postmodernblues's Reviews (465)

The Diviners

Libba Bray

4.5

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A considerable step up from A Great and Terrible Beauty, in my opinion. The 1920's NYC setting is deliciously gauzy and well-researched, with an ominous cloud of paranormal intrigue to cover it. A commendable YA fantasy that never talks down to its reader. Could have been a lot shorter if Evie and the gang had just called the Ghostbusters, though.

Snow Country: 雪国

Yasunari Kawabata

3.0

challenging dark emotional hopeful relaxing sad slow-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

Midwinter Murder

Agatha Christie

3.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Greenglass House

Kate Milford

4.5

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious relaxing 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: No

What a sweet little book.

Doctor Who: Dead of Winter

James Goss

2.0

adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I'm seriously not sure Amy Pond's character could pass a Bechdel test to save her life. In any medium.

The Winter Duke

Claire Eliza Bartlett

2.5

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Worth reading for the romance, even if the political intrigue often falls flat.

The Nutcracker

E.T.A. Hoffmann

3.0

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Norse Mythology

Neil Gaiman

4.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Is it going too far to say this is Neil Gaiman at his best? I'm a Gaiman fan anyway, but I felt like this book encapsulated all the things that are great about his writing style. The ease with which he is able to introduce, describe, and utilize Norse concepts and characters is astounding and demonstrates great skill. As someone with absolutely zero familiarity with Norse myths before reading this, I now feel confident in my understanding of their belief system.