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ofclumsywords's reviews
423 reviews
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Outbound Flight by Timothy Zahn
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This short story is included in a list of books for a class I’m taking. It is a fantasy short story that explores a Chinese-American boy and his relationship with his mother. When he is very young, the boy doesn’t think much of his upbringing and his mother who can only speak Chinese and cook Chinese meals. It isn’t until a friend comes over that he realizes that his household is much different from traditional American households and begins to reject his mother and his Chinese heritage. The story continues to become sadder as the boy continues to reject his mother and is never able to rekindle their relationship before she dies. It isn’t until he finds a handwritten note she wrote to him that is folded into one of the origami animals she used to bring to life for him that the boy finally understands who his mother is and what her life is like before she was brought to America to marry his father.
Although this is a sad story, the idea that a mother has the ability to literally bring her origami creations to life for her son to have toys is really cool. The author made each animal have a personality and acted like the animal for which it was made into. He even made it realistic by including a paper shark who fell apart when put into water so the mother remade one out of tinfoil so it could actually swim. The imagination that was put into an otherwise very real life scenario made this story less sad, but still heartbreaking to see a boy who just wanted to fit in with the other American kids allow himself to push his mother away instead.
Although this is a sad story, the idea that a mother has the ability to literally bring her origami creations to life for her son to have toys is really cool. The author made each animal have a personality and acted like the animal for which it was made into. He even made it realistic by including a paper shark who fell apart when put into water so the mother remade one out of tinfoil so it could actually swim. The imagination that was put into an otherwise very real life scenario made this story less sad, but still heartbreaking to see a boy who just wanted to fit in with the other American kids allow himself to push his mother away instead.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Death of parent
The Way of the Apprentice by Jude Watson
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Mandalorian Armor by K.W. Jeter
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book picks up during the events of Return of the Jedi where Boba Fett falls into the Sarlacc pit. We find out his fate pretty quickly and how he survives while also going back in time to find out what led Fett to those events and into the employ of Jabba the Hut.
For how action packed and fast the plot was, all this book was is set up for the rest of the series. Most of the “why” is still a mystery, but that doesn’t mean that this book wasn’t excellent. I loved every moment of it even if it did have a few flaws.
My only two complaints were that the author used the word “barve” way too many times. Every character was referred to as a barve at least once and I wished that there had been other ways of describing a character. Otherwise, the only other thing to mention is that the chapters were way too long. This is an almost 400 page book with only 21 chapters and when you get to the middle of the book, some of the chapters are 50 pages long and go into quite a bit of detail about what the characters are doing or where they are. I personally prefer smaller chapters so maybe this critique may come as nitpicking to some, but personally some of the chapters could cut some of the descriptions or be cut up into multiple chapters.
For how action packed and fast the plot was, all this book was is set up for the rest of the series. Most of the “why” is still a mystery, but that doesn’t mean that this book wasn’t excellent. I loved every moment of it even if it did have a few flaws.
My only two complaints were that the author used the word “barve” way too many times. Every character was referred to as a barve at least once and I wished that there had been other ways of describing a character. Otherwise, the only other thing to mention is that the chapters were way too long. This is an almost 400 page book with only 21 chapters and when you get to the middle of the book, some of the chapters are 50 pages long and go into quite a bit of detail about what the characters are doing or where they are. I personally prefer smaller chapters so maybe this critique may come as nitpicking to some, but personally some of the chapters could cut some of the descriptions or be cut up into multiple chapters.
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.
I tried to give this a shot, but the moment the owner of the manor was talking like an influencer and was “manifesting positivity” I was done. It sounded like a cool idea with a manor next to a sinister wood with a lot of lore and deaths connected to it. But I just couldn’t stick it out.
The Martian by Andy Weir
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is the second time I’ve read this book and it is just as good as I remembered. Even the movie adaptation is incredible, and I can only honestly say that about no more than 5 book-to-movie adaptations.
This is a great book about survival and what someone would do to stay alive even when there is no hope. After all, Mark was literally left behind on Mars when everyone thought he was dead.
At the end of the book, Mark reflects on all the people who stepped up to rescue him and says: “…they did it because every human being has a basic instinct to help each other out. It might not seem that way sometimes, but it’s true.” He then goes on to use the examples of when a hiker is lost in the woods, a train crashes, or an earthquake devastates a town that strangers will come together to search or donate blood or supplies to those in need. I had forgotten about that at the end of the book, but I am so glad it is there as I think we all need that reminder every once in a while of how humanity will come together and help each other in a crisis.
Me vs Brain: An Overthinker's Guide to Life by Hayley Morris
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
This book is a very funny and honest book about what it’s like to be an over-thinker. From daily tasks to relationships (be it friends or partners) Hayley shows the reader that they are not alone in their intrusive thoughts. The chapters were short and to the point, and I loved that Hayley included dialog from Brain and other characters from her skits on the internet. Some of the middle chapters got a little dry, but then towards the end Hayley bares her soul and shares her grief of losing her dad to a very rare and cruel form of dementia. It was a great book and makes Hayley become more than just a funny internet personality, and instead someone you feel you can get a cup of coffee with and chat about pesky Brain and all the things you overthink about in life.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Dementia, and Death of parent
A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is for any reader who has ever dreamed of going to their favorite fictional place. From the beginning this story is filled with bookish things, from books the main character has read to the different literary things she and her colleagues have discussed or even debated at the college they work at. As the reader, you immediately can connect to Elsy and understand her love for the written word above anything else and the power of books healing you during darker days. I would recommend this book to any book lover out there as it feels like you are transported into the pages and are right there with Elsy as she explores the very fictional town she somehow finds herself in. She even gets to meet all her favorite characters, and it is hilarious to watch Elsy try and keep her cool as she is introduced to them all.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Grief, and Car accident
A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A Day of Fallen Night is the second book in the Roots of Chaos series and takes place 500 years before Priory of the Orange Tree. In this book, we get to see first hand the events of the Grief of Ages, a year long war between the humans and Wyrms, something that was only discussed in minor detail in Priory of the Orange Tree. This book takes place over a four year period, following four characters located in different parts of this lush and beautiful world Shannon has created. Each character has their own story to tell while also being interconnected to the other main characters from the arrival of the dragons all the way through to the end of the Greif of Ages. This book is the very definition of an epic fantasy and stands out against all the other fantasy novels published before as something so unique and beautiful that I will never get tired of returning to this world.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic