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berlinbibliophile's reviews
1164 reviews
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I was nice to focus more closely on a smaller group of characters. I had more fun with this book than the first in the series. But the plot just barely makes any sense at all. And I hope Celaena gets better at the spy/assassin stuff in the next book.
Ins Herz: Neuschwanstein-Thriller by Markus Richter
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I rather enjoyed the descriptions of the area of Hohenschwangau. I wasn't expecting this thriller to cover basically only one complete day, but it was very suspenseful and contained many flashbacks to other times to keep it from monotony. I liked it a lot more than I expected to. It doesn't have that many characters, but the relevant ones are very well realised, fully rounded people, fixed in their historical moment.
The Book of Ile-Rien: The Element of Fire & The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This omnibus contains two books. The first is a fine fantasy book with great worldbuilding, but honestly kind of thin characters. But the second book is wonderful! Great characters, great worldbuilding, great mystery and suspenseful scenes. I had a lot of fun with the second book!
Scotland: A History from Earliest Times by Alistair Moffat
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
For most of the book, I really enjoyed it. Interesting history for sure. But the last chapter was extremely tedious, when the author simply states all election results for the past several decades. I would have been very interested if he had said anything about the policies of the resulting governments, or if he had talked about the historical or social impact of votes swinging this way or that. Not even the impact of partial devolution was gone into, only the votes and names of the prominent politicians. The final chapter is a two-star chapter, but the book as a whole was still okay.
Legendary by Stephanie Garber
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
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
3.0
The plot relies a lot on Caraval being entirely arranged for Donatella's benefit, but I still had a lot of fun. The beginning was slightly difficult to follow because Donatella remembers the events of Caraval very differently from the way they're described in the actual book. I had a lot of fun with Dante and Jacks, and we got a lot of tantalising glimpses of Scarlet and Julian.
Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- 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
4.0
I had the best time with this. I loved Percy's turn as octopus boy and the pets were great. I hope we see Nope again!
Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It is clear that the author loves the crime genre and has a blast playing with its conventions. I also had a wonderful time following Ernest's appropriately inept investigation. The book really values "fair play", giving the readers all the clues. Following them, I knew who the murderer was just after the halfway point, but I had a blast figuring out the motive and all the other little mysteries. Highly recommend this one.
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The worldbuilding is really cool in this book. I'd love to explore it more in the sequel. The romance was entirely unnecessary and deeply weird, especially when trying to imagine the logistics of a kiss. Still, there were interesting side characters, and I want to know what political consequences the finale of this book has.
Kühn hat zu tun by Jan Weiler
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Ich war begeistert von dem Schreibstil und dem Witz des Buches, besonders am Anfang. Auch Kühns Interiorität war sehr gut beschrieben. Aber das Ende habe ich so sehr gehasst, dass es im Ergebis 2 Sterne abgezogen hat. Eines meiner unliebsamsten Krimi-Klischees, echt traurig.
Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
These stories star a lot of different side-characters from the Mercy Thompson series, all getting their moment in the sun (metaphorical sun for the vampires). It was nice to see other sides of this universe. But getting a Mercy story at the end was a particular treat!