story_goblin's reviews
323 reviews

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Humans cannot stop themselves from trying to rationalize everything. It’s amazing sometimes what conclusions they draw. (That’s about all I can say without spoilers.)

The writing style is a bit like Brandon Sanderson and Timothy Zahn mixed together?? It’s got Sanderson’s vivid action and Zahn’s philosophical-ness, I guess?

Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

3.75

At first, I really had trouble with this book. I expected to really relate to it considering I have struggled to fit in anywhere pretty much my whole life, but my childhood was extremely different from Adina’s and that was jarring to me. Once she graduated high school, I started really enjoying it. And then the ending left me… unsure again. I just don’t know how to feel about this book. I think she accomplished her goal, at least.

Calamity by Brandon Sanderson

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adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

Overall, you can tell that this trilogy is some of Sanderson's earlier works- they're a little less refined, I think. The integration of his philosophies are a little clunkier.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

Probably the most intense book I’ve ever read- Backman just never lets up. Every single word is the heart of humanity.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

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adventurous funny hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

Neuromancer by William Gibson

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I can see why this book was so important to the sci-fi genre and how it effectively created cyberpunk, but a lot of its structure is just not my cup of tea. I don’t love how the female characters are written, I don’t understand why drug use is featured so heavily, and the pacing felt odd to me.

I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle

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adventurous funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced