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lucybbookstuff's Reviews (382)
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Absolutely horrifying, gut-wrenching, important read.
My main takeaway from this book is that the horror lies not only in the atrocities themselves, but in the cover-up. The way that history can be manipulated to serve political interests. I became more and more outraged as I read this, not only about the horrible crimes being committed against the Chinese people, but that I knew nothing about it beforehand.
Not once was I taught in 18 years of formal education that the Japanese had any aggressive role to play in WWII apart from Pearl Harbor. (There's a larger problem here about my/our WWII education being VERY Western-centric, but I'll leave that for now.) It turns out that the Japanese Imperial forces committed crimes on par with the Nazis, and much of this was just swept under the rug.
I'm glad to learn more now, but it's enraging to contemplate the levels of propaganda and silencing that kept this from being common knowledge. And not just from Japan itself.
It's also horrifying to contemplate the perfect storm of factors that can lead to such atrocities. And how they're at work today.
All that aside. Chang did a great job of researching and laying out the information in a very readable format (despite the actual subject matter being extremely gruesome and often hard to read too much at once).
I highly recommend this to those who want to learn more, but it's not for the faint of heart. Do NOT read this if graphic depictions of every type of violence will harm your mental health.
My main takeaway from this book is that the horror lies not only in the atrocities themselves, but in the cover-up. The way that history can be manipulated to serve political interests. I became more and more outraged as I read this, not only about the horrible crimes being committed against the Chinese people, but that I knew nothing about it beforehand.
Not once was I taught in 18 years of formal education that the Japanese had any aggressive role to play in WWII apart from Pearl Harbor. (There's a larger problem here about my/our WWII education being VERY Western-centric, but I'll leave that for now.) It turns out that the Japanese Imperial forces committed crimes on par with the Nazis, and much of this was just swept under the rug.
I'm glad to learn more now, but it's enraging to contemplate the levels of propaganda and silencing that kept this from being common knowledge. And not just from Japan itself.
It's also horrifying to contemplate the perfect storm of factors that can lead to such atrocities. And how they're at work today.
All that aside. Chang did a great job of researching and laying out the information in a very readable format (despite the actual subject matter being extremely gruesome and often hard to read too much at once).
I highly recommend this to those who want to learn more, but it's not for the faint of heart. Do NOT read this if graphic depictions of every type of violence will harm your mental health.
![The Reckoning (Parts 1 and 2) [Dramatized Adaptation] by Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham](https://cdn.thestorygraph.com/q4nx29pfoj4euva113i35muhzv7c)
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Okaaayyyyy people say these books are laced with crack and I must say, in this third installment, I have found the crack they speak of!! And I am fully smoking it now! ππ
I couldn't even tell you where or how, but this one fully sucked me in at some point. At least from an entertainment/plot standpoint. I'm starting to get more into the characters too, but they're not the main draw just yet.
I just love how hard they lean into the camp and ridiculousness of this world they've created. It fully releases me from any need to use my critical analysis brain, and I can truly just have fun. I do look forward to more emotional investment, though!
I couldn't even tell you where or how, but this one fully sucked me in at some point. At least from an entertainment/plot standpoint. I'm starting to get more into the characters too, but they're not the main draw just yet.
I just love how hard they lean into the camp and ridiculousness of this world they've created. It fully releases me from any need to use my critical analysis brain, and I can truly just have fun. I do look forward to more emotional investment, though!
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not gonna lie, this was a bit of a slog for me. π
And it's not even necessarily the book's fault. The setting and Arthurian legend context were very interesting, Morgan was a likeable main character, and the prose was nice. I just struggle with myth retellings, and this was no exception.
The narrative voice of every myth retelling I've read (mainly feminist ones) just has a low-stakes life-story quality to it that keeps me from getting invested. I almost DNF'd this book because I was SO bored, and my brain fought me so hard every time I tried to read more than one chapter at a time.
On top of that, this is another me problem, but I just don't love feminine rage stories. I totally get why others do, but I almost invariably find that I don't need another heavy-handed reminder that the patriarchy sucks. Like yeah... I get it lol. I don't need the extra anger.
So yeah. I honestly don't know why I thought this feminist myth retelling would finally be the one to grab me, but it didn't. That said, if you are a fan of feminist myth retellings (or myth retellings in general, or you're just an Arthurian nerd), you'll enjoy this one. If you loved Circe and/or Kaikeyi, you'll love this one, too.
Currently undecided on if I'll continue the series, at least to get to the real meat of the Arthurian legend... but probably not.
And it's not even necessarily the book's fault. The setting and Arthurian legend context were very interesting, Morgan was a likeable main character, and the prose was nice. I just struggle with myth retellings, and this was no exception.
The narrative voice of every myth retelling I've read (mainly feminist ones) just has a low-stakes life-story quality to it that keeps me from getting invested. I almost DNF'd this book because I was SO bored, and my brain fought me so hard every time I tried to read more than one chapter at a time.
On top of that, this is another me problem, but I just don't love feminine rage stories. I totally get why others do, but I almost invariably find that I don't need another heavy-handed reminder that the patriarchy sucks. Like yeah... I get it lol. I don't need the extra anger.
So yeah. I honestly don't know why I thought this feminist myth retelling would finally be the one to grab me, but it didn't. That said, if you are a fan of feminist myth retellings (or myth retellings in general, or you're just an Arthurian nerd), you'll enjoy this one. If you loved Circe and/or Kaikeyi, you'll love this one, too.
Currently undecided on if I'll continue the series, at least to get to the real meat of the Arthurian legend... but probably not.
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I mainly read this as supplementary material to the movies, honestly. I'd decided a while ago that I didn't want to bother reading it because I was so sure it wouldn't be my thing. I was content with the Villeneuve movies, which I enjoy. But when I saw Dune Part II, it made me curious to get some of the inner monologue of the story. Because I could tell the movies were missing a bit of context.
I can say, I got some of that. Not nearly as much as I expected/wanted. And otherwise, I had mostly been right that it wasn't my thing.
I'm not saying it's bad. I see why hard sci-fi lovers swear by it and I can understand why it's revered as a foundational sci-fi classic. But it's just not my kind of story.
There were some interesting scenes that had me listening intently, but the macro storytelling was so boring to me. I find myself not even wanting to stop to contemplate its themes. There are plenty of works out there with the same themes that ALSO provide me with a gripping story and the interesting character work that I need in order to consider anything a favorite.
I also have to say - I never would have actually decided to pick it up if I hadn't discovered there is a full cast audiobook. I knew without a doubt that I'd never get through this story on paper. The full cast helped a lot BUT... why the hell was it advertised NOWHERE that the full cast only does like a quarter (MAYBE a third) of the chapters??? Most of it was still just read by the one narrator! Wtf?! And he was good, but I chose this for the full cast and then got short-changed. π And truly, the full cast sections held my attention SO much better. Urgh. Incredibly frustrating.
So yeah. Can't say I'm glad I read this or that it was worth the time, honestly. But it's objectively... fine.
I can say, I got some of that. Not nearly as much as I expected/wanted. And otherwise, I had mostly been right that it wasn't my thing.
I'm not saying it's bad. I see why hard sci-fi lovers swear by it and I can understand why it's revered as a foundational sci-fi classic. But it's just not my kind of story.
There were some interesting scenes that had me listening intently, but the macro storytelling was so boring to me. I find myself not even wanting to stop to contemplate its themes. There are plenty of works out there with the same themes that ALSO provide me with a gripping story and the interesting character work that I need in order to consider anything a favorite.
I also have to say - I never would have actually decided to pick it up if I hadn't discovered there is a full cast audiobook. I knew without a doubt that I'd never get through this story on paper. The full cast helped a lot BUT... why the hell was it advertised NOWHERE that the full cast only does like a quarter (MAYBE a third) of the chapters??? Most of it was still just read by the one narrator! Wtf?! And he was good, but I chose this for the full cast and then got short-changed. π And truly, the full cast sections held my attention SO much better. Urgh. Incredibly frustrating.
So yeah. Can't say I'm glad I read this or that it was worth the time, honestly. But it's objectively... fine.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of the easiest 5 stars ever. π±
I was sad to leave Fitz after the Farseer trilogy, but also excited to jump into Liveship Traders. I was ready to learn more about the world and dive headfirst into this multi-POV adventure!
And omg did it deliver!!! I am already so sad that we only follow the Liveship adventures for 3 books! So many intriguing plot points and fascinating characters introduced here, I could gladly follow them for much longer!
Hobb really proves here that she can do a thrilling plot, on top of the brilliant character and theme work that I already know she has mastered. I didn't doubt it; I have felt from early on in Assassin's Apprentice that she can do anything. But I still only had Farseer under my belt, which is a slower, more quietly perfect character study. A fantastic over-arching plot, yes, but not always a thrilling one.
But Ship of Magic...
β’ The same brilliant character work, even with over a dozen new characters on various journeys. Even the POVs we only got a few pages of were characterized so well and are so believable and interesting. Also loved getting some villain POVs, making them more fully-realized than Regal ever got to be. Hobb's deep understanding of humanity is still on full display here. And she shows so many different facets of it through so many different people.
β’ Fascinating expansion of the worldbuilding. New magics, new cultures, new maps. And it's all fleshed out and lush and so easy to picture and believe.
β’ Multiple thrilling, thoughtful, high-intrigue plotlines that are all on track to converge in what can only be explosive ways. (Some explosions may be quieter/more subtle than others... but explosions nonetheless. Shhh it makes sense in my head.)
β’ More absolutely stunning theme work as well. The themes that stand out to me the most are:
- 1) The exploration of autonomy/choice/control (or the lack thereof) through various scenarios like slavery, imprisonment, culture, parental confinement, etc. (Extra interesting to me because I feel that lack of choice is also a huge theme in Farseer.) She seems especially bent on making people understand the full horrors of slavery, which I appreciate so much.
- 2) The complete uselessness of misogyny. The cultures on display here are MUCH more overtly misogynistic than in the Six Duchies. And in pretty much every scenario, the reader can see how much goes wrong or is completely ruined by nonsensical misogyinistic worldviews. This is especially stark with basically every word and action from the character of Kyle Haven.
So... yeah. Robin Hobb is a genius. A once-in-a-lifetime talent. This trilogy is already incredible after 1 book. (Don't even get me started on how life-altering the full RotE series is going to be for me.) And I'm so so so excited to see where it goes from here... after a couple months, because I need to draw this series out as long as possible. π₯²
I was sad to leave Fitz after the Farseer trilogy, but also excited to jump into Liveship Traders. I was ready to learn more about the world and dive headfirst into this multi-POV adventure!
And omg did it deliver!!! I am already so sad that we only follow the Liveship adventures for 3 books! So many intriguing plot points and fascinating characters introduced here, I could gladly follow them for much longer!
Hobb really proves here that she can do a thrilling plot, on top of the brilliant character and theme work that I already know she has mastered. I didn't doubt it; I have felt from early on in Assassin's Apprentice that she can do anything. But I still only had Farseer under my belt, which is a slower, more quietly perfect character study. A fantastic over-arching plot, yes, but not always a thrilling one.
But Ship of Magic...
β’ The same brilliant character work, even with over a dozen new characters on various journeys. Even the POVs we only got a few pages of were characterized so well and are so believable and interesting. Also loved getting some villain POVs, making them more fully-realized than Regal ever got to be. Hobb's deep understanding of humanity is still on full display here. And she shows so many different facets of it through so many different people.
β’ Fascinating expansion of the worldbuilding. New magics, new cultures, new maps. And it's all fleshed out and lush and so easy to picture and believe.
β’ Multiple thrilling, thoughtful, high-intrigue plotlines that are all on track to converge in what can only be explosive ways. (Some explosions may be quieter/more subtle than others... but explosions nonetheless. Shhh it makes sense in my head.)
β’ More absolutely stunning theme work as well. The themes that stand out to me the most are:
- 1) The exploration of autonomy/choice/control (or the lack thereof) through various scenarios like slavery, imprisonment, culture, parental confinement, etc. (Extra interesting to me because I feel that lack of choice is also a huge theme in Farseer.) She seems especially bent on making people understand the full horrors of slavery, which I appreciate so much.
- 2) The complete uselessness of misogyny. The cultures on display here are MUCH more overtly misogynistic than in the Six Duchies. And in pretty much every scenario, the reader can see how much goes wrong or is completely ruined by nonsensical misogyinistic worldviews. This is especially stark with basically every word and action from the character of Kyle Haven.
So... yeah. Robin Hobb is a genius. A once-in-a-lifetime talent. This trilogy is already incredible after 1 book. (Don't even get me started on how life-altering the full RotE series is going to be for me.) And I'm so so so excited to see where it goes from here... after a couple months, because I need to draw this series out as long as possible. π₯²
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First thing's first, I read this in a day, and that was not hard to do at all. Some audio, some physical. The audiobook was pretty good and the physical book was a fast page-turner. It is worth mentioning that I was deliriously tired while reading the last 70 or so pages. π
But I was locked in and wanted to get it done. It may have made me kind of a maniac lol, but I don't think it changed how I would have felt about the book anyway.
So that said, I can definitely hand it to this book that it's a fast-paced and easy read. It makes a great palate cleanser. And for me, it had high entertainment value. But I didn't find much other value in it.
This book was a straight-up soap opera. π It was all drama and no sense. I guessed practically everything long before it was revealed. The foreshadowing was about as subtle as a brick to the face. So every time a ~big reveal~ arrived, I just laughed or deadpanned. I'm pretty sure it was all meant to be very dramatic and emotional, but to me, it was mostly anticlimactic.
The strongest feelings I had about this book were abject hatred forboth Gabriel and Beth. Those two idiots deserve each other. Their young love (lust) was stupid and destined to fail, and so was their later affair. Frank deserved better, but also kinda chose to be a doormat. The happy ending (+ unintelligible poem π) was entirely undeserved and nonsensical to me.
At the end of the day, this just felt like another new release that was written for the sole purpose of being adapted for tv. I couldn't stop thinking throughout the book what a fun miniseries it would make, and that I'd find it much more interesting in that format.
It wasn't bad. There is absolutely a place for "book club" fiction like this (I read it for my book club lol). I just expect more from these books that get rave reviews and are haled as the next great lit fic. Just call it what it is: popcorn. There's nothing wrong with that.
So that said, I can definitely hand it to this book that it's a fast-paced and easy read. It makes a great palate cleanser. And for me, it had high entertainment value. But I didn't find much other value in it.
This book was a straight-up soap opera. π It was all drama and no sense. I guessed practically everything long before it was revealed. The foreshadowing was about as subtle as a brick to the face. So every time a ~big reveal~ arrived, I just laughed or deadpanned. I'm pretty sure it was all meant to be very dramatic and emotional, but to me, it was mostly anticlimactic.
The strongest feelings I had about this book were abject hatred for
At the end of the day, this just felt like another new release that was written for the sole purpose of being adapted for tv. I couldn't stop thinking throughout the book what a fun miniseries it would make, and that I'd find it much more interesting in that format.
It wasn't bad. There is absolutely a place for "book club" fiction like this (I read it for my book club lol). I just expect more from these books that get rave reviews and are haled as the next great lit fic. Just call it what it is: popcorn. There's nothing wrong with that.
adventurous
informative
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Still loving this series!
The pacing in this one was incredibly fast, without feeling rushed. I got through it so quickly because something was always happening and the intrigue was always high!
Still love the political maneuverings the most, as well as the history and folklore. It's SO well-researched, but never feels boring or bogged down with unnecessary information. The way she's chosen to impart this Irish history is so engaging and exciting, while still being very informative. If the same time period were presented to me in a nonfiction format, I'd probably be very reluctant. But these books make it fun.
The characters are very well-done and I enjoy following them (even if I loathe some of them, including one of our main characters π). I love getting to see them use their magic more, and how they cross paths and interact and figure each other out. However, this is definitely a more plot-forward book and the character work doesn't quite have that emotional oomph to make these 5 stars for me.
Still a huge fan, though, and I recommend highly and widely! So excited for book 3!
The pacing in this one was incredibly fast, without feeling rushed. I got through it so quickly because something was always happening and the intrigue was always high!
Still love the political maneuverings the most, as well as the history and folklore. It's SO well-researched, but never feels boring or bogged down with unnecessary information. The way she's chosen to impart this Irish history is so engaging and exciting, while still being very informative. If the same time period were presented to me in a nonfiction format, I'd probably be very reluctant. But these books make it fun.
The characters are very well-done and I enjoy following them (even if I loathe some of them, including one of our main characters π). I love getting to see them use their magic more, and how they cross paths and interact and figure each other out. However, this is definitely a more plot-forward book and the character work doesn't quite have that emotional oomph to make these 5 stars for me.
Still a huge fan, though, and I recommend highly and widely! So excited for book 3!
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Capote's prose is beautiful, and he weaved such an atmospheric and engrossing story about this real crime. Though it does make one wonder how much of it is just that - a story.
I do believe that most of the facts here are correct, and I'm even willing to believe that a lot of the dialogue is accurate enough. However, for at least some parts of the book, the writing was flowery enough and the narrative so fiction-esque, that I have to assume some of it is fabricated, or at the very least, embellished and possibly spliced. I did also read elsewhere that some of the quotes and scenes depicted in the book were indeed supposedly fabricated.
So, that is one reason I can't give this book 5 stars, even though I started out thinking I might. The other main reason is just that some parts of the book felt the opposite of flowery and embellished - taking on a more traditional nonfiction structure that I find a bit tedious to read. That's kind of inevitable in any informational nonfiction read, but alas, it still affects my experience. Especially when so much of the book is gripping, beautifully-written, and so easy to turn pages.
That said, on the whole, this really was a gripping and fascinating read. I wasn't sure how I'd do with it as both an older classic and a work of nonfiction. But like I said, I really liked Capote's writing. He got me emotionally invested very quickly by sharing all about the victims' final days, and what well-loved community members they were. And he kept me on the edge of my seat, unfolding all the information of just how improbable this crime was, and how morbidly, psychologically fascinating the perpetrators were.
I do wish a bit more time had been spent on the victims, but also I'm not sure he could have gotten more information without harrassing the bereaved.
Overall, a great read. Highly recommend to fans of true crime, narrative nonfiction, and/or classics.
I do believe that most of the facts here are correct, and I'm even willing to believe that a lot of the dialogue is accurate enough. However, for at least some parts of the book, the writing was flowery enough and the narrative so fiction-esque, that I have to assume some of it is fabricated, or at the very least, embellished and possibly spliced. I did also read elsewhere that some of the quotes and scenes depicted in the book were indeed supposedly fabricated.
So, that is one reason I can't give this book 5 stars, even though I started out thinking I might. The other main reason is just that some parts of the book felt the opposite of flowery and embellished - taking on a more traditional nonfiction structure that I find a bit tedious to read. That's kind of inevitable in any informational nonfiction read, but alas, it still affects my experience. Especially when so much of the book is gripping, beautifully-written, and so easy to turn pages.
That said, on the whole, this really was a gripping and fascinating read. I wasn't sure how I'd do with it as both an older classic and a work of nonfiction. But like I said, I really liked Capote's writing. He got me emotionally invested very quickly by sharing all about the victims' final days, and what well-loved community members they were. And he kept me on the edge of my seat, unfolding all the information of just how improbable this crime was, and how morbidly, psychologically fascinating the perpetrators were.
I do wish a bit more time had been spent on the victims, but also I'm not sure he could have gotten more information without harrassing the bereaved.
Overall, a great read. Highly recommend to fans of true crime, narrative nonfiction, and/or classics.
![Ruthless Fae (Part 1 of 1) [Dramatized Adaptation] by Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham](https://cdn.thestorygraph.com/h04mjikqi0w1u9v28t968y3jei9r)
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This series is so ridiculous. π It's so stupid and trashy. And it knows it is just ridiculous, stupid, and trashy. Therefore, I'm free to just have fun with it and not worry about any kind of critical analysis.
I'm a bit more invested than I was after book 1 and I'll definitely continue for the hell of it. But I still haven't found much to latch onto to give it more than 3 stars.
Even so, I'm thoroughly enjoying the ridiculousness for now. π And I hope for / look forward to the eventual emotional investment that my friends tell me is forthcoming.
I'm a bit more invested than I was after book 1 and I'll definitely continue for the hell of it. But I still haven't found much to latch onto to give it more than 3 stars.
Even so, I'm thoroughly enjoying the ridiculousness for now. π And I hope for / look forward to the eventual emotional investment that my friends tell me is forthcoming.
fast-paced
Really great installment in the Gael Song series! This definitely answers some questions from book 1 and has me very excited to pick up book 2. I freakin love RΓ³nnat.