galacticvampire's Reviews (366)

The hard thing about writing a book based on a videogame with a sequel about to come out is that you're very limited in what you can do, because you can't change the status quo that much, least the game players get confused.

Even then, I can't help but feel that Battle Scars was missing something, specially on the emotional front.

I really like the dynamic and the plot conducted, but this is a story about found family, and the way they feel is crucial to that. As much as Fret was a great addition, Merrin kept saying how angry and free she felt around her and this is just... nowhere to be seen?

Cal was also annoyingly jealous of Merrin just because and the tension really could be built any other way, specially considering how much trauma both of them have to be explored.

But the story was fun, and the action felt like watching actual videogame scenes, so it was, in the end, an interesting bridge between Fallen Order and Jedi Survival.

(And kudos to the author, Merrin was down BAD because Fret was HOT)

Not gonna lie, I had a hard time warming up to this. I *love* the concept, really liked the characters, the plot is well constructed but... I feel the execution could've been better.

I really like the idea of two switching timelines, the present and the backstory, but they have to parallel each other really well and hold enough information on the future part for it to go smoothly, and this isn't really what happens here.

There isn't much mistery regarding what actually happened 10 years ago, so the back and forth made me struggle to connect with both narratives. I always found myself dreading the moment of the switch because I had just gotten myself invested on the other one.

But. The story itself is very tight. I would've appreciated more insight on the characters psych, specially with how personal all of their arcs are, but I was still quite interested in them.

Victor has an unavoidable main character charm, even when doing evil he's captivating. Mitch is also just my brand of blorbo. Eli I had a hard time liking at all, even though his reasoning as an antagonist was quite fresh.

The second half of the book really got me going and it was when I was finally emotionally connected to what was going on: their scheming was fun, their dread heavy and the plans actually got me by surprise a couple of times.

It was a really fun read, and I really appreciate how original it is.

Boyfriend Material is one of the silly and light-hearted contemporary romances I enjoyed the most reading, so I went into Husband Material skeptic that a sequel could do it justice.

Romance sequels are often underwhelming cash-grabs, adding unnecessary drama just to stir a plot for another book, and inadvertently cheapening the original conclusion. But while I still highly prefer the first instalment, this book works surprisingly well.

At that point in life where all friends, foes, and co-workers are getting married and having babies, Lucian finds himself facing his own future and decisions he needs to make. But there isn't always a straightforward, or easy, answer to that, specially with people as complicated as him and Oliver.

Oliver and Luc have completely believable issues, that don't stir from random misunderstandings or out-of-pocket decisions. They feel real, and touching, and it's one of the things that I enjoyed the most im the first book. Specially because it keeps me invested on the relationship instead of wondering why the hell they would stay together in the first place.

I will also say that the audiobook works extremely well, and the humour sky-rocketed with the delivery of Lucian's internal monologue. It was an incredible experience and I love how unique and complex their relationship is (and what a great ending!)

Quest for the Hidden City is fun and interesting. It takes the cosmic horror and dread that phase two has been carrying and translates very well to a MG perspective. 

I do like the characters presented but feel that the constant pov jumps were a bit unnecessary and confusing. I'd much rather have the opportunity to dive deeper and relate more to a smaller cast of narrators. 

I'm very intrigued by how every Jedi see the force in a different way, how they come up with complete different ways to explain a subjective phenomenon, and Rooper is probably my favourite junior novel protagonist in the high republic!

Phase 2 of the High Republic is here to turn my brain into mush. I LOVE the characters, the setting was very interesting, and I relished on every plot-twist and turn.

This is very much a character book, as the plot (at least the first 75%) isn't that complex. There are some mysteries and tensions here and there, but you know exactly where it's going.

I really appreciate the dark turn and the dramatics (whenever a book can make something overdramatic without turning silly I eat it up), and Gella, Axel, Phan-Tu and Xiri were definitely the best assemble we've got in the project so far.

I surprisingly quite liked Tempest Runner.

Lourna was not a villain I particularly cared about. She was cool and all but that was it. Now, I really want to know what's going to happen to her.

The acting and production are incredible and I liked how it gave her a tragic backstory without necessarily pretending she isn't a bad person. She's got her reasons, her good and bad traits, but her choices are still her choices in the end of the day.

This annotated edition is everything to me. Shakespeare isn't a Brazilian classic, we never learned anything about his plays in school. So going blind into his work is never productive, specially when you're stubborning your way into reading in old-time English (hi)

The translation really helps with capturing the charm and humour, in a way I thought it would be missing without the original words and meanings. But paired with footnotes giving all needed context, I feel I finally had the chance to truly understand why Shakespeare is so praised.

Hamlet is witty, funny, sarcastic and SO dramatic. This is a story where you know exactly how it'll play out, but can still be fascinated by the road to the end.
(I do want to actually see it performed now)

As it's usual, Cassandra Clare is great at writing relationships. I live for the drama, the speeches, all the screech-worthy moments. These are the highlights of the book and why I picked it up in tbe first place, so I can't say I was really disappointed.

But this is also the weakest ending out of the four series. The plot was ok, the stakes barely there and the annoying miscommunication and fightingfor the sake of drama (which I like, but it requires actual meaning).

Mostly, I feel it's because I like the characters too much, and there are too many of them. It's hard to wrap-up 11 main storylines and also the plot in just three books, and all of those deserved better than they got.

"But in a solitary life, there are rare moments when another soul dips near yours, as stars once a year brush the earth. Such a constellation was he to me."

Circe is to the girls what Song of Achilles was to the gays. 

Madeline Miller is, as always, a master of prose. Everything, from the rains, to the lilies, to the lovers and foes, is beautiful. 

This book is not only resignifying a mythological villain, it is showing the complex woman within the witch, and exploring what it means to be both. 

(Bonus points for the feminism without an inch of performative #GirlPower )

Some stories I really really liked. The ones we got to see tangencial characters, where the universe felt expanded.

But a lot of them were a sequence of retellings of the same exact scene of the movie over and over and it ended up being quite tiring. I soon got over seeing the cantina or the battle of the endor again but slightly to the left.

But overall I really like this style of novelization, even though I would really appreciate a traditional one as well.