alex9's reviews
310 reviews

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

Another great book to start of the year with, and one that’s been on my TBR for a while. I’m also so glad to see it’s getting a sequel, since I liked both of the characters and am looking forward to seeing their journey continue on.
The setting and lore that this story is built upon immediately creeped me out, showing the dark side of nature and how it is entwined with human behaviour and supernatural elements. After dealing with abuse and misogyny at college, Effy can’t escape the danger from those and the additional threats that haunt her as she moves to a remote, crumbling house built on a cliff, belonging to her now deceased favourite author.
The tension in here ratcheted up like a slowly rising tide until everything comes crashing down, in one of the better endings that I’ve read recently.

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

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challenging dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Very dark and gritty story but one I liked a bit more than Hell Followed with Us, just because this one is set in the present day. While there are also some supernatural elements, the body horror is much less, although there is still some more realistic gory parts in here. An important novel about the potential that lies in the places we’re tied to and why people stay there and work for a better future, despite ostracism and scorn from others.

The Last Sun by K.D. Edwards

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adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

2025 is the year I finally make myself start actually writing reviews for the books I read, so here’s the first one.
Honestly, I’m not a huge fantasy reader and although I enjoyed urban fantasy as a teen, I haven’t been super into it as an adult, so I fully expected to have to force myself to get through this book. It did start out in the middle of a high stakes action scene, and I was kind of lost at first without explanation for what was happening or how the world worked. By a few chapters in though, more things were revealed and I started getting an understanding of the world building. At that point, I was hooked. Rune, the MC, was realistic (for a fantasy character) and reading from his perspective never felt too ridiculous. He balanced having powers and being the heir to the Sun throne with the wit, loyalty to those close to him, and genuine skill that he developed from years of training to make him likeable as a character. I also did not expect the romance to be with who it ended up as, but it was well written and developed nicely throughout the story without feeling rushed or unrealistic. I normally struggle to get invested in journey/adventure arcs and battle scenes but here I was super into it the entire book. After finishing, I immediately went to order the next two books and though I typically find it hard to continue with series right away, I will definitely be making my way through the next books soon this year and awaiting the fourth book coming out early next year. I could really have not asked for a better book to set the tone for how my 2025 reading year will go (hopefully lots more as good as this one)!

The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced