4.5 stars, rounding down because I do feel like it should have been about 100 pages shorter (which is less of a criticism for a 1300+ page book than a4.5 stars, rounding down because I do feel like it should have been about 100 pages shorter (which is less of a criticism for a 1300+ page book than a 300 page one, but still), and I'd gotten used to the tight plotting of the previous two installments. Still, the world building is as rich as always, the characters have great growth arcs, the philosophical questions it wrestles with are interesting, and I loved its message about learning to carry the painful parts of who we are and what we've done instead of numbing ourselves so we don't have to feel it. This series earns its hype....more
3.5 stars. This fun little side novella has a very different feel than the other Stormlight Archive books I've read, which is refreshing and frustrati3.5 stars. This fun little side novella has a very different feel than the other Stormlight Archive books I've read, which is refreshing and frustrating all at the same time. I think the people that come to Stormlight for the high-stakes epic fantasy drama will be scratching their heads at this quirky little street urchin running around stealing pancakes and sassing her spren. Still, I think it is really fascinating to see how some of the big ideas of the other books play out in a more lighthearted setting, and the world building is as intriguing as always. Also, this has some very funny moments, some very touching moments, and I think he packed a lot of character growth in for people that didn't even have huge page counts in this one.
My favorite part was the relationship between Lift and Wyndle. They drive each other crazy, but they push each other to become better versions of themselves, and it was delightful to watch their partnership grow.
I've heard a lot of people say that this is essential reading for the series, despite being a side novella, and I haven't read far enough into the series to know if that's true. Still, Lift isn't going to be for everyone, so you can probably get what you need to out of a summary on a fan website. I liked watching the character development of the principal actors, and I do enjoy Lift's brand of humor, so reading this was the right choice for me....more
Well, I feel a little robbed that I missed counting this 1080-page behemoth in my page count for 2024 by 2 days, but at least my 2025 stats are currenWell, I feel a little robbed that I missed counting this 1080-page behemoth in my page count for 2024 by 2 days, but at least my 2025 stats are currently incredible.
Lives up to the hype - great character development, wildly imaginative world building, flawless pacing, a few twists I wasn't expecting, some delightfully funny scenes, the right blend of new mysteries and resolution to old ones, moments where you cheer the characters' awesomeness and moments where they are profoundly flawed and human, great action sequences, interesting philosophical questions, it's all there. I loved it. ...more
3.5 stars, rounding up since my 5th grader loved it, and she's the one in the target audience. It isn't a perfect book. It was about 50 pages too long3.5 stars, rounding up since my 5th grader loved it, and she's the one in the target audience. It isn't a perfect book. It was about 50 pages too long, and the woven plot structure makes it a harder sell for newer/less sophisticated chapter book readers, but Barnhill sticks the landing. Her pacing and craft is pitch perfect for the last 100 pages, her prose is lovely, she knows how to evoke an atmosphere in her text, and I love its messages of hope, courage, and love. It should be fun to discuss with my book group....more
3.5 stars, rounded down because I adored The Midnight Library and The Humans, & this wasn’t the same caliber (he got a little pedantic this time). Sti3.5 stars, rounded down because I adored The Midnight Library and The Humans, & this wasn’t the same caliber (he got a little pedantic this time). Still, a thoughtful, quirky, hopeful book about starting over, how our relationship to the past can warp how we see the present, & a lovely tribute to a place that means something to the author. It helped me make sure I was really seeing the people and the everyday beauty around me during a busy time where it would have been easy to lose track of that. ...more
4.5, rounded up. I’d been hesitant to take on a 1000 page book in a 5 book arc without having reasonable assurance the author wouldn’t die before fini4.5, rounded up. I’d been hesitant to take on a 1000 page book in a 5 book arc without having reasonable assurance the author wouldn’t die before finishing the series. Sanderson fans will have their happy conclusion next month, so it was time to give in to my teens� insistence that I have to read it or I’ll never understand anything they are talking about, hah.
Sanderson is really, really good at what he does. If you aren’t into epic fantasy, there are definitely smaller tomes for you to dip your toes into. But if you think it might be for you, you will have no shortage of imaginative and deep world building, great characterization, great pacing, and interesting philosophical ideas to roll around your brain. I’m honestly blown away by his craft.
:) taking a breather before I dive in to book 2, but I’m definitely continuing....more
4.5 stars, might come back and round this up. Time to add black historical fantasy heist novels to my list of genres I love, because this was a blast.4.5 stars, might come back and round this up. Time to add black historical fantasy heist novels to my list of genres I love, because this was a blast. I adored the 1920 DC black renaissance setting (I mean, Harlem is great, but we had interesting stuff happening over here too), enjoyed the world building based on African folk magic and mythology, appreciated the questions it explored, and yes, heists are just plain fun. Heck, I even liked the romance, and I'm not a romance girl. I cared about the cast of characters, and especially loved how Penelope took the real Clara Johnson's story and used it as a springboard to craft something true to Johnson but uniquely her own.
Also, just going to pat myself on the back because this is my 1,000th book I've reviewed here! I love the way this place exposes me to books I wouldn't have otherwise found and provides a place where I can look back at what I've read and how the ideas I found there shaped me. ...more
My parents loved Dave Barry, and I read a fair bit of his writing when I lived at home, so it was fun to step into his writing again.
It starts slow, aMy parents loved Dave Barry, and I read a fair bit of his writing when I lived at home, so it was fun to step into his writing again.
It starts slow, and the audience seems a little inconsistent. For instance, this did not work as a family read aloud because there was adult humor that would easily go over the 6yo's head, but did not go over my middle schooler's head, if you catch my drift, so I switched to reading this on my own. Sometimes it seemed to be targeting kids, sometimes YA, sometimes adults, and it didn't quite catch any of the readers in my family perfectly.
Still, I appreciated the creativity in how Barry and Pearson weaved in different elements of the Peter Pan story, appreciated that it called out the original on its treatment of indigenous people, and I enjoyed the nostalgic feelings of reading Dave Barry's humor again....more
My kids are obsessed with this series and have been bugging me for years to read it, so I put on the audiobook while I drove them all the places. It iMy kids are obsessed with this series and have been bugging me for years to read it, so I put on the audiobook while I drove them all the places. It is zany, ridiculous, meta fun. ...more
When I placed my library hold, I hadn't realized that this one leans hard on the world building and plot from the Stormlight Archive, so if you're plaWhen I placed my library hold, I hadn't realized that this one leans hard on the world building and plot from the Stormlight Archive, so if you're planning to read that series, definitely read it before this one. There was a lot going on that I could tell meant something more than I was picking up on. That said, I still enjoyed the journey! It still stands without the info from the Stormlight Archive, and I just asked my teenagers a few questions when things came up, and I was good to go.
This has everything I want from a Sanderson novel - fascinating world building, characters that go on interesting emotional journeys, and opportunities to reflect on what it means to be a moral human in an imperfect world/universe full of messy questions. ...more
A satisfying conclusion to the series, with plenty of doors left open for Janci Patterson to walk through if she takes the project on. I appreciate itA satisfying conclusion to the series, with plenty of doors left open for Janci Patterson to walk through if she takes the project on. I appreciate its message of the power and beauty of human connection, even though it also brings pain. This series is always at its strongest when the Skyward Flight crew is present, so I'm glad they played a bigger role in this installment....more
Ok, so apparently the way to get me enthusiastic about a love story is for it to involve one of the pair slowly turning into a great white shark. Yep,Ok, so apparently the way to get me enthusiastic about a love story is for it to involve one of the pair slowly turning into a great white shark. Yep, you read that right. Buckle your seat belts.
If I’m putting on my objective reviewer lenses, I’m rating this too high. There are pacing issues. There are plot elements that feel like they are there because the author wanted to make a statement, not because it is true to the novel itself. There is info the author withholds for dramatic effect that felt a bit manipulative.
But dang it, this is the right book for me at the right time.
This is a love story, but not a “How do they wind up together?� kind of love story. It is a “How on Earth are we brave enough to love another person and commit our lives to them and build a future with them when nothing is certain and everything can be taken from you in an instant?� kind of love story.
This book is written in a world where some people suffer from genetic mutations that gradually turn them into aggressive animals - birds of prey, carnivorous lizards, sharks, you get the idea. The sufferers watch everything that makes them who they are fall away piece by piece. Their loved ones watch them become something monstrous and foreign step by step, doing that dance of understanding that the people are going through something horrifying and physically painful and largely uncontrollable, but it doesn’t change the fact they are doing hurtful and terrifying things that impact you intensely. And in the end, you can’t stop the fact that you are going to lose that person.
I’ve been circling this earth enough decades now to get the metaphors. When you think about it, life is terrifying. You let people in your life, make these hard-to-detangle life commitments, & then the world happens. Your husband spends years battling cancer and lashes out, in his relentless physical pain and emotional trauma, against the people that love him most. Your child suffers mental illness that makes them aggressive and violent, and you fear for the safety of your other children. You suddenly lose your sister to a car crash. Your spouse sinks deeper and deeper into alcoholism. The variants are endless. Permanent commitments are utterly terrifying - there are no guarantees.
But dang, they can be so intensely beautiful. They can give everything meaning. They make everything richer, more vibrant, and more fulfilling. They teach you, build you, inspire you, stretch you, and fill you with so much joy you don’t understand how your body can possibly hold it all. And the only way to claim that dazzling beauty is to give it your whole heart, knowing nothing is certain.
This is a book that celebrates love, whether we’re talking found family, parenthood, or committed romantic love, despite its capacity to absolutely shatter you. It is a book about opening your heart again, knowing the destruction life is variable of. I loved this book.
3.5 stars. If you like romance, you can probably round it up. I’m not the right reader for it, so I did a lot of eye rolling and cringing. But I liked3.5 stars. If you like romance, you can probably round it up. I’m not the right reader for it, so I did a lot of eye rolling and cringing. But I liked the magical elements, & the different European settings are fun to hang out in. Did it make me want to hang out in book stores (particularly magical ones) in Europe & cozy up with a good book? Absolutely....more
Yep, I'm all in for the year of Sanderson right now.
If you'd told me during the first 100 pages that I would end up enjoying this one so much, I woulYep, I'm all in for the year of Sanderson right now.
If you'd told me during the first 100 pages that I would end up enjoying this one so much, I would have been very surprised. There were a LOT of cringy bits in the first chunk. TBH, I only stuck with it because my teens were interested in reading it, and based on those first 100 pages, I wanted to scope out if the content would progress out of their comfort zones. It didn't get any racier than the first 100 pages, btw. Racier than a typical Sanderson, but still tame.
This wound up being imaginative and warm, with well-crafted characters, complex world building, and interesting explorations of the role of art, spirituality, dedication, progress, and what you do when problematic things get tied up into things that you love and devote yourself to. ...more
This has been my favorite in the series so far. I have to admit that I thought the idea of the labyrinth sounded a little lame, but I thought Riordan This has been my favorite in the series so far. I have to admit that I thought the idea of the labyrinth sounded a little lame, but I thought Riordan did a good job of making it freaky and dangerous. I also thought the character development was very good.
I'm really enjoying learning about the titans - I've only ever learned about the Olympians, and this book made me curious about the mythologies of the Gods that came before them.
Merged review:
This has been my favorite in the series so far. I have to admit that I thought the idea of the labyrinth sounded a little lame, but I thought Riordan did a good job of making it freaky and dangerous. I also thought the character development was very good.
I'm really enjoying learning about the titans - I've only ever learned about the Olympians, and this book made me curious about the mythologies of the Gods that came before them....more
3.5 stars. Not his best, but that's a high bar, and this is still a fun romp. 3.5 stars. Not his best, but that's a high bar, and this is still a fun romp. ...more
I read this one earlier this year, but never managed to write a review. Be warned the details are not fresh in my mind, and I clearly haven't had timeI read this one earlier this year, but never managed to write a review. Be warned the details are not fresh in my mind, and I clearly haven't had time to write as thoughtful of a review as I'd care to.
How you feel about this book will be highly connected to how important it is to you to have characters you can connect with, as this book doesn't really offer any. I think that's part of the point - because of slavery, Cora never gets the chance to become a complete person, and seldom gets the chance to form a deep bond with anyone else.
Whitehead is far more focused on the setting and what he wants us to learn from it. That is where this book shines. I loved the concept of an actual underground train essentially traveling through different attitudes towards black people throughout our history and our present. Taking true historic nuggets and attitudes, and then taking those intentions and placing them in familiar but different settings, shakes us out of the familiar narrative enough to explore just how horrific what actually occurred was. Cora travels through a nightmare landscape, yet while the forms are different, African Americans have had to travel through the Eugenics movement, lynchings, medical experiments without consent, sanitized historical narratives, destruction of businesses and homes, the horrors of slavery, all of it.
Many reviewers criticize the book for being too emotionally distant, but I think too many books about the great human horrors of the world cross the line into becoming torture p**n. Whitehead didn't need to get melodramatic for us to feel how relentless and brutal the things Cora survived are. They speak for themselves.
Imaginative and thought-provoking, with a nuanced eye....more
Let's go four stars for the target audience. My 4th grader and 7th grader are obsessed with this series. They have been begging me to read it, so I doLet's go four stars for the target audience. My 4th grader and 7th grader are obsessed with this series. They have been begging me to read it, so I downloaded the audio version, and we've listened to it while we do our driving. The world building is vivid, the development arcs for the main characters are solid and distinct, and the violence factor makes my kids feel like they are getting a parent-approved Game of Thrones experience (hah). I listened to it even when there weren't any kids in the car with me, and I've downloaded the second for our next round of driving. ...more
4.5 stars. WHO IS THIS MAN that not only writes imaginative, deeply-crafted, hefty fantasy books at an insanely prolific rate, but also has extra crea4.5 stars. WHO IS THIS MAN that not only writes imaginative, deeply-crafted, hefty fantasy books at an insanely prolific rate, but also has extra creative juices to write a book like this and intend to never publish it, but simply give it as a gift to his wife? Sanderson is on a whole different level. Also, I'm wondering what else he's written for his great-aunt or something that he didn't publish.
I didn't sign up for the Year of Sanderson - I'm with the riffraff that patiently waited for it to hit my library months later. My high schooler wished I had signed up because she really wants that Doomslug silicone mold. And if this book is any indication, I am starting to regret my decision as well.
This loose riff off the Princess Bride has all the imagination, heart, and big ideas you want from a Sanderson book, but mostly avoids the dark and leans a lot more quirky and, well, adorkable than his usual fare. It is fun seeing an author flex his writing chops by doing something different, and in this case, you can tell he had an absolutely blast writing this.
It isn't as profound as his other works, but dang, it is a lot of fun....more
3.5 stars. I've been adding some translated YA into my reading rotation because I feel like YA gives me a window into what issues the rising generatio3.5 stars. I've been adding some translated YA into my reading rotation because I feel like YA gives me a window into what issues the rising generation are wrapping their heads around, and what better way to understand the world around me than by knowing what matters to the people that are going to shape its future?
I'm going to own that this one took some time for me to get into because there are a lot of Japanese cultural nuances that I am just not familiar with, and although Peter Gabriel does signal enough of what is going on, I had to get myself into the right frame of mind to really understand the characters' interactions and reactions. :) That reorienting process is partially why I picked up the book in the first place, so it isn't a criticism - just a heads up to anyone considering reading that it felt a little cold to me at the start.
That said, it progresses into a very warm and thoughtful fantasy story that takes on bullying, depression, pressure to succeed (especially when someone sacrificed to give you the opportunity), grief, isolation, and complicated family dynamics. I like the way different threads of the story come together in the end; the way the fantastic elements of the story are intriguing, yet never distract from the internal journeys of the characters; and how connecting with the right people can give you courage to face the hard things in your life. I learned a lot about how it feels to be a young person in Japan, and it was a lovely way to do that learning....more
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