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chuckstafer's reviews
746 reviews
WARNING: May Cause Annihilation: A Technothriller Novella by Luke R. Mitchell
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
This was a powerhouse of a novella! Strong narration by a highly likable narrator, sucked me into the story quickly, and the dark, cyberpunk-esque setting made for a really cool background to the personal trauma/change the MC goes through. Lots of emotions are packed into such a short story.
If done right, this could make a really good episode of Black Mirror or Love, Death, and Robots. The last line few lines of this novella are *Chef's Kiss* so good! Loved this!
If done right, this could make a really good episode of Black Mirror or Love, Death, and Robots. The last line few lines of this novella are *Chef's Kiss* so good! Loved this!
Stalag-X by Kevin J. Anderson, Steven L. Sears
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This was just kind of a meh sci-fi graphic novel. The plot and characters weren’t very engaging and the story just didn’t have that “it factor” for me. The artwork was ok, but not as sharp as other graphic novels I’ve read before.
Three Perfect Liars by Heidi Perks
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a juicy little domestic thriller that was quite good and kept me interested the entire way through.
Told through the viewpoints of 3 different characters, all connected to the same marketing firm in some capacity, helped to add a lot of depth to the story and they intertwined well throughout. There were times when the story felt a bit slow and there wasn't much going on, but that didn't last very long and the story picked up soon enough.
I was certain I had this one figured out about 3/4 of the way through, but I was pleasantly surprised by a much deeper final act that gave the character's stories so much more gravity and was very satisfying.
Overall all the characters that were highlighted had depth, were somewhat easy to root for (Laura was one I did struggle with for a while until the pieces started falling into place), and proved important to the overall story, and I very much enjoyed this story!
Told through the viewpoints of 3 different characters, all connected to the same marketing firm in some capacity, helped to add a lot of depth to the story and they intertwined well throughout. There were times when the story felt a bit slow and there wasn't much going on, but that didn't last very long and the story picked up soon enough.
I was certain I had this one figured out about 3/4 of the way through, but I was pleasantly surprised by a much deeper final act that gave the character's stories so much more gravity and was very satisfying.
Overall all the characters that were highlighted had depth, were somewhat easy to root for (Laura was one I did struggle with for a while until the pieces started falling into place), and proved important to the overall story, and I very much enjoyed this story!
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
Starter Villain by John Scalzi
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-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? No
4.0
Starter Villian is a novel of "super villains" told in true John Scalzi fashion: it was a lighthearted, campy adventure with a goofy main character thrust into a crazy situation who learned to adapt and survive. All the characters introduced into the story were fun and the novel flowed very quickly from start to finish, while simultaneously painting a fairly clear picture of the world and providing just enough background on some key players that you felt that you knew who they were.
Could he have provided more background on some of the main supporting characters? Sure. But I don't think that the omission of these backstories hindered the novel's plot at all.
The only thing that was a miss in my book, was that there were no fricken sharks with fricken laser beams attached to their fricken heads!
Could he have provided more background on some of the main supporting characters? Sure. But I don't think that the omission of these backstories hindered the novel's plot at all.
The only thing that was a miss in my book, was that there were no fricken sharks with fricken laser beams attached to their fricken heads!
Cardiff, by the Sea: Four Novellas of Suspense by Joyce Carol Oates
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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 an excellent set of 4 short stories by a very talented suspense writer, anchored (in my opinion) by the 3rd story in the collection, Phantomwise, 1972. These stories were all dark, suspenseful, and unnerving, each in their unique way. The writing style of most of the stories is a bit different and caused me to slow down or re-read passages at times, but it wasn't to the point that it affected the quality of the story.
Major trigger warnings are spread throughout the novellas and include self-harm, miscarriage, domestic violence, child abuse, and violence.
I enjoyed the dark undertones of these stories though and may need to check out some other collections by this author.
Major trigger warnings are spread throughout the novellas and include self-harm, miscarriage, domestic violence, child abuse, and violence.
I enjoyed the dark undertones of these stories though and may need to check out some other collections by this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
Did not finish book. Stopped at 43%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 43%.
This novel started off so strong, and then got SO BORING. I stopped 392 pages in and it felt like we were still on chapter one. Just so much unnecessary dialogue and scenes that felt like filler, rather an world-building. I think this novel would have been better either edited down to be shorter or split into 2 or 3 books or something.
The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
This was a surprisingly captivating read! Typically summer beach reads don't fall into the usual crop of books that I like to read, but my wife and I were intrigued by the trailer for the Netflix limited series and decided to give this a try.
The close-quarters nature of this novel was fun as it kept the story moving along super quickly and the pacing of the novel and the important reveals to the story really kept you guessing the entire time. I thought I had things figured out about 3 different times and was wrong each time!
I liked the character growth throughout the novel and the flashbacks to provide the whole story as well. Each character had so much going on!
Certainly worth the read and now I'm excited to watch the show!
The close-quarters nature of this novel was fun as it kept the story moving along super quickly and the pacing of the novel and the important reveals to the story really kept you guessing the entire time. I thought I had things figured out about 3 different times and was wrong each time!
I liked the character growth throughout the novel and the flashbacks to provide the whole story as well. Each character had so much going on!
Certainly worth the read and now I'm excited to watch the show!
The Apartment by K.L. Slater
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Not too shabby of a psychological thriller! I liked the slow-burn build up of tension throughout the novel and how the author slowly revealed more and more of the backstory to Adder House as we went along. I am also studying Psychology at the moment, so the fact that his was based on the Little Albert study that I have myself studied was a really cool tie-in for me. The one thing that I wish we would have gotten some clarity on, was what happened to the MCs ex-husband. Did he die of natural causes, or were the main protagonists of this novel behind his death?
Restricted Fantasies by Kevin Kneupper
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? N/A
5.0
This was a fantastic collection of AI-centric stories exploring the dark side of virtual reality and immersion into computer-generated worlds. All of these stories could make excellent Black Mirror episodes I think. Each story really expressed the fears and dangers of being "locked into the system" and how our fantasies may not be the best things for us after all.
Two Truths and a Lie by Sarah Pinsker
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A lot of creepiness, ominous tension, and creativity in this short story! It didn't take long for the story to get going, but once it did, the tension seemed to build quite steadily throughout. It left me wanting to know more about the weird kid's show, the main character, and how all the different plot points interacted so I would certainly welcome a full-length adaptation of this story to get more of the story.