emergencybonsai's reviews
11 reviews

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

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adventurous dark funny 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

Orson Scott Card may be off his rocker these days but man these books are good. Most people only read Ender's Game since the rest of the series is very different in tone once they leave space Hogwarts, but if you want to get hooked on the extended universe then I'd recommend Ender's Shadow after you read this one --- it follows Bean, and I honestly think I might like it even better than this one.
First Test by Tamora Pierce

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

5.0

Kel is the best of the Tortall heroes, Where the other ones all have some kind of magic or a connection to a god or something, Kel's super power is that she's the most competent person within 200 miles of any issue. When she rolls up give her 48 hours and she'll end up running the entire operation. The original BAMF.
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Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Took me a couple tries to get through this book but this ended up being one of my favorite series --- Jim Butcher tends to be like that for me, the first book in any of his series can be pretty slow while he sets up the plot and world building, but from literally chapter 1 of book 2 onward this series is absolutely bangin. If you like fantasy & hero's journey type books I'd definitely recommend it, the magic system is simple but consistent and interesting and the characters are all likeable.
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Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

Whenever any of the characters spoke I had to fight off the urge to shoot myself in the head
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

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adventurous funny inspiring fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson

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adventurous inspiring slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

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adventurous hopeful slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff

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dark funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

When I saw this book about living under Jim Crow (+Lovecraftian magic) was written by a white guy I was surprised that it hadn't ruffled more feathers, but after having read it I think it's just that he honestly did a really good job. Entertaining, suspenseful, funny, and doesn't try to overexplain any of the occult stuff --- just let's it be spooky and mysterious. I'm not usually much for collections of short stories, but even so I'd still recommend this book.
Walkaway by Cory Doctorow

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adventurous emotional fast-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

The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

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adventurous slow-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

5.0