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euphoriaonpluto's reviews
21 reviews
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
5.0
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
tense
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? Yes
3.75
Where do I even begin with this one?
The 3 stars I'm giving this book is a compromise, as, in actuality, its two halves are two separate books in my head and I'd give the first one 2 stars and the second one 4.
The first half of this book was so boring I have no idea how I got through it. Nothing happened. It was so repetitive at times I wondered if there was an editing mistake and a paragraph had been pasted twice.
The second half, surprisingly, became more and more interesting. By the end I was on the edge of my seat, the way I was promised to be.
One major flaw that was consistent throughout the entire book was the writing style.
1. It was terribly pretentious. Literary fiction undeniably prides itself with complex prose, but this felt like the author was a college student trying to reach a word quota for an essay. It's like he was writing it with a thesaurus right next to him so he could make sure he sounds as intelligent as possible. It was insuffarable at times.
2. Did Sigmund Freud write this book? What was with the obsession with sexuality? Why did everything have to be compared to sex. Why did we have to be reminded of how horny these people are at least 5 times a chapter? I, myself, may be asexual and therefore not entirely well-versed with how libido works, but, surely, middle-aged men don't get erections because????? the sun is out????? and it's a nice day????? Even worse is the fact that this obsession with sexual metaphors didn't spare the teenage children of the protagonists, either. It was disgusting. At times it made me feel like a pedophile by proxy for reading these words. Why did I have to read about a sixteen-year-old jerking off and what kind of porn he likes? Why did I have to read a description of a sixteen-year-old boy and a thirteen-year-old girl observed by their mother, which featured nipples and "curvy" and "jiggle" and a swimsuit straining at the bottom? And why, for the love of god, did there have to be a scene where this middle-aged woman fantasises about making out with a cashier she herself describes as "could be in high school or out of it"????? The way the protagonists' children's bodies were described as sexual in nature was made even more disturbing by the fact that, quite in contrast, their mantal maturity was decreased so much it was like they were 5 and 8, respectively. How is a sixteen-year-old old enough for me to have to read a sentence about his balls, but not old enough to be told that there was a blackout in the city? What is happening here????
TLDR: First half sucked, second half was great, and it would have been ten times better if it had been written by someone who wasn't obsessed with genitals and metaphors about erections and orgasms.
The 3 stars I'm giving this book is a compromise, as, in actuality, its two halves are two separate books in my head and I'd give the first one 2 stars and the second one 4.
The first half of this book was so boring I have no idea how I got through it. Nothing happened. It was so repetitive at times I wondered if there was an editing mistake and a paragraph had been pasted twice.
The second half, surprisingly, became more and more interesting. By the end I was on the edge of my seat, the way I was promised to be.
One major flaw that was consistent throughout the entire book was the writing style.
1. It was terribly pretentious. Literary fiction undeniably prides itself with complex prose, but this felt like the author was a college student trying to reach a word quota for an essay. It's like he was writing it with a thesaurus right next to him so he could make sure he sounds as intelligent as possible. It was insuffarable at times.
2. Did Sigmund Freud write this book? What was with the obsession with sexuality? Why did everything have to be compared to sex. Why did we have to be reminded of how horny these people are at least 5 times a chapter? I, myself, may be asexual and therefore not entirely well-versed with how libido works, but, surely, middle-aged men don't get erections because????? the sun is out????? and it's a nice day????? Even worse is the fact that this obsession with sexual metaphors didn't spare the teenage children of the protagonists, either. It was disgusting. At times it made me feel like a pedophile by proxy for reading these words. Why did I have to read about a sixteen-year-old jerking off and what kind of porn he likes? Why did I have to read a description of a sixteen-year-old boy and a thirteen-year-old girl observed by their mother, which featured nipples and "curvy" and "jiggle" and a swimsuit straining at the bottom? And why, for the love of god, did there have to be a scene where this middle-aged woman fantasises about making out with a cashier she herself describes as "could be in high school or out of it"????? The way the protagonists' children's bodies were described as sexual in nature was made even more disturbing by the fact that, quite in contrast, their mantal maturity was decreased so much it was like they were 5 and 8, respectively. How is a sixteen-year-old old enough for me to have to read a sentence about his balls, but not old enough to be told that there was a blackout in the city? What is happening here????
TLDR: First half sucked, second half was great, and it would have been ten times better if it had been written by someone who wasn't obsessed with genitals and metaphors about erections and orgasms.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia and Sexual content
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Islamophobia, Alcohol, and War
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book was so fun, if I hadn't picked it up during finals season I would have read it all in one sitting. Alas, I read it in two.
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Ok, here we go. This review will be very messy, and I'll probably be the only one who understands it. Oh, well.
The series is shaping up to be really interesting. I assume I'll love it by the end. I like the premise and I like the things that have been set up so far. The Raven Boys on its own, however...
It honestly feels wrong to even be writing a review at this point. It feels like I' only a third of the way into the book. And in a way, I am. Well, a fourth of the way done, I suppose. It seems that the was this series is written is like one big book broken up into serials, rather than four separate novels. The Raven Boys was pretty much entirely exposition. The main goal was established. The main characters were introduced. Several major plot points were started. One of them was resolved. That's it.
About 2/3 of the book felt like what the first 100 pages usually feel like. A lot of introductions, some exploring, mild adventuring, hints at future conflicts. Then the last third happened. One of the conflicts that had been set up was resolved. But, with how much the book had already set up for the future, it felts very quick and unfinished. Reading the last 100 pages felt the same as when you're rewatching your favourite 10-season-long epic fantasy TV show and you just got to the part where they defeat the big bad of season 1. It's nice but it mostly leaves you feeling amused by the knowledge of how minor it feels compared to everything else that will happen in the later seasons. The big difference here is that I'm not rereading The Raven Cycle. It's my first time. And yet, I still got that feeling. It was all a bit underwhelming in the grand scheme of things.
I don't think all of this is necessarily a bad thing. I'm certainly a lot more used to a fantasy series structure where there is a main series plot going all throughout it but the individual novels, especially the first ones, still have their own main conflict and resolution, which could stand on their own. Not continuing The Raven Cycle right now would feel more like DNFing a book 100 pages in, rather than not reading a sequel.
As for the characters, at this point I'd say I know them about as well as they know each other, which means barely. There was no development on that front. I can tell there will be in the future, though. Or at least I'm hoping there will be. Because half of them I have almost no impression of and the other half I find annoying.
Adam gets on my nerves. I feel for him, his situation is terrible, but that's no excuse to treat his own supposed best friend so terribly. He's awful to Gansey. The entire book all Gansey wanted to do was help him in any way he could because he cares for him, and Adam did everything in his power to act like he's being condescending and selfish. Which he wasn't being. And at no point did he do anything that could come off that was without his intention. The whole book was basically:
Gansey: Please, I'm afraid that you're going to get seriously hurt. Please let me help. You can live with me. I'll do whatever you want just to get you out of this situation
Adam: Stop patronizing me, you don't own me, you don't even know how shitty you're being.
Hell, at least Ronan didn't throw his own problems and failures in Gansey's face, nor did he try to portray him as a bad person for trying to get him to graduate.
And why the hell did he say something as deeply hurtful as "Sometimes I don't know how you live with yourself" because Gansey said?????? that they shouldn't do the ritual?????? because they just found out it's deadly????? and one of them would die?????? How the fuck is that something to be mad about?
Now let me go over Blue quickly. What's her deal, exactly? She's supposed to be the main character and yet, there's barely anything of note about her. Her only personality trait seems to be being #notliketheothergirls (something I'm trying to ignore in this book since I know it was written in 2012 and that trope was unfortunately a staple at that point in time). She has pretty much no motivation behind her actions. Her only problems are that her mom prophesized that she'll kill her first love by kissing them and that apparently that true love is meant to be Gansey. Yeah, this is a bad situation to be in, but what is her reason for joining the ley line hunt? What is her reason for not telling them about the prophecy or about what her seeing Gansey meant? She never showed any internal conflict about the whole thing, other than "they won't believe me", which, given what they're doing, isn't a reasonable assumption at all. They're looking for a medieval king who's supposedly being kept alive by magic, for god's sake. There are several reasons she could not want to tell them, fear of being blamed or rejected or kicked out of the group, for example. But she never thinks about those things, so they must not be her motivation. She's basically flying by the seat of her pants the entire time.
Ok, I'll end my ridiculously long review by saying this: the series are shaping up to be great, but the The Raven Boys as a novel on its own without the future promise of continuation holding it up, is pretty mediocre.
The series is shaping up to be really interesting. I assume I'll love it by the end. I like the premise and I like the things that have been set up so far. The Raven Boys on its own, however...
It honestly feels wrong to even be writing a review at this point. It feels like I' only a third of the way into the book. And in a way, I am. Well, a fourth of the way done, I suppose. It seems that the was this series is written is like one big book broken up into serials, rather than four separate novels. The Raven Boys was pretty much entirely exposition. The main goal was established. The main characters were introduced. Several major plot points were started. One of them was resolved. That's it.
About 2/3 of the book felt like what the first 100 pages usually feel like. A lot of introductions, some exploring, mild adventuring, hints at future conflicts. Then the last third happened. One of the conflicts that had been set up was resolved. But, with how much the book had already set up for the future, it felts very quick and unfinished. Reading the last 100 pages felt the same as when you're rewatching your favourite 10-season-long epic fantasy TV show and you just got to the part where they defeat the big bad of season 1. It's nice but it mostly leaves you feeling amused by the knowledge of how minor it feels compared to everything else that will happen in the later seasons. The big difference here is that I'm not rereading The Raven Cycle. It's my first time. And yet, I still got that feeling. It was all a bit underwhelming in the grand scheme of things.
I don't think all of this is necessarily a bad thing. I'm certainly a lot more used to a fantasy series structure where there is a main series plot going all throughout it but the individual novels, especially the first ones, still have their own main conflict and resolution, which could stand on their own. Not continuing The Raven Cycle right now would feel more like DNFing a book 100 pages in, rather than not reading a sequel.
As for the characters, at this point I'd say I know them about as well as they know each other, which means barely. There was no development on that front. I can tell there will be in the future, though. Or at least I'm hoping there will be. Because half of them I have almost no impression of and the other half I find annoying.
Gansey: Please, I'm afraid that you're going to get seriously hurt. Please let me help. You can live with me. I'll do whatever you want just to get you out of this situation
Adam: Stop patronizing me, you don't own me, you don't even know how shitty you're being.
Hell, at least Ronan didn't throw his own problems and failures in Gansey's face, nor did he try to portray him as a bad person for trying to get him to graduate.
And why the hell did he say something as deeply hurtful as "Sometimes I don't know how you live with yourself" because Gansey said?????? that they shouldn't do the ritual?????? because they just found out it's deadly????? and one of them would die?????? How the fuck is that something to be mad about?
Now let me go over Blue quickly. What's her deal, exactly? She's supposed to be the main character and yet, there's barely anything of note about her. Her only personality trait seems to be being #notliketheothergirls (something I'm trying to ignore in this book since I know it was written in 2012 and that trope was unfortunately a staple at that point in time). She has pretty much no motivation behind her actions. Her only problems are that her mom prophesized that she'll kill her first love by kissing them and that apparently that true love is meant to be Gansey. Yeah, this is a bad situation to be in, but what is her reason for joining the ley line hunt? What is her reason for not telling them about the prophecy or about what her seeing Gansey meant? She never showed any internal conflict about the whole thing, other than "they won't believe me", which, given what they're doing, isn't a reasonable assumption at all. They're looking for a medieval king who's supposedly being kept alive by magic, for god's sake. There are several reasons she could not want to tell them, fear of being blamed or rejected or kicked out of the group, for example. But she never thinks about those things, so they must not be her motivation. She's basically flying by the seat of her pants the entire time.
Ok, I'll end my ridiculously long review by saying this: the series are shaping up to be great, but the The Raven Boys as a novel on its own without the future promise of continuation holding it up, is pretty mediocre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Child death and Death
Minor: Gore
Comfort Me With Apples by Catherynne M. Valente
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Wow. Just wow.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, and Gaslighting