crusoe's reviews
239 reviews

adventurous dark funny fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Dallas is not as coherent in terms of its story as Apocalypse suite was which made it feel messy. A lot is going on and little time is spent further developing the characters. The art is still great with some truly phenomenal panels, so overall I would say it was a fun but chaotic read. 
adventurous dark funny fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I had a good time reading this, first and foremost. The action was great, there's some gorgeous panels in here and the plot is wacky but fun. However, at least compared to the first seasons of the Netflix show, I find the characters quite unlikeable. This gives the comic an even darker tone than the series but it's just not as fun in my opinion. 
adventurous dark funny tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Buskruit en Kaneel is een aanrader voor ieder die houdt van een avontuurlijke piratenroman vol sluwe vijanden, kleurrijke karakters, listige plotten en kanonskogels. 

Wedgewood's vertrouwen in zijn eigen gelijk en vooroodelen zelfs als de wereld niet zo zwart wit blijkt te zijn is uiterst frusterend aan het begin, net als Mabbot's geduld met hem. Maar zonder diepe dalen geen hoge pieken en zijn persoonlijke groei door het boek heen is fantastisch. 

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challenging dark tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

1984 is not a fun book to read but it's an absolutely vital one to read that sets out what it would be like to live in a fascist society where everything -even thought- is controlled. Although it takes this concept to an extreme, it is certainly rooted in reality and in theory. 
funny lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Leah on the offbeat isn't as well-written as Simon versus the homosapiens agenda. While Leah is realistically written, she isn't  
as fun to read about because of how negative her worldview is. There could've been more depth to her internal conflicts as her change in the very last chapter feels unearned. It was an okay read and it was fun to revisit these characters. 
adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Uprooted is fascinating for its eastern European influences and its world building was very vibrant in my opinion. I liked the main character well enough even though some of the supposedly most difficult magic came a tad too easily to her. It didn't feel earned at times but her stumbling through her mistakes partially made up for this. I did find the book slow at times and I had a hard time getting through it initially. 
dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I adore this story and I think I'll like the movie even more when I get to watching it. This is mostly because it suits everything (almost everything) I search for in a story more so than because it's without flaws. 

You'll like this story if you like: short stories that do a phenomenal job at providing a character driven narrative with unique, well-rounded characters; breaking the mold in a strict academic setting; whimsical rolemodels; queer themes (it does not have explicitly queer characters though); an ending that fits thematically and will rip your heart out. 

Unfortunately, the story does include some derogatory stuff towards native Americans. Women are also objectified (because apparently the theme of self-determination only extends to one of the sexes)... Don't pick up this book if this affects your reading experience. 

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Tsunami girl is genuinely a really great book. In the beginning, the writing feels simple and its interjection with the Manga panels janky. However, once you get used to this it serves the story well. 

Yuki's relationship with her grandpa is beautiful and her coming to terms with her trauma through her journey with taka is emotional but well-earned. 

One thing I enjoyed is the way myth and folklore was used as a way to explain Yuki's and Taka's experience; it placed their trauma in a greater whole but there still remained a hesitance as to if what they experienced was real. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Before listening to this story I only knew that the protagonist turns into some sort of bug. After listening, I now understand why it's a classic. In my view, this is a story about living with a chronic and debilitating disability. It is both incredibly haunting and poignant, and deserves to be reread nowadays. 
challenging dark sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

If you like the perks of being a Wallflower, you'll like this book. It follows a man dealing with the death of his younger brother and how his mental health deteriorates over time, leading to increasingly unhinged behaviour. 

I think Filer does a very good job presenting the passage of time using different fonts to signify changes in location and medium. Because it is written from the perspective of the person going through it, I think the mental illnesses are portrayed in a very good way; how they are not 'solvable' but are able to be managed, how they blend with someone's personality because they are a part of him. It's very good. 

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