alexampersand's reviews
324 reviews
Sins of the Father, by Christopher Golden
3.0
This one felt quite slow going - it took a long time to "reveal" the villain (and even longer for the second reveal, happening just pages before the end) in a way that made it quite unsatisfying to read, with very little payoff.
There were a lot of different elements introduced and I'm not sure they all felt really necessary; they didn't tie in, and I feel like there were some themes about paternal relationships that could have been developed a bit further.
There were a lot of different elements introduced and I'm not sure they all felt really necessary; they didn't tie in, and I feel like there were some themes about paternal relationships that could have been developed a bit further.
None Of This Is Serious, by Catherine Prasifka
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
2.5
There were pockets of this book that I loved, and other large parts that I really didn't.
I thought the authors observations of internet culture, anxiety, burrowing oneself into the internet, was absolutely spot on. I found myself often taking note of quotes that so accurately and perfectly reflected my own experiences (something I haven't felt compelled to do while reading for about 10 years).
But other than these observations, everything else fell flat.
There was an inclusion of a very big sci-fi fantasy element very early on.... that is then not developed in any way at all. For a book that deals with the human experience, and the minutia of emotions, it felt so jarring to have this one super fantastical element, and then not use it in any way at all other than simply being there.
I also felt the writing style quite off-putting - the lack of quotation marks around Sophie's speech, so it's left entirely up to us to seduce what is simply her internal monologue and what are her verbalised thoughts. This led to a larger problem of unreliable narration, which can sometimes be an interesting tool, but here it really grated on me being unsure what exactly was happening versus what Sophie was simply misinterpreting, especially around her interactions with her friends and family - is everyone in the book cruel towards her, or is that simply her read of the situation? This then becomes more problematic when it gets to the topic of secual assault, and she specifically mentions that the perpetrator for a second looks "genuinely confused", leading me to wonder for a minute whether it was intended sexual assault, which is quite tricky ground to be on when writing about such a controversial subject area.
Which leads onto another big issue for me, which was the pacing. It felt like the book meandered along for the most part (almost 200 pages), before suddenly ramping up the conflict, causing a full-scale meltdown, and then very quickly resolving it, all in a mere 70 pages.
And the resolution itself felt deeply unsatisfying. As I mentioned, for an author who seemed to really understand internet culture, it felt like the ending message was so simplified as to feel disingenuous and incredibly unsatisfying for me. "If I spend a bit less time on my phone, everything will be fine" just doesn't work for me, especially when we've seen how deep Sophie's issues seem to run within her.
So overall... some really nice observations, but some real big stumbling blocks along the way.
I thought the authors observations of internet culture, anxiety, burrowing oneself into the internet, was absolutely spot on. I found myself often taking note of quotes that so accurately and perfectly reflected my own experiences (something I haven't felt compelled to do while reading for about 10 years).
But other than these observations, everything else fell flat.
There was an inclusion of a very big sci-fi fantasy element very early on.... that is then not developed in any way at all. For a book that deals with the human experience, and the minutia of emotions, it felt so jarring to have this one super fantastical element, and then not use it in any way at all other than simply being there.
I also felt the writing style quite off-putting - the lack of quotation marks around Sophie's speech, so it's left entirely up to us to seduce what is simply her internal monologue and what are her verbalised thoughts. This led to a larger problem of unreliable narration, which can sometimes be an interesting tool, but here it really grated on me being unsure what exactly was happening versus what Sophie was simply misinterpreting, especially around her interactions with her friends and family - is everyone in the book cruel towards her, or is that simply her read of the situation? This then becomes more problematic when it gets to the topic of secual assault, and she specifically mentions that the perpetrator for a second looks "genuinely confused", leading me to wonder for a minute whether it was intended sexual assault, which is quite tricky ground to be on when writing about such a controversial subject area.
Which leads onto another big issue for me, which was the pacing. It felt like the book meandered along for the most part (almost 200 pages), before suddenly ramping up the conflict, causing a full-scale meltdown, and then very quickly resolving it, all in a mere 70 pages.
And the resolution itself felt deeply unsatisfying. As I mentioned, for an author who seemed to really understand internet culture, it felt like the ending message was so simplified as to feel disingenuous and incredibly unsatisfying for me. "If I spend a bit less time on my phone, everything will be fine" just doesn't work for me, especially when we've seen how deep Sophie's issues seem to run within her.
So overall... some really nice observations, but some real big stumbling blocks along the way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Ghost Beach, by R.L. Stine
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
This was a great read - genuinely mysterious and actually quite spooky and unnerving. There was a nice bit of genuine mystery, although it felt like the truth came out quite easily in the final confrontation.
Ring, by Kōji Suzuki
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
4.0
I always find it weird reading a book after watching the movie - especially when the movie is a translated remake. But here we are, with the book that The Ring is (loosely) based on.
There are obviously a lot of similarities - the concept of the video, people dying within 7 days, and the well. But the actual facts and story of Sadako has been completely altered - as well as the contents of the video itself.
I honestly thought that Sadako's backstory, and how the video came about, made a lot more sense in the book, and also I liked the analogy of viral reproduction as it's explained. That was sort of brushed under the carpet with a bit of magic hand waving.
I did think the plot around Sadako's gender was..... unnecessary? It gave it an excuse to lean into some oddly transphobic ideas that didn't really have much impact on the story and how it came to be.
There were also quite a few leaps that were taken by Asakawa in trying to work out the mystery, some of which felt more believable than others...
But generally speaking it was a fun and intriguing read.
There are obviously a lot of similarities - the concept of the video, people dying within 7 days, and the well. But the actual facts and story of Sadako has been completely altered - as well as the contents of the video itself.
I honestly thought that Sadako's backstory, and how the video came about, made a lot more sense in the book, and also I liked the analogy of viral reproduction as it's explained. That was sort of brushed under the carpet with a bit of magic hand waving.
I did think the plot around Sadako's gender was..... unnecessary? It gave it an excuse to lean into some oddly transphobic ideas that didn't really have much impact on the story and how it came to be.
There were also quite a few leaps that were taken by Asakawa in trying to work out the mystery, some of which felt more believable than others...
But generally speaking it was a fun and intriguing read.
How to Kill Your Family, by Bella Mackie
dark
mysterious
4.5
The premise of the book felt pretty different to anything I've read in a long time - a confessional account from someone detailing how they've killed members of their family.
I found the protagonist teetered on the edge of being a likeable antihero, but then other times felt like she was almost deliberately contrarian in a way that was very grating.
I did enjoy how each murder was set up quite differently and the length of research undertaken each time gave us glimpses into several different worlds.
All throughout I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that the very premise was flawed - if you're in prison for a crime you didn't do, it seems like the last thing you should do is take to writing down in great detail a large amount of crimes that you did actually do. So without spoilers, I was glad to see that this seemingly glaringly unrealistic plot point was addressed by the end.
Speaking of the end - I left feeling a little unsatisfied. We end on essentially one very long chapter with a switch in narrator, but I didn't feel like the story was fully wrapped up. After spending the whole book with Grace, it felt anticlimactic to then not get any of her responses or reactions to the final plot points.
But overall, I loved this book!!
I found the protagonist teetered on the edge of being a likeable antihero, but then other times felt like she was almost deliberately contrarian in a way that was very grating.
I did enjoy how each murder was set up quite differently and the length of research undertaken each time gave us glimpses into several different worlds.
All throughout I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that the very premise was flawed - if you're in prison for a crime you didn't do, it seems like the last thing you should do is take to writing down in great detail a large amount of crimes that you did actually do. So without spoilers, I was glad to see that this seemingly glaringly unrealistic plot point was addressed by the end.
Speaking of the end - I left feeling a little unsatisfied. We end on essentially one very long chapter with a switch in narrator, but I didn't feel like the story was fully wrapped up. After spending the whole book with Grace, it felt anticlimactic to then not get any of her responses or reactions to the final plot points.
But overall, I loved this book!!
The Dinner Guest, by B.P. Walter
dark
mysterious
3.5
Mystery thriller with an engaging plot, but fell a little flat with the characters. It felt like a bit of a change to read a book of this genre that features flashbacks/flashforwards in such a way that it seems to give away a big "reveal" in the opening chapters - but of course everything is not fully as it seems.
The characterisation, particularly in the opening, felt very stilted and like the author was relying quite a lot on tropes, and the dialogue also felt very forced at times. It seemed to improve as the book went on, but I'm unsure if that was due to an actual improvement, or if I just adjusted to it, or if the plot superceded actual characterisation. But all throughout none of the characters felt remotely likeable.
I felt like the pacing of the book was a little off - the opening set up was very engaging, but then towards the middle it seemed to lag, and neither the pre- or post-murder chapters really seemed to add too much detail or plot to the story. Conversely, it felt like when we got to the final 100 pages or so there were suddenly several revelations that came about - and quite a lot simply through expository dialogue, when it might have been nice to have seen a flashback chapter to these events instead.
But still, it was a good read that kept me engaged until the end!
The characterisation, particularly in the opening, felt very stilted and like the author was relying quite a lot on tropes, and the dialogue also felt very forced at times. It seemed to improve as the book went on, but I'm unsure if that was due to an actual improvement, or if I just adjusted to it, or if the plot superceded actual characterisation. But all throughout none of the characters felt remotely likeable.
I felt like the pacing of the book was a little off - the opening set up was very engaging, but then towards the middle it seemed to lag, and neither the pre- or post-murder chapters really seemed to add too much detail or plot to the story. Conversely, it felt like when we got to the final 100 pages or so there were suddenly several revelations that came about - and quite a lot simply through expository dialogue, when it might have been nice to have seen a flashback chapter to these events instead.
But still, it was a good read that kept me engaged until the end!
The Darkness Dreaming, by Adele Andersen
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
I had a really great time with this book - fantasy sometimes makes me apprehensive as a genre when it starts into supremely high fantasy, but this book did an excellent job of humanising the characters and making them still fully able to connect and relate to.
The story was a lot deeper and layered than I first expected when reading it - especially after Part One when the narrative perspective seems to shift. It felt a little jarring at first, but once I settled into it I really grew to appreciate the complex history that's been woven, something that made a lot of sense reading the Authors Note at the back, and how many years and how much thought has gone into creating this world for the author.
I desperately wanted some more answers about the overarching plots than we got in the resolution - but I suppose if anything that's a testament to the strength of investment in the story, and has me eagerly awaiting Book Two!
The story was a lot deeper and layered than I first expected when reading it - especially after Part One when the narrative perspective seems to shift. It felt a little jarring at first, but once I settled into it I really grew to appreciate the complex history that's been woven, something that made a lot of sense reading the Authors Note at the back, and how many years and how much thought has gone into creating this world for the author.
I desperately wanted some more answers about the overarching plots than we got in the resolution - but I suppose if anything that's a testament to the strength of investment in the story, and has me eagerly awaiting Book Two!
Immortal, by Christopher Golden, Nancy Holder
adventurous
4.0
A fun adventure, I like that it carried some emotional depth and reflection with Buffy ruminating on mortality due to the villain she was facing.
Our Wives Under The Sea, by Julia Armfield
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
I wasn't sure about the book at first, but as it went on I found myself falling in love with it. The prose was beautifully lyrical, and the content straddled this sort of mysterious vaguely otherworldly quality, that left me pondering what was physical vs emotional. The examination of the relationship was beautifully told, and combining that with the existential dread of the submarine scenes, and the grieving process detailed through the post-submarine scenes, all created a beautiful cocktail.
I think I would have liked a tiny bit more clarity in the ending about the eye, and what exactly happened between the end of the mission and the return to the surface... But I guess the mystery is all a part of it.
I think I would have liked a tiny bit more clarity in the ending about the eye, and what exactly happened between the end of the mission and the return to the surface... But I guess the mystery is all a part of it.
Monster Blood III, by R.L. Stine, R.L. Stine
3.0
It didn't blow me away, but it was fine. Once again I thought the ending of the story was a little convenient (although not as convenient as Monster Blood II), and in general the story just felt a little too childish for my tastes (I know I know they're all kids books, but some of them actually have interesting layers to them!!)