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meadhbh's reviews
196 reviews
Hell Breaks Loose by Derek Landy
3.5
Fun, snappy, punchy, thoroughly enjoyable. Manages not to get in its own way in the way that I feel a number of the later books did not.
Escape Velocity by Victor Manibo
3.0
In the near future, the people of Earth compete against each other in a rigged system to be in with a chance of leaving the dying planet and starting a new life on Mars.
Escape Velocity is at its most fun as a murder mystery set amongst the uber rich. Flashing between the past and the present, there are plenty of twisty mysteries to unravel. However, it's second key element, that attempts to speak to some sort of class consciousness falls much more flat in my opinion. It just doesn't feel like it says anything truly revolutionary or interesting enough to be worthwhile. None of it is particularly shocking or surprising, and if anything, it detracts from the fun of seeing rich people be awful people and prevents some of the plotlines there from being resolved satisfactorily. Overall, a light, fun read, but nothing special.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Escape Velocity is at its most fun as a murder mystery set amongst the uber rich. Flashing between the past and the present, there are plenty of twisty mysteries to unravel. However, it's second key element, that attempts to speak to some sort of class consciousness falls much more flat in my opinion. It just doesn't feel like it says anything truly revolutionary or interesting enough to be worthwhile. None of it is particularly shocking or surprising, and if anything, it detracts from the fun of seeing rich people be awful people and prevents some of the plotlines there from being resolved satisfactorily. Overall, a light, fun read, but nothing special.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Actionable Gamification: Beyond Points, Badges, and Leaderboards by Yu-kai Chou
3.0
This could have been much shorter, but the framework itself is super interesting and useful
The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake
1.5
I liked the first two books in this series, but did not particularly enjoy this one, for a couple of reasons. It did not have a strong sense of plot or pacing in comparison to the first two books, it leant even harder into the whole Tumblr aesthetic writing style, and none of the characters are particularly likeable, which is not new in the series, but combined with the first two factors made this difficult to finish. I only really powered through it because it's the last book in the series, otherwise I think this would have been a DNF.
The Happy Couple by Naoise Dolan
4.0
I think that if I didn't love the genuine Irishness of the whole thing I'd probably give it half a star less, but I do so I won't
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
4.5
This book is so many things to me, and so many of them are truly beautiful and excellent. It's funny, in a way that genuinely made me laugh out loud. It's sexy, in a slow build but inevitable way that pays off fantastically. It explores the similarities and differences of personal experiences of trauma and generational trauma. It is a thrilling, action-packed spy novel. It poses fascinating questions about the science of time travel. It is truly devastating, but ultimately uplifting. It is deeply personal, while also speaking to broad, societal issues. It is utterly fantastic.
The Ministry of Time tells the story of our unnamed protagonist, who is employed as a "bridge" for a refugee of time, Commander Graham Gore, who was supposed to die in his arctic exploration of 1847. There is, of course, the whacky fish out of water shenanigans that you would expect in such a set-up, but the story is so much deeper than that. I don't want to give too much away here though - half the beauty of this book, for me, was discovering the story as it unfolded.
I did not expect this book to have half as much of an impact as it did, and I didn't expect it to stay with me as strongly as it has. I don't think I can do justice to all of the things I love about this book, so all I will say is read it.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book for free.
The Ministry of Time tells the story of our unnamed protagonist, who is employed as a "bridge" for a refugee of time, Commander Graham Gore, who was supposed to die in his arctic exploration of 1847. There is, of course, the whacky fish out of water shenanigans that you would expect in such a set-up, but the story is so much deeper than that. I don't want to give too much away here though - half the beauty of this book, for me, was discovering the story as it unfolded.
I did not expect this book to have half as much of an impact as it did, and I didn't expect it to stay with me as strongly as it has. I don't think I can do justice to all of the things I love about this book, so all I will say is read it.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book for free.
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
3.5
Queen of the grand interconnected sprawling plot. I kind of wish I had read this one first before sea of tranquility, but I still enjoyed it.
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix
4.0
Adore this. The lore, the protagonists, everything. Every single description of how Merlin dresses is chefs kiss.
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
2.5
I really only got this because Kobna Holdbrook-Smith reads the audiobook. It was fine, I just don't think I really enjoy these somewhat old-fashioned grand fantasy style books.