73% geek, the rest is girly bits.
I'm a shy lurker who enjoys friendly interaction but is bad at initiating. I like reading. Find me elsewhere at @73pctGeek@vmst.io and @73pctGeek@pixelfed.social
What my stars mean: ★☆☆☆☆ Hated it ★★☆☆☆ Didn't like it ★★★☆☆ It was OK ★★★★☆ Liked it ★★★★★ Loved it
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Reykjavik, 1918. The eruptions of the Katla volcano darken the sky night and day. Yet …
I didn't care for this at all. Not the kind of writing style I enjoy, and I prefer a narrative that is less slippery and has more substance. Also, I just didn't find it very interesting, but it gets bonus points for being extremely short.
Two time-traveling agents from warring futures, working their way through the past, begin to exchange …
Another re-read. First read this in 2020, and absolutely loved it but found myself a little less enamoured upon rereading. Still extremely romantic, and full of beautiful prose, but apparently I've changed and simply found it less engaging this time. This is definitely a “me” problem, however, and I'd still recommend this to anyone who enjoys lovely words, yearning, and science fiction.
An, at times, amusing thriller about an assassin who has decided to seek a different path. It was fine, but I didn't care much for the plot, the characters, or the slightly too many fights described in tedious detail.
Ultimately, I don't read thrillers often, they're just not my thing. This one wasn't layered enough to keep my attention, it felt a bit like eating popcorn, tasty but unsatisfying when what I really wanted was a nice chunk of dark chocolate.
The latest instalment of the Empyrean was a bit of a letdown, I found it less fun than its predecessors. It's shorter than Iron Flame, but so much has been crammed in it feels longer and slower, and drags on at times. Whole chapters could have been skipped without it affecting the rest of the plot much.
The main relationship's on-again-off-again aspect feels ever more contrived, and it's tiresome. The gallery of characters expands once again, but they are less well-drawn than before. I still enjoy the use of modern speech patterns, but the writing itself feels less fresh. I'd like a few new phrases, and I'd love to see fewer jaws tick.
The final chapters and the overuse of dragon ex machinas seriously curbed my urge to read more. I'll probably read the sequel, but I doubt it will be on publication day.
The daring, dazzling, and highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller The Song …
Another re-read. Following Circe's account from beginning to bittersweet end, Miller's reimagining tells the tale that might have, but never would or could have, been told by Homer.
While the prose is pleasing and lush, this retelling of a small part of the Odyssey offers a vastly different perspective than the original. An angle I like a lot as I am an incorrigible pushover for redemptive reframing of historically (or mythologically) maligned women.
I first read this about six years ago, and though I'm unsure whether I enjoyed it quite as much the second time, it was still a lovely read.
A bit of adventure and quick cash is all that good-natured drifter Anthony Cade is …
I've enjoyed various works by Christie over the years, but this is not one of them. The characters are flat cardboard cutouts constantly gibbering at one another. The plot somehow manages to be both tedious and ludicrous, and the denouement beggars belief.
I cannot believe this was once considered a good mystery with a satisfactory ending. Only finishing this through sheer pig-headed doggedness I realise now I shouldn't have bothered. Considering reading a Christie novel? Then I implore for the love of little kittens, please choose anything but this.
When Lauren returns home to her flat in London late one night, she is greeted …
Absolutely mesmerizing premise. One night Lauren stumbles, slightly drunk, back to her flat and finds a husband that she has no memory of waiting at home for her. The situation escalates quickly.
Interesting read, but unfortunately it's not an SF&F book. I didn't much care if there was an explanation to Lauren's predicament, there isn't. I did care about a strong finish, however. Sadly Gramazio doesn't deliver one. In all fairness I can't see a plethora of other ways it could have ended, but the one chosen was a little too… boring.
“The first year is when some of us lose our lives. The second year is …
Another re-read in preparation for Onyx Storm. The writing and characters are on a par with Fourth Wing, and the juxtaposition of modern speech in a fantasy setting still amuses me, but a lot of what I enjoyed about the first book is missing.
I'm not a fan of the push and pull of the main relationship, some plot points are telegraphed strongly enough to make Violet seem dim, the characters are a bit more foolish, and it veers towards the ponderous at times.
Overall, the worst thing about Iron Flame is simply that it's less fun than Fourth Wing.
Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among …
A re-read in preparation for Onyx Storm, which is due to be published at the end of January, and I didn't review upon finishing it the first time. Originally, I picked this up because I like fantasy and dragons, and was surprised at just how much I enjoyed it.
The writing is fine, the characters are well-drawn and easy to differentiate, the world building is good enough to please (albeit with a wobble or two), and it features a disabled protagonist. Also, dragons!
It's not Great Literature, but it was a fun read that had me racing through it. A re-read has also been surprisingly rewarding due to the manner in which the plot is structured.
The billionaire entrepreneur and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has become inextricable from the social media …
Fascinating account of the Twitter debacle a couple of years ago. Learning more about what actually went on behind the scenes was equal parts illuminating and enraging. Definitely worth a read!
Enjoyable fantasy novel about Orhan the engineer who happens to find himself in a city under siege. Unfortunately for him, it somehow falls to him to figure out how to defend it. Amusing, interesting, and quite educational for anyone interested in siege warfare! I liked it.
Transform Your Artistic Skills and Unleash Your Creativity with
Figure Drawing: Rhythm and Language of …
Thanks to NetGalley, I was able to read a digital ARC of Figure Drawing: Rhythm and Language of the Human Form by Gabrielle Dahms.
The book begins with a short introduction, then covers a wide range of subjects pertaining to drawing the human figure, and ending with an index. Though text-heavy, it is interspersed by a number of drawings in various styles, showcasing different techniques.
This is not for beginners or those wanting to learn how to draw. I'm not entirely sure who the target audience is. I suspect the companion workbook is needed to gain any real benefit, as the author seems more concerned with theory and contemplation rather than hands-on lessons.
In all honesty, it reads more as a love-letter to figure drawing than a manual in how to actually accomplish it. It's not a particularly instructive book. I'm glad to have read it, but I personally prefer …
Thanks to NetGalley, I was able to read a digital ARC of Figure Drawing: Rhythm and Language of the Human Form by Gabrielle Dahms.
The book begins with a short introduction, then covers a wide range of subjects pertaining to drawing the human figure, and ending with an index. Though text-heavy, it is interspersed by a number of drawings in various styles, showcasing different techniques.
This is not for beginners or those wanting to learn how to draw. I'm not entirely sure who the target audience is. I suspect the companion workbook is needed to gain any real benefit, as the author seems more concerned with theory and contemplation rather than hands-on lessons.
In all honesty, it reads more as a love-letter to figure drawing than a manual in how to actually accomplish it. It's not a particularly instructive book. I'm glad to have read it, but I personally prefer a more didactic style.
Fangirl is a young adult novel by Rainbow Rowell, published in 2013. Fangirl is Rowell's …
Quick read about a young woman navigating her first year of college, whilst trying to finish her increasingly popular fan-fiction series. Add in burgeoning romantic feelings, her twin's withdrawal, some parental drama, and an ethical quandary, you get an engaging YA novel. Excerpts from the Potteresque “Simon Snow” books, as well as snippets of Cather's fan-fiction, are interspersed throughout the text. Though, for me, it didn't quite stick the landing, it's an enjoyable read.
A singular new novel from Betty Trask Prize–winner Samantha Harvey, Orbital is an eloquent meditation …
This was so not for me, I'm shocked I finished it. A meandering contemplation of our planet as a group of astronauts aboard a spacecraft circle the Earth for multiple orbits.
Read for ruminations on the fragility and beauty of Earth as seen from space. Do not read for plot, characterization, dialogue, introspection or action, there is none. And, although the prose at times could be quite beautiful, most of the time it felt like wording for word's sake.
When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New …
A retelling, or perhaps a reimagining rather, of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” from the perspective of Jim, the enslaved man that joins Huck for a portion of his adventure.
I really enjoyed this. The book is well-written, and James, in particular, is an agonisingly well-drawn character. The final lines gave me the good kind of chills. Read it, it's very good.