omnombailey's reviews
95 reviews

The first 30% is a slog, but when things pick up, it was hard to put down. Prose is a bit convoluted, though highlights were the character interactions and seeing all the narrative beats from early on finally connect at the end.

While Old Man's War brought very little to the table in terms of new ideas to the sci-fi genre, it executed tropes well enough to remain enjoyable. The plot was a touch predictable, thanks to the numerous info dumps meant to hold your hand throughout the narrative, but the wit in the prose continued to hook me again and again.

If you are giving this book a shot and find yourself struggling in the beginning, the story drags its feet (imo) until about 60% into the story. Then it actually gets interesting beyond the whole training montage sequence the story is up until then. At the same time, the fact it took THAT long for me to finally not put the book down isn't great, either.

There's more to this series, but I'm not really jumping to find out what's next. Maybe I will someday. For now, I'm content with what I read and shall move along.

What a lovely continuation of the first novella. The pacing was much better in this one, in that it doesn't span the length of several decades, but focuses on several days. The shift from Akeha to Mokoya had be apprehensive initially, but watching her development, from processing her daughter's death to learning to trust and love a stranger again, was exactly what the narrative needed. Also yay for a non-binary character who is juggling a chronic illness *chef kiss* just a delight to read. Can't wait to dive into more of this series. 

The fact it took me almost a week to read a novella should be enough of a review, tbh.

I had WAY too high expectations for this. With all the praise my friends gave it, I legit worried I was reading the wrong book. Between the vague attempts at worldbuilding and mystery, the repetitive sentence structures and lack of description of anything, I just... didn't care. Yeah, the POV character's voice was strong and interesting (I too just want to watch downloaded shows while on the job and avoid all human contact), but a personality isn't a plot.

The only reason I finished was because it was short. I don't understand what is oh-so-amazing about this book that brings so little to the table. 

Holy crap, I could not put this down. What a delicious revenge story. Beautifully written from the prose to the schemes to the sharp wit throughout the cast. A couple of plot points didn't sit well with me, mostly with how jarring they were, but I absolutely adored this book. Picks up right after Six of Crows and never misses a beat. So glad to start the new year with a damn good book. 

I first read this back in grade school and remembered enjoying it a great deal. I remembered so little about the actual narrative, though, and decided to revisit it. And wow, it was an absolute treat to reread this with older, yet fresh eyes.

The world is quite different from the usual post-apocalyptic sci-fi landscape in that people have managed to survive and thrive outside of whatever urban bubbles the upper crust has locked themselves into. There are subtle hints at what might have happened to cause an apocalypse, but even the main characters do not know for sure. And all of this is a delightful backdrop for the story of a woman who is A) not a young, delicate person, B) not some badass warrior, and C) absolutely capable in her own way and prized for her skills as a healer.

Snake was a gem to follow throughout the story. Her agency is clear and strong, from her knowledge in science to her sexuality to her latter role as a mother. It was amazing to read about someone who is older with some experience, too. And her story hooked me from beginning to end.

Some parts didn't work as well with me, mostly the whole plot point with Arevin. Then again, love at first sight in general just... goes over my head, so maybe it would make more sense to someone who gets that. It was the only part of the story that felt forced, which stood out a great deal against everything else that was rather fluid and organic. The prose aged well enough, but there are times when it's almost too simple and I wish the narrative didn't hold my hand to explain everyone's motives and concerns and reactions and so on.

This was a lovely treat. If I didn't have a mountain of books to dive into, I'd almost be tempted to read it again right now.