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immakingt0ast's reviews
839 reviews
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
the best word i can use to describe this book is WEAKSAUCE
honestly this book had so much potential and delivered on none of it. it was, quite frankly, a waste of my time and a disappointment. i didn't hate it, hence, two stars, but i absolutely did not care about one single character past the halfway mark and by about 75%at the culmination of the romance hehe i was rolling my eyes and cringing so hard. blegh.
honestly the biggest missed opportunity here was the setting. it has an identity crisis, which is a bummer because it could have been great? we gave a vague idea of sorta bland wwii europe, but if wwii was fought because of like, gods and stuff. things were not clearly explained, but that wasn't even the main issue i had with this.
I really feel like this book would have been better as an adult book. NOT because of the romance / sex, but because if you're going to write a book that takes place in a country at war, where war is a central theme, where the characters are literally on the battlefield dodging grenades, it seems disingenuous to gloss over the horrors of said war. its, like, soooo sanitized and cutified, and call me jaded but considering there is literally a war going on in Gaza right now, i just don't love the fact that the war is watered down just to create the backdrop of a romance that's as generic and bland as store brand white bread. perhaps you don't have to show every gritty detail, but this just feels like an edited down version of what the story could have been to appease the current publishing landscape that greatly favors YA titles in the fantasy genre.
2 stars, will not read the second, not sure why everyone likes this so much
honestly this book had so much potential and delivered on none of it. it was, quite frankly, a waste of my time and a disappointment. i didn't hate it, hence, two stars, but i absolutely did not care about one single character past the halfway mark and by about 75%
honestly the biggest missed opportunity here was the setting. it has an identity crisis, which is a bummer because it could have been great? we gave a vague idea of sorta bland wwii europe, but if wwii was fought because of like, gods and stuff. things were not clearly explained, but that wasn't even the main issue i had with this.
I really feel like this book would have been better as an adult book. NOT because of the romance / sex, but because if you're going to write a book that takes place in a country at war, where war is a central theme, where the characters are literally on the battlefield dodging grenades, it seems disingenuous to gloss over the horrors of said war. its, like, soooo sanitized and cutified, and call me jaded but considering there is literally a war going on in Gaza right now, i just don't love the fact that the war is watered down just to create the backdrop of a romance that's as generic and bland as store brand white bread. perhaps you don't have to show every gritty detail, but this just feels like an edited down version of what the story could have been to appease the current publishing landscape that greatly favors YA titles in the fantasy genre.
2 stars, will not read the second, not sure why everyone likes this so much
Snapdragon by Kat Leyh
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Overgrowth by Mira Grant
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
what a glorious day to have visited Netgalley! I didn't know this existed, and no i didn't read the description but i am SO glad the benevolent Netgalley gods have me auto-approved for TOR titles.
and LOOK at the cover look at it omg.
--------------------
Actual review.
5 stars, is anyone surprised? truthfully, this is more like a 4.5 but i am definitely rounding up because everyone knows i am a seanan / mira stan and this book is no exception.
Overgrowth is told from the point of view of Anastasia, who is an alien that has been raised as a human since age three. She has been telling everyone that she is an alien and the invasion is coming, and people react as you would expect - by ignoring her, at best. Turns out, she was right, oopsies, and now the armada is here, and everyone is fucked.
At it's core, this is a Body Snatchers type story that draws a lot of inspiration from War of the Worlds. It's also a cautionary tale about climate change, and like a lot of scifi it contains a certain amount of proselytizing and commentary on the subject. Neither is undeserved nor innacurate, and I appreciate the clear amount of research that Grant put into her scifi novels. i always feel like learn something whilst in the grips of ajbect horror; it's nice.
Without spoiling anything, this was such a ride, and one of the least predictable books i have had the pleasure of reading. I wasn't sure if I was rooting for humanity or the aliens until very close to the end. We also have some really excellent diversity in the supporting characters which is a breath of fresh air in a publishing landscape where generic LGBT / POC archetypes are shoehorned into every novel ever.
Warning: This book has some intense and graphic body horror. There's also a pretty rough scene, right in the beginning, involving the death of a child that was really hard to read, and i'm typically a person who pointedly ignores trigger warnings.
and LOOK at the cover look at it omg.
--------------------
Actual review.
5 stars, is anyone surprised? truthfully, this is more like a 4.5 but i am definitely rounding up because everyone knows i am a seanan / mira stan and this book is no exception.
Overgrowth is told from the point of view of Anastasia, who is an alien that has been raised as a human since age three. She has been telling everyone that she is an alien and the invasion is coming, and people react as you would expect - by ignoring her, at best. Turns out, she was right, oopsies, and now the armada is here, and everyone is fucked.
At it's core, this is a Body Snatchers type story that draws a lot of inspiration from War of the Worlds. It's also a cautionary tale about climate change, and like a lot of scifi it contains a certain amount of proselytizing and commentary on the subject. Neither is undeserved nor innacurate, and I appreciate the clear amount of research that Grant put into her scifi novels. i always feel like learn something whilst in the grips of ajbect horror; it's nice.
Without spoiling anything, this was such a ride, and one of the least predictable books i have had the pleasure of reading. I wasn't sure if I was rooting for humanity or the aliens until very close to the end. We also have some really excellent diversity in the supporting characters which is a breath of fresh air in a publishing landscape where generic LGBT / POC archetypes are shoehorned into every novel ever.
Warning: This book has some intense and graphic body horror. There's also a pretty rough scene, right in the beginning, involving the death of a child that was really hard to read, and i'm typically a person who pointedly ignores trigger warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Homophobia, Transphobia, Xenophobia, and War
Weyward by Emilia Hart
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
4.5 stars rounded up. This was pretty close to flawless, however I was kinda disappointed with what happened to Simon, he deserved WAY worse than what he got. My favorite part of witch books featuring men as the villains is when they get what they had coming and he didn't get it nearly as bad at the other two did
Regardless, this was a slow burn character driven tale of three women in three different time periods. The pacing was excellent, and the progress through each separate tale cut away at juuuuust the right time to make this story very difficult to put down. Each perspective was given equal care and attention, though my favorite story was Kate's.
On audio, each woman's story is voiced by a different narrator, and they all do a fantastic job. This is uncommon and it absolutely enhances the listening experience, as the different voices and accents really make a difference in making each story and character unique. Highly recommend the audio.
Regardless, this was a slow burn character driven tale of three women in three different time periods. The pacing was excellent, and the progress through each separate tale cut away at juuuuust the right time to make this story very difficult to put down. Each perspective was given equal care and attention, though my favorite story was Kate's.
On audio, each woman's story is voiced by a different narrator, and they all do a fantastic job. This is uncommon and it absolutely enhances the listening experience, as the different voices and accents really make a difference in making each story and character unique. Highly recommend the audio.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Exquisite.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Sexual content
Moderate: Blood
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
So there was absolutely nothing wrong with this book, but I had just finished another book read by the same narrator which had a character of a very similar name, so it was just very jarring considering the genres were VERY different! I intend to pick this back up at a later date.
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Hmm this was a cute cozy read and Ell Potter (the narrator) absolutely killed it. However, there was a LOT going on here and I'm not sure I vibed with all of the different themes and shifts in plot and tone. We start out following Emily Wilde around while she works on her encyclopedia. We see her attempt to navigate village politics and learn to live on the island, meet the local fae and learn about them, and help the villagers with various fae related problems. Very cute and cozy fae fun. Then, we have an adventurous rescue, not one, but two marriage proposals by different fae kinds, and a kidnapping plot. I feel like once we go down this road, the plot kinda gets a bit wibbly wobbly and I found myself wishing for the low-stakes and cozy tone of the first half of the book.
The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Oyasumi Punpun Vol. 1 by Inio Asano
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75