goodstrongwords's reviews
106 reviews

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

3.75

i'm so torn on this one. as a recent becky chambers convert, this seemed like a no brainer five stars at first. meaningful sci fi for the literary crowd who may shy away from 'science fiction' for expectations of aliens and galactic empires.

it's always amazing to me how many of the most human novels i have ever read take several steps back from humanity. in this case, we take off into space and follow a group of astronauts tackling their human emotions - love, loss, joy, anxiety, hope, fear - whilst unimaginably far from home, looking down at the planet below. and for the most part it is beautiful and poetic, with striking language and visual imagery. i felt particularly moved by one of the characters watching as a typhoon rapidly approached a group of islands in the philippines, knowing his friend must prepare to batten down or flee but being unable to do anything about it. 

by the end i was finding it quite repetitive and tiresome, less delicate and more like i was being smacked over the head with introspection. 

What a Way to Go by Bella Mackie

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

a tricky one to rate - this one is both cleverly written and mildly disappointing. the three perspectives - one of them being the murder victim himself - are distinctly different and do all bring something else to the story. the characterisation throughout is good and everyone has a strong personality.

unfortunately it just never really clicked into place for me, the plot itself felt lacking. they were also all unlikeable, which isn't always an issue but i didn't find the plot compelling enough to carry such irritating protagonists.

The Favorites by Layne Fargo

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

4.0

i thought that wuthering heights retold in the cutthroat world of competitive figure skating was an absolutely wild proposition - but lemme tell you, layne fargo has pulled it off. the wuthering heights aspects are subtle enough to be considered inspiration rather than a play-by-play, which definitely works in the story's favour. 

i devoured this in a day. the drama is fast paced and compelling, and the documentary interview style cut with kat's first-person account of the events worked really well. i hate that it is categorised as a romance !!!!! but i also hate that wuthering heights is considered romantic.

absolutely one for the taylor jenkins reid girlies

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

i absolutely loved this - sorry to hayao miyazaki but it is leagues better than the ghibli film. so much chaos, so many hijinks, so much more character development and backstory. howl is so dramatic and for WHAT 

The Baby Dragon Café by A. T. Qureshi

2.75

honestly just adorable. grumpy x sunshine with lots of yearning. does exactly what it says on the tin

The Place of Tides by James Rebanks

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

dark reflective tense medium-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

a fantastic book that it has taken me a while to find the words for.

i was a huge fan of the sword of kaigen, so i had high hopes for this and am pleased that it did not disappoint. it was just as intricately crafted, brutal, and thoughtful as i had hoped. i adore a bit of magical chaos and blood over bright haven has it in spades.

there are certain lil nitpicks that i have, but nothing that is enough to ward anyone off this book. i'll be vehemently recommending to fans of r.f. kuang, samantha shannon, alix e harrow, leigh bardugo... m.l. wang certainly deserves a spot amongst all of the dark fantasy greats

A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies by Alix E. Harrow

4.5

The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore

lighthearted fast-paced

2.75

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore

lighthearted fast-paced

2.75

gained ¼ star for the cute love confession 

lost ¼ star for the epilogue. and how often he winks at her but mostly the epilogue