Nico

Let me start with this was one of my most anticipated books of the year. In fact, anything by Hopkinson is on that list now after I listened to Falling in Love with Hominids earlier this year - I absolutely fell in love with that short story collection and I want to consume everything Hopkinson's mind created and will create. So this book, wow. It's a sci-fi, fantasy tale that follows a young girl as she grows up. It is not a teen/YA book and it is not a comfort read. It is brutal and truly horrendous things happen, but it is also magical and heartwarming and beautiful. If you like magical creatures and mixed genres, don't mind reading about some tragedy, and just want to pick up an excellent audiobook, I highly recommend this one. Last I'll say I think not only is Hopkinson underrated, but also under-read. the Midnight Robber only has 3,000 rating and Hopkinson's most read book (the award winning The Brown Girl and the Ring) just over 5,000. For someone who has been publishing for over two decades and won multiple awards, that seems way too low. Not sure which Hopkinson I'll pick up next, but this one is a 5 outta 5 stars from me.

I feel the same about this as I do “The Chosen and the Beautiful” by Nghi Vo: it's a retelling of a story (in this case Lovecraft's “Horror at Red Hook”) and without having read it or any Lovecraft I did not appreciate this as much. I didn't find this a solid novella and I think the storytelling in LaValle's novel “The Changeling” is stronger. I liked the novel so much that LaValle's other works are still on my TBR.

Audio review: I think It's been a while since I've read a book with such spellbinding storytelling, dripping in atmosphere and elaborate lore. The plot was unnerving, yet rewarding. It reads like a folktale - with actual interludes featuring stories between each chapter, and in this case I can forgive my the lack of well-developed characters and character relationships (my usual preference). The story, the twists, the reveals, and the resolution were absolutely enough for me.

Logan lives in a small community, where they have to lock themselves in their homes at sundown for fear of the monsters that go bump in the night. To some degree, think of M. Night Shyamalan's “The Village” for the vibes. Their only protection is the Magpie King, an inhuman savior of lore that the villagers have never seen...until....

I recommend this for folks looking for a short, fantasy-horror, who like folktales, who want something completely it's own, or want a creepy forest (though it's not the forest's fault there are terrifying creatures that will eat you).

This book is primarily plot-driven with a LOT of hard-science-ish jargon rants. Those combined with a slowly unraveling plot, I was very happy when it was over. I think I missed any larger themes I would otherwise find interesting because I was so distracted by the science dumps. The audiobook didn't help. Although the narrator did good voice acting work, his narration itself was like listening to a war documentary, which did not work for me. It's not a bad book obviously, it won a Hugo, it was just missing the sci-fi aspects I enjoy in sci-fi and the character development/relationships were weak to not there.

3.5 stars. I enjoyed reading this book, though it was predictable and didn't have the wowzer moments or surprises I expect from 4- or 5-star reads. It seems like it would be a perfect read for a young adult as it touches on ethics and what it means to be fair and human.

This is advertised as a story about a demigod, but it was a major miss for me as I cannot gather what story Wilson was trying to tell. The only reason why this isn't a 1-star is because of the writing and dialogue, the latter of which was the most interesting part. But the plot, character development, character relationships, world-building and fantasy elements were all 100% lacking for me.

This book was not only magical in its content, but in its writing. I cannot say I've encountered such a unique writing style that spoke to me so deeply in a while. I was enthralled with parts I and II, but did feel that there were some sections of parts III and IV where I was like, “Okay, okay, next please.” That didn't sway me from rating it 5 stars. I thought it was a unique and fantastic tale and can't wait to dive into the next book. Also, Steve West is the BEST narrator. Highly recommend the book and audiobook.

I really did enjoy this short story collection, even though I DNFed it a couple times because I had a hard time getting through the first short story. I devoured the first book (Last Wish) in physical format, I was really enjoying the humorous and witty side of Geralt that you don't see in the show or video game, and you kind of lose in this book. But I'm not sure if it was an issue of switching to the audiobook for this one, or if his tone really did change. Solid and very enjoyable read overall. I'm going to continue on I think.

I mean, I read the whole four book series in five weeks. The least I can say is I had a ton of fun with this series and I'm definitely reading more John Gwynne soon.

This turned into an unexpected ride and I'm glad I experienced it. I had some issues with pacing throughout the book, but I still really enjoyed reading about the world, Sabriel and her adventure. For those who like reading about necromancy and dead things this is a must read. I'm very stuck between 3 and 4 stars; I might change my rating later.

Amanda Ripley is an excellent journalist and writer. EVERYONE MUST READ THIS BOOK. It's just excellent.

This is a dystopian-ish pulpy novel that reminds me of the bad guys of Grand Theft Auto but if they were jacked with sci-fi villain juice. Note that I've never played GTA, but just like who cares if someone gets hit by a car while trying to do villain things. This is about Zoey Ashe, who lives in a trailer with her mom and works as a barista. She has to go to Tabula Ra$a, a young city in Utah run by millionaires, after a serial killer tries to kidnap her (and wants to eat her fingers while streaming it to his many fans). She finds out there's a kidnapping order on her that went out when her billionaire dad died and she became heir to his estate. Typical violent shenanigans ensue for Zoey while she tries to keep her cat Stench Machine alive and safe.

I've read two Tiffany Achings before (yes, I'm WAY out of order) and at this point it feels masochistic reading Tiffany Aching. I feel like Pratchett was grieving someone he loved very much and that love comes through so strongly in these books. Pretty sure I teared up at least a dozen times, but I obviously LOLed too, I'm always down for some good wizard trash talk.

If you've had a grandmother or maybe parental or elder figure that you've lost this is either a content warning or a recommendation for catharsis. For me it was catharsis crying, especially the next up book, they are beautiful.

I think the next up in the series is stronger than this one in regards to the story and grief, but this is still excellent. Who can't fall just in love with Tiffany or the Wee Free Men?

YA for themes around critical thinking, trusting yourself and processing death of a loved one - which I think all translate absolutely perfectly to adult, I definitely benefit from these themes. And this does not read like YA to me at all, especially if you've read Discworld it's the same tone as the others.

I originally DNFed the audiobook about 1/4 of the way through. When coming back to it, I struggled to push through the remainder of the first half - sometimes thinking the book was terrible and other times thinking it was mildly interesting. The book gets 3 stars because the plot of the second half was much better. Overall, I'm glad “Spinning Silver” was my introduction to Naomi Novik because it is a much stronger book in every aspect and if I had started with Uprooted I would probably have skipped Spinning Silver. This book is just okay in all the aspects I like in my (fantasy) books: world building, character development, character relationships, plot, and complicated villains. I also greatly didn't like the Stockholm syndrome/child kidnapping aspect of it either.

I found this novella to have a slow start, but was engrossed in the last half. A must read sci-fi series, I've already gone to the next book.

This was a great non-fiction listen for me, as it had a solid mix of arguments with data/support I prefer in reads like this. My only issue is that it didn't strongly enough lay out how to become grittier even though it sets out to do that for the second half of the book. Still, I felt seeds were planted and I recommend.

DNF

DNFed the audiobook around page 50 then the hard copy book at page 100. I didn't find the plot development that interesting and the character development (if you can call it that) even less interesting.

If I wasn't crying my eyes were filled with tears. I highly recommend the Tiffany Aching subseries of Discworld for adults and teens alike, even if you haven't read the other books, although I do suggest the witches subseries.

I loved this mystery, the writing, the atmosphere and the characters.

This is exactly what I needed to read this spooky season. The witches sub series in Discworld is by far my favorite so far. I laughed a lot and teared a bit in the end.

Oof, it took me a long time to get through this book. Asher accomplished some amazing world-building and a cast of intriguing characters. The gaps for me however were that this book was primarily plot-driven and the dialogue mostly felt like it was there to drive the plot forward. After a great start introducing some of the [what felt like 80] characters and the world, the middle slogged for me. By the end I wanted a deeper dive into and relationship building between the main/secondary/tertiary characters. (Really, the secondary/tertiary characters interested me the most, Windcheater and the AI like Sniper are the best.) I just feel like a great opportunity was missed. If you like sci-fi in a really unique setting that is plot-driven and features a large cast, this could be for you.

Pretty gosh darn amazing. On to the next!

It’s a world as only Jasper Fforde can imagine it: a climate-change alternative history where dreams are suppressed for those who can afford it, villains are obsessed with stamps, and “coffee” is any warm liquid that is brown — it’s probably not toxic, maybe. Charlie gets a new job in Sector Twelve and has to bite off more than he can chew or be chewed by nightwalkers. Who can Charlie trust?

I didn’t love this, but I didn’t hate it either. Since I was disappointed, my beef with this one stands out. The first 50% is a bit of a slog. Charlie is bumbling yet clever and witty, and somehow still manages to be a lackluster character outshined by others in his own story. The humor was too intellectual for me so I missed a lot of it. I never felt cold even though the setting is essentially a tundra. And last, the ending (while worth it) was a little anti-climactic.

I highly recommend Shades of Grey over this one for new readers of Fforde.

This was the best teen book I've read - aside from Strange the Dreamer, which I think is written more like adult. There was depth to the characters, interesting dialogue, and lots of unexpected twists packed in this relatively small (460 pages yes but well spaced with big font) book. And I cried for a minute, so do with that what you will.