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cody_crumley's reviews
126 reviews
The Codex by Douglas Preston
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
1.0
Sacred Hospitality by Olivie Blake
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Alcohol
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
The second book for Harry Potter is a lot like the the first one, it is an easy read that goes by really quickly sometimes to the detriment of the overall book.
The highlight of this book is Gilderoy Lockhart and how he is used as a commentary on celebrity. He is perfect as the annoying teacher who is actually a fraud and knows nothing about what he is supposed to. The only thing that bugs me about it is why would Dumbledore hire someone that he knows is not a good wizard.
The book continues the themes of trying to figure out who you are and what makes you from the first one.
This book is just like the first book but a little less magical
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
"You will find that I will only truly left this school when none here are loval to me"
The second book for Harry Potter is a lot like the the first one, it is an easy read that goes by really quickly sometimes to the detriment of the overall book.
The highlight of this book is Gilderoy Lockhart and how he is used as a commentary on celebrity. He is perfect as the annoying teacher who is actually a fraud and knows nothing about what he is supposed to. The only thing that bugs me about it is why would Dumbledore hire someone that he knows is not a good wizard.
The book continues the themes of trying to figure out who you are and what makes you from the first one.
This book is just like the first book but a little less magical
Iron Gold by Pierce Brown
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
“If you are wise and lucky and live long as me, you will learn that pain is just a drop in the sea”…So feel all of it, boy, before time makes you forget”
It always seems to be a struggle to continue a series after an initial end point, and the fourth book in the Red Rising saga by Pierce Brown is no different. The first half of the book really struggled to get into gear and I think a lot of that is the introduction of having multiple POVs.
The chapters in the longest book in the series are broken up between four perspectives. Returning from the first three books is Darrow, now 10 years older after the time jump. He is still the most interesting perspective to me. Brown does a great job of showing how 10 years of war have drained this man, turned him into something he never wanted to become. You really get to see him struggle with leaving is family, and the distance that it has created between them.
The other perspectives lag behind, they include a Red named Lyria, who was brought out of the mines but feels left behind by the new Republic, Ephraim, former Aries member turned thief, and Lysander, former Lune who was next in line for the throne before the events of the first three books.
The non-Darrow perspectives get better in the second half once the plots start to develop, but the first half really struggled to get me to care about them. By the end they are all left in interesting positions that make good cliffhangers.
Overall I enjoyed coming back to this world and enjoyed the time jump, but I am still in a wait and see approach to see if continuing the series after what was a good ending in Morning Star (Book 3) was the right move.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Murder