turrean's reviews
2266 reviews

The Sculptor by Scott McCloud

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated
Infuriating.
Selfish artist meets manic depressive, who conveniently dies to inspire his art.
I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider

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lighthearted reflective slow-paced

4.0

Clever, thoughtful comics on reading & writing & ampersands
From Bad to Cursed by Lana Harper

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

A more satisfying villain than book one, with an enjoyable enemies-to-lovers arc. I give the book 3 stars for the plot, 2 eye rolls for the infuriating rivalry among the families, and 7 eggplants for all the times hanky panky was interrupted by plot developments. ⭐️⭐️⭐️🙄🙄🍆🍆🍆🍆🍆🍆🍆
The Game of Patterns by Hervé Tullet

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4.5

Clever and colorful! Older kids (and grownups) will enjoy the find-the-difference aspect; little babies will like the swirls, high contrast, and the voices of their parents. 
The Raven and The Reindeer by T. Kingfisher

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adventurous hopeful mysterious 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? No

4.25

Kingfisher did a fabulous job of capturing the atmosphere of the original Andersen story, especially the eeriness of the Snow Queen and the wildness of the Little Robber Girl. A clever and lovely retelling, with some satisfying twists. 
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The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
Didn’t care for the audio. I’ll try again with a print copy. 
Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher

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emotional funny slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Excellent entry in the series, with a great exploration of gnole culture.  
Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A madcap adventure that pokes fun at some familiar fantasy tropes. 
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The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

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challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No
I found the premise of the book inexplicable at first, but that feeling quickly faded as the details of the “struggle session” unfold right in the first chapter. There are some not-so-subtle parallels between the effects of Trisolaris’s anti-science campaign against Earth and the Cultural Revolution’s effects on China’s own society  that make me curious about Liu Cixin’s reputation and what Chinese schoolchildren learn about their own history. Any student of human history, however broad or narrow, can see that people have always been good at manufacturing  Chaotic Eras even in our “paradise” of a stable climate, through religion, politics, climate change, deforestation, and pollution.

I loved the parallels between Ye Wenjie and the Listener on Trisolaris who sends the warning (right down to the echo of “slender fingers.”) The use of Three-Body, the video game, as a mix of recruiting tool, an identity theft scam,  and a crowdsourcing campaign was just brilliant. 

The scientific explanations were wasted on me, as I lack the understanding to see where the “science” ends and the “fiction” begins. Interactions among humans felt a little distant, but I don’t know how much of that was due to the translation and how much is the author’s storytelling. 
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Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher

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adventurous funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A pattern of unrequited longing, a satisfying romance, a horrifying villain, lots of witty banter. Check, check, check, and check: this is by Kingfisher. 
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