hforsythe26's reviews
168 reviews

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

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

5.0

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

Never by Ken Follett

dark reflective tense medium-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? No

4.5

The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw, Richard Kadrey
Did not finish book. Stopped at 34%.

What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline
Did not finish book. Stopped at 90%.

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.

I expected this to be a modern story so the Victorian setting was jarring. The pronouns were also strange and distracting. 

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Did not finish book. Stopped at 62%.

This felt too much like "cozy sci-fi". Is that even a thing?? I'm not sure but if it is, this book is the team leader. Very slice of life. Somewhat interesting characters but not enough plot to keep me interested. Would recommend as an intro to sci-fi for anyone who enjoys cozy, calm, character driven stories.

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

adventurous emotional fast-paced

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

4.0

The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman

adventurous dark funny medium-paced

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

4.25

I was surprised by The Blacktongue Thief. The description led me to expect a fantasy action story, perhaps a bit of a quest, maybe some witty puns here and there. And I did find all of those things inside the pages of this odd book but I also found something unexpected... heart. Nothing prepared me for the emotional punch packed into this story. It's weird and it's violent and sometimes the humor is more roll-your-eyes funny than laugh-out-loud funny but I absolutely loved it all. There's a depth to the characters and relationships that fosters a level of emotional investment that is often missing in books twice as long. The main problem is that the second installment in the series isn't out yet and I desperately need to know what happens to everybody next. Hurry up, Mr. Buehlman!

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Content Warnings

There are some very icky mentions of

goblins eating people. Not in battle or during a war but actually butchering captive humans and eating them salted with a side of potatoes (ok, I'm kidding about the potatoes).

It's not necessarily graphic in description but the way it's written made me very uncomfortable and somehow seemed even worse than if it had been a straightforward graphic description.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

adventurous hopeful 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

5.0

Not much to say beyond the fact that I'll never forget sweet Rocky <3 Five star read with a delightful mix of scientific theory, space exploration, and one of the most developed friendships that I've read in a long time... maybe ever.