skudiklier's Reviews (647)

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World

Benjamin Alire Sáenz

5.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Oh I loved this book. I think it might have been even better than the first one--it certainly made me more emotional, and touched me in deeper places. I looked at the content warnings partway through the book because I wanted to be prepared for if a certain thing would happen, and those made me realize a different thing would happen. Even knowing that, it really got me and I was so wrecked by it. Overall though this book is beautiful and hopeful and real.

Content Warnings

How the Marquess Was Won

Julie Anne Long

4.5

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I liked this one more than the last couple in the series!

Content Warnings

The 22 Murders of Madison May

Max Barry

4.5

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Wow, this book was wild! I read the whole first half in one sitting, and if not for external reasons I would have probably finished the whole thing by the next day. It was so tense and fast-paced! I got so sucked in.

Content Warnings

Desire: Poems

Frank Bidart

3.0

slow-paced

Eh, this wasn't really my style. The second half of the book was one really long poem, and surprisingly I got pretty sucked into that one. But overall, I wasn't very interested in most of the poems. They weren't bad, of course; just not my taste.

Content Warnings

Record of a Spaceborn Few

Becky Chambers

5.0

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I really enjoyed this; I was expecting to like it the least out of the series so far, and that might even be true, I'm not sure. But I really loved getting to see a closer look at humans in this world, and a deep look into so many perspectives.

I was caught off-guard by

the sudden death of one of the characters, and I found it really sad and moving. I'd like to think he'd appreciate the center set up after that though, for people like him in the future.

I'm sad I only have one more book in this series, and want to spend as much time in this world as possible.

Content Warnings

Heartbroke

Chelsea Bieker

4.5

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The stories in this collection are really rich and well-written, and also deeply sad. Some of them less so than others, but still. I was really interested in how they overlap, and I'm not sure I quite got all of those references, but overall it was a good effect. I liked how set in California it was (as a Californian) and how the voices it centered weren't ones that normally get that.

I'm not sure I'd recommend this book to many people, just given how sad most of it was, but it was definitely good. It made me think about some things in my own life differently in a way I appreciate.

Thank you to Netgalley and Catapult, Counterpoint Press, and Soft Skull Press for the chance to read and review this ARC.

Content Warnings

A Burning

Megha Majumdar

5.0

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This book was deeply upsetting. Well-written, with some beautiful prose at times, but wow. My heart is heavy and angry and sad and frustrated. A really intricate and thoughtful tale of corruption.

Content Warnings

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Benjamin Alire Sáenz

5.0

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-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

Ohh I really loved this. I don't really know what to say about it other than that. I can't wait to read the sequel.

Content Warnings

A Closed and Common Orbit

Becky Chambers

5.0

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I really really liked this. It was different from the first book in the series, and less lighthearted for sure, but Becky Chambers is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. The characters and worlds she builds are amazing and so well thought-out. This book had some darker/sadder elements than I'm used to with other books I've read by her, but not in a bad way. I can't wait to read the next one.

Content Warnings

What I Did for a Duke

Julie Anne Long

4.25

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This was pretty good, and not worse than the first few in any real way, but I enjoyed it less for some reason. I think maybe I just wasn't pulled into the relationship at all, none of it felt particularly interesting to me. But still, a fairly good book!

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