Short & cute, much like a goblin. It's an art to pack this much world, character, & pathos into a novella while keeping everything so rich, so cosy. Tbh the story suffers a bit but the story is secondary so I didn't mind at all.
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Chungledown Bim reviewed Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher (duplicate)
Chungledown Bim reviewed The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Chungledown Bim reviewed The Killing Moon by N. K. Jemisin
👍
4 stars
Loved it. A fairly standard fantasy tale but oh, what flavour. The author has meticulously constructed a gorgeous world, mythos & magic system - & lets you just figure it out. Will definitely pick up the second book & probably everything else Jemisin has ever written too.
Chungledown Bim reviewed The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein
Not bad! 3.5
3 stars
Well-written if a little flat at times. If I'd discovered this series in the 90s I'd have been all about it, (TWO female leads!) but it just doesn't seem to have the social pith I'm after these days. Still, Bel is rad as hell, might give the next book a go one day.
Chungledown Bim reviewed Artificial condition by Martha Wells
I love Murderbot
4 stars
Wild that these books are so cosy. Devoured in about an hour, they're snug little reads that dont need much from you, which is very nice. Mystery, action, media, its got it all! (Loved our new friend ART, I hope it returns.)
Multiverse of meh
3 stars
Content warning Spoiler for a story twist, cw death, animal harm, self harm
It's a little flat. Fantastical but enough racism to just sort of suck the air out of it. I really resented the >>spoiler<< dead dog switcharoo even though I kinda saw it coming. When the >>spoiler<< dead mum turned up alive then the >>spoiler<< dead dad did too then dead friend then dead great aunt ... it was a bit of a struggle to not just nope out.
The worldsbuilding is solid. The characters are solid. Representation of POC is great. One character is in a pan polycule, which is rad. The rest is OK, (pacing, plot, etc.) just very predictable. It's fairly YA but for the self harm. (One day I'll happen upon a novel for grown-ups & faint dead away)
Chungledown Bim reviewed Undercover by Tamsyn Muir
Chungledown Bim reviewed Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
Great until it's not
3 stars
What world building! What a magic system! What a premise, & setting, I can't wait to find out more!
...and after the book just sort of fizzles out & ends, I'm still waiting.
The characters are all disappointing, particularly the women. The (annoying) Madonna, the (annoying) Whore, & the one who is also there. The fellas aren't a lot better. I feel like The Atlas Six could have been The Atlas Two, which would have made for far more interesting & complex characters to have boring conversations with each other.
Why though, why have daily classes that are never involved in the story? What's in them? Do the characters sit frozen & silent until later that evening when a boring conversation between two ppl happens?
Still, there's a bit of fucking & definitely some Gay Yearning ™️ so I didn't hate it. Love a bit of YA magic academy, wouldn't …
What world building! What a magic system! What a premise, & setting, I can't wait to find out more!
...and after the book just sort of fizzles out & ends, I'm still waiting.
The characters are all disappointing, particularly the women. The (annoying) Madonna, the (annoying) Whore, & the one who is also there. The fellas aren't a lot better. I feel like The Atlas Six could have been The Atlas Two, which would have made for far more interesting & complex characters to have boring conversations with each other.
Why though, why have daily classes that are never involved in the story? What's in them? Do the characters sit frozen & silent until later that evening when a boring conversation between two ppl happens?
Still, there's a bit of fucking & definitely some Gay Yearning ™️ so I didn't hate it. Love a bit of YA magic academy, wouldn't read any more in the series though.
fun
4 stars
I definitely haven't read this before but there's a very strong sense of déjà vu that permeates entire book. Just adds to the enjoyment, really. Love a supernatural romance- even if this was a bit more gentle in both of those departments than I'd usually prefer, still good 👍