Nikki
Insightful and should be made required reading. Includes useful tips to navigate oneself in conversations about race.
The statistics that the author talks about is honestly scary and I'm glad this was able to shine a light on some of that which I had 0 idea about. Well written and is very straight-to-the-point.
As with all Sanderson books I have read so far, this has all the world building that makes them special. TWoK reminded me a lot of The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan a lot with the different races and interesting magic systems. Comparing this to The Final Empire which I did quite enjoy and read recently, the character work here is an improvement and definitely prefer that in this. I loved reading the different point of views and seeing how all of them connect to each other is great too. However, I did find the sequence of the changing of POV's to be slightly unsettling. For example, I noticed that there will be many chapters where we will not read from a certain character which could be annoying at times. There would be a cliffhanger in the end of the chapter and then you wouldn't get to see that resolved until many many chapters after. With that said, I still enjoyed the story very much. The last 200-300 pages were definitely strong and I really liked how things turned out there. The book reads very ‘first book' to a series though, as there was a lot of history of the world, magic system, weapons and it could be a con to some if you don't like info-dumps.
I liked this overall but I do acknowledge that it could've been shorter. It definitely requires commitment to read as it's fairly slow-paced but I am mostly likely going to catch-up with the sequels in the future.
Never watched any of the Avatar shows but I do understand some references, thank you Tumblr. There's some qualms I have about it though, the pacing of the book did feel a little off at times and I think the book could've been longer too. I would've loved to see more buildup between Kyoshi and her romantic interest because that seemed slightly rushed to me. The climax at the end also feels like it flew by too quickly and everything seemed to be resolved easily. Besides that though, I think most Avatar fans and also non-Avatar fans would like this, as long as you're familiar with the basic stuff like the role of the Avatar and the Four Nations.
I'll be honest, my interest started out with the very pretty looking cover but I stayed for the story! I was a little hesitant on reading the first few chapters because it gave me some memories of my attempt at reading another similarly lengthed book, with the whole magic in a real-world context concept, Aurora's Moon which I ended DNF'ing but I'm glad that this didn't turn out that way.
One of the things that I enjoyed about the book was the prose, it didn't feel oversimplified like others and it seems to flow pretty naturally throughout the story. The whole magic system is pretty interesting so far though I feel like the first book seems like it's just scratching the surface of what's to come. There is some stuff that naturally comes with longer fantasy books like these, there were I think occasionally some info-dumps that weren't as easy to understand. Though I would excuse these if it's going to be followed-up well in the sequels. However, with that said, I adored the characters in this book. Every single POV we get to read here is and it just feels extremely refreshing to see an author embrace queerness in their writing. Nausicaa is just so charismatic in every situation possible and her interactions with every single character make an entertaining read. The humor that comes with the book is also top-notch, it didn't feel very in my face and goes well with the tone set up for the book.
I actually had no idea it wasn't standalone till like 75% of the book. Imagine my surprise when I found out not everything was going to be resolved and I have to wait for god knows how long...
Overall a really fun read, didn't expect me to finish this so soon but and it didn't feel as long as its page count at all. It's a definite recommendation from me if you're looking for something not too serious and have an excellent cast of queer characters!
I had a great time reading this. Its a book which I think is suitable to be read when you're not looking for anything too serious or dense and just want a comfort-read. I loved Becky Chamber's novella, To Be Taught, If Fortunate and I love this for the exact same reasons. The writing style evokes a sense of quietness and is comforting, somehow. The interaction and dialogues between the characters, which are diverse in gender/sexuality/species are wholesome and fun to read. Don't read this book if you want a whole lot of plot though. There is an underlying point to the whole story but the beauty of the book is definitely the journey to it, and I guess that is where the title comes from, to think of it! I do wish that there was more added plot to it or at least more acknowledgement of the existing one because it did seem that sometimes they get lost in the slice-of-life type of scenes.
Overall, a nice read and the ending was great! I'll definitely be reading its sequel soon too.
Know My Name is hands down, one of my personal favorite non-fiction books that I have ever read so far. The author, Chanel Miller writes in such a beautiful and evocative way about one of the hardest topics I would imagine someone could write about, even more when its coming from her own personal experience. I am in awe of how well she was able to correlate other childhood memories/other experiences with her current situation and describe her emotions through her words. That isn't to say that this is a breezy, light read though. There were many moments where I am just infuriated at the whole system which is based on bringing justice to people, being so ironically, unjust. The trials where the author had to go through was a painful read but something that everyone should get to know to realize how terribly flawed the system is towards victims of rape/sexual assault/etc. I look up to the author so much and respect her completely for how she was able to push through this painful period of her life but am glad that she was able to help so many victims by sharing her story with the world.
These are just some of the quotes which I highlighted:
"”If he says he's sorry, but maintains he's not guilty, doesn't that resemble manipulation more than reconciliation?”“If students can be swiftly expelled for plagiarism or dealing drugs, the same punishment should be inflicted if there's enough evidence to suggest they pose a threat to others. Oh but his reputation! That's really where he suffers. My advice is, if he's worried about his reputation, don't rape anyone.”“Women are raised to work with dexterity, to keep their nimble fingers ready, their minds alert. It is her job to know how to handle the stream of bombs, how to kindly decline giving her number, how to move a hand from the button of her jeans, to turn down a drink. When a woman is assaulted, one of the first questions people ask is, Did you say no? This question assumes that the answer was always yes, and that it is her job to revoke the agreement. To defuse the bomb she was given. But why are they allowed to touch us until we physically fight them off? Why is the door open until we have to slam it shut?”“I used to shrink at harsh tones, used to be afraid. Until I learned it takes nothing to be hostile. Nothing. It is easy to be the one yelling, chucking words that burn like coals, neon red, meant to harm. I have learned I am water. The coals sizzle, extinguishing when they reach me. I see now, those fiery coals are just black stones, sinking to the bottom.”
This is a book where I think everyone should read, regardless of whatever demographic they belong to. It is an important topic which is discussed but not close to enough in a way where it should be.
This had a much quicker pacing than the previous two books and I enjoyed it for the most part. The ending is satisfying and I think fits quite well to the overall character of Mia and the theme of the series though I can see it disappointing some readers. I did however not enjoy the excessive use of metaphors sprinkled around the dialogue of some of the characters. Some of them were funny, sure, but I found them mostly deterring my focus from the story itself. Also, there's sort of a love triangle which plays a larger role here than the previous book and I personally just do not enjoy that trope. Overall I mostly enjoyed the series and it has its own faults but I can still see myself reading more of Kristoff's work in the future because he has some good ideas for sure.
Reread (13/12/23): Bumped to 4 stars. Landed better in my second read! Paul reminded me of Snow from the Ballads of Songbirds and Snakes movie. The whole 180 personality change in the 1/3 was somewhat understandable but still caught me off-guard.
I have fairly mixed feelings about this. I went into this knowing close to nothing besides it has sandworms and inspired the Star Wars movies. I had high expectations for the book, so I might've set the bar too high when I read it.
The world in here is very interesting. The whole water is precious and literal crying isn't something people do often because the water from tears would be ‘wasted'. The whole ecological aspect of Arrakis was and is definitely one of the coolest parts of the story for sure. Besides the world building in the book, I suppose the political intrigue was okay. It definitely felt Star Wars-ish in that regard, and you can see what inspired the movies from here too.
What I didn't like as much from the book is the characters. The writing style felt dry and distant to me. It just didn't evoke much emotion from me even when a lot of serious events are happening. You don't get to really understand the character's motivation and the whole ‘no fear' part of the Bene Gesserit makes the characters almost emotionless? That isn't the case for the entire book but it definitely felt so for the most part. Aside from that, there were just a few questionable lines that the author wrote which were just alarming, but I won't go into that much. Also, I do feel uncomfortable that the only queer character here is a murderer and a podophile. I get that it was published not that recently, but that kind of content still feels odd reading now in 2020.
Overall, it was a good read in the sense of just understanding what the hype was all about. Is it my favorite sci-fi? No. Can I see why there's so many people raving about it'? Yes. It's a space-opera book with decent political intrigue with an original world published at a time where stuff like these just weren't in the scene just yet. So if you're interested to see what inspired Star Wars, Ender's Game and I'm sure many many other science fiction media, try this one out.
I loved this a lot! I read it with no knowledge of the Portugese legend that it's based on but I enjoyed it nevertheless. This story as a whole is more of a character-driven story for sure because although the plot never felt stagnant, there wasn't exactly a lot happening either around the characters. What I like about the story though is the progression of how the main character, Yzabel, accepts her curse(turning food into flowers) as a blessing. I also like how this parallels with her acceptance towards her own sexuality too.
You forgot that the difference between a blessing and a curse is perspective.
The romance is also cute though I think it was a little too quick but then again, its a retelling so I didn't mind that as much. The whole concept of Faty being stuck in a stone because she too was cursed is interesting too but fairly straightforward. Also, this book also surprised me by the kindness the male characters showed. The king, Denis and Vasco were actually characters which I were interested in which normally I wouldn't in queer books like these. Its nice to see healthy male-representation too like them. Ultimately, I enjoyed this a lot and I can see a movie of some sort be made from this. I would be too wishful to imagine Disney adapting this but I hope to see it someday.
Great sequel! This was a much better book than Nevernight in my opinion and solidifies my decision to continue on with the series because WOW that last few chapters!
The world building in this series is quite interesting as the author chose to do most of it using footnotes. I'm not against it at all but I do see some people getting frustrated at them but I would say that most of the footnotes aren't particularly important to the present plot line. Its mostly just to flesh out the history of the world only. The prose of this book is also mostly similar to the first, the odd metaphors still present too. I've gotten fairly used to the author's style at this point but I won't say that I'm exactly the biggest fan of it but there's no denying that he can write well.
I liked that we saw much more of Godsgrave and I actually prefer that compared to being in The Red Church in the first book. The whole Gladiatii was also really cool and the action scenes were just so fun. Also, bonus points for the romance in this book because it seemed more natural compared to the previous one? I might just be biased though so don't read into my words too much. Finally, a tiny detail that isn't very important but I really appreciated is that the author slyly inserted their love for books in the series which I love! The library scenes with the chronicle are great.
The heavens grant us only one life, but through books, we live a thousand.
3.5 Stars
I liked this collection but I didn't resonate with the latter half of the book. Maybe because those were mainly love poems?
Here's one that I particularly enjoyed:
The World I Live InI have refused to live locked in the orderly house of reasons and proofs.The world I live in and believe in is wider than that. And anyway, what's wrong with Maybe?You wouldn't believe what once or twice I have seen. I'll just tell you this:only if there are angels in your head will you ever, possibly, see one.
She's the only divine thing he's ever believed in. The only creature in this vast, cruel land who could kill him. And sometimes, in his loveliest dreams, he imagines she does.
Grateful for some bonus content even though it hurts so badly... I recommend reading this after TBG so it could stab your feelings for the characters like someone we know.
Not a fan of soccer in general but this was a good listen. I know about some of Rapinoe's advocacy for racism and LGBTQ rights from reading articles before this and it was interesting to know more about her own experiences with all of it. Rapinoe talks about her rise to the soccer world and her family dynamics to the heavier topics like racism and politics. This is not so much a memoir but different essays on multiple topic with personal experience layered atop. I enjoyed this very much in the few days I listened to it sporadically and I'm glad I chose to listen to it too, her voice makes it all much more real and true to life for sure.
Phew, this was one heck of a ride. I am incredibly lucky to find out about this particular series this year(thank you very much Covid) when the hype is at its very peak with the release of the finale. I adored the first two books and there is no doubt in me that the last book has surpassed all my expectations. I didn't see the end coming but it goes so well with Rin's personality that I can't fault the author for hurting me so very deeply.
I'll be honest, I attempted to read the kindle version of this book sometime before this but put it off because I was intimidated by the page count and there was something about the author's writing style which I didn't quite like at first. I switched to the audiobook version and I'm pleased to say that it went well! Although it was quite slow for about 1/2 the book, the pace quickened and I was interested in what was Vin and Kelsier's role in overthrowing the Empire.
The one thing that I admired the most is the interesting worldbuilding and the magic system. The whole ingesting metal caught my eye and I'll definitely be continuing the series soon. A criticism I would give though is that the romance was a little cheesy for my tastes but I got used to it quickly.
Overall, it was a good listen and I would recommend to fantasy fans looking for a cool magic system in a large world, though I'm sure it will only expand even more in the sequels. Although I feel like most readers would probably be satisfied just with this book alone.
I am incredibly biased because I like Halsey as an artist and as a human, in general. I read this sporadically throughout a few days and suffice to say, I love it! There's a lot of gems and standouts in these clearly mirroring Halsey's personal life and for that I really respect the amount of bravery she has to put this out into a book for everyone to see. I found that some of the poems read more like song lyrics, which I don't really mind as much and would very much like to see some of them performed in a song. I have a few favorites but one of them is this:
SOMETHING FOR THEMThis is to remind you that you are a lover.That you melt at a glanceat a touch.That you are a baby.You are soft and fragileand you need someone to tell youthat everything is going to be okay.That you are an idiotand you are going to fuck up1 million more times the rest of your life.But this is to remind youthat you are a statue, gilded in marble,and there is white lightning in your eyes.Change shape.Give in.
I love this collection and I would definitely read any future collections if Halsey decides to put out more!
I confess, I don't typically read historical fiction books. I decided to give this a try because I was intrigued with the concept of witch trials and also that it had a queer romance storyline between the two POV's, Maren and Ursa. I enjoyed the ambiance of the setting, it is a rather slow moving story and focuses more on character rather than the plot I believe. The writing style in this is great too, its one of the few other reasons I enjoyed this as much as I did! I'll have to look into other books by the author after this...
If there's one negative criticism I would give the book, albeit mostly nit-picking, it is that the ending was rather abrupt and not explained? Everything went by quickly and I wanted to find out what exactly had happened to the people of Vardø.
The romance in this is done well and it is incredibly slow-burn, and I like the friendship between Maren and Kirsten too. The relationship between Maren and her sister in law, Diina, was bitter-sweet too but deep down, the readers can tell that they both genuinely care about each other.
They are a language, Maren. Just because you do not speak it doesn't make it devilry.
I like the overall theme of the book and would recommend it to those looking for a slow read set in a historical setting.
Although I really appreciate the author's worldbuilding and immaculate writing style, I have concluded that The Traitor Baru Cormorant is not my type of book. Don't get me wrong though, I believe there is a lot of people who would enjoy this but my tastes does not. The story is engaging but I ultimately could not relate much with the main character and her choices. I appreciate the representation of LGBTQ+ people here but do note that this is a dark and dense book and should be read in a good frame of mind. I did feel that I could not catch up with everything that's happening in the book too, as I found that it can confusing at times.
TL;DR: I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would but would still recommend to people who loves great worldbuilding with a lot of politics going on in their books.
I finished this last night and I'm still processing everything that happened at the end. I read the 1st book about 2 months ago and thought that it was good but I think the sequel is even better. After reading this, it feels as though as The Poppy War was merely an introduction to set up for this particular book. I can't speak for the 3rd book as I haven't read it but if the pattern is still going on for the final book, I'm fairly sure it'll be a 4-5 star read for me, personally.
The characters are flawed, but beautifully so. Rin, has suffered throughout the entire book and her actions don't always make sense but its understandably so with everything that happened to her. She's an imperfect person, outright scary at times but it just shows how the circumstances around you can affect you, in this case, it's war. In the first book, we see her and her friends just competing against each other with grades and all but here it's all dark and gritty and death is everywhere. It's no surprise that everyone is not thinking straight at this point. We also get to see more of her friends, Kitay, Nezha, The Cike and even Venka! Minor spoilers about this though but there is a whole lot of conflict in this and coughsbackstabbing.
She saw the way he was looking at her. She knew he felt it too. “Between us, we have the fire and the water,” she said quietly. “I'm quite sure that together, we can take on the wind.”
When I was midway into the book, I initially planned to give this a 5 star rating but decided to hold onto my opinion until I got to the end and boy, the pace picked up well after that. There's a whole lot of war preparation in here so be prepared for that going in. The action sequences were so well done and we get much more insight into the Empire and shamanism too. I didn't see the ending going that direction at all but I love it. It's very fitting to everything that's going on and I'm excited to see how all of it plays out in The Burning God.
I liked the 1st book well enough but the sequel has elevated everything for me. If you're looking for a military-type/cool magic system fantasy series with a lot of consequences, you'll have to read this for sure!