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schnaucl's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-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
5.0
This was just fun. Everything about it was fun.
I adore Hera and Persephone and the dolphins.
I love the idea of super intelligent cats as spies.
And I love how dickish the dolphins are and that they have class consciousness. And that they then organized the whales into a strike.
At the same time, it is very cruel to isolate the animals that way. They can't really communicate with others of their own species. They can't belong except in the humans' world. To say nothing of the fact that they're all clones and haven't been allowed to procreate.
I liked Charlie, and I figured he'd end up with the pub at the end. It's probably better for him. While he was getting a hang of being a villain, I don't think he was comfortable with violence (which is obviously not a bad trait) and while his background let him understand business, there was no evidence he'd be as good at knowing how to disrupt plans as his uncle was.
The only reason I'm sad that Charlie ends up with the pub and not the role of villain is that I'd love to spend more time in this world.
I adore Hera and Persephone and the dolphins.
And I love how dickish the dolphins are and that they have class consciousness. And that they then organized the whales into a strike.
At the same time, it is very cruel to isolate the animals that way. They can't really communicate with others of their own species. They can't belong except in the humans' world. To say nothing of the fact that they're all clones and haven't been allowed to procreate.
I liked Charlie, and I figured he'd end up with the pub at the end. It's probably better for him. While he was getting a hang of being a villain, I don't think he was comfortable with violence (which is obviously not a bad trait) and while his background let him understand business, there was no evidence he'd be as good at knowing how to disrupt plans as his uncle was.
The only reason I'm sad that Charlie ends up with the pub and not the role of villain is that I'd love to spend more time in this world.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death, Gun violence, and Murder
jhbandcats's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
OMG, I *loved* this book! It’s laugh out loud funny, especially the funeral scene. The characters of the good guys are pretty fleshed out, though most of the bad guys are sort of generic. That’s okay because they’re interchangeable background characters.
The spy cats were of course my favorites and I grew to love the angry, vulgar dolphins. After all, they had a point and I strongly support their successful unionization effort.
I’m never one to know what’s going on in mysteries - I don’t even try to figure it out - and I never would have guessed this very satisfying ending. The whole story felt fresh even as it riffed off James Bond - after all, Charlie inherits a volcano lair!
I just found it all vastly entertaining. And I bought the book for its cover. I *love* that cover!
The spy cats were of course my favorites and I grew to love the angry, vulgar dolphins. After all, they had a point and I strongly support their successful unionization effort.
I’m never one to know what’s going on in mysteries - I don’t even try to figure it out - and I never would have guessed this very satisfying ending. The whole story felt fresh even as it riffed off James Bond - after all, Charlie inherits a volcano lair!
I just found it all vastly entertaining. And I bought the book for its cover. I *love* that cover!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, Gun violence, Violence, Gore, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Bullying, and Murder
ninjamuse's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Gun violence, and Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty
fiagarrod96's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This Science Fiction book was absolutely fantastic! The premise is insane and the way the story was told was just hilarious. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea but I absolutely loved it!
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment, Death of parent, Stalking, Suicide, Violence, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Murder, and Terminal illness
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thanks to Tor Book for the free copy of this book.
- Bless a sci-fi book that doesn't take itself too seriously. STARTER VILLAIN is silly and over the top, but at the same time it's making real points about who the real villains are in the modern world.
- Truly, this is a book you'll fly through, cackling the whole time. Space lasers! Foul-mouthed dolphins! Double, triple, quadruple crossing each other!
- And personally, I couldn't disagree with the notion that cats - specifically a pair of orange and white ones - are secretly running the world.
- Bless a sci-fi book that doesn't take itself too seriously. STARTER VILLAIN is silly and over the top, but at the same time it's making real points about who the real villains are in the modern world.
- Truly, this is a book you'll fly through, cackling the whole time. Space lasers! Foul-mouthed dolphins! Double, triple, quadruple crossing each other!
- And personally, I couldn't disagree with the notion that cats - specifically a pair of orange and white ones - are secretly running the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Alcohol, Blood, and Violence
Minor: Suicide
devynreadsnovels's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Murder, Terminal illness, Death, Gun violence, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Alcohol, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Sexism, and Suicide
kayceeisbookish's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A hilarious and unexpected story that involves talking cats. I'm in!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, Death, Terminal illness, Cursing, Gun violence, Murder, and Violence
meshell's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Starter Villain was incredibly fun to read. It is full of irreverent dialogue, and while it didn't take itself too seriously, it still had a hearty story with depth, adventure, super genius cats, and people put into situations that they had no business being in. I loved that I had absolutely NO idea where this book would end up when I started, and it kept surprising me along the way.
No disappointments here. It's full of funny stuff, and some slightly absurdist vibes (in a good way), highly recommend checking it out.
Content notes: there is some death mentioned in the book, including the death of family members. But it's generally a very light hearted book.
Thanks to netgalley and TOR for this e-ARC! A real pleasure to read.
No disappointments here. It's full of funny stuff, and some slightly absurdist vibes (in a good way), highly recommend checking it out.
Content notes: there is some death mentioned in the book, including the death of family members. But it's generally a very light hearted book.
Thanks to netgalley and TOR for this e-ARC! A real pleasure to read.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent and Violence
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