alexiasp's reviews
98 reviews

Blood Music by Greg Bear

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

5.0

Babel by R.F. Kuang

challenging dark informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

 I don't see how this book addresses morality; it's simply a thriller. In Ansel's final hours, there's almost no introspection, just his failed attempts to escape execution and his desperate plea to live. He shows no remorse for his actions or even questions if his actions were wrong. I understand he's basically a sociopath, but I expected a deeper exploration of his psyche.

If you enjoy true crime (which I don't), you might like this, as it offers only a portrait of the killer and a rather superficial analysis of his emotional depth. While not inherently bad, the purple prose detracts from the story, making it feel overwritten and bogged down with irrelevant details. Additionally, the amount of explicit sexual scenes felt so unnecessary to me. 

Recursion by Blake Crouch

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I love the book's starting idea of "do memories for our entire personalities" and the consistent pacing that fits this plot-driven story very well.
However, I like nothing about Blake Crouch's characters in general, including this one. There's consistently failed marriage?? A depressed and super introverted female scientist? Why? At least Barry cared more about his daughter than the protagonist from Dark Matter cared for his son😂😂😭😭
Also, this is definitely not hard sci-fi, which is fine, but it also doesn't have to try so hard to seem like hard sci-fi. It's thought-provoking but not as much as people say it is. It's more of a fun thriller sci-fi read.
But again, the ideas are pretty cool, so it's worth a read.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

 awwee it didnt hit the spot for me :') I don't resonate with the "you don't need meaning in life" theme. I still prefer her other novella, To Be Taught If Fortunate 

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin

5.0

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

adventurous emotional informative lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This is one of my favorite novellas. It has super-lovable characters, interesting planets, and a lot of real science. It was cozy but overly so to the point that it was boring. This really gave me the feelings that I wanted Murderbot to give me.
I much preferred the way the crew was portrayed in this book. Every member has a distinct purpose and a different voice, whereas, in Murderbot, some of the side characters blend together.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book is definitely not for me; maybe it's for someone who likes to study family relations, where each member is very competitive and everyone acts exclusively in their interest. The history of the Dutch house was interesting, but other than that, there wasn't much...plot? The book is definitely elegantly written, but that just isn't enough for me. The first half is definitely stronger than the other. The audio narration by Tom Hanks was fantastic. He put me to sleep many times😂😂

Baby X: A Thriller by Kira Peikoff

challenging informative reflective tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The book starts out strong with many interesting ideas about tech advancements, especially in the medical field, and pre-selected reproduction. The world-building is surprisingly thorough. References to chatgpt were fun to see. A lot of talk about human rights, specifically privacy, body autonomy, and reproduction.
The book loses its momentum around 65% and becomes a bit boring, more thriller than sci-fi, but there's still a nice twist at the end. It's not groundbreaking, but it's worth a read.

Fangs by Sarah Andersen

5.0