squishies's reviews
2179 reviews

The Sandman Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones by Neil Gaiman

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Ooooh boy, so the culmination of the stories have come to a head.  Bloody Lyta Hall.  I felt sorry for her, but I sure as heck didn't like her.

While the art style is different to the other volumes / issues, it was quite well-suited.

I wondered who Dream had a relationship with and didn't really think it'd be the witch lady - bit of a surprise.

Never thought I'd ever say this, especially what The Corinthian died, but he came in <em>clutch</em>.  Damn.  

I really did think the kid was dead, but huh interesting...
The Sandman Vol. 8: Worlds' End by Neil Gaiman

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

Another short story compilation, though I think of all the short stories, these were my favourite lot (plus there were some sly cameos in there which was kinda fun).

Also loads of foreshadowing (writing this after reading Volume 10).  SO. MUCH. FORESHADOWING. Sadge.
The Sandman Vol. 7: Brief Lives by Neil Gaiman

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

4.5

Finally we find out what happened to the missing brother, Destruction.

Poor Orpheus and poor people Destruction used as his warning system.
The Sandman Vol. 6: Fables & Reflections by Neil Gaiman

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adventurous hopeful reflective slow-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

I definitely prefer volumes where the issues came together as one big story, but most of the short stories were interesting at least, particularly about  poor Orpheus.  
The Edge of the World by Steven Lochran

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adventurous emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

3.75

I found it hard to get into the first quarter, as I floundered to remember what had happened in the first 2 books and who was who... So I felt I was more suspicious of everyone that seemed vaguely sussy.
None of the people I was suss about (ie Edgar and Zeke) were actually up to no good and those I had no suspicions turned out to be the sussy bitches.  Though honestly, I'm sure Lochran did make them seem suspicious just to keep us on our toes. 

The first time it was mentioned that Tempest had crusty eyes, I wondered why it wasn't being treated and maybe that was why it was so cranky.  I was really glad that Joss actually addressed poor Tempest's eyes and fucking sad it died in the end.  Poor thing.



A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Such a cosy, slice-of-life read with a touch of existentialism.  

Love Dex and Mosscap's dynamic.

Pretty interesting world-building too - that we reverted back to simple mechanics and a more eco-friendly community when AI became sentient.
The Sandman Vol. 5: A Game of You by Neil Gaiman

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adventurous dark mysterious sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I loved that this whole volume is dedicated to Barbie's dream story - it was so good!!

I wasn't sure where things would go; the story definitely kept me on my toes.
Beard Science by Penny Reid

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

That was a pretty fun instalment of the Winston Brothers.

I thought Cletus was pretty weird from the other books, but he's pretty cool.  I remember Jennifer mentioned in the other books and had already felt sorry for her.

I just picked up this instalment without knowing it was her and Cletus' story, but it's become one of my favourites from Reid.

Reid tends to get a little too unrealistic (yes! Even for a trashy romance.  Look, I tried to read Elements of Chemistry earlier, but it was just so... over-the-top that I couldn't), so it was nice to see a more "grounded" story. 
The Butcher's Masquerade by Matt Dinniman

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adventurous challenging dark funny sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

It's unfortunately been too long since book 4, so I struggled a bit to remember some things (like how they met Samantha and what the deal was with the halflings, where honestly I still haven't worked that out still).

Carl has definitely become more hardened (or rather it's more apparent in this instalment) and seeing him use the ring so much gives me mixed feelings - all those extra stats are great, but man, at what cost :T

I'm sure I've forgotten important, underlying politics of the Dungeon Crawl, so while it's been talked about more, I'm not super sure of the significance of what's happened.  I mean, is this overall good for Earth / humans or will make us worse off?

What I know for sure is I'm awfully worried about Donut, now Katia, in line to be the Sultanate. Fuck, that's a mess and a half.

Also, poor Miram and Pony.  I can't believe Pony worked out how to skip the entirety of Floor 7. Fudging crazy.


Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

What a wonderfully cozy read!  I loved this weird world of spores - it's so neat!

Nothing was really surprising, plot-wise, but it was well-written with a cast of likeable, if not interesting, characters.
Thought it was terribly amusing that Ann just needed <em>spectacles</em> to shoot properly!


I was the one of many that backed Sanderson's KickStarter campaign (shall I be obnoxious and say that I backed it <em>before</em> it went viral? Hahaha).  The base campaign was 4 secret ebooks to be sent out every quarter in 2023 - this was the first book and I'm hoping the others will be just as good as this. Excited to find out!