Thursday, July 30, 2015

2015 July Reading List



The Smell of the Night by Andrea Camilleri – Not as gripping as the other books in the series but still good. 4/5 stars

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.  E. Schwab – A bit too wordy, the real action starts only 30% in, and I didn’t need all the repetitions about how the worldbuilding works, but other than that it was a great book. 4/5 stars

Armada by Ernest Cline – Ready Player One was one of my best reads of 2012. I remember at the time wondering whether the author will stay in the same genre for his next book and whether he could write something just as good. Well, he did, and he didn’t. If Ready Player One felt like a strategy game, Armada feels like a first person shooter and I never really cared for those as I tend to find them mind numbing. I was 10% into the book when I first thought “This isn’t working.” The story simply isn’t engaging enough for me. Add to this the highly unbelievable core premises… and, of course, Ender! 3/5 stars

Half a War by Joe Abercrombie – I had trouble figuring out who was who in the beginning of the book. I didn’t care much for the new POVs and there was way too much fighting while ignoring more interesting plots like the elf mystery. One of my favorite characters died, and despite all his scheming that is merely hinted at, Yarvi is fading in the background. 3/5 stars

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake - I kept running into this book all over the place and avoided it because I wasn't keen on the title and the cover. It has a Supernatural vibe, many gory bits, but I didn't really care for the MC and the plot is rather thin. It works as a vacation read, I guess, but nothing more. 3/5 stars

The Dark Tower by Stephen King - I got bored repeatedly during the first half then it got better, but the characters started dying. I would have appreciated it more if King hadn't chosen the safe ending. I guess after such a long trip, it's hard to come up with something outstanding. 3/5 stars

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor - Interesting worldbuilding, overly stretched romance and cliffhanger. Mostly flashbacks and nothing much relevant happening. I was hoping to see more of Prague. 3/5

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