banter_or_bust's reviews
37 reviews

The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie

4.0

The Forest Grimm

By Kathryn Purdie 

Narrated by Sarah Ovens 

4 ⭐️ 

I enjoyed my time in this darkly twisted forest. I love atmospheric stories and this delivers that in spades. Clara’s journey is a tale of mystery, love, and bravery. There is main character scoliosis rep in Clara. I know some complaints of this story is pacing; I had zero issues re: pacing with the audiobook. I finished this in one day and was captivated throughout. Ovens was great to listen to. Maybe audiobook is the format for this story to shine. As far as I know this is duology. I’m excited for book 2. 

Tomb of the Sun King by Jacquelyn Benson

5.0

Bat Eater by Kylie Lee Baker

4.5

The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos by Melissa de la Cruz

3.0

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

5.0

Illuminae

The Illuminae Files book 1

By Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Narrated by a full cast

5 ⭐️ 

Excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I certainly was not prepared for that. That was incredibly good. Like holy shit kind of good. There is so much emotion, the entire spectrum, packed into these pages/audio-file. I felt everything to my bones. This is a rare book where I completely love the main characters, excluding Aiden. Aiden is magnificent on the page, but I loath the sentient a-hole. 

I’ve never read anything by Kaufman before and have read Kristoff. I should have known. Kristoff’s writing floors me and it seems Kaufman pairs brilliantly with him - he says as much in person. I did not have my eyes on that prize. That’s on me. Anyways, this is brilliant. The audiobook is phenomenal. Read it. 

Memento by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

5.0

Well hell. If this doesn’t make you think about current AI and social media algorithms, I think we live on different planets. The full production audio book is a treat to listen to. 

Sci-fi isn’t my usual jam for reading. I get confused in the space world building easily. And, intelligent technology freaks me out far more than anything organic ever could. I’m giving this series a go. Wish me luck. 

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

2.5

2.5-3 ⭐️ 

To start this book is fine. I think it’s most closely classified as a thriller, and for someone who only dips their toes into a suspense/thriller book once in a blue moon that label holds up. I read them fairly regularly, so I felt like this was a novel that reads like journal entries from the MC (not how the author intended). I didn’t love this read for 3 main reasons. 1. The MC was too difficult to like. She has absolutely zero boundaries and no backbone. We don’t get enough positive qualities to balance those very prominent characteristics. 2. The plot set up is rubbish. The MC says yes to a bachelorette party for someone she hasn’t spoken to for several years, for a wedding she’s not invited to. 🤨 She’s extremely introverted and doesn’t interact with people often. No way she’s saying yes to that. Ever. 3. The clues are too obvious and as a result suspense doesn’t actively build throughout the story. The audiobook was also fine. That’s all I have. I wouldn’t tell a friend not to read this. I also wouldn’t bring it up as a good option. 

Chaos & Flame by Tessa Gratton, Justina Ireland

3.5

Chaos & Flame

By Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland

Narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt and James Fouhey

3.5-4 ⭐️ range

I really like the overall concept of this story, book 1 of a duology. Each “house” (ie court, territory, kingdom, etc.) has a mythical creature mascot of which their founding legends are centered on. They also embody characteristics of those creatures. Example: house of dragon like to hoard things, are the group that starts problems and are extra temperamental. As a YA fantasy/romantasy, this story follows the expected YA romantasy recipe. I think this makes for a comforting easy read (Yes cozy too. However, it’s not cozy fantasy, and I don’t want to give the wrong impression). I’m glad I picked this one up. The audiobook was really good and I think it helped tell the story beautifully. Joniece Abbott-Pratt was a brilliant casting choice for Darling. - I hate that character name fyi. I just keep thinking “Wendy Darling” from Peter Pan. And while I’m mentioning it - Talon Goldhoard as the name for a prince from the House of Dragon? 😳 These immensely talented authors can do better than that. 0/5 ⭐️ for these names; it makes the book seem like it will be campy, or at least have that vibe, and it wasn’t at all. That said, I’ll be checking out book 2. 

Circus of the Dead: Book Three by Kimberly Loth

3.0

Circus of the Dead: Book Two by Kimberly Loth

3.0

I felt this book lacked balance. Samual is 99% ick and 1% pretty. His character and his impact on the island so off balanced it made it difficult for me to care about the story. Vinny and his birds are great throughout. Most of the side characters, including Elias coming out of left field with his 4 languages, are also interesting. With Samuel being the main focus though, this book just wasn’t my fav. I still have books 3-4 included on my hoopla borrow, making me committed to finish. If I didn’t, I’d ditch the series after this one.