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skudiklier's reviews
602 reviews
Witch King by Martha Wells
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
The only Martha Wells I've read is the Murderbot series, and in a lot of ways this was quite different from that, so I really didn't know what I was getting myself into. And honestly there was a period in the beginning where I was worried I wouldn't like the book and thought about DNFing. But I'm glad I stuck with it because in the end I really enjoyed it.
You just sort of land in the middle of things without a lot of context in the beginning, so it can be hard to follow, especially with the time jumps. But I think it all came together really well and I cared about the characters and was engaged in the story. That said, I do think if I hadn't been reading an audiobook, I would have struggled more. It probably would have taken me a lot longer to read it.
All in all I'd definitely recommend this to anyone interested, especially if you like Wells's writing or if you like fantasy more broadly. However, if you're just looking for more Murderbot, you might be disappointed. I wasn't though, and I'm glad I read it.
You just sort of land in the middle of things without a lot of context in the beginning, so it can be hard to follow, especially with the time jumps. But I think it all came together really well and I cared about the characters and was engaged in the story. That said, I do think if I hadn't been reading an audiobook, I would have struggled more. It probably would have taken me a lot longer to read it.
All in all I'd definitely recommend this to anyone interested, especially if you like Wells's writing or if you like fantasy more broadly. However, if you're just looking for more Murderbot, you might be disappointed. I wasn't though, and I'm glad I read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Slavery, and Grief
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
It's hard to overstate how excited I was for this book; There There has been one of my favorites ever since I read it, and I've been checking for news of its sequel for so long now. When I found out I could read it on Netgalley it was the highlight of my week.
That said, this didn't disappoint at all. I will admit it took me a bit to get into it, given how different the first third or so is from There There. But I trusted Tommy Orange and his process, and I found the entirety of the book engaging, even if it took me longer to read the beginning.
I read the last two thirds of this book all in one day, and basically couldn't put it down. I love the way it balances hard depressing real-world shit with love and hope for the future. The characters here go through so much, and at times it can be really hard to read, but I don't think it should have been written any other way. It's a great sequel and I'd recommend it to anyone.
Thank you to Knopf and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.
That said, this didn't disappoint at all. I will admit it took me a bit to get into it, given how different the first third or so is from There There. But I trusted Tommy Orange and his process, and I found the entirety of the book engaging, even if it took me longer to read the beginning.
I read the last two thirds of this book all in one day, and basically couldn't put it down. I love the way it balances hard depressing real-world shit with love and hope for the future. The characters here go through so much, and at times it can be really hard to read, but I don't think it should have been written any other way. It's a great sequel and I'd recommend it to anyone.
Thank you to Knopf and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicide, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Rape, and Fire/Fire injury
graphic: child abduction, drug overdose, generational trauma
moderate: Native boarding schools
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
4.5
This series is interesting in that I find it really engaging and can't put it down, but I also am not 100% sure I like it? Part of that is probably because I've learned more about the author since reading Fourth Wing, and I think she's said/done some problematic things, both in the way she writes these books and just in general. So I'm less inclined to just enjoy everything about it, and want to think more critically about this series. I do think that I'm just kind of along for the ride reading them and I wouldn't necessarily recommend them to anyone. That said, it was a fun ride, and I'll probably read the next in the series. Those cliffhangers/plot twists really get me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and War
Moderate: Death of parent
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was a lovely little holiday novella! I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the next full length one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Death and War
Minor: Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Ander and Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
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
This book was beautiful; I loved nearly everything about it. I loved the characters and their relationships, having a nonbinary main character, all the art, the way the book doesn't shy away from the really hard parts. This so perfectly captured the best version of falling in love for the first time.
This story is such a necessary depiction of how awful the United States's immigration system is, and it accurately and fairly villainizes ICE. It's heartbreaking and amazing and I'd recommend it to anyone. It made me cry but was still so joyful and hopeful in so much of it.
Also I saw a different review talking about how the gen z slang was too much, but I thought it felt pretty natural and realistic. Just to offer a different point of view with regard to that!
My only complaint is sooo small and I'm only bringing it up because I can't find any other reviews mentioning it and I just want anyone looking for this to know if this matters to them (but I'm also spoilering it because it's kind of a spoiler and also I don't want people to see me talking about this lmao):I was a bit confused by how closed door it was? Not that I expected it to be open door from the start, but there were several little comments/lines that pointed towards it being more open door throughout the first third of the book or so. Like usually I feel like there are hints toward what will happen that help manage expectations, and this book kind of did the opposite--hinted at being open door then was closed door in the end. Which again, is fine, but I'd rather just not have had all those little comments at the beginning that made me think that. It was a little annoying. But overall not at all a huge thing in the scope of the book, and I still would absolutely recommend it and rate it 5 stars.
This story is such a necessary depiction of how awful the United States's immigration system is, and it accurately and fairly villainizes ICE. It's heartbreaking and amazing and I'd recommend it to anyone. It made me cry but was still so joyful and hopeful in so much of it.
Also I saw a different review talking about how the gen z slang was too much, but I thought it felt pretty natural and realistic. Just to offer a different point of view with regard to that!
My only complaint is sooo small and I'm only bringing it up because I can't find any other reviews mentioning it and I just want anyone looking for this to know if this matters to them (but I'm also spoilering it because it's kind of a spoiler and also I don't want people to see me talking about this lmao):
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, and Deportation
Moderate: Sexual content, Police brutality, and Kidnapping
Minor: Transphobia and Violence
Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction by Joshua Whitehead
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I never really like reading short story collections because it takes me so long to get into them and then by the time I'm invested that's right when it ends. Then that's on loop the whole book. But that said I did really like this collection! Super super interesting worlds, some of which I really wanted more of, but the stories were all a great length on their own. Lots of beautiful writing and apocalyptic stories with at least some hope in them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Transphobia, Violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Alcoholism, Medical content, Murder, and War
heavy CW for apocalypse and climate crises/climate anxiety
The Mistress of Bhatia House by Sujata Massey
emotional
mysterious
tense
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've liked every book in this series and this was no exception! This one might have even been better than some of the others--there were so many moving pieces and factors but it never felt confusing or overwhelming. I was fully engaged the whole time. I love reading a series like this where they're definitely readable on their own but reading them all together gives you more insight into the characters and the progression of their relationships.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Classism
Moderate: Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I loved this series as a kid and I'm finally rereading it as an adult for the first time. It's definitely got a couple things that haven't aged well (this book definitely had some annoying sexism/faux feminism, and all the books in the series so far have had some (minor?) fatphobia and ableism), but all things considered it's not too bad. In my opinion this book holds up and I would still recommend it to anyone interested in the series, with the caveat that it's aimed at middle school kids. I'm really enjoying my rereads and getting familiar with these characters again, especially since I forgot so much of the plot specifics.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism and Sexism
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.75
I loved this series as a kid and I'm finally rereading it as an adult for the first time. It's definitely got a couple things that haven't aged well (some fatphobia, some ableism), but all things considered it's not too bad. In my opinion this book holds up and I would still recommend it to anyone interested in the series, with the caveat that it's aimed at middle school kids. I'm really enjoying my rereads and getting familiar with these characters again, especially since I forgot so much of the plot specifics.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Violence, and Murder
Like Happiness by Ursula Villarreal-Moura
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
4.75
I was super engaged in this--I wanted to know what happened, I cared about the characters, I loved the way it went back and forth between time periods. I read most of this in one day. The ending made me so mad on behalf of the protagonist and I feel like the book balanced things really well. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone interested based on the premise/genre.
Thank you to Celadon Books and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.
Thank you to Celadon Books and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual content