thoughts on books for people who like to think

I'm a reader and a writer who has a lot of thoughts about the things I read. I write about a variety of genres, anything from Beowulf to this year's new releases. I tag all spoiler reviews/essays. Find me on Goodreads @hayleejalyn

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The Hunger of the Gods review

My Overall Thoughts - 4/5

The Shadow of the Gods is the first installment in a Norse epic fantasy series. With three main POV characters and a wide, dangerous world to explore with them, I was excited. (And also, DRAGONS!?!) Give me Skyrim, but a book, and I’m a happy camper. This book delivered on all fronts, to an at least satisfactory extent. The tiny creatures that collect human teeth? Heck to the (creepy) yes. Mild spoilers below the cut.

Character Development - 3.5/5 I connected to the characters unevenly throughout the narrative, and that’s always a slight bummer. Orka was my favorite and I loved her from the get-go. As the mother of sons, we had commonality on our side and I adored her relationship with her family. The reader had the opportunity to see the nuance and tension in her relationship with Thorkel while not being held back from seeing their affection for each other as well. Next for me was Varg. He had it hard and early in the book had some of the most brutal scenes. His place in life as a thrall and what he discovers through the book was all very interesting, though, and I enjoyed his POV. Last was Elvar, whom I started to connect with more after the 50% mark. She did have the bit of romance going for her, but it was short-lived. I liked her backstory and her interactions with people, but she offered the least tangible umph in her personality. 

Story Structure - 3.5/5 In huge fantasy books, I often like short, manageable chapters, but in this book I think the short chapters generally worked against it. Three virtually unconnected POV characters share the stage and the reader doesn’t have a lot of chance to spend time with one character before switching to another one, with other friends in another place. I personally really like multiple narrators in big stories, though, so that overall was a plus for me, though it would have been nice to have slightly longer chapters.

Tone/Style - 4.5/5 The tone of the writing really suited the book, grim and honest. There were some turns of phrase that were redundant here and there, but overall the writing was really clean and concise. 

World Building - 4.5/5 There was really no easy way to create a Norse-fantasy world and not have me like it. The divisions, the danger, the creatures…it was all great. One advantage of using multiple POV narrators is getting to show the scope of a world and this book does that very well. Not only do we get three characters in different physical and social perspectives, but utterly different socio-economic backgrounds and entirely different goals. It really works to show the wideness of the world in a figurative sense. The only downside (for me) was the extent of Norse language and names. There were a lot of similar names and it occasionally got confusing. I could not have listened to the audiobook for this one because I would not have been able to keep them straight.

Representation/Diversity They’re all Nordic and, as far as can be seen in this book, heteronormative. That’s a non-issue for me, but I always try to mention it.

Content Violence and gore like there’s no tomorrow. 

My Final Thoughts It’s a lengthy book, but is it long enough to contain a full story arc? Apparently not. That last scene will haunt me until I can get some resolution in the second book—which I WILL be reading—because I am a mom and I have to know. If you like violent epic fantasy with a heart (and the occasional dragon), this read is probably also for you.

[hayleewritesaboutbooks]

When you can't find a bookmark.

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The Island of Doctor Moreau

My Overall Thoughts - 4.5/5 “Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should…” This book seems like a dark precursor to Jurassic Park. Except the big budget corporation aspect is removed and it’s just this guy, Dr. Moreau, who is The Most Evil…all in the name of science and knowledge. I read up a little bit on the historical context of the publication of this novel and was quite surprised and interested in the conversations that were happening around actual vivisection practice…WHAT…and also the world-rocking concepts of Darwinism which were sweeping the world. In the years preceeding this novel, the National Anti-Vivisection Society was founded—because this was apparently really a thing people did—and still exists today as an active animal welfare group.

Character Development - 4/5 The narrator, Prendick, struggles mightily with the ethical and moral implications of everything around him and it makes him an interesting narrator. I even found that I grew attached to a couple of the creatures, especially Dog Man. My attachment made the entire scenario all the more revolting, but then that was the whole point, was it not?

Story Structure - 5/5 Linear and unobstructive.

Tone/Style - 5/5 Very H.G. Wells style. Simple and clear. Prendick as a narrator was sympathetic and direct.

Content There is some gore and some murder. The creatures are quite unsettling, but most of that is left up to the reader’s imagination.

My Final Thoughts While perhaps not as specifically applicable to animal rights issues going on in the world today, the philosophical ponderings around man interfering with nature, fear, pain, and the nature of humanity will always be relevant. It was an interesting read. Not my favorite of Wells’s works, but easy and interesting.

[hayleewritesaboutbooks]

Winterkeep by Kristen Cashore

My Overall Thoughts - 3.8/5

I was a bit disappointed with Winterkeep, perhaps because I LOVED the first three books of Cashore’s Graceling Realm series. This one felt more juvenile while also *trying* to be more grown up. I liked several of the characters and the events were interesting, but I didn’t love it as I hoped to love it.

Character Development - 3.5/5

Lovisa was complicated and believable, if a little irritating. But she was irritating in the right sort of way that a poor child in her circumstances might be. Despite her reaction to her trauma, I wanted her to succeed and find happiness. I liked her arc and her ending. With Giddon and Bitterblue, I liked them but they did not grow and especial amount in this novel. I enjoyed seeing Bitterblue as a queen because I loved her in previous books, but her arc alone was not worth writing home about. Lovisa’s father might have been the most interesting minor character, but he did not get a lot of page time.

Story Structure - 4/5

Most linear and multi-POV. Easy to follow in terms of narrator and sequence of events. There’s an element of mystery that isn’t incredibly surprising, but it drives the characters forward in a believable way.

Tone/Style - 2.5/5

As in my overall comments, my biggest complaint was the juvenile tone and the more “new adult” subject matter. The frequency of sex felt a bit odd and forced, when it did not feel that way in other books in this world. Lovisa did not read as a college student to me and even knowing that she was in college, I pictured her more as a early teenager as I read. Not sure why this was, but I can only assume it was in the tone of her narration. The story of this book could have easily been written at double the length if it had been written in a more mature style, so in terms of pacing, everything felt very rushed. This is all part of the juvenile feeling of the book, I believe.

World Building - 4.5/5

I love the world of the Graceling Realm. It’s interesting and fun. There was not a ton of time spent on worldbuilding in Winterkeep, so most of my ideas I think come from previous novels.

Representation/Diversity - 4.5/5

Quite a bit. Multiple characters are LGBTQ (mostly bi-sexual, including Lovisa). Skin tones are mentioned, often as a matter of course, and there are a variety. The cultures of the characters vary as they are from different continents, though they differences are very fantasy-oriented.

Content

No language, multiple sex scenes

My Final Thoughts

If you enjoyed Cashore’s other books, then this builds on them and you will likely enjoy it as well. I do hope that she continues to write, as I like this world and I will still read a fifth book if it is published. I still recommend this series wholeheartedly to anyone who likes YA fantasy.

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The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

My Overall Thoughts - 5/5

This is the introduction to a massive world. A 1200 page introduction. A compelling, intricate, deep introduction to what I can only assume is going to be an utterly ginormous book series. Brandon Sanderson can pull it off. I have no doubt. 

I picked up The Way of Kings several times before. I never made it past the Prelude. Now, I’m not incredibly anti-prologue or whatever…but I just never got hooked enough to move past the “okay” prelude into the honking novel that was The Way of Kings. Finally, my husband read it and he said, “Just keep reading. I promise.” And those kinds of promises always irritate me. Like, why can’t it just hook me from the get go? Why does it have to wait to get good? 

My ONLY complaint is that the prelude, when the reader is otherwise uninformed about the world of the story, isn’t that engaging. Going back, of course, after I read the book, the prelude makes perfect sense as the opening. What other opening could there be? But it did take me a while to muster up the will to move past it into the meat of the book. And I am so glad I did—as I knew I would be. The entire book might be an introduction to the Stormlight Archives as a series, but it doesn’t feel that way. Not in the moment. I was so involved with the characters, getting to know them and their stories and their place in this huge world…I loved it. And I came to love every narrating character for their own reasons. Kaladin and Shallan, from the start, I adored. And while it took me a little longer to love Dalinar, I came to look forward to his narration as well. Characters are what pull me into a story, and The Way of Kings does not want for character. More on that below. The worldbuilding is great, of course, and the magic system—what Sanderson is kind of known for—is complex and interesting and I still don’t feel like I’ve done more than scratch the surface when it comes to understanding it. I can’t wait to start Words of Radiance. And by that, I mean I’ve already started it. Started it moments after finishing this one. 

I read this on Kindle and also listened to the audiobook while running and biking and driving. Michael Kramer and Kate Reading (who you might know as the narrators for the entire Wheel of Time series…) did a great job. They are pleasant to listen to.

Very mild spoilers below cut.

Character Development - 5/5

The character growth from opening of book to closing of book was spectacular. This book does not stand alone, so character arcs are not complete and they are not meant to be. We get the building of several character arcs and each one is compelling and complex. Each one is unique, but feels authentic. 

We get much more of Kaladin’s backstory than anyone else’s. In fact, we get basically all of Kaladin’s backstory and basically zero of anyone else’s. I like that, honestly. Sanderson doesn’t slow down the book by trying to cram a handful of backstories into everything. For the other characters, the here-and-now matters far more than the “then.” We see Shallan grow and struggle and chance and she is interesting without knowing more than a scattering of details of where she came from. It works and it aids in making each character feel more unique because they are all presented to the reader through different methods. 

Story Structure - 5/5

Some people don’t like multiple POV books. I can understand why. It can be done very poorly. But Sanderson’s structure is basically flawless, especially for the scope of this series. With only three primary narrators, and a few others sprinkled in among the interludes (the short chapters between parts), it never felt like more than was needed. The stories, at first, seem unrelated, the only similarity between the characters being that they live in the same basic part of this world. However, as their stories go on and events unfold, we begin to see how they are tied together. We see how they will continue to weave closer together into the next book. The end of the book, when two of the “unrelated” narrators finally meet, I was just filled with joy at seeing them interact because I was finally able to see these two characters—whom I’d grown to love separately—thrust together and working together and doing everything just exactly how they should. It’s like when two of your good friends finally meet and they hit it off and you just can’t contain your happiness. 

Tone/Style - 5/5

Classic fantasy; timeless and elegant without being stuffy or outdated. 

World Building - 5/5

I can’t imagine having anything negative to say about Sanderson’s worldbuilding, like, ever. And this is especially true here. You get a feeling of the scope of this world without being overwhelmed or drowned in useless exposition. In fact, I never once—not in 1200 pages—ever thought, “Okay, let’s move past this exposition and back into the story…” That’s not to say he never broke off into exposition for a bit. But it does speak well of the writing when I didn’t notice it. 

Representation/Diversity - 4.5/5

Set in a fantasy world, so races and species are utterly different, though the Alethi are specified as “human.” Various skin tones are mentioned for many, if not all, the characters. Sexuality is not a topic of discussion in general, but all mentioned couples were heterosexual.

Content 

Sanderson writes clean stuff (he’s a devout Mormon). No content issues.

My Final Thoughts

I WILL GO READ WORDS OF RADIANCE NOW. BYE.

[hayleewritesaboutbooks]

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

My Overall Thoughts - 4/5

I had a difficult time putting this book down. That’s not to say I didn’t; my life is incredibly busy. But each time I did, I was like, “Nooooo…” But I was into the flow of this book like I haven’t been a few reads. It was nice. The prose is flowing, and a pretty easy read. I was invested in the characters in a way I didn’t really expect to be, given that I’d read about all of them before.

I picked this book up because of all the hype I’ve seen about Madeline Miller’s new book, Circe, which I’m also going to read soon. I’m glad I did. It has inspired me to go back to the source material and read me some Homer again. It’s been too long. This review is spoiler free!

Character Development - 4.5/5

It’s a little difficult to comment on the character development of incredibly familiar mythological characters, but even taking away one’s prior knowledge, Miller develops her characters incredibly well. Being that they’re well-known and almost archetypical, it might be easy to paint figures like Odysseus, Agamemnon, and Thetis with a broad brush, flat and very important. However, every character is distinct and unique. The growth of Achilles’ character from childhood to death is wonderful and interesting. The internal conflict, as well as the conflict between he and Patroclus toward the end, was engaging and interesting. I know it’s crazy, but the final third of the book with heated disputes between Achilles and Patroclus was way more interesting to me than the happy-go-lucky-ish, sooooo-in-love middle part of the book. The way to know if I truly love a character is that I love to see them suffer—suffer—for their “happy” ending. 

Story Structure - 4/5

No complaints, here. While starting with birth and childhood for a story about the adults for many stories means it’s starting way too early in the time line, this book is an exception partially because of how well-written Miller’s prose is, but also in large part because of the audience’s familiarity with the main chunk of the story. Starting so early was almost like the the prequel to the story you already know. But on top of that, this entire retelling is through the eyes of a lesser-known character, the whole thing feels fresh. 

Tone/Style - 3/5

I’m conflicted on this one, honestly, because unlike many books, I have wildly different opinions on the tone and the style. On the one hand, Miller’s prose is beautiful and poetic. Utterly fitting for a book like this. I sometimes found myself grinning at nothing other than the diction and song-like syntax. On the other hand, she switches back and forth between past and present tense—more than infrequently—and there are few things that irritate me more. Mid-chapter, sometimes mid-paragraph, we go from one tense to another and I rolled my eyes. I’m a little bias against present tense to start with; it feels juvenile and simple to me. But the switching…especially with no formatting change to signify a difference…ugggghhhhhh. It was used most often in intense moments, to show that shift in intensity. I get that. That doesn’t make it okay, in my personal opinion. 

World Building - 3.5/5

There was little to no focus on world building. What was present was not bad, and it all added to the story. But in this area, it seemed that the author did assume some prior knowledge of ancient Greece in the reader. 

Representation/Diversity - 5/5

So this is set in ancient Greece before and during the war with Troy, so one cannot really judge it on racial diversity. It was what it was. But the main story was of the romance between Patroclus and Achilles. Sexuality was interesting, as I, at least, had not thought about how such a relationship would be handled in this time period. Given Miller’s creditials, I assume her portrayal of the culture is accurate. 

Content 

A few fairly explicit sex scenes, both of homo and hetero couples. A few f***s were dropped.

My Final Thoughts

Highly recommended to all fans of Homer and Greek mythology in general. This fresh look at the events of The Iliad through a new perspective is fun. Some have compared Miller’s writing to Mary Renault, and while I haven’t any of her stuff, perhaps you have and that comparison rings with you. Cool. I’m off to add, not only Circe to my list of soon-to-read books, but The Iliad and Odyssey, too.

[nypl]

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For fun: The Age of Achilles by Madeline Miller

For study: Ulysses by James Joyce (audiobook)

For work: The Connected Child by Karyn B. Purvis, Ph.D.

What are you reading?

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The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett

My Overall Thoughts - 3.8/5

Okay, so I’ve never delved into Pratchett’s Discworld series. I wasn’t introduced to it until about ten years ago, and since then it’s sat no my to-read list without much acknowledgment. My only experience with Pratchett was in Good Omens, and I picked that up because of Neil Gaiman’s by-line as much as anything. I LOVED Good Omens. So after my recent very heavy read of Seveneves, I decided it was time to start the renowned hilarity of Discworld: a perfect series to sprinkling into my heavier reading from time to time. My feelings on The Color of Magic are pretty neutral, especially coming in with Good Omens in my mind. Good Omens was more directly funny, whereas The Color of Magic was underhandedly clever; not bad at all, but not what I was expecting. I enjoyed it, absolutely. And it’s gotten me more excited about reading further into the Discworld conglomeration of books. I loved Pratchett’s style and I spent most of the time I was reading this with an amused smirk on my face. *thumbs up* But the book itself mostly felt like just that: an introduction. If it had stood alone, I doubt I would have liked it so much. The time spent worldbuilding out weighed the time spent developing character or telling a story. And that’s fine for the entry point to a gigantic world like Discworld. I knew that going in, and I’m glad.

So for anyone who, like me, has wanted to dive into Discworld, but just hadn’t gotten around to it yet…or perhaps didn’t know where to start, pick up The Color of Magic and read along with me as I add more and more of Pratchett’s work to my have-read pile. 

Some mild spoilers under the cut.

Character Development - 4/5

I loved Rincewind from the get-go. The unwilling protagonist is a fun troupe, and Rincewind was no exception. I loved even more that he was the “reluctant hero” while not being a hero in the story by any means. He was just an escort for another character. Twoflower, also, is a fun character and their dynamic was enjoyable. There’s not a lot of character growth in this bit of the story, but I’m also aware that it’s just the intro to Rincewind’s saga. My next book in the series will definitely be Rincewind #2, The Light Fantastic. 

Story Structure - 4.5/5

The structure was straight forward. It was the opening to an adventure. And while that adventure didn’t end, and the book ended on a cliffhanger (or, rather, an edge-of-the-world-hanger), it had some sense of resolution, even with its open-endedness. 

Tone/Style - 5/5

Stellar, really. As I said before, not what I had really expected. Pratchett is funny in the same way that, like, Fawlty Towers is funny. With less slapstick, perhaps. And, hey, they’re both very British. I don’t think I ever laughed out loud, but I also grinned pretty much the whole way through. The wit is sharp and tongue-in-cheek. Both are things I love.

World Building - 4.5/5

World building is probably one of the book’s strongest suits, aside from tone/style. There’s a lot of exposition, but Pratchett’s voice means that this exposition reads as something very clever and you don’t really care that he’s just flat out telling you about the silly world you’re in. 

Representation/Diversity - 1/5

It’s British and it’s from the 80s. It doesn’t really care about diversity. There are people. There are dragons. There is Luggage. End of story.

Content 

PG language. Perilous situations. 

My Final Thoughts

Recommended to fans of British comedy, especially of the clever variety. If you need something light, humorous, and short to kill a bit of time, OR if you want to start a new expansive series that’s sure to make you smile, then I recommend picking up The Color of Magic. It’s a great jumping off point into Discworld.

[hayleewritesaboutbooks]

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

(Image source; another Norse Mythology review, but as I listened to the audio book, I didn’t have a book to photograph.)

My Overall Thoughts - 4.5/5

Neil Gaiman opens this book with his thoughts. He credits Norse Mythology with a great deal of his inspiration. In his touching preface, he discusses how much these stories have shaped him. In the audio book, which is how I experienced this book, his voice does so much for the tone of his already stellar writing style. The stories of the Norse pantheon, while not entirely new to me, were re-experienced and brought to life in a fresh way through the eyes of a writer who found them to be the inspiration for his work. I appreciated Gaiman’s handling of these old myths and it makes me want to read more of his re-imagining of classic tales.

Now, to be fair: I’m only mildly familiar with Norse Mythology. I’d heard summarized versions of some of these tales, but I am not well-versed in them at all. I’m not sure if knowing them better would have enhanced or detracted from my enjoyment of the tales. Who’s to say? But I know that given what knowledge I do have, I enjoyed this version. And I also enjoyed hearing more details from these stories which I’d only heard told briefly in the past.

Character Development - 4/5

This book, as it’s a collection of stories from myths—many of which we no longer have—assumes some level of familiarity with mythological style, if not these characters specifically. The introduction to the characters is quick, assuming that “Loki was a trickster” is enough for you to get him. And, honestly, it’s fine. It wouldn’t work for a piece of original fiction, of course, but that’s not what this is. The relationship between Thor and Loki is incredibly well written. I found myself chuckling at their interactions several times. As the stories went on, I honestly found myself enjoying at all more than I had originally. 

Story Structure - 4.5/5

This book is written as a collection of vignettes, well-known stories from Norse Mythology, mostly focused on Odin, Thor, and Loki. The collection of short stories work well for this book and does not feel choppy or purposeless. The stories follow a sense of chronology, beginning with Thor’s acquisition of Mjölnir and ending with Ragnarok. 

Tone/Style - 5/5

Perhaps the best part of any of Gaiman’s books is simply the fact that he wrote it. His wit, his voice (both his writing voice and his speaking voice), is smooth and masterful. His reading is almost hypnotic to listen to. He does not take any of the aspects of the story over the top, and he doesn’t have to. His subtlety works so well for this story.  

This is also the section that feels the most important of this review, honestly, because it is Gaiman’s largest contribution. He didn’t come up with the stories or the characters, but he did use his voice to tell us the stories. 

My Final Thoughts

I recommend this to any fan of Gaiman’s, of course, but I also think it would be a great place to dive in for anyone who hasn’t read him. With stories and characters that might be familiar, one can get a taste of who Gaiman is as a writer and be inspired to read more from him.

[hayleewritesaboutbooks]

The Not-So-Nice Goings-On at Victoria Lodge: Without Illustrations by the Author by Philip Ardagh

My Overall Thoughts - 4/5

Author Philip Ardagh writes silly captions for a collections of images from the 1891 issues of the The Girl’s Own Paper, a female-focused publication in the UK that ran from the 1880s through the 1950s. The publication was, I’m sure, a rather serious one. Ardagh, however, saw a very troublesome story evolving throughout these images and decided to write it all down. 

This bit of absurdest humor plays off of the Victorian Era illustations—the elegance, mystery, and drama—in the silliest way possible. It’s good for a chuckle. Given its nature, there’s nothing to really delve into in my normal subjects, character development, tone, structure, and the like. That’s not what this book is for. It’s a ten minute read that will likely bring a grin to your face, especially if you like Victorian-Era things.

Philip Ardagh writes children and middle grade fiction, as well as a few other of this type of book. Were I to see some of his in a bookstore, I would probably pick it up. 

[hayleewritesaboutbooks]

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson

My Overall Thoughts - 3.8/5

- The moon blew up without warning and for no apparent reason. -

To say that Neal Stephenson wrote a novel entitled Seveneves would be misleading. What Stephenson did with Seveneves is write an elaborate world-building exercise in the form of an historical account, sprinkled with a few moments of story. Now, from a technical and world-building perspective, Stephenson has written a masterpiece. The speculation offered: What might humanity do in the face of certain apocalypse…if they had two years to prepare? is thoroughly thought through and played with. It is, of course, debatable what humanity would do if we were forced to evacuate the planet in order to survive. But the ideas offered and acted upon through the cast of characters in this work is believable and—necessarily—faulty. Plans never go as you hope. Everything that can go wrong will. Politics weasels in a screws up otherwise perfectly laid plans. 

I cannot say that I enjoyed Seveneves. I really didn’t. I was intrigued, yes. Educated. Interested until the end. But it wasn’t a fun read. It was dense and technical and while I appreciated it, I didn’t really pick it up expecting to have fun. 

To compare it to other works of his: It is as dense as Anathem without any of the character development or anticipation of the climax. If you read and loved Snowcrash like I did, don’t pick up this book and expect anything like that. While I have yet to read Cryptonomicon (it’s on my list!) I understand the level of technicality and intensity to be somewhat similar. 

Mild spoilers follow under the cut.

Character Development - 2.5/5

This is where Stephenson suffers the most. I really shouldn’t even say “suffers” because I thoroughly believe that his choice to only mildly develop his characters was a conscious one. Where there are many character-driven books out there (and they tend to be my favorite), this book isn’t about that. It’s about the science and the speculation and WHAT IF. The characters were really just vehicles for exploring the what ifs. It’s not my favorite element of this book, the lack of character development, and I found myself clinging desperately to every moment of character delving there was. I’d read about an emotion and squeal with delight because I felt connected…even though it would be something minor, something that wouldn’t make me bat an eye in other books.

It’s interesting in that way, that because of the thin character focus, I appreciated every bit of what development there was on a very deep level. 

Story Structure - 3/5

On the one hand, everything that happened followed a relatively logical course. On the other, there’s not a simple story arc to point out. If you zoom out completely, you get this arc: Moon blows up (inciting incident), humanity struggles to figure out how to survive (rising action), humanity almost fails (climax), humanity doesn’t fail (resolution). But that doesn’t seem right. And it doesn’t really space itself out in the book in a way that would follow the proper “arc” shape. I mean, the listed climax and resulting resolution happens with over 200 pages left in the book. 

On the other hand, you have this really detailed account of some historical events and throughout the clinical, detailed account, you have a few sprinklings of stories. There’s a story involving Dinah and her relationship. There’s a story about Doob and his family. There’s a story about Julia and her…general seeding of dissension. There’s a story about Aida and the Swarm. There’s a story about Kath Two and her job as a scout. But none of those help move the main narrative forward. Not really. They were all too small. Every individual story is a microscopic part of the main story arc. 

*Major Spoilers in this paragraph!* One of the major complaints I have heard about Seveneves is that it doesn’t have an ending, that it just arbitrarily stops. Some people complain that it doesn’t keep going, others complain about the last third of the novel existing at all. However, upon finishing the novel I felt it ended incredibly well. There was a distinct sense of hope. And while the book does not really follow a traditional story arc, the “account” of this book ends, sensibly, once all branches of the human race have reunited. The Agent leads to division: the Spacers, the Diggers, and the Pingers; the conclusion of the story happens when all of humanity has come back together in (something resembling) harmony. I, personally, have no problem with that.

Tone/Style - 4.5/5

For what Seveneves is, Stephenson writes it well. He wrote exactly the book he wanted. Hard science fiction isn’t really meant to appeal to the masses, so the thick technical narration isn’t really a problem for its genre. Let me be clear: this book isn’t for everyone! Plenty of people, even long-time Stephenson fans, disliked it. That’s fine. I can see why. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a masterful piece in its own right. 

World Building - 5/5

Well, since this book (especially the final third) is literally about building a world, I’d say this one scores pretty high. While we open in a familiar Earth, we end over five millennia later to find a new set of human races as well as biologically engineered animals and planets. Even the atmosphere is man-made. It’s a fascinating look at how our world could become something utterly unrecognizable, both physically and culturally. Honestly, this book could be of great benefit to any serious worldbuilder who is willing to dedicate the time. 

Representation/Diversity - 4/5

Characters from various nations and cultures are represented and make up a large chunk of them “main cast.” There are also several LGBT characters. 

Content 

Some language and mild sexual content and conversations. Most everything, including sex, is handled very clinically.

My Final Thoughts

I totally see why this novel got so-so reviews. However, I found it impressive and fascinating. I recommend it to hard sci-fi readers and people who find the science and worldbuilding of novels equally interesting to the character and story. I’ll probably read something utterly ridiculous next to help shake up my very overloaded brain. Be prepared for a review of something silly coming soon!

[hayleewritesaboutbooks]

You know what would be nice, but also stupid? Waterproof books you can read in the shower.

My husband

[hayleewritesaboutbooks]

Almost done reading Neal Stephenson's Seveneves. I will have quite a bit to write about when I'm finished, so stay tuned!

[hayleewritesaboutbooks]

V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic (series)

(Photo above: Book #2)

My overall thoughts - 3.8/5

I really enjoyed the Shades of Magic series. I read all three back to back, without taking any break which usually says something about how engrossed I am in one or all parts of a story. For SoM, it was the characters all the way. The story was good, the world was fun, but Lila, Kell, Rhy, and Holland were the reasons I didn’t set this series down. 

I originally picked it up, not because of a personal recommendation or anything--I don’t even know anyone else that’s read it, personally--but because of Tor’s pervasive and relentless marketing. I saw ads for this series everywhere, it seemed like. Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr...you name it. And it has an eye-catching cover, so eventually I just broke down and drove to the library with the single intent of bringing this series home. So way to go, Tor marketing. You won.

Schwab doesn’t revolutionize anything here. There’s really no aspect with which I was thrilled with originality or artistry, but that’s okay. I don’t think that’s what this series was for. It was light and fun and made me add another handful of fictional characters to my list of most-loved.

I started out listening to the audiobook of this series, but about a third of the way through book one, switched to reading. While Steven Crossley’s narration and male voices were great, his “female” Lila voice was unbearable. I knew that if I kept listening to the audiobook, I would hate her character based solely on his reading. [Dear male audiobook readers: DON’T ATTEMPT HIGH-PITCHED FEMALE VOICES. PLEASE.]

Character Development - 4.5/5

The characters were my favorite part. They were the best-executed part. Even the minor characters were memorable and well-done. Holland was the most interesting, Lila was my favorite. She could have been cliche, pretty easily, and at first I thought she would be too boring because of that, but I never found myself bored with her. I never found myself bored with any of them. The Queen--Rhy’s mother--brought tears to my eyes numerous times, especially in her interactions with Kell. But I’m a mother of boys, so maybe that’s why.

Story Structure - 4/5

There was an easily identifiable story arc and the pacing in general was smooth. 

Tone/Style - 3/5

World Building - 3/5

The parallel worlds were cool, and never really tested my suspension of disbelief while I was reading. In post-reading contemplation, I did find that a great deal of the worldbuilding was arbitrary. Why are there four Londons, but not four of anything else?  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Meh. Sounds cool. 

Representation/Diversity - 4.8/5

Skin tones are almost always described, even light-toned skin, so that no color can be assumed as “default.” While much of this world was fictional, many shades of skin were represented.

Sexuality is fluid overall. Schwab herself said that in this world, magical hierarchy matters far more than heteronormativity. While the “main” relationship is a hetero one, other relationships get equally fair treatment. 

Profanity/Violence/Sexual Content: Sparse, but crude language; intense violence, fantasy and not; occasional PG-13/R sexual content

Best book in the series: A Conjuring of Light (#3)

Final Thoughts:

While this series isn’t going to be on my re-read list, I will definitely not pass up a chance to read other books by Schwab. In fact, I added Vicious to my to-read list. I am also looking forward to her future books set in this universe.