noisydeadlines's reviews
677 reviews

The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler

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slow-paced

2.0

 It’s full of thoughtful and conceptual ideas exploring our unknowability towards others but with octopuses. I liked the fictional book quotes at the beginning of each chapter, leaving me with some ideas about the nature of consciousness, intelligence and being human. I wish the first contact situation were more deeply explored, meaning, I wanted more octopuses! 🐙 The characters and the plot didn’t work too well for me. Sometimes it felt the dialogues were out of place with the characters doing an academic exposition on a subject to each other. The ending seemed too easy given all the complexities of the matter presented since the beginning of the story. 
A Lady by Midnight by Tessa Dare

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.5

I liked the grumpy/sunshine trope in this one. Corporal Thorne is broken and sad, but he has a soft heart. Katie grew up an orphan and she is talented music teacher and strong willed. There is an adorable puppy, hilarious incidents (like the one with the melon) and an emotional slow burn romance. There is family drama with things being unburied from the past, a ball and even a duel! I had lots of fun reading this one.
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System Collapse by Martha Wells

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adventurous fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This one was very action packed, and I had some trouble understanding the timeline in the beginning. It starts right into an action scene and it keeps going with more action that I thought was confusing. It gets better and more interesting halfway through. I love the Murderbot character and that's what kept me going. It's my least favorite of the series, though.
The Prince of Broadway by Joanna Shupe

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-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

4.0

A very rebellious female main character who wants to open a casino for ladies? Yes, I liked this rebellious idea in early 19th America. It is a well written romance, I enjoyed Clay's (the male character) blunt sincerity and Florence's strong will and that she was not interested in marriage or children. She was focused on learning how to manage a casino and be successful. For a moment I thought there would not be a happy ending, but all ends well. I want to read the one in the series.
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Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together by Bryan Lee O’Malley

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

5.0

This one was so nice because we see Scott and Ramona's relationship grow and mature a little bit. We (I mean, Scott) finally find out Ramona's age. Scott gets a job. The band start recording an album. More evil-exes show up. Still cute and a fun.
Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness by Bryan Lee O’Malley

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

We hear some backstory about Envy Adams, the pop star. And we learn about vegan super powers! I learned about Honest Ed's store in Toronto (which I had to research) and it was this iconic wholesale dollar store before those became popular. Hilarious fight scene inside Honest Ed's. I thought the pacing of this was one was not the best, but still super fun and cute.
The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
 The tone is not really appealing me: it is a dark and gritty world with bloody vengeance themes.  It has 3 different character's POVs but I didn't connect with any of them. Something about the writing style didn't get me close to the characters.
Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-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

5.0

I devoured this book in 2 days. I love that the premise is totally unrealistic: a duke and a tavern waitress. And that's what makes this story work for me. It has a kind of fairy-tale-happily-ever-after vibe, but both characters know how impossible their relationship is, and they struggle together through it. The heroine, Pauline is smart, independent and funny. The hero, Griffin, is an adorable rake with secrets. I love that a library and books are involved. Their banter was hilarious and I thought the pacing of the book excellent.
The Rogue of Fifth Avenue by Joanna Shupe

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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? No

5.0

I liked this historical late 19th century romance set in New York. The characters were great: a lawyer with a wealth client base and an heiress ahead of her time who wants to change the status quo and help people. There is also a side plot police procedural and trial. And feminist women gambling and playing pool. It was the first book I read from this author. I couldn't put it down, and now I want to continue this series.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World by Bryan Lee O’Malley

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adventurous funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

5.0

Sweet and funny. I love the dialogues and the fight scene at the Toronto Reference Library was awesome! I like that there are some many references to Canadian life, like celebrating the "first t-shirt day" after winter, and walking around Toronto seeing a "Second Cup" café and Casa Loma in the background.