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beckykphillips's reviews
276 reviews
The Devil by Name by Keith Rosson
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Keith Rosson has masterfully woven together all of the threads from Fever House and some fantastic new ones in The Devil by Name. This is an incredible sequel to Fever House taking place 5 years after The Message induces an apocalyptic event via telephone call turning a large portion of the world's population into fevered (zombies). Fever House and The Devil by Name are some of my absolute favorite horror novels. These stories have stuck with me and are absolutely some of the most gruesome novels I've ever read and I will keep coming back for more of his writing.
The careful world building makes everything feel tangible and Rosson's use of multiple narratives results in a well-rounded view of the entire catastrophe. We see the world through everyone from a ragman, an itinerant salesman, to the co-founder of the megacorporation that is attempting to bring civilization back to America. We of course also revisit our main characters from Fever House, Katherine Moriarty and John Bonner. In one particularly memorable scene, John is dropped into a giant mess of fevered in Portland in a bag, and I won't go into more detail but my palms were sweating all the way through that.
I highly recommend this book to any horror lover and could not have dreamed of a better follow up to Fever House. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC.
The careful world building makes everything feel tangible and Rosson's use of multiple narratives results in a well-rounded view of the entire catastrophe. We see the world through everyone from a ragman, an itinerant salesman, to the co-founder of the megacorporation that is attempting to bring civilization back to America. We of course also revisit our main characters from Fever House, Katherine Moriarty and John Bonner. In one particularly memorable scene, John is dropped into a giant mess of fevered in Portland in a bag, and I won't go into more detail but my palms were sweating all the way through that.
I highly recommend this book to any horror lover and could not have dreamed of a better follow up to Fever House. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC.
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
4.0
An isekai-inspired novel where our heroine/villainess is also processing the grief associated with being chronically ill? Yes, I'm 100% in.
Long Live Evil starts off in a way that feels almost like the Princess Bride. Rae has been hospital-bound with a terminal illness, she and her sister Alice read their favorite novel, Time of Iron, a sprawling fantasy full of intrigue, dastardly villains, beautiful love interests, and a god of an emperor. After a particularly rough period with illness, Rae meets a mysterious old woman and finds herself waking up in the world of Time of Iron as one of the villains and has to work to survive in the fictional world and her own.
We get heists, we get love stories, we get the inside scoop into how the "side characters" actually feel about all of the momentous events that they end up being swept up in. I want to avoid spoilers, but this book is a great romp through an incredible fantasy realm, while also expertly dealing with the emotional trauma that is having a chronic/terminal illness. I really appreciated how Sarah Rees Brennan was able to balance so much humor and fantastical elements while grounding Rae in reality and allowing her to process what is happening to her in the real world.
I will say that at times the pacing felt off with the events occurring and how some of the later parts of the book come together. However, I had a great time nonetheless and recommend this novel . Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the advanced copy of this book.
Long Live Evil starts off in a way that feels almost like the Princess Bride. Rae has been hospital-bound with a terminal illness, she and her sister Alice read their favorite novel, Time of Iron, a sprawling fantasy full of intrigue, dastardly villains, beautiful love interests, and a god of an emperor. After a particularly rough period with illness, Rae meets a mysterious old woman and finds herself waking up in the world of Time of Iron as one of the villains and has to work to survive in the fictional world and her own.
We get heists, we get love stories, we get the inside scoop into how the "side characters" actually feel about all of the momentous events that they end up being swept up in. I want to avoid spoilers, but this book is a great romp through an incredible fantasy realm, while also expertly dealing with the emotional trauma that is having a chronic/terminal illness. I really appreciated how Sarah Rees Brennan was able to balance so much humor and fantastical elements while grounding Rae in reality and allowing her to process what is happening to her in the real world.
I will say that at times the pacing felt off with the events occurring and how some of the later parts of the book come together. However, I had a great time nonetheless and recommend this novel . Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the advanced copy of this book.
Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Experiencing a very midwest apocalypse through our main character, Rainy, was...delightful, which feels weird to say about a post-apocalyptic novel, but the point stands.
I Cheerfully Refuse starts off with us meeting Rainy and his wife, Lark, and following them through their lives as we learn about how the world has changed after a pandemic and other atrocities, including the villainization of reading. Lark has partnered up with a bread baker and sells books to the people of Icebridge, a small town right next to Lake Superior. Things take a turn when Lark brings in a skellite, Kellen, who disappears during her 36th birthday. The adventure that ensues does an incredible job of exploring grief, found family, and some of the most irritating bureaucratic nonsense (the bridge scene made me INCREDIBLY irritated) you could ever hope to find in an apocalyptic story.
Inanimate objects have a way of becoming characters of their own in this story. I really appreciated the centering around Lake Superior and how mercurial the lake is - and if this piques your interest, I highly recommend checking out Geo Rutherford's many stories on Lake Superior. In the same vein, Flower becomes a character in its own right, and I became so attached to the vessel as the novel continued. Rainy is a wonderful narrator and guide through this world that Leif Enger has so artfully created.
I highly recommend this book. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Recorded Books for the copy.
I Cheerfully Refuse starts off with us meeting Rainy and his wife, Lark, and following them through their lives as we learn about how the world has changed after a pandemic and other atrocities, including the villainization of reading. Lark has partnered up with a bread baker and sells books to the people of Icebridge, a small town right next to Lake Superior. Things take a turn when Lark brings in a skellite, Kellen, who disappears during her 36th birthday. The adventure that ensues does an incredible job of exploring grief, found family, and some of the most irritating bureaucratic nonsense (the bridge scene made me INCREDIBLY irritated) you could ever hope to find in an apocalyptic story.
Inanimate objects have a way of becoming characters of their own in this story. I really appreciated the centering around Lake Superior and how mercurial the lake is - and if this piques your interest, I highly recommend checking out Geo Rutherford's many stories on Lake Superior. In the same vein, Flower becomes a character in its own right, and I became so attached to the vessel as the novel continued. Rainy is a wonderful narrator and guide through this world that Leif Enger has so artfully created.
I highly recommend this book. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Recorded Books for the copy.
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X. Chang
Did not finish book. Stopped at 36%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 36%.
This book unfortunately didn't work for me even though I was very hyped about the premise of exploring colonization in a fantasy lens. The magic system was neat and had good consequences for use. But, overall, I had a hard time with Ruying as the main character. So much of our time with her is spent with her self flagellating and working to protect her Grandma and sister Meiya. The pacing didn't work for me and felt slow. The writing itself had a lot of unnecessary description and I found myself skimming frequently.
How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was an absolute DELIGHT, I had so much fun reading it. The action in this was non-stop and I loved following along as Devi grew throughout the book. Also, any book that can incorporate both the scientific journal Nature and Dance Dance Revolution in the same chapter is a win for me. PLUS sarcastic footnotes throughout the book.
Devi is stuck in a time loop, a la Live Die Repeat/Edge of Tomorrow, has finally had it after trying for so long to be the good guy, and decides to become the Dark Lord of the magical Kingdom. She is resourceful after having lived over a thousand years, a hell of an archer, fond of making references no one else in Kingdom will understand, and deeply horny.
I eagerly await the sequel and highly recommend to anyone looking for a fun story with heart behind it.
Thanks very much to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the e-ARC.
Devi is stuck in a time loop, a la Live Die Repeat/Edge of Tomorrow, has finally had it after trying for so long to be the good guy, and decides to become the Dark Lord of the magical Kingdom. She is resourceful after having lived over a thousand years, a hell of an archer, fond of making references no one else in Kingdom will understand, and deeply horny.
I eagerly await the sequel and highly recommend to anyone looking for a fun story with heart behind it.
Thanks very much to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the e-ARC.
The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This was an absolutely incredible love story told throughout three different timelines and expertly interwoven by Justinian Huang in his debut (!) novel. I love that this is just gay Asian excellence through and through - this should be going on everyone's reading list this year.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape