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I was hesitating between 2 and 3 stars, but my husband reminded me that I'd been complaining about this book nonstop for two weeks. Good idea, bad execution. It could have been much better, if only the author had had an editor.

Technically, I dnf-ed this book after first two chapters. Marking it here, so that future me doesn't make a mistake of trying to read it again. The plot may be interesting, but the “whimsical” writing style just wasn't for me.

I really liked this book, especially the audioversion. Strictly speaking, I wouldn't call it a biography of Humboldt. Rather, it's a lively well-constructed story about the evolution of the concepts of nature, ecosystems, and ecology. Maybe one third of the text is actually about Humboldt's life and travels, and the rest is about other famous men of that era who were greatly influenced by his work and the holistic view of science.

I read this book right after “The Nature of Plants” by Craig Huegel, and it was the best accidental combo. Huegel taught me all the basics and explained carefully what plants are made of and how they generally function, and Candeias was more about all the cool things that plants can do and their role in ecosystems. As a result, I've already subscribed to Candeias Instagram, and I'm looking forward to listening to his podcast.

As someone who managed to kill a cactus, I knew virtually nothing about plants when I started this book. It was an amazing read: well written, very well structured, and well narrated. The last chapters (about seeds, plant hormones and plant communication) were especially interesting. The book is packed with information, and I'll probably reread it a couple of times in the future.

Whatever the second book is about that part of the story must have been included into this novel. Too long and repetitive, and the big “reveals” were predictable and a bit nonsensical. 1 star out of 2 for the dogs.

An epitome of “show, don't tell”. As much as the other six books were fun page-turners, this one felt like a monotonous slog to get through.

It's all very dramatic (and almost true to the facts).

I listened to the audiobook and really liked it as a travelogue. It's a bit all over the place and the author wasn't entirely without a bias, but for someone (like myself) who hasn't been in any of those countries and who's not that well familiar with their history, it can be a nice starting point.

It was odd, and not too funny, and a perfect comfort book. I loved every page of it and, writing this review, I already want to reread it.

Too much romance, not enough logic.

I admit, I got quite upset when I realized that this is not the final final volume. But that's on me, I should have read that wikipedia page more carefully.
That aside, it was still jarring when the author just abandoned the plotlines of the 7 previous volumes and moved the story to a brand new world. The lore was expanded, yep, but it felt more like a cute filler rather than something that the author had built towards. Advice to everyone, before Volume 9 is out: treat Volume 7 as the final one and Volume 8 as a midquel.

An unusual book about an unusual hobby. It's full of interesting ideas and observations to think about, and I'll very likely reread it.

3,5 stars out of 5. Whenever the story leans too much on the chosen one tropes, it becomes a bit less exciting. But the art, as always, is amazing.

This book is just cute. I haven't read the printed version of it, so I can't say if it's the same content-wise, but the audio version was very comforting to listen to. It's basically a collection of short-ish stories about different groups of animals, from krill and codfish to whales and monkeys, some I'd heard before, some really surprised me. What I liked the most was that you can feel the author's love for and curiosity about all the living creatures, and those are very infectious.

(I hesitated between 1 star and 2 stars and may update the review later.)
What I liked about the book: 1) the setup, 2) the ideas about memories and Little People, 3) the descriptions of food.
What I didn't like: kind of the rest. The writing just didn't work, from the very beginning. It's very repetitive and clunky, and it gave me second-hand embarrassment more than once. The story dragged. The first book was quite interesting, but then The Thing happened and that was it, the story went on at a snail's pace (a very sick snail). The beginning of volume 2 was also the point when I ran out of mental energy to stay invested and/or to keep trying to see the book as “very deep” and not as some pretentious BS. I could see glimpses of something thought-provoking and good, but those were not enough.
As a PS: Why would anyone keep some pretty controversial dark moments in their story only to then try excusing them with some hand-waving? I'm talking about those 10 y.o. girls and about Ayumi's murder.

I gave 4 stars to each of the first three volumes, but this one got only 3/5, mainly because the story became too much of the standard “YA protagonist is the only one who not only can but also knows how to save the world” (while much more experience adult characters are doing some weird dumb stuff on the background) (and all her friends are special too btw!). I also noticed more plot points that could and should have been resolved by the characters simply talking to each other. That being said, it looks like all the setup has been done, and I'm really curious to see where the story is going.

4/5. Beautiful art, interesting story, occasionally funny.
I finally read fandom wiki and understand now who is who and who is against whom.

В точности что обещано на обложке, то и в книге. Хорошее введение для тех, кто (как и я) ничего не понимает в христианском искусстве, и хочет начать с более общего обзора тем.

I don't want to speak harshly about this novel, because it appears to be heavily inspired by events from the author's childhood and adult life (she mentions so in the afterword). It's not a well-written book, and it might have been better as a short story.

I loved the book. It's beautiful and a page-turner, and I loved the characters and all the little moments between Charlie and his friends and family. The only reason why I didn't give the book 5 stars is the three child abuse subplots. I don't think they were necessary and done with enough care, and it's not something that can be mentioned in a book in passing.

I can't believe she did it again! I am talking about the author, Sarah Pinborough, who can't help but mix an ok-ish psychological thriller with some vague paranormal stuff out of nowhere (I read Behind her eyes). Joke's on me, as now I kind of want to check her other novels to see if she uses the same trick there as well. Overall, the book was a nice if sometimes repetitive page-turner, and it left me rather amused than frustrated, so 3/5.

This book could have been a much shorter essay. But it would be an interesting essay with some nice advice, and there is something pleasant (although a bit sad) in feeling seen and confirming once again that many people have the same problems.

I liked the cyclic-ish structure of the plot, but in many respects it blends together the common dystopian tropes and themes that others have done better. Plus there's an r-scene. Is it necessary to the story? No. Is it disturbing and poorly aged? Very much so.

You really feel that the book was written with the best intentions and that it came from the place of love. The message is heartwarming. All the descriptions of food and music (to me, mostly food) are so beautiful and precise. My only problem with the book is the rest of the writing: it gets repetitive and sloppy, and the text is too long for the very straightforward plot. 3 stars out of 5, would be a perfect short story.