the idea of this book is so intriguing! in theory, i really should have loved it. however, the pacing was all over the place. the first 50% was so slothe idea of this book is so intriguing! in theory, i really should have loved it. however, the pacing was all over the place. the first 50% was so slow and then the last 50% moved too fast. at the end of the book, i still had a lot of unanswered questions. i think the message is important and i appreciate what the author was trying to do. however, i don't know that it was 100% successful in terms of a thriller....more
i do really think this manga series is fun. but at this point, it's starting to feel a little repetitive. i may stop reading it for a littl3.5/5 stars
i do really think this manga series is fun. but at this point, it's starting to feel a little repetitive. i may stop reading it for a little while and wait for a few more volumes to be released before i pick it up again....more
I’ve been interested in Ted Chiang’s writing for a while because he is the author of the short story that the mov3.75/5 stars, annoyingly specific lol
I’ve been interested in Ted Chiang’s writing for a while because he is the author of the short story that the movie Arrival is based on. And since that is one of my favorite sci-fi movies, I’ve wanted to check out his works for a long time. And this week, I suddenly found myself craving a short story collection (which never happens). I already had this one on my TBR shelf so I figured I’d check it out!
The Merchant & the Alchemist’s Gate (4.5 stars): The whole time I was reading this story I kept thinking to myself “this feels like a fairy tale with a moral and a message.” I’m grateful that the story included an author’s note where Ted Chiang essentially validated my feelings by saying that was exactly the inspiration for the story. A Thousand and One Nights-esque story with a satisfying, if not completely happy, ending. I really love time travel stories and I love how this one was laid out. I just love stories like this and it makes me very excited for the rest of the collection.
Exhalation (4 stars): Apparently I’m a big fan of light sci-fi. This was a very interesting and introspective story that will make the reader think. I am so glad we are getting the author’s notes at the end of each story because it really provides a good idea of the author’s intention and inspiration for each story. It’s adding a whole nother level of enjoyment for me.
What’s Expected of Us (3.5 stars): This story borders on funny. I liked it a lot but it’s very short. I don’t think there’s anything to add to make it better or more enjoyable to me. It is effective in its shortness.
The Lifecycle of Software Objects (4 stars): If I can read a story and just enjoy what it is on the surface and not have to think about what the true meaning is, I would’ve given this story 5 stars. It’s an enjoyable story with characters that you can get attached to and an actual plot and stakes to follow. But there is so much to unpack with this story. And I think therein lies my fundamental issues with short fiction in general. I don’t like having to overanalyze 20-100 pages of something because it makes me enjoy what I’m consuming less. This was a good story. But if it had been expanded into a full-length novel, I would’ve liked it even more.
Dacey’s Patent Automatic Nanny (4 stars): A really fun(?) story that combines both historical fact with sci-fi elements. It’s a look at parenthood through a sci-fi lens but also set in the early 1900s. This one definitely one of the more interesting stories in the collection and the author’s note provided the right insight into how to interpret the story. Thank god for the author’s notes lol
The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling (2 stars): There was way too much happening in this story and I did not understand a single bit of it. I did not enjoy the reading experience of this story.
The Great Silence (3 stars): This story felt average and forgettable to me. Mostly because I read it 3 hours ago and now I can’t remember a single thing about it. Side thought: Is it fair for me to judge short stories so harshly when I know that I don’t really enjoy them and often don’t understand the point of them?
Omphalos (3.5 stars): This is a really interesting story about science vs. religion and how many people believe it is one or the other when it comes to the world. I like short stories where I get to know the characters and I think the reader does really get to know the main character of this story. Her struggle with understanding the truth she’s always believed is pretty evident in the story. And I do think Ted Chiang’s writing is really excellent. I just need something a little more in depth, I think.
Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom (5 stars): This is a classic story of “if you knew your destiny or how things would turn out based on the choices you make, would you use that info?” And I’m such a sucker for stories like this. On top of that, I really enjoyed the reading experience of this story, which isn’t necessarily true for the rest of the collection. So of course I’m rating this one higher.
I think, in general, I need to stop reading short story collections. I say this every time, but there’s just too many misses for the hits to make it worth it. I don’t love short fiction and I need to come to terms with that. All that being said, I do still have a couple of short story collection on my physical TBR so I probably will read those at some point. But I’m not aiming to buy any more any time soon....more
john green writes about the human experience in a way that makes complete sense to me. this is a special book filled with special thoughts about specijohn green writes about the human experience in a way that makes complete sense to me. this is a special book filled with special thoughts about special things and i loved it so much. this is going into my top 5 non-fiction books of all time, maybe in my top 5 books in general of all time. this is a book i will revisit for years to come and i'm so glad i now have it in my life.
if you haven't yet, i highly suggest reading this book. it's absolutely incredible....more
the first 25% was really exciting. the last 25% was really exciting. the middle 50% could've used some editing.the first 25% was really exciting. the last 25% was really exciting. the middle 50% could've used some editing....more
given that i haven't been loving YA lately, i really wasn't sure how i was going to feel about this book. but it's been getting some pretty good reviegiven that i haven't been loving YA lately, i really wasn't sure how i was going to feel about this book. but it's been getting some pretty good reviews on the bookish internet so i decided to give it a go. and you know what? i, sort of surprisingly, really enjoyed this!
it did take me probably about 75-100 pages to get really invested. i think it also took the author that long to really find the groove of the story. but after that, i was totally in it. i loved reading about alessa. she was a deceptively strong main character. each of the side characters was well-developed. there was growth from everyone in the story. i loved the slow-burn of alessa and dante's relationship. i've been reading so much insta-love lately that it was nice to see it actually progress slowly and naturally between these two.
the only reason i'm only giving it 4 stars is because it did take a little bit for me to get fully invested, as i previously mentioned. but also i wish the world, the magic, and the politics had been explained a little better. i think the author did a good job of painting a solid picture of this world. i just want to know the "why" a little better.
i am so glad i read this when i did because the second (and final) book in the series comes out in december. i don't know that i'd be able to wait much longer but i'm really excited to see how this series will conclude. and i'd definitely recommend it. it was a really solid YA fantasy and i think it's worth the read!...more
I'm not 100% sure how I feel about this one. I mean, I really loved it. But I'm not sure if I 5 star loved it. I'm going to think on it for a day or sI'm not 100% sure how I feel about this one. I mean, I really loved it. But I'm not sure if I 5 star loved it. I'm going to think on it for a day or so and then I'll come back and write a full review....more
at times, i liked this more than book 1. at times, i liked this less than book 1. it was a confusing reading experience. clearly rebecca yarros's writat times, i liked this more than book 1. at times, i liked this less than book 1. it was a confusing reading experience. clearly rebecca yarros's writing style is still heavily relying on a lot of conveniences and lack of proper world-building. but it was slightly better than in fourth wing. and honestly, i can't deny that the ending does have me excited for book 3, whenever that comes....more
i totally get the appeal of this book. it's compulsively readable. the book is action-packed. there are dragons! it's gonna hit a lot of buzzwords fori totally get the appeal of this book. it's compulsively readable. the book is action-packed. there are dragons! it's gonna hit a lot of buzzwords for a lot of people. and sometimes, i can't resist a hyped book. this book has been absolutely everywhere and i've seen mostly positive reviews for it so i had to check it out. and you know what? it actually wasn't the worst. it wasn't the greatest thing i ever read, but it absolutely didn't suck and i had a pretty good time reading it.
what i liked: -the dragons! i think the dragon bonds are such a cool idea and i loved how it was explored in this book. i can't wait to get even more of that in book 2. -the setting and magic of the world. i think there's a lot more to be explored in future books but i think the author did a great job of setting the foundation for a really cool world and gave herself the opportunity to build on that in the future. -the romance. surprisingly didn't hate the romance in this. it did feel surface level at times and could definitely stand to be developed more. but i liked the banter and the slow-burn they had going on. and i'm glad it didn't turn into an awful love triangle situation. -the end! while i did find a lot of the plot of this book to be predictable, i really didn't see the end coming and i definitely have to read book 2 after that cliffhanger.
what i didn't like: -the writing. it was clunky at times and definitely didn't have a constant flow. i also didn't appreciate that so much of the world-building was done through info dumps that the main character narrates as she's trying to ease her anxiety. -the pacing. we would spend several chapters on one day or one experience and then the next chapter would skip 2 months ahead with no showing the progress. it was a lot of tell and not show and it definitely threw the book off for me. -the length. i think it could've been edited down by at least 100 pages because there was a lot of fluff and filler and repetitive stuff in there that could've gone away.
overall, this was a solid book that i had a good time reading. i definitely want to continue on because i'm interested and invested in these characters and this world, much more than i expected to be. i'm also interested to see what she's going to do over the whole series because apparently it's currently slated to be 5 books. if you've been thinking about reading this but the hype is making you nervous, i say give it a go. it's a great book to sort of cleanse the palate or get you out of a reading slump. and it was a fun time....more
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