User Profile

3.5 ⭐, the slog is real

Der Papierpalast ist ein gutes Buch. Definitv ein solider Roman für den Sommer. Ich habe es gern gelesen, mich auch darauf gefreut es abends nach der Arbeit wieder in die Hand zu nehmen. Und trotzdem komme ich nicht über die 3-3,5 Sterne hinaus.

Die Vielzahl an Traumata und Unglücken, die die Charaktere aus dieser Geschichte erfahren, wirken teilweise echt wie Lückenfüller um die Handlung in die Länge zu ziehen. Nur die wenigsten davon sind wirklich relevant, meiner Meinung nach.

I can't put to words how good this story is right now...if ever.

The Fires of Heaven diverted even further from the established formular than The Shadow Rising did, and I liked it even more!

More like 4.5 stars.

Where's my boy Perrin, though?!

At first, I thought this is going to be a fun, short while read with social commentary, regarding sexism, the role of women in a work environment and gender roles in relationships. But at some point the narrative...shifted. This book became a story about denial, loneliness, alienation and change. It gave the book a whole 'nother layer.

I enjoyed Emu Yagi's debut novel very much. The translation was good - it "flowed" well and there were some beautifully written passages.

Things are starting to get slow but a lot of things happened at the same time, don't know how to explain. Things are starting to get much, MUCH grander too.

There were story bits (especially Rand's and Mat's trip to Rhuidean) I couldn't stop thinking about.

This might be the first book in this series where the ending was not my personal highlight. This place goes to Perrin's arc and Nynaeve's face off with Moghedien.

I really dig Perrin's and Faile's relationship and this might set me up for heartbreak later.

I actually feel quite a bit accomplished that I managed to read through Lord of the Rings this year.

Even though the last book in itself is a 5 star read for me, I wouldn't say atm that LOTR is one of my favorite fantasy stories yet.
This is partly because it really drags and partly because I always let some time pass between books. In my opinion, you have to take this story in one piece. Some of the book endings just feel like the end of a chapter.

There will be a time when I read the 3 books back to back and possibly my opinion will change then.

PS: Frodo x Sam best romance I read this year

As usual in Wheel of Time novels, all the plot threads that have diverged over the course of the book are conveniently brought together in the last 50 pages or so. The ending, of course, is once again bombastic and kind of deceptive in its own way.

I feel like I got a better understanding of the characters' intentions in this book. Robert Jordan has woven these strands of thought into the story in a way that is at times even Dune-esque. But characterization or not. The amount of braid tugging Nynaeve did in this novel is astonishing. -1 alone for that, geez...

The next book is widely considered the pinnacle of the series. I'm excited to see what's in store.

Eine Studie in Scharlachrot ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

- comfort read

Das Zeichen der Vier ⭐⭐⭐

- Basiert auf zu vielen racial stereotypes um diesen Fall vollends zu enjoyen, obwohl die zugrunde liegende Geschichte sehr gut ist. Die besonders rassistischen Passagen werden im Glossar klar benannt und eingeordnet:

"Die Bezeichnung Schwarze*r (im Original wahrscheinlich anderer slur, idk) ist an dieser Stelle als unreflektierte und rassistische Aussage zu bewerten. Die so bezeichnete Person wird auf äußerliche Merkmale reduziert und auf dieser Grundlage mit negativen Assoziationen behaftet. Die bedienten rassistischen Stereotypen sind in keiner Weise tragbar."

Chapeau Coppenrath Verlag

Once you start grasping some of the bigger picture, "This is how you lose the time war" is actually quite a ride.
The prose sure is beautiful but overly complex at some points, if you asked me.
The Sci-fi world which lies beneath is fascinating. This just wasn't the story to expand on it.

Glorified game of geocaching!

I enjoyed Leigh Bardugo's excursion into adult fantasy. The setting of the old houses was exciting and felt like a magical homage to the dark academia genre. One or the other (important) character has very rudimentary motivations and some backstories felt like they came right out of a template book, but that didn't stop me from diving into this new world. Even if the finale seems a bit like a fever dream. I am looking forward to a sequel.