Scan barcode
shanaqui's reviews
1148 reviews
Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey
emotional
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? It's complicated
1.0
This one was not my thing -- straight into the lusting and sex, and the bike purchase felt like lovebombing.
Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Ali Hazelwood's Cruel Winter With You is a short seasonal romance, set around Christmas. Marc and Jamie have known each other since they were kids, and Marc's had a crush on Jamie for about that long -- even if he hasn't always been a perfect angel to her, teasing her throughout their teenage years.
If you examine the scenario, this does come across as quite creepy: he dedicates basically his whole life to becoming rich so he can take care of her and give her anything she wants, he collects photos of her, and sets a photo of her as his lockscreen. He is obsessed. It's otherwise thin on characterisation as well, which doesn't help, since most of the page count builds up events where they were both present, rather than developing each as a character.
That said, Jamie doesn't seem to mind what he's done, so if you take it at face value it's pretty cute. The misunderstanding seems a touch contrived (voice mails aren't that unobtrusive), but you can kind of believe it.
If you examine the scenario, this does come across as quite creepy: he dedicates basically his whole life to becoming rich so he can take care of her and give her anything she wants, he collects photos of her, and sets a photo of her as his lockscreen. He is obsessed. It's otherwise thin on characterisation as well, which doesn't help, since most of the page count builds up events where they were both present, rather than developing each as a character.
That said, Jamie doesn't seem to mind what he's done, so if you take it at face value it's pretty cute. The misunderstanding seems a touch contrived (voice mails aren't that unobtrusive), but you can kind of believe it.
A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation, Volume 3 by Misaki
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
In the third volume of A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation, we get to see a brief glimpse of the world Lizel came from, which is pretty exciting. Aaaand the character interactions throughout the volume really make it seem like people doth protest too much about this not being M/M romance: even if Gil and Lizel aren't meant to be together, Judge and Studd clearly have a crush on Lizel -- that's pretty much text, as they both bicker about being allowed to sleep beside him and the fact that Judge was allowed to hold his hand as he slept (after being scared by a bandit attack).
Plus Gil and Lizel's bond is pretty close too, with Gil basically saying that nothing matters as long as he stays with Lizel. C'mon, folks.
I still wonder if it would help to read the original light novel, to help smooth out and clarify the plot -- I do suspect at times that this being an adaptation means that things aren't always as obvious to me as I could wish. Still, I continue excited to see where this is going, and if anything will finally rattle Lizel's calm.
Plus Gil and Lizel's bond is pretty close too, with Gil basically saying that nothing matters as long as he stays with Lizel. C'mon, folks.
I still wonder if it would help to read the original light novel, to help smooth out and clarify the plot -- I do suspect at times that this being an adaptation means that things aren't always as obvious to me as I could wish. Still, I continue excited to see where this is going, and if anything will finally rattle Lizel's calm.
A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation, Volume 2 by Misaki
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I really enjoyed volume two of A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation (story by Misaki, manga adaptation by Momochi). I am wondering where it's all going exactly, and wondering if things would be clearer if the light novel had been translated, because I'd definitely grab that right now if I could. It feels like there are currents I don't understand, and I don't know whether that's because we're just not being told yet, or because there's something lost in translation... or whether the writing's just bad.
It's funny how vehement some reviewers are that this isn't M/M romance. Honestly, it's starting to feel like every male character is in love with Lizel! I'm fine with it not being romance, to be clear, but it does heavily lean that way. (The ads for M/M manga in the back also suggest that's deliberate, let's be real.)
I'm definitely eager to see both more of the world and more of Lizel's actual character; his unflappability is fascinating, as is the brief crack in it which Gil sees. I enjoy their friendship a lot. And I still love the art and character designs.
It's funny how vehement some reviewers are that this isn't M/M romance. Honestly, it's starting to feel like every male character is in love with Lizel! I'm fine with it not being romance, to be clear, but it does heavily lean that way. (The ads for M/M manga in the back also suggest that's deliberate, let's be real.)
I'm definitely eager to see both more of the world and more of Lizel's actual character; his unflappability is fascinating, as is the brief crack in it which Gil sees. I enjoy their friendship a lot. And I still love the art and character designs.
The Dead of Winter: The Witches, Demons and Monsters of Christmas by Sarah Clegg
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
If you're more into Halloween than Christmas, Sarah Clegg's The Dead of Winter might bring you some joy. It's all about the ghosts, witches and monsters of Christmas: we're not talking Dickens here, but the Mari Lwyd, Krampus, Perchta, the Wild Hunt, and seeing premonitions of your own death.
It's a relatively short book, but seems pretty well researched, and there are sources listed after each chapter. (Unlike, say, Judith Flanders' book on Christmas traditions, it at least spells "Mari Lwyd" correctly, and doesn't pretend it's exactly the same tradition as the Klapperbock and similar.) Clegg discusses various customs and how they're related, and also joyously participates in some of them herself. It's fascinating how creepy she found some of them (and how well she described that sensation of fun-with-an-edge-of-unease) -- definitely wouldn't catch me doing some of these things!
The book could've done with some editing, however, at least in the ebook version: there were at least two sentences that had either no beginning or no ending. The format on Kindle is also kind of annoying, because you have to tap the footnote symbol to go to the footnotes page for that chapter, where all the footnotes are denoted by symbols. I'm not very visual, and it was maddening to try to tell myself what symbol I was looking for to read the corresponding footnote, only to be stymied by the fact that they're not that visually distinct.
Still, the content was interesting!
It's a relatively short book, but seems pretty well researched, and there are sources listed after each chapter. (Unlike, say, Judith Flanders' book on Christmas traditions, it at least spells "Mari Lwyd" correctly, and doesn't pretend it's exactly the same tradition as the Klapperbock and similar.) Clegg discusses various customs and how they're related, and also joyously participates in some of them herself. It's fascinating how creepy she found some of them (and how well she described that sensation of fun-with-an-edge-of-unease) -- definitely wouldn't catch me doing some of these things!
The book could've done with some editing, however, at least in the ebook version: there were at least two sentences that had either no beginning or no ending. The format on Kindle is also kind of annoying, because you have to tap the footnote symbol to go to the footnotes page for that chapter, where all the footnotes are denoted by symbols. I'm not very visual, and it was maddening to try to tell myself what symbol I was looking for to read the corresponding footnote, only to be stymied by the fact that they're not that visually distinct.
Still, the content was interesting!
A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation, Volume 1 by Misaki
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I'm very intrigued by the first volume of A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation (based on a light novel by Misaki, adapted/illustrated by Momochi). It leaves us with a lot of questions about Lizel: why's he there, what's his role in his own world, what are his aims, what's he thinking?
At the same time we get a certain amount of introduction to the world, thanks to Gil giving Lizel the tour and getting him signed up as an adventurer. Not everything is perfectly clear -- what's going on with the labyrinths? Are we supposed to just take those on board as being random loot dungeons, or is there a bigger plot around them? How big is the adventurer system?
As you can see from all my questions, we get enough to be tantalising. And Lizel's relationship with Gil is fascinating too. I can see that it gets a bit tense between people as to whether they're intended to be a romance or not, but it's hard not to read it in there sometimes when Lizel refers to Gil as a thing that belongs to him and gets so defensive over him!
Overall, I'm very curious about the world and story, and I like the art a lot. Nice clean lines, easy to follow, and nice character designs.
At the same time we get a certain amount of introduction to the world, thanks to Gil giving Lizel the tour and getting him signed up as an adventurer. Not everything is perfectly clear -- what's going on with the labyrinths? Are we supposed to just take those on board as being random loot dungeons, or is there a bigger plot around them? How big is the adventurer system?
As you can see from all my questions, we get enough to be tantalising. And Lizel's relationship with Gil is fascinating too. I can see that it gets a bit tense between people as to whether they're intended to be a romance or not, but it's hard not to read it in there sometimes when Lizel refers to Gil as a thing that belongs to him and gets so defensive over him!
Overall, I'm very curious about the world and story, and I like the art a lot. Nice clean lines, easy to follow, and nice character designs.
Jane on Her Own by Ursula K. Le Guin
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
And again, cute.
Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings by Ursula K. Le Guin
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Cute as ever. Just enough wry observation to feel like a Le Guin book. Less keen on Alexander's blithe easy treatment of Jane's complex trauma by (checks notes) standing on her tail and demanding she speak.
Immortal Red Sonja Vol. 1 by Dan Abnett
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
Dan Abnett's Immortal Red Sonja grabbed my attention because it draws Red Sonja into Arthurian myth -- might as well wave a red flag in front of a bull!
I try to approach this kind of thing with an open mind: the Arthurian legends have been embroidered and adapted and changed and cut to a new size so many times, that's part of how they work. There's no one source to be faithful to. I do have certain feelings about the long-ago and highly successful appropriation of Arthur stories from the Welsh, rewriting him to be a rather English king... but that's not Abnett's fault.
So I'm not going to complain that it was "inaccurate" about Arthurian myth, though I did find the choices interesting in light of the general trend of how people perceive and portray Arthur. I'm also not going to complain about the fact that Sonja spent the whole volume rather more clothed than usual, thanks to the cursed mail shirt which harbours the spirit of Arthur. I thought it adapted some of the stories and tropes of Arthurian myth interestingly, and I'm very curious how the thing with Bertilak plays out for Red Sonja.
I can't seem to easily get my hands on the rest of the story, but I'd read it if it came my way.
I try to approach this kind of thing with an open mind: the Arthurian legends have been embroidered and adapted and changed and cut to a new size so many times, that's part of how they work. There's no one source to be faithful to. I do have certain feelings about the long-ago and highly successful appropriation of Arthur stories from the Welsh, rewriting him to be a rather English king... but that's not Abnett's fault.
So I'm not going to complain that it was "inaccurate" about Arthurian myth, though I did find the choices interesting in light of the general trend of how people perceive and portray Arthur. I'm also not going to complain about the fact that Sonja spent the whole volume rather more clothed than usual, thanks to the cursed mail shirt which harbours the spirit of Arthur. I thought it adapted some of the stories and tropes of Arthurian myth interestingly, and I'm very curious how the thing with Bertilak plays out for Red Sonja.
I can't seem to easily get my hands on the rest of the story, but I'd read it if it came my way.
The Big Four by Agatha Christie
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I know that The Big Four is considered one of Agatha Christie's weaker books (including by Christie herself), but I actually kind of enjoyed it? In part, it probably helped that I read it via Serial Reader, which matched well with the episodic feeling in the book. It also helps that it's quite short, and each episode is partly self-contained, meaning there's not so much time to get overcomplicated and build up a huge catch of the proverbial fishies.
It's of course melodramatic and over the top, with a bit of the flavour of Sherlock Holmes vs Moriarty, but I just kinda leaned into that and let it go. Hastings wasn't as unbearable as usual (though I still don't like him)... though I found Poirot pretty insufferable, especially with his repeated decision to let Hastings suffer in ignorance because he can't act.
I'm still not a Christie fan, but this one worked surprisingly well for me.
It's of course melodramatic and over the top, with a bit of the flavour of Sherlock Holmes vs Moriarty, but I just kinda leaned into that and let it go. Hastings wasn't as unbearable as usual (though I still don't like him)... though I found Poirot pretty insufferable, especially with his repeated decision to let Hastings suffer in ignorance because he can't act.
I'm still not a Christie fan, but this one worked surprisingly well for me.