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takarakei's reviews
486 reviews
A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark
dark
mysterious
fast-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
4.0
I was told to read this first for some world-building before reading The Master of Djinn. It was a quick listen that is really packed with information about this world and follows the plot at a pretty quick pace. At it's core it's a mystery as you follow detective Fatma on a hunt to discover why some other worldly beings are being killed. Fatma is a cool main character to follow and I would've happily read more about her!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Suicide
Moderate: Body horror, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Sexism
suicide one of the other-wordly beings dies by apparent suicide
Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender
Fantastic queer cast of main characters: one is transmasc, one is genderfluid, one is pansexual(?). This is a world where those identities are not an issue. The use of alchemy (magic) is 'othered'. The magic was cool in concept and explored a bit more at the beginning when Ramsy was teaching Ash, but then once we got into the action there wasn't a lot of descriptive magic. I felt a lot of the action parts were barely described and were instead glossed over. Was a bit confused what time period this is set and it's not super clear based on context clues. The dialogue reads more YA, but some of the content was definitely more New Adult. There was a lot of potential here, but it ended up being very character focused and the plot was a bit slow moving. I got rather bored by about 50%. The character dynamic between the main 3 were well done especially regarding their poly relationship. I don't know if this is going to be a series or not because it felt semi-conclusive. All the action really happens in the last 10-15% and that felt a bit rushed with how slow the rest of the book moved.
Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Teen for an advanced copy.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Fantastic queer cast of main characters: one is transmasc, one is genderfluid, one is pansexual(?). This is a world where those identities are not an issue. The use of alchemy (magic) is 'othered'. The magic was cool in concept and explored a bit more at the beginning when Ramsy was teaching Ash, but then once we got into the action there wasn't a lot of descriptive magic. I felt a lot of the action parts were barely described and were instead glossed over. Was a bit confused what time period this is set and it's not super clear based on context clues. The dialogue reads more YA, but some of the content was definitely more New Adult. There was a lot of potential here, but it ended up being very character focused and the plot was a bit slow moving. I got rather bored by about 50%. The character dynamic between the main 3 were well done especially regarding their poly relationship. I don't know if this is going to be a series or not because it felt semi-conclusive. All the action really happens in the last 10-15% and that felt a bit rushed with how slow the rest of the book moved.
Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Teen for an advanced copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Classism
Moderate: Cursing and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, and Torture
The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
I guess I just didn't expect to literally not leave this one small town the entire book (Misaki's flashbacks do not count imo). The men in this book were all incredibly insufferable and useless. Misaki was also a bit frustrating to read at times because while I can understand why she entered into this marriage based on societal expectations, I cannot understand how she became a completely different person for 15 years.
After finishing I did some research and realized this book was written as a prequel to a YA series this author wrote that I guess holds the more conclusive ending to the empire etc??? But that made this read not like a completed standalone because at the end I still had a lot of questions about how things in this world would get resolved.
The audiobook narrator mispronounces words which was very irksome as someone who speaks some Japanese. These are not words that were made up by the author, but real Japanese words that were being used in their original context. I found actually the narration was inconsistent with some pronunciation.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I had been looking forward to reading this book for so long because everyone raved about it... As I do with most books I read, I went in knowing very little: basically that it was loosely based on Japanese history/culture (apparently feudal Japan specifically). In my opinion, even if I had read the blurb for this book prior to reading I think I still would have had incorrect expectations going in.
Unfortunately I felt like I read 3 different books that felt a bit disjointed.
Unfortunately I felt like I read 3 different books that felt a bit disjointed.
- The first ~1/3 of this book is fantastic - good world building and character introductions, multiple povs to round out the perspective, very cool magic and I thought we were being set up for such a cool adventure.
- The second ~1/3 was one long battle/war scene. This is maybe a "me" thing because typically battle scenes are really not my favorite thing to read, but this went on FOREVER. Even with the magic being super cool to read, at some point I was just really over reading about it and it felt rather repetitive.
The deaths in this section also felt mostly like for shock value to me - The last ~1/3 after this battle the book took a sudden turn into a super character driven not-plot where we just follow the aftermath of the battle where they are rebuilding this town and it was honestly boring. As my friend said "the culmination of this epic fantasy is….logging and building a school….."
- ALSO I HATED the Takeru redemption "arc" cause it's not an arc, it was a complete 180 out of nowhere with no build up and sorry I do not sympathize with him! His character development was not nuanced enough for me to care, and in the end he was still doing dumb things. IMO if Takeru had been explained to be mainly just distant/cold but not outright abusive to Misaki/the children this change would have made more sense.
I guess I just didn't expect to literally not leave this one small town the entire book (Misaki's flashbacks do not count imo). The men in this book were all incredibly insufferable and useless. Misaki was also a bit frustrating to read at times because while I can understand why she entered into this marriage based on societal expectations, I cannot understand how she became a completely different person for 15 years.
After finishing I did some research and realized this book was written as a prequel to a YA series this author wrote that I guess holds the more conclusive ending to the empire etc??? But that made this read not like a completed standalone because at the end I still had a lot of questions about how things in this world would get resolved.
The audiobook narrator mispronounces words which was very irksome as someone who speaks some Japanese. These are not words that were made up by the author, but real Japanese words that were being used in their original context. I found actually the narration was inconsistent with some pronunciation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Slavery, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
Destroy the Day by Brigid Kemmerer
adventurous
emotional
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? No
3.5
The last two books in this series really went hard on the character-driven writing. I thought overall this one was slightly better than book 2, but ultimately still a bit of a let down in the way the story was told. Basically there was too much telling and not enough showing. Example we're just told at the end that a truce/agreement whatever between Kandala and Ostriary is reached... but wasn't that kinda the a big thing in this book? so why is it just one line like "oh yeah that happened, s'all good" Plot pacing, because it was so character driven, was also an issue. I felt like the beginning really dragged, and the ending felt a bit rushed to get to our final conclusion.
Which is a shame because I think the overall analogy of Kandala, the sickness etc is fitting at least in the US where our healthcare system is a nightmare. I thought the political parts of this series were the strongest points and I guess I just wish that was a bit more of the focus. Not that I dislike reading about these character's interactions (because the main characters are great!), I just wanted more political tension I guess?
Harristan is my favorite character and this is really his book imo. Will forever be screaming about certain chapters in this book!Also I just wanna say, I KNEW it!
Which is a shame because I think the overall analogy of Kandala, the sickness etc is fitting at least in the US where our healthcare system is a nightmare. I thought the political parts of this series were the strongest points and I guess I just wish that was a bit more of the focus. Not that I dislike reading about these character's interactions (because the main characters are great!), I just wanted more political tension I guess?
Harristan is my favorite character and this is really his book imo. Will forever be screaming about certain chapters in this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and War
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Death
The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake
I've seen some mixed reviews of this book and I truly don't know what people were expecting having read the first two books? The characters are the focus. Their relationship dynamics are what makes this series interesting. The point of this book is to make you think about our existence. It's a rumination on the meaning of life. Do our choices matter? Is it all worth it?
Does that mean that this series it not for everyone? Absolutely! But I for one actually look forward to rereading this series for the rest of my life!
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I finished this a few days ago and haven't stopped thinking about it.
This series is so hard to form coherent thoughts around because it really is so unique and unlike anything else I've read. To quote Ms Olivie Blake herself: "The relationships will be the plot, because relationships are all that matter. They're all we can ever take with us. They're the only real things we leave behind."
This series is so hard to form coherent thoughts around because it really is so unique and unlike anything else I've read. To quote Ms Olivie Blake herself: "The relationships will be the plot, because relationships are all that matter. They're all we can ever take with us. They're the only real things we leave behind."
I've seen some mixed reviews of this book and I truly don't know what people were expecting having read the first two books? The characters are the focus. Their relationship dynamics are what makes this series interesting. The point of this book is to make you think about our existence. It's a rumination on the meaning of life. Do our choices matter? Is it all worth it?
Does that mean that this series it not for everyone? Absolutely! But I for one actually look forward to rereading this series for the rest of my life!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Cancer, Police brutality, and Dementia
All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Unfortunately I didn't realize going into this that it's a 600 page romance, or I would probably not have read it. No romance needs to be that long imo. MZ writes slow burn, but there's slow burn and then there's... whatever this is. The two main characters barely interacted or talked for like the first 30% of this book (which is like 200 pages). The first HALF of this book could have been severely edited down in terms of content because I was just reading too many mundane details that my brain was shutting down.
Which honestly sucks because the last 20% of this book is really good! Once you *actually* start to see the tiniest spark (aka they have conversations) between the main characters I enjoyed it. I really liked the development of the relationship between Aurora and Tobias' son Amos (tbh she has more interactions in the first half of the book with Amos than Tobias). There's a hard hitting part at the end regarding Aurora's grief over her mom that got me a bit misty.I'm not sure that I needed her ex to come back begging for her, I felt that was extraneous.
Overall I'm not sure I really vibed with Aurora as a main character and she made some really dumb ass decisions in this book that irked me (hello hiking on your own when you are clearly not an experienced hiker and your mom disappeared while hiking??? please make it make sense). Also this is a self published book moving to traditional publication and the arc I read had some super repetitive parts and several typos that I hope are fixed before it's published...
I have some other books by this author on my list that I will read, but I'll be checking the page count before I do.
🌶️3/5
Which honestly sucks because the last 20% of this book is really good! Once you *actually* start to see the tiniest spark (aka they have conversations) between the main characters I enjoyed it. I really liked the development of the relationship between Aurora and Tobias' son Amos (tbh she has more interactions in the first half of the book with Amos than Tobias). There's a hard hitting part at the end regarding Aurora's grief over her mom that got me a bit misty.
Overall I'm not sure I really vibed with Aurora as a main character and she made some really dumb ass decisions in this book that irked me (hello hiking on your own when you are clearly not an experienced hiker and your mom disappeared while hiking??? please make it make sense). Also this is a self published book moving to traditional publication and the arc I read had some super repetitive parts and several typos that I hope are fixed before it's published...
I have some other books by this author on my list that I will read, but I'll be checking the page count before I do.
🌶️3/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness and Sexual content
Minor: Pregnancy
Aurora's ex and his mother are vile and the horrible things they did to her are brought up several times.
Tobias' mother struggled with mental illness and as a result he had a rough childhood.
There is one explicit spicy scene.
Pregnancy happens as part of the HEA (not a surprise).
Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon
This is like the movie Set It Up only their bosses actually should be together.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
- Holiday season romance
- Jewish main characters
- Plus size male main character (more of this please!)
- Mental health rep
- PNW setting!
This is like the movie Set It Up only their bosses actually should be together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment
Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth
One of the side characters struggles with substance abuse and commits suicide via overdosing
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book has one of my favorite tropes: the reluctant hero. I just love a hero who gripes their way through saving the world!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Suicide, and Torture
Minor: Cancer and Racism
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I know a lot of people love this book but it just wasn't for me. Way too much vibes and not enough plot, it really struggled to keep my attention. Honestly it was like 80% descriptions of the Circus, so if you're into that this is the book for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Death
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Suicide, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent
Defend the Dawn by Brigid Kemmerer
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book felt like it was stretched a bit too thin without quite enough happening. It's hard to say without the third book being out yet where the story is going (I am anticipating the release and will be reading right away!) - but it felt like a series being stretched into a trilogy that could've been edited down into a duology. The first book Defy the Night is probably the best YA political fantasy I've read, and this one focused a bit too much on a character driven plot without a lot of other plot happening. Basically they were on this ship for a long ass time and nothing really happened? I love these characters so that's what was keeping me reading, but I did get a bit bored at parts. Protect Corrick and Harrison at all costs.
I am glad I waited to read this until right before the third book comes out...
I am glad I waited to read this until right before the third book comes out...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence, Medical content, and Kidnapping
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual content, and Death of parent