berlinbibliophile's reviews
1164 reviews

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-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

5.0

Amazing book. Zhu is an incredible protagonist, and I can't wait to find out what happens to Ma and Ouyang next. The prose is perfect for the story, and I read this book very, very quickly as a result. 
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Go to review page

adventurous lighthearted medium-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

3.0

This is very YA. Celaena has boundless confidence and only sometimes backs that confidence up. When she does it's pretty awesome though. And I like that for once, she's not doubting of her own abilities the way that many YA protagonists are. 
The worldbuilding is pretty cool, and I definitely want to find out what else Celaena will get up to. 
Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik

Go to review page

adventurous funny lighthearted 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? No

5.0

I had an absolute blast with this collection. Not a single dud in the whole book. My favourites were perhaps the Scholomance story, the one about dragon-taming in Ancient Rome, and the one about finding a new continent. But the others were great as well. I absolutely love Novik's characters and her worldbuilding. 
City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional fast-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

4.0

I had a great time with this book. So many different perspectives and strands of the story are woven together into one chaotic, amazing tapestry. I definitely want to find out what can possibly happen next!
Dickens's Favourite Blacking Factory: The Story of Regency Entrepreneur Charles Day, His Clandestine Affair and why Charles Dickens Became Interested in Him by Neil Price

Go to review page

informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

5.0

This story is so interesting - detective work and a bit of luck leading to a big discovery in the family history. I was very interested in Charles Day's life as told in this book, and the long, long afterlife of his Will in court cases. The scandalous, and yet perfectly normal, second family, and how all the lies around them changed the way those kids were perceived, and how they passed it on. The Dickens connection is interesting, but not the main point of the book. It's mostly about Day's life and second family, and the convoluted way his Will played out in the Chancery Court. Plus some very interesting family history sleuthing. 
The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

3.0

Wren is a harder protagonist to like than Jude, because she is so seldom proactive. That's why the end of the book was very, very fun for me. I can't wait to read what happens in the next book!
Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

Short and thrilling, this novella is a perfect read for a sleepless night. It was so interesting to get to know there 5 characters and their different reasons for being awake, and their ways of coping with the wakefulness. The central mystery is good, but less important than the infectious exploration of the characters.
Bleak House by Charles Dickens

Go to review page

dark informative reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book contains a lot of really funny bits about Chancery court and the law in general. It also contains a good story. The problem ist that the good story is incredibly bloated with unnecessary details and diversions, making the book twice as long as it needs to be.
Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious 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

5.0

I absolutely loved this book. The relationships are so real and convincing, and I loved the magic system. I didn't love the rare book handling practises, but that's my only gripe. The interweaving of the storylines as perfect, and the ending came with the perfect amount of foreshadowing to let me guess the ending a page before it happened. Really a wonderful book. 
Sourcery by Terry Pratchett

Go to review page

adventurous funny lighthearted 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

3.0

This is not Pratchett's best work, but in going back to it, I was reminded how really good Pratchett's "not his best" really is. I love the Discworld and I'm coming to love Rincewind and the luggage more and more. Plus, the librarian is always a delight.