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sweekune's reviews
342 reviews
Solitaire by Alice Oseman
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5/5
CW: depression & mental health
Having read Heart stopped last year I thought I'd delve into some of Oseman's other works. I'm very divided about this book. We follow Tori Spring through the beginning term of sixth form and her trials and tribulations.
- I cannot emphasize this enough. Go to Oseman's website or wherever and read the bloody content warnings. I'm an idiot who did not do this. I read this book at a time that was probably not the best. If you have experienced depression or intense periods of ill mental health I would highly recommend you feel in a good place before reading this book. It is much heavier than Hearts topper.
- First point aside, the book is probably one of the better portrayals I've seen of depression. The gaps, the sleepiness, the brain fog, the complete inability to give a damn about anything are all on point.
- I did like how various friendships and relationships Tori has played out and the way they did.
Not Heartstopper but a very raw and accurate account of poor mental health.
CW: depression & mental health
Having read Heart stopped last year I thought I'd delve into some of Oseman's other works. I'm very divided about this book. We follow Tori Spring through the beginning term of sixth form and her trials and tribulations.
- I cannot emphasize this enough. Go to Oseman's website or wherever and read the bloody content warnings. I'm an idiot who did not do this. I read this book at a time that was probably not the best. If you have experienced depression or intense periods of ill mental health I would highly recommend you feel in a good place before reading this book. It is much heavier than Hearts topper.
- First point aside, the book is probably one of the better portrayals I've seen of depression. The gaps, the sleepiness, the brain fog, the complete inability to give a damn about anything are all on point.
- I did like how various friendships and relationships Tori has played out and the way they did.
Not Heartstopper but a very raw and accurate account of poor mental health.
Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
3.5/5
The sequel to Legendborn: Arthurian legend in modern day America mixed with traditional root magic. We follow Brianna as she struggles following the Scion of Arthur's awakening and learns more about her place and her powers.
- Honestly, I found a lot of this book confusing and didn't really get invested until about the 60% mark. There's lots of threads, lots of action and lots of reveals but sometimes they just didn't meld well in the prose.
- We learn more about the magic system within this series and how it works, not just within the order or for rootcrafters. It helped make sense of some of the things that occur.
- I really liked the scenes featuring Volition. I won't spoil it but the idea of Volition is fantastic and I love the author's note explaining that choice further.
If you liked Legendborn then Bloodmarked is worth a read, just a little hard to wade through at times.
The sequel to Legendborn: Arthurian legend in modern day America mixed with traditional root magic. We follow Brianna as she struggles following the Scion of Arthur's awakening and learns more about her place and her powers.
- Honestly, I found a lot of this book confusing and didn't really get invested until about the 60% mark. There's lots of threads, lots of action and lots of reveals but sometimes they just didn't meld well in the prose.
- We learn more about the magic system within this series and how it works, not just within the order or for rootcrafters. It helped make sense of some of the things that occur.
- I really liked the scenes featuring Volition. I won't spoil it but the idea of Volition is fantastic and I love the author's note explaining that choice further.
If you liked Legendborn then Bloodmarked is worth a read, just a little hard to wade through at times.
Written In The Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
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
4/5
Audiobook narrated by Lauren Sweet.
A sapphic, hallmark, vaguely holiday-based rom-com. Darcy and Elle start out fake dating to appease respectively relatives but soon find there's more to their relationship than they first thought.
- Cheesy but in a good way. You have the sunshine, golden retriever who is a bit wild and the serious, broody counterpart. You have enemies to lovers and obviously fake dating. Tropey as hell but enjoyably so.
- I enjoyed the romance and the building of the relationship. I particularly liked scenes where one partner stood up for the other.
- So, my pet hate and something I've noticed in a lot of millenial chick lit: Harry Potter references. Yes, we grew up with it and the nostalgia is strong. But can we move past referring to people by their Hogwarts houses and stuff. JKR is a scourge on this earth and as a nonbinary individual, I cannot help but cringe when people given her or her creations metaphorical screen time.
Fun, cheesy and enjoyable. Would be a fantastic, cosy Christmas read.
Audiobook narrated by Lauren Sweet.
A sapphic, hallmark, vaguely holiday-based rom-com. Darcy and Elle start out fake dating to appease respectively relatives but soon find there's more to their relationship than they first thought.
- Cheesy but in a good way. You have the sunshine, golden retriever who is a bit wild and the serious, broody counterpart. You have enemies to lovers and obviously fake dating. Tropey as hell but enjoyably so.
- I enjoyed the romance and the building of the relationship. I particularly liked scenes where one partner stood up for the other.
- So, my pet hate and something I've noticed in a lot of millenial chick lit: Harry Potter references. Yes, we grew up with it and the nostalgia is strong. But can we move past referring to people by their Hogwarts houses and stuff. JKR is a scourge on this earth and as a nonbinary individual, I cannot help but cringe when people given her or her creations metaphorical screen time.
Fun, cheesy and enjoyable. Would be a fantastic, cosy Christmas read.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5/5
Cosy sci-fi is probably one of my new favourite genres. Following the crew of the Wayfarer, the reader comes to know and love them as they journey through the universe.
- The characters are the focus of the story and I enjoyed how different and faceted they were. Each one was different and distinct. I also really enjoyed the multispecies aspects and the physiological and cultural differences each had. My favourite part was finding out who Sissix's feather family were.
- The world-building was amazing and felt so real. I could spend literal years learning more about the universe in this book and never get bored.
- I loved the inclusivity of the book. Some was overt (love the default of xe/zyr pronouns when you don't know someone's) and others were just normal and unremarked upon.
I've already started A Closed and Common Orbit and am loving it already. For lovers of casual sci-fi and cosy immersive books.
Cosy sci-fi is probably one of my new favourite genres. Following the crew of the Wayfarer, the reader comes to know and love them as they journey through the universe.
- The characters are the focus of the story and I enjoyed how different and faceted they were. Each one was different and distinct. I also really enjoyed the multispecies aspects and the physiological and cultural differences each had. My favourite part was finding out who Sissix's feather family were.
- The world-building was amazing and felt so real. I could spend literal years learning more about the universe in this book and never get bored.
- I loved the inclusivity of the book. Some was overt (love the default of xe/zyr pronouns when you don't know someone's) and others were just normal and unremarked upon.
I've already started A Closed and Common Orbit and am loving it already. For lovers of casual sci-fi and cosy immersive books.
The Night Boat by Robert R. McCammon
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
2.5/5
I will describe this book in the same way I described it to a colleague one afternoon: Nazi Voodoo Vampires. The story is a weird mishmash of ridiculous pulp horror ideas with some attempt at serious story telling.
- Honestly, I didn't particularly care about any of the characters. The author attempts to give them backstories and purpose but it doesn't really fit together well.
- I'll give The Night Boat some credit, there were some legitably creepy and scary bits but after the monsters are revealed it kinda became boring and disjointed.
- The audiobook redeems the material somewhat with excellent narration from Porter. He could read the dictionary and make it sound amazing.
If you like almost silly pulp horror, then maybe give this a try but I wouldn't say it's an essential read.
I will describe this book in the same way I described it to a colleague one afternoon: Nazi Voodoo Vampires. The story is a weird mishmash of ridiculous pulp horror ideas with some attempt at serious story telling.
- Honestly, I didn't particularly care about any of the characters. The author attempts to give them backstories and purpose but it doesn't really fit together well.
- I'll give The Night Boat some credit, there were some legitably creepy and scary bits but after the monsters are revealed it kinda became boring and disjointed.
- The audiobook redeems the material somewhat with excellent narration from Porter. He could read the dictionary and make it sound amazing.
If you like almost silly pulp horror, then maybe give this a try but I wouldn't say it's an essential read.
Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space by Carl Sagan
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.5
4.5/5
Audiobook narrated by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan.
Following on from Cosmos, I decided to listen to Pale Blue Dot and it was amazing. Whereas Cosmos was more focused on the nature of the universe, Pale Blue Dot explores humanities relationship with the universe and how we have and maybe will in the future venture forth from Terra Firma.
- I very much enjoyed the balance between known science and speculation in this book. Originally published in 1994, certain things have come to pass since then but Sagan acknowledges the known limitations at time of writing. Still, the book is conservatively hopeful and I really liked that.
- As a sci-fi fan, the discussions around human colonisation of other planets and other space entities was fascinating. Terraforming, travel, communication: lots of ideas are covered with accompanying scientific principles that inspired my mind to dream of new worlds.
- The audiobook version I listened to was made up of a mix of the original tape recordings by Sagan and the missing portions reread by Druyan. To hear the wobble of analogue tape in Sagan's portions made my weird 90s kid brain happy. Despite the mix, the audio was well put together.
A wonderful follow up to Cosmos. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in human exploration and potential colonisation of space.
Audiobook narrated by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan.
Following on from Cosmos, I decided to listen to Pale Blue Dot and it was amazing. Whereas Cosmos was more focused on the nature of the universe, Pale Blue Dot explores humanities relationship with the universe and how we have and maybe will in the future venture forth from Terra Firma.
- I very much enjoyed the balance between known science and speculation in this book. Originally published in 1994, certain things have come to pass since then but Sagan acknowledges the known limitations at time of writing. Still, the book is conservatively hopeful and I really liked that.
- As a sci-fi fan, the discussions around human colonisation of other planets and other space entities was fascinating. Terraforming, travel, communication: lots of ideas are covered with accompanying scientific principles that inspired my mind to dream of new worlds.
- The audiobook version I listened to was made up of a mix of the original tape recordings by Sagan and the missing portions reread by Druyan. To hear the wobble of analogue tape in Sagan's portions made my weird 90s kid brain happy. Despite the mix, the audio was well put together.
A wonderful follow up to Cosmos. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in human exploration and potential colonisation of space.
Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-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
4.5
4.5/5
What is the Scooby Doo crew grew up and accidentally meddled too close to ancient lovecraftian monstrosities? That is essentially the premise of Meddling Kids, with some tweaks made to circumvent copyright laws.
- As a Scooby Doo-loving kid who grew up, I adored this book. The characters, dumb dog included, were brilliant and it was great getting to know them and see them deal with both more grown up challenges and mythical ones. I also loved the subtle references to the source material (Zoinx river anyone?).
- Oh my goodness, the sciencey bits were amazing. I loved the speculative biology of the monsters and how they function. Also Kerri (read Velma) the biologist was probably my favourite character for this exact reason.
- The horror side was cheesy scary. Like, you could hear the chase music in the background during certain scenes and in others I was too scared to read it in the dark. The balance was really well achieved.
I hope Cantero decides to make this book into a series because I loved this so much. If you like(d) Scooby Doo, tentacled horrors and a mix of science and magic, I highly recommend this.
What is the Scooby Doo crew grew up and accidentally meddled too close to ancient lovecraftian monstrosities? That is essentially the premise of Meddling Kids, with some tweaks made to circumvent copyright laws.
- As a Scooby Doo-loving kid who grew up, I adored this book. The characters, dumb dog included, were brilliant and it was great getting to know them and see them deal with both more grown up challenges and mythical ones. I also loved the subtle references to the source material (Zoinx river anyone?).
- Oh my goodness, the sciencey bits were amazing. I loved the speculative biology of the monsters and how they function. Also Kerri (read Velma) the biologist was probably my favourite character for this exact reason.
- The horror side was cheesy scary. Like, you could hear the chase music in the background during certain scenes and in others I was too scared to read it in the dark. The balance was really well achieved.
I hope Cantero decides to make this book into a series because I loved this so much. If you like(d) Scooby Doo, tentacled horrors and a mix of science and magic, I highly recommend this.
Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Critical Role: Vox Machina — Kith & Kin by Marieke Nijkamp
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4/5
As a long time fan of Critical Role, when this went on sale I snapped it up. Finally got around to listening to it and really enjoyed hearing about my favourite sneaky twins. The book follows Vax and Vex in their earlier years, switching between their childhoods and an entanglement involving the Clasp, a rural town, a mining community and a horde of ashen undead.
- Being familiar with the protagonists and the world already, I sank easily into the story and enjoyed the references to the campaign. However, I'm not sure if someone unfamiliar with the context would find that as simple to do.
- I really enjoyed the story of the feud between a rural town and a mining community and loved the ashen undead creatures (as a DM, I need to find a stat block for these). I do wish more time had been spent on the creatures and the lore behind them.
- The characters outside of Vex and Vax were... alright. Honestly, I don't think any particularly stood out to me though they were well enough in the context of the plot.
A fantastic book for Critters but if you're not already invested in the fandom it may be a little less enjoyable.
As a long time fan of Critical Role, when this went on sale I snapped it up. Finally got around to listening to it and really enjoyed hearing about my favourite sneaky twins. The book follows Vax and Vex in their earlier years, switching between their childhoods and an entanglement involving the Clasp, a rural town, a mining community and a horde of ashen undead.
- Being familiar with the protagonists and the world already, I sank easily into the story and enjoyed the references to the campaign. However, I'm not sure if someone unfamiliar with the context would find that as simple to do.
- I really enjoyed the story of the feud between a rural town and a mining community and loved the ashen undead creatures (as a DM, I need to find a stat block for these). I do wish more time had been spent on the creatures and the lore behind them.
- The characters outside of Vex and Vax were... alright. Honestly, I don't think any particularly stood out to me though they were well enough in the context of the plot.
A fantastic book for Critters but if you're not already invested in the fandom it may be a little less enjoyable.
Cosmos by Carl Sagan
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
5.0
5/5
Ever needed a reasonable brief but detailed description of life, the universe and everything? Look no further than Cosmos. Sagan takes the reader on a tour of the stars, physics, the history of learning and humanity's place in the universe.
- Despite being originally published in 1980, Cosmos remains correct about the majority of its content and future predictions. Yes, of course there are little points that have since been disproved, reworked or new findings have changed our understanding button the whole, Cosmos is an accurate and rational read.
- The level of detail and information contained in this book is astounding. What is even more amazing is that Sagan conveys this information in a way that makes it understandable and enjoyable to the lay reader. No need for a PhD in astrophysics, just a basic grasp of high school scientific principles and a willingness to listen.
- I suppose feelings are an odd thing to discuss when talking about a scientific and factual text but I cannot discount how this book made me feel. I felt wonder and awe, both pride and sadness at being part of the human race and at the end I was left with a yearning for more, to know more, to experience more.
A book I think everyone should listen to once, to educate and improve our species and planet.
Ever needed a reasonable brief but detailed description of life, the universe and everything? Look no further than Cosmos. Sagan takes the reader on a tour of the stars, physics, the history of learning and humanity's place in the universe.
- Despite being originally published in 1980, Cosmos remains correct about the majority of its content and future predictions. Yes, of course there are little points that have since been disproved, reworked or new findings have changed our understanding button the whole, Cosmos is an accurate and rational read.
- The level of detail and information contained in this book is astounding. What is even more amazing is that Sagan conveys this information in a way that makes it understandable and enjoyable to the lay reader. No need for a PhD in astrophysics, just a basic grasp of high school scientific principles and a willingness to listen.
- I suppose feelings are an odd thing to discuss when talking about a scientific and factual text but I cannot discount how this book made me feel. I felt wonder and awe, both pride and sadness at being part of the human race and at the end I was left with a yearning for more, to know more, to experience more.
A book I think everyone should listen to once, to educate and improve our species and planet.