Sarah
Many times I've heard that it's dangerous to let bears get acclimated to people, I've never been told what now seems clear to me – that it's at least equally dangerous to let people get acclimated to bears.2.5 ⭐️As someone who grew up not far from Grafton (the American Town mentioned in the subtitle), I absolutely had to read this. A town taken over by libertarians and bears? How did I miss this?? As it turns out, I believe the bear situation came to a head once I had already left the state for college (I was gone from 2010-2020). But in reading the book, I was entirely unconvinced by its main premise. The libertarian project did not seem, to me, to have any connection with the changing behaviors of New Hampshire's black bear population. This is even shown directly by the author when he talks about increasing bear sightings, break-ins, and attacks in other towns. Bears in general are spending too much time around humans (and vice-versa) and their populations are skyrocketing, forcing them to move into civilization for resources. Hasn't this been the case for years with many predatory animals?Certainly the libertarian group who moved to Grafton made a lot of changes to the town that had some negative outcomes, but I wasn't convinced that the town itself was very solid to begin with, either. I found myself bored by the historical pieces and didn't understand the inclusion of some stories. I just think Hongoltz-Hetling's writing is really not for me. When talking about the long ago history of Grafton, he mocked the colonists for... being semi-illiterate? In the 1700s. Yeah. I also didn't like the way he talked about some of the current residents; I got a real “haha look at these weirdos” vibe whenever someone was a little more odd than expected. He even made a comment about how badly he thought some of them smelled that seemed poorly phrased to me.There is certainly some interesting stuff in here, but I really struggled to unearth it around Hongoltz-Hetling's jabs and meanderings. This really could have (and should have, in my opinion) been a longform piece. Or two longform pieces! Since the two topics just do not connect strongly enough in my mind. An effort was made here, but I remain unconvinced by it.
This book was scary as hell. I felt like I didn't breathe for the three hours it took me to read it – in one sitting, since I literally could not bring myself to put it down. I found Mattie to be an incredibly compelling main character and loved rooting for her. I will say that at times William felt almost cartoonish in his evil and I wish he were a bit more three dimensional, but that's really my only complaint. The tension in this was so thick, and I truly didn't know what would befall any of the characters. I'm really excited to pick up more by Christina Henry and think this is going to end up being one of my top books of the year.
If I had to summarize my experience with this book, it would be: Came for the polyamory, stayed for the worldbuilding and the characters. I really only prioritized this because I knew there was polyamory rep, and because I knew it was such a beloved series. The world-building is heavy and I found myself taking copious notes for the first half or so just to help piece everything together. Once I settled into the story, though, the plot and the characters swept me away.
I waited too long to finish this review, so my thoughts aren't fresh any more, but this was devastatingly good and I'm excited to continue the series but afraid of what Jemisin has in store for me.
Okay yes, this did fit the ‘Ghost Ship in space' bill everyone was assigning it, and did a great job at it. Dead Space follows Claire Kovalik and her crew as they find a seemingly abandoned luxury spacecraft that had gone missing two decades prior. As expected, spookiness ensues. Sidenote, do not read this if you have an issue with body horror or gore. It's not on every page but it's certainly prominent enough.
I did really enjoy this, the vibes were immaculate and I found myself putting it down for a minute every couple chapters to breathe. But then I would pick it right back up again and keep chugging along. Barnes really succeeded in creating a tense, claustrophobic atmosphere and an intriguing mystery. I fully did not see that plot twist coming!
It did have a couple weaknesses, though. Claire is supposed to be in her mid-thirties, but I found her somewhat juvenile. I know that's probably because of her PTSD, but that's another thing that bothered me. I felt like her backstory was pushed a little too hard. This might just be me, but I get really bored with books where the MC has a ~tragic backstory~ that is CONSTANTLY alluded to. I found her really frustrating to read at times because of this.
The romance subplot also seemed completely unnecessary to me. I did like Kane, but I was just like [shrug] we're in a ghost ship in space! Why are we talking about romance! I think if this had been removed, the book could have leaned in a little farther with developing the creep factor.
All in all, though, I really enjoyed this and found it to be a unique reading experience. If anyone has recs for books similar to this, I am ALL ears. I am definitely going to be recommending this to horror fans and hope to see more from Barnes in this genre!
2 ⭐️
I did NOT get the hype on this one, lads. I'd heard rave reviews about this for years and finally decided to pick it up. My first letdown was when I realized the main character was a man – it didn't really matter, but I do tend to prefer reading about people who are not men. I continued regardless, but really found it to be a slog from start to finish. Every time I would pick it up, it was with a sense of dread because I was just bored.
Rob was truly the most roll-your-eyes boring white man. He's supposed to be broody and complex, with his PTSD and growing instability. I just found him to be insufferable, unprofessional, and of poor judgment. Do I have to like the characters I read? No, but I do need to find them somewhat interesting or compelling. Rob didn't hit either of those.
Around the halfway mark, I had already figured out who was behind the murder (although the means didn't fully come together until later on) and started to skim more and more. I didn't want to DNF after putting so much into the book already, but I certainly didn't want to take my time finishing either. Unfortunately, the ending was just as bad. There was a missed resolution that was essentially the only thing I had been waiting for, and it gave me a gut-punch far too emotional for how incredibly uninvested I had felt throughout the book.
I have to say I will not be recommending this to anyone in the future, but I know there are plenty of people who LOVED this, so take this with a pinch of salt.
If someone had written this as a fictional story, readers would have said “this is unrealistic” and “there's no way that could happen.” Unfortunately, this really happened.
I first learned about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos (I will never get over how bad this name is) when my friend Zoey recommended the podcast The Dropout. Compelling and well-research, I listened from the beginning and caught up just as Holmes' trial began. I was absolutely flabbergasted at the depth of Theranos' misdeeds. I almost skipped Bad Blood, thinking that the podcast was adequate. I'm glad I didn't.
Carreyrou is able to get into the real nitty-gritty details of this story. While I still highly recommend The Dropout, particularly the episodes analyzing the trial itself, there were even more unbelievable details in Bad Blood. I dropped a star off this review because I found the first third or so a bit dry, but once things start getting wild, it's almost impossible to put this down. There were literal jaw-dropping moments, and I found myself shaking my head almost every other page. It is truly unbelievable that Holmes thought she could get away with all of this – but it's even more unbelievable that she DID get away with this for so long.
I'll be highly recommending Bad Blood (and The Dropout!) to everyone I meet, whether they already know about Theranos or not.
3 ⭐
I can see the appeal of this, but it wasn't really my thing. Listening to the audiobook helped a lot except how distracting I found the switch between narration and full cast. Sometimes the general narrator would read out the dialogue and sometimes the individual actors would, for no discernible reason. Paul was like THE most boring character, which reinforced how I felt about him when I watched the movie. Watching the new movie before reading did honestly help me understand the book more (and reading afterwards helped me understand the movie more as well). Honestly I wish the whole book had been focused on Jessica, she was truly the coolest character. I briefly considered continuing the series but the next book is about more PAUL, so I think I'm going to pass. Also, it was incredibly distracting how Herbert constantly described how fat the Baron was, and I hated how he played into the ‘predatory gay' trope, but I guess it was written in the 60s.
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Where do men find it in themselves to do such monstrous things? How do they find it acceptable?
Part of me wishes I had read this prior to starting the ToG series, but it was also nice to read it after seeing more of Celaena's character. To new readers I'd definitely recommend the novellas before Throne of Glass, though. These were a bit of a mixed bag for me, but overall I liked them! They each focus on a different story but move chronologically and build off of each other.
1. The Assassin and the Pirate Lord - 4 stars
This was a nice introduction to Celaena and her values as well as her relationship with Sam. I really enjoyed reading their interactions and seeing how they played off each other's strengths even when they weren't getting along.
2. The Assassin and the Healer - 3 stars
Easily the most forgettable of the five, I actually had completely wiped it from my memory until I went to write down my individual ratings. It's nice, but not particularly strong.
3. The Assassin and the Desert - 5 stars
I loved this one! I could easily read a full-length novel about the Silent Assassins and hope that they possibly feature more in future books. I did not guess that twist, though!
4. The Assassin and the Underworld - 4.5 stars
This featured a lot of Celaena and Sam, which I loved! We get a better feel for how Celaena's life with the assassins goes, and how she starts drifting from Arobynn.
5. The Assassin and the Empire - 4 stars
Heart-wrenching! Bits of it felt a little overdone to me, but this shows us how Celaena got to where we find her at the beginning of Throne of Glass, as well as her state of mind there.
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The people who need to read this the most are those whose minds will be most closed to its message. That being said, I appreciated the macro-to-micro approach Oluo took with each chapter of this. She chose a topic, spoke about it on a broad scale, and shared individual instances of each. I learned SO much through this; from the storied history of football to the origins of the SATs. Oluo's writing is conversational and easy to follow; this isn't a dry history book by any means. I think its greatest downfall will be its lack of hand-holding – if you don't already understand the downfalls of white supremacy to some extent, Oluo's unapologetic and self-assured tone (fully warranted, by the way) is unlikely to convince you. Sadly, the truths in here will seem impossible to many, who will run away with their fingers in their ears finding it impossible to believe there could be this level systemic racism even though segregation just barely ended.
#1: Trail of Lightning ★★★★★
#2: Storm of Locusts ★★★★
#3 Untitled ???
This really hit the ground running, but I love that about Roanhorse's work. It was so nice to be back in the Sixth World following Maggie and her friends. I found this so easy to get through and really loved the new characters, or characters we got to see more of. Maggie is such a bad bitch and I love her so much. Ben was such a good addition and really fun to get to know. I really loved the development of Maggie's friendship with Rissa, who is also a bad bitch.
I can't wait to see where this series goes and I can't believe we don't have a release date or title for #3 yet!
One girl each year. Two hundred and six bones times a thousand years. More than enough calcium to keep this house standing until the stars ate themselves clean, picked the sinew from their own shining bones.
Okay, I was genuinely shocked when I came on here to give my rating and saw the average goodreads rating. I can see how this wouldn't work for some people – most of the characters are insufferable and the clarity is a bit lacking at times. But I found the writing so lyrical and the main character, Cat, so immensely relatable. As a queer person with depression, yeah I felt very seen. The atmosphere was truly immersive and I felt like I was standing right there with Cat as we watched our bad friends make bad decisions. It also had a little bit of a The Cabin in the Woods feel with its self-awareness, the characters knowing they were essentially living through a horror movie and making their decisions accordingly. I found that the dread built so well, even if it lost itself a bit in the climax. I was impressed by this and look forward to reading more of Khaw's work!
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3 ⭐️
I don't really have any thoughts on this. It was interesting enough, and a good bridge between TRC and the new trilogy. I'm not a huge fan of Opal, so that's kind of on me. If you like Opal or want to learn more about her, this is definitely for you! Or if you're invested in seeing more of Ronan and Adam.
I was a vampire. Undead, immortal, powerful. I would not be brought to my knees by a mortal girl with a gorgeous smile and terrible dance moves.
2 ⭐️
This was such a fun concept with so much promise, but unfortunately it fell quite short for me. Although this was a quick read, I found the writing really clunky, the characters flat, and the story itself boring. I kept waiting to feel something regarding the main romance but there was just no chemistry for me. Ida and Rose were truly interchangeable to me and I could never remember who was who. Elton just felt like an evil caricature. The worldbuilding was somewhat interesting - lots of new vampire “rules” - but that couldn't carry the rest of the book for me. I ended up skimming the last quarter because I just didn't care. So bummed this didn't work out for me, but I didn't find it enjoyable enough to overlook the poor writing.
Sometimes she would close her eyes. 'How well you know me,' she might say. 'I think you know the turning of all my limbs.'
2 stars
This was my first Sarah Waters and it may very well be my last, unless someone wants to convince me otherwise. Maybe it was my mistake reading this during the dark dreary parts of winter, but this was just absolutely miserable. While I loved bits of the relationship between Sue and Maud, I found most of the characters themselves to be incredibly irritating. Sometimes it felt like we were spending full chapters watching them just mope. I think that I would have enjoyed this more if a lot had been cut out; at some points it truly just dragged.
I'll try to stay vague to avoid spoilers, but I also really struggled to suspend my disbelief when it came to some of the twists. I don't need my fiction to be 100% realistic, but there were moments where I just thought, “Really?? You expect me to believe they got away with this?” At first I was impressed with how Waters managed to catch me by surprise, but eventually it felt more like she was trying to write something as complicated as possible regardless of how much sense it made.
That being said – I do see what others could enjoy in this. Sometimes I think I find myself a little too empathetic when it comes to reading fictional POVs, which means I can struggle with darker content. This book really pulled me down into its mood and was a difficult reading experience. I did enjoy the Victorian lesbian romance as well as the commentary on women's lack of agency. I think it would have made a big difference if I didn't feel so, well, miserable reading it. I do think this is worth trying if you enjoy historical fiction and are looking for something sapphic and mysterious, but just be prepared for some sob stories.
Holy shit. This was, like, a lot. I can easily see why so many people love Stephen Graham Jones so much, and I can also easily see why his work may not be for everyone. I felt this might have worked better as a novella, as there were a few points where I was like, “...okay, get on with it.” The last lengthy ‘scene' is one example – while it was incredibly tense, it started to lose that for me the longer it dragged on. But this is a minor qualm, most of the book had me on the edge of my seat in anticipation or terror.
The characters are all flawed in their own ways, but you can't help but root for them even as you see the damage they've caused and the things they've done. I'm not very well-versed in Native American culture and SGJ doesn't hold your hand through the slang and the customs. It takes a little bit of adjustment, but the way he contextualizes everything makes the learning curve an easy one. I also struggled at first with the way SGJ hones in on minor details, but quickly came to appreciate it and the way it informed readers.
The graphic horror is something that I think will lose a lot of people, which is fair. There are a lot of gruesome descriptions of both animals and humans. But the violence doesn't feel gratuitous to me; it all feels like it has a place, not that it's just there for shock value (as shocking as it all may be). At times I would have to put the book down for a moment just to breathe because of how impactful some of the depictions can be.
I will say I was also left with some questions and couldn't pin down some of the ‘rules' of this entity, although perhaps there are no rules to follow. The timeline just didn't make sense to me, although I can't really say more without risking spoilers. While this wasn't a five star read for me, I do still wholeheartedly recommend it to folks who find themselves interested, but caution that you check out the content warnings and avoid this if graphic animal death is a no-go for you. Stephen Graham Jones is a great writer and I'm really excited to check out more of his novels!
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1: Throne of Glass ★★★★
#2: Crown of Midnight ★★★.5
#3: Heir of Fire ???
My review for the first book basically covers my feelings on the second as well – very readable, love the relationships, pls stop showing me random snippets of other characters just to push forward the plot and reveal things the mc doesn't know. I liked this slightly less than ToG, but still enjoyed reading it. I'll be picking up Heir of Fire within the next couple weeks, I'm sure.
Wow, just wow. I put this on my TBR after seeing Destiny post about it and finally picked it up recently. This is the incredibly devastating, partially autobiographical account of a miscarriage and its aftermath. Even though I went into it knowing this would be an emotional read, I did not expect to sob through most of it – but I did.
This story was beautiful – both visually and in its message. My only real complaint was that it felt a little rushed and abruptly short. It was difficult to connect on a deeper level than “fuck, this was sad” because of that. Chabbert notes after the story's conclusion that she had intentionally not written very much about her attempts to conceive, lest they take over the story, but I found this to be a weakness. While the story was obviously quite emotionally impactful, helping readers to fully understand the context of this loss would have added a lot and allowed more connection to the characters.
I definitely recommend this, though. In fact, I texted a friend just after finishing to recommend it to her. If you can handle the sensitive content, this is a quick read that packs a lot of punch.
1: Throne of Glass ★★★★
#2: Crown of Midnight ★★★.5
#3: Heir of Fire ???
This is certainly not SJM's best writing, but since I read the entirety of acotar this year I needed something else to pick up. I went into this expecting something fun and that's what I got! I actually really liked Celaena and loved watching her develop over the course of the book. I also loved her relationships with Chaol and Dorian (all I want is a triad here), and with Nehemia. While I found this incredibly readable, sometimes we would see other character POVs that completely pulled me out of the story. These felt a little lazy to me and were clearly just a way to quickly show something that Celaena couldn't have known. It was like SJM was tipping her hand to show us everything rather than leaving us with some mystery. Regardless, I'm excited to continue the series!
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