benji_dw's reviews
34 reviews

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty

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adventurous funny hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.25

Great novel. Elevator pitch is: the grown up version of the golden compass without daemons focused on saving the protagonist’s daughter who is a Muslim pirate and the book is set in the Indian Ocean? That meets Sinbad the sailor. My only critique is I think the book could be 30% shorter and retain all its charm/depth - and I’d have given it 4.5 ⭐️ if that were the case.
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Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

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

4.5

Great book. Uncomfortable but perfectly balanced. I don’t have many book analogies to describe this other than saying it’s a modern tell-tale heart driven by modern understandings of race , identity, and the politics of their borders
The Ferryman by Justin Cronin

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

3.75

Fascinating and novel take on a common science fiction story. Really saves its rating in the last 20% of the book, but you have to read the other 80% for the pay-off. Think the Truman show meets Deep Black. That said, the writing is good and people give Asimov’s writing a passing grade (howww) so who am I to judge?
Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

Amazing great sci-fi. Think the Deluge meets children of time. Funny and original dystopian climate sci-fi 
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

4.5

Amazing debut novel. Almost historical fiction in a  grimdark world N.K. Jemisin could have written. Know the content warnings before reading though.
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Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell

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

4.5

Amazing fantasy read that’s genuinely original. Mix of “would you love me if I was a worm” meets spinning silver 
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Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World by Mike Davis

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challenging dark informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

Everyone of British descent should read
The Marigold by Andrew F. Sullivan

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The system of shadow blood capitalist condo magic is so fascinating that it saves my review. It’s a good book, but so grimdark that finishing it felt more of a chore than a good read. But it’s a book set in Toronto that pushes new boundaries so I don’t regret reading it.
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All Systems Red by Martha Wells

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emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Solid really cute sci-fi. A quick and easy to read series that I feel people who loved a long way to a small angry planet, or the fall of Hyperion, would appreciate. 
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The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei

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emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

4.75

This book is like A Long Way From A Small Angry Planet had a child with Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki. Novel blend of whodunnit with serious novel and hard science fiction. Especially love that there are no men on this 80 person story. Really helps the plot shine — and I’d never before considered that bc people assigned male at birth can’t carry children, they debatably need not have a place on deep space missions. I will be following this author closely!
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