kris.barilnik@gmail.com

Shelf

Not a critic, just emotional.
I don’t rate books, games or films by any fancy criteria — I’m not a critic.
Everything here is purely “did it make me feel something?” — and how strongly it did.

currently reading

The Book Thief

Kris' review will be soon…

Трудно быть богом

Kris' review will be soon…

read

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

★★★★★

Victoria E. Schwab · Eng · Goodreads

Never read anything like it. First book I’ve read by Schwab — and wow, she writes beautifully.

Onyx Storm

★★★★★

Rebecca Yarros · Eng · Goodreads

Sequel to Iron Flame. Had my heart stopping more times than I can count… and just pure heartbreak.

Iron Flame

★★★★★

Rebecca Yarros · Eng · Goodreads

The sequel to Fourth Wing. More politics, more scheming. So good it hurt.

Fourth Wing

★★★★★

Rebecca Yarros · Eng · Goodreads

Dragons. Magic. War college. The first in the series. Read it in a day and a half. Absolutely love it.

This Is How You Lose the Time War

★★★

Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone · Eng · Goodreads

Loved the concept, didn’t love the book.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

★★★★★

Philip K. Dick · Eng · Goodreads

Masterpiece. Gets you thinking about what’s real, what’s made, and how we treat the difference.

One Dark Window

★★★★★

One of my faves! A unique magic system based on cards and written in such a beautiful way.

Two Twisted Crowns

★★★★★

The sequel to One Dark Window. Still drop-dead gorgeous, still one of my absolute faves.

Beyond the Wand

★★★★★

Tom Felton · Eng · Goodreads

Sweet, sometimes sad, but a really interesting autobiography of Draco Malfoy (well… sort of).

Check & Mate

★★★★★

I love chess. And Ali Hazelwood writes healthy romantic relationships. It’s brilliant.

Лето в пионерском галстуке

★★★★★

Amazing atmosphere and strong camp vibes.

О чём молчит ласточка

★★★★

Kinda boring in parts, but not a bad sequel.

The Culture Map

★★★★★

Erin Meyer · Eng · Goodreads

Read this before moving to the UK to better understand people from all over the world. Highly recommend!

If We Were Villains

★★★★

Really liked the Shakespeare bits. Reminded me of Dark Pictures games.

The Cruel Prince

★★

Holly Black · Eng · Goodreads

Loved the idea — modern world meets magic. But the whole bullying-in-a-romance thing? Yeah, hard pass.

The Wicked King

★★

Holly Black · Eng · Goodreads

The sequel to The Cruel Prince. I bought all three books at once. Fatal mistake. I read it… still don’t like it.

The Queen of Nothing

★★

Holly Black · Eng · Goodreads

The sequel to The Wicked King. Not my cup of tea, again. But it’s clearly got fans.

The Hunting Party

★★★★

Lucy Foley · Eng · Goodreads

Surprisingly decent. Got a bit lost with the characters, but the atmosphere was spot on.

Red Rising

★★★

Pierce Brown · Eng · Goodreads

I don’t even know... The first third was amazing, and then the main guy just annoyed the hell out of me.

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality

★★

Eliezer Yudkowsky · Eng · Goodreads

Huge HP fan, love physics and logic — but this fanfic felt stuffy and boring.

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

★★★★

Victor Hugo · Eng · Goodreads

Loved the story and the characters, but all the architecture chapters felt a bit much.

The Lost Café Schindler

★★★★★

Meriel Schindler · Eng · Goodreads

Huge HP fan, love physics and logic — but this fanfic felt stuffy and boring.

waiting their turn