John Hamm
Overall a decent book. I enjoyed the beginning and the end, but felt the middle dragged a little and could have been cut down a little. When I first started it I thought “This is Gaiman’s best” but now I’m not so sure. Shadow was a fairly blank slate character. He had his moments but was a little dull. A good concept with an interesting plot.
Still a great, classic book on reread. However, it just didn't feel the same on another read. There are just other books that I feel are better.
Bilbo is very smart and crafty. I appreciate that. A lot of dwarfs to remember but you get the gist of who is important. I feel like the trilogy is more of an epic but this is still a wonderful tale that sets it up.
4.25 stars rounded down.
A gripping, chilling fantasy full of all kinds of magic. Kell and Lila are both great characters with different motivations that makes the story captivating. I wish the magic system was fleshed out a little more or at least explained better. The action sequences were great! I cannot wait to read the rest of this trilogy and dive more into the magical Londons.
4.5 stars rounded up.
Wow! This book kept my interest throughout. It's gory, gruesome, and horrific. The plot was solid and unfolded throughout. There are still some questions to be answered in the next one. Did not see that ending coming! Would recommend to any horror fan or anyone trying to get into the genre.
A great deep dive into some of the lore of Earthsea with delightful stories.
Pros:
Enticing novellas/novelettes that comprise the book.
A nice description of history and culture at the beginning/end.
Awesome themes and lessons throughout this collection of tales.
Cons:
One maybe two stories weren't the best.
A strong entry in the Earthsea cycle.
Pros:
Return of my favorite character in the series.
More characters than previous books.
Great vibes throughout the whole book.
Exciting conclusion to tie things together.
Cons:
The plot is a little weaker but it doesn't rely on it.
Less overall magic than previous books.
A little slower than past entries.
While still a solid installment in the Earthsea cycle it is so far my least favorite.
Pros:
Still great prose, even for a younger target audience.
The two main characters develop very nicely.
Talking dragons are always awesome.
Still a great magic system with an expanding world.
Cons:
Overall plot felt lacking and unlike the previous two books wasn't super clear what the main goal was.
Other characters are very much side characters with little depth. While the world is expansive the people in it are lacking.
I would prefer more conflict but do understand it's original target audience is younger.
I felt like I had to re-read this book after half-heartedly reading it in high school.
Pros:
Better than I remember.
A lot to be learned from the book.
Well written and great poetry/songs within it.
A book about Nigeria by a Nigerian author.
Cons:
Constantly upset while reading because of the main character.
Pretty dry in Part 1 (picks up in Part 2 and 3).
The novel will constantly drag on for a bit then have an important plot point casually stated in a sentence.
Overall a pretty good crime book with a twist.
Pros:
King's writing is easy follow, accessible, and conveys great storytelling.
Decently creepy/scary even for a hard crime book.
A fast paced plot once it gets going.
Avoids being too predictable.
Cons:
Not a whole lot of characters and only two are really developed.
Really wasn't a fan of one of the choices in plot near the end.
Circe had strong sections and weak sections. The beginning started out fairly strong then proceeded to be a little boring until the last third of the book.
I do believe that the more retellings I read the better the payout. This is my second one which I enjoyed more than the first because of the crossovers to what I had read in the first (“Ithaca” by Claire North).
There was a plethora of characters that interwove into the story with multiple short sections making up the full novel which I enjoyed. The writing was fairly good and straightforward which helped me understand the story. I will be reading more of the author's other retellings at some point!
4.25 stars rounded down.
This third (and potentially last) installment of “The Chilling Effect” series capped everything off with tons of high stakes action with an undercut of some humor.
Witty, exciting, and sweet; this is the best of the trilogy! Because of my enjoyment of this trilogy and “Where Peace is Lost” I'll be reading whatever Valdes comes out with next.
4.75 stars rounded up!
What a great start to a high fantasy trilogy. Loved that it blended in some Norse themes which led to great vibes for me.
The story centers around three main characters and I felt each one had great characterization. Most side characters also felt strong but there were a few that fell flat and could have used more development.
Not really the authors fault, but I had some struggle with some names being really similar which made it hard for me to track who was who. That's really on me though.
It also slightly dragged for me around the 2/3 point. However it didn't last long.
I really loved this book and can't wait to read the sequel!
A damn good mystic sci-fi. Best sci-fi I've read in 2023.
Valdes has amazing world building, knows how to switch pacing, and writes romance very well.
The MC, Kel, has a secret past and is looking to not share it on the planet Loth. She has a call to action with her local friend, Lunna, and is thrust into a mission to deactivate technology from the Pale Empire.
The sci-fi is written to ‘just work' so not the most technical of science fiction but that doesn't take anything away for me as everything is still cool. There was so much depth in the 380ish pages that I'm hoping this turns into a series.
An easy 5 star read for me!
A fantastic follow up to “She Who Became the Sun”. I didn't think the characters could gain more depth but somehow they did. This one felt like it had more mature scenes than the first one, and I would definitely look at the TWs beforehand just in case.
The politics and interworking's of the key players felt very complex and required my full attention. The plot was solid and, much like the first, the prose were noticeably good. Overall a great historical fantasy that makes me want to read more of the genre!
