rimestock's reviews
117 reviews

Danse Macabre by Stephen King

informative medium-paced

3.5

I can't really call myself a horror fan (I'm more of a horror neutral), and so I'm not at all familiar with most of the works discussed in here, but it was still a pretty interesting read, from a writing advice perspective.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

Pretty intrigued! I liked SecUnit/Murderbot's narration and its general gap moe-ness. The main plot was pretty decent as well. 

The King's Avatar by 蝴蝶藍, Nomyummi

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted tense

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A

5.0

Man I just don't know what to say. I just fully love this webnovel.

Black Tech Internet Cafe System by The Leaf That Goes Against Water

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

3.0

This is, at its core, pretty much just a Let's Play series + Cultivators Play Video Games For The First Time reaction video but in webnovel form, sometimes interrupted with your typical xianxia shenanigans like arrogant non-gamer cannon fodders getting faceslapped because playing videogames helps with your cultivation.

3/5 would recommend, because sometimes you just want to turn your brain off and relax.

The Algebraist by Iain M. Banks

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.0

There were some interesting bits, but overall it bored me.

Also, a bit too straight of a space future for my taste. Which, you know, whatever, it was published in the early 2000s. However, there were a scant few f/f mentions, but no m/m stuff at all, and coming from a male author... well. I docked a star for that.

Let's Go Karaoke! by Yama Wayama

funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Very funny! Impeccable gay vibes despite not being BL or a gay manga. And while the art is so-so to me, Kyouji is pretty hot (especially at the ending) so it evens out!

Laughing Under the Clouds, Vol. 5 by Kemuri Karakara

sad tense 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

3.0

Okay more plot twists. Absolutely gobsmacked.

Laughing Under the Clouds, Vol. 4 by Kemuri Karakara

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Focuses more on the emotional fallout of the aftermath of volume 3, but also plot twists!

Pyotr Tchaikovsky by Philip Ross Bullock

informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.0

This is the first biography I've read of Tchaikovsky, so I can't compare it to others, but the stuff about celebrity sensationalization was pretty interesting! Now I kinda wanna know how the composer would've fared in the social media age lol. I also appreciate what seems to be an even hand on his homosexuality.

The music analysis bits however lost me too much. I tried listening to the pieces mentioned while I was reading, but I was a fast reader and the book was onto a new topic before I could listen to the whole piece.

Still, I enjoyed reading this overall, and has interested me on making deeper dives into Tchaikovsky's life.

Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I don't know if it's intentional or not, but the narrative voice of each POV was a bit too similar, and combined with all of them being in 1st person, I'm not sure if I liked that or not.

That said, I did enjoy reading this book. My favorite overall was Bobby's story. Moud's was fine (although the secondhand embarrassment I got from his boyfriend Shane was absolutely brutal). And Saeed is dead last only because he's the token heterosexual lol (granted, the story wouldn't have worked if he wasn't, but still).