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twocents's reviews
716 reviews

Someone Like Me by M.R. Carey

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

3.5

Creeeeepy paranormal horror. Kind of a take on Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde. 

I generally liked it, but we spend a fair portion of the book with awful people, which does make it for a difficult, albeit compelling, read.
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A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Slow beginning that comes together into a magnificent end. Hardinge's books always have a lot of heart, and this one is no different. 
The Anxious Generation: How The Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt

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reflective medium-paced

4.0

Interesting look at the impact of the rise of social media combined with the society-wide distrust of potentially "risky" activities like biking without adult supervision. 
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe

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informative medium-paced

5.0

Absolutely fascinating look at the Sackler family, and the way they have made their billions off the backs of millions of people they drove to addiction and death.
Redemption by Brandon Sanderson

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adventurous medium-paced

3.0

So, I understand this duology is based on a video game, but the first one could be read with zero knowledge of the video game. This one has a giant time skip from the first book, where there was apparently a large reveal, so it's a lot harder to follow. The writing is generally interesting anyway, but it's harder to follow the plot points when it depends on knowledge of the video game. 
The Book of Ile-Rien: The Element of Fire & The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Victorian fantasy/mystery. It was fine. You can tell these are some of the author's earliest works, as they have less of the personal touches that mark a Martha Wells book as one of hers.
Awakening by Brandon Sanderson

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Fun little fantasy mystery about what happens after the hero has slayed the immortal god-king.
The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 15%.
The initial beginning is interesting. Lydia's sister Kitty is an actual cat who she transformed into a sister, and is her witch's familiar. They attract the attention of a magical foe!

And then nothing. Dragging petty personal politics. Musings about Mr Darcy. Long diatribes about maybe sending a letter to someone. 

Just not my thing.
Noor by Nnedi Okorafor

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

An interesting look at questions of identity and disability.
The Original by Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Fantastic audio production on this interesting scifi universe that asks the question "what is real?"