zombiegomoan's reviews
193 reviews

Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler

5.0

Light Bringer by Pierce Brown

5.0

Dark Age by Pierce Brown

5.0

Iron Gold by Pierce Brown

5.0

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous tense 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? Yes

3.25

I'd known about this book for a while but hadn't really given it a shot until I was laid up in bed after breaking my shoulder. Just needed something basic I could listen to while extremely high on pain meds and marijuana. It served it's purpose, but this book is nothing special and does NOT deserve all the praise it's getting here and elsewhere online (namely Tiktok).

It's basically a perfectly average YA book (which I'm totally fine with reading!) about a girl in a dragon riding school, but then completely removes the possibility of it being YA with how sexually explicit it is. As a gay man, I sometimes forget the realities of heterosexual activities and BOY did this remind me! *shudder* Also, the whole enemies to lovers thing seriously doesn't work with me, it's a big book ick for me, so maybe take my review with a grain of salt knowing that.

All That's Left in the World by Erik J. Brown

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.25

Overall just a cute queer teen romance story about love at the end of the world, which I feel like I don't see all that often. 

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

adventurous mysterious reflective tense 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

5.0

Really enjoyed this! The magic system in this fantasy series is really neat. Essentially, to know someone or some things true name is to have power over it. That's it, it really doesn't get much more complicated than that basic premise, which more authors should do honestly. So much of fantasy these days is expansive lore dumps on the source of all magic in the world, I want more authors to just be like "Yo, you ever heard of words? Sometimes they're powerful!"

Additionally, I like how arrogant and haughty Sparrowhawk starts off in this book. He knows he's powerful and destined for more, and that's what gets him into trouble. As the book progresses, he kinda develops a fear of himself and his own power, which is what all good wizards ultimately need. That fear is what informs a wizard in how to keep the balance, to know when and where to use magic and when to use their own two hands. 

Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Fantastic! I tend to read more genre fiction over general literary fiction, but I decided to pick this up on a whim while recovering from shoulder surgery. Boy am I glad I did! I really liked the depiction of queer romance in Communist Poland, 

The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin

adventurous mysterious 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? No

4.25

The San Fernando Valley: America's Suburb by Kevin Roderick

informative medium-paced

5.0