raenyreads's Reviews (345)

I think this book is really fun, I think the situation the protagonist finds himself in is quite unique and some of the ideas explored are very creative and kept me interested. The plot also moves along at a steady pace too and I never felt it was dragging too much, even in the slower parts.
However, I did find the main character to be quite cringey. I didn't need to be reminded of certain things over and over again (like mentioning he knew things because of his job) and some of the humour just made me roll my eyes. I enjoyed the science explanations at the start but by the end I did find myself scanning through those parts until he found the answer. 
Overall a fun read, but not without its flaws.

This book is amazing. I'm not going to lie, I spent the first 40% wondering if it was too slow and if I wasn't going to enjoy it after having it on my TBR for so long. However, after that point the plot takes off and I almost couldn't put it down. I felt deeply for Kaikeyi by the end and I really loved both the characters and the plot of this book. I now see the slow start is necessary to build things up and I don't think it takes anything away from the book. I also loved that I learned about a part of a country's mythology which I hadn't explored before. I can't wait to see what this author does next.

I think this book is brilliant. It has reframed how I think of gender and sex in the animal kingdom as well as in humanity. Its funny and witty while being highly informative. I love reading books from someone who is clearly so passionate about the subject matter. The last two chapters really rounded it off well and I'm really glad I finally read this.

This is a really good short story collection. There was some I didn't quite grasp the point of but I didn't find any of them boring, they were all at least fun to read. A Most Blessed and Auspicious Occasion is the story which has most stuck in my mind as I thought it was hilarious but there are some of the other ones are great too. I'd definitely reread these.

I've had this book for nearly two years and I never want to pick it up. I don't want to make myself read it anymore so this is where our journey ends. I'll just watch the films.

I am a bit torn with this book. I enjoyed it for what it was and found it to be an interesting retelling of a story I knew little about. I bought this book on a holiday in Crete and so was intrigued to learn more about the island's associated mythology.
However, I'm left feeling quite underwhelmed. This was marketed as a feminist retelling and I'm not sure it hits the mark. It definitely centres the women, being from Ariadne and Phaedras POV, but it gives them little development or agency. The whole story is about them in the context of the men in their lives. I understand you can't change what happens in their stories, but to have them both become victim to the outcome they had been trying to oppose, with very little development beforehand, left the ending feeling a bit empty and anticlimactic.

I don't want to put a star rating on this review since the book is about someone's life but I do want to say I enjoyed this graphic novel. Its really thought provoking and - although I think the author would hate me saying it - relatable. Definitely check the trigger warnings if you're not in a great place but I think this could also be a comfort to those struggling too. I know it was to me.

Another great Discworld City Watch installment. This one goes a bit different and I enjoyed the plot line. I also liked the commentary on real world issues from Terry Pratchett which were less subtle in this book. I really like Vimes as a character and look forward to following the whole cast further in the next book!

Samantha Shannon has done it again, this book was amazing. It's so action packed from start to finish and I loved the character development we got throughout as well. I can't believe the next one isn't going to be out till 2025, I don't know what I'll do till then! 
It's only not 5 stars as there was a bit that I found pretty predictable but luckily it didn't last long!

Another great installment in the City Watch series. I think this is the least 'funny' book so far but I still laughed in a few places and I really liked the overall plot of the book. I liked the development of the existing and new characters. I'm looking forward to the next book!
This one stuck with me more than I thought for a while after reading it.