ronpayne's reviews
1080 reviews

Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo

adventurous dark funny reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

In this, the third book in the Singing Hills Cycle, our wandering archivist cleric, Chih, and their hoopoe companion, Almost Brilliant, venture into the Riverlands to get the stories of the larger than life heroes who live there. There's lots of exciting kung fu action and introspection on how little of a person's story anyone can know. Love this series, though I wish the ebooks were reasonably priced. 

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

adventurous dark funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad fast-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

4.0

A novella retelling of Sleeping Beauty in which a fairy godmother named Toadling tries to talk a Muslim knight out of rescuing the princess in the tower. If you like T. Kingfisher books, here's another one that you will enjoy. If you haven't tried one of her books, this is a good one to get a taste of her quirky, charming, and occasionally horrific oeuvre. 

The Last Devil To Die by Richard Osman

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

At the end of this book, feeling sad about it being over, and knowing I have to wait for the next one, I concluded I had been underrating this series. Because things like immediately working out the motive, or guessing the culprit nearly as soon as they appear on the page don't matter. I just love being with these characters so much. This one is a case about heroin dealers, and there are plenty of funny, sweet, and poignant moments along the way. 

The House of Sacrifice by Anna Smith Spark

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I'm very happy to have finally gotten to the final book in the Empires of Dust, a grimdark series notable for its excellent prose, and for leaning away from the voyeurism you often see in the genre, and instead leaning into the tragedy of it all. I often describe these books as beautiful writing about terrible people doing terrible things. All the bad stuff happens on the page, so if that's not your thing, these books aren't for you. 

Conversations with Frank Gehry by Barbara Isenberg, Frank O. Gehry

informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.0

A memoir in the form of a series of interviews of architect, Frank Ghery by the author detailing his life, career, and specific projects. While I'm not really a fan of Ghery's aesthetic, I found it fascinating reading about what gave this man the confidence create, and how he convinced people to build all those curvy buildings. 

The King of Crows by Libba Bray

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

This was a very a very solid conclusion to The Diviners series, especially in terms of nailing down the themes. It did feel like it meandered a bit too much in the middle of the book, then rushed the climax, but it also concluded all the character arcs in a satisfying way. I very much recommend this series to anyone who wants a 1920s-set urban fantasy with a cinematic feel. 

Orlando by Virginia Woolf

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

5.0

An absolutely delightful book about a person who lives from the Elizabethan era to the 1920s changing from a man to a woman along the way. It's a kind of love letter to life and literature and the act of writing that is filled with very beautiful prose and is frequently laugh out loud funny. Written nearly a century ago, it also has a very nuanced view on gender that would make a modern transphobe grit their teeth. 

Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

A modern story about a group of women in the official British witches coven who come into conflict over a prophecy. The crux of the matter is a young trans witch, which should surprise anyone since the author is a trans woman. Unfortunately the conversation on that topic in this book is akin to your average twitter shouting match, and the antagonist is a cartoon villain, so if it aims to change any minds, I don't think it will be successful. 

Devil House by John Darnielle

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

A psychological horror about a true crime author who buys and moves into a house where the murders he is writing his next book about happened. This is a very low stakes, introspective book examining how much one can know about someone else's story, and people's relationship with the truth. I found parts of this really engaging, while other parts, though important to the theme, were less so. This probably won't appeal to the tastes of the average horror reader. 

Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

While this book adds nothing terribly original to the canon of books set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, or books about affairs from the perspective of the other woman, it is a well written and very immersive read.