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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really enjoyed this book. I love the way Debra Castaneda creates characters with their own story lines, and eventually brings her characters together. Fungi already freaks me out a little bit, so this was a good creepy read for me. Even though it made me skin crawl (in a good way), The Spore Queen is a beautiful story.
This is the newest book in the Dark Earth Rising series by Debra Castaneda, which can be read independently and in whichever order. This is my 2nd book from the series, A Dark & Rising Tide was the other. This is an extremely atmospheric Eco-horror (or Sporror) with hints of folklore, cults, and the Aztec mythology, with tons of mushrooms and fungi! The characters are well-written, even though some are not very likeable. I felt like the story ended a little abruptly and I wanted more, but I enjoyed the story. Will most definitely be reading the rest of the series!
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Another win for this series of stamd alone novels. Such a beautiful and horrific and mysterious story. Debra Castaneda's books are an immediate purchase for me, so I had no idea what it was about but to expect something wonderful. I was not disappointed in the least.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
'The man looked past him, into the house. “I heard you were having some issues with fungus."'
The thing I'm discovering about this author's writing, after two books now, is the cinematic quality. It almost feels like I watched this as a movie. Magical mushrooms, mysterious mycelium, and spores, oh my.
'A slow, icy tingle moved up her spine. “The Spore Queen. Who is she?”'
The thing I'm discovering about this author's writing, after two books now, is the cinematic quality. It almost feels like I watched this as a movie. Magical mushrooms, mysterious mycelium, and spores, oh my.
'A slow, icy tingle moved up her spine. “The Spore Queen. Who is she?”'
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is an example of a book where an interesting concept was let down by the execution.
People disappearing in a forest as a new kind of fungi starts to spread in the same place? These are some good building blocks for a potentially dark story. Unfortunately, all the reveals are heavily telegraphed, and nothing really seems to have any consequences; and , in the last quarter or so, it becomes more of a repetitive family drama than anything else - which, honestly, could have been quite interesting if it had been done well.
I believe I have another book by this author on my TBR, so I'll give her another chance, but I'm not going to be rushing to get to it.
Rating: 2.5
People disappearing in a forest as a new kind of fungi starts to spread in the same place? These are some good building blocks for a potentially dark story. Unfortunately, all the reveals are heavily telegraphed, and nothing really seems to have any consequences; and , in the last quarter or so, it becomes more of a repetitive family drama than anything else - which, honestly, could have been quite interesting if it had been done well.
I believe I have another book by this author on my TBR, so I'll give her another chance, but I'm not going to be rushing to get to it.
Rating: 2.5