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blewballoon's reviews
710 reviews
The Maid by Nita Prose
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Read 50% and then skimmed the rest.
The portrayal of neurodivergent-but-unlabeled Molly bothered me. It made me feel like I did back in middle school when one of the neurodivergent-but-unlabeled students in my class would think they were getting along with a group of people for a change, but it was clear to everyone else that he was being used for entertainment. Even if they weren't saying anything openly hurtful, it was still a gross thing to do. I can't say how accurate of a portrayal Molly is because maybe there is someone out there who experiences the mental inconsistency of being perceptive and astute one moment and completely gullible and naive the next, but the treatment of the character in her own narrative didn't sit right with me.
I have more complaints. The writing is aiming for a more simplistic and whimsical style that flattens all the characters and undercuts any attempts at emotional depth in the storytelling. There is nothing to latch onto with any sense of grounding.
Also, in my opinion a central purpose of a mystery is that the reader should be able to see the clues and connect the dots as they read. Perhaps they are hard to find and there are red herrings, but you should be able to get to the reveal and feel that it is plausible with the information you have. This bookarguably breaks the promise of the genre in favor of having the POV character obscure relevant information from an otherwise very detailed internal monologue. I did figure it out before the reveal, but not for the right reasons, and I can see how a reader would feel their trust in the mystery had been betrayed. It would be like reading a romance novel where you spend 90% of the book with one couple and then at the end they break up and date other people who were mentioned briefly in a random early chapter. That's not satisfying and that doesn't really qualify as a romance.
The portrayal of neurodivergent-but-unlabeled Molly bothered me. It made me feel like I did back in middle school when one of the neurodivergent-but-unlabeled students in my class would think they were getting along with a group of people for a change, but it was clear to everyone else that he was being used for entertainment. Even if they weren't saying anything openly hurtful, it was still a gross thing to do. I can't say how accurate of a portrayal Molly is because maybe there is someone out there who experiences the mental inconsistency of being perceptive and astute one moment and completely gullible and naive the next, but the treatment of the character in her own narrative didn't sit right with me.
I have more complaints. The writing is aiming for a more simplistic and whimsical style that flattens all the characters and undercuts any attempts at emotional depth in the storytelling. There is nothing to latch onto with any sense of grounding.
Also, in my opinion a central purpose of a mystery is that the reader should be able to see the clues and connect the dots as they read. Perhaps they are hard to find and there are red herrings, but you should be able to get to the reveal and feel that it is plausible with the information you have. This book
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, and Deportation
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book has an alarming number of similarities to the movie The Duff. The jock neighbor named Wes, making a deal that revolves around wooing a different guy, the jock neighbor giving the main character a makeover, a mention of a plaid red dress, a special spot in a semi secluded area, and more. The biggest differences are that there aren't really any mean girls in this book and I found the protagonist of The Duff a lot more charming, Liz drove me nuts! I was reluctant to give this 4 stars because I found her so frustrating. On the flip side, this Wes definitely beats movie Wes in terms of romantic potential. He was so obviously kind and considerate that it made the main character's irritation with him seem unreasonable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Blood, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
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
Coming back to this series was like curling up in bed with my favorite blankets and pillows. I have enjoyed it so much, I can't really think about it critically anymore.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Classism
The Resurrectionist by A. Rae Dunlap
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
4.0
I knew from the premise that this would be dark, but there was a point where I was like "woah this just got extra f**ked up" and I had to put the book down for a bit.
Overall, a very interesting and suspenseful story. It's fairly slow paced for the most part aside from some especially dramatic moments, but during the calmer parts of the story there are always looming threats and the sense that trouble is closing in on the main character. I still have some lingering questions now that the book is over. I did like the romance and the found family elements of the story, they were fairly uncomplicated considering everything else going on. I also enjoyed the the historical scientific elements, but this is not a story for the squeamish.
The audiobook narrator was excellent, I'd definitely like to listen to more of their work.
Bit of a personal criticism, but I did feel a strong lack of women in this story. Up until around 25% into the book there is only a passing reference to the main character's mother and sister, otherwise the world is entirely inhabited by men. I understand that women were not allowed in the medical profession, but surely they did exist in Scotland. The first named woman that does show up is of course flawlessly gorgeous and saintly, which irritated me a bit. The sister mentioned in passing earlier also comes back for two scenes to be generally homophobic and snobby. Again, I understand that this was probably a side effect of the historical setting, but I did feel the absence.
Overall, a very interesting and suspenseful story. It's fairly slow paced for the most part aside from some especially dramatic moments, but during the calmer parts of the story there are always looming threats and the sense that trouble is closing in on the main character. I still have some lingering questions now that the book is over. I did like the romance and the found family elements of the story, they were fairly uncomplicated considering everything else going on. I also enjoyed the the historical scientific elements, but this is not a story for the squeamish.
The audiobook narrator was excellent, I'd definitely like to listen to more of their work.
Bit of a personal criticism, but I did feel a strong lack of women in this story. Up until around 25% into the book there is only a passing reference to the main character's mother and sister, otherwise the world is entirely inhabited by men. I understand that women were not allowed in the medical profession, but surely they did exist in Scotland. The first named woman that does show up is of course flawlessly gorgeous and saintly, which irritated me a bit. The sister mentioned in passing earlier also comes back for two scenes to be generally homophobic and snobby. Again, I understand that this was probably a side effect of the historical setting, but I did feel the absence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Medical content
Moderate: Body horror, Violence, Blood, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual content, Death of parent, Murder, and Outing
Heart of Stone by Johannes T. Evans
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I am sorry I left this on my TBR shelf for so long, it's wonderful.
This is an exquisitely slow burn (sooooo slow) and a very calm slice-of-life historical fantasy. No enemies to lovers, only true companionship and loyalty. No big bad, only distant enemies that come to their ends off-page. No challenging quests, only emotional journeys of self discovery and acceptance.
The writing was both intricate and clear, with an obvious effort by the author to make it sound period appropriate while also making it perfectly evocative of the deep emotions of the perspective characters. I did notice a handful of typos, but they were tiny specks in a tapestry of gorgeous wording.
The fantasy elements were subtle and woven in nicely with the historical setting as well. The romance was just the way I like it: honest, friendly chemistry, and so much yearning and pining!! Delicious!
This is an exquisitely slow burn (sooooo slow) and a very calm slice-of-life historical fantasy. No enemies to lovers, only true companionship and loyalty. No big bad, only distant enemies that come to their ends off-page. No challenging quests, only emotional journeys of self discovery and acceptance.
The writing was both intricate and clear, with an obvious effort by the author to make it sound period appropriate while also making it perfectly evocative of the deep emotions of the perspective characters. I did notice a handful of typos, but they were tiny specks in a tapestry of gorgeous wording.
The fantasy elements were subtle and woven in nicely with the historical setting as well. The romance was just the way I like it: honest, friendly chemistry, and so much yearning and pining!! Delicious!
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, and Blood
Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Ugh this book made me so mad. I had said at one point out loud that if a certain thing happened I would give the book two stars, so I'm being true to my word. Clearly a lot of people enjoyed this type of story and I'm happy for them, but this was not for me. I should have DNF'd at the start when I first wanted to.
I found all of the POV characters exhausting and tedious for different reasons. The humor did not work for me, but I will admit there was one single line that did make me laugh ("Facial hair is not a motive, my lady." ) A lot of the messaging (which is rarely, if ever, subtle) has a lack of nuance and covers the same criticisms of fantasy that we have been hearing since at least the 2010s and that doesn't really apply to the majority of fantasy stories coming out today. The world outside of the POV characters feels kind of vague and amorphous. There are some non-POV characters that felt like they would be a lot more interesting to follow and had their own arguably more compelling stories happening off screen. The plotline with The Cobra and The Last Hope goes in a good direction, but it took way too long to get there and I was too mad about other plot developments to enjoy it. There was so much that I just didn't care about and that didn't feel earned.
Moira Quirk is a fabulous narrator and this type of darkly humorous tone (Like The Locked Tomb series) is in her wheelhouse, but I did have to get used to her attempts at an Oklahoman accent. Speaking of, for the main character being from Oklahoma there are some glaring mistakes like saying "I was in hospital," referring to afternoon tea as if that's a normal thing Americans do, and calling glasses "spectacles."
Maybe I'm an anomaly but I really liked Key and he was the main thing keeping me reading. I wish he had been in the hands of an author who didn't need to use him to advance the agenda of the plot. What happened to his character was just everything I didn't want. I knew he was probably going to be killed to make the main character realize other people in the book were "real" because she connected with him more than any other character, and I suspected he was going to come back wrong and all those earlier hints at his magical lineage would slap the main character in the face. The writing beats you over the head with the (wow, so groundbreaking) ideas that slut-shaming is bad and having big boobs doesn't make you evil, but doesn't extend that courtesy to people with sociopathy. Maybe that was too much for me to ask for, or maybe the sequel will prove me wrong and try to make him less blandly evil and return to the potential I saw in his earlier portrayal, but I don't care enough about anything else to find out.
I found all of the POV characters exhausting and tedious for different reasons. The humor did not work for me, but I will admit there was one single line that did make me laugh (
Moira Quirk is a fabulous narrator and this type of darkly humorous tone (Like The Locked Tomb series) is in her wheelhouse, but I did have to get used to her attempts at an Oklahoman accent. Speaking of, for the main character being from Oklahoma there are some glaring mistakes like saying "I was in hospital," referring to afternoon tea as if that's a normal thing Americans do, and calling glasses "spectacles."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Cancer, Torture, and Murder
Minor: Bullying, Sexual content, Vomit, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood
emotional
funny
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? Yes
3.75
I wasn't enjoying the book at first, but I'm glad I stuck with it because it picked up for me around the 30% mark and overall I think I liked it.
The main character was kind of awful at the start (because she needed room to get better) and as soon as we met a few of the other focus characters of the story I felt like I could see all the scaffolding of the plot and arcs and I wasn't sure if there was enough substance to make it a compelling story. While I did turn out to be right about almost everything I predicted, I ended up somewhat enjoying the journey to get there and there was one reveal that I didn't expect.
There are definitely some odd and messy aspects of the book, but I think it does manage to succeed as a decent afterlife comedy-drama with a passable romance and charming side characters.
The main character was kind of awful at the start (because she needed room to get better) and as soon as we met a few of the other focus characters of the story I felt like I could see all the scaffolding of the plot and arcs and I wasn't sure if there was enough substance to make it a compelling story. While I did turn out to be right about almost everything I predicted, I ended up somewhat enjoying the journey to get there and there was one reveal that I didn't expect.
There are definitely some odd and messy aspects of the book, but I think it does manage to succeed as a decent afterlife comedy-drama with a passable romance and charming side characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Grief, and Abandonment
What Happens in London by Julia Quinn
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A typical Julia Quinn book, so if you like the Bridgerton series you'll be happy with this one. I had moments where I was having a fun time, and moments where I was frustrated, so it was a bit of a mixed bag for me. It also sometimes feels like J Q leaves in placeholder dialogue and scenes that should have been cut or fleshed out properly.
I read this for a local book club and if I had planned ahead I would have read the first book in the series, which might have given me more context for Olivia's character. She's particularly bland, so maybe J Q was assuming the reader would already have a sense of her personality from the previous book? Harry was a lot more interesting and sympathetic to me at the start of the book, but then he made some questionable choices and exhibited a lack of self control that seemed at odds with the character that had been established. I also feel like several of his side-plots were just forgotten like his relationships with his brother and sister. I assume his friend Sebastian shows up in another J Q book somewhere, because he gets a lot of page time and seems primed to be a leading man in another story.
As always, I loved the running gag of the Smythe-Smith musicale and Rosalyn Landor's narration.
I read this for a local book club and if I had planned ahead I would have read the first book in the series, which might have given me more context for Olivia's character. She's particularly bland, so maybe J Q was assuming the reader would already have a sense of her personality from the previous book? Harry was a lot more interesting and sympathetic to me at the start of the book, but then he made some questionable choices and exhibited a lack of self control that seemed at odds with the character that had been established. I also feel like several of his side-plots were just forgotten like his relationships with his brother and sister. I assume his friend Sebastian shows up in another J Q book somewhere, because he gets a lot of page time and seems primed to be a leading man in another story.
As always, I loved the running gag of the Smythe-Smith musicale and Rosalyn Landor's narration.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and War
Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I wasn't sure how much I'd like this one since I didn't really love A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley. If you have read that series, this book is quite different. The tone is significantly darker and the setting is typical of classic fantasy. There is more weight given to the plot than to the interpersonal relationships and romances.
I think the people who can't get enough of these types of Fae Court romantasies will probably have a good time with this one, and I'd also recommend Lore of the Wilds as a similar book.
Ultimately, I didn't enjoy reading this. I didn't have a good time. I didn't like any of the characters and I thought Kenna made stupid decisions. The side characters are just there to provide exposition and kick-the-dog or pet-the-dog moments for the main characters. The kick-the-dog moments are quite gruesome and/or uncomfortable to read. The romance(s) fell completely flat. The fire fae romance in particular is totally lacking in chemistry or tenderness and felt like a frustrating slog because it was so obvious how it was going to play out. I thought the reveals in general were almost comically obvious and my predictions from very early in the book all turned out to be right. That alone doesn't really matter to me, but without good characters and compelling relationships I need more than a predictable plot.
The audiobook narrator did a good job, very emotive. I have no plans to read the sequel, but I will admit that it seems like the sequel could end up being more interesting.
I think the people who can't get enough of these types of Fae Court romantasies will probably have a good time with this one, and I'd also recommend Lore of the Wilds as a similar book.
Ultimately, I didn't enjoy reading this. I didn't have a good time. I didn't like any of the characters and I thought Kenna made stupid decisions. The side characters are just there to provide exposition and kick-the-dog or pet-the-dog moments for the main characters. The kick-the-dog moments are quite gruesome and/or uncomfortable to read. The romance(s) fell completely flat. The fire fae romance in particular is totally lacking in chemistry or tenderness and felt like a frustrating slog because it was so obvious how it was going to play out. I thought the reveals in general were almost comically obvious and my predictions from very early in the book all turned out to be right. That alone doesn't really matter to me, but without good characters and compelling relationships I need more than a predictable plot.
The audiobook narrator did a good job, very emotive. I have no plans to read the sequel, but I will admit that it seems like the sequel could end up being more interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Murder
Minor: Child death, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, and Alcohol
Otherworldly by F.T. Lukens
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? No
4.0
This is my third F.T. Lukens book and it's my least favorite, unfortunately. So far their books have all been fun, with a good mix of magic/fantasy and romance in a sweet YA tone.
I was really enjoying this one too up until the around the 40% mark, and then I am not sure what happened. I ran out of patience with the side characters of the cousin and girlfriend who seemed too zany and one dimensional. It seemed like the YA-ness dropped down a bit lower into middle-grade in a way I didn't like. I found myself skimming pretty hard and just reading like the middle paragraph of each page for a while. I don't know if it's just that I wasn't in the mood for it anymore?
I don't want to rate it too harshly because I do suspect this may have been my issue and the book itself has plenty of redeeming qualities, especially for younger readers and for nonbinary character representation.
I was really enjoying this one too up until the around the 40% mark, and then I am not sure what happened. I ran out of patience with the side characters of the cousin and girlfriend who seemed too zany and one dimensional. It seemed like the YA-ness dropped down a bit lower into middle-grade in a way I didn't like. I found myself skimming pretty hard and just reading like the middle paragraph of each page for a while. I don't know if it's just that I wasn't in the mood for it anymore?
I don't want to rate it too harshly because I do suspect this may have been my issue and the book itself has plenty of redeeming qualities, especially for younger readers and for nonbinary character representation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Medical content, and Grief