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frootlupo's reviews
250 reviews
A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking was a cute, lighthearted, cozy adventure, with more depth than I was expecting.
Full to the brim with baking puns and metaphors, this book was one of the cases where I got exactly what I was expecting and hoping for when I picked up this book. After a few heavier books I was looking for something light and engaging - something that would be easy to read and enjoy. Defensive baking scratched that itch exactly and then some. The book positively oozed charm, and I was along for the ride almost immediately. In the most positive of ways, this is absolutely a book you can judge by its cover. My only small gripe was the occasional joke or line that was used a little too frequently for my taste.
All that being said, the book had a hidden depth I wasn’t expecting. There was a moment when I thought I must be nearing the climax of the book, and it turns out I was only around halfway, and there was an entire other act that propelled the book even further.
Overall I think this book accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do. If the title and cover have piqued your interest, you’re almost certainly going to enjoy the book.
Full to the brim with baking puns and metaphors, this book was one of the cases where I got exactly what I was expecting and hoping for when I picked up this book. After a few heavier books I was looking for something light and engaging - something that would be easy to read and enjoy. Defensive baking scratched that itch exactly and then some. The book positively oozed charm, and I was along for the ride almost immediately. In the most positive of ways, this is absolutely a book you can judge by its cover. My only small gripe was the occasional joke or line that was used a little too frequently for my taste.
All that being said, the book had a hidden depth I wasn’t expecting. There was a moment when I thought I must be nearing the climax of the book, and it turns out I was only around halfway, and there was an entire other act that propelled the book even further.
Overall I think this book accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do. If the title and cover have piqued your interest, you’re almost certainly going to enjoy the book.
Sand Dunes and Skyscrapers by Delia Simpson
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
3.0
Sand Dunes and Skyscrapers has an interesting premise and a fair amount of potential, but ultimate suffers from not fully knowing what it wants to be.
Sand Dunes sits in a novelette range in length, which is a fairly tricky length to work with. It’s not long enough to spend much time in exposition without making the story lose momentum, but it’s too long to just leave things completely vague and evocative without any answers, and so it requires a VERY deft hand to make it work well. This defines my struggles with the book perfectly. It felt like the author had such interesting ideas they wanted to explore, but didn’t give themselves enough time to really unpack them. So while I would have been satisfied with no answers and things just left mysterious, what we ended up with was a lot of quick or half answers that didn’t satisfying as much either way. I thought the protagonist was charming, and the loss of agency could have been really interesting, but we didn’t get enough time with any internal struggles. Some of these struggles are likely smoothed out in the larger series, but books need to be self-sufficient to a degree as well.
Overall, the book had an interesting premise and fun moments, but left me a little wanting in the end.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Sand Dunes sits in a novelette range in length, which is a fairly tricky length to work with. It’s not long enough to spend much time in exposition without making the story lose momentum, but it’s too long to just leave things completely vague and evocative without any answers, and so it requires a VERY deft hand to make it work well. This defines my struggles with the book perfectly. It felt like the author had such interesting ideas they wanted to explore, but didn’t give themselves enough time to really unpack them. So while I would have been satisfied with no answers and things just left mysterious, what we ended up with was a lot of quick or half answers that didn’t satisfying as much either way. I thought the protagonist was charming, and the loss of agency could have been really interesting, but we didn’t get enough time with any internal struggles. Some of these struggles are likely smoothed out in the larger series, but books need to be self-sufficient to a degree as well.
Overall, the book had an interesting premise and fun moments, but left me a little wanting in the end.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Study Guide for Murder: A Master Class Mystery by Lori Robbins
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
3.75
Study Guide for Murder was a fun and uncomplicated romp which, at times, got more serious than I was expecting.
What you get is really on the cover for this one. It features an English teacher caught up in the middle of a murder mystery. If you’re looking for a gritty, realistic, hardboiled mystery, I feel like you probably didn’t pick up this book in the first place. If you want a witty, fun escapade with some admittedly ham-fisted Lit Fiction references, then you’re in the right place.
The dialogue started occasionally clunky at first but smoothed out quite a bit as the story progressed. Our protagonist had some good and surprisingly nuanced character-work, while the majority of cast beside her didn’t really have enough page-time to warrant much depth anyway. I will say one of the plot points that caught me by surprise is about the protagonists unhappy marriage. It’s handled quite well, but I’ll admit my own bias that I never enjoy that plot line much personally. Not a knock against the author or book at all, but it did dampen my personal enjoyment.
Overall the book was fun - I liked it and don’t have any more complicated emotions regarding it than that.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
What you get is really on the cover for this one. It features an English teacher caught up in the middle of a murder mystery. If you’re looking for a gritty, realistic, hardboiled mystery, I feel like you probably didn’t pick up this book in the first place. If you want a witty, fun escapade with some admittedly ham-fisted Lit Fiction references, then you’re in the right place.
The dialogue started occasionally clunky at first but smoothed out quite a bit as the story progressed. Our protagonist had some good and surprisingly nuanced character-work, while the majority of cast beside her didn’t really have enough page-time to warrant much depth anyway. I will say one of the plot points that caught me by surprise is about the protagonists unhappy marriage. It’s handled quite well, but I’ll admit my own bias that I never enjoy that plot line much personally. Not a knock against the author or book at all, but it did dampen my personal enjoyment.
Overall the book was fun - I liked it and don’t have any more complicated emotions regarding it than that.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik
adventurous
slow-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
3.25
Throne of Jade is fine.
The second instalment of the Temeraire series didn’t have anything wrong with it, it just also didn’t have anything that stands out greatly as well. His Majesty’s Dragon (the first in the series) carried a fun whimsy and interesting stakes that propelled the book forward despite somewhat clunky character work. This book smooths out much of the clunkiness but also removes a lot of the fun and whimsy.
Much of the book is devoted to politicking - which, believe it or not, is not the thing I’m looking for when I pick up a book about the napoleonic wars with dragons. There are precisely 3 moments of any action at all, and the longest by far DOESN’T HAVE ANY DRAGONS. I want more dragons in my dragon book!
All that to say, it certainly wasn’t a bad book, just not what I was looking for when I grabbed it. I’ll likely still read the 3rd book, but I’m not currently sold on the series.
The second instalment of the Temeraire series didn’t have anything wrong with it, it just also didn’t have anything that stands out greatly as well. His Majesty’s Dragon (the first in the series) carried a fun whimsy and interesting stakes that propelled the book forward despite somewhat clunky character work. This book smooths out much of the clunkiness but also removes a lot of the fun and whimsy.
Much of the book is devoted to politicking - which, believe it or not, is not the thing I’m looking for when I pick up a book about the napoleonic wars with dragons. There are precisely 3 moments of any action at all, and the longest by far DOESN’T HAVE ANY DRAGONS. I want more dragons in my dragon book!
All that to say, it certainly wasn’t a bad book, just not what I was looking for when I grabbed it. I’ll likely still read the 3rd book, but I’m not currently sold on the series.
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
challenging
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
Words of Radiance is one of Sanderson’s most beloved works - and for a VERY good reason.
The rebel in me likes to have a bit of a contrarian opinion. There is an urge to be overly critical of a mass favourite like WoR, but to do so would be doing a grave injustice to a truly excellent piece of literature. Its predecessor could, at moments, feel slightly sluggish and a tad exposition heavy. In contrast, the second book in the Stormlight Archive manages to keep an entertaining but not overwhelming sense of momentum the entire way through. It hooks you almost immediately and keeps you in its clutches the whole way through. The sheer number of memorable scenes and sticky quotes is a deep testament to the quality of the book from cover to cover.
The rebel in me likes to have a bit of a contrarian opinion. There is an urge to be overly critical of a mass favourite like WoR, but to do so would be doing a grave injustice to a truly excellent piece of literature. Its predecessor could, at moments, feel slightly sluggish and a tad exposition heavy. In contrast, the second book in the Stormlight Archive manages to keep an entertaining but not overwhelming sense of momentum the entire way through. It hooks you almost immediately and keeps you in its clutches the whole way through. The sheer number of memorable scenes and sticky quotes is a deep testament to the quality of the book from cover to cover.
You continue to hate and love the characters - but Words of Radiance ups the ante and makes you feel actively disappointed, hurt, betrayed, and elated through the actions of various characters.
On reread, the book was somehow more enjoyable. Being able to catch the innumerable little details with massive implications brings a sense of giddy fun, and makes you feel like a certain lovable world-hopping rogue when you know so much more than the characters.
Words of Radiance is the epitome of what makes Brandon Sanderson so celebrated and the Cosmere so loved.
Worship Writers Workbook by Kelsie Saison, Justin Gray
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
The Worship Writers Workbook by Every Nation Music achieves exactly what it sets out to accomplish: namely to be a workbook that helps writers create effective, theologically sound, and impactful worship songs.
The design of the workbook is thoughtful and effective. It begins with a look at the theological and historical roots of worship music, then turning to an analysis of the worshiper and songwriter themselves, before finally ending at a number of chapters on the craft of songwriting. It is an excellent example of putting first-things first.
Truly a workbook in style, there are plenty of moments where it calls for the reader to pause for a time and work through various exercises. The goal is to develop skills, not merely to communicate information. There are also a number of pages at the back of the workbook to keep as a writing journal.
If you want to write some worship songs for your local church - I can’t recommend this workbook enough!
Truly a workbook in style, there are plenty of moments where it calls for the reader to pause for a time and work through various exercises. The goal is to develop skills, not merely to communicate information. There are also a number of pages at the back of the workbook to keep as a writing journal.
If you want to write some worship songs for your local church - I can’t recommend this workbook enough!
The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins
Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.
Just ultimately didn’t suit my style. It felt a little needlessly edgy at points, and while the prose was nice, sometimes the writing felt more focused on sounding clever than actually communicating.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
dark
lighthearted
reflective
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? No
4.25
The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a bite-sized tale, packed full of Gaiman’s signature whimsical melancholy.
Despite a slower start than I would have liked, I quite enjoyed this short Gaiman story. I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author himself, which is always a treat. The story itself centres around a 7-year old boy told from the perspective of an adult recalling a memory. The framing device of the memory helped connect me to the perspective of such a young child. The interjections reminiscing or commenting upon the perspective of children served to keep the perspective engaging for an adult reader like myself. I still wouldn’t say I felt particularly attached to any of the characters, but it did make the story feel much more mature and approachable.
I don’t think this is going to be a story that fundamentally changes my worldview, but I enjoyed it well enough and I’m glad I read it.
Despite a slower start than I would have liked, I quite enjoyed this short Gaiman story. I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author himself, which is always a treat. The story itself centres around a 7-year old boy told from the perspective of an adult recalling a memory. The framing device of the memory helped connect me to the perspective of such a young child. The interjections reminiscing or commenting upon the perspective of children served to keep the perspective engaging for an adult reader like myself. I still wouldn’t say I felt particularly attached to any of the characters, but it did make the story feel much more mature and approachable.
I don’t think this is going to be a story that fundamentally changes my worldview, but I enjoyed it well enough and I’m glad I read it.
Chaos Rising by Timothy Zahn
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I’m a fairly casual Star Wars fan - enjoyed the movies well enough, but never really ventured much further than that. My wife, on the other hand, is quite an avid fan, and deeply enjoyed Chaos Rising. She suffers through enough of my niche interests that I decided to reciprocate and jump in to this first book of the Thrawn story, and I was pleasantly surprised.
The book is the origin story of a beloved villain - one that I knew VERY little about - so I was half expecting the book to be a series of payoffs and references that go way over my head. Instead, Chaos Rising is fairly fresh and feels like I’m activley being introduced to a new character, rather than just being given a backstory to a pre-established character. Truthfully there seems to be very little that is villainous at all with our titular character, and I’m excited to see how our hero turns into a dastardly foe.
The pacing felt stop and go at times. The first 60% felt like it had a lot of momentum and was very enjoyable - but then the book slowed down fairly heavily to give us a lot of exposition and setup that felt completely designed to set up future instalments and had no payoff in this story besides a blatant fan-service cameo. The ending was fine, but that lurch to a stop in the middle was a bit off-putting.
The pacing felt stop and go at times. The first 60% felt like it had a lot of momentum and was very enjoyable - but then the book slowed down fairly heavily to give us a lot of exposition and setup that felt completely designed to set up future instalments and had no payoff in this story besides a blatant fan-service cameo. The ending was fine, but that lurch to a stop in the middle was a bit off-putting.
Another quibble is just the classic sci-fi bombardment of weird names that I have to keep track of. At a certain point I just stop paying attention to names and let side characters blur together.
Overall, I enjoyed Chaos Rising way more than I thought I would, but it is far from a perfect read.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
A deeply compelling and mysterious tale, The Invisible Life Addie LaRue drew me in far more than I expected.
I’d heard very positive things about Addie LaRue, but usually gravitate towards more plot-driven narratives. Nevertheless, Schwab had me intrigued from the get go. Touching character moments and revelations were drip-fed to the readers at masterful pace that leaves you thirsty for more, but never overwhelmed nor bored. Every mystery with our characters that was revealed created 3 more questions I wanted answered. I wouldn’t say I was necessarily surprised by any twists - but that didn’t lessen the satisfaction when they occurred.
I read the majority of this on a single long plane-ride, and it’s a testament to the quality of the book that I didn’t ever feel the need for a break or to swap activities. I was content, and even eager to continue reading - and was maybe even a little sad when the plane landed and I couldn’t continue reading.
The ending left me actively mournful to leave the characters. Which, if nothing else, is a clear sign of how much I enjoyed it!
I’d heard very positive things about Addie LaRue, but usually gravitate towards more plot-driven narratives. Nevertheless, Schwab had me intrigued from the get go. Touching character moments and revelations were drip-fed to the readers at masterful pace that leaves you thirsty for more, but never overwhelmed nor bored. Every mystery with our characters that was revealed created 3 more questions I wanted answered. I wouldn’t say I was necessarily surprised by any twists - but that didn’t lessen the satisfaction when they occurred.
I read the majority of this on a single long plane-ride, and it’s a testament to the quality of the book that I didn’t ever feel the need for a break or to swap activities. I was content, and even eager to continue reading - and was maybe even a little sad when the plane landed and I couldn’t continue reading.
The ending left me actively mournful to leave the characters. Which, if nothing else, is a clear sign of how much I enjoyed it!