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Chris R (for Reading)

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Joined 3 months ago

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Chris R (for Reading)'s books

Currently Reading (View all 5)

finished reading Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas (Court of Thorns and Roses, #4)

Sarah J. Maas: Court of Frost and Starlight (Paperback, 2020, Bloomsbury Publishing USA) No rating

A new, original novella in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series that picks …

Now we get the viewpoint of some of the other characters. Spoiler, the Dark Mysterious Lord is very, very horny.

It sets up some interesting plot threads for the next book, and I'll be honest, kinda leaves me wanting more. Admittedly, though, I am skimming over the sex scenes. I don't find Maas' erotic writing particularly compelling. She's a decent Fantasy writer, though!

finished reading A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (Court of Thorns and Roses, #3)

Sarah J. Maas: A Court of Wings and Ruin (Hardcover, 2017, Bloomsbury USA) No rating

Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New …

The main plot arc of the first three books is finished off here.

I am so, so tired of the Disney-esque "dead, but wait!" trope that basically removes all stakes from death in the plot. The author is trying to have their cake and make me feel it too, and I'm just through with it. I could absolutely see it coming.

finished reading A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)

Sarah J. Maas: A Court of Mist and Fury (Paperback, 2016, Bloomsbury) No rating

Feyre has undergone more trials than one human woman can carry in her heart. Though …

Oh wow, I thought the age gap thing was a bit much last book.

The plot moves along well, and the characters introduced here are believable, but lemme just say that the "Oh, you thought this darkly handsome romantic villain was bad? Well, check out this city of artists! The whole "bad to the bone" thing was just an act!" bit... eh?

Still gonna finish; I want to see how some of the plot threads, including the incipient romances, turn out.

finished reading A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)

Sarah J. Maas: A Court of Thorns and Roses (2015, Bloomsbury USA Childrens) No rating

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to …

I decided, after hearing about it from more than a few friends and acquaintances, to give this series a try. The book is... decent, I guess? It has a serious case of YA, and some very creepy age dynamics, but the core story is pretty good and the protagonist manages the Katniss: being not great, but having an interesting inner life while being unrealistically Good At Everything.

Decent enough I decided to read the next 2 and a novella.

James S.A. Corey: The Mercy of Gods (Hardcover, Orbit) No rating

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Expanse comes a spectacular new space …

This was ... decent, I suppose? It's hard for me to take seriously a story where a planet's population is decimated and of the population that remains, somehow they all stick together while everyone's split into groups.

I think the core narrative is done better in the Baru Cormorant series, and I'd recommend that trilogy over this, unless the next few books pick up dramatically.

C. J. Cherryh: Downbelow Station (The Company Wars #1) No rating

Downbelow Station is a science fiction novel by American writer C. J. Cherryh, published in …

This is a re-read; I read this book years ago, and have forgotten most of it, so here we go again.

I'm already really enjoying seeing the bones of the Company/Union conflict and the way the Union's uniformity makes the viewpoint characters from the EC side of the conflict uncomfortable. Cherryh's writing does great work in not outright othering them; she's on record saying that she doesn't think that the "sides" in this conflict break down well into good/evil buckets, and it shows.