art_books_chemistry's reviews
555 reviews

The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I am struggling with my rating on this. I like the concept of the story a lot and enjoyed learning about a pantheon of gods/goddesses that I, for the most part, have never heard of. What I struggled with was the integration of the real history of Russia surrounding Tsar Ivan the Terrible with that mythos. I found the different parts weren't properly intertwined and just hard stopped sometimes between the real life and magical sections. The interludes were also a little confusing on audio at first because I didn't realize when the POV switched. The interludes also time jump without saying so, whereas the chapters are named with dates when they time jump.
I did guess who the mysterious goddess was a decent amount of time before they revealed it, though my first guess was wrong so good job to the author there, appropriate amount of suspense. I also appreciated the 'balance of the universe' aspect since that's very prevalent in old world or pagan belief systems. But other than that, there seemed to be a lot of filler side action since we rarely have actual battles described and for me, there was a decent amount that I felt could have been cut out without losing the main story or any character development. And while I'm on the latter, there was plenty however there were so many side characters that I think some of the main character development got lost.

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Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon

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adventurous funny tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Firstly, this is no great literary masterpiece and it's good because I didn't expect it to be so. I've seen very mixed reviews of this book before I bought it but I like Ice Planet Barbarians and this book is just sooo pretty. I am pretty sure at least a percentage of the people that bought this for the pretty cover and sprayed edges did not bother to read the synopsis or try the author's other work first. A primary plot of this book is the special minotaur holiday that makes them insatiable with lust which should tell you what at least half the book is about.
As for the non-spicy part of the book, the plot is thin but reasonably believable. The "Five" are all different but special in their own ways which natural allows the secondary plot to move forward to it's climax. Thought for me I found part of the ending to be disappointing for some of the side characters. I did guess some of what eventually happened to the FMC in the end but like I said, the plot isn't trying that hard, it was pretty clear what would ultimately happen in some cases from the very beginning. There was less than subtle foreshadowing on some pieces from very early on.

Overall, a decent fantasy romance that was entertaining though it could have moved a little faster in pace for what it was.

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Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

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dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

2.5

I have no idea how the author made such a gory, bloody, shocking history into such a slow and boring book. Seriously, I don't understand why this book dragged but I struggled to want to finish it and it just felt like it kept going. Maybe it was the length of time that this book covered since it started with Clytemnestra in her teens and ended when she was in her 40s. There were time jumps, which definitely helped but also seemed to skip major character development which left my opinion of Clytemnestra confused and overall negative.

I absolutely don't believe she deserved any of what was handed to her by fate, however, she was such an unlikable character that my empathy is with her situation and children rather than herself. This story is definitely not for the squeamish or easily upset; there is a lot of violence, death of children, and infidelity. This is basically the story of everything that happened outside of The Illiad, though it does reference various people and events to orient the reader to the more well-known "history".

Overall, not my favorite but it did scratch the itch I had for all these Greek myth stories that have been coming out lately.

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Lights Out by Navessa Allen

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challenging dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Controversial opinion, this didn't grab me as thoroughly as it could have off the rip. Butcher&Blackbird, for example, had me in the first 5 minutes but it took a little longer for me to warm up to Lights Out. I don't go for the mask thing, maybe that's why. The anticipation and build up to Josh removing the mask in front of Aly was on point though! No spoilers on when that happened but it turned out to be kind of funny too.
I actually thought this book balanced the spice with the plot extremely well, it may be partly due to the fact that the spice was part of the original plot but the secondary plot with Aly's job and her family was great. I'm pretty impressed with the depth of the character development with both Aly and Josh's back stories being both ridiculous and plausible for creating two compassionate yet damaged individuals that are perfect for each other.

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Gagged by the Gherkin by Biblio Barbie

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funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

5.0

This was absolutely hilarious and ridiculous. Not for the average person, only eccentric monsterf*ckers will appreciate the dill-licious puns Danelle (Biblio Barbie) is able to toss together into the perfect pickle salad. Not gonna lie, I could totally have gone for another chapter of this insanity. xD I was cracking up way to much the entire time. What can I say, I too love pickles and ranch. >.>

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