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brenticus's reviews
694 reviews
Solo Leveling, Vol. 9 by Chugong
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-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
It's not perfect, but definitely an interesting way for Jinwoo to progress beyond the system. He got it after the double dungeon, and he surpassed it upon his return. Very cool.
Carrie by Stephen King
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I often struggle with narratives where there is such overt, cruel, and public bullying happening over a long period of time. It speaks to such a large societal failure to deal with such instances that it beggars belief.
I thought I would feel the same way about Carrie, but I don't. She and her family are so messed up that people don't know what to do about them. Sue and Tommy, for good reasons or not, actually make an attempt to help her. And when it all goes to hell it does so in such a way that it becomes hard to feel that much pity for Carrie in the end.
It's a tense, fast, terrible story that never really tries to surprise you but always has you hooked in anyways. Super good read.
I thought I would feel the same way about Carrie, but I don't. She and her family are so messed up that people don't know what to do about them. Sue and Tommy, for good reasons or not, actually make an attempt to help her. And when it all goes to hell it does so in such a way that it becomes hard to feel that much pity for Carrie in the end.
It's a tense, fast, terrible story that never really tries to surprise you but always has you hooked in anyways. Super good read.
Death's Daughter and the Ebony Blade: Volume 7 Finale by Maito Ayamine
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I think the previous volume (or half of this volume?) was so strong that this one could hardly help but be deflating, but I did generally enjoy it. It felt like the war with the undead should have been fleshed out into its own volume and the final conflict should have been fleshed out into its own volume; having both mashed together made this feel oddly rushed and like it was trying to tie up too many loose ends at once.
Despite that I think this is a rine ending to the series, an ending happy enough to justify all the pain. Solid series, solid finale, solid goofy-ass teenager with a giant sword.
Despite that I think this is a rine ending to the series, an ending happy enough to justify all the pain. Solid series, solid finale, solid goofy-ass teenager with a giant sword.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.0
Goofy little Belgian man solves mystery, POV character is just smart enough to constantly look like an idiot. It's a classic for a reason. It's an engaging mystery where I was always second-guessing my assumptions, and Poirot is actually such a fun character, shedding light and befuddling everyone in equal parts. Just a great read altogether.
Morgan Is My Name by Sophie Keetch
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
There is this common structure in "feminist retellings" in which almost all the men are bad, almost all the women are resigned to their shitty places in life, and the protagonist wants to go do cool things rather than get married and have kids. They're all about how actually things would be better if women were in charge but they're constantly pushed down and our protagonist has to fight against society.
Anyways that's the book in a nutshell, not a lot of nuance or thought that I felt inclined to pick out, but it was cool when Morgan melted her husband's face off.
Anyways that's the book in a nutshell, not a lot of nuance or thought that I felt inclined to pick out, but it was cool when Morgan melted her husband's face off.
Tao Te Ching: A New English Version by Ursula K. Le Guin by Tao Tzu
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Le Guin's translation of the Tao Te Ching is lovely. She keeps a lot of the poetic obscurity—which is also where a lot of insight is—and she doesnt shy from presenting an interpretation of the work as a whole, which strengthens the presentation greatly. There are fewer contradictions and odd asides, and there are plenty of notes in places where Le Guin took liberties, explaining both what she did and why she felt it was necessary.
Any edition of the Ching is lovely to read through, but Le Guin's strikes a balance between poetry and teaching that feels just right. Absolutely fantastic.
Any edition of the Ching is lovely to read through, but Le Guin's strikes a balance between poetry and teaching that feels just right. Absolutely fantastic.
Dragon Ball, Vol. 7 by Akira Toriyama
adventurous
lighthearted
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 forgot about the appearance of Dr. Slump characters in this arc. Always good fun to see a genuine threat done in by gag characters.
Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
adventurous
funny
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
Other than the climax just kind of going confusing at breakneck speed this was a fantastic book. Really love how arbitrarily self-assured Esk and Granny are. They are basically unstoppable in a university full of dweebs. Great fun.
Starter Villain by John Scalzi
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
It's sort of what I think of as a typical Scalzi book, with the down-on-their-luck protagonist suddenly being thrust into a much more sci-fi life than expected, but it's a hell of a lot of fun. Hera may be one of my all-time favourite characters. The whole thing is just funny, with a serious of ridiculous situations and a man who is too shell-shocked to do anything other than accept that it's happening and joke about it a bit.
If the end wasn't so deflating, where it all just sort of wraps up nicely with a cute bow and everyone's chill, it would probably be a 5-stars from me, but it sort of felt like the default expected ending. Enjoyable enough, but not really interesting.
Still, if you want something light and goofy this is a lot of fun. Highly recommend.
If the end wasn't so deflating, where it all just sort of wraps up nicely with a cute bow and everyone's chill, it would probably be a 5-stars from me, but it sort of felt like the default expected ending. Enjoyable enough, but not really interesting.
Still, if you want something light and goofy this is a lot of fun. Highly recommend.
Dragon Ball, Vol. 6 by Akira Toriyama
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
3.0
The end of Muscle Tower is fun, what with Goku being shot repeatedly and it never working. And then it sprints off to the next weird thing, and the next one after that, and then it just kind of ends. The story really isn't structured for a volume at a time, but it's still good fun.