cynicaltrilobite's reviews
93 reviews

Mixed feelings on this one. I completely forgot the Kin from when I read this as a kid and so having flying, talking, giant kangaroos show up was a bit odd at first. I definitely grew to love them though and I really liked how useful Prin was as she could have been super annoying.

I ADORED the bit where the Vraal attacked the group at the base of the mountain. Really excellent writing there.

My main gripes with this one were the main bad guy, a giant poison toad named Gellick, and the Dread Gnomes themselves. Gellick suffers from the same lack of presence and identity that some of the other villains in Deltora Quest have. He gets to be unrepentantly evil, explains where the Grey Guard blisters come from, and then turns into a tree. He's just ok.

I actively did not like the Gnomes. They were just dicks. They're set up as this super present antagonistic force and engage in a lot of shitty actions, but then all that just gets hand waved away because "Well the toad was mean to them." Ok???? So, did the toad make you shoot a baby out of the sky into an area where you'd never be able to get to its body??? Did the toad make you hunt a sentient intelligent race for fucking pelts??? Nah man, the Dread Gnomes suck.

Other than that, still really enjoying this series and I'm glad that I picked it up again.

Two jerks get buried alive for the price of one, gotta tell ya, I can't complain.

I struggle between giving this 2 or 3 stars. It really falls somewhere in the middle and is just ok. It doesn't contain any of the normal cosmic horror themes seen in Lovecraft's work, but it's a fun little tale nonetheless.

Monster House before Monster House

A really neat concept kind of bogged down by a lot of needless detailing. I don't think we need the entire historical history of the house from inception to present day to understand why it is dangerous and should be investigated.

I really did like the bit where the narrator's uncle is consumed by whatever is under the house while right in front of him. The actions that follow of the narrator killing the thing by digging down far enough to find a giant elbow is also wild as hell.

This is basically "A Telltale Heart" but with an essay justifying the confession beforehand. Skip.

A very interesting premise and one that Lovecraft is known to frequently dabble in, that of the Evil Wizard. Unlike the regal but nefarious Saruman, Lovecraft's evil wizards are always nasty, crusty, twisted people. The entire triggering incident is caused by infidelity of all things and ends with 3 people and a dog turned to stone.

I am getting a tad tired of the "convenient book/journal that explains everything" trope. It's just a lazy way to explain what happened in your story after the fact. There are better ways to present exposition, thank God.

I also kind of hate that the wife committed suicide. It just feels like robbing her of all agency. She fights for so long to be free and when she has the opportunity to be, she chooses to be a statue like some dude she's known for 4 months. Just kinda shitty.

Though somewhat tedious at times, At the Mountains of Madness is a masterclass in horror atmosphere and suspense. I knew going into it more or less what the gist was and I was still thoroughly creeped out by what is arguably Lovecraft's magnum opus.

As someone who knows a lot about geology and paleontology it's also fascinating to hear Lovecraft explore these topics. Even if they are of a very early 20th century understanding.

Take the time to read this, you will not regret it.

Don't fuck with cats.

In every way this is an awful story about an awful man who does awful things. The violent cruelty doled out to the main character's cat and wife makes me want to take stars from this.

That being said, the son of a bitch gets snitched on by his own cat after he kills his wife, so hey, one point to cats.

Final note, fuck animal abusers and fuck spousal abusers.

Hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about! This is such a good series and I gotta give it to 10 year old Ethan, he had impeccable taste in child/teen fantasy. This book follows our trio of heroes as they explore the dreaded Valley of the Lost.

The residents of the valley are sad, dreary, and caught between life and death. Presiding over these throngs of the not dead is the Guardian and his demented pets. I loved the Guardian as an antagonist and his game was really fun to play along with.

Gotta say though, idk that I trust this Dain guy. He sure didn't react well to the magic of Tora.

That's the first Deltora series done folks!

A lot here I like and a lot I don't. The intrigue as it becomes painfully clear that there is a spy among the resistance is a fascinating and gripping series of events. The further reveal that it was THE LITTLE SHIT I MENTIONED IN MY PAST REVIEW made me feel hella good. Fuck you Dain. I also love how all the friends and allies made over the course of the previous 7 books come back into the picture to help drive the Shadowlord from Deltora.

Speaking of. He kinda goes out like a little wimp. Sure, he throws some lighting around and makes scary clouds, but other than that he doesn't really do anything to stop the belt from doing it's thing in those final moments. Also, Ichabod went out like a punk and I think he should have had more presence.

I do actually like that the final clipping of the belt onto the rightful heir wasnt some massive interesting moment, it was done in absentminded desperation.

All in all, good job Miss Rodda. Please let Barda take a good long nap.

A funs tale of otherworldly corruption, in a similar vein as A Color Out of Space. In this, instead of winning, that force is BULLDOZED AND SET THE FUCK ON FIRE. Gang shit I guess.