noisydeadlines's reviews
677 reviews

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

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adventurous medium-paced

3.0

Interesting folklore inspiration from Islamic mythology,  djinns and magic in Egypt. There was lots of djinn politics and I got lost between all the different djinn factions/groups. I didn't click with the characters and I thought it hard to know who was who and their relationships. Another point that bothered me was the romance. Why would a 1,500 years old Djinn fall in love with Nahri? The romance was very unbelievable and not well developed. Nahri starts as very strong independent female character and then become the passive lady-in-distress halfway through the story. The world building is great tho, and it might be a good fit for people who aren't much into character development.
Surface Detail by Iain M. Banks

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 7%.
I couldn't get past the fourth chapter which has a description of a virtual hell with lots of body horror/gory details. I couldn't finish the chapter, so that I was the cue for me to realize this book is not for me. 
Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Set in the 1730's I loved the "noir" feel of this one. There is a murder mystery that moves the plotline and also some mysterious characters that kept me guessing until the very end. It's a bleak reality. Temperance, the main character, is a widow and runs a home for orphans with her brother and they really need more financial support. The hero, Lord Caire (Lazarus Huntington), is grumpy and emotionally repressed with issues. He offers to help her find a new patron for the home if she accompanies him round St. Giles (a type of slum?) and helps him to uncover who killed his mistress Marie. Despite the characters being very religious/conservative for my taste (lots of guilt and repentance feelings going on) I liked the story. It is a beautifully done slow burn romance. It has a type of gloominess that I enjoyed. I'm curious to read more in this series.
The Devil of Downtown by Joanna Shupe

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This series is something unique because it takes place in New York City during the Gilded Age (a change from the English Victorian romances out there). And I love it for it! This last third book follows the youngest daughter, Justine. She is so sweet and strong at the same time. Justine is a do-gooder with no regard for what others thinks of her. I was afraid the male protagonist was going to be one of those alpha-male-violent mafia dudes, but not really. The hero, Jack Mulligan, is a criminal kingpin, but he is a good criminal. He has great respect for women and also becomes more of a do-gooder and helps his community. There was really good chemistry between the characters and I loved how Justine was helping women abandoned by their husbands and fighting to end cruel child labour laws. Great series!
Three Simple Rules by Nikki Sloane

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 39%.
Lack of emotional connection between characters 
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Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

Rue and Eli are layered and complex characters. I love how Ali Hazelwood can get into deep emotions with her writing. The business/biotech engineering plot was interesting with plot twists.  It has the  enemies-with-benefits to lovers trope done in a way that I enjoyed. There are professional high stakes and the main characters have personal issues that are believable. I liked the touch of hockey player + figure ice skating couple. This is a bit different from her previous books, the relationship is more gritty and complex and I loved it for it!
Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe by Bryan Lee O’Malley

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

4.0

In this one we get to see the twins Kyle and Ken Katayanagi. There was less stuff happening in this one. It was fun to see Scott and Ramona living together and then having disagreements. It sets up the stage for the next ex-boyfriend: Gideon. Again, just unpretentious fun!
Turn Coat by Jim Butcher

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

I loved the mysterious "whodunit" plot. There are some high stakes here, super powerful magical entities, great battle scenes and a clever plan to expose the murderer. I thought this one had excellent pacing, well balanced with action scenes and dialogue. Full of cool plot twists (well it starts with a huge plot twist: who'd think Morgan would go to Harry for help?). We can Harry growing inside the White Council, we get to know their HQ in Edinburg and it was nice to see Harry challenging the Senior Council. It cleverly brings previous plotlines together. One of my favorites of the series now.
Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening by Marjorie Liu

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dark mysterious slow-paced

4.0

Such a gorgeous artwork, it's beautiful! The tone was darker than I expected, there is lots of gore that I wasn't prepared for. I loved the cats with their wisdom, definitely my favorite characters. It was very engaging from the beginning, and I want to dive more into this world.
When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare

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adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I loved the set up, and the introduction with Maddie's letters was really well done! It's funny and it's sweet. Maddie was super interesting:  she worked as an illustrator of insects and there were some funny bits involving lobsters. The male protagonist is a grumpy Scottish dude, but then we learn he has a soft heart. I loved how supportive of each other they were, even though the whole premise of the story starts with the blackmail trope and fake marriage. It was just excellent.