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meadhbh's reviews
196 reviews
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
4.5
Read the second half of this book in hurried awe. That ending!
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
5.0
I loved this. Rough and real and raw in a way that few books often are.
Parasol Against the Axe by Helen Oyeyemi
4.0
This book is an insane, wild ride of a dream. Dream logic, dream imagery. Incredible!
Roar by Cecelia Ahern
2.0
Fable-like short stories, but if all of the fables had really obvious and surface level morals about being a woman. Not for me.
Dune by Frank Herbert
4.0
It's crazy how they managed to make such a cunty movie out of such a goofy book
Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks
3.5
Moments of sparkling brilliance, but pacing issues hold it back from being great.
The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
2.5
I wanted to like this so bad, because the Broken Earth Trilogy is one of my favourite series of all time, but unfortunately this didn't really resonate with me at all. The writing style and tone are completely different, and I just didn't find the characters or plot that compelling. I bought this book back when it first came out, and I've only just finally gotten around to finishing it. A real shame tbh.
Lord of the Empty Isles by Jules Arbeaux
3.5
Five years ago, Remy's brother was murdered. Remy had watched him die under a withering, unable to do anything about it, and has carried that bitterness with him ever since. Now, finally, he's in a place to take his revenge and cast his own withering. But when he does so he, he discovers something horrifying - he is fatebound to his brother's killer.
The only way to slow down the curse is to get close to the man he's spent the last five years hating. But all is not as it seems, and Remy finds himself doubting everything he's held onto so tightly for so long. But the only way he knows of to stop a withering, is to kill the witherer...
I love an interesting, unusual, and well thought out magic system, and Lord of the Empty Isles most definitely has that. The idea of being bound by an invisible line to the people in your life, one that can only be seen by a weaver, and can only be manipulated by a witherer, is fascinating and unique.
I also found the plot and world building compelling. Remy's journeys across the various planets were fascinating, and we learned more about the world he lived in as he did. The pace was excellent, and I was really drawn in to the story.
My main criticism is the characters. I can't fully put my finger on why, but they all felt a bit too similar. I think that while their differences were told, it didn't feel like they were shown. The character voices all felt a bit samey. However, the book was still overall very enjoyable.
I was provided a free copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The only way to slow down the curse is to get close to the man he's spent the last five years hating. But all is not as it seems, and Remy finds himself doubting everything he's held onto so tightly for so long. But the only way he knows of to stop a withering, is to kill the witherer...
I love an interesting, unusual, and well thought out magic system, and Lord of the Empty Isles most definitely has that. The idea of being bound by an invisible line to the people in your life, one that can only be seen by a weaver, and can only be manipulated by a witherer, is fascinating and unique.
I also found the plot and world building compelling. Remy's journeys across the various planets were fascinating, and we learned more about the world he lived in as he did. The pace was excellent, and I was really drawn in to the story.
My main criticism is the characters. I can't fully put my finger on why, but they all felt a bit too similar. I think that while their differences were told, it didn't feel like they were shown. The character voices all felt a bit samey. However, the book was still overall very enjoyable.
I was provided a free copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
4.5
Took a little while to get going, but when it did... Love a good protagonist! Love a good hard magic system! Love a good heist!
A Mind Full of Murder by Derek Landy
4.5
Excellent book. My hope for the new series was that, with the remaking of the world, it would take the big, grandiosity of the second series and bring it back down to the close, gritty levels of the original series. That's exactly what this book does. This is classic, early days Valkyrie and Skulduggery, with an extra helping of crime novel. Thoroughly enjoyable, can't wait for the rest of the series.