story comes with both an introduction and a concluding discussion on it's influences and themes. I read this all in the order it was presented, but you could also read the stories first, then go back to them later and look further into the extra sections. 
These are stories told from a lived experience, culture and worldview so different from my own that it wouldn't be appropriate for me to critique or debate, all I can do is listen, and I'm very glad that I did.
Violent Cases by Neil Gaiman

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dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

When people think of the magic of childhood it's often in a cheery, bright way and they ignore the darker side of childhood imagination. Violent cases leans into this darkness and is no less magical for it.
The artwork is gorgeous , sinister and surreal, shifting slowly through the layers of this tale-within-a-tale. Utterly haunting.