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mayphoenix7992's reviews
685 reviews
Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
3.75
It took me *so long* to finish this book, not because I didn't enjoy it, but halfway through, I found out Sabetha wasn't in this book and.... I ended up reading other things. I eventually picked it up again and it was as good as always!
I'm happy that Jean had his own storyline and he is slowly stepping away from Locke, but I am so sad about Ezri... Regal is with them at the end though, so I hope he'll be part of the family for good now.
I'm happy that Jean had his own storyline and he is slowly stepping away from Locke, but I am so sad about Ezri... Regal is with them at the end though, so I hope he'll be part of the family for good now.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror by Robert Louis Stevenson
dark
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
4.0
'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde' is one of those stories that everyone has heard of and is familiar with, but it's even more amazing to read it! I was surprised but I liked that Jekyll and Hyyde were so differentiated and it's not until the end that we find out that they are one and the same.
'The Body Snatcher' and 'Olalla' were also great stories, although I found 'Olalla' a little more boring.
I think Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde has become one of my favourite horror stories!
'The Body Snatcher' and 'Olalla' were also great stories, although I found 'Olalla' a little more boring.
I think Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde has become one of my favourite horror stories!
Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Claire Dederer
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
"Love is anarchy. Love is chaos."
In the light of the recent revelation that Neil Gaiman had joined the ever increasing list of problematic authors and artists, reading this book felt more relevant than ever.
It carefully explores the dilemma of making an ethical choice when confronted with an artist's biography while we love and consume their art. I didn't expect any strict answer on what would be right and what would be wrong, but it still felt *right* to read Claire Dederer's essay and think about the entire issue, until I realised that I needed to *feel* rather than think my way through the issue.
The chapters about being a woman artist, and a mother artist, really enlightened me. I had never realised how many geniuses were men, terrible men who had committed horrible things. But having it written on paper it suddenly made sense why women were not allowed (or rarely) to be great artists or geniuses because they couldn't afford to be monsters. Because the crimes that make a man monstrous don't enter the realm of womanhood and nurturing. The greatest cruelty we could commit would be to abandon children, while men do it constantly.
In the end, there is no right or wrong answer about what we should do with great art by bad people - we just can't help the human condition that is love.
In the light of the recent revelation that Neil Gaiman had joined the ever increasing list of problematic authors and artists, reading this book felt more relevant than ever.
It carefully explores the dilemma of making an ethical choice when confronted with an artist's biography while we love and consume their art. I didn't expect any strict answer on what would be right and what would be wrong, but it still felt *right* to read Claire Dederer's essay and think about the entire issue, until I realised that I needed to *feel* rather than think my way through the issue.
The chapters about being a woman artist, and a mother artist, really enlightened me. I had never realised how many geniuses were men, terrible men who had committed horrible things. But having it written on paper it suddenly made sense why women were not allowed (or rarely) to be great artists or geniuses because they couldn't afford to be monsters. Because the crimes that make a man monstrous don't enter the realm of womanhood and nurturing. The greatest cruelty we could commit would be to abandon children, while men do it constantly.
In the end, there is no right or wrong answer about what we should do with great art by bad people - we just can't help the human condition that is love.
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Bookclub 📖
I really enjoyed this book, although there were some aspects that could have been done better. The background, the story, Shakespeare, and the dark academia were really good, but the characters felt too much like, well, characters. Some of their reactions and behaviours didn't make sense - particularly for the tragic events that pepper through the story, and inevitably, it removes the reader from truly believing into the story. Why would they not try to save Richard when they saw he was still alive? If they decided to share in the choice and guilt of letting him die, why was it not more explored further on? Why did Oliver decide to claim guilt, just out of love for James? His suicide was also so lightly mentioned, like an afternote at the end of the story...
There were some lovely quotes, from the author, not just Shakespeare.
My biggest grievance is that I had hoped that the characters and the Shakespearean characters they played had been more entertwined, that it would have become at some point impossible to tell apart who was the character and who was the character they were playing, but in the end it was a tragedy of their own making.
I really enjoyed this book, although there were some aspects that could have been done better. The background, the story, Shakespeare, and the dark academia were really good, but the characters felt too much like, well, characters. Some of their reactions and behaviours didn't make sense - particularly for the tragic events that pepper through the story, and inevitably, it removes the reader from truly believing into the story. Why would they not try to save Richard when they saw he was still alive? If they decided to share in the choice and guilt of letting him die, why was it not more explored further on? Why did Oliver decide to claim guilt, just out of love for James? His suicide was also so lightly mentioned, like an afternote at the end of the story...
There were some lovely quotes, from the author, not just Shakespeare.
My biggest grievance is that I had hoped that the characters and the Shakespearean characters they played had been more entertwined, that it would have become at some point impossible to tell apart who was the character and who was the character they were playing, but in the end it was a tragedy of their own making.
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
5.0
"Their own souls starve, and are naked."
Such a haunting story and such a beautifully written text. Each paragraph was a painting, a scene to devour and delight in.
Such a haunting story and such a beautifully written text. Each paragraph was a painting, a scene to devour and delight in.
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
adventurous
inspiring
slow-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
What just happened?
The premise was so good but I was so confused so often, and after the last page I'm even more confused?
The first half was so so so slow because of all the little stories throughout the main story, but then a good 100 (maybe 200) pages could have been spared with the back and forth in the different...realities, worlds, stories, whatever....
I'm not sure what the plot was or what was the point for the story? Another review said this book was a love letter to storytelling, but it missed on having a plot. That's the biggest issue of this book. No damn plot.
Erin Morgenstern's writing is beautiful and whimsical, the characters are a bit bland and the romance wasn't entirely convincing because Dorian and Zachary spend the entire book looking for each other instead of falling in love, but um, I'm still not sure what happened.
The premise was so good but I was so confused so often, and after the last page I'm even more confused?
The first half was so so so slow because of all the little stories throughout the main story, but then a good 100 (maybe 200) pages could have been spared with the back and forth in the different...realities, worlds, stories, whatever....
I'm not sure what the plot was or what was the point for the story? Another review said this book was a love letter to storytelling, but it missed on having a plot. That's the biggest issue of this book. No damn plot.
Erin Morgenstern's writing is beautiful and whimsical, the characters are a bit bland and the romance wasn't entirely convincing because Dorian and Zachary spend the entire book looking for each other instead of falling in love, but um, I'm still not sure what happened.
Shapes of Water by Abierto Reino
inspiring
medium-paced
3.5
Lovely set of poems. Some didn't feel quite as polished as others, but not raw enough to be as powerful as they could have been.
Attack on Titan, Volume 1 by Hajime Isayama
adventurous
dark
sad
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
4.5
日本語の練習のために進撃の巨人を読むに始めました
物語の始めは面白いでエレンの「死」はもっと急にあってました
他のキャラクタのことを弱に知ります
物語の始めは面白いでエレンの「死」はもっと急にあってました
他のキャラクタのことを弱に知ります
Njal's Saga by
adventurous
informative
tense
slow-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
3.75
It was such a good insight into icelandic society in the Commonwealth era. The amount of details about the laws and the justice system were incredible. It went on for too long in my opinion, but it was still entertaining to read. The fight scenes were really well written.
Lore Olympus: Volume Seven by Rachel Smythe
adventurous
emotional
tense
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? Yes
4.5
Ooooh it's all coming together!
I really liked the reinterpretations of the myths about Psyche and Eros, and Daphne and Appllo.
I really liked the reinterpretations of the myths about Psyche and Eros, and Daphne and Appllo.