zsabella's reviews
135 reviews

sadly I’ve re-rated this book twice in one sitting now, and it’s dipped lower each time. misplaced expectations led me to think this would be a risky romance set against an epic sci-fi war, when this is clearly just two sapphic agents (who can time travel) mustering all the charisma they have in their letter-writing skills, within an obscure plot.

I came for WLW romance and a high-stakes story, but then begrudgingly stayed. it just wasn’t compelling enough for me, unfortunately!

Dune: House Atreides Vol. 1 by Kevin J. Anderson, Brian Herbert

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

this is a wonderfully crafted collection of short stories from one of my new favorite authors. like many others, I got acquainted with ken liu's writing from his excellent translations of cixin liu’s the three body problem and death’s end. there was a lasting empathetic, emotional quality to those translations that I adored and drove me to check out liu's own work. I'm happy to say that the paper menagerie didn’t let me down!

liu’s prose is lush and flows naturally. from the first story, you can tell he’s well-read and can easily flex his brilliance when it suits the story. I can’t remember the last time I saved this many passages or looked up words I didn’t know. I’ve also never read so many stories where reading a few sentences felt like being gripped and shook by the collar and devastated me, so thanks for that!

though the majority of the stories have well realized “lo-fi” and “hard” sci-fi elements, liu fearlessly dips into other genres including cyberpunk action (the regulator), western (all the flavors), retrofuturism (good hunting), and literary magic realism (paper menagerie). in doing so, he interweaves SO many concepts to emphasize the significance of storytelling and storytellers, parenthood, identity, assimilation, and cultural exchange, and fighting against historical denialism and suppression. on top of these recurring themes, liu mixes in hearty doses of east asian history and chinese mythology, though your enjoyment could vary by how much you like learning about these.

Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

big oof... not as mannequin-focused, gory, or tightly paced as the title and majority of reviews have made it out to be. makes me wonder what the average words-per-sentence numbers look like for most of stephen graham jones' work.

Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

Galatea by Madeline Miller

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challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.75

Loved this, and loved Madeline Miller’s afterword too for this specifically:

As for Pygmalion, I accepted him exactly as Ovid made him. The term “incel” wasn’t in wide circulation when I wrote this, but Pygmalion is certainly a prototype. For millenia there have been men who react with horror and disgust to women’s independence, men who desire women yet hate them, and who take refuge in fantasies of purity and control. What would it be like to live with such a man as your husband? There are too many today who could answer that. But that is the mark of a good source myth; it is water so wide it can reach across centuries.

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

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adventurous funny lighthearted 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

“… Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read.”

I really enjoyed the sharpness and satirical response to organized crime and government puppetry in guards! guards! and as a newcomer to discworld, a writer like pratchett seems more like a magician who can get a chuckle or a big grin out of me in every other scene. the characters feel more fleshed out and lovable, and I smiled literally any time the city watch crew had scenes together. I’ll definitely return to the city watch books soon and can’t wait to see what’s in store for captain vimes!

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zsabella's reviews 135 reviews

zsabella's reviews
135 reviews