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rebeccazh's reviews
2893 reviews
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Bit of a slow start but the story picked up once the main character started making progress on the mystery. Also I like Thane but the beginnings of the romance was very weak compared to other Helen Harper books? Hopefully there's more development in the sequel. Very refreshing to read about a strong heroine who is not lust-driven and boy crazy.
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
A repulsive read in the sense that reading about fracking and the disgusting oil barons repulsed me - both because of the environmental damage done and the absolutely inhumane way these 1%-ers think and behave. With that said, I'm not sure that the chapters all tie together. The ones about the corruption and repulsiveness of the oil barons and Putin don't seem to tie well with the smaller stories about Aubrey McCleddon and the teachers of Oklahoma etc.
Maddow's writing gets a full 5 stars from me though: witty and biting, obsessively and comprehensively detailed. Learnt a lot of interesting facts and insights. Also left me to appreciate more fully that the electricity that I take for granted for everything from turning on the lights and fan, using the computer, hot water, etc., comes at a great cost to the earth (the descriptions of fracking are vivid and terrible).
I wouldn't recommend this as an introduction to the topic, because the book's almost exclusive focus on current events as of the book's publication makes it feel both specific and dated, but this is nonetheless an eye-opening account of some of the things that went down in the history of the oil and gas industry and of Russia.
Maddow's writing gets a full 5 stars from me though: witty and biting, obsessively and comprehensively detailed. Learnt a lot of interesting facts and insights. Also left me to appreciate more fully that the electricity that I take for granted for everything from turning on the lights and fan, using the computer, hot water, etc., comes at a great cost to the earth (the descriptions of fracking are vivid and terrible).
I wouldn't recommend this as an introduction to the topic, because the book's almost exclusive focus on current events as of the book's publication makes it feel both specific and dated, but this is nonetheless an eye-opening account of some of the things that went down in the history of the oil and gas industry and of Russia.
It is depressing that he published this in 2022; it is now 2025 and little progress has been made.
emotional
sad
fast-paced
4.5 stars. Broke my heart open. I always find grief paradoxical because there's nothing you want more than to go back to Before, when they were alive. And yet at the same time, it is in some ways a privilege to have loved so deeply that you grieve them when they go.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ironside used to be one of my fav series, but this book was so lackluster. I didn't like book 5's trauma porn (brutally killing off the f/f couple, tons of sexual assault/trauma), but I still loved the interactions between the main cast and thought book 6 would redeem it. The Alphas and Isobel are what kept me reading till now after all.
But this finale really flopped: 1) more unnecessary trauma porn - even more sexual assault of the entire main cast. One of the few female characters was assaulted and lost her voice. There was an on-page rape. 2) Gods' sideplot, Stone Dahlia plot and general worldbuilding are bland and do not add to the story. 3) there was too much lackluster plot, too little character interactions and relationships that is the whole point of this series. Only a few characters got focused on, the rest kinda faded into the background.
Just really disappointed by this lackluster finale since this was one of my most anticipated 2025 releases. Joke's on me for finishing this book, I guess.
But this finale really flopped: 1) more unnecessary trauma porn - even more sexual assault of the entire main cast. One of the few female characters was assaulted and lost her voice. There was an on-page rape. 2) Gods' sideplot, Stone Dahlia plot and general worldbuilding are bland and do not add to the story. 3) there was too much lackluster plot, too little character interactions and relationships that is the whole point of this series. Only a few characters got focused on, the rest kinda faded into the background.
Just really disappointed by this lackluster finale since this was one of my most anticipated 2025 releases. Joke's on me for finishing this book, I guess.
slow-paced
Started strong but got a bit draggy and repetitive
Gorgeous cover and title, but the story and prose come off very shallow. Also, I found out that this is Japanese-inspired, and the author is not actually Japanese which explains why the culture stuff feels kinda generic. I keep trying these cozy magical realism books with Japanese and Korean vibes but just can't get into them.
This book condenses all the cool stuff plants can do into one place and I really enjoyed reading about plants' ability to hear noises and their ability to produce noise, their kinship relations, their potential ability to see, their startlingly in-depth awareness of their surroundings, etc. And reading this book reminded me a bit of Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake, which is the highest praise from me, because that book blew my mind. At its heart these books about the other living creatures ask the question - how do we understand other living beings when our only framework is being human?
I mean it entertained me but the angst felt contrived.