Wow, this book. I haven't taken so long to read something in quite a long time, but it was worth it. Immediately, the prose and command of the world hWow, this book. I haven't taken so long to read something in quite a long time, but it was worth it. Immediately, the prose and command of the world hooked me, and the qualities I initially loved were fleshed out and present throughout the entire story. Bardugo clearly has an amazing ability to weave discrete and complex storylines together, disrupt and reset the status quo, and keep secrets from both the characters and the reader. Finishing this book was like unraveling more and more depth, making the painful and wonderful parts all stronger. The only things keeping it from a perfect rating are the sheer number of details that I had to remember and the very graphic descriptions of injury and bodily harm. Overall, though, this was excellent. I can't wait to read the next one.
Content warnings for xenophobia/racism, trafficking, child abuse, injury and medical content, violence, war, betrayal, genocide, addiction, slavery, and murder (all frequent) as well as bullying, guns, addiction, confinement, illness and child death, sexual harassment, and brief ableism and drug use.
Used for 2024 r/Fantasy Bingo (criminals, hard mode); also fits for first in a series, entitled animals, multi-POV (hard mode), character with a disability (hard mode), survival (hard mode), judge a book by its cover, and book club....more
The beginning of this book had me hooked, fully convinced that it was going to be a five-star read. Historical fiction, memoir, a witty and strong femThe beginning of this book had me hooked, fully convinced that it was going to be a five-star read. Historical fiction, memoir, a witty and strong female heroine, adventure, and a dash of fantasy? It was a perfect recipe. Unfortunately, the contemplative and slow pace dragged for me, and it also took me out of the feeling that the protagonist was writing a memoir of her life. It's nitpicking, sure, but who remembers details back that far when decades have passed? Switching between minute tidbits and her current opinion as she looks back, it fell into a weird category that ultimately didn't resonate as strongly. If you can tolerate a slow pace and some very graphic animal injury/death, it might be for you. I won't continue the series but am glad I read it.
Content warnings for animal cruelty and death (frequent), injury and medical content (graphic), violence, illness, kidnapping, and miscarriage.
Used for 2024 r/Fantasy Bingo (entitled animals, hard mode); also fits first in a series (hard mode), set in a small town, survival (hard mode), and reference materials (hard mode)....more
Spicy yet wholesome? I felt instantly transported back to the universe of the first book and enjoyed my stay. Even from another POV, this was immediatSpicy yet wholesome? I felt instantly transported back to the universe of the first book and enjoyed my stay. Even from another POV, this was immediately recognizable as a continuation and made me feel all of the same feelings I had originally. I love this depiction of vampires and would gladly read more in this vein....more
Just like the first, this sequel is wholesome, joyful, and celebratory in a way that is infectious. Klune has created such memorable and charming charJust like the first, this sequel is wholesome, joyful, and celebratory in a way that is infectious. Klune has created such memorable and charming characters that were so fun to see again. I enjoyed getting a little bit of a different feel by reading from Arthur's POV this time, though I must say that his internal monologue got a little too cheesy for me at times. But hey, I won't begrudge anyone their happiness and love. There is a bit of idealism in this novel that I don't imagine will be for everyone, but why not escape to a place that's better than reality? I don't know that the first book needed this one, but I'm glad I read it and had a nice time. The children and cat are my favorites.
Content warnings for violence (brief), emotional abuse, and family trauma....more
Wow. Whatever is making this show up on my radar more than a decade later, the attention is well-deserved. I was absolutely smitten by the dark, evocaWow. Whatever is making this show up on my radar more than a decade later, the attention is well-deserved. I was absolutely smitten by the dark, evocative imagery that reached out of the pages and lodged itself into my mind. Using second-person narration was a clever and perfect choice that amplified the horror even more. There's not a lot to say about this book besides that it was excellent. Simple, effective, and memorable. I couldn't ask for more.
Content warnings for confinement, bullying, guns, graphic murder and injury, car accident, and fire....more
Another fun Fablehaven adventure! This one noticeably includes darker themes right from the start - a friend mentioned that sometimes books "age up" tAnother fun Fablehaven adventure! This one noticeably includes darker themes right from the start - a friend mentioned that sometimes books "age up" to follow their audience as the series continues, and I think this does that. Even so, it has a lot of the core elements of adventure, character growth, and fun. I struggle to keep up with the pace of so much happening, and it does feel sometimes like there are details that matter less than others due to how much happens within the span of a short time. It's been a pretty fun ride, though, and there are definitely parts of this book that surprised me as an adult! I look forward to the next book to finish the series.
Content warnings for animal death (graphic), injury (graphic), car accident, betrayal, confinement, ableism (brief), death (frequent), kidnapping, and suicide....more
If you took the story of Glee but replaced cringe with charm and subbed magic for singing, I think you'd get this universe. Theory, Texas is a unique If you took the story of Glee but replaced cringe with charm and subbed magic for singing, I think you'd get this universe. Theory, Texas is a unique place where anything can happen, and the author really explored that in this story. With such a variety of situations and a wide cast of characters, it was hard not to find something enjoyable in here. At times, I found the POV jumps to lean more nonsensical (distracting) instead of nonsensical (fun), but it's a good time overall. For me, focus could have shifted slightly to include fewer characters in more depth rather than covering as many as possible to varying degrees. Tyler's imagined world added less to the story than I think Marissa's spelunking or Jesse's character discovery would have. Not to mention some of the other mysteries... I have a lot more questions about Tyler than just what's going on in his imagination! Because of this, the plot never felt extremely strong; I knew where we were going moment-by-moment but never understood exactly what was the main goal of the group. It was clear where the inciting incident, climax, and falling action happened, but I couldn't have identified what exactly led us there. Generally speaking, though, the personality and fun outweigh my complaints, and this book wins an easy prize for the best self-published book I've read so far. (Typos and grammar issues were frequent, though, so I recommend the author finds someone to be an editor. Most frequent were comma splices and run-on sentences, but the worst offender was when Nicole became Nichole only for the last 100 pages.)
Content warnings for child abuse (brief), mental health, animal death, bullying, and sexual misconduct (brief).
Used for 2024 r/Fantasy Bingo (self-published; hard mode); also fits set in a small town (hard mode), multi-POV (hard mode), under the surface, , and romantasy (arguably)....more
Most people have probably heard something described as a "fever dream", which I often feel is hyperbolic. Here, it feels like exactly the right term. Most people have probably heard something described as a "fever dream", which I often feel is hyperbolic. Here, it feels like exactly the right term. Reading this book is like being out of your sane mind and wondering what could possibly be happening as you conjure images of depraved, unbelievable shit. Though it certainly reminds me of both Heathers and Jawbreaker with the evil schoolgirl vibe, there is something deeper and more sinister in this book. Following women who are a little older (25, I believe) definitely helps, but there is also a sense of discomfort (positive) that comes from not knowing why anyone would act the way they do. Certainly a metaphor or deeper meaning is happening here, but I couldn't tell you what it is. I've never read anything like this and will definitely remember it. It's well-written from a structural sense, but the plot choices themselves are beyond me. Can't say I had a good time, but I certainly had some time. Read this if you want an absolutely wild ride and a unique look at success, friendship, fitting in, and more.
Content warnings for gore (frequent; graphic), drug abuse (frequent), bullying, gaslighting (frequent), animal abuse and death (frequent; graphic), disordered eating, car accident, murder (frequent; graphic), loss and grief, suicide, self-harm (graphic), injury (frequent; graphic), assault, ableist/racist slurs (brief), kidnapping & confinement, abandonment, cancer, and whatever I meant when I wrote down "violent crime".
Used for 2024 r/Fantasy Bingo (dark academia, hard mode); also fits entitled animals, set in a small town (hard mode), author of color, and Eldritch creatures (hard mode)....more
More than anything, the character work in this book is excellent. You decide if you like the premise - I could suspend my disbelief as a vehicle for tMore than anything, the character work in this book is excellent. You decide if you like the premise - I could suspend my disbelief as a vehicle for the story, but a friend of mine could not get past it. No big deal for me. To begin, it's an absolutely wild and intense concept which only gives way to more unbelievable and harrowing things as the Family structure unwinds. It pulled me in and had my attention from the very start.
Unfortunately, the pacing took a dip in the middle when the author introduced a second POV for only a couple of chapters. While the perspective was interesting, the narration turned into telling instead of showing, and it caused some inconsistent character moments while the audience caught up to the author. I wish the stakes had stayed high instead of fizzling out prematurely during some badly-placed exposition.
Overall, this book is an graphic but realistic look at how far someone will go for love, what family means, and the value of your own conviction.
Content warnings for mental health, assault (frequent), domestic violence, misogyny (frequent), sexual violence, gore (frequent), murder (frequent), child neglect, vomit, surgery, kidnapping, torture (graphic), human trafficking, homophobia (brief), infanticide, and cannibalism (graphic).
Used for 2024 r/Fantasy Bingo (author of color, hard mode); also fits criminals (hard mode), character with a disability (arguably hard mode), survival (hard mode), and judge a book by its cover (hard mode)....more
If you are squeamish, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. The author put a content warning in the beginning of the book - yay!- but it failed to convey the severitIf you are squeamish, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. The author put a content warning in the beginning of the book - yay!- but it failed to convey the severity of the issue and also left out one of the persistent themes throughout (graphic descriptions of body functions). My initial thought was to rate this book a little higher, but I took the rating down when I had to skip multiple pages for fear of being ill.
Anyway! What a book. At first, I wasn't a fan of the narration style here; it's detached and follows a stream of consciousness that I struggled to enjoy when I didn't know much about the main character. Eventually, I warmed up to the book as I got to know Ren and her life better. Maybe that's the point, though... Nothing else gets the focus her lifestyle does, not even Ren herself. The author is clearly talented in portraying visceral, almost confusing situations that are shocking as much as intriguing. I picked up this book on a whim after liking the cover but don't often read horror. Though done well, I wouldn't personally recommend this book but can appreciate the brutal, vivid look at the intersection of identity, belonging, and missed connections. Was any of it real?! Edited to add: I'm glad I saw the comparison to Melissa Broder; that is exactly the vibe this feels like.
Content warning for mental health (frequent), addiction, drug abuse (frequent), fatphobia, sexual assault, vomit, racism and fetishing, animal death, inappropriate adult/child relationships, injury (graphic), self-harm (extremely graphic), disordered eating (frequent), and graphic descriptions of body functions (frequent)....more
As an adult, it should not have taken me quite so long to finish a book made for middle school kids. Lots of trademark Fablehaven qualities are in thiAs an adult, it should not have taken me quite so long to finish a book made for middle school kids. Lots of trademark Fablehaven qualities are in this book - Seth is reckless, more magical creatures exist than you know, and everyone can turn good or bad at any time. Unfortunately, I think that's where the issues were, since it never felt fully unique or developed as a story (and even repeated some very similar plot points from a previous book). Action started immediately, which never gave me a chance to grasp exactly how or why things were happening. Named characters and new settings were introduced as important but incredibly fleeting, making me wonder if they couldn't have been written better. An answer to a critical question is handed to you at the end, which only tops off my feeling that the tension was massively mishandled.
I still wish this author would stop othering people - referring only to someone's skin color when they are non-white and calling Tanu "the Samoan" is gross every time. For now, I'll continue the series, but it's going to need to pick up.
Content warning for bullying, injury, animal and human death, and suicide (brief)....more
1.5/5 - One of my college professors said that any repeated bit in a story needs to have intention and serve a different purpose than the time before 1.5/5 - One of my college professors said that any repeated bit in a story needs to have intention and serve a different purpose than the time before it. I wish this author had taken that advice. Clearly, there is a stream-of-consciousness happening in the narration, but it's so literal that we spent multiple paragraphs describing the length, style, and amount of tangles in the protagonist's hair. (Even so, I never knew what color it was until the last few chapters of the book. Yes, we do keep talking about his hair across the entire thing.) Agony. Then, there's the element of telling instead of showing. Nothing is left to the reader's perception; instead, every thought is spelled out on the page, sometimes in ways that even distract from the story. One example is when a character gets up to hug someone - it was not worth stealing focus from an emotional moment to share that they had a bowl in their lap and tried not to spill it. Toddlers are the only ones asking these questions. A real line from the book: "It felt as if it had been thousands of years since she had last felt such a thing. It had been thousands of years since she had last felt such a thing." (Chapter 17)
Similarly, the choice (if I can call it that) to switch POV characters added nothing to the story. A few pages are spent on the companion of our main character as well as on a few of his brothers - yet, all of these perspectives add up to the same content. Tamsin sad, journey hard. Worse still is the entire section dedicated to his lover, Klara, reminiscing about how they created the world together. The tone is narratively passive and feels more like a dreamy retelling than anything actionable. Tell me, how does it make sense to interrupt the hero's return for that? I must also mention the grating repetition in Klara's section. Filler sentences are constant, adding to the passive feeling, like there's not enough known information and we have to make up the missing pieces. In particular, if I had to read one more version of "people still sang now, but nobody Sang [magically]", I was about to lose my mind. It was included at least 25 times. This is terrible writing and completely lost any focus and plot it had managed to build.
The only things giving this book 1.5 stars are the concept - I do like the general idea of a bloodied warrior having to learn to be soft, and this did lead to some charming, tender moments - and some of the prose. When isolated, it was pretty. I did also enjoy the mentions of gender fluidity, as two characters were so close that they often imitated each other with no concern.
All in all, it's not the worst book I've ever read, but it is near the bottom. Genre preferences aside, I cannot recommend this in good faith.
Content warnings for death, war, injury, and grief.
Used for 2024 r/Fantasy Bingo (bards, hard mode); also fits multi-POV (hard mode), published in 2024, self-published, and character with a disability (arguably)....more
Sure. I see what this book tried to do. Sagan had a very ambitious idea to set up this multi-layered "what is reality?" type of environment with interSure. I see what this book tried to do. Sagan had a very ambitious idea to set up this multi-layered "what is reality?" type of environment with interwoven characters, relationships, and settings, and I can see the intent. Unfortunately, the balance is off. He attempts to make this character-driven by having the premise and narration from Halloween's point of view, but the universe is so complex that it takes pages and pages (and pages and pages) of worldbuilding to come together. For some, I can see that being fun to unravel, especially in real time as Halloween recovers from his amnesia, but the execution felt subpar to me. So many elements within this book are interesting and intense - forgotten identity, a murder mystery, and more - yet, the tension was minimal at best. Bored was the feeling that frequently came to mind, and the story only grabbed my attention at the end when I finally learned what was real. By then, my overall interest had come and gone, and I only finished the book for completion. Neil Gaiman's endorsement on the cover really steered me wrong here!
Content warnings for overdose, suicide, animal death, misogyny, colonialism, war, injury, self-harm, murder, racism, guns, illness, confinement, vomit, abuse, pandemic, taphephobia, bugs, miscarriage, and child death.
Used for 2024 r/Fantasy Bingo (judge a book by its cover, hard mode); also fits dark academia (arguably), prologues & epilogues (hard mode), eldritch creatures (hard mode as as far as I know), survival, and dreams. ...more
I have finally come to a part of the series I never read as a child! More than the others, this one felt like a disconnected story that existed just bI have finally come to a part of the series I never read as a child! More than the others, this one felt like a disconnected story that existed just because. Of course, I knew that there wouldn't be a resolution one of the big issues at this point in the series, but the main conflict of the book really just came and went. Even in a series for kids, the tension can be better managed (and has been in the other books), whereas this seems to have had very little consequence on the world at large. Plot here was more of a side quest, if you will. I'll still continue the series because they are very easy reads, and I'd like to safely recommend them to younger people in my life. Crossing my fingers that we get to revisit the angel that is Clawdia the cat ...more
4.5/5 - If you can give yourself over to the silliness of a multiverse romance, I highly recommend this. What sticks out the most is the earnest, comp4.5/5 - If you can give yourself over to the silliness of a multiverse romance, I highly recommend this. What sticks out the most is the earnest, complete character work; everyone is believable and multi-faceted, which made it so easy to slip into their perspectives. This book made me laugh, roll my eyes, audibly gasp, and cringe. I enjoyed seeing the two characters (at least one of whom was older, having a college-aged kid) navigate through love, identity, and happiness. It was charming and fresh, and I love the way it balanced realistic elements of society and politics with what could be. Only one hiccup held it back - with overlapping characters in different timelines, it could be difficult to switch POVs and remember which version I was observing. It didn't take me out of the story for long but did leave a few small gaps where I simply accepted that I couldn't remember. Ah, well.
Content warnings for suicide, loss & grief, infidelity, fatphobia, domestic abuse, guns, family trauma, and brief self-harm....more
First thing that sticks out to me about this book is the language. It's stunning. Poetic, dreamy prose and vivid imagery sets a beautiful scene for a First thing that sticks out to me about this book is the language. It's stunning. Poetic, dreamy prose and vivid imagery sets a beautiful scene for a story that spans multiple worlds. I wrote down more quotes from these pages than I have in a long time. Another positive is the flow; action moves smoothly and often, which keeps things interesting. It's tempting to say that the narration here was good, too, because it almost was... Characters were rich and believable, but worldbuilding and structure choices made it hard to fully connect. There's a story-within-the-story that takes up over 100 pages (at least a quarter of the book) and provides a lot of interesting background. Problem is that I didn't sign up for that full story. I think the journal entries could have been trimmed significantly and gotten the same point across. Plus, for realism, who writes flowery metaphors into a journal, anyway? It took a lot of time and didn't fully advance the story for me. The author also made some clunky choices in building the world and setting, particularly the time period. I don't think the early-1900s setting made much of a difference, making any mention of racism toward January particularly jarring and unnecessary. She had plenty of purpose and character depth without making overt difficulty regarding her race. Despite some complaints, this is good. I liked all of the components, some quite a lot, but I wish they had come together a little more smoothly.
Used for 2024 r/Fantasy Bingo (small-town setting, hard mode); also fits prologues & epilogues, alliterative title (hard mode), and judging a book by its cover....more
A friend described a book once as being "mostly vibes", and that's the perfect description for this. The language is beautiful, moody, and ethereal, aA friend described a book once as being "mostly vibes", and that's the perfect description for this. The language is beautiful, moody, and ethereal, and it sets the tone well for an overall theme of loss and missed connections. However, it's not just that, and I think ambition outran the author here. In addition to a romantic story of reminiscing, there's a plot of terrorism and climate change that, while really interesting, is not able to reach its full potential. The two genres really fight for attention throughout, meaning that the tension of each kinda fizzles out by the end. Choosing an epistolary format was cool at first, but it ended up keeping distance between the two halves so they never quite met. The lovely prose really saved this and made it palatable, but I wanted the plot to get more focus.
Content warnings for mental health, illness and injury, terrorism, animal death and injury, apocalypse, loss, and mention of sexual assault.
Used for 2024 r/Fantasy Bingo (book club, hard mode); also fits small town (arguably), multi-POV, prologues & epilogues (hard mode), survival (arguably), reference materials (arguably hard mode), romantasy, and judging a book by its cover....more
The concept here was really cool, and I liked how understated the writing was to allow the reader to fill in the gaps. Coming to your own realizationsThe concept here was really cool, and I liked how understated the writing was to allow the reader to fill in the gaps. Coming to your own realizations seems to amp up the horror. Two or three frame transitions were confusing and made me go back, which I don't love in a work so short. Overall, though, this was a neat story that I'd consider continuing, though this volume stands alone well.
4.5/5 - As I always say with anthologies, it's unlikely that every story will resonate with each reader. That said, I was delighted to have so many hi4.5/5 - As I always say with anthologies, it's unlikely that every story will resonate with each reader. That said, I was delighted to have so many hits from this collection! I made positive notes on 24 out of the 31 unique stories and will be happily following a bunch of new authors. The mix of topics, narration styles, and genres made this very satisfying as a whole, and it was clear that each author was chosen with intention. In particular, I loved getting to read multiple stories about disabled characters in addition to neurodivergence, queer characters, and people of color. Diversity was clearly important, and the editor really put that on display. Highly recommend.
Content warnings throughout for ableism, illness, death, fatphobia, war, parental neglect/emotional abuse, family trauma, kidnapping, mental health, injury, and apocalyptic situations.
Used for 2024 r/Fantasy Bingo (five short stories, hard mode); also fits disabled characters (hard mode, I'd argue)....more
One of my favorite words I've learned in recent years is 'glib', which is basically style over substance. This book fits the word perfectly. Multiple One of my favorite words I've learned in recent years is 'glib', which is basically style over substance. This book fits the word perfectly. Multiple great elements are here - beautiful prose, imaginative plot points, an impassioned theme over everything - but it never quite comes together for me. I can appreciate getting to the action quickly, but the plot began before I even understood whose story I was following; it never grabbed me to take me with it. Chapters last only a few pages, making the whole book read less like a story and instead like a series of vignettes. Lastly, while I love elevated diction, it faltered at times and took me out of the story. (E.g. "Some trickery will be required. That's where you come in." These two lines do not belong together to me!)
I found myself enjoying parts by focusing on individual stories, but the structure as a whole bored me and felt disjointed. Feminist retellings are wonderful and necessary, but this book spent a lot of time telling me how important equality is and didn't seem to develop far beyond that.
Used for 2023 r/Fantasy Bingo (set in the Middle East); also fits angels & demons (hard mode), published in 2023, mythical beasts (hard mode), myths & retellings (hard mode), and queernorm (arguably, hard mode)....more
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