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bumblebee's reviews
134 reviews
Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens
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? Yes
4.0
This was a fun read! I enjoyed the audiobook narrators.
The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
This book would have been pretty good it if hadn't been so damn sexist. Not a single female character (named or unnamed) was introduced without mentioning a) the size of her breasts and b) whether or not the narrator would have sex with her. These descriptions were honestly mostly just gross and unnecessary, and betrayed the author's way of viewing women more than anything.
Wizard in Exile by Michael G. Manning
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This book was a pleasant surprise after The Wizard's Crown (which I absolutely hated). I really like this new direction for the series, and it has me hopeful that more good stuff is to come!
This book is still very much about Will, but his son Oliver is definitely central to the story, and very fun to read about. I was a little worried a lot of this would basically be "The Choice of Magic" all over again, with Will now training his son and the cycle kind of repeating with Will stepping into the Arrogan role, but without going into spoilers, I can safely say the book has a really interesting new thing going on for Oliver. I hope he gets an even bigger role in the next book, because I'd really like to see more of him as a point of view character.
While this book as quite a bit of story of its own to tell, it also contained a lot of setup for a larger overarching plot, so I hope the next book(s) in this series can deliver on it (unlike the previous series, which fell apart near the end). I'm excited to see what happens.
This book is still very much about Will, but his son Oliver is definitely central to the story, and very fun to read about. I was a little worried a lot of this would basically be "The Choice of Magic" all over again, with Will now training his son and the cycle kind of repeating with Will stepping into the Arrogan role, but without going into spoilers, I can safely say the book has a really interesting new thing going on for Oliver. I hope he gets an even bigger role in the next book, because I'd really like to see more of him as a point of view character.
While this book as quite a bit of story of its own to tell, it also contained a lot of setup for a larger overarching plot, so I hope the next book(s) in this series can deliver on it (unlike the previous series, which fell apart near the end). I'm excited to see what happens.
The Wizard's Crown by Michael G. Manning
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.5
Really weak end to the series. The bar was on the floor and this book brought a shovel.
90% of this is the main character slowly working to execute a plan that he discusses with literally everyone but is kept hidden from the reader in the laziest manner (“He told them the plan.”) until the very last chapters.
It’s not even an exciting plan.
(Also, please someone tell this fantasy author that “wyrm” and “drake” are not synonyms for “dragon”.)
90% of this is the main character slowly working to execute a plan that he discusses with literally everyone but is kept hidden from the reader in the laziest manner (“He told them the plan.”) until the very last chapters.
It’s not even an exciting plan.
(Also, please someone tell this fantasy author that “wyrm” and “drake” are not synonyms for “dragon”.)
The Choice of Magic by Michael G. Manning
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
This is a spoiler-free review of this whole series.
These books are a guilty pleasure kind of read for me. The writing isn't very good (I daresay it gets worse as the series goes on, the first book or two are pretty decent but after that it goes downhill fast) and there are basic editing mistakes like the main character discovering something "for the first time" twice in two different scenes, which don't exactly call for a ringing endorsement.
Then again, if you're in the market for a turn-off-your-brain-and-be-entertained power fantasy story, these will do a solid job at keeping you occupied for a week or two. It kind of reads like a harem-style fantasy anime in that way: the main character is quite stupid but also the most powerful wizard of his time, and basically every woman immediately falls in love with him (but he remains faithful to his one true love). He has plot armour up to the gills and despite being gravely injured rather frequently, is practically immortal due to various magics.
It's a rather predictable and trashy series, but I can't help but be entertained by it, so I read it twice. Except the last book, which I procrastinated for two years. Make of that what you will.
These books are a guilty pleasure kind of read for me. The writing isn't very good (I daresay it gets worse as the series goes on, the first book or two are pretty decent but after that it goes downhill fast) and there are basic editing mistakes like the main character discovering something "for the first time" twice in two different scenes, which don't exactly call for a ringing endorsement.
Then again, if you're in the market for a turn-off-your-brain-and-be-entertained power fantasy story, these will do a solid job at keeping you occupied for a week or two. It kind of reads like a harem-style fantasy anime in that way: the main character is quite stupid but also the most powerful wizard of his time, and basically every woman immediately falls in love with him (but he remains faithful to his one true love). He has plot armour up to the gills and despite being gravely injured rather frequently, is practically immortal due to various magics.
It's a rather predictable and trashy series, but I can't help but be entertained by it, so I read it twice. Except the last book, which I procrastinated for two years. Make of that what you will.
Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
I just couldn't super get into this and after almost a week of not listening further I figure I might as well officially give up. I kinda already didn't love it after the prologue and first chapter, but I really wanted to give it a fair chance because I did find the set-up intriguing. Maybe I'll give the print version a shot at some point. I just can't keep all the many characters straight in my head, because my attention keeps wandering away from the audiobook.
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
adventurous
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? Yes
4.5
This book pulled off the unique feat of having multiple POVs in multiple locations, without ever making me feel disappointed to switch to any of them, and for that, I have to applaud it. I'm usually not a huge fan of these kinds of books, since I generally find at least one of the POVs much less interesting to read, but in King of Scars I loved every single character and the different plots going on at different locations all had me equally at the edge of my seat, especially near the end of the book.
The first half was a little slow-going for me. Coming straight from the Six of Crows duology — which I ADORED — it took me a while to get into this new adventure, especially since I really missed the characters and setting from the previous books (they are my new favourite books). However, I'm really glad I kept on reading, because once the second half of this book kicked the adventure into high gear, I was swept away by it and struggled to put the book down until I finished it. (I daresay I might enjoy the first half more on a reread, which I plan to do at some point. I just wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to the Crows cast when I started the book this time around.)
All-in-all, I really enjoyed King of Scars. I don't usually give star ratings except if it's 5 stars (and I've only given 5 books that rating), but I enjoyed this enough to give it a solid 4.5. I look forward to the sequel.
The first half was a little slow-going for me. Coming straight from the Six of Crows duology — which I ADORED — it took me a while to get into this new adventure, especially since I really missed the characters and setting from the previous books (they are my new favourite books). However, I'm really glad I kept on reading, because once the second half of this book kicked the adventure into high gear, I was swept away by it and struggled to put the book down until I finished it. (I daresay I might enjoy the first half more on a reread, which I plan to do at some point. I just wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to the Crows cast when I started the book this time around.)
All-in-all, I really enjoyed King of Scars. I don't usually give star ratings except if it's 5 stars (and I've only given 5 books that rating), but I enjoyed this enough to give it a solid 4.5. I look forward to the sequel.
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 3%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 3%.
Eh. Not in the mood for this right now. I’m all for unlikable protagonists but ugh. Maybe it’s worse as an audiobook, having to listen to him blather on.