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maddy707's reviews
124 reviews
Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
5.0
4.5/5
Pros
Locke's grief is well written. Often times in books, a character doesn't grieve properly. Usually they are just like "*insert character here* would've loved this" a few times and then it's forgotten. Locke actually grieves the events of the first book. We see his self-destruction and self-pity in a very real way.
This book actually contains main female characters and I loved them. Drakasha was a unique take on a pirate leader and making her a mother was an interesting choice. I hope we see her again in other books or even get a novella spin off with more of her back story. She was a great character and a well written strong leader. Ezri was also a great character.
Speaking of Ezri, I loved her relationship with Jean. Although it was fast paced and mostly based in sex, I still found their connection believable and I loved their banter.
Which is why Ezri's death was so sad. Although I predicted it happening, I did not think it would go the way it did. Her death was gruesome and heartbreaking. I hope the author explores Jean's grief in as much of a real way as he did with Locke's in the next instalment.
I loved the tension Locke and Jean had. Although it was short lived, I love when main characters that would die for each other are in conflict. Often it's not done correctly, but Scott Lynch did it perfectly. Their arguments were well needed. I am glad that Jean wasn't compliant to Locke this whole book and actually called him out for his behaviour.
I was like "CALL HIM OUT KING" It was one of my favourite moments in this book.
That conflict also provides the support for Locke's decision that ultimately leads to the success of their scheme. It wasn't wasted.
The bleak ending, I need to start the next book ASAP. This book ends very much the same way the first one did. Everything is bleak. Death is imminent. I can't wait to see what happens next.
Cons
My only con of this book is that it didn't have the shock factor that I loved about the first book. This book doesn't really get super intense till the last 100 or so pages. That doesn't mean the previous 400 or so pages aren't entertaining, they are. It just lacked the shocking nature the first book had. I can see how this would lead readers to not enjoying this book as much. Personally, I still enjoyed it. The book spends most of its pages establishing characters and groups as it leads to the climax. Scott Lynch's writing is so entertaining that it is able to make up for a slightly lacklustre plot.
Pros
Locke's grief is well written. Often times in books, a character doesn't grieve properly. Usually they are just like "*insert character here* would've loved this" a few times and then it's forgotten. Locke actually grieves the events of the first book. We see his self-destruction and self-pity in a very real way.
This book actually contains main female characters and I loved them. Drakasha was a unique take on a pirate leader and making her a mother was an interesting choice. I hope we see her again in other books or even get a novella spin off with more of her back story. She was a great character and a well written strong leader. Ezri was also a great character.
Speaking of Ezri, I loved her relationship with Jean. Although it was fast paced and mostly based in sex, I still found their connection believable and I loved their banter.
Which is why Ezri's death was so sad. Although I predicted it happening, I did not think it would go the way it did. Her death was gruesome and heartbreaking. I hope the author explores Jean's grief in as much of a real way as he did with Locke's in the next instalment.
I loved the tension Locke and Jean had. Although it was short lived, I love when main characters that would die for each other are in conflict. Often it's not done correctly, but Scott Lynch did it perfectly. Their arguments were well needed. I am glad that Jean wasn't compliant to Locke this whole book and actually called him out for his behaviour.
I was like "CALL HIM OUT KING" It was one of my favourite moments in this book.
That conflict also provides the support for Locke's decision that ultimately leads to the success of their scheme. It wasn't wasted.
The bleak ending, I need to start the next book ASAP. This book ends very much the same way the first one did. Everything is bleak. Death is imminent. I can't wait to see what happens next.
Cons
My only con of this book is that it didn't have the shock factor that I loved about the first book. This book doesn't really get super intense till the last 100 or so pages. That doesn't mean the previous 400 or so pages aren't entertaining, they are. It just lacked the shocking nature the first book had. I can see how this would lead readers to not enjoying this book as much. Personally, I still enjoyed it. The book spends most of its pages establishing characters and groups as it leads to the climax. Scott Lynch's writing is so entertaining that it is able to make up for a slightly lacklustre plot.
Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson Omnibus by Frank Miller
4.0
Pros
The bullseye stories are the best. Daredevil is truly at his best when fighting Bullseye. The Bullseye train issue is my favourite of this omnibus. It perfectly illustrates who Daredevil is. It shows how despite all of his rage and anger, he is still able to be a good person.
I absolutely loved the introduction of Elektra. She is the first, and only, Daredevil love interest I like. I just wish we got to see more of her and Matt together.
This book had some comedic moments, mostly with Turk. It was a nice way to break up the darkness of this.
This book does get better and better as each issue goes on. Miller is able to create page-turning comics, which is more difficult than you might think.
Cons
I do not like Heather Glenn, and I do not like the direction Matt went when he was with her. I'd much rather have Frank Miller break up Matt and Heather permanently than have this on again off again dynamic. It's what irritated me most about Karen and Matt. This relationship is just a repeat of that. Shame, when Elektra is right there.
The artwork of this leaves something to be desired. It's by no means horrible, but it could've been much better. Some of the artwork in this is just outright goofy.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, Miller revolutionized Daredevil and turned him into the hero he is today. For that, 3.5/5.
The bullseye stories are the best. Daredevil is truly at his best when fighting Bullseye. The Bullseye train issue is my favourite of this omnibus. It perfectly illustrates who Daredevil is. It shows how despite all of his rage and anger, he is still able to be a good person.
I absolutely loved the introduction of Elektra. She is the first, and only, Daredevil love interest I like. I just wish we got to see more of her and Matt together.
This book had some comedic moments, mostly with Turk. It was a nice way to break up the darkness of this.
This book does get better and better as each issue goes on. Miller is able to create page-turning comics, which is more difficult than you might think.
Cons
I do not like Heather Glenn, and I do not like the direction Matt went when he was with her. I'd much rather have Frank Miller break up Matt and Heather permanently than have this on again off again dynamic. It's what irritated me most about Karen and Matt. This relationship is just a repeat of that. Shame, when Elektra is right there.
The artwork of this leaves something to be desired. It's by no means horrible, but it could've been much better. Some of the artwork in this is just outright goofy.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, Miller revolutionized Daredevil and turned him into the hero he is today. For that, 3.5/5.
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
1.0
Let me preface this review by stating that I am not a romance reader. It's not that I don't want to read romance, it’s just that I have only read 1 other romance book. Perhaps if I was more familiar with this genre I would've enjoyed it more. That being said, here's my review.
Pros
My only pro for this book is that it did a good job of displaying the cutthroat nature of academia. It did not sugar coat the rigorous nature of these fields. It showed how male-dominated academia is, and how that leads to woman being denied the same opportunities as men.
Cons
I found our two main characters to be incredibly boring. Adam had no personality outside of being brooding and Olive, had no personality outside of being a woman in STEM. There was nothing distinctive about these characters outside of the fact they are both in academia. This book being from Olive's POV, I found the description of Adam to be very repetitive. All she can tell me is how tall and broad he is. Ok I get it, he's tall and you're short. Anything else? Because of these repetitive descriptions, I found the chemistry between these characters to be unbelievable for majority of the book. Even their banter is repetitive. All she does is go on about how much of an ass he is and all he does is call her a "smartass". Where is the variety? Where is the flavour? Seeing the repetitious banter over and over just made me roll my eyes every time. It led to these characters feeling incredibly one-dimensional. Although, I think they developed a good friendship by the end of the book, I just found their romantic chemistry to be lacking.
I hate how Adam is described as being an asshole. That's his only personality description. Yet everything Ali Hazelwood presents, shows me a character that doesn't understand social cues or emotions well. Is he really an asshole or does he just display neurodivergent traits?
Although the harassment Olive experienced set up an interesting plot point, the ending of it was mishandled. Why does Olive need Adam to deal with this situation for her? Why can't she be the one to speak of her harassment directly? Why does she need a big strong man to do it for her. It showed me that unless you are a man, or have some big influence in your field, you aren't taken seriously. And while I understand that to be true in academia, it would've been nice to see a story where the woman is taken seriously/is able to stand up for herself when experiencing harassment. Having Adam deal with it just felt cheap and quick. As if what she experienced wasn't serious because the "big strong man will fix it for her".
The potential for demisexuality or even gray ace representation was fumbled so hard. Both Olive and Adam present demisexual traits, and yet the author doesn't focus on this nearly enough. (Which is a shame because Olive had literally nothing else interesting about her.) Instead, the author goes on to say that Olive "has something wrong her brain". She makes it seem that Olive "isn't normal" because she doesn't experience sexual attraction in the same way other people do. It's incredibly ignorant and misrepresents an already stigmatised sexuality.
Now for the sm*t. The sm*t of this book wasn't overall bad. But there were 2 moments that just made me cringe so hard and took me right out of the story. The first moment was when ADAM FULLY ATE OLIVE'S ENTIRE BOOB. I remember reading that and just thinking "how the fuck does that even work. How do the mechanics even…" The second moment was when Adam was just fully inside of Olive and she stops and is like "Hey." "Hey." God I cringed so hard. This man is 9 inches deep and that is the moment you decide to try some emotionally connection?
Final Thoughts
I will be giving Ali Hazelwood another chance as I already own Love On The Brain. But I doubt I will be impressed with it based off everything I've heard. Overall, I found this book slow and boring. I had high expectations going in due to the hype, shame it wasn't met.
Pros
My only pro for this book is that it did a good job of displaying the cutthroat nature of academia. It did not sugar coat the rigorous nature of these fields. It showed how male-dominated academia is, and how that leads to woman being denied the same opportunities as men.
Cons
I found our two main characters to be incredibly boring. Adam had no personality outside of being brooding and Olive, had no personality outside of being a woman in STEM. There was nothing distinctive about these characters outside of the fact they are both in academia. This book being from Olive's POV, I found the description of Adam to be very repetitive. All she can tell me is how tall and broad he is. Ok I get it, he's tall and you're short. Anything else? Because of these repetitive descriptions, I found the chemistry between these characters to be unbelievable for majority of the book. Even their banter is repetitive. All she does is go on about how much of an ass he is and all he does is call her a "smartass". Where is the variety? Where is the flavour? Seeing the repetitious banter over and over just made me roll my eyes every time. It led to these characters feeling incredibly one-dimensional. Although, I think they developed a good friendship by the end of the book, I just found their romantic chemistry to be lacking.
I hate how Adam is described as being an asshole. That's his only personality description. Yet everything Ali Hazelwood presents, shows me a character that doesn't understand social cues or emotions well. Is he really an asshole or does he just display neurodivergent traits?
Although the harassment Olive experienced set up an interesting plot point, the ending of it was mishandled. Why does Olive need Adam to deal with this situation for her? Why can't she be the one to speak of her harassment directly? Why does she need a big strong man to do it for her. It showed me that unless you are a man, or have some big influence in your field, you aren't taken seriously. And while I understand that to be true in academia, it would've been nice to see a story where the woman is taken seriously/is able to stand up for herself when experiencing harassment. Having Adam deal with it just felt cheap and quick. As if what she experienced wasn't serious because the "big strong man will fix it for her".
The potential for demisexuality or even gray ace representation was fumbled so hard. Both Olive and Adam present demisexual traits, and yet the author doesn't focus on this nearly enough. (Which is a shame because Olive had literally nothing else interesting about her.) Instead, the author goes on to say that Olive "has something wrong her brain". She makes it seem that Olive "isn't normal" because she doesn't experience sexual attraction in the same way other people do. It's incredibly ignorant and misrepresents an already stigmatised sexuality.
Now for the sm*t. The sm*t of this book wasn't overall bad. But there were 2 moments that just made me cringe so hard and took me right out of the story. The first moment was when ADAM FULLY ATE OLIVE'S ENTIRE BOOB. I remember reading that and just thinking "how the fuck does that even work. How do the mechanics even…" The second moment was when Adam was just fully inside of Olive and she stops and is like "Hey." "Hey." God I cringed so hard. This man is 9 inches deep and that is the moment you decide to try some emotionally connection?
Final Thoughts
I will be giving Ali Hazelwood another chance as I already own Love On The Brain. But I doubt I will be impressed with it based off everything I've heard. Overall, I found this book slow and boring. I had high expectations going in due to the hype, shame it wasn't met.
Daredevil: Love and War by Frank Miller
1.0
Story lacks the emotional depth Miller was trying to convey. I don't like the art at all and the dialogue is confusing to read. This didn't even feel like a story.
The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch
3.0
Pros
For the most part, I liked the dialogue between the characters in this book, particularly Locke and Sabetha. I also think this book had the best insults and funny moments of the 3. The wet dream scene had me cackling.
This book wasted no time getting into the plot. It had the strongest start of the 3.
The resolution to Locke's poisoning was done well and not a cope out. I like that the effects of it are felt by Locke for the remainder of the book.
Mixed Thoughts
The absence of Jean's grief. Aside from a few mentions, it's as if Ezri doesn't exist. Part of me can justify this because as we saw in the 2nd book, Jean threw himself into working after the events of the 1st book. Maybe this is how he grieves? Perhaps, between dealing with Locke's poisoning and their new job, he hasn't had time to grieve. On the other hand, I really would have appreciated at least a few pages dedicated to Jean grieving Ezri. He doesn't have to turn to a bottle like Locke did, but he could at least cry a little. Talk to her? Instead of grieving Jean's personality in this book is liking coffee.
Cons
It took a really long time for me to believe in the romance between Locke and Sabetha, particularly when they were kids. For the most part, I found their chemistry unbelievable, and Locke's insta love contributes to that heavily. Additionally, it took me a long time to understand Sabetha's character, which took away from the romance aspect. By the end of the book, their romance did become believable for me. I really appreciated that their first time together was written realistically. However, I think I would've enjoyed the book more if they remained rivals as kids, lost touch and then reconnected in their adult years and the romance started them. The rivalry between them was the strongest aspect of their relationship in my opinion.
This book had so many characters I couldn't keep up. When the acting troupe was introduced I just got so lost and found it difficult to differentiate between characters.
Nikoro becoming a turncoat was obvious from the beginning.
I really didn't care for the acting plotline of this book. I found it incredibly dragging and boring. I'd rather all the interludes focus on Chains and the kids, especially since timeline-wise, we were close to his death.
I don't like the idea of Locke being a bondsmage. His backstory of being an orphan is fine. Him being the main character in a series with magic, but not using it is unique for fantasy.
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed the first half of this book, it had a really strong start. But the second half was such a drag and a struggle to get through. This book gets a low 3/5
For the most part, I liked the dialogue between the characters in this book, particularly Locke and Sabetha. I also think this book had the best insults and funny moments of the 3. The wet dream scene had me cackling.
This book wasted no time getting into the plot. It had the strongest start of the 3.
The resolution to Locke's poisoning was done well and not a cope out. I like that the effects of it are felt by Locke for the remainder of the book.
Mixed Thoughts
The absence of Jean's grief. Aside from a few mentions, it's as if Ezri doesn't exist. Part of me can justify this because as we saw in the 2nd book, Jean threw himself into working after the events of the 1st book. Maybe this is how he grieves? Perhaps, between dealing with Locke's poisoning and their new job, he hasn't had time to grieve. On the other hand, I really would have appreciated at least a few pages dedicated to Jean grieving Ezri. He doesn't have to turn to a bottle like Locke did, but he could at least cry a little. Talk to her? Instead of grieving Jean's personality in this book is liking coffee.
Cons
It took a really long time for me to believe in the romance between Locke and Sabetha, particularly when they were kids. For the most part, I found their chemistry unbelievable, and Locke's insta love contributes to that heavily. Additionally, it took me a long time to understand Sabetha's character, which took away from the romance aspect. By the end of the book, their romance did become believable for me. I really appreciated that their first time together was written realistically. However, I think I would've enjoyed the book more if they remained rivals as kids, lost touch and then reconnected in their adult years and the romance started them. The rivalry between them was the strongest aspect of their relationship in my opinion.
This book had so many characters I couldn't keep up. When the acting troupe was introduced I just got so lost and found it difficult to differentiate between characters.
Nikoro becoming a turncoat was obvious from the beginning.
I really didn't care for the acting plotline of this book. I found it incredibly dragging and boring. I'd rather all the interludes focus on Chains and the kids, especially since timeline-wise, we were close to his death.
I don't like the idea of Locke being a bondsmage. His backstory of being an orphan is fine. Him being the main character in a series with magic, but not using it is unique for fantasy.
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed the first half of this book, it had a really strong start. But the second half was such a drag and a struggle to get through. This book gets a low 3/5
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
4.0
Pros
I listened to this book on audio. The performance was great, if you have the opportunity, listen to the audiobook.
I really enjoyed the plot of this book and thought it was paced well.
The development of the friendship between Tom and Hester was well done and I can't wait to see that explored more.
I liked how complex Valentine was.
Cons
I wish Tom had a bit more personality.
Maybe a little less character death would be nice.
I listened to this book on audio. The performance was great, if you have the opportunity, listen to the audiobook.
I really enjoyed the plot of this book and thought it was paced well.
The development of the friendship between Tom and Hester was well done and I can't wait to see that explored more.
I liked how complex Valentine was.
Cons
I wish Tom had a bit more personality.
Maybe a little less character death would be nice.