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columnclub's reviews
501 reviews
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by Alexander Freed
3.0
don't look at me
Real review: Some of the extra characterisation is nice, especially with Bodhi and Jyn. I'm not sure if this is a symptom of how and when it was written, but there are some scenes that fell oddly flat compared to the film, unfortunately including the really iconic Darth Vader scene at the end. The humour also never seems to quite translate. I think the best written scenes are the ones where there's no direct film comparison, like Krennic's POV and Jyn with her cellmate, probably because the author isn't having to work prose around a pre-existing script.
Real review: Some of the extra characterisation is nice, especially with Bodhi and Jyn. I'm not sure if this is a symptom of how and when it was written, but there are some scenes that fell oddly flat compared to the film, unfortunately including the really iconic Darth Vader scene at the end. The humour also never seems to quite translate. I think the best written scenes are the ones where there's no direct film comparison, like Krennic's POV and Jyn with her cellmate, probably because the author isn't having to work prose around a pre-existing script.
The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Somewhere between 4 and 5, but I think I'll enjoy it more on a second read. I enjoyed this set of characters a little more than those in The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, but the structure didn't feel as tight, which made it a less cohesive read for me.
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
I really enjoyed this, on the whole. The characterisation was a strong point, particularly Amina herself, and I loved what was done with Jamal. I'm personally not a fan of modern slang or phrasing in historical settings, so sentences like "Let us check it out" were a bit jarring to me, but it was still a fun and refreshing read.
The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley
slow-paced
3.0
I'm still sitting with my feelings on this one, because it did have a lot of the things I usually love about Pulley's writing, but her recurring habits in writing female characters keep sticking in my throat. Takiko Pepperharrow was by far the most interesting character in this book for me, but I get the sense that Pulley is always fundamentally more interested in her male characters, and expects that they will be more sympathetic. Thaniel, though, is frequently jealous and resentful of Takiko in ways that only served to make me dislike him. I wish we'd had a novel that had been focused on Takiko, and that had shown her friendship with Countess Kuroda and explored in full the science Grace is doing in the mountains. It's a real shame we didn't get much of any of that. Between this, the meandering plot and the dull miscommunication trope that splinters the central romance, this has easily been my least favourite of Pulley's novels so far.
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
slow-paced
3.0
This felt a lot clunkier than the first one, and the plotting/pacing didn’t feel as tight. I hope someone takes the phrase “in the moment” hostage so Sando can’t use it going forwards