Ricky Pine's Blog, page 75

Review: Reign of the Fallen

Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The fact that a book like this exists - a YA fantasy with not only bloody disgusting, bloody awesome necromancy driving its core story, but also a bisexual lead and several other queer characters besides - is great enough.

The fact that I kept on reading even when one of my near-instant faves bought the dust and my ship wound up torpedoed just as I was afraid it would be? (Because my ships so rarely sail, and this is no except...

Review: Magicians Impossible

Magicians Impossible by Brad Abraham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This first Brad Abraham book I've read, it reads like a bit of a combo of Lev Grossman's The Magicians - unsurprising, given its title and the fact that it's a bit of a fantasy parody, though more urban than high, and far less grimdark - and Joe Hill's Horns, particularly with the flashback scenes to our hero's adolescent amateur stunt work. But I found Magicians Impossible to be better than either of those books, especially becau...

Review: Draw the Line

Draw the Line by Laurent Linn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've seen this book on the shelves at work a few times, and eventually, I convinced myself to pick it up on account of its pretty promising artwork and also the promise of a relatable queer protagonist. Laurent Linn delivers on both, though not without a few glitches. Some of which lay in the realm of this book being quite long - 500-plus pages for a debut contemporary YA, seriously? But also because as much as the book brings quite a bi...

Review: Truly Devious

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Really more of a 3.5, but I'll round this one up to a 4 - and hope that my generosity helps speed things up on the still-upcoming fourth and final Shades of London novel. Or maybe not, because it looks like Johnson's gonna be prioritizing this series instead - and yes, it's planned as a trilogy, at the very least, which explains the massive cliffhangers right at the end, including one that had me laugh out loud from mingled surprise,...

Review: Thunderhead

Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The first book of Shusterman's Arc of a Scythe was pretty slow to start, but the sequel, Thunderhead, builds so wonderfully on its predecessor's world-building that it somehow feels like the first book is just so much prologue. But really, for this series, we're averting Sophomore Slump but good. Sure, it's a bit long and slow at times just like Scythe was, but that's because Shusterman makes room for a ton of complexities and characters,...

Review: Batman: Nightwalker

Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Never thought I'd live to see the day when my five-star streak for Marie Lu books ended. (Well, in hindsight I'd probably rate The Midnight Star four stars, but I'm talking about reading a Marie Lu book and getting an instant five-star vibe here.) I think the main reason why Batman: Nightwalker didn't click for me as well as I was hoping was, not unlike The Midnight Star, it was just too short a book to let Lu's strengths truly shine....

Review: Invictus

Invictus by Ryan Graudin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think this one's my favorite Ryan Graudin book yet. More connectable than The Walled City and more expansive in its historical and temporal scope than the Wolf by Wolf duology, it's also the most complex book I've seen Graudin give us. Not for nothing does it earn the comparison to Fringe, and also perhaps to A Thousand Pieces of You, but all condensed into a single story. Really, I'm hashing pissed this is only a standalone.

Perhaps the big...

Review: Radio Silence

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I got myself to think this book had autistic rep, but - correct me if I'm wrong, but it doesn't really mention that on the page. Oh well, even if not, I headcanon Aled as autistic anyway. And hey, Radio Silence is damn good about not skimping on the rep of any kind, particularly given that it's narrated by a girl who's bisexual (

Black Panther: In Which Wakanda Is The World's Role Model

***NO SPOILERS FOR BLACK PANTHER, BUT SPOILERS FOR PREVIOUS MCU MOVIES, ESPECIALLY CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, ABOUND HEREIN. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.***
As I said last time I reviewed a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, it says a lot that the weakest link of the third phase so far has been Doctor Strange. And with the first of three big 2018 MCU releases now out and dazzling the world, Black Panther continues that trend of MCU excellence. But it also highlights black excellence every...

Review: The Cruel Prince

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sooooooooooo...I think this is my third attempt at trying a different Holly Black book, and while I surely like this one better than the earlier books of hers I've tried (Tithe and The Coldest Girl in Coldtown), that doesn't really say much when neither of those other books were anything special to me, and this one, while not a total failure for me, suffered from being equal parts infuriating and boring. Mostly because of the title cha...