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theultimatenonbinarynerd · 1 year ago

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Mel's 2023 Reads 🎉🎉Tier List🎉🎉

F Tier

I would consider this tier the You Sucked Tier

These books all disappointed me in major ways. Some were just two short and underdeveloped whilst Insurgent was just a crime on humanity. It committed Character assassination badly and really underplayed abuse.

I was not the audience for the Leia book as its clearly for kids who aren't old enough too watch the Star Wars films.

Honestly I've had a pretty decent year F Tier is thankfully been minimal.

D Tier

I would consider this the Very Underwhelming Tier.

Sorry Marvel fans the Spider-Gwen comic would be higher if I didn't start with issue 5. It was cool okay I saw it at universal and went mine!! I also apologise to Good Omens fans. As a huge fan of the show I just didn't enjoy it. It works a lot better as a TV show. It was too crowded and I wish similar to the High Republic that there was individual pov chapters.

Allegiant I'm suprised I enjoyed it more then Insurgent but it didn't character assassinate Tris character but instead had weird new characters because the villians in the last book were defeated. I cried and the ending so therefore it belongs in D Tier. Old As Time was the most disappointing out of all of the Disney Twisted Tales I was expecting more. Some really good ideas that weren't fleshed out properly. I also found Belle really unlikeable in the first half of the book. I also wanted more Enchantress, her being Belles Mum was fascinating. Would still recommend though it has a beautiful message.

Again not bad for being one of the lowest tiers.

C Tier

I would consider this tier the Enjoyable But With Huge Flaws Tier.

The two books here I enjoyed but have too many major flaws holding them back. I'm suprised that there aren't more but then again 2023 has been a great reading year so I shouldn't.

Look I'm a new to the World of FNAF so I may not be able to accept weirdness. I also accept and respect The Creator didn't expect his game to be popular and as a result is new to writing but the second Fazbear Fright Book Fetch whilst improving on Into The Pits flaws had its own flaws to the point I couldn't put it further. Don't be angry FNAF fans.😰

I adored the Bullet Train movie and was super excited when I found out that it was a novel originally. But the outdated language, highly visible fatphobia and transphobia meant I couldn't put this any higher. I don't care the year it was published, call me a Snowflake but as a Trans Nonbinary Plush Sized person I do not want to read stories that mock my existence, so it's going in C tier. Still a really good story though.

I'm happy that most of my 41 reads ended up in B, A and S Tier

B Tier

I would consider this the Loved It But Could Have Been Better Tier.

Only six books in this tier again it's very surprising how many books have dodged this tier. I loved also this books but they had wasted potential and could have been better. They definitely would have been in A and S tier if they were.

I hope FNAF and Star Wars fans aren't angry at me but Darth Plagueis and Into The Pit absolutely deserve to be in B Tier. I loved Darth Plagueis as my first legends novel but the pacing was garbage fire. I would have much preferred a Trilogy where Book 1 is Plagueis's Backstory and Training With Darth Tenerbous till he kills him. Book 2 is Plagueis Grooming Palpatine to be his apprentice and then Book 3 takes place a few years before and then during Phantom Menace. It would have made the book feel less like 3 books squished into one. As for Into The Pit well, all three protagonists we're insufferable especially Millie in Count The Ways and the stories as a whole are to vague for me. The ending of Into The Pit had me scratching my head. I'm hoping I have a better time with the Tales Series.

As for the comics I haven't even Read Phase 2 yet so I was way too lost to properly enjoy The High Republic Adventures it also in genuine felt way to short. I loved Maz and Dexters appearances though. 2024 is looking to be the year I delve more into Doctor Who extended media with Big Finish having their first fifty stories free on Spotify but 2023 was a good start. Seventh Doctor comic was a pick up from the library and it was good but it also felt way too overcrowded with characters so in B Tier it goes.

I will come back to Plagueis someday and see how it goes but for now I'm super happy with my decisions.

A Tier

I would consider this the Amazing But Not Peak Tier. All the stories I really liked but they just missed a single step preventing it from being S Tier. Nine stories again which shocks me as it shows how generous I am.

Again hoping that fans of these novels are meant. I loved seeing my favourite prequel film turned into a Shakespearian play but unfortunately but unfortunately the source materials flaws stop this from being rated higher. It has however got me excited to read the orginal Trilogy Shakespeare plays.

Would have loved to put The Story Book Of Legends higher as well as it was very enjoyable and brought back alot of nostalgia for me involving Ever After High as it was basically my childhood but the world building is very nonchalant. It feels like if I hadn't been a fan of the orginal show I would have been dreadfully confused. I hope the next two stories in the Trilogy are less alienating when I get to them.

Bloodline and Spider-Man Hostile Takeover are definitely gonna be the most controversial. I loved Bloodline as a Leia Stan but I do not love Disney assassinating Leia and Han's relationship be like Satine and Obi-Wan. Leia even gave up being a jedi for her family. I just don't think that Han would listen to Leia and stay away whilst she's going through so much. Han would never be satisfied with only a video call. As for Hostile Takeover, Liss really messed up with one of the characters Anika she felt tropey and stale, only there to be Peter's over love interest option. Hostile Takeover is such a good Spider-Man story but Anika really let's down this book for me. Echo was written brilliantly I don't understand why Anika couldn't have been as well.

Congratulations to the books in A tier for coming very closer to S Tier though. 🎉🎉

S Tier

Welcome to the Peak Writing Tier it feels like I just give books the S Tier too generously but trust me when I say that these books have absolutely earned it. These books blew me away and are the reason why I've had to do a Tier list instead of a ranking. I'd mention all the books if I could but then this post would go on for hours so I'm just gonna mention three.

Claudia Gray dominated this year and has honestly become one of my favourite authors. The way she writes Leia is so masterful and awesome. Leia Princess Of Alderaan shined and hugely redeemed Holdo as a character for me. However as usual The High Republic lands on top as usual. Into The Dark By Claudia Gray blew my mind in all the best ways possible. It gave me a rollercoaster of emotions and I enjoyed the smaller cast of characters alot. Each character arc felt well done and hugely earnt. As a Star Wars fan I can say your missing out if you don't check out The High Republic in my opinion its so much better than the sequels cos all the writers actually sat down and talked with eachother laying out a clear plan. Peak Star Wars with amazing representation.

I got to go to my first authors talk this year and it was amazing. The Many Half Lived Lives Of Sam Sylvester is a book I wish I could have shipped off to younger Mel who had been bullied in High School for their Autistic traits and was so confused about their identity. Maya MacGregor is such a lovely person and a great author it was a privilege to meet them. They really did the queer Autistic community the representation we deserved. And their next book which I won an arc copy of was just as good. I will be following more of their stories in the future they deserve the hype.

Finally When Our Worlds Collided was an emotional book that brought out the rage in me. I hope this book gets put on the GCSE English curriculum and replaces the harmful stuff such as Of Mice And Men. As a lighter skinned biracial person I was heartbroken realising the struggles and injustices Black teens might face in the UK. I loved Chantelle, Jackson and Marc and how they managed to come together through tragedy and help eachother through their battles. So glad that I impulsively bought this July 2022. Everyone needs to read this especially if you are White. Read diversely people it's important.

Conclusion

Overall 2023 was a great reading year I'm excited to try dip into more nonfiction and fiction in 2024. I'm also listening to Doctor Who Big Finish this year which means my 2024 tier list will certainly be larger next year.

Here are my storygraph and goodreads if you want to follow me.

Goodreads: Melody Soundy

Storygraph: melsage1823

-Melody-

They/Them

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hongism · 2 years ago

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hello bestie!! its been such a long time aaa i know i've been gone for months. i did some traveling and relaxing but now i'm back! i said id do an analysis on moc 45, but i just read 46 and i HAVE to get my thoughts out on it. ill also read the third chapter of blood masquerade soon hehe >:) but i hope youve been well! i see you have a lot of projects for yourself and wips—im very happy for you <3 ive been doing a lot better too since ive been on break. but without further ado, moc 46! - siren

hello beloved my darling siren i’ve missed you dearly!!! i’ve been gone as well no worries huehue TT im glad to hear you got to take some time for yourself and got to travel and relax that sounds so lovely 🤧 i have been taking a break myself as well so im slowly slowly working back into being active and getting back into the swing of things here hopefully 🤧 NOW! let’s get into the MEAT OF THINGS 🍽️

Firstly, the MC and Wooyoung. We get a lot of backstory and context from Wooyoung about the life that they've lived, why Seonghwa is different from them, and sirens in general—plenty of interesting exposition. However, the main thing I want to focus on is Wooyoung's character development from when we learned that he killed another siren to now, where we get to hear his full POV on everything. It's interesting to see his emotional growth thus far and his overall awareness of himself.

this chapter was really forward with the exposition on many fronts, i think i called it the ‘talking chapter’ quite a bit but that’s really what it was! and moving forward, we’ll see a lot more of that siren lore and discussion coming forward as well! i think what’s omst interesting about all this coming from woo is also knowing in the back of our minds that this is growth he achieved alone, he didn’t have yeosang after their argument and no one else knows what he is aside from seonghwa, who was preoccupied, and yn who was absent.

This chapter really puts into perspective the weight of everything he's had to go through, and the fact that he's carrying trauma from both himself AND the MC. I don't think it's selfish to feel angry that she forgot everything, even if she couldn't control it, but here we sort of see the stabilization of Wooyoung's emotions and, again, coming to terms with everything. He's in a better place now on the crew, but the MC showing up probably turned everything upside down for him. A BIG theme this chapter is acceptance and closure. Wooyoung is honestly one of my least favorite characters because of how volatile he can be, his arguably unhealthy relationship with Yeosang, and the way he chooses to handle his problems. But flawed does not mean bad. He is one of the most flawed characters, but I think that makes him so much more interesting. We can see his mistakes and how he slowly grows from them and accepts them. It doesn't excuse things, but he is growing. That much trauma will do stuff to you. It's understandable why Wooyoung is so flawed, even if his past actions aren't excusable. But again, he's in a more stable place now, and he's able to open up to the MC in a way he can't do with anyone else because now she remembers. They're both still figuring out their powers, but the bond they've shared for YEARS is finally getting mended again—that inexplicable bond where you're closer than blood. This closes old doors but also opens new ones.

i think this is a super good point as well, the idea that wooyoung had so many years to work through the loss of mc then suddenly she’s back in his life but not only that, she doesn’t recognize him or remember him or anything at all, and while it’s clear that she’s not fine, she’s clearly not carrying the weight of what wooyoung knows both of them went through. this theme of acceptance and closure will carry through to the next chapter as well and throughout the end of the act but i’d say aside from mc, we see yunho and wooyoung handling their issues in the most unhealthy ways. and now finally we can see some growth in him where now that mc does remember and now that yeosang took that step back from him, he can see himself and reflect and see where he’s gone wrong, and he can find some proper footing to move forward in a better way. while things between him and mc, as well as things between him and yeosang, could possibly never go back to being exactly the way they were, we’ll see wooyoung learning to cope with that as well as well as see the consequences of his actions to grow from it too.

Also, everything that's happened with Yeosang and the MC makes things so, so, so much more interesting between them. I LIVE for that relationship where he just wants to hate her so badly, but he CAN'T. It's so good I'm ascending. I can't wait to see how things develop and resolve between them BECAUSE YES. I also wanna go a little out of order and talk about Minho and Jisung first before I get to Hongjoong because there's so much I wanna dissect about that scene omg.

from the very beginning the number one question i’ve gotten is ‘why does yeosang hate mc so much’ and it was AGONIZING to keep that knowledge to myself for SO long but to finally reveal this is why and to see people look back at acts one thru five and see the ‘oh that’s why he did/said that!’ is sO SO SO good for me as a writer to see that payoff unfold i ADORE seeing it!

So, the whole Minho interaction just DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME. He's obviously a little loopy and drugged up from what we can see, but WHY would Jisung do that? Maybe Minho has tried to escape before and there have been consequences, but why now? When the MC visits Jisung in the barn, he's given up. He knows he's lost, so he has to let everything go. The risks are greater than the reward. Unless he's that great of a manipulator, which I don't put past him, but I have another theory. This might be a bit far-fetched, and I may be completely wrong, but what if Hyunwoo hurt/drugged Minho under the guise of it being Jisung? At the end, we see things have taken the turn for the worst when Hyunjin shows up to the barn instead of Yeosang, and we know Hyunjin has been working for Hyunwoo. Again, maybe Jisung is just an A-grade manipulator and he's in on everything, but this is the theory I'm gonna stick with for now. I think Jisung is a bad person, but not the worst person.

as we know, i can never have a character who is Fine:tm: and minho is the prime example of that in what we know about him and what we will learn moving forward with him is what pushes his buttons and all that so while i can’t say much without spoiling, i think you’re onto something with saying that jisung is a bad person but not the worst person, and minho is obviously under the influence of something but we’ll see that come into play more in time!

There's still a lot about Hyunwoo we don't know, and he may be a worse person than Jisung. Hyunwoo was the one that administered the serum, he was the one that wanted to appear dead in the MC's eyes, he was the one that sent Hyunjin to tail her. Jisung is a narcissist, pretty much a yandere, and puts his wants higher than the risks. But he would never put the MC in harms way. We saw that on his ship, when she harmed herself in front of him, etc. But what do we know about Hyunwoo? All we know about him is what Jisung says about him and the skewed memories that the MC has. I think there's still a lot hiding behind that saccharine display. He just threw the MC's trauma back in her face, and Jisung said that even if Minho refused to give the MC the serum a second time, Hyunwoo is still very capable of doing it. He might've wanted to pass the guilt to someone else, but maybe he still has plans of giving her the serum. THERE'S SO MUCH WE DON'T KNOW.

i think the BEST way to describe hyunwoo’s character is that mc has been looking at him, or rather the memory of him, through rose-colored glasses all this time, and while i understand why everyone has such strong feelings of hatred towards jisung, he is also the one removing those rose-colored glasses for her because he knew that even if he told her the 100% truth about hyunwoo and who he really was/is, she wouldn’t have believed it. so you’re VERY MUCH ONTO SOMETHING

And before I get into that bath scene with Hongjoong, I just have to say I'm surviving off these MC and Jongho CRUMBS 😔. I- I love their relationship so much it's so cute and amazing, like PLEASE. I will always be the biggest MC and Jongho enthusiast THEY ARE MY FAVORITE. I can't wait until they see each other again it's gonna be so great. ANyway, enough fangirling I'll get into my favorite scene of the chapter ehehe

i AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY 😔 i know there’s hardly enough jongho and mingi present in the story but jongho and mc have such an endearing and precious relationship and once we move past some of this HEFTY STUFF!!! we’ll get to see more of that and get into it more 😔💓

Hongjoong and the MC's relationship is such a complicated thing. It's a lot of pushing and pulling and it's similar to Yeosang and the MC? But, like, x10 intensity. I think it's really interesting how Hongjoong brought up the MC's hero complex, which is something I didn't even realize she had until now. As a reader, we tend to root for the good and for good things to happen that we don't realize when they "shouldn't" happen. They're criminals, not heroes, and the MC isn't the captain However, she keeps making these decisions that she honestly pushes onto Hongjoong and gets upset when he says otherwise. But he's right. She can't save everyone. Not everyone needs to be saved, either. And I think it's turned into the MC thinking she's the hero, while unintentionally seeing Hongjoong as the villain or as an antagonist when they're both on the same side. He's always an "obstacle." He's an obstacle when solidifying her place on the crew, when saving others, etc She wants Hongjoong to take her seriously and treat her like the rest of his crew, but also for him to use her as a "tool" (if I remember correctly) because she doesn't want to develop a close relationship with him. Because he's an obstacle. An antagonist to her plans. They are parallels to each other, but at the same time, very similar personality wise. Thinking of all their interactions, besides the more serious ones, I really think Hongjoong's just playing a big game with her.

hongjoong and mc by FAR have the most complicated relationship. i mean, it’s safe to say that hongjoong’s relationship with ANYONE on the crew is complicated but mc makes things a whole lot more complicated on her own too, but another big thing is that hongjoong very clearly does not hate her as much as she hates him or as much as she THINKS he hates her? and everyone dunks on hongjoong for refusing to cooperate with her but it’s exactly as you’re saying: she’s not the captain, she doesn’t make the decisions, and she is constantly pushing things onto him because she wants to save everyone around her. i really think you’ve hit the nail pretty much on the head in this view of how she sees him and how he treats her in return. hongjoong is very aware of how she contradicts herself and how much she flip-flops on what she wants, and he knows how to get under her skin because of it. the reason he keeps demanding respect is because he sees all this himself and he wants her to see it too, which is why this conversation was so huge for the two of them

I'M SO SORRY I THINK I SENT TOO MANY MESSAGES IN A ROW IT SAID I HAD TO WAIT FOR AN HOUR I THINK I'M JUST TOO EXCITED SO SORRY AGAIN, But yes, maybe it was obvious to everyone but me but I think Hongjoong is just playing a bunch of games with the MC. He's twisting her words, teasing her, and throwing things she said back in her face just because he can. She probably reminds him of a younger version of himself? He cares for her and accepts her in his crew, but she hasn't done the same. I don't think the MC has fully accepted herself as one of the crew or Hongjoong as her captain. So in the meantime, he just keeps messing with her because it's funny LOL. But he was reluctant to give her to Jisung and in the end he chose to save her, and I think that speaks volumes. The whole bath scene while also being spicy 😳 was there for them to be more open? Not me finding the metaphorical meaning behind being naked in a bath LMAOO, But it was there for them to be more truthful.

NO BUT THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT THE BATH SCENE WAS FOR SDLKFJSDLKF like yeah whew tension spicy ! but also what better way to visualize the idea of baring your soul to someone than to be literally naked before them. im glad you caught that and picked up on it PAST THE SPICINESS! because it really was that, it was meant to be this tearing down of the walls between them that they wouldn’t usually be able to get past without having a conversation in a debatably intimate setting!

They're putting both of themselves out there to each other, maybe more so Hongjoong to her, and the scene is there to show the cold harsh truth that the MC needs to hear, and pokes fun at the way the MC villainizes Hongjoong while putting herself on this sort of heroic pedestal (despite the fact that they are both criminals). There's also foreshadowing in the way that the MC *will* probably open up to Hongjoong and try to fix him like she's done with everyone else I think even regarding Hyunwoo and Jisung, she's led herself to them and put herself in situations she doesn't necessarily want to be in because of her savior complex. Hongjoong recognizes all of that, but she isn't ready to accept it. She continuously puts herself, and by proxy, her crew in danger because she's doing things based off her own moral obligations. Being good isn't always the right thing, especially when you're criminals. It's kill or be killed in their world.

and for the first time i think we really see some raw honesty from hongjoong, some baring of his soul where others aren’t involved. we’ve seen him talk about seonghwa, about yunho, about the mutiny, but here now we’re seeing him talk about hongjoong. and he’s very clearly playing with her idea of him as a villain and he’s throwing that savior complex in her face as a way to say ‘look we’re on the same side whether you like it or not’ but he’s also teaching her a harsh lesson that yeah they’re criminals, they’re not good people, and she is not a good person inherently so she’s not better than him in any regard

Okok that's my analysis!! That was way longer than I thought it would be ALKSDJASLK But I hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts just as much as I love ranting about them LOL. I'll be around more often now, and I can't wait to read the newest chapter of blood masquerade! Also, I didn't fully get into the spiciness of that bath scene but just know I WAS SCREAMING OK. It fr knocked me out. 🧎‍♀️ Anyways, have a good day/night. Let's talk soon!! <3

i had SO MUCH FUN READING YOUR THOUGHTS AS ALWAYS <333 i love love love reading rants and talking through the hefty stuff ehehe im glad you enjoyed and that you had so many thoughts to share with me 🤧💕💞💕💞

not me rethinking everything i wrote for moc 46 likE IM SO RUSTY I HAVENT TOUCHED MOC IN MONTHS 😔😔 if anything doesn’t make sense.. uhh ignore it HDKAHKDS IM STILL GETTING BACK INTO THE LOOP - siren 🤡

LKDSFLJKDFLJK PLSSS NOOOOO I SWEAR IT MAKES SENSE IT’S ALL GOOD I PROMISE PSDLFDFJAIO i loved reading all your messages and getting to respond to them <3333

#mists of celeste #moc: spoilers #siren anon

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