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ahartfullofbooks's reviews
629 reviews
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Unpopular opinion here but this was a mess. There are too many characters, too many plot points that in my opinion don’t really make sense, too many names for one person, and way too much left unknown and unexplained.
Gideon and Harrowhark are sent to a supposedly haunted planet to compete in some tournament to be a Lyctor. If you’re a Lyctor you’re a big deal I guess, and there are 9 houses all of them pretentious and none of them memorable.
What is a lyctor? I don’t know, it’s not explained until you get to the end of the book where the glossary is. Which was one of my main issues here. If you need a glossary to explain the entire world and what is happening and how things work, your word building sucks. I was lost and confused this entire book and kept hoping for things to be explained but they really aren’t.
Also putting the glossary at THE END is pointless, if I’d known there was a glossary at the end I could have used it instead of trudging through 400 plus pages confused, bored, and angry.
Along with the confusing world the plot was confusing as well. Is this a competition? Is this a mystery? Is this an action novel? Is this a shitty romance? I still don’t know. The plot was weak and I guessed the twist less than halfway through it was obvious. Along with the plot the book was WAY too long!! 400 plus pages for what?? If you take out all the immature humor and pointless dialogue scenes, this would be way shorter.
Another issue I had was the “romance” there is no romance. There is no “gothic lesbian ghost hunt” which we are promised in the synopsis. There are no ghosts, there are no real romantic feelings and when they show up it again makes no sense and frankly is the most toxic bullshit. Also the skeletons are lame, they just dust the not haunted mansion and bring people dinner.
So obviously I really wasn’t impressed and had a ton of issues so why two stars? The writing was decent, the first few chapters were interesting and I wasn’t completely miserable while reading this (at least for the first half). Would I continue this series? Absolutely not.
I’d recommend this for people who have the humor of an 11 year old that enjoys “your mom” jokes and toxic relationships with little background and swords.
Gideon and Harrowhark are sent to a supposedly haunted planet to compete in some tournament to be a Lyctor. If you’re a Lyctor you’re a big deal I guess, and there are 9 houses all of them pretentious and none of them memorable.
What is a lyctor? I don’t know, it’s not explained until you get to the end of the book where the glossary is. Which was one of my main issues here. If you need a glossary to explain the entire world and what is happening and how things work, your word building sucks. I was lost and confused this entire book and kept hoping for things to be explained but they really aren’t.
Also putting the glossary at THE END is pointless, if I’d known there was a glossary at the end I could have used it instead of trudging through 400 plus pages confused, bored, and angry.
Along with the confusing world the plot was confusing as well. Is this a competition? Is this a mystery? Is this an action novel? Is this a shitty romance? I still don’t know. The plot was weak and I guessed the twist less than halfway through it was obvious. Along with the plot the book was WAY too long!! 400 plus pages for what?? If you take out all the immature humor and pointless dialogue scenes, this would be way shorter.
Another issue I had was the “romance” there is no romance. There is no “gothic lesbian ghost hunt” which we are promised in the synopsis. There are no ghosts, there are no real romantic feelings and when they show up it again makes no sense and frankly is the most toxic bullshit. Also the skeletons are lame, they just dust the not haunted mansion and bring people dinner.
So obviously I really wasn’t impressed and had a ton of issues so why two stars? The writing was decent, the first few chapters were interesting and I wasn’t completely miserable while reading this (at least for the first half). Would I continue this series? Absolutely not.
I’d recommend this for people who have the humor of an 11 year old that enjoys “your mom” jokes and toxic relationships with little background and swords.
Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
1.0
This is the first horror/thriller I have read by Darcy Coates, I usually stick with her supernatural horror but I had heard a lot of good things about Dead of Winter.
Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this much at all for many reasons. Firstly, the characters aren’t very likeable which makes a who done it isolated cabin murder spree a little boring. I couldn’t even out clued together because there really weren’t any and none of the characters really stood out enough for me to care.
I also thought this book was WAY too long. There was so much inner dialogue in an attempt to make this a mystery through the main Character’s thoughts but it was actually just incredibly boring and repetitive. The twists were also not surprising and easy to predict, it was so simple that at times it was confusing to me because I couldn’t believe some of the logic in this.
The worst thing though is the ending. It just abruptly ends, no studying conclusion, you don’t get any real closure other than the killer’s reveal. I was very disappointed by this one and definitely would not recommend it. There are way better thrillers and horror novels out there, this one is not worth it!
Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this much at all for many reasons. Firstly, the characters aren’t very likeable which makes a who done it isolated cabin murder spree a little boring. I couldn’t even out clued together because there really weren’t any and none of the characters really stood out enough for me to care.
I also thought this book was WAY too long. There was so much inner dialogue in an attempt to make this a mystery through the main Character’s thoughts but it was actually just incredibly boring and repetitive. The twists were also not surprising and easy to predict, it was so simple that at times it was confusing to me because I couldn’t believe some of the logic in this.
The worst thing though is the ending. It just abruptly ends, no studying conclusion, you don’t get any real closure other than the killer’s reveal. I was very disappointed by this one and definitely would not recommend it. There are way better thrillers and horror novels out there, this one is not worth it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder
Dark Ride by Iain Rob Wright
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
I was shockingly surprised at how much I enjoyed this short novel about a haunted amusement park ride! I was expecting the book version of a b-flick with this one and was surprised to have characters that actually felt real and not just fodder for a killer.
This one is weird and out there but the characters are lively, the pace is quick, and the scares are there, making this one a fun ride.
This one is weird and out there but the characters are lively, the pace is quick, and the scares are there, making this one a fun ride.
The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw, Richard Kadrey
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I am a huge fan of Khaw’s horror fiction, her prose is dynamic and visceral while still remaining beautiful at the same time. Nothing But Blackened Teeth is one of my favorite horror novellas of all time.
I was expecting this dreadful type of horror when I started this audiobook and quickly realized this was not the haunting book I expected, but the genre of action/horror.
The narrator was over the top, with a different voice for each character which did help distinguish between the 50 different people in this book, but that did not make up for how annoying the voices could be. The narrator was over the top because the characters were edgy, hardcore, comic book characters that seemed more like caricatures than actual people by the end of the novel because the pacing is so off and there are so many of them.
I’ll admit I’m a character reader, if I’m reading over the top horror I need to care about the characters in some way to find it interesting and I just could not relate or care about any of these characters because there were just too many of them.
Essentially, this book had too many characters, too many pov switches, too many ideas, too many cliches, and too many plot points all thrown into one novel. It feels like you need to go into the story already knowing so much about this world and its characters which I don’t feel like we really get. Instead we get an other scene introducing ANOTHER new character in some edgy, gore filled way. It’s just too much for me.
I will not be continuing this series because the books are not something that interests me. I continue to look forward to future work by Khaw but won’t be recommending this one.
I was expecting this dreadful type of horror when I started this audiobook and quickly realized this was not the haunting book I expected, but the genre of action/horror.
The narrator was over the top, with a different voice for each character which did help distinguish between the 50 different people in this book, but that did not make up for how annoying the voices could be. The narrator was over the top because the characters were edgy, hardcore, comic book characters that seemed more like caricatures than actual people by the end of the novel because the pacing is so off and there are so many of them.
I’ll admit I’m a character reader, if I’m reading over the top horror I need to care about the characters in some way to find it interesting and I just could not relate or care about any of these characters because there were just too many of them.
Essentially, this book had too many characters, too many pov switches, too many ideas, too many cliches, and too many plot points all thrown into one novel. It feels like you need to go into the story already knowing so much about this world and its characters which I don’t feel like we really get. Instead we get an other scene introducing ANOTHER new character in some edgy, gore filled way. It’s just too much for me.
I will not be continuing this series because the books are not something that interests me. I continue to look forward to future work by Khaw but won’t be recommending this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
emotional
inspiring
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
3.0
Poetry honestly isn’t my genre of choice and I chose this audiobook because it was short, totaling at about 1hr 19mins. I gave it a 3 because it was well narrated and the poems were well written I just wasn’t into it. I’m not a well versed in what makes good or bad poetry but this was ok.
Sisters by Lily Tuck
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
3.0
A second wife describing her husband his kids form a previous marriage and her obsession with his first wife. Short, and easy this one wasn’t anything amazing in my opinion but it was interesting enough to listen too. If you’re looking for a break between books or to boost your book count this one was ok.
The Art of Super Mario Odyssey by Nintendo
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
5.0
A beautifully detailed art book for Mario and Nintendo fans that gives an inside look into Mario Odyssey!
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A heartbreaking lyrical story about gun violence and breaking the cycle told in verse. I highly recommend the audiobook read by the author, his narration brings the characters to life and brings the terror of living in gang ridden areas to life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Death of parent
Of Cattle and Men by Ana Paula Maia
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
A dark and visceral look at the meat industry through the perspective of a man working in a slaughterhouse as the stun operator. Edgar has compassion for the animals he slaughters and shines a light on the inhumanity of slaughtering animals so the masses can ingest it guilt free with little to no understanding of what must be done to make that burger. As we’ve become more civilized we’ve become more barbaric, and that is shown here in this novel. I’ve been a vegetarian for 20 years and this novel touched on a lot of issues with the meat industry and our current society that I feel everyone should be aware of. Edgar was an excellent narrator for this tale because you see a man that’s good at his job despite his compassion towards the animals and goes above and beyond to ensure they’re treated respectfully even in the stun box. There is so much to say about this novel and its themes and I think it’s one definitely worth a read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Classism
Mary Ventura and The Ninth Kingdom: A Story by Sylvia Plath
adventurous
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
The Bell Jar is one of my favorite novels so I was excited to read one of Plath’s earlier short stories. This one is very short so I don’t want to give anything away. A girl is bought a train ticket by her parents with a destination unknown to her. She meets a kind woman on her journey who offers her some assistance. Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom gave me serious Twilight Zone vibes and I loved it.