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catlion27's reviews
253 reviews
Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.5
This was atmospheric and dark, but I thought it was well-done. I liked the Weird West vibe and the world. The main character was...not a good person, which usually turns me off to a book, but this one didn't.
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was a very fun adventure with a unique and lively setting, fantastical creatures, and solid characters. The main character being a pirate queen mom was my jam, and I liked her discussion of balancing intense love for her daughter with her identity as an explorer. I also appreciated having a religious main character - it was refreshing to have someone sincerely invoking God in a fantasy novel.
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
I wanted to like this book more than I did. Alternate history women in space science with a solid marriage to boot? Should be my jam. But the misogyny felt so heavy-handed it distracted me, honestly. And I realize that it's not necessarily exaggeration, that people really can be that awful, but it the villainy felt so mustache-twirling that it disengaged me.
Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.25
This was an enjoyable urban fantasy. Less worldbuilding in terms of magic, but the rivers lore is interesting and I can tell it will be explored further. I really liked the main mystery and its gruesomeness? I guess? Idk, I found it interesting. I didn't feel like I totally had a grasp on the world/magic to understand the mechanics of the main character's solution at the end, but I found the character interactions at the end enjoyable to read.
"I'm a wizard."
"Like Harry Potter?"
"No, not like Harry Potter."
"In what way?"
"I'm not a fictional character."
"There's literature on this?"
"You'd be surprised, constable, what there is literature on."
"I'm a wizard."
"Like Harry Potter?"
"No, not like Harry Potter."
"In what way?"
"I'm not a fictional character."
"There's literature on this?"
"You'd be surprised, constable, what there is literature on."
Paladin's Faith by T. Kingfisher
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Another fabulous paladin romance. Loved seeing more paladins (<3 Wren) than just the main character in this one, and that it expanded into other paladin groups as well. I thought Shane's emotional journey and the romance were well-integrated while still feeling different than the other books thus far. Marguerite is a delight and there was lots of fun banter. The end is very intense and deals with interesting aspects of gods . It leaves things mostly wrapped up but leaves something BIG hanging in the background that I don't think is going to get resolved in the next book. Also I have a lot of questions about demons, and how their nature will be handled later in the series. All in all, delightful. I'm excited for more.
Idyllian by R. Z. Held
3.0
It's tough to pin down why this didn't quite land for me. I only read the first two novellas of the 4. I thought the plot was interesting, though I felt it sometimes got bogged down in technical descriptions. I thought there were interesting emotional moments and moral choices presented, but I didn't always feel their was enough follow through in the relationship, and the hints at more intense physical relationships didn't feel earned, exactly, because I didn't feel like the emotional beats adequately led to them? I wanted to like these books more than I did.
Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Of course another absolutely charming installment of the series. I can't get enough of them. I found the action scenario in the middle really fun with some cute setups, and I liked how many gnoles there were. I also really liked Piper.
Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Best book I read of 2023. It's about the power of stories and memory and trauma but also living in spite of and because of everything that's come before you. The prose is gorgeous (apparently the author's only other published work as of this review is a book-length poem, and I can believe it), and the characters are all excellently drawn. The interludes are fabulously done, with so much personality and heart. The audiobook narrator is fantastic too.
"You are remembering this story as I tell it, are you not? Is this not a haunting? A story that is told and told and will not hush in the telling? A story already inside your ears even before I speak?"
"What is a lie but a story? And what power a story has when whispered in the ear of a man with a gun."
"You are remembering this story as I tell it, are you not? Is this not a haunting? A story that is told and told and will not hush in the telling? A story already inside your ears even before I speak?"
"What is a lie but a story? And what power a story has when whispered in the ear of a man with a gun."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death