theravenkingx's Reviews (336)

3.5 stars

Plot = 3.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐
Characters = 3.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐
Writing = 3.5 stars ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

I was reluctant to pick this book up cos of the hype surrounding it, and I was right to be reluctant. City of brass has nothing new to offer. It is entertaining no doubt but it isn't unique in any way.

Orphaned chosen one not aware of her power meets a guy one day who tells her about her gift and takes her to a land full of magic. So predictable.

I knew from the first page that our not so beloved and little annoying chosen one would fall for the bad guy, and her parents would reappear somehow to help her. I mean isn't this the plot of every other YA fantasy book?

Romance was gross. Story was ordinary. Muslim culture wasn't well researched. Also, the book wasn't based in Cairo, it was based in some fantastical world that resonated the culture of Cairo.

Despite all of that there were parts that piqued my interests like the magic system, the political complexities, and some characters, specially Ali.

It was an okay book. I am not too eager to continue with the series.

3.75 stars

Yuval Noah harari watching news: what a great time we live in. Only 172000 people are dying in wars. Child mortality has reduced to 33%. Global warming? Who cares. Science will a find a way to overcome it.

Yuval noah harari sitting with a homeless person: You won't die of hunger. Nobody dies of hunger these days. Malnutrition is a completely different thing.

I have yet to meet a more optimistic person than Yuval Noah Harari. Haha

I know whatever he has written is statistically and scientifically accurate, but I won't go as far to say that current era is better for humans and the world.
Yes, child mortality rate has decreased. Wars, famine and plagues aren't killing as many poeple as they used to and technological development has improved our life style, at least relatively, but at what cost? Famine has been replaced by overeating and in some parts of the world people are dying from malnutrition, if not from starvation. Progress is a double edged sword. We have created myriad of new problems that our ancestors didn't not have to deal with in the name progress and evolution.

I love this book but I also I dont agree with everything this book has to offer.

Let me be clear, I don't mind an atheist point of view, but what bothered me a little in this book was that yuval didn't mention Judaism as much as he mentioned Islam and Christianity, which is okay. It is just something that I have noticed in most of Yuval's work.

Anyway, the topic was intriguing. Writing was simple enough to understand, which I think is one of the reasons why this book is so popular. Some concepts in this book were extremely compelling and mind-boggling. I was really really fascinated by the idea of collective belief in man made fiction, and our different attitude towards a racist and an affluent person.

This book has really changed my perspective and has increased my existitenal angst.
I know I am gonna keep thinking about these concepts for days at night in my bed.

Yeah so thanks for that Mr. Yuval :p

A great mix of history, art, romance and mystery. I was flipping pages in panic and excitement throughout. This book had an engrossing story, beautifully interwoven history ornated with exuberant writing. A perfect blend one could ask for. I don't regret one bit staying up at night to finish this book. It was really, really good.
However, it definitely had some boring bits too. In my opnion this could have been better if it were a 100 pages shorter.

Oh shit! I want the second book right now. 🙄 How am I going to survive an year without the next book 😳

Noor was such a badass Muslim character. I mean omg!!! Finally some positive representation. I loved her so much and miss peregrine and her kids recieved a satisfactory character development. I am not going to lie this time around I was more interested in the story. I really wanted to kids to use their powers more but that didn't happen. They didn't use their powers at all in this book.

Paul was an interesting character would love to see more him in the next book. 😍 I liked all the new characters and want to see more of them.

This book was good, like really good. I felt a bit lost in the middle but the ending made it up for it. It was a really fun read. Ransom Riggs did a great job of expanding the peculiardom. I don't think he could have done any better.

First book is still my most favorite in the series but this one came close, like really close. Can't wait for the next book. I love where the story is going.

2.5 stars.

Not what I was expecting. The blurb on the back is misleading. There was no living like Martin Luther. It's all just gimmick and served no purpose to the story.

I had high expectations from this book but it turned out to be an utter disappointment. Author touched some very sensitive issues in the book, and I salute him for that. However, writing about important issues isn't good enough; you have do justice to such topics. This book really lacked in terms of emotional appeal. There was no character development, whatsoever. It felt like the author was in the rush to reach the ending and even the ending was lackluster and way too convenient. Writing was mediocre, characters weren't flushed out, story was rushed. Overall, I'd say it was a missed opportunity.


I am not going to rate this book higher out of peer pressure or out of fear of being judged. There are far better book out there on the topic of racism and hate crime. This just ain't worth it.

Note: We need more books on the topic of rascim and hate crime. We really need these to teach younger generation the message of love, peace, acceptance and equality. We not only need to hear from the black community but from the brown people too cos such stories enable us empathize and understand one another better. It's great to see that many authors are trying to bring different issues in the limelight these days and trying to elevate our societies towards more tolerant and peaceful way of life. I just hope they never stop.

Perfect book for coffee table aesthetic. Content wise it was pretty weak, filled with bunch of unnecessary knowledge. However, the cover and the rainbow edges are breathtaking.

Make America great again? Well, this book is a written prove that America was never great. It tells the tale of how America spread capitalism and her self serving ideologies by sword in the rest of the world, and how capitalism has become the bigger evil than America that will stop at nothing until it has swallowed everything in its way.

For most of history America believed that it was controlling the world without realizing that by forcing her supremacy she was too getting entangled in the web of chaos and destruction that is corporatocracy - a group of world's most powerful organizations using unethical, immoral tactics to exploit developing nations for their resources.

There is an invisible hand at play that is controlling every part of our lives. John Perkins was part of the system, controlled by the invisible hand, and therefore this book holds credibility. 

It is one of the most great exposé of our times. It's a book that everyone should read and pounder over. We are on the brink of extinction and America has played a greater role in bringing us here. It's time for us to stop and think how we are letting this big corporations and powerful nations exploit us. It's the only way we can save humanity. The rise of China is a threat to entire world cos she is replicating a crippled American system to achieve world dominance and it will only take us deeper into the pit of economic hell.

There are two type of people in this world: one who believe in whatever politicians and media is feeding them and second who question everything. This book is obviously for the latter.
When we can't tell the difference between truth and conspiracy theory we look towards media to reveal the truth but even  media is being  controlled by corporatocracy. The game is rigged and we couldn't do anything about it until now.

3.5 stars

Plot = 3.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐
Characters = 3.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐
Writing = 3.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐

Spoiler free

First of all this book is a mystery/thriller set in space not romance book. The blurb is misleading. Romance is definitely there but it's not a major part of the book.

Summary
Romy silvers is the only surviving crew-member aboard the spaceship infinity travelling to a planet that NASA has declared habitable for humans.

She was the loneliest girl in the universe until she recieved a message from NASA informing her about another spaceshipEternity headed her way with a passenger named J.

Romy and J starts exchanging emails. Romy is thrilled that now she won't have to carry out her mission alone, that NASA has finally sent someone to help her, but when she recieves a mysterious message from earth she begins to question everything. Her connection with earth gets disrupted leaving her with lots of unanswered questions and a stranger she is falling in love with.

My thoughts

I really enjoyed this book. Usually insta love grosses me out but in this book it made a lot of sense. If I were spending my life in isolation like Romy, I would have gotten attached easily too.
First few pages of the book were very interesting, middle was kind of boring and climax was satisfactory. This wasn't the best sci-fi book, but it wasn't bad either. If you are looking for a light read, you should pick this book up. However, if you are new to this genre, I wouldn't recommend you this book cos there far better sci-fi books out there that will make you fall in love with this genre.

I went into this book with zero expectation and I was pleasantly surprised. It was an entertaining read.

4.34 stars

writing = 5 stars ⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
plot = 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟
characters = 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟


Summary

"The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around."

Lazlo strange has been obsesed with the stories of a mythical lost city of Weep since he was a child. For everyone the city is nothing more than a fable, a story created for children, but for Lazlo it is as real as anything else in the world.

Lazlo and the city has one thing in common: no one remembers their real name. The city wasn't always called Weep and Lazlo wasn't always Lazlo Strange. The city lost its name to the oblivion when something happened 15 years ago. Lazlo never found out his real name to begin with. He grew up with a name that the monks gave him when they found him abandoned on the street.

Lazlo's astounding determination to find the lost city, that resonants with him so much, brings him to the library filled with the stories of Weep. He begins to spend his days working at the library and his free time reading, looking for the city inside the books.

A visit from a man changes everything for Lazlo and he finds himself enroute to the city of his dream.

My thoughts

I was completely enraptured by the writing in this book. It was so beautiful, magical and whimsical. Characters were well written,too. Plot was on the slower side, though, but it was really good and enjoyable nonetheless. There's nothing to dislike about this book. it's so, so good. However, I had expected a lot more action. The lack of it is the only reason I am giving it 4-ish stars.

out of all great characters Lazlo stood out to me. I was able to connect with him a lot more because he's nerd like me. He's bookworm but not boring. He has a sense humor, and he is full of life. I am sure book lovers are going to love him as he breaks all the streotypes about introverts. I have never read a story about an introvert and a reader before. it was so refreshing and fun. I loved it from the core of my heart. Thank you Laini Taylor for creating such a great character for us.


Quotes from the Book for the book nerds

"One can't be irredeemable who shows reverence for books."

"What's a horizon?' Lazlo asked, straight-faced. 'Is it like the end of an aisle of books?"

"On the occasions that he did look up from the page, he would seem as though he were awakening from a dream."

"Sometimes a moment is so remarkable that it carves out a space in time and spins there, while the world rushes on around it.This was one such."

"He read while he walked. He read while he ate. The other librarians suspected he somehow read while he slept, or perhaps didn't sleep at all."

"Without his books, his room felt like a body with its hearts cut out."