afictionalescapist's reviews
49 reviews

The Look of a King by Tom Dumbrell

adventurous inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

4.25

The Look of a King - Tom Dumbrell

I have to admit, this indie fantasy took me by surprise. I had heard very good things about this tale going in, but knowing I love me a bit of complicated grit I was interested how it would hold up to my tastes. 

Following Augustus, a young prince forced into the kings seat after an unfortunate event and Cyrus, a storyteller dreaming of the day he finally finds adventure. Will they be able to navigate a new world where a decade of peace is seemingly crumbling around them. 

The Look of a King takes the reader through extreme circumstances, making the best of mistaken identity and learning to adapt to change without giving up hope. 

A fun, fast pace, high stakes read with a surprising amount of heart in 265 or so pages. 

I was sitting at an enjoyable 3.5 for a

majority of this book but the last 30% knocked my socks off! I did not see THAT coming. 

I ended this one with a 4.25 ⭐️ 

When the Moon Shines (Six Shooter and a Shifter Book 1) by Lucía Ashta

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

When the Moon Shines was a fun Fantasy/Western read. We follow sheriff Loretta Maybelle as she tries to control the residents of the Traitors Den; a pocket realm of sorts created by her uncle to punish her father for reasons I cannot disclose (spoilers).

Every so often the portal will re-open, spitting out new people to fill the town, each person is granted their own horse and of course a cowboy hat. When two very good looking lads make it through fighting over a sacred object, the town is turned on its head. Rhett and Zeke bring with them, arrogance, mystery and did I mention they are hot?

Loretta already has a lot on her plate when the portal opens for a second time that day. Unfortunately, she falls victim to a poisoning, and it is suddenly a race against time to save her life. Will the new boys in town have enough magic to save the girl?

What I liked about this story is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously, the western tropes are there to be played with and boy, oh boy, does the author do a good job of it. Each person comes with a new honky tonk name, the inability to use the F bomb and a taste for moonshine. We also get some interesting animal companions, from the shifter stuck in a Tigers body to Kiki the magical koala who gives legendary cuddles. The magic system is loose, allowing the author to have a great time with what each person brings to the table, we have a bear shifter addicted to honey, a barkeep who uses her magic to make extraordinary cocktails and a fairy who won’t quit.

A couple of things I didn’t gel with were the repetitive nature of the prose, a major plot point which is only introduced about 40% of the way through, a bit of tell not show and how quickly relationships seem to move after we have been told they have been established for decades.

Overall this was a fun time and the final chapter, although it was over too soon, has me ready to pick up the second book. 

Chapterhouse: Dune by Frank Herbert

challenging informative mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Chapterhouse Dune - Frank Herbert

Book 6 of the DUNE series focuses on the power struggles between the Bene Gesserit and the Honored Matres at its core. 

Following in the wake of God Empower and Heratics, Chapterhouse continues to be more philosophical in nature. Big conversations about important topics thrown into the overall plot line are common. For character and plot driven readers this may be a bit of a struggle. That being said, Chapterhouse offers more in terms of plot than the precious two IMO. 

I enjoyed this installment to the DUNE series quite a bit more than Heretics. I loved the deep dive into both of the big players that served as political undercurrents for the entire series. The interwoven webs of religious ideation, political powers and humanities reactions to extreme conditioning and manipulation continue to be played out exquisitely. 

Did anyone else just love the Spider Queen? My favorite chapters were the conversations between her and Lucilla. 

Fair warning, this book ends on a cliff hanger and I’m devastated we won’t get to see what Frank Herbert intended for the continuation of the world. 

I gave this one a 4 ⭐️ 

Man, Fuck This House by Brian Asman

dark tense medium-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? It's complicated

2.5

Man, Fuck This House - Brian Asman

This one is not your typical house possession. 

Hal and his wife Sabrina have moved out to James Hill, into a seemingly beautiful house. Their children Michaela and Damien follow suit albeit unwillingly. 

Sabrina is depicted as a bored housewife and a lot of the story centers around her, her relationship with the children (Damien in particular) and the house itself as a separate entity. 

The house sees her as it’s new owner, the one responsible for its upkeep and wellbeing. It wants to protect her at all costs, even if that means killing off the rest of her family to keep her to itself.

This book plays on a lot of horror tropes and tries to play with them in a comical way, unfortunately a lot of these missed the mark for me personally. It was uncertain where the seriousness was meant to end and the humor was meant to start.

I had trouble connecting with any of the characters, and am coming to learn that creepy kids (unless written by King) are not really my thing. 

That being said, some of the fight scenes were written visually and it was a cool and different thing to experience which bumped up the rating. 

I’m giving this one a 2.5 ⭐️ 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Suicide

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo

challenging emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Kim Jiyoung Born 1982 - Cho Nam-Joo 

After an outburst during a family dinner Jiyoung’s husband decides that she needs therapy. She doesn’t get a say in the matter, nor does she feel like it’s her place. So she goes.

This was A beautifully written character study of a woman’s experience in Korea from birth through to marriage. We follow Jiyoung as she describes the many discrepancies between the genders throughout her life. 

There are so many frustrating parts inside these pages, that many of us who were socialized as female would gawk at. At its core, I found this book, educational, eye opening and humbling. 

Fair warning, this will likely make you uncomfortable, but that’s a good thing IMO. It will make you check your privilege if you’ve grown up in a western society but it will also make you angry at practices still happening today all over the world. 

This was a 4.5 ⭐️ from me. 

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

adventurous tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton

It all starts with a seemingly innocent lizard bite and rapidly evolves to a fight against time and animal instincts. We all know the story so I won’t bore y’all with the plot (which is really cool). 

I was floored by how approachable the science behind this book is. It teaches the reader along the way without getting bogged down in the technical aspects. 

The characters are charming, smart and unlikeable where they need to be. They work together and interact like the bunch of relative strangers they are giving the group an authentic feel.

The pacing is superb. Short sharp chapters kept me on the edge of my seat and my heart racing until the end.

I cannot fault this one for my own personal tastes. First 5 ⭐️ off the rank for 2022! 

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

3.75

”your time in the past will begin from the time this coffee is poured” … “and you must return, before the coffee gets cold”. 

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi is a delightful little tale of intertwined lives touched by moments gone, moments to come and moments lived. 

The Funiculi Funicula cafe houses a long standing myth. Within its walls, one chair holds the power to travel through time. Of course there are a number of rules that must be followed to do such a thing. But sometimes, one moment is worth the risk. 

What would you do to travel to the past and experience a moment one more time? To say something you left unsaid or to see a loved ones face before tragedy? 

 This tale was lovely. I gave it a 3.75 ⭐️ 

Temple by Matthew Reilly

adventurous tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Temple - Matthew Reilly

Unassuming language professor William Rice has been selected for an urgent mission in the depths of Peru.

One day he is a tardy teacher, the next he is on a plane to one of the most remote locations in the world, hurriedly translating an ancient manuscript to find the missing idol. An idol which contains a metal only found in extreme circumstance so powerful it can fuel the legendary “supanova”. 

The Supanova is the worlds most powerful weapon, detonating it would wipe out the entire planet. The race is on between the Navy, Armed forces and a new but powerful doomsday cult each with their own agenda. Who will get to the idol first? And will it be too late? 

Temple is a fast paced action novel told in two timelines. The past, from the ancient manuscript being translated by our protagonist and the present as team hunts for the missing artifact. 

Reilly writes another entertaining action movie in literary format. There are a lot of incredible action sequences, some ancient legendary animals to escape and plenty of close calls. 

These books are great as pallet cleansers IMO, you know what you’re getting into, it follows a comfortable formula but doesn’t really throw too much outside the action box. The characters aren’t particularly deep, the plot is wild and far fetched and sometimes the prose is repetitive (but you love it anyway). 

This one sits at a 3.5⭐️ for me 

The Colorado Kid by Stephen King

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

The Colorado Kid - Stephen King 

Bit of a different tone for King as I delved into his first Hard Case Crime novel. 

It may seem like nothing interesting happens in a small island town, but that was before the case of the Colorado kid. A 25 year old mystery that has one too few puzzle pieces to complete the picture. Vince and Dave, two old news reporters let their new protege in on the long running mystery of the man who once washed up on their shores, without an explanation. 

This book was a fun, fast read. The narrators of the story provided clues in a timely manner for the reader (and Steph the new reporter) to try and piece it together. I would definitely class this as a mystery rather than a crime novel.

A word of warning, don’t go into this book expecting a neat little package. In true King fashion, this will keep you guessing.