Josh

Long mystery and thriller series are hard for me to stay invested in. At some point, it starts to feel like the same material is being recycled. The characters have already grown as much as they are going to, the plot becomes familiar, and the overall story starts to feel stale. For me, this book was the point where the series lost all of its momentum.

I know the characters are deep and nuanced from the earlier books, but that doesn’t come through here. They feel mostly one-dimensional. The journalism angle that added so much to the earlier novels is almost entirely absent. Lisbeth feels flat. Blomkvist’s personality barely comes through. There are also elements from Larsson’s original trilogy that seem to have been intentionally downplayed or ignored. One example is Berger’s relationship with Blomkvist. Her role had already been reduced in the previous book, but here it is virtually nonexistent until the final pages. Even then, her brief appearance seems to exist only to create conflict around her relationship with Blomkvist, potentially so it ends. That could have been fine if it were given proper attention, but instead, it is rushed and doesn’t quite fit with what we know about these characters.

In the earlier books, the first two-thirds were usually solid, but it was the final third where everything came to a head that really pulled me in. That section always made me want to keep turning pages, no matter the time or whatever else I needed to be doing. Unfortunately, that did not happen with this one. I found the story predictable, at times unbelievable, and ultimately not very engaging. Even the climax failed to hold my interest, missing the 'thrill' in thriller. Suffice to say I think this is the point I'll be stopping with this series

Trigger Warning: If animal cruelty/abuse makes you squeamish then I highly recommend finding a summary of chapter 16 that just hits the key points if you decide to read it. Even as someone who is not a highly visual reader I found this chapter grotesque.

I immensely enjoyed this novel, but having said that there are parts of it that I loathed. I loved the magical realism and how seamlessly it was woven into the story. There's something about the writing and how surreal things are that sucked me in and kept me turning page after page. I enjoyed the abstraction of reality and surprisingly enjoyed that the puzzle is left up to one's own interpretation for the most part.

But on the other end of the spectrum there are parts of this novel where I rolled my eyes, visibly cringed and wondered if I was even reading the same author. There are scene's that go into an absurd level of detail, often very awkward or crude, detail. Some of the characters feel more like vessels to spit out philosophy than they do actual people or are simply tools for the plot and feel paper thin. The biggest thing though is definitely the way sexuality and the commentary around it is written. The writing of this book is damn near lyrical, until it comes to sexuality and women and the jarring crudeness of that contrast sticks out like a sore thumb.

I hate the notion of "Its great if you just ignore x, y, and z", but that's legitimately how I felt about this. It is what it is. 4 Nakata's out of 5.

There are a couple things that put me off this book a bit in comparison to the original trilogy. One of those is just the nature of some mystery thriller's. Each book tends to escalate the mystery that needs solved and it reaches a point where it becomes so large I can no longer suspend my disbelief.

The other one is that this is a new author. Putting aside what I personally think about the Larsson estate issue, any time you have a new author trying to fill very large shoes you're going to have some growing pains. I do feel Lagercrantz by the end had gotten a handle on the characters, so that while not quite the same, still captured that familiar voice.

There is an odd disconnect between the third book and this one though. Millenium is having familiar issue's, but it not only doesn't feel convincing but serves no real purpose to the narrative imo. Blomkvist has a relationship by the end of the third book, but that's mysteriously missing, not mentioned in any way, so it's back to the status quo 'ladys man' which I was never a huge fan of.

It's not all bad though, the payoff still delivers and one benefit of Lagercrantz writing is that he's not nearly as prone to writing about the minutia of the characters lives. There's no grocery list included or a detailed breakdown of what's for breakfast and I certainly can appreciate the lack of that as it was one of my main complaints with the trilogy.

I'm still not certain this series needed to go beyond the trilogy which was a nice wrapping up point. None the less 3 big brothers out of 5.

I have two major pet peeves in storytelling: instant love and telling instead of showing. Unfortunately, this book contains both, though the latter in a different form than I’m used to. To avoid spoilers, I'll use an analogy.

Imagine I tell you a story about a child who trains for years to become a master swordsman. I assure you that his training is complete, that he’s now skilled enough to compete with warriors who have spent a lifetime honing their craft. But when the moment comes to prove himself, his skill is never truly shown. He fumbles, he falters, yet I still insist he is a master. Despite never demonstrating his abilities, he somehow goes on to defeat the greatest swordsman of his time.

That’s what reading this book often feels like. The prose is strong, the plot itself is engaging, and I loved the ending, but the overall execution leaves much to be desired.

I read a quote on Melodramatic Book Club that encapsulates how I feel about this book to such an extent, that I couldn't say it any better, so won't.

"It takes a concept and uses the most flowery, purple prose to describe events which is what obscures the whole point. If you're layering a story under so much weight of the language, a reader like me is going to be more frustrated than spellbound."

I get why people gravitate towards this book, but it's just not for me.

First of all, kudos to the translator. In my experience with Backman's books (at least the ones I've read so far), the translators have been top-notch at capturing his unique voice and the distinctive style of his writing.

When it comes to Backman, it's almost guaranteed that I'm going to enjoy the book. His ability to write complex characters, capture their duality, and explore the human condition resonates so strongly with me that I can't help but love his work.

That's true in this book as well. It is a book about a bank robbery, about a hostage situation, but above all it's a story about a group of idiots trying to make their way in the world. T the way he explores those idiots, is at times funny, frustrating, and deeply emotional.

A perfect score for a book about imperfect people.

Miller's writing is beautiful as expected and while I said this in the Song of Achilles review it bears repeating. It takes a special type of talent to take a story we know and tell it in a way that captivates. She has that talent in spades.

She takes some liberties of course, but in doing so Circe is given agency and becomes a multi-faceted character who questions, rages, sinks into despair, and builds herself anew across her immortal life. I daresay I even enjoyed it a bit more than Song of Achilles, though I hold both in high regard for different reasons.

It was good to be back in this universe again, and there are definitely things I liked about the book. I was personally curious about Yun Tianming's journey and the Trisolarans in general, so getting more on that front was satisfying. That said, I can't say I truly enjoyed it as an entry in the series, published fan fiction or not. The story blends fantastical, theological, and sci-fi elements in ways that are certainly mind-bending, but they never quite come together into anything that feels meaningful or grounded.

I also quite dislike how the third story in particular ends. The final moments of Death's End were powerful precisely because they left so much open to interpretation, both emotionally and philosophically. This follow up tries to offer more definitive answers, and in doing so, it diminishes some of what made the original trilogy’s ending resonate so well with me.

2 collapsing dimensions out of 5.

I have mixed feelings about this series as a whole. I still maintain that it's really the 'villains' (the humans not What Waits) that carry the story, especially for YA. They are the most interesting characters, but through the books the other characters did grow on me as well and I genuinely enjoyed some of their interactions such as Dom and Sorasa.

This book, like the one's before it though, has sections where everything is moving at a snail's pace and I was, to put it plainly, wondering if it was ever going to get to the point. I was even wondering if there was going to be a climax in this book or if there'd be another cliffhanger and a fourth book as I was approaching the end and all there had really been was 'reunions'. There is a conclusion though (mostly), one I found underwhelming and rushed, but there none the less.

I'd say worth reading if you enjoy the Tolkien formula. I'm still sitting around a 3 to 3.5 but I will say this much. I enjoyed it immensely more than Aveyard's other series Red Queen. Partly due to it being more Tolkienesque and partly because it does a better job imo of straddling the line between YA and Adult.

A compelling and thrilling read, which I enjoyed immensely. My only complaint with it would be that there were times when this book felt very slow as it includes a lot of mundane details that are quite dry to read. Sometimes this was purposeful, where as others it felt like it could have been left out with no real loss. None the less I look forward to continuing on with the characters as they solve their next mystery in book 2.

Definitely mind the trigger warning though if it's something you're considering reading. 

Enjoyed this immensely. I enjoy Weir's writing style, in particular his humour, but he has a knack for walking the line between not giving enough Scientific detail and giving too much. Everything feels believable (most of it is sound after all), but it doesn't feel so complex that it becomes convoluted and difficult to follow.

4.75 potato's out of 5.

King's talent for writing everyday life of a small town and populating it with interesting characters is on full display here. Granted there are times he goes into the small details that may not appeal to everyone, but for me as a non-visual reader he paints a picture that even I can see.

The atmosphere he builds while slowly increasing the tension is a great journey, which I thoroughly enjoyed. There were some elements I didn't think were particularly strong such as the romance Ben has and I thought there were a tad too many ‘random' characters. Overall though it's a great “modern” take on the vampire mythos.

My impressions of Alexis after reading this is that he is the hype man, the promoter, the pusher, the people person behind Reddit and his other ventures. He made the logo and spent an inordinate amount of time creating business cards. That's fun I guess. He was not involved with the technical aspects of the site and that perspective is missing from the book, which I personally thought was unfortunate. I don't really think you can speak to why Reddit was successful without it.

The title covers more than just reddit though it also touches on how the internet has changed things. From internet activism that led to the prevention of SOPA/PIPA laws, to the impact of crowdfunding. I did find these sections significantly more interesting so there is that.

The biggest detractor for me though is just in how everything is structured. It felt to me like a string of reddit posts, put into book format. Complete with meme culture/jokes, sound bytes, jumping around in topic, and a significant amount of repetitive information. Just not really my cup of tea when it comes to writing styles.

Admittedly I was looking forward to a sequel more so then a prequel, but with that being said if you can get over that  and enjoyed Legends & Latte's you'll probably enjoy this one as well. It's the same formula with the same strengths and weaknesses.

Not the type of book I could read on a regular basis, but a nice treat here and there.

There's some value as an introduction to issue's surrounding tech and addiction, but there's not much in the way of analysis of the studies and factoids presented. The latter portion of the book does offer something in the way of solutions in harnessing addiction for the greater good, but I personally found it left a lot to be desired.

I greatly enjoyed The Poppy War and I legitimately thought this series had the potential to go down as one of my all time favourites. It still may, but after reading the second entry I'm not quite so convinced anymore.

I did not greatly enjoy approximately the first two thirds of this book. It feels like the character's, Rin in particular, regressed in development. While this can make sense given her experiences and the circumstances her character goes through there's a balance to walk there between how long a character wallows and how much time it takes before them to start developing again. I don't think that line is walked particularly well here and part of this is imo because of the significantly slower pacing. 

That being said the last third or so of the book is absolutely wonderful with a very satisfying concluding couple of chapters that completely changed my overall opinion of the novel. Given I'd lean towards 2 out of 5 for the first and second third and 5 out of 5 for the last third, 3 stars overall feels right.

I'm quite fond of historical fiction and fantasy so the fusion of the two is naturally right up my alley and this book does not disappoint in those regards. I really enjoyed the take on the pantheon and how gods played into the story of the Nanjing Massacre. Hard to read at times, because it can be quite dark and gruesome, but very gripping.

When it comes to the characters, I didn't really like most of them. I wouldn't even say that I was often rooting for them, especially Rin, but they are written to where their behavior at least is understandable. In that regard they are incredibly well written. Something else I really appreciate is the fact Kuang was also able to interweave history and mythology through the story in a way that made you feel like you were coming to understand the world, society, the gods etc. as Rin was in a natural way rather than relying on long info dumps or exposition.

I'd highly recommend this, but would definitely encourage people to look over the trigger warnings beforehand. 

Low-stakes, slice of life fantasy has been pretty big in Asia for a long time so it's nice to see them gain some traction in the West. When you do stories like these it's incredibly important to nail the atmosphere and characters and I think this book does a fine job in both areas. 

It's not my favourite within this niche but it was enjoyable and as many people will undoubtedly describe it, cozy.

I would say is if you are a person who prefer descriptive prose over dialogue heavy then you might find this one a bit more challenging, as it's almost entirely plot driven prose but even then I would still recommend giving it a try.

This is a story about a modern black woman is teleported back in time to the 1800's through a connection with a white ancestor who lives on a plantation. This creates an interesting dynamic with their relationship as she obviously has a vested interest in his survival, given that her own relies on it, but at the same time having to balance that with the horrific events that unfolded during this time period. A period that said ancestor is very much a part and product of. That's the premise of the book without spoilers mind you and it sets up very complex interracial relationships with themes centered around power dynamics, guilt, bigotry, racism, trauma, comparing modern sensibilities to past beliefs etc.

Extremely fast read due to it's casual/conversational writing style. It's got a pretty interesting premise, but it doesn't really go much beyond said premise. I'd go as far to say If you read the synopsis you already understand 75% of the book.

There is a plot of sorts, but it's pretty underwhelming and not the focal point of the novel. It's a fun read though and I had a few chuckles, but ultimately wish it had more depth.

It took me quite awhile to get through this one. Watching the characters grow and try and find their way as mythical beings in 1910's New York makes for a fascinating read. I do miss more of the focus on Arabic culture that was more prominent in the first book, but the elements that are here are just as well done. 

Wecker is a very good writer and there are so many elements I enjoy so it's a shame that I can't say I enjoyed the book. In the first book I thought it got dragged down in the minutia of the historical details but, overall it was still an enjoyable experience because while those details slowed the pace they were interesting. In this one the pacing is even slower, but it's from the day to day lives of our characters which can be quite dull. 

I'm not one to shy away from large books or harp on length, but I would have enjoyed this significantly more if it was 100 to 200 pages shorter with some of the day to day living cut. This would have increased my enjoyment immensely as I thought the last 100 pages, give or take, were fantastic. It's a 2/5 for me, but I'd definitely recommend the first book as it would work fine as a stand alone.

 This one's a tad confusing for me. There are a lot of things I dislike about this book, but despite that it just has this vibe to it that kept me turning the page. That's vague I realize, but it is what it is. For starter's I actually like the main character. I mean she's very dislikeable, an anti-hero type for sure, but all her cognitive dissonance, rough edges, lack of empathy and sympathy and times...make sense to me given her life experiences. Life hits hard and it can really mess you up and I think she is the epitome of that.

The commentary on gender identity, the take on romance, and robots fighting monsters. There was a lot to like there. The big problem with the story for me is within the writing. The tendency to explain with info dumps rather than show, but yet on other hand at times be missing integral details important to character motivations or plot advancement.

The near insta-love between characters or the fact that every other woman but Zetian are painted in an incredibly petty and poor light were also sore thumbs for me. And finally the dialogue. It came off as very juvenile. Now maybe that's just me getting old, but given the setting for this novel you wouldn't expect internet slang and meme type language, but it's there in spades. Things like “You're the baddest of the bad boys. The ultimate alpha male” and other such one liner's. I would laugh in someone's face if they ever said anything half as cringy unironically. Can you even imagine?

But despite this long list of complaints, I was still engaged which is quite something. I can understand how someone could be fully immersed in this book. For me I'd say if the author's writing ever catches up to their creativeness, look out! 

I definitely understand why people describe this book as a fever dream in many reviews. I think it's actually bit more layered then that and it's not quite as random and trippy as it may seem. It's one of those where if 10 people read it though you're going to get several different interpretations on what is really going on. 

My brief interpretation was that Samantha was suffering from mental illness and a lot of what occurs in this book are a mixture of imagination and auditory/visual hallucination. Take for example on the bus where the grandma is reading the symptoms of schizophrenia and Samantha is responding yes I have that, down said checklist. Or when Rob's head explodes and the next day one of the girls responds with “so that's what you saw” etc.

I can appreciate how this story was told, but overall it's not really the type of writing or story I gravitate to. 3 bunnies out of 5 for it's cleverness though.

The first book I read in a couple days and it was very good. I found the mystery, horror, and Sci-Fi elements interesting. I was enjoying the Biologists perspective and all indicators were pointed towards a series that would make my favourite's list. Then the second book came and it was so incredibly slow, meandering and filled with so much bureaucracy that it completely killed my interest in the series.  It also doesn't help that I didn't like Controls character much at all and he dominates the second book.

The third book had a few more interesting perspectives such as Saul, which make it better than the second book imo, but similar criticisms in that it's slow and nothing much really happens. Area X itself is very interesting, but the books for me end up drowning in the minutiae.

Overall I thought this one had the most interesting plot of the trilogy with more interesting characters than the second book and good queer representation. It also touches on some of the same social commentary and themes that I've enjoyed in the previous two books and adds in some new conversations of it's own.

I'd say the weak link in this one though is the romantic chemistry. In comparison to books one or two it does fall pretty flat. I was enjoying the plot enough that it didn't really detract much from my enjoyment though. Half a Soul was my favourite, but this is very solidly in the #2 spot.