bkwrm1317's reviews
213 reviews

First and foremost, thanks to the author, Katerina Roman, and to NetGalley, for sharing an advanced reader copy (ARC) of this novel to me in exchange for an honest review.

Gladiatrix: Escape from the LIon's Den is a really solid debut from Roman. 

What I enjoyed most: 
- the world building was solid and seamlessly integrated - set in a sort of post-ecoapocalyptic future Earth, our characters are grappling with food shortages, lack of potable/clean water, and thugs who run... pretty much everything where they live. When the characters have to leave the city, the worldbuilding is also really solid in our alternate setting.
- distinctive - there's nothing else I've read quite like this book! Approach to the topics/themes covered in the novel are unique, and the balance of sex (exotic dancers) and violence (who also cage fight) is really compelling from pretty much the beginning.
- pacing of the narrative - the story continues to move along smoothly, which can be hard to do when a debut novel is so ambitious in scope, themes, content, character development, world-building, etc.
- strong femme protagonist - "Dany," our principal protagonist, has been through a lot, and continues to go through a lot throughout this first novel; she nonetheless maintains her fighting spirit (literally and figuratively), and relentlessly fights to protect the people she loves, at any cost to herself (physically, emotionally, etc.) - we love to see this kind of loyalty from a protagonist. 
- fully developed femme characters - Roman ensures that her characters are well-rounded and developed, thus ensuring dialogue feels compelling and real, and that readers are invested in the characters as the novel progresses. 
- the tension protagonists feel between the need to fight for their own lives and their distaste for needless violence - in a world where violence is both sport and a form of currency, Dany and other protagonists' distaste for violence makes them more relatable and human (e.g. the scene with Dany and the crocodile and how this haunts her for some time afterwards, her lack of a desire to kill another woman in the cage, etc.)

What I enjoyed less: 
- editing - this isn't usually something that I nitpick on with self/indie pub literature, particularly for a debut novel; however, Roman would benefit from at the very least a line editor, as some of the orthographic errors detracted from the flow of the novel and created confusion for me as a reader
- this novel tackles really challenging content (SA, gaslighting, etc.), and while weaved in very well by Roman, this novel will not be a good fit for all readers as a result, and readers would benefit from a note by the author at the beginning or something similar to ensure they're aware of the type of content in the novel. 

Gifted a copy by the lovely Kaci, I didn’t quite know what to expect here but will be eagerly anticipating book 2 in this duology and likely reading more by Pau Preto. 

Solid writing, character development, dialogue feels real, and emotions/motivations of the characters did as well. Yay! Thanks Kaci! 

Wrapping up this trilogy, Adeyemi not only brings us back to Zélie, Tzain, Inan, and Amari, and the land of Orïsha, but also introduces us to the Tribes of Baldeírik and their power-greedy King Baldyr, as well as the New Gaīans and their land-based magic. 

When King Baldyr overwrites Zélie’s magic, stripping her of her connection with the dead and her Reaper powers, she must find a way to defeat Baldyr and his tribesman or risk Orïsha AND New Gaīa falling to his control. A fast-paced journey with new characters, and some faces we know from the previous two novels, this final installment will keep readers turning the pages to know how things will end. 

Some of the ending wasn’t super satisfying for me, but that’s okay! It sounds like Adeyemi may have struggled to finish the series 💜

SciFi novel read for Indie Ink 2023-2024 judging cycle. 

A fast-paced, earth-based, not-too-far-into the future adventure where our protagonists are genetically enhanced humans. The entire project of genetically enhancing humans is a government secret, and came about as a result of The War, a seemingly global conflict at some point in the not-too-distant past. Much like during the Cold War, governments are competing with different types of gene enhancements to create super humans capable of lots of destruction. 

When a case that our main characters are called in to support on goes a bit sideways, the protagonists are thrown into a larger political debate around the best utility for genetically enhanced people, and whether or not their abilities should be studied, they should be allowed to go rogue, and whether they should have rights like the rest of humanity. 

What ensues is a fast-paced political thriller of sorts, with the added twist of sci-fi elements due to enhanced human beings, with an added component of magical realism/dream walking that some of the enhanced humans are able to engage in. 

It'll be interesting to see where this little novel goes as it becomes part of a series (I believe the intention is for 5 novels to be included in the series). The author is originally a Spanish speaker, as evidenced by a few prepositions having been translated incorrectly (super common ones for native Spanish speakers to get mixed up, I might add). Aside from this, there weren't super obvious ways in which this book should be measured in the Latine/x representation by a Latine/x author. One of the main protagonists is from a community in Chile, and references to their home town are really the strongest aspects of this novel fitting into this category. 

There were aspects of this novel that were really well executed, and others that didn't feel as developed as I might like personally, but all in all, it was a solid read for Indie Ink! 

Fascinating exploration into the soundscapes of the aquatic landscapes of our planet, and the voices within them. 

CWs for when the author refers to specific scientific experiments of yesteryear. 

Completed judge review for Indie Ink on 8.5.24. 

The following is a personal review, and does not reflect judging for Indie Ink 2024:

The second book in the Flowers of Prophecy series by Natalia Hernandez improves on the first novel, in my opinion. Pacing is more consistent with a medium/fast pace, as compared to the slower/medium pace of the first novel (The Name-Bearer). 

In The Follower of Flowers, we are reunited with our Name-Bearer (who is mostly going by the name Nova at this time), and are joined by Alric (a mage sent to support her quest to find and identify the Unnamed Prince) and Rawl (archer). They eventually need the help of the Cassalian (enemy to their people in Andala) they set free, Axchel, in order to find the Unnamed Prince. Their fates become further intertwined when the Unnamed Prince hails from Axchel's roots in the northern tribes. 

In the meantime, Damika, Taruka, and Petra are all on their own mission (turns out it's to find the Name-Bearer and return them to the queen of Andala, as they're considered a traitor to the crown). 

The additional timeline with Jesandirany and Sofia is a smidge confusing, since it doesn't indicate that it's a separate timeline, but context clues are all the reader has to go on. It took about half of the book to realize that this was indeed a separate timeline, and provided crucial background that influence the events of the present moment in the series. 

The character development of this novel was more satisfying than the first, certainly, as our characters end up encountering a number of challenges and obstacles that shape their identities and how they approach each other, understand themselves, etc. It was really interesting to watch the friendship/relationship between Nova and Axchel grow, and to see how Damika responded to learning of Nova/Phanessa's past and identity as the Name-Bearer. While the other daughters of Danray offered empathy and understanding towards Nova/Phanessa, at least to some extent, Damika feels particularly betrayed (a bit much for my taste) due to Nova's need to keep her identity a secret for her own protection and that of everyone around her in the Temple of Danray (events from the first book). 

I loved the subtle, yet direct, way that the author weaves Latinidad into this novel. From drinking mate (albeit only in specific regions of the world, just like in Latin America in our own world), and the importance of not skipping this as a moment of cultural understanding/connection, to the words used to describe creatures from the Dark Wood (montros, Orcuyos, Salta Sombras, etc.), Latinidad is layered into all parts of the world building and story quite effectively. 

One of my favorite parts of the novel was watching Nova come into herself/gain confidence in herself in this novel much more, and the way in which Axchel supports her in this novel. This ends up being key for Nova later in the novel. 

Enjoyable little whodunnit. My first read by Cosby, and I’ll definitely be coming back for more. 

A recently elected Black sheriff in a small Virginia town has to put his former FBI training to use when a teacher at the local high school is shot, and the once-beloved teacher quickly turns out to have actually been a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Reflecting on racism in the modern era in all its horror, the politics of small towns in the South, and how to keep our loved ones safe, among other topics. 

Was reading this book for Indie Ink 2023-24 for the "Writing the Future We Need: Latinx/e Representation by a Latine/x Author." At 71% of the way through the novel, there were exceedingly brief mentions of skin color, and one reference to drinking yerba mate (the only direct reference to Latinidad to that point in the novel). Otherwise, there were no real references to Latinidad/Latine identity, so this book did not feel a good fit for this category. 

At nearly 3/4 of the way through the novel, I preferred to spend my time for Indie Ink on other novels that needed additional readers and might fit the category better. 

Solid middle of the line read for me. 

I really enjoyed some of the twists and turns of Addie's story, her history with Luc, and Henry's involvement in her story. The insight we get into Luc with Henry's story is also really interesting. 

That said, this one didn't knock my socks off, as most really hyped up books end up being for me, but it's still worth the read for folks who enjoy Schwab, and who enjoy tropes of strong femme protags, women bucking the expectations of their times in historical fiction/fantasy, etc. 

Bit of a challenging read - very dystopian. I am interested in the content itself, the concepts that Onyebuchi is tackling, etc. But this particular approach to the topic was hard for me. The slow pacing was something I didn't pay enough attention to ahead of reading it either, so this one was one I had to pick up and put down a few times since I so often struggle with slow-paced novels.