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chuckstafer's reviews
746 reviews
Possession by Katie Lowe
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
I think this novel was at times a bit too slow, but overall the story was very compelling and it painted a very vivid portrait of how nasty internet trolls can be. The fad of podcasts is all the rage and this story played on a well-used trope nowadays: the true-crime podcast that exposes new evidence to either help release a wrongfully convicted felon or expose the real killer. This novel set out to do just that and it was surprisingly effective.
The main character was broken, unreliable, and at times, volatile and you did start to doubt her innocence at times during the story. The problem with this MC is that for every instance she was hot-tempered, she was equally spineless and there were so many times I was yelling at her in my head to grow a backbone!
The story was a very twisty one, chock full of different characters that kept you guessing up until the very end. There were also many, many times where the author did a phenomenal job portraying the emotional abuse that people suffer at the hands of internet trolls and many times made you wonder and think about the emotional strain that people go through that are the subject of these true-crime podcasts/documentaries.
The novel itself was very compelling and good, but as a side note, the audiobook almost ruined it for me (but that's a different review altogether).
The main character was broken, unreliable, and at times, volatile and you did start to doubt her innocence at times during the story. The problem with this MC is that for every instance she was hot-tempered, she was equally spineless and there were so many times I was yelling at her in my head to grow a backbone!
The story was a very twisty one, chock full of different characters that kept you guessing up until the very end. There were also many, many times where the author did a phenomenal job portraying the emotional abuse that people suffer at the hands of internet trolls and many times made you wonder and think about the emotional strain that people go through that are the subject of these true-crime podcasts/documentaries.
The novel itself was very compelling and good, but as a side note, the audiobook almost ruined it for me (but that's a different review altogether).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
You're Safe Here by Leslie Stephens
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was quite an interesting read. The topics of AI and its prevalence in our lives, family drama (especially concerning adoption, abandonment, regret, and commitment), nefarious business practices, and the like combined to create a pretty compelling story. I liked the multiple-narrator approach because it felt at times like 3+ different stories all wrapped up into one package. The story progressed pretty smoothly for most of the novel, but the later stages seemed to contain twist after twist which culminated in a satisfying, although predicted fashion. The ending was not necessarily easy to predict, but I did figure it out a few chapters before the "big reveal".
The story ended up playing out a bit differently than I thought after reading the description, but it was still a good story/novel overall.
The story ended up playing out a bit differently than I thought after reading the description, but it was still a good story/novel overall.
This Great Hemisphere by Mateo Askaripour
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
This novel was a bit slow going in the first few chapters, but it sure did pick up after that, I'm glad I stuck with it!
The world-building that the author did was a large task, and for the most part, it was done fairly well. But at the beginning of the novel it almost lost me as many of the terms that were presented were not given enough context to decipher what they meant and I felt a bit lost. As you got further along in the novel, many of those words did start to make sense so my advice would be to stick with it. So much of the novel makes sense the further you go along.
The story itself was dense and heavy. It was a story of rebellion and hope, but the subject matter dealt heavily with topics of racism, slavery, genocide, bigotry, hate, and violence, and at times it would make you angry reading how the DPs would treat the Invisibles. It reminded me of the Holocaust, concentration camps, and even how African Americans were treated in the US after slavery. Lots to unpack with this story in those terms and certainly made you think about how others have been treated in our past.
Looking at the story as a whole, it was quite good and I enjoyed the story of revolution and trying to find your place in the world.
The world-building that the author did was a large task, and for the most part, it was done fairly well. But at the beginning of the novel it almost lost me as many of the terms that were presented were not given enough context to decipher what they meant and I felt a bit lost. As you got further along in the novel, many of those words did start to make sense so my advice would be to stick with it. So much of the novel makes sense the further you go along.
The story itself was dense and heavy. It was a story of rebellion and hope, but the subject matter dealt heavily with topics of racism, slavery, genocide, bigotry, hate, and violence, and at times it would make you angry reading how the DPs would treat the Invisibles. It reminded me of the Holocaust, concentration camps, and even how African Americans were treated in the US after slavery. Lots to unpack with this story in those terms and certainly made you think about how others have been treated in our past.
Looking at the story as a whole, it was quite good and I enjoyed the story of revolution and trying to find your place in the world.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Classism
It Was All a Dream 2: Another Anothology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right by Brandon Applegate
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Another excellent anthology by Brandon Applegate! The stories in this collection were all very well written and the accompanying illustrations were great to set the stage before you started reading. The stories were all relatively short (about 6-12 pages a piece) but they all were able to pack a pretty good punch and paint vivid pictures of the environment and characters. I loved the new and fresh spin the authors put on these very familiar subjects and this was a very enjoyable spooky season read.
Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil by Ananda Lima
challenging
mysterious
slow-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
2.0
This novel (anthology? collection?) was an enigma. I wasn't sure if it was a short story collection that was interspersed with another short story or what exactly was going on.
I can tell the author was a poet though: her prose was at times very beautiful and illustrative, and other times a bit confusing. I feel like there were big philosophical ideas explored here, but I think I missed them at some point.
The chapters were a bit odd, I.E. the short stories never really made much sense to me. The ongoing story of the writer and the devil though made more sense and it was nice to have that "palette cleanser" added among the other stories.
Overall I really struggled with this read and it never succeeded in hooking me.
I can tell the author was a poet though: her prose was at times very beautiful and illustrative, and other times a bit confusing. I feel like there were big philosophical ideas explored here, but I think I missed them at some point.
The chapters were a bit odd, I.E. the short stories never really made much sense to me. The ongoing story of the writer and the devil though made more sense and it was nice to have that "palette cleanser" added among the other stories.
Overall I really struggled with this read and it never succeeded in hooking me.
When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
This was a pretty good police procedural/suspense/thriller novel! It was a bit slow at times, but it was a slow, tension building pace, not slow like I was being pelted with tons of irrelevant information that didn't pertain to the story. I think this novel read and progressed like a pretty good movie or episode of Law & Order: SVU or Found.
The story was dark and gritty which I enjoyed and the characters were all believable and each brought something to the table.
Beyond the predicted emotional "tugs" of the novel that included grief associated with a kidnapping, this novel hit pretty hard with themes of loss, sexual abuse, violence, and depression. It could be a bit dark at times, but it was written in a respectful manner and it helped to lessen the blow so to speak.
TW: infant/child death, sexual abuse, kidnapping
The story was dark and gritty which I enjoyed and the characters were all believable and each brought something to the table.
Beyond the predicted emotional "tugs" of the novel that included grief associated with a kidnapping, this novel hit pretty hard with themes of loss, sexual abuse, violence, and depression. It could be a bit dark at times, but it was written in a respectful manner and it helped to lessen the blow so to speak.
TW: infant/child death, sexual abuse, kidnapping
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Sexual assault
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 42%.
Just not for me. I can usually do fantasy, but this was too romantasy for me. The MC was honestly a bit annoying and none of the characters were super likable. I also just really struggle with academic novels (even in fantasy worlds) because they usually all just seem so unrealistic. Yes I know this is a fantasy novel with dragons and magic, but why would none of the instructors bat an eye about students killing each other?
The Future Is Yours by Dan Frey
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
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? Yes
5.0
Loved this! The science fiction concept of time travel and being able to see/prevent/change the future was the backbone of this novel, but the human aspect and the relationships between the characters and how they changed throughout the story were the real meat of this novel. The science was presented in a sound and accurate manner (I think, not a quantum computing specialist or anything) that was also highly digestible and I never felt like I was missing any of the facts. Now granted, a lot of the science could have just been made up, but I still felt like I was able to follow along really easily.
The characters were all multi-layered and believable and I felt like I was able to connect with and form an attachment to all of them as the story progressed.
The concepts presented in this novel regarding the spiritual/ethical complications that come with being able to see/predict/change the future caused me to pause a few times and really think about what the right thing to do in some of these hypothetical situations would be. Very insightful novel and I really enjoyed it!
The characters were all multi-layered and believable and I felt like I was able to connect with and form an attachment to all of them as the story progressed.
The concepts presented in this novel regarding the spiritual/ethical complications that come with being able to see/predict/change the future caused me to pause a few times and really think about what the right thing to do in some of these hypothetical situations would be. Very insightful novel and I really enjoyed it!
Machinehood by S.B. Divya
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This novel is one that falls in the "good, not great" category for me. The characters were lively and the author did a great job of building not only backstory into the main story to paint a picture of why we should want to follow along on their journey, but took adequate time to flesh them out fully as well. At the end of the novel, all had a satisfying (albeit, not necessarily the expected) conclusion to their story and the reader could certainly connect with them along the way.
The concept was very high science fiction: lots of robots, sentient artificial intelligence, space, and invasive drones. At points during the story, it got a bit convoluted and it was hard to picture some of the tech and understand what the author was explaining was happening. Not to the point that I got lost, but I needed to slow my reading a bit to get all the facts and not miss something.
I gave this novel 3/5 stars because even though the characters were intriguing and there was absolutely an action component to the story, it was very slow at times and the story failed to fully capture my attention.
The concept was very high science fiction: lots of robots, sentient artificial intelligence, space, and invasive drones. At points during the story, it got a bit convoluted and it was hard to picture some of the tech and understand what the author was explaining was happening. Not to the point that I got lost, but I needed to slow my reading a bit to get all the facts and not miss something.
I gave this novel 3/5 stars because even though the characters were intriguing and there was absolutely an action component to the story, it was very slow at times and the story failed to fully capture my attention.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Gore and Violence
The Frolicking by Grant Wamack
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
I finished this novella because it was getting trippy and I was holding out for something, but this was not a great story. It felt unfinished. Yes this was an ARC that I read so there may be edits coming, but the story just felt haphazardly thrown together without a lot of thoughtful planning. The characters weren't engaging and worst, were annoying. None of the decisions they made during the story made any sense and several times the characters would completely change without any warning. I think the story would have benefitted from some kind of additional background on this frolicking event and the family and what the heck was happening and why to add a bit more weight to the events. It also would have been very useful for the author to include some better reasoning for the characters to attend this event. The reason they went in the first place was extremely thin and I could not understand why they continued with things like they did.
There was never any explanation of what this Frolicking was, and the novella ended so abruptly that all I could think was "Is that it?". The premise of this novella sounded very intriguing, but the actual story and composition of this novella were not good.
There was never any explanation of what this Frolicking was, and the novella ended so abruptly that all I could think was "Is that it?". The premise of this novella sounded very intriguing, but the actual story and composition of this novella were not good.