jess
In a world where magic was bound up to keep the people subservient, a child is born who will have so much power that she can fix the wrongs of the past.
And then a whole book goes by and she does nothing magical at all.
Reader note of caution: there is some violence for violence's sake in this book - in some cases it is graphic and disturbing - especially the “hunt”.
Jasper gives us a somewhat regular world, but there happen to be anthropomorphic animals. Not that many.
Our POV character is mostly not terrible but also doesn't want to rock the boat. It's easier to not let it be known that we don't hate rabbits, right? As long as we, personally, aren't bad to rabbits, we are still good, right?
The whole story is an exploration in identity politics and what it means to be “in” and “out” group. The audiobook is well narrated with distinct voices for characters, making the story even more captivating.
I like thought provoking fiction, and I enjoyed this one.
Side note: The rabbit way mythos is all quite fascinating, and I super enjoy how solidly Jasper grounded this. I know it is all a part of authorship and practically essential to make your characters behave, but sometimes story mythology/religion that is entirely made up feels, well, incomplete. This one didn't.
This book is a bit of the author - who also has a podcast - clarifying and working through examples of how to use lazy genius principles to focus on what matters to you in any given space and let all other expectations go. It seems silly, but the author helps to give you permission to choose what you care about and be honest that you can't care about everything at the same level all the time, and why would you, even?
I liked it. It's a little bit memoir, and it's a little bit self-help.
I think the most enjoyable part is how real Kendra feels - the author feels like your friend or someone you know really well.
Turn on the nostalgia for the older generations here, this book transports us back to the Challenger launch (and disaster) in 1986. That's not the point of the story, though - we have 3 POV characters that are siblings - all in 7th grade. These kids are doing okay, but they all have their unique struggles - and the same great science teacher. There is a lot going on in this story, Fitch, Bird, and Cash are all relatable kids. I think this would be a pretty good book for middle grades - especially kids dealing with uncertainty about their place in the world - about whether they are good enough or should dream...so all kids, really. I enjoyed it.
I didn't like this last book as much as the others, but there are a lot of interesting things happening.
I read this and listened to it. I loved getting a second look at Seraphina's early years after the understanding that comes with finishing the book.
The dragons are here, sure, but there is also politics, romance, and intrigue.
I liked it, but I have mixed feelings. Good- the story sucked me in and pulled me along. Bad- it was hit or miss whether a character or plot element felt complete and not contrived. Probably mostly good, but there was some dissonance in my head.
If you read Wizard's First Rule, definitely read this one...its next in the series and better.
This book is an interesting reflection on mental illness, mental health, and how any form of difference is defined, supported and/or penalized by culture.
I enjoyed the characters and pacing...and she showed so well how we are often more afraid of looking a fool or upsetting those we love than actual physical pain.
An interesting trip across so much terrain. The rhythm of this book challenged me. The descriptive prose made me want to know more - especially about fungi connections between trees, karst geography, and glaciers.
The book is on three sections - the first two talk about history and describe regions of the world. The last is the largest and focuses on challenges with our international connectedness. The third section is interesting, inspiring, and a little bit scary. It ends with a long list of suggested further reading - something I always enjoy. So far, I like the daily updates from the Council on Foreign Relations .
Have you ever had a day where things started out okay - just in your rut, and you imagine that maybe you'd like to be somewhere else? Well, what if you didn't imagine that but suddenly, through events and circumstances that you will never understand, you get pulled out of your rut to....somewhere else. That's the problem set up for our hero in this story. And, oh, what a ride he is about to be on. In typical Neil Gaiman fashion, things get crazy real quick, but it always has some thread that you can almost see or touch or smell that hangs you right on believability.
This adventure is like no other - back in the real world, this story may set you to thinking about what is truly important in life and what you want.
There's probably too much weirdness and violence for kiddos, but this is definitely a winner for young adult on up.
** I listened to the audible version
Katie Mack covers challenging (like, actually hard to understand) material with great humor, clean organization, and a conversational tone.
Not on her or the book, but I did not always feel like she was 100% pulling me along (my brain just breaks at the whole space time maybe isn't real idea) but she gave it a valiant effort. Someday, perhaps, I will get it. Maybe if I did the math.
The truly great thing about this book is that I felt like I learned something - I walk away from the book getting that we EARTH will end in fiery death but the END OF EVERYTHING is a little bit up in the air because we don't really know why our fundamental models of physics work and teeny tiny changes in assumed constants actually do matter.
The third book was better than the second in my opinion. Dashner still gives us tons of jargon and nonsense, but there is less of it and the flow is better, while the pacing is still fast. Somehow, he manages to wrap the story up neatly without making it too, too neat or leaving the reader desperate for a fourth book. That is a rare skill.
Again, the whole point of this series is in what you do not know when you start reading, so I can't say too much for fear of spoilers. Readers who enjoy science fiction, matrix-type ideas, or Dashner's other writing will enjoy this. I strongly caution against young children (under 12) reading this series for violence.
I'm sad that I did not really like this book. I did read it to the end, and I saw some good things but still did not like it. I wanted to like the story - I think I had heard too much good stuff. I went in expecting science fiction and excitement.
The setting - a dystopian not too distant future where there are few jobs and less water - is probably even easier to imagine today than at the time of the writing. The skills and efforts of the characters are well documented and seemed realistic. The drugs, dangers, and slippery slope of slavery coming from a need for security serve as a frightening (and imaginable) warning.
Octavia does a great job of making complete characters that are real enough to touch. The structure and focus of this novel did not work for me. I didn't like the pretense of the point of view character. I even more did not like the delivery, like a diary in spurts, of the story. The effect of a character I didn't really like, even while I was rooting for her and her family and friend, reading me her diary while preaching to me was overwhelming.
Useful, well-organized, and humorous.
Sonmez gives developer's a break from code code code with guidance on working out, eating right, being a real human, and also...marketing, working consistently, avoiding rework, etc.
So...my rating is very me and not very this book.
The book is well written.
I was not prepared for it to be horror. So scary. Very much a psychological thriller. You will probably love it.
The book follows characters 10 years after an incident that seemed to have broken them. It's painful and poignant.
I was worried the whole time but kept expecting something lovely to happen. I do think that the ending was magical, and after all the time waiting for a different sort of magic to happen, I was able to let go of my breath.
I wanted to educate myself, so I picked this book up.
The author walks us through case studies of people who identify as asexual and what that means for their lives and for everyone.
Lots of times I changed on whether I was rooting for the POV character here. It takes to the very end to be sure.
You know when you kinda know what happens but are also prepared to be surprised? That's this book. I think there could have been a better delivery-especially since the author has such great talent. Nonetheless, I am glad to have read it.
