Alana
I wanted to love this one. I love that its ownvoices, I love retellings/fantasy, and I'm a sucker for some good romance and smut. But this book felt...ridiculous. What was advertised was not present hardly at all in the book and the writing itself was....cringe. No steaminess, just awkwardness. Not for me, dnf around 80% (and I got so far!)
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I just felt very “meh” about this book. It's great on the surface - a good plot, a cool world, and a solid cast of characters. But considering that this book isn't rooted in “our” world, the world-building is almost nonexistent and the plot is pretty dang predictable. I'm sure there are some readers who will devour this one, but I wasn't one of them. Not right now, at least. Maybe I'll re-visit it later and see if my opinions have changed.
A crazy, twisty, mind-bendy read with all sorts of psychological thrills. Plunges you straight into the minds of those studying and defending a killer, and doesn't let up all the way through.
This is my kinda book. It's weird, it's beautiful, it's exciting to follow, it's fantasy...gahhhh, what more can I say? Oh, there's a chicken possessed by a demon. That is all.
For a novella with a modern-day sleeping beauty twist/retelling, this is a good book. The characters sometimes verged on flat, which I find to be a problem in quite a lot of novellas, but given my love for any and all retellings, this one was pretty good.
REALLY enjoyed, though I will say Modesitt Jr.'s writing creeps up on you and can be a lot to digest at first go. But immerse yourself in the world and stick with it, and it's a quite enjoyable read that leaves you engaged and feeling a sense of accomplishment if, like me, these “denser” books intimidate you.
I will preface this by saying it's a very cool idea, and I love the inclusion of podcasts in the crime/mystery here. What I didn't like as much, sadly, was Elle and her attitude in general. Flawed and unlikable characters can work, but Elle grated on me which made it a little hard to get behind her and her story. But mostly what bugged me was the ending. It felt...not as exciting(?) as the first part...a bit rushed, like it was time to wrap up the story with a little less care than there was at the beginning. Again, cool idea, cool parts, but overall just not one I'll remember.
Alright, I love spirited away as much as the next nerd, and the vibes here are strong. Add to it an mc who isn't clear-cut good or bad and you've got yourself one kicker of a story. The writing, the atmosphere, and the vibes were enough to keep me coming back and looking forward to number 2.
This is a mystery, this is a horror, this is a tragedy. Malfi writes a book that has those small-town creepy vibes but includes those classic mystery feels and the heartbreak of loss. It took me a while to get used to the second-person narration because, as avid a reader as I am, I rarely see this. Malfi does it well, though, so stick with the bizarre taste it leaves in your mouth and indulge in something a little different and very haunting.
Ya wouldn't think caffeine would make the list of drugs...and then you read Pollan's book. Alright, Pollan. I may not stop drinking my coffee, but I'll consider my mind on plants when I do :D In all seriousness, and interesting and insightful read.
What. The. Hell. Was That. And I mean that in the best way possible. This is a crazy horror/disgusting book that literally has no light to it...I mean good GRIEF was this book dark and tormented. I wonder what's going on in Beauregard's head, though honestly, when I say that, it's a compliment. I literally almost threw up at more than one part. Wow. Just wow.
What a unique, beautiful, and poignant standalone fantasy. There's so much going on with messages about grief and loss, along with world-building and developed characters, and Lucier takes us through it all seamlessly. Standalone fantasies are a rare kind of amazing, and I am here for it!
If they could make graphic novels for ALL my favorite fantasies, that would be awesome. Just sayin'.....
More of a 3.5/5. A likable heroine who feels real and not some carbon copy of all the heroines we see nowadays with a great fairytale setting.
A nutcracker retelling just as ethereal and magical as its stunner of a cover! I may crack this one open in December again if I get bored because it is a perf read for the holidays
Small town mysteries mixed with YA, horror, and fantasy (+ a side of romance!) Perfection. Of all the genres and stories I love, these top my list, and Craig has really written a great one. It's creepy, there's a strong sense of place, the characters are interesting and multi-layered, and damn look at that cover! I can't say anything other than that this is a book that needs to be added to everyone's tbr, especially if like me you love these kinds of stories and themes.
This book explores so much. Mystery, murder, thrills, writing, grief, pressure, lies...there's a lot. Yet Bell manages to execute this relatively flawlessly. The book is pretty well-paced and I found myself wanting to know what would happen next. Sick cover too.
I think this book could have been a solid 4 stars had the characters had more....depth...to them. While the setting and plot are interesting enough, I'm a character-oriented reader, which means if I dont connect to the characters, the story is at best a “meh” for me. For people more into the plot itself, maybe ya'll will disagree, but for me, I didn't feel as engaged as I hoped I would.
I will go on an unpopular rant here: what had potential otherwise failed to deliver as a rather Mary Sue protagonist (Jani) falls in love with an equally as bland partner. Im in the minority of reviewers clearly, but I just couldn't find myself that attached to any of the characters or their plights. That said, the book had scenes I enjoyed and bursted with potential in other ways, but characterization is a soft spot for me, and when characters don't stand out or feel otherwise one-dimensional, the plot fades away and I'm left with....well, boredom. So would I give Taylor's Hotel Magnifique one star? Not quite, because it wasn't all bad. But it wasn't a solid 3 either, so I'm left in the middle. A little bland, a little one-dimensional, a little potential, and a whole lotta “meh.”
I knew nothing about this island before reading this, which is yet another reason why historical fiction is so damn insightful and important. Fiction + learning about actual history = happy reader (at least for me). In this case, the history is really disturbing (human experiments, deaths, and more), but it's important to be highlighted as well (case in point - me - I did not know about this prior to reading). Nolden writes a riveting his.fic. that divulges well-researched information about an island more should know about.
A good thriller with intrigue and a fast moving plot. At times characters aggravated me a bit, but still the kind of book I'd recommend to lovers of the genre.
O'Neil has the beautiful ability to weave historical fiction in with fantasy and YA while also subverting (to some extent not even including) some of the overused YA tropes. I'm a romance junkie, no doubt about it, but I also appreciate books without romance - we NEED more of them, especially in the young adult genre. Big kudos to O'Neil for weaving so much into this beautiful book and doing it flawlessly.
This is the kind of book that sounds amazing on the surface, and maybe when you start your journey reading it it is - Turnbull does indeed have a way with words, and the characters are interesting - but the overall flow of the book and the often jarring split between first and third person povs made it hard for me to get through or feel motivated to pick up.
A beautiful blend of genres with a riveting plot and characters I LOVED. The mix of his.fic. and paranormal fantasy with other kinds of lore and representation are done seamlessly by Polydoros, and I find myself unable to say much more than that I am glad I finished 2021 with this beautiful read.