josiahpeterson17's reviews
162 reviews
Red Country by Joe Abercrombie
adventurous
dark
funny
slow-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? Yes
4.0
Pretty slow start, and some slow sections throughout. But the last quarter was fantastic.
The western setting is awesome. Abercrombie clearly loves his western stories and the inspiration bleeds through the pages.
Although most of my enjoyment did come from the appearance of a particular beloved character, the plot overall was good and the characters were entertaining per usual with First Law.
The western setting is awesome. Abercrombie clearly loves his western stories and the inspiration bleeds through the pages.
Although most of my enjoyment did come from the appearance of a particular beloved character, the plot overall was good and the characters were entertaining per usual with First Law.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Minor: Sexual content
Watchmen (2019 Edition) by Alan Moore
4.0
This shows a different side to the superhero. It's gritty, and far more personal than I was expecting. The plot is complexly layered with tons of intrigue. Although it didn't blow me away, it's certainly worth reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
Moderate: Genocide, Sexual content, and Rape
Dreams of the Dying by Nicolas Lietzau
I'm in awe of the realistic and thorough representation of mental illness in this book. Nicolas Lietzau clearly took incredible care with crafting Jespar as a character and his struggles with himself and his circumstances, and I'm eternally grateful for that. The phantom noose, the inability to speak about your thoughts even when you want to, the pessimism, the haunting memories, all of these things and more that Jespar deals with are very real and relatable. And I think the deliberate decision to have Jespar as essentially the sole POV character (there is another who goes by "the man", but his POVs are a little different) amplified the exploration and conveyance of Jespar's inner struggles for the better.
I also loved the worldbuilding. The appendix (hardcover version) does enhance this aspect of the story with the addition of the Makehu language index and sketches of fauna and flora, but it was excellent nonetheless. The magic system was also unique and interesting. And the horror elements throughout the entirety of the book were pleasantly effective. I was surprised by just how actually eery and terrifying some sequences were.
My only real criticisms that I have are fairly minor. The dialogue felt a bit "boyish" or YA at times. Mostly with the romance, which does have a bit of a love triangle, but it's not overly annoying as love triangles usually are. I was also underwhelmed with the Pale Twins, a set of antagonists who I wish were fleshed out more or at least had more page time discussing them or facing them in battle. But again, quite minor criticisms. And I'm close to just keeping this at 5 stars because I feel the important mental health rep kind of trumps these criticisms.
Altogether, very impressive self-published debut novel. The mental health representation, innovative worldbuilding, and horror ambience being the most outstanding and rewarding aspects of this read for me. I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel Lietzau is currently writing.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Initial rating is 5 stars, we'll see if that changes after sitting on it. (Moved down to a 4.5 after sleeping on it. Still fantastic).
"The mind is a malleable thing. Soil, I you're feeling poetic. Depending on the seed, anything will grow in it, from graceful gardens to idyllic meadows, from weedy forests to foggy swamps. Harmonious or chaotic, peaceful or perilous, health or ill—it's all a matter of seeds."
I'm in awe of the realistic and thorough representation of mental illness in this book. Nicolas Lietzau clearly took incredible care with crafting Jespar as a character and his struggles with himself and his circumstances, and I'm eternally grateful for that. The phantom noose, the inability to speak about your thoughts even when you want to, the pessimism, the haunting memories, all of these things and more that Jespar deals with are very real and relatable. And I think the deliberate decision to have Jespar as essentially the sole POV character (there is another who goes by "the man", but his POVs are a little different) amplified the exploration and conveyance of Jespar's inner struggles for the better.
"He didn't scream because he had accepted that his struggle was pointless; if your own mind is the enemy, where could you run?"
I also loved the worldbuilding. The appendix (hardcover version) does enhance this aspect of the story with the addition of the Makehu language index and sketches of fauna and flora, but it was excellent nonetheless. The magic system was also unique and interesting. And the horror elements throughout the entirety of the book were pleasantly effective. I was surprised by just how actually eery and terrifying some sequences were.
My only real criticisms that I have are fairly minor. The dialogue felt a bit "boyish" or YA at times. Mostly with the romance, which does have a bit of a love triangle, but it's not overly annoying as love triangles usually are. I was also underwhelmed with the Pale Twins, a set of antagonists who I wish were fleshed out more or at least had more page time discussing them or facing them in battle. But again, quite minor criticisms. And I'm close to just keeping this at 5 stars because I feel the important mental health rep kind of trumps these criticisms.
Altogether, very impressive self-published debut novel. The mental health representation, innovative worldbuilding, and horror ambience being the most outstanding and rewarding aspects of this read for me. I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel Lietzau is currently writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Medical content, Rape, and Suicide attempt
Mort by Terry Pratchett
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.5
This was great. I loved Death being a prominent character in this. His newfound fascination with humanity and emotions was fun to explore. Mort was a great protagonist. This story serves as a nice little coming of age story for him. The side characters were rich and entertaining as always with Pratchett's character work.
And as always, Pratchett's satirical humor is simply second to none. Nobody makes me laugh more consistently and often than Terry Pratchett. I love Discworld. And now I'll try to fit in a Discworld book every other month or so because the long break between my last Discworld read made me realize just how much I love this world.
And as always, Pratchett's satirical humor is simply second to none. Nobody makes me laugh more consistently and often than Terry Pratchett. I love Discworld. And now I'll try to fit in a Discworld book every other month or so because the long break between my last Discworld read made me realize just how much I love this world.
The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
challenging
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
3.0
Unfortunately, this is my least favorite First Law book so far. While I can appreciate what Abercrombie attempted to do with the plot and structure of the book covering all 3 days of a brutal battle, I was not a fan of the limited scope and it felt stale and repetitive at times. The characters were also not quite clicking for me early on. And as the book progressed, too many pov's were introduced and I thought some side characters were meshing with others and it felt somewhat messy.
What I did like though was of course Abercrombie's humor. He made the dull moments tolerable with some laughs. The last 35% or so has some pretty good stuff. The character arcs for the book wrap up well and I look forward to hopefully encountering some of these characters again in future books.
Overall, it's a decent read. But I did struggle in the beginning. Still very excited to continue with First Law.
What I did like though was of course Abercrombie's humor. He made the dull moments tolerable with some laughs. The last 35% or so has some pretty good stuff. The character arcs for the book wrap up well and I look forward to hopefully encountering some of these characters again in future books.
Overall, it's a decent read. But I did struggle in the beginning. Still very excited to continue with First Law.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Blood, and Violence
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
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
This is one of the most moving books I'll ever read. It's masterfully poignant. It changes your perspective and tackles so many aspects of life and humanity. Please read this book. It's a masterpiece. Should be required reading.
"I don't know what's worse: to not know what you are and be happy, or to become what you've always wanted to be, and feel alone."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, and Child abuse
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
Recursion by Blake Crouch
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
3.5
I'm conflicted on a rating right now, so I'll roll with a 3.5.
The characters were great. Crouch seems to have mastered the ability to maximize characterization in a short page count and make you feel attached. The plot also keeps your attention. It's engaging in the way that it makes the reader ask questions and explores the concept of memory. But it also felt increasingly convoluted as I read. There's a certain point in the book (you'll know if you've read it) where things kind of explode and overlap. There's a lot to keep track of. And it feels somewhat overwhelming the more I read.
I'm also not sure how I feel about how suicide was handled in this book. It felt rash.
But even with those criticisms, Crouch still had me feeling emotional by the end of the book.
The characters were great. Crouch seems to have mastered the ability to maximize characterization in a short page count and make you feel attached. The plot also keeps your attention. It's engaging in the way that it makes the reader ask questions and explores the concept of memory. But it also felt increasingly convoluted as I read. There's a certain point in the book (you'll know if you've read it) where things kind of explode and overlap. There's a lot to keep track of. And it feels somewhat overwhelming the more I read.
I'm also not sure how I feel about how suicide was handled in this book. It felt rash.
But even with those criticisms, Crouch still had me feeling emotional by the end of the book.
"Life with a cheat chose isn't life. Our existence isn't something to be engineered or optimized for the avoidance of pain. That's what it is to be human--the beauty and the pain, each meaningless without the other."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Suicide attempt
Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Very entertaining revenge story. Every single character brought something to the table, and Abercrombie's dialogue is just incredibly engaging. The dynamics between Monza and her crew provided a decent amount of nuance and tons of laughs. Shivers and Cosca in particular are standouts. Shivers mostly unintentionally hilarious, and Cosca is always ridiculous in nature.
This book also was by far the darkest of the books in the First Law world. It was abundantly grim. Largely because of the setting and Monza's status after the first chapter, but it felt like Abercrombie took things to the next level of hopelessness as we get to explore a different portion of the Circle of the World.
Loved the structure of the book too, although the last 130 pages felt slightly prolonged to me. Looking forward to the adaptation and the other standalones.
This book also was by far the darkest of the books in the First Law world. It was abundantly grim. Largely because of the setting and Monza's status after the first chapter, but it felt like Abercrombie took things to the next level of hopelessness as we get to explore a different portion of the Circle of the World.
Loved the structure of the book too, although the last 130 pages felt slightly prolonged to me. Looking forward to the adaptation and the other standalones.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Violence, and Sexual content
The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I loved everything with Nomad and Aux. And the cosmere revelations and reveals we get are cool. But I'm underwhelmed by how the plot failed to remain fully engaging. I also really struggled to believe the worldbuilding of this new planet we're introduced too. Maybe I didn't fully grasp the weather patterns and information about the environment, but it did not seem like this world was habitable nor as lived-in as it was made out to be.
The side characters were unfortunately lackluster too in my opinion. I really didn't care about any of them. Now, this is ultimately a story about Nomad, so this isn't my biggest criticsm, but it did hurt my ability to become emotionally attached to the story and completely immersed.
Additionally, to touch on the plot once more, it feels like Sanderson sacrificed the normally engaging and coherent plots he displays for simple wow-factor of cosmere information. Sure, that can be fun. But it makes me worried regarding his statements about his novels becoming more cosmere-aware in the future. I want him to continue writing compelling self-contained stories that can be enjoyed without having to give plenty of cosmere depth.
Altogether, I'm fairly disappointed by this. It was the secret project I was most looking forward to.
The side characters were unfortunately lackluster too in my opinion. I really didn't care about any of them. Now, this is ultimately a story about Nomad, so this isn't my biggest criticsm, but it did hurt my ability to become emotionally attached to the story and completely immersed.
Additionally, to touch on the plot once more, it feels like Sanderson sacrificed the normally engaging and coherent plots he displays for simple wow-factor of cosmere information. Sure, that can be fun. But it makes me worried regarding his statements about his novels becoming more cosmere-aware in the future. I want him to continue writing compelling self-contained stories that can be enjoyed without having to give plenty of cosmere depth.
Altogether, I'm fairly disappointed by this. It was the secret project I was most looking forward to.
The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu
emotional
informative
reflective
4.5
This was an incredibly rich, moving, and thought-provoking collection of short stories. Ken Liu has a brilliant mind and has wonderful writing. I found so many stories to be introspective, emotional, human, and very philosophical in an approachable manner. Liu interweaves so many strong and relevant themes into his works. I can't wait to read his long form fiction in The Dandelion Dynasty series. Some of my favorite stories I want to highlight were "The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species," "Good Hunting," "The Literomancer," the titular story "The Paper Menagerie," and "An Advanced Readers' Picture Book of Comparative Cognition."
I highly recommend this collection of short fiction to everyone.
I highly recommend this collection of short fiction to everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Torture
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Rape and Sexual content