Who needs Game of Thrones when you've got Medieval politics.
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Woman. Swedish. Nerdy child of the early 80s. I love stories. I love reading them, writing them, watching them, and I love playing them.
Fantasy is my great love, but I'll occasionally dabble in well-written novels, mythology, folklore, and non-fiction. Don't ask me about Nordic Noir. I don't read the stuff.
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Xenodike rated Demon lord of Karanda: 3 stars
Demon lord of Karanda by David Eddings (The Malloreon -- bk. 3)
The company must track down Zandramas, who has stolen Garion's baby son and plans to use him in a plot …
Xenodike reviewed Sveriges medeltid by Dick Harrison
Xenodike rated The henna artist: 4 stars
Xenodike rated The year of less: 2 stars
The year of less by Cait Flanders
"In her late twenties, Cait Flanders found herself stuck in the consumerism cycle that grips so many of us: earn …
Xenodike rated Himmelstrand: 3 stars
Xenodike reviewed Medici - Ascendancy by Matteo Strukul
Review of 'Medici - Ascendancy' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
This is the first novel in a historical trilogy about the Medici family following three of it's most iconic and well-known members; this one follows Cosimo Medici, the second Lorenzo the Great, and the third Catharina Medici Queen of France. The trilogy is available in its completion in the author's native Italian. This edition is the English translation released this August (2019).
This is not a book for history novices. I imagine it would be hard to follow without a basic understanding of the renaissance, famous Italian artists from the era, Italian city-states, and the major historical players mentioned.
This book never really grabbed my attention. I found myself zoning out during listening but never felt compelled to rewind and catch up with what I'd missed. To be honest, I forced myself to finish it because, having already given up on my two latest reads, I didn't want to DNF …
This is the first novel in a historical trilogy about the Medici family following three of it's most iconic and well-known members; this one follows Cosimo Medici, the second Lorenzo the Great, and the third Catharina Medici Queen of France. The trilogy is available in its completion in the author's native Italian. This edition is the English translation released this August (2019).
This is not a book for history novices. I imagine it would be hard to follow without a basic understanding of the renaissance, famous Italian artists from the era, Italian city-states, and the major historical players mentioned.
This book never really grabbed my attention. I found myself zoning out during listening but never felt compelled to rewind and catch up with what I'd missed. To be honest, I forced myself to finish it because, having already given up on my two latest reads, I didn't want to DNF a third book.
Although the historical descriptions were good, many of the characters felt flat. The author is obviously biased in his description of the historical characters. The Medici's are clearly a favorite without any truly unlikable traits among a sea of dishonest, amoral, and corrupt characters.
The female antagonist was one dimensional, with a backstory that felt unrealistic and cliche; childhood abuse and repeated rapes though forced prostitution turning her into a dangerous and manipulative femme fetal.
The sex scenes felt unnecessary; most served no purpose other than having another blowjob scene where a woman is humiliated.
I didn't hate this book, it was average. It paints a believable picture of the time and Florence, but I doubt I'll read the next installment.
Xenodike rated Girls of the Mahabharata 1: 3 stars
Xenodike rated Monstress, Vol. 2: 4 stars
Monstress, Vol. 2 by Marjorie Liu, Sana Takeda, Marjorie Liu (Monstress, #2)
Maika, Kippa, and Ren journey to Thyria in search of answers to her past... and discover a new, terrible threat.
Xenodike rated The folklore of Discworld: 3 stars
Xenodike rated Life Less Throwaway: 3 stars
Xenodike rated Handling the undead: 4 stars
Xenodike rated Little Star: 3 stars
Little Star by John Ajvide Lindqvist
A man finds a baby in the woods, left for dead. He brings the baby home, and he and his …
Xenodike rated Unseen Academicals (Discworld, #37; Rincewind #8): 3 stars
Unseen Academicals (Discworld, #37; Rincewind #8) by Terry Pratchett (A novel of Discworld)
The wizards of Unseen University in the ancient city of Ankh-Morpork must win a football match, without using magic, so …
Xenodike rated Codename Villanelle: 3 stars
Codename Villanelle by Luke Jennings (Codename Villanelle, #1)
Villanelle (a codename, of course) is one of the world's most skilled assassins. A catlike psychopath whose love for the …