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rartastic's reviews
416 reviews
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
adventurous
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
This review sums up my feelings pretty well: https://ucsdguardian.org/2015/04/01/fully-booked-china-mievilles-perdido-street-station/
Also a quote from someone else that he tries to give us too much breadth in the book, so he ends up twisting characters into things they wouldn’t normally do.
I got tired of how gross and dark the city was. There was some deus ex machina toward the end that I found annoying.
It felt like it was trying to be a new Ankh Morpork/Discworld. But it was way darker and worse.
Also a quote from someone else that he tries to give us too much breadth in the book, so he ends up twisting characters into things they wouldn’t normally do.
I got tired of how gross and dark the city was. There was some deus ex machina toward the end that I found annoying.
It felt like it was trying to be a new Ankh Morpork/Discworld. But it was way darker and worse.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Violence
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Gore, Rape, Self harm, Torture, Police brutality, and Injury/Injury detail
Recursion by Blake Crouch
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Read this book in a day. So fascinating!!
The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene
Did not finish book. Stopped at 28%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 28%.
Decided this is not the kind of person I really want to be. It’s too manipulative and holds people at arm’s length. No thank you.
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Very interesting premise. Slow to get started. There are some plot holes I ham having a hard time with. Pretty satisfying conclusion.
The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better by Gretchen Rubin
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.5
Scientific Teaching by Christine Pfund, Sarah Miller, Jo Handelsman
informative
fast-paced
4.5
Very useful and concise book for those teaching college students - particularly in the sciences.
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
5.0
I think this book will be one I revisit from time to time. Seems very important and helpful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
Frankl describes his own experiences in concentration camps during WWII. He is not gratuitously graphic, but what he describes is, of course, disturbing.
The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik
adventurous
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
4.5
Fuck you, Naomi Novik. What an ending.