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vel629vet's reviews
1015 reviews
Amazing Spider-Man: Big Time: The Complete Collection, Vol. 3 by Brian Dean Clevinger, Christopher Yost, Emma Ríos, Matthew Clark, Kano, Mark Waid, Dan Slott, Humberto Ramos
4.0
Really well done making Doc Ock relevant again in a heavy way. High stakes in a way that made sense for the overall Marvel universe, and I like the selection of Sable and Natasha for the sidekicks here. MJ's side stuff seemed silly and only there so we wouldn't forget she existed.
The Amazing Spider-Man: Big Time - The Complete Collection, Vol. 2 by Todd Dezago, Christos Gage, Dan Slott
4.0
As silly as the Spider-Island concept seemed at first, I actually thought they pulled it off really well. Madame Web was useless but otherwise a really well done story.
Amazing Spider-Man: Big Time: Ultimate Collection by Dan Slott
4.0
Better than it’s been in a while. Slott knows what he’s doing. The most forgettable bits were with future foundation.
Thor: God of Thunder, Volume 1: The God Butcher by Jason Aaron
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.75
My first time reading Thor and wow was I impressed. Aaron's writing is exactly what I want in a comic writer - intriguing, not giving too much, focused, and intense. I got to hear him speak at FanExpo Dallas in 2024 and I love how he talked about writing Thor as a capital G God and how that distinguishes him from other 'superheroes.' This book captured that so well. Can't wait to read more.
Also, my first buddy read with Steve! :)
Also, my first buddy read with Steve! :)
The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I loved the variation on the typical romance novel where it takes the majority of the book for the couple to fall in love/find each other. In this one, the love happens earlier, but the conflict makes perfect sense to the story and doesn't involve miscommunication! Connor is a great male hero, and Fizzy is fantastic.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The prose was stunning. The story was unique. I loved the vignettes of Addie experiencing history, I loved following her around New York. I did not love Henry. I did not love their connection or lack thereof, and I didn’t love the ending. But I absolutely want to read more Schwab based on the writing alone!
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Very very nearly 5 stars. The butterflies and sparkly love vibes were all over this book and I adored the characters and the story. Definitely my favorite Ali Hazelwood so far!
Flawless by Elsie Silver
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Quick, easy, and fun! Banter was excellent and the story wasn’t trying to do too much. Would love to continue this series!
The Waiting Tide by Ryan W. Bradley
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
3.25
Really loved about 4 of the poems.
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Disappointingly this was one of my least favorite Maas books... I waited a while to write this review to try to gather my thoughts about everything but I'm still having trouble pinpointing the exact issues I had. But here are a few:
- too much exposition, too much story in one book
- too much telling of the history that led the world to where it is. Literally entire chapters of a character just telling Bryce about the history of Midgard or battles or whatever. It was too much.
- 'twists' just to make things exciting, rather than them actually being planned out
- everything with the wolves felt useless
- everything with the house of flame and shadow felt useless (like it was only there to make sure the title of the book tied into the story)
- the climax and big battle didn't have the same intensity as books 1 and 2 - like she felt like she needed to make them even bigger than before and instead they just fell flat
- I was incredibly bummed with how the ACOTAR characters actually came into play
- the torture scenes were excessively and unnecessarily graphic
Overall a really disappointing read for me from SJM.
- too much exposition, too much story in one book
- too much telling of the history that led the world to where it is. Literally entire chapters of a character just telling Bryce about the history of Midgard or battles or whatever. It was too much.
- 'twists' just to make things exciting, rather than them actually being planned out
- everything with the wolves felt useless
- everything with the house of flame and shadow felt useless (like it was only there to make sure the title of the book tied into the story)
- the climax and big battle didn't have the same intensity as books 1 and 2 - like she felt like she needed to make them even bigger than before and instead they just fell flat
- I was incredibly bummed with how the ACOTAR characters actually came into play
- the torture scenes were excessively and unnecessarily graphic
Overall a really disappointing read for me from SJM.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Torture, and War