the_pale_woman's reviews
476 reviews

City of Golden Shadow by Tad Williams

adventurous challenging mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

This one was interesting. I'm not even sure what to rate it. It's the type of book that offers more questions than answers. More beginnings than endings. To put it simply, this is not a complete story. It felt more like an introduction to this story than the actual beginning. I love big books, but at almost 800 pages even I found myself frustrated with the lack of progress. Plus, right when I felt we were getting somewhere, the book just ended. It's not the worst offense when there are three sequels available to immediately dive into. But still. 

The writing style reminds me a lot of Stephen King. More broad details and less chaotic than King but close. It's as if Williams has a similar cadence. I think if you're a fan of The Stand, you might like this. 

One big problem I had with this was listening to it on audio. The narrator is fine, but the edit didn't bother to add any pause between perspective shifts. The shifts are so abrupt that you become momentarily confused about what's happening. Or you start thinking that you missed something. I think this would be far less confusing to read physically. 

Tai-Pan by James Clavell

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

Really fantastic read. It's a slow burn of a book. This story felt more refined than Shogun, but it had the same vibe. Alpha male loves an Asian woman and fueled by that love he bends history around him. The ending felt abrupt, similar to Shogun, but this time, it felt more like a true ending or beginning for this set of characters. I've just recently been getting into historical fiction, so I don't have a ton of experience in the genre, but it's really clicked with me. Big books full of complicated characters and plots are exactly the type of read I'm looking for. I think if you're interested in asian history and you like books like The Pillar of the Earth you would really enjoy this. 

I've been reading this asian saga chronologically, so I read this book directly after finishing Shogun. I normally read in publication order, but it seemed like this might be the right call for this. Shout out if you have an opinion on a reading order. I'm not that knowledgeable about these time periods in asia, so I thought it might help me to keep the histories straight. 

Ashes of Man by Christopher Ruocchio

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

This was a great read. If you're a fan of sci-fi, you should be reading this series. While not yet complete, I forsee completing Hadrian's story in the next two years if the author keeps up the pace. I haven't read most of the shorter works, but I plan to read those soon. It would be nice if those works were more easily accessible.

I think the author and fans put too much emphasis on the fact that this book was originally combined with the previous book before the publisher made the call to split it up. Why does that matter? What's done is done. I don't think these books suffered much from the split. If anything, it probably made certain plot points more impactful. 

One criticism I had with this particular installment was the actions and dialog of a few select side characters. It felt a little disjointed from the way these characters behaved in the past books. I was also questioning these characters' intelligence more than once. Where are their plans and contingencies? 

When I first started this series, I was sure that our narrator was unreliable. I felt like he was trying too hard to justify his actions. I'll admit that I tend to read too much into plots and subtext. However, the way Hadian explains his tales makes me question what he isn't telling us. My husband thinks I'm reading what isn't there, but in Ashes of Man, I felt that even more strongly.

My big piece of damning evidence here is when Valka says she wants to have kids. I did not see the character development that would have me believe that is what she would want to do after these events. I think this is just an example of where Hardian will be justifying future actions. He's going to clone her or make a child with her DNA. I think if he didn't put that line in there, it would feel like his future actions were wrong. Which under my assumption they are. Another moment that feels very similar is when Valka and Hadrian plan to run away. I don't think this really happened. I think Hadrian just looks back and wishes he would have left with her. Maybe she asked to leave, but he refused. And now, writing his story is too ashamed to include the detail.

 Overall, this story doesn't feel like a man just wanting to get the truth out there. It feels like a man who wants to justify what others view as mistakes. 

Shōgun by James Clavell

adventurous challenging tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

I really enjoyed this read, but it's not a book that I would lightly recommend. This is a pretty slow book. It will not spare you the deatils. I could see a less patient reader, finding it a bit much. Especially the dialog. It was written to give the illusion of translation. Giving Japanese, Portuguese, and Latin their own feel and cadence when "translated" for the reader. This structure works well, but it can feel repetitive. The audiobook isn't the best, in my opinion. The narrator put a little too much emphasis on the characters' voices for my tastes. Despite this, the story hooked me early. I would just recommend sticking with the text if you're sensitive about narrators. Because if you're a fan of big epic tales like this, I'm sure you'll find it satisfactory. To me, this was just a compelling story. I enjoyed this host of complicated characters with their endless intrigues and betrayals. I was expecting a little more out of the ending, but overall, I thought it was well done. I'm excited to continue with the series and see how it develops. 

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

dark funny medium-paced

3.5

Re-read. I originally read this right out of high school when I first started becoming personally invested in reading novels. I would pick up just about anything during that time. When I found Vonnegut, it felt like a diamond in the rough. I found it easy to relate to his cynical mindset and enjoyed chuckling at the ever-present sarcasm. Cat's Cradle was my favorite, along with slaughter-house, of course, but I'd say, after reading much of his work, I enjoyed most of it. Cat's Cradle hit me particularly hard the first time around. It felt like my kind of book. Like I was part of this karass. 

Now, after what seems like a lifetime of books, I'm sad to say it feels less profound. Time and experience have dampened its effects. There is an idea here, but I don't think it was executed to my current reading standards. I just want more and different things out of my literature today. This re-read was probably more enjoyable solely because of my personal nostalgia for it. Yes, there are some good lines and some interesting symbolism. It just didn't stick the same way it did before. 

League of Dragons by Naomi Novik

adventurous medium-paced

4.0

This book, League of Dragons, was satisfying. However, it did not feel like the end of the series. Yes, the war comes to a conclusion, but the ending did leave much to be desired. I wouldn't call it a disappointment. It just felt short. As if this was not a planned ending but an opening for more adventures. I would even go as far as to speculate that scenes were cut to keep this book at a similar length to the others. 

On the series as a whole, I would say it was truly something special. I thoroughly enjoyed every book but one (#8). The bond between Lawrence and the dragon Temeraire was a joy to read. I'd highly recommend the audiobooks. Simon Vance does an incredible job with the dragon voices. Quite humorous. If you're a fan of dragon fantasy, this series is a must-read. I'm not claiming it's perfect, but I would call it exceptional. 

Blood of Tyrants by Naomi Novik

adventurous slow-paced

3.0

I was more than a little disappointed in this read. I fell hard for this series, but this book has threatened its spot in my list of favorites. 

I don't think it's a spoiler to say this starts with Lawrence getting amnesia. In hindsight, I might have wanted to be warned, and I generally dont even read the synopsis of a book before diving in. Amnesia is easily one of the worst plot devices, in my opinion. So, I found the first half of this book to be incredibly frustrating. The story took the amnesia plot one step further by adding in the ridiculous complexity of not allowing any character to explain the past to Lawrence. It's stupidly reasoned that it might harm his already weak mind. 🙄 So, the story bumbles about from one irritating moment to the next. His memories were restored by about halfway, but it was annoying enough to taint my earlier praise of all these books. I'll now have to say that these are great... but... you'll get to this annoying part... 

It's a real shame. 

However, I still love these characters and hope the next book, the last book, will give them a proper send-off. 

Crucible of Gold by Naomi Novik

adventurous relaxing medium-paced

5.0

Really enjoyed this one. 👌 

Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik

adventurous relaxing medium-paced

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

5.0

❤️ Loved

Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik

adventurous relaxing medium-paced

5.0

Temeraire has his own little adventure in this one. I enjoyed every second.