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mythicaldelenn
DNF p. 258
I tried so hard to like this book, but it just wasn't working for me. The concept is great and this would have been a good book if the world building and characters were executed better. Nothing about the plot or writing style was engaging enough for me to keep reading. I appreciate the concept and diversity and I liked some of the characters, but I was mostly disappointed.
I tried so hard to like this book, but it just wasn't working for me. The concept is great and this would have been a good book if the world building and characters were executed better. Nothing about the plot or writing style was engaging enough for me to keep reading. I appreciate the concept and diversity and I liked some of the characters, but I was mostly disappointed.
I think I liked this book? It was laugh out loud funny and really sweet at times, but I had some issues with the fact that the main characters never own up to their flaws and mistakes. I also thought Justin needed more development as a character. I appreciated how queer this was, but I wasn't a huge fan of how asexuality was described (doesn't leave room for romance without sex within that label) or how much Sam was made fun of for being a virgin. I also think some of the jokes go too far or last too long.
3 stars
This is exactly what it says it is. I wanted another fun romance and this was that, but the writing style made it hard to connect to the story for me, which could be related to me not reading many self published books. It was still generally enjoyable, though, because of the characters and their relationships with each other.
This is exactly what it says it is. I wanted another fun romance and this was that, but the writing style made it hard to connect to the story for me, which could be related to me not reading many self published books. It was still generally enjoyable, though, because of the characters and their relationships with each other.
I really enjoyed the concept of this with the Greek mythology aspects, but it could have been executed a lot better. It was trying to talk about love and war and only succeeded at the love part, which was good for most of the book. I think the book would have been better if it either didn't try to talk about war as much or if it went more into depth about war and gave Ares more of a character. However, that wasn't the main problem I had with the book. The ending is really what kept me from rating it higher. There was this build for something tragic happening and something bad did happen, but it wasn't as tragic as the build to that plot point lead me to believe it would be. I also didn't like the explanation for why Aphrodite tells this story. I didn't understand how that explanation would lead to her telling this particular story, which almost supported the opposite outcome, which is what I thought it was going to be before I started the book. I also though Hades' actions at the end of the main story didn't make sense.
I know I've listed a lot of complaints, but I did enjoy the reading experience for the vast majority of the book and read it very quickly. I though the writing is good on a sentence by sentence level and the characters were and relationships between the two couples are believable and easy to get invested in. The story is over dramatic, but it's supposed to be so that didn't bother me. Ultimately, I don't think this is a book that was written to be taken too seriously. It executes a dramatic romance story with a backdrop of WWI and Greek mythology, which is what it was trying to do. I just wanted a little more from it and thought the set up of this book could have lead to a better, more satisfying conclusion.
I know I've listed a lot of complaints, but I did enjoy the reading experience for the vast majority of the book and read it very quickly. I though the writing is good on a sentence by sentence level and the characters were and relationships between the two couples are believable and easy to get invested in. The story is over dramatic, but it's supposed to be so that didn't bother me. Ultimately, I don't think this is a book that was written to be taken too seriously. It executes a dramatic romance story with a backdrop of WWI and Greek mythology, which is what it was trying to do. I just wanted a little more from it and thought the set up of this book could have lead to a better, more satisfying conclusion.
4.5 stars
This was a great ending to this series. It was more plot focused than Timekeeper, but it did a better job than Chainbreaker of keeping the character development and relationships that made the first book so great. This definitely succeeded in getting an emotional response out of me. I also liked the newer characters we get to know in this book, but I wish we had more time with them to get to know them better. I liked the plot, especially the ending, but what made this book stand out was the way the characters responded to what was happening. They actually behave like people who have been through trauma, which isn't something I see all that often in fantasy. I also loved the writing style, as I have with the whole series. Tara Sim does such a good job of setting the tone and evoking emotion in the way the story is told. I was very close to giving this five stars, but I wasn't very impressed with the villains. I like my villains to have more moral complexity/ambiguity.
This was a great ending to this series. It was more plot focused than Timekeeper, but it did a better job than Chainbreaker of keeping the character development and relationships that made the first book so great. This definitely succeeded in getting an emotional response out of me. I also liked the newer characters we get to know in this book, but I wish we had more time with them to get to know them better. I liked the plot, especially the ending, but what made this book stand out was the way the characters responded to what was happening. They actually behave like people who have been through trauma, which isn't something I see all that often in fantasy. I also loved the writing style, as I have with the whole series. Tara Sim does such a good job of setting the tone and evoking emotion in the way the story is told. I was very close to giving this five stars, but I wasn't very impressed with the villains. I like my villains to have more moral complexity/ambiguity.
I really liked how cohesive this was. Every story felt like part of a larger whole, which I rarely seen the few anthologies I've read. Some were kind of forgettable, but they all fit the theme and I didn't actively dislike any of them.
3.5 stars
I struggled to get into this because I expected it to be something it wasn't. Once I took a break from it and started reading it looking for the right thing, I did enjoy it overall for the characters and their growth by the end. I'm glad I didn't put this down permanently, but it still wasn't particularly memorable for me.
I struggled to get into this because I expected it to be something it wasn't. Once I took a break from it and started reading it looking for the right thing, I did enjoy it overall for the characters and their growth by the end. I'm glad I didn't put this down permanently, but it still wasn't particularly memorable for me.
This surprised me with how good it was. I related to the main character a lot, considering this book is from the perspective of a robot. I was really impressed with how well we got to know all the characters in so few pages, especially considering all the action. At its heart, All Systems Red is about becoming your own person and figuring out what you want after living your whole life following what others want from you. It's also about opening up to other people for the first time. I also found Murderbot's desire to just lay around and watch tv alone all day super relatable. This novella has shown me that I need to read more sci-fi, especially as novellas.
4.5 stars
I loved what this had to say about religion and imperialism/colonialism. It also ha great writing and characters whose perspectives really made me think. I maybe would have connected to the characters more if it was longer, but it felt complete at the length it was, which is impressive considering how complex some of the moral discussions and the world are.
I loved what this had to say about religion and imperialism/colonialism. It also ha great writing and characters whose perspectives really made me think. I maybe would have connected to the characters more if it was longer, but it felt complete at the length it was, which is impressive considering how complex some of the moral discussions and the world are.