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diazona's reviews
81 reviews
The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
The Hero of Ages might be one of the most intense endings to an epic fantasy that I've ever read. I mean, they're always about saving the world in some form or another, but this is the first one I've seen where a planet was literally on the verge of falling apart. It makes for a very powerful reading experience, but it also makes the story kind of bleak on the way there.
Most of the book is about the struggles that Vin and Elend and their friends undergo in order to protect the people of the Final Empire from the evil (ish) deity (ish) that got released (ish) at the end of the previous book, while also dealing with the continual onset of the daytime mists. Humanity struggling against what is essentially a force of nature is always going to be a bit unsettling to read, and that's part of a good story, but there needs to be some hope, a vision of a path toward making everything okay at the end, and I felt like that was missing here. Given the events of the book and everything we learn about the powers of the destructive force they're up against, I wound up feeling like they really don't have a chance, and the only reason the book doesn't end with (spoiler alert?) the whole planet destroyed and everyone dead is a series of cosmic coincidences. I think the main issue is that, as much as the magic system has been very well fleshed out in terms of how it interacts with humans and the other creatures of the world, it's not well established how it works it comes to otherworldly beings and these abstract forces, and so all the interactions with Ruin feel like they're being made up as needed to drive the plot along. Much of the last part of the book, where these interactions take center stage, felt like it came out of nowhere, and (as with The Well of Ascension) I would have liked it better if there was more groundwork laid for that stuff earlier in the book so it didn't seem as arbitrary.
Despite my complaints, this was still definitely an enjoyable book to read. (Maybe I complain only because I find it worthy of complaining about - it lives up to my high expectations in so many other respects.) Like, even though the world is falling apart throughout the story, there are successes. The main characters have some good insights about Allomancy and the other metallurgical arts (i.e. magic), and there's a good amount of solid detective work, diplomacy, and military strategy that lays the groundwork for the final world-saving series of coincidences. And to be fair, some of these things that happen at the end are very much not arbitrary at all, like what gets revealed about the mists, and the history of the kandra - that was really well set up throughout the whole trilogy. The characters are well-written people with understandable motivations and personalities (except that I really don't understand Ruin's propensity for gloating), which made it easy to care about them and get emotionally invested in their quest, and in the end that's what I'm really looking for.
Despite my complaints, this was still definitely an enjoyable book to read. (Maybe I complain only because I find it worthy of complaining about - it lives up to my high expectations in so many other respects.) Like, even though the world is falling apart throughout the story, there are successes. The main characters have some good insights about Allomancy and the other metallurgical arts (i.e. magic), and there's a good amount of solid detective work, diplomacy, and military strategy that lays the groundwork for the final world-saving series of coincidences. And to be fair, some of these things that happen at the end are very much not arbitrary at all, like what gets revealed about the mists, and the history of the kandra - that was really well set up throughout the whole trilogy. The characters are well-written people with understandable motivations and personalities (except that I really don't understand Ruin's propensity for gloating), which made it easy to care about them and get emotionally invested in their quest, and in the end that's what I'm really looking for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
In the author's note at the beginning, Brandon Sanderson said that everybody writes about overthrowing an evil ruler, but nobody (in fantasy) writes about what to do after you've done so. I'm glad he did. There's a lot going on in the book, but everything else takes a back seat to the political maneuvering that Elend and Kelsier's crew have to engage in to keep multiple invading armies from squashing their newly liberated kingdom, and personally I find that very interesting to read about, when in story form. The book does a great job of conveying the combination of worry and a thin sliver of hope that the characters must be feeling, and it keeps the plot going in a fairly believable way. Plus, there are secondary storylines involving certain characters' relationships and histories, and the mystery of whether a greater evil is making its presence known, and there's just enough of that woven in to keep the political material from getting boring. All in all, it is a masterfully crafted story and delivers everything I've come to want from an epic fantasy series.
There are a few things that make the book a bit rough around the edges, though. Like, as of the end of the last book Vin and Elend both felt unworthy of the other, and although they do make some progress on that in this book, it seems kind of forced. They milk entirely too many emotional moments out of it over the course of the book. And while there's a good plot twist at the end (there are many twists, but I'm talking about the final Big Twist), it comes out of nowhere. I would have liked more hints to be dropped along the way - just enough to help readers feel like they're solving the mystery along with the characters. The way it was written, it's like, "oops, everything you thought is wrong, surprise" and we (both readers and characters) really had no chance. But honestly, that just makes me wind up want to read the next book more.
I'm giving this one 5 stars despite my minor complaints because, in the end, I'm definitely getting enough enjoyment out of this series as a whole that at least one of the books deserves to be on my 5-star list.
There are a few things that make the book a bit rough around the edges, though. Like, as of the end of the last book Vin and Elend both felt unworthy of the other, and although they do make some progress on that in this book, it seems kind of forced. They milk entirely too many emotional moments out of it over the course of the book. And while there's a good plot twist at the end (there are many twists, but I'm talking about the final Big Twist), it comes out of nowhere. I would have liked more hints to be dropped along the way - just enough to help readers feel like they're solving the mystery along with the characters. The way it was written, it's like, "oops, everything you thought is wrong, surprise" and we (both readers and characters) really had no chance. But honestly, that just makes me wind up want to read the next book more.
I'm giving this one 5 stars despite my minor complaints because, in the end, I'm definitely getting enough enjoyment out of this series as a whole that at least one of the books deserves to be on my 5-star list.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Slavery, Blood, Murder, and Abandonment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Xenophobia, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Romance novels aren't my usual interest, but the opening scene where Aspen is struggling through an unsuccessful book signing caught my attention. She seemed like an interesting character. And the rest of the book delivered: I enjoyed following Aspen's story as she navigates the conflict between her book and her burgeoning love, and I liked her direct no-nonsense attitude, as a contrast to other stories (and often real life) where people so often conceal their intentions in vague and coded language. It's not on my list of favorites but this was a fun read.
That being said, it had quite a few shortcomings. Most notably, the other main character, Brick, felt kind of flat, as if he was written to be a dream boyfriend for Aspen and nothing else. Which I suppose he was - I mean, it's a romance novel - but he could have had more interesting motivations and emotional development of his own, making his romance with Aspen seem less crafted and more organic, and I think it would have made the whole book more compelling. There were also several moments where various characters' behavior didn't seem genuine, which ruined the immersion. (Like, you introduce your friend to someone in a bar, she drops her drink in shock and both of them immediately leave with obviously fake explanations? That needs more of a reaction than "huh weird 🤷") And the last quarter of the book skips over a lot of detail that I think would have been really interesting. Aspen has an emotional epiphany that is basically the whole point of the plot, decides to change her book to reflect it, and most of that whole process is just glossed over. I wanted details! So the ending, despite being satisfying in some ways, is also a bit of a letdown.
That being said, it had quite a few shortcomings. Most notably, the other main character, Brick, felt kind of flat, as if he was written to be a dream boyfriend for Aspen and nothing else. Which I suppose he was - I mean, it's a romance novel - but he could have had more interesting motivations and emotional development of his own, making his romance with Aspen seem less crafted and more organic, and I think it would have made the whole book more compelling. There were also several moments where various characters' behavior didn't seem genuine, which ruined the immersion. (Like, you introduce your friend to someone in a bar, she drops her drink in shock and both of them immediately leave with obviously fake explanations? That needs more of a reaction than "huh weird 🤷") And the last quarter of the book skips over a lot of detail that I think would have been really interesting. Aspen has an emotional epiphany that is basically the whole point of the plot, decides to change her book to reflect it, and most of that whole process is just glossed over. I wanted details! So the ending, despite being satisfying in some ways, is also a bit of a letdown.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death, Death of parent, and Alcohol
The Brightwood Code by Monica Hesse
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and War
Moderate: Death, Rape, Suicide, Grief, and Stalking
Minor: Infidelity and Death of parent
Starter Villain by John Scalzi
adventurous
funny
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Blood, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Ready Player One took a few pages to get going, but once it did, I was hooked! This is the first book in a long time, not counting rereads, that got me to stay up late reading when I should have been sleeping.
Ernest Cline does a great job of immersing readers in the fantasy world he's constructed. The writing style is comfortable and easy to follow, and the characters feel real and relatable for the most part. They're unnaturally good at what they do, sure, but it's no different than you get in any "chosen one" story - although to its credit, this isn't a "chosen one" story; our main character Wade got where he is through talent and dedication, and a little bit of plot armor. The world of the novel, as well, feels different enough to be exciting but familiar enough to be understandable - and here I'm talking primarily about the virtual world of the OASIS where most of the action takes place, rather than the dystopian "real" world, which has little to do with the story. Granted, I'm a nerd; I suspect someone who isn't might find all the references to video games and old movies a bit too much, but you pretty much know what you're in for right from the beginning.
Given how well the world and characters drew me in, it's no surprise that I found myself getting heavily emotionally invested in Wade's quest. It's an exciting one, with almost nonstop action, so at every turn I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. And I could feel the enormity of the stakes, which is something that not a lot of authors can pull off. Tolkien of course does this masterfully in LOTR; Robert Jordan in Wheel of Time; J.K. Rowling in Harry Potter; and Ready Player One is right up there with the same ability to convey just how much is riding on the outcome. I will note, though, it was really refreshing to read what is essentially an epic fantasy set in a futuristic world as opposed to a historical one.
The one thing that detracts from the experience of reading this book is that sometimes it will drop in to pages-long expository monologues. It's somewhat understandable since Wade is kind of a loner - in fact one of the themes in the book is how little real human interaction he gets much of the time - so things that would otherwise be demonstrated by the interactions between characters might have to get explained explicitly. But the exposition kind of drags on for a while. I think some of it could be left out. These are just a few isolated parts of the story though, and they do at least provide relevant information, so I don't mind that much. It doesn't take away a whole lot from the overall reading experience.
All in all, it just comes back to the fact that I haven't been this excited to read a new book in a long time. I'm definitely keeping this one around for a future reread.
Ernest Cline does a great job of immersing readers in the fantasy world he's constructed. The writing style is comfortable and easy to follow, and the characters feel real and relatable for the most part. They're unnaturally good at what they do, sure, but it's no different than you get in any "chosen one" story - although to its credit, this isn't a "chosen one" story; our main character Wade got where he is through talent and dedication, and a little bit of plot armor. The world of the novel, as well, feels different enough to be exciting but familiar enough to be understandable - and here I'm talking primarily about the virtual world of the OASIS where most of the action takes place, rather than the dystopian "real" world, which has little to do with the story. Granted, I'm a nerd; I suspect someone who isn't might find all the references to video games and old movies a bit too much, but you pretty much know what you're in for right from the beginning.
Given how well the world and characters drew me in, it's no surprise that I found myself getting heavily emotionally invested in Wade's quest. It's an exciting one, with almost nonstop action, so at every turn I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. And I could feel the enormity of the stakes, which is something that not a lot of authors can pull off. Tolkien of course does this masterfully in LOTR; Robert Jordan in Wheel of Time; J.K. Rowling in Harry Potter; and Ready Player One is right up there with the same ability to convey just how much is riding on the outcome. I will note, though, it was really refreshing to read what is essentially an epic fantasy set in a futuristic world as opposed to a historical one.
The one thing that detracts from the experience of reading this book is that sometimes it will drop in to pages-long expository monologues. It's somewhat understandable since Wade is kind of a loner - in fact one of the themes in the book is how little real human interaction he gets much of the time - so things that would otherwise be demonstrated by the interactions between characters might have to get explained explicitly. But the exposition kind of drags on for a while. I think some of it could be left out. These are just a few isolated parts of the story though, and they do at least provide relevant information, so I don't mind that much. It doesn't take away a whole lot from the overall reading experience.
All in all, it just comes back to the fact that I haven't been this excited to read a new book in a long time. I'm definitely keeping this one around for a future reread.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, War, and Classism
Minor: Body shaming, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
The Tea Shop Witch by Thora Bluestone
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This story is, I feel, the epitome of "cozy". Nothing too shocking happens, and the story is not sophisticated or deep; it kind of feels like a children's book in some ways (and honestly I've read children's books that were more elaborate). But the characters are likeable and relatable, the plot is sensible, and overall it was an enjoyable read. It hits the spot if you're looking for something simple and light, as I was.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Ringworld by Larry Niven
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
It's 1875, and at a table in a long-distance train car there are two old philosophers with corncob pipes and horn-rimmed glasses having a dense scholarly debate about the nature of life on other planets. The third person at the table is a retired railway executive, who is mildly interested in the debate but is more interested in the fourth person: his new, inappropriately young girlfriend. After a while the train breaks down, so they go out and try to fix it. They walk through some scenery. They talk to some people. There may be an episode of them getting captured and/or uncaptured - I dunno, I had kind of lost interest at this point.
Congratulations, you've just read Ringworld.
I mean, sure, the train is moving at a hundred thousand times the speed of light, and the philosophers are aliens, but the sad thing is, none of that matters. As I see it, Ringworld is a story about four people who go on an adventure and are too preoccupied with their own relationships and internal conflicts to let anything interesting happen on said adventure. I couldn't bring myself to care about any of these people, and the "adventures" they go on are pretty inconsequential. I know it's supposed to be a classic and all, but this book sucked all the joy out of reading for me; it's the closest I've ever come to not finishing a book because of how much I didn't like it.
Congratulations, you've just read Ringworld.
I mean, sure, the train is moving at a hundred thousand times the speed of light, and the philosophers are aliens, but the sad thing is, none of that matters. As I see it, Ringworld is a story about four people who go on an adventure and are too preoccupied with their own relationships and internal conflicts to let anything interesting happen on said adventure. I couldn't bring myself to care about any of these people, and the "adventures" they go on are pretty inconsequential. I know it's supposed to be a classic and all, but this book sucked all the joy out of reading for me; it's the closest I've ever come to not finishing a book because of how much I didn't like it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Confinement, Death, Sexual content, Slavery, and Violence
These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
The storyline of These Vicious Masks follows Evelyn Wyndham, a young woman who apparently spends most of her time attending fancy parties and complaining about them. Then her sister gets kidnapped, but apparently her family thinks their reputation is too important to do anything about it, so she (1) continues to attend fancy parties and complain about them, and (2) goes looking for her sister only to get rescued from slightest hint of danger by one of her two suitors, and complaining about them too. Evelyn, I get it, fancy parties are overrated and it sucks when the men in your life won't let you search for your sister, but this does not make me want to read about it.
Needless to say, I found this book pretty annoying. (I dunno, maybe it's a young adult thing, but I've read other YA books that were much more interesting or at least inoffensive.)
...until the climactic scene of the book. Post-climax Evelyn (yes I am talking about the story's climax and not any other kind) is practically a different character, and an entirely more interesting one. It took about 80% of the book to get there, but now she has motivation and a plan to do something worth reading about. So in a weird way, I think this book actually kind of sets up the rest of the series reasonably well. I mean, I did not particularly enjoy reading this book, but I am a little interested in seeing what Evelyn gets up to in the next one. So in a way it was kind of okay after all.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexism, Violence, Kidnapping, and Grief
Minor: Physical abuse, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail