decapode's reviews
155 reviews

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

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challenging mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.0

definitely the worst entry i’ve read of hers. the blatant self-insert character’s chapters were a pain to get through and overall it felt like the book relied entirely on the recency of the covid-19 pandemic to be interesting and genuine. got so rushed near the end that i had to double check if i’d actually heard the last chapter(s) or if my audiobook player had somehow skipped them. the decent povs and satisfying tying up of plot threads from previous books couldn’t salvage this mess, unfortunately.
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

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dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

liked the prose and characters, but the plot was a little run-of-the-mill. author was deffo overreaching with this one.
Sass and Sorcery by Kurtis J. Wiebe

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

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challenging dark informative slow-paced

3.0

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

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emotional mysterious sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Rental Person Who Does Nothing by Shoji Morimoto

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funny informative inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

3.0

short and sweet.
The Golden Maze by Richard Fidler

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emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

3.5

The Book of Roads and Kingdoms by Richard Fidler

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informative reflective sad fast-paced
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Look to Windward by Iain M. Banks

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

3.0

man. i think i’ve got to realize this series isn’t for me. no matter how many culture books i read, they’re just not as interesting anymore. probably great if you LOVE the culture series, but if you’re wanting a breath of fresh air, steer clear of this.
City of Illusions by Ursula K. Le Guin

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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? It's complicated

3.75

not her best work, but a taste of the excellence to come