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reubenalbatross's Reviews (521)
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My first Emily Henry and what a disappointment it was.
This book started off well, I thought the prologue was honestly fantastic and I loved the satire. I also liked that the characters were in their 30s and some were happily childfree. I also enjoyed the majority of the book/publishing industry stuff, especially the mention of the Queen of sci-fi Octavia E. Butler.
However, after the first couple of hours, things started to go downhill. I think some of these issues were due to the narration style, but most were purely due to the story. So here we go:
This book started off well, I thought the prologue was honestly fantastic and I loved the satire. I also liked that the characters were in their 30s and some were happily childfree. I also enjoyed the majority of the book/publishing industry stuff, especially the mention of the Queen of sci-fi Octavia E. Butler.
However, after the first couple of hours, things started to go downhill. I think some of these issues were due to the narration style, but most were purely due to the story. So here we go:
- Three hours in and the quips between Nora and Charlie started to get a bit old.
- Nora must have an STI - 'between her legs' was constantly 'on fire'.
- I never felt a single spark between the two of them. It just seemed like two people repetitively and pretty pedantically teasing each other... And not feeling the romance just made all of their interactions drag instead of feeling fun and flirty.
- Four hours in and the snarkiness got old. It was giving immature and petulant rather than sexy.
- My first book with miscommunication, and I'm already annoyed by it. JUST TALK TO EACHOTHER.
- The cliche satire also started to get very old, and the writing itself was pretty cliche too.
- Things that are clearly meant to be funny didn't come across that way. I think this may have been due to the narrator, if I was physically reading some of the interactions I'd definitely read them in a more light-hearted tone.
- Nora continuously being shocked by every. Single. Element. of Charlie's life was so weird. Surely after the tenth near-heart attack she should be less judgemental?
- It was amazingly annoying how they both obviously liked each other and wanted to be together but refused to admit it - not my idea of a fun time.
- Because I couldn't get into the romance at all I ended up way more interested in what was going on with the sister, which wasn't all that interesting either.
- It was weird to include some of the book only right at the end - either do it throughout or not at all, it felt very jarring.
- With only two hours left to go I seriously considered DNFing. Obviously that isn't a good sign of my enjoyment levels.
- The sex is the furthest thing from hot I have ever read; it's so clinically told - and the narrator definitely did not help with this.
- DEAR LAWD do these characters all need therapy, especially Nora. Thank God she actually mentioned looking into it at the end. If they'd all had therapy this book basically wouldn’t exist, and I'd be much happier. It was SO INFURITING to listen to such emotionally immature people.
- The 'quips' throughout the book were never funny, they were just awkward.
- By the end of the book I detested Nora. She is SO selfish - your sister doesn't have to sing to your tune her whole life!! Let her live it for fucks sake. It’s not all about you!
- Charlie told Nora that she didn't need to change - YES SHE DOES SHE NEEDS THERAPY, AND SO DO YOU.
- 'Great British Baking Show' just sounds ridiculous. If you can’t use the real name, just don't mention it! It had absolutely nothing to do with the plot, and felt so weird in a book where the real names of things were used for everything else.
- And oh my god, they used the 'stars in the same sky' bit at the end unironically... tragic. Especially in a book that started off in complete satire.
- The back-and-forth indecision at the end was insufferable. It just went on and on and on and on.
- And finally, the ending was SO predictable. I saw it from a mile off. At least Nora is getting therapy, she bloody needs it.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A pretty freaky little story. Not completely horrifying, but definitely left an impression.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
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
Wow! I loved this book SO MUCH! I'm so happy my first book of the year was such a great one.
First of all, Nicole Coughlan narrating?? Love it! My only complaint is her pronunciation of the 'r' in Todmorden, apart from that, amazing!
The action starts right from the first page, we're really thrown right in - love it.
A book actually set in the North of England??? First time somewhere I live has actually been mentioned in detail in a book - love it.
It's so wonderfully diverse AND the main characters are in their 30s - love it.
It includes absolutely beautiful and powerful trans rep. I can't help but think Dawson was taking a massive punt at the author who shall not be named - love it. It was so affirming to be truly seen in a book as a trans person, maybe for the first time in my life - I can only imagine how powerful a read it would be for trans women.
We got to see from the viewpoint of the villain throughout the book - love it.
The relationships and sense of community in it are all so beautiful - love it.
And what an absolutely great ending!
I cannot sing my praises for this book loud enough, what a great time to be alive.
Some lovely quotes from the book to finish:
"You can't chase a flower out of the ground" (talking about people coming out in their own time)
"Like someone who has had a toothache their entire life" - a perfect analogy for being trans and not out/not knowing yourself.
LOVE IT
The action starts right from the first page, we're really thrown right in - love it.
A book actually set in the North of England??? First time somewhere I live has actually been mentioned in detail in a book - love it.
It's so wonderfully diverse AND the main characters are in their 30s - love it.
It includes absolutely beautiful and powerful trans rep. I can't help but think Dawson was taking a massive punt at the author who shall not be named - love it. It was so affirming to be truly seen in a book as a trans person, maybe for the first time in my life - I can only imagine how powerful a read it would be for trans women.
We got to see from the viewpoint of the villain throughout the book - love it.
The relationships and sense of community in it are all so beautiful - love it.
And what an absolutely great ending!
I cannot sing my praises for this book loud enough, what a great time to be alive.
Some lovely quotes from the book to finish:
"You can't chase a flower out of the ground" (talking about people coming out in their own time)
"Like someone who has had a toothache their entire life" - a perfect analogy for being trans and not out/not knowing yourself.
LOVE IT
I tried listening to the audiobook for this, and it was laughably bad. The narrator sounded like an AI TikTok voice, their inflections and vocal patterns were so weird and unnatural. I know I won't be able to see past their voice and be able to enjoy this book. Looks like I'll have to read it with my eyeballs instead.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a really enjoyable book. It is so self-aware and witty.
At the start of the book I thought it was going to be a sapphic romance, I was sad when I realised it wasn't, but that's not the book's fault.
The best thing about this book was the positive trans rep. I was so glad to read a story about a transgender woman who just has a nice time. No transphobia, no trauma. It doesn't diminish the hardships of the trans experience, but neither does it revel in them. (Typically cis) authors seem to have an obsession with only writing traumatised, suffering, and/or miserable queer characters. It was so nice to see her just get to enjoy life and romance.
The book also had some really powerful conversations about gaslighting and manipulative relationships.
One pet peeve is that the book said that Dr Who is filmed in London... It isn't... A very simple Google search will tell you (if you didn't already know) that it's filmed almost exclusively in Cardiff.
But putting that aside, this was a very lovely read and a great end to my 2023.
At the start of the book I thought it was going to be a sapphic romance, I was sad when I realised it wasn't, but that's not the book's fault.
The best thing about this book was the positive trans rep. I was so glad to read a story about a transgender woman who just has a nice time. No transphobia, no trauma. It doesn't diminish the hardships of the trans experience, but neither does it revel in them. (Typically cis) authors seem to have an obsession with only writing traumatised, suffering, and/or miserable queer characters. It was so nice to see her just get to enjoy life and romance.
The book also had some really powerful conversations about gaslighting and manipulative relationships.
One pet peeve is that the book said that Dr Who is filmed in London... It isn't... A very simple Google search will tell you (if you didn't already know) that it's filmed almost exclusively in Cardiff.
But putting that aside, this was a very lovely read and a great end to my 2023.
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
This is a beautifully crafted and emotive memoir. I truly feel like I lived Michelle's life alongside her.
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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
Wow... what. an. ending. Finally I am glad I trudged my way through this era.
The time skip at the beginning of this novel was definitely needed, and I was so glad of it, it did a world of wonders. It was so nice not knowing things the characters did straight away and being able to ponder on what's happened in the last 6 years.
Sanderson had definitely got his act back together when writing this, all of the good bits from the first 3 books were expanded on, and the naff bits have been removed or toned down.
The majority of the book did still suffer from one of the biggest issues of the first three, that being my uninterest in the current story. In the first three books my main interest was in the call backs to the first trilogy, and in this one it was the anticipation of the next era and otherworldly characters and events. The core characters are often lacking, and most of the time aren't that interesting or fleshed out, almost like caricatures with no depth. In general, I'm still not convinced by this era, but this book is by far and away the best of the four. It felt like someone else had written it, and I was way more invested in the story.
One small complaint I have is the inclusion of Wax and Steris' children, why were they even there? I'm not entirely sure either of them are good parents, they just seem to do the fun stuff with the kids then hand them over to the maid... I don't think their inclusion was necessary to the story, and made me dislike the main characters, which I didn't think would be possible with Steris.
A note on the religious aspect of the story - between the third and this instalment I found out that Sanderson is Mormon. Knowing this made me look differently on the religious parts of this book, which with this knowledge felt less sincere as parts of the story, and more like a religious agenda. It felt like him putting his own religious views into the characters (struggling to accept faith, God always being right, reasons why God can't protect everyone, why you need to have faith in God) and at times it felt like I was reading religious propaganda, right up until the final page of the book. This did affect my enjoyment of the book a little, as I felt like I was being preached to, but not enough to impact the rating much, especially after how it ended...
Because MY GOD, after the cavern reveal this book got so fucking good. It made this era finally live up to Era 1. The fight up the skyscraper was epic and definitely one of Sanderson's best action scenes.
And I'm sorry, the last 100 pages?? They truly made reading this whole crappy era worth it. SUCH GOOD SHIT. I just wish the rest could have been this consistently good throughout.
However much I loved the ending, I can't give this book a full five stars. Most of the book was still pretty mediocre, then there were the weird God vibes, but the GODDAMN ENDING. This has reignited by Sanderson excitement, and I can’t wait to dive back into the Cosmere.
The time skip at the beginning of this novel was definitely needed, and I was so glad of it, it did a world of wonders. It was so nice not knowing things the characters did straight away and being able to ponder on what's happened in the last 6 years.
Sanderson had definitely got his act back together when writing this, all of the good bits from the first 3 books were expanded on, and the naff bits have been removed or toned down.
The majority of the book did still suffer from one of the biggest issues of the first three, that being my uninterest in the current story. In the first three books my main interest was in the call backs to the first trilogy, and in this one it was the anticipation of the next era and otherworldly characters and events. The core characters are often lacking, and most of the time aren't that interesting or fleshed out, almost like caricatures with no depth. In general, I'm still not convinced by this era, but this book is by far and away the best of the four. It felt like someone else had written it, and I was way more invested in the story.
One small complaint I have is the inclusion of Wax and Steris' children, why were they even there? I'm not entirely sure either of them are good parents, they just seem to do the fun stuff with the kids then hand them over to the maid... I don't think their inclusion was necessary to the story, and made me dislike the main characters, which I didn't think would be possible with Steris.
A note on the religious aspect of the story - between the third and this instalment I found out that Sanderson is Mormon. Knowing this made me look differently on the religious parts of this book, which with this knowledge felt less sincere as parts of the story, and more like a religious agenda. It felt like him putting his own religious views into the characters (struggling to accept faith, God always being right, reasons why God can't protect everyone, why you need to have faith in God) and at times it felt like I was reading religious propaganda, right up until the final page of the book. This did affect my enjoyment of the book a little, as I felt like I was being preached to, but not enough to impact the rating much, especially after how it ended...
Because MY GOD, after the cavern reveal this book got so fucking good. It made this era finally live up to Era 1. The fight up the skyscraper was epic and definitely one of Sanderson's best action scenes.
And I'm sorry, the last 100 pages?? They truly made reading this whole crappy era worth it. SUCH GOOD SHIT. I just wish the rest could have been this consistently good throughout.
However much I loved the ending, I can't give this book a full five stars. Most of the book was still pretty mediocre, then there were the weird God vibes, but the GODDAMN ENDING. This has reignited by Sanderson excitement, and I can’t wait to dive back into the Cosmere.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
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:
No
This was a really solid read, especially for a YA novel. I found that though it was certainly YA in content, it was written as well/as if it is an adult book. So much YA writing I've read recently feels very juvenile, so I'm glad this one didn't fall afoul of this tendency.
As always, it was lovely to read a PoC centred fantasy, and this one had some absolutely gorgeous imagery and magical elements.
The best part of the book was the author's note at the end, it was so powerful and added so much to the story itself. - "Black history doesn't start with slavery."
As always, it was lovely to read a PoC centred fantasy, and this one had some absolutely gorgeous imagery and magical elements.
The best part of the book was the author's note at the end, it was so powerful and added so much to the story itself. - "Black history doesn't start with slavery."
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
This book was certainly enjoyable, and I'm pleased to say so much better than Shadow and Bone. It isn't an all-time favourite, but I will definitely continue the series.
There was a refreshing modernity and grittiness to the writing, even for an urban fantasy. I also liked how the characters were all morally grey - everyone did questionable things to serve their own needs.
"Everything changes, nothing perishes."
There was a refreshing modernity and grittiness to the writing, even for an urban fantasy. I also liked how the characters were all morally grey - everyone did questionable things to serve their own needs.
"Everything changes, nothing perishes."
The time has come to DNF this series, at least for now. I never want to pick this up, and at this point I feel like I'm just reading for the sake of it, rather than to truly enjoy the experience. I think the hype around this series made me feel it was a greater work than it is... Just because something is extensive, doesn't mean it's great.
There were some good elements, but they were unfortunately few and far between. The most enjoyable section was when we were learning about the past ages and how there used to be technology and more modern ways of life, as well as different creatures. It made so much sense and I was fascinated to learn more. But it lasted for about 4 pages, apparently never to be seen again. You can't just tease me with that kind of content then stroll right past it without even any acknowledgement.
I definitely enjoyed Perrin's storyline the most, but it still wasn't anything that special.
Most of the book (and (I'm slowly realising) the series) so far is so underwhelming and bland. Everything in Tear was tragically boring, it did pick up a little after they all left, but not by much.
SO MUCH of the Aiel stuff is confusing. Not in an intriguing/mysterious way, but in a badly written way. In particular, Rand's visions in Rhuidean were a complete shambles and so difficult to follow.
Also, the book is obscenely long, and for why?? Almost nothing actually happens. Everything of note could be condensed onto one A4 page, and the character work and writing style aren't good enough to fill out the plot in a satisfying way.
Most of the characters are infuriating, unlikeable, make bad choices, and are generally unpleasant people (but not enough to be interesting).
Overall, I've come to realise that these books are maybe not for me. Trying to get through the series feels like such a slog (and I read a lot of high page count, long fantasy series). It's not impactful, and doesn't have many of the things I enjoy in fantasy (beautiful writing, well written battle scenes, compelling character work, high stakes).
I am interested in how the story ends, but not so much in reading how we get there. Maybe I'll pick the series up again at some point, but for now it's over.
There were some good elements, but they were unfortunately few and far between. The most enjoyable section was when we were learning about the past ages and how there used to be technology and more modern ways of life, as well as different creatures. It made so much sense and I was fascinated to learn more. But it lasted for about 4 pages, apparently never to be seen again. You can't just tease me with that kind of content then stroll right past it without even any acknowledgement.
I definitely enjoyed Perrin's storyline the most, but it still wasn't anything that special.
Most of the book (and (I'm slowly realising) the series) so far is so underwhelming and bland. Everything in Tear was tragically boring, it did pick up a little after they all left, but not by much.
SO MUCH of the Aiel stuff is confusing. Not in an intriguing/mysterious way, but in a badly written way. In particular, Rand's visions in Rhuidean were a complete shambles and so difficult to follow.
Also, the book is obscenely long, and for why?? Almost nothing actually happens. Everything of note could be condensed onto one A4 page, and the character work and writing style aren't good enough to fill out the plot in a satisfying way.
Most of the characters are infuriating, unlikeable, make bad choices, and are generally unpleasant people (but not enough to be interesting).
Overall, I've come to realise that these books are maybe not for me. Trying to get through the series feels like such a slog (and I read a lot of high page count, long fantasy series). It's not impactful, and doesn't have many of the things I enjoy in fantasy (beautiful writing, well written battle scenes, compelling character work, high stakes).
I am interested in how the story ends, but not so much in reading how we get there. Maybe I'll pick the series up again at some point, but for now it's over.