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natreviews's reviews
417 reviews
The Terror by Dan Simmons
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I had wanted to read this book after finishing my ABC challenge for this year. I am glad I did.
You can tell Dan Simmons did a lot, and I mean A LOT, of research for this story (as I'm told he does for all of his historical fiction books). He researched the very real lost expedition of Sir John Franklin and of the Indigenous people of Greenland and Canada (as some mythologies in the last third of the book comes from the Greenland Inuit people). He blends the historical and the supernatural very well.
He also got a lot of the details found from the expedition right. For those of you who don't know, after the ship went missing there were rescue expeditions which found items from the ship and evidence of the remaining crew escaping. I recommend reading this article for more information: https://allthatsinteresting.com/hms-terror
The only things he got wrong were things he couldn't have known. Parts of the last chapterwhen Crozier goes back and lights HMS Terror on fire, sinking the ship couldn't have happened, as the HMS Terror was discovered fully intact and having no outside reason to sink. This book was published in 2007, HMS Terror was found in 2014, and HMS Erebus was found in 2016.
I will say it's a very long read, but the last two chapters make up for how slow it goes in the second half. The second half makes up how slow it goes in the first half, and well the first half sets up the story that takes place later on in the book.
You can tell Dan Simmons did a lot, and I mean A LOT, of research for this story (as I'm told he does for all of his historical fiction books). He researched the very real lost expedition of Sir John Franklin and of the Indigenous people of Greenland and Canada (as some mythologies in the last third of the book comes from the Greenland Inuit people). He blends the historical and the supernatural very well.
He also got a lot of the details found from the expedition right. For those of you who don't know, after the ship went missing there were rescue expeditions which found items from the ship and evidence of the remaining crew escaping. I recommend reading this article for more information: https://allthatsinteresting.com/hms-terror
The only things he got wrong were things he couldn't have known. Parts of the last chapter
I will say it's a very long read, but the last two chapters make up for how slow it goes in the second half. The second half makes up how slow it goes in the first half, and well the first half sets up the story that takes place later on in the book.
Lore Olympus, Season 2 by Rachel Smythe
adventurous
challenging
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? Yes
4.75
So we're on the eve of the season finale! Lots happened this season, and I know I'll have to go back and re-read all of this seasons episodes in one sitting to get the complete story, but I'm so excited to see where the season goes in season 3!
Dead Inside by Chandler Morrison
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
So this took my three tries to read. Finally, I read it on the third.
I have the feeling this book was written to just be fucked up. Not because the story needed to be told, but just because the author wanted to write something fucked up. And outside of 3 moments of fucked up, the story isn't all that crazy or really a story.
I also expect that pro-life people think all pro-choice people are like Helen. It's their nightmare come to life.
The plot twist at the end was very good though. I wish more of that was in the novel.
I have the feeling this book was written to just be fucked up. Not because the story needed to be told, but just because the author wanted to write something fucked up. And outside of 3 moments of fucked up, the story isn't all that crazy or really a story.
I also expect that pro-life people think all pro-choice people are like Helen. It's their nightmare come to life.
The plot twist at the end was very good though. I wish more of that was in the novel.
X-Men and Spider-Man by Mario Alberti, Christos Gage
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
It was fine. I'm not super into the X-Men and to be honest only read this to finish off the letter X for my Alphabet Challenge.
This comic is a quick compilation of one storyline through multiple series runs. It referenced things I had no clue about (as I haven't read the full line of comics) so at times it comes across as a bit confusing.
This comic is a quick compilation of one storyline through multiple series runs. It referenced things I had no clue about (as I haven't read the full line of comics) so at times it comes across as a bit confusing.
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-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
4.5
It's been many years since I read this book. I think the last time was in middle school or freshman year of high school.
I will say it's not as good as I remember. Maybe that's because I'm no longer the age Ponyboy was, but it still is a really good read. I found I got more out of the story this time around as now I'm 23.
A good, short, classic read that you should definitely re-read if you haven't in a long time.
I will say it's not as good as I remember. Maybe that's because I'm no longer the age Ponyboy was, but it still is a really good read. I found I got more out of the story this time around as now I'm 23.
A good, short, classic read that you should definitely re-read if you haven't in a long time.
The Killer Across the Table: Unlocking the Secrets of Serial Killers and Predators with the FBI's Original Mindhunter by John E. Douglas
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
An excellent read for anyone interested in true crime.
My main concern with this book going in was that the cases were going to be ones I'd never heard of before. To be honest, 3/4 of the cases were that, except John does an amazing job at bringing in other cases (Ed Kemper, Son of Sam, etc.) in to understand these killers.
This book is not for the light hearted, as it heavily deals with murder, sexual assault (of both minors and adults), torture, child abuse, etc., but if you can handle that subject matter than I highly recommend this read.
My main concern with this book going in was that the cases were going to be ones I'd never heard of before. To be honest, 3/4 of the cases were that, except John does an amazing job at bringing in other cases (Ed Kemper, Son of Sam, etc.) in to understand these killers.
This book is not for the light hearted, as it heavily deals with murder, sexual assault (of both minors and adults), torture, child abuse, etc., but if you can handle that subject matter than I highly recommend this read.
Queen of Kings: A Novel of Cleopatra, the Vampire by Maria Dahvana Headley
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
4.25
I originally picked up this book to help complete my ABC challenge for this year, and found an enjoyable story. This deals with Cleopatra just before her "death" and a couple of years onward.
The only criticism I have is that at times the book is too long. I got bored at some points because it went slow, then the end went by in a flash. I found it could've been set up a bit better. It was also a bit difficult to keep track of characters.
Overall a good read and one I'll keep on my shelf for the time being.
The only criticism I have is that at times the book is too long. I got bored at some points because it went slow, then the end went by in a flash. I found it could've been set up a bit better. It was also a bit difficult to keep track of characters.
Overall a good read and one I'll keep on my shelf for the time being.
Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
Want to finish up my ABC challenge first
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-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? No
5.0
So I wasn't the dinosaur kid in my family, but liked them enough. I mean, what kid doesn't like dinosaurs? So I picked up this book because of that and I needed a J for my Alphabet challenge, and I found an amazing book.
I will say if you're going in from the movies, expect it not to be like that. Compared to the book, the movie is a child/teen flick. The book is more graphic in deaths and in the number of deaths.
It's interesting that the science of the book (which was published in 1990) still holds up in 2022. Not all of the science, but the thought that dinosaurs came from birds more than reptiles which I don't think was all that popular of a theory back in the day has been pretty much confirmed now (to the point that we highly suspect they had feathers).
Overall, what a great read!
I will say if you're going in from the movies, expect it not to be like that. Compared to the book, the movie is a child/teen flick. The book is more graphic in deaths and in the number of deaths.
It's interesting that the science of the book (which was published in 1990) still holds up in 2022. Not all of the science, but the thought that dinosaurs came from birds more than reptiles which I don't think was all that popular of a theory back in the day has been pretty much confirmed now (to the point that we highly suspect they had feathers).
Overall, what a great read!
We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets
dark
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
3.0
This was another book on booktok that was deemed to be really disturbing and a good horror read. For me, it wasn't.
I grew up with the internet and knowing about the posts and videos like those described, so I guess it's not that shocking to me. The lesson that this stuff will fuck you up isn't new. The writing wasn't bad and it was well paced, I guess just the subject matter doesn't shock or disturb me. I did catch the subtle nod to Luka Magnotta though which I thought was interesting to include. Not shocking that it was included, but interesting that the author did think of the case when writing.
I grew up with the internet and knowing about the posts and videos like those described, so I guess it's not that shocking to me. The lesson that this stuff will fuck you up isn't new. The writing wasn't bad and it was well paced, I guess just the subject matter doesn't shock or disturb me. I did catch the subtle nod to Luka Magnotta though which I thought was interesting to include. Not shocking that it was included, but interesting that the author did think of the case when writing.