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voxvenati's reviews
173 reviews
Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Some things to preface my review: I am quite certain now that I do not like friends to lovers as a trope, and I’m accepting I’m not really a contemporary romance girlie either.
This book was fine. I can’t emphasize that enough. The writing was good, the sex scenes were passable. The plot? Ehh…
Look, I know it’s a romance novel, but the plot was nowhere to be found. The premise of the novel - this little contest? - is little more than a mention, a backdrop, and nothing comes of it. Very unsatisfying.
A warning: if you don’t like Stella at the start, be aware - she does not get better. I found I really, strongly disliked both her and Luka by the end. They were both insufferable in how piss poor their communication skills were. And in that way, they do deserve each other.
The townsfolk were, also, fine. They weren’t as rounded as I was hoping from what other reviewers had said, but they weren’t totally cardboard cutouts like you find in some romance novels either. The only standouts to me were Beckett, Charlie (+his mom), and Luka’s mom.
I found myself wanting to skim the later half of the book because I realized things were not going to get better. I didn’t skim, but I kind of wish I had. It was about 100 pages too long. Just because it’s long doesn’t make it a slow burn.This is actually a love at first sight romance. Their feelings deepen over their friendship, but they both admit they fell in love right away! This is not a slow burn, at least not in the traditional sense. There is sexual intimacy almost right away. Slow burn?? Where??
The biggest saving grace was that it took place in Maryland, so it gets some brownie points for that.
Overall, it’s upsetting how meh this book was, because I really wanted to like this. I just couldn’t get behind the main characters at all.
This book was fine. I can’t emphasize that enough. The writing was good, the sex scenes were passable. The plot? Ehh…
Look, I know it’s a romance novel, but the plot was nowhere to be found. The premise of the novel - this little contest? - is little more than a mention, a backdrop, and nothing comes of it. Very unsatisfying.
A warning: if you don’t like Stella at the start, be aware - she does not get better. I found I really, strongly disliked both her and Luka by the end. They were both insufferable in how piss poor their communication skills were. And in that way, they do deserve each other.
The townsfolk were, also, fine. They weren’t as rounded as I was hoping from what other reviewers had said, but they weren’t totally cardboard cutouts like you find in some romance novels either. The only standouts to me were Beckett, Charlie (+his mom), and Luka’s mom.
I found myself wanting to skim the later half of the book because I realized things were not going to get better. I didn’t skim, but I kind of wish I had. It was about 100 pages too long. Just because it’s long doesn’t make it a slow burn.
The biggest saving grace was that it took place in Maryland, so it gets some brownie points for that.
Overall, it’s upsetting how meh this book was, because I really wanted to like this. I just couldn’t get behind the main characters at all.
Of Mycelium and Men by William C. Tracy
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Fair start to a series, with some interesting concepts and POVs.
The characters were all a little one-dimensional, and not all of them were interesting, but they do all contribute to this feeling of a whole society. I did like Anderson and the biomass chapters.
Other specifics I liked: babies in tubes and all the related bits that went along with that; space-culture; how they handled gender; concept of the biomass in general; those funky little bees.
My biggest issue with the book was the lack of a self contained plot. This book does not have any sort of resolution. There is no specific conflict the book is following. This is just set up for the series. There’s an overall lack of depth as well - to the “plot”, to the characters, and to some of the world building - that left me, at the end, feeling empty. Wanting.
I’ll likely continue with the series as my Libby has the next one, and I do think it’s worth a read/listen if the premise sounds interesting to you.
The characters were all a little one-dimensional, and not all of them were interesting, but they do all contribute to this feeling of a whole society. I did like Anderson and the biomass chapters.
Other specifics I liked: babies in tubes and all the related bits that went along with that; space-culture; how they handled gender; concept of the biomass in general; those funky little bees.
My biggest issue with the book was the lack of a self contained plot. This book does not have any sort of resolution. There is no specific conflict the book is following. This is just set up for the series. There’s an overall lack of depth as well - to the “plot”, to the characters, and to some of the world building - that left me, at the end, feeling empty. Wanting.
I’ll likely continue with the series as my Libby has the next one, and I do think it’s worth a read/listen if the premise sounds interesting to you.
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Carmen Maria Machado is such an immensely talented writer. Gorgeous prose, interesting and engaging format, heartbreaking content.
I’d do it all again, baby. It brought me you.
Absolutely devastating. Achingly beautiful.
My only regret is that I didn’t read this sooner.
Absolutely devastating. Achingly beautiful.
My only regret is that I didn’t read this sooner.
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
This book was so deeply genuine, intriguing, and gruesome.
The tension was thick, the pain intense, the love immense, and the violence graphic. I cried for Silas and Daphne. I love them.
I also ate up the prose. It was an utter delight to read.
The tension was thick, the pain intense, the love immense, and the violence graphic. I cried for Silas and Daphne. I love them.
I also ate up the prose. It was an utter delight to read.
You Know What You Did by K.T. Nguyen
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Predictable and frustrating, I do admit I came back to it after almost DNF’ing around the 25% mark. Was the resolution worth it? Eah. Glad I finished it in any case so I could stop wondering.
This book suffers the most from poor pacing. I think if 100 pages had been cut and the plot tightened up from there, this could have been a fantastic one-day read. There were some interesting bits in the beginning and toward the end, but the middle dragged unbearably.
I might give this author another shot, but it would need to have a more interesting premise than this one.
This book suffers the most from poor pacing. I think if 100 pages had been cut and the plot tightened up from there, this could have been a fantastic one-day read. There were some interesting bits in the beginning and toward the end, but the middle dragged unbearably.
I might give this author another shot, but it would need to have a more interesting premise than this one.
Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King
sad
tense
medium-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
3.25
Reread for the first time since the 2010’s. It hasn’t aged well in some ways, but King’s characters always captivate. Holly and Jerome are especially sweet in the last ~1/3 of the book.
This remains my favorite in the trilogy. It’s the most grounded and interesting, imo.
However, there’s just no reason King needs to use so many slurs. A couple specific uses for emphasis of character traits (read: this is a nasty dude or etc.), fine, I can understand, but this was just not it. It was published in 2014 for Christ’s sake.
Slurs:
Cr*pple, n*gger
This remains my favorite in the trilogy. It’s the most grounded and interesting, imo.
However, there’s just no reason King needs to use so many slurs. A couple specific uses for emphasis of character traits (read: this is a nasty dude or etc.), fine, I can understand, but this was just not it. It was published in 2014 for Christ’s sake.
Slurs:
Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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
3.25
Prose and characters pulled me in despite it being pretty predictable. Boy, that ending was sad, though.
Told the story it wanted to, sprinkled some interesting contemporary magic concepts in. Nothing wow’d me, but I never wanted to give up on the book.
Mostly enjoyed it, and I do think I’d read from Gailey again.
Told the story it wanted to, sprinkled some interesting contemporary magic concepts in. Nothing wow’d me, but I never wanted to give up on the book.
Mostly enjoyed it, and I do think I’d read from Gailey again.
Flux by Jinwoo Chong
mysterious
medium-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
3.75
I went into this blind, and I think I had a better time because of that.
The blurb/synopsis kind of gives the game away and doesn’t feel totally accurate. If I had read that first, I don’t know if I would have been that invested in finishing the book. The company’s sketchy activity didn’t turn out to be all that dark, though I wish it had been. Still, it was fine.
I think the themes of grief and being an asian american/half asian were stronger overall than the scifi and plot. I did cry in a few places related to his family situation. Plus, the prose and audiobook narrator were both very good.
The blurb/synopsis kind of gives the game away and doesn’t feel totally accurate. If I had read that first, I don’t know if I would have been that invested in finishing the book. The company’s sketchy activity didn’t turn out to be all that dark, though I wish it had been. Still, it was fine.
I think the themes of grief and being an asian american/half asian were stronger overall than the scifi and plot. I did cry in a few places related to his family situation. Plus, the prose and audiobook narrator were both very good.
None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Solid thriller, but nothing fancy.
I wouldn’t classify myself as a thriller reader, but this was definitely a nice, fast read. I thought the characters felt real enough, and the pacing was good. I appreciated it wasn’t a standard dual timeline, and I did kind of like the podcast/Netflix angle.
There just wasn’t much in terms of twists. One sad reveal, but otherwise everything was laid out pretty basically. Great if you just want something pulpy and a little bit juicy.
I wouldn’t classify myself as a thriller reader, but this was definitely a nice, fast read. I thought the characters felt real enough, and the pacing was good. I appreciated it wasn’t a standard dual timeline, and I did kind of like the podcast/Netflix angle.
There just wasn’t much in terms of twists. One sad reveal, but otherwise everything was laid out pretty basically. Great if you just want something pulpy and a little bit juicy.
Crypt of the Moon Spider by Nathan Ballingrud
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Sort of perfect in its length. Atmospheric, gothic, strange, and juicy. I can’t wait to read more in this series.