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Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A man wakes up with no memory after what seems to be some sort of spell gone wrong. Soon, he realises that he must be in a dark wizard's lair, although he has no clue how he got there... unless the dark wizard is him.
So begins Dreadful, a magical tale of a dark wizard with amnesia trying to figure out why he feels like saving the royal princess he kidnapped in the first place. This was a fun read, and the (mostly) lighthearted escape I needed from very busy days. I wasn't a fan of some choices employed here, but I did appreciate the attempt at introducing more serious topics. The reflection on identity and making choices was particularly interesting to me, even though at times it felt just a tad too easy to the detriment of depth.
I don't think this will end up being particularly memorable, but it was a fun, easy read.
So begins Dreadful, a magical tale of a dark wizard with amnesia trying to figure out why he feels like saving the royal princess he kidnapped in the first place. This was a fun read, and the (mostly) lighthearted escape I needed from very busy days. I wasn't a fan of some choices employed here, but I did appreciate the attempt at introducing more serious topics. The reflection on identity and making choices was particularly interesting to me, even though at times it felt just a tad too easy to the detriment of depth.
I don't think this will end up being particularly memorable, but it was a fun, easy read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence
Moderate: Sexism, Fire/Fire injury
Inferiori. Come la scienza ha penalizzato le donne by Angela Saini
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Overall interesting exploration of the ways in which scientific research has often been used to justify social gender expectations.
I was expecting a little more in terms of analysis and a little less simple exposition, but this approach did contribute to maintaining the book very accessible. Sometimes it felt disjointed and rushed in certain sections, with a few arguments coming across as slightly more biased than would be desirable: a certain degree of bias is bound to be everywhere and complete objectivity is impossible, but I would have liked to see slightly stronger evidence-based explanations to support some points than those that were offered here. I think this would work well as an introductory text for people approaching these subjects for the first time, but it has little more to offer to someone who read other books on the topic, such as Invisible Women.
Still, it was an interesting read and I might pick up some of the author's other works in the future.
I was expecting a little more in terms of analysis and a little less simple exposition, but this approach did contribute to maintaining the book very accessible. Sometimes it felt disjointed and rushed in certain sections, with a few arguments coming across as slightly more biased than would be desirable: a certain degree of bias is bound to be everywhere and complete objectivity is impossible, but I would have liked to see slightly stronger evidence-based explanations to support some points than those that were offered here. I think this would work well as an introductory text for people approaching these subjects for the first time, but it has little more to offer to someone who read other books on the topic, such as Invisible Women.
Still, it was an interesting read and I might pick up some of the author's other works in the future.
Honorbound by Avery Carter
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
Gwynhafahr val Dieth was always destined to be a Hero, that much she knows. And yet, life at the Academy is not exactly how she envisioned it: she struggles to fit in with the other Heroes-in-training, her rankings are consistently low, and above all she is desperately homesick. To make matters worse, her best friend from back home never replied to any of her letters, with no explanation whatsoever.
So Gwyn is incredibly surprised when a delegation from her home comes to visit the Academy with Izzy accompanying them. Could this be their chance to mend their relationship, or will a dark secret tear everything apart?
Set in the same world as Carter's previous book, Spellbound, Honorbound is the perfect follow-up, even though it works truly well also as a standalone. The Academy is a fascinating setting without being so overly complicated that readers risk getting lost in it, making this a great book for readers approaching fantasy novels. The characters are charming and well-developed, especially the main character Gwyn. Her efforts to fit in delicately convey a meaningful reflection on belonging, and her struggles with insecurity, loneliness, friendship and love are very relatable, especially for a younger audience.
The book is described as a dark cozy academia fantasy and, while that may sound somewhat confusing at first, it is an accurate description. The stakes are moderately high, yet there is a pervasive coziness throughout the narrative and it is impossible not to become invested in the characters' struggles. For fans of the previous book, there are some very welcome returns but having read it is not a prerequisite in order to enjoy Honorbound.
Despite some small issues with pacing, with the last third or so of the book feeling slightly too rushed, this is a truly pleasant reading experience. Readers looking for an adventure that does not require excessive commitment on a cold winter evening (but that is nonetheless highly rewarding) will certainly find it here.
This review was originally published on Reedsy Discovery.
I received an e-arc of this book for free via Reedsy Discovery. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
So Gwyn is incredibly surprised when a delegation from her home comes to visit the Academy with Izzy accompanying them. Could this be their chance to mend their relationship, or will a dark secret tear everything apart?
Set in the same world as Carter's previous book, Spellbound, Honorbound is the perfect follow-up, even though it works truly well also as a standalone. The Academy is a fascinating setting without being so overly complicated that readers risk getting lost in it, making this a great book for readers approaching fantasy novels. The characters are charming and well-developed, especially the main character Gwyn. Her efforts to fit in delicately convey a meaningful reflection on belonging, and her struggles with insecurity, loneliness, friendship and love are very relatable, especially for a younger audience.
The book is described as a dark cozy academia fantasy and, while that may sound somewhat confusing at first, it is an accurate description. The stakes are moderately high, yet there is a pervasive coziness throughout the narrative and it is impossible not to become invested in the characters' struggles. For fans of the previous book, there are some very welcome returns but having read it is not a prerequisite in order to enjoy Honorbound.
Despite some small issues with pacing, with the last third or so of the book feeling slightly too rushed, this is a truly pleasant reading experience. Readers looking for an adventure that does not require excessive commitment on a cold winter evening (but that is nonetheless highly rewarding) will certainly find it here.
This review was originally published on Reedsy Discovery.
I received an e-arc of this book for free via Reedsy Discovery. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence
The Immigrant Queen by Peter Taylor-Gooby
In this context, Aspasia is a truly fascinating figure: a foreigner with a past as a sex-worker who became the only woman in Socrates's circle, debating with the wisest men of the time and composing dialogues much like Plato's (which were sadly lost). She also became the lover-then-wife of Pericles, the city's most formidable statesman at the time, frequently counselling him on political strategy. She was ambitious, highly intelligent and capable - and mostly erased from history.
I appreciated the fact that Aspasia's story was told through the eyes of her slave, Limander, who is an educated bard taken captive when the Athenian army attacked his hometown. Limander is a keen observer with access to rooms others wouldn't normally be allowed in, who reports back on the conversations that are had behind closed doors. He is favoured by his mistress, yet he is keenly aware of the living conditions of his fellow slaves and the inhumanity of it all, highlighting the contrast between the way Athenians think of themselves and how they behave towards all those groups they consider to be inferior. The relationships he builds with the other slaves in Aspasia's household are deep and meaningful, their solidarity built out of necessity and the desire to keep hold of their humanity.
Overall though this was an engaging read, and I was interested in seeing the parallelisms that could be drawn between populist rhetoric in the past and nowadays - perhaps with a bit of sadness that not much seems to have changed at all.
I received an e-arc of this book as part of the blog tour organised by Random Things Tours. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I rarely pass by an opportunity to read a female-centred retelling or historical fiction, so when I heard about The Immigrant Queen featuring Aspasia, I knew I had to read it.
Athens clearly comes across as a city of contradictions: it is widely regarded as "the cradle of democracy" thanks to the fact that citizens could vote on public matters in the Assembly, yet "citizens" were a very limited category made up exclusively of free men - a minority of the city's inhabitants. Women and foreigners had virtually no rights, and slavery was widely accepted.
Of course. I understand the rules for women in Athens: always keep your eyes cast down, as if ashamed", her voice strengthened as she spoke, "always you must walk behind, as if you needed guidance; always be veiled, as if you carried the plague; never have an opinion, as if you were a child.
In this context, Aspasia is a truly fascinating figure: a foreigner with a past as a sex-worker who became the only woman in Socrates's circle, debating with the wisest men of the time and composing dialogues much like Plato's (which were sadly lost). She also became the lover-then-wife of Pericles, the city's most formidable statesman at the time, frequently counselling him on political strategy. She was ambitious, highly intelligent and capable - and mostly erased from history.
The goddess offered Achilles the choice: a short life but glorious, remembered in song and story, or to plough the fields in a forgotten kingdom and grow old by the fire. He chose glory. Why should a woman not choose glory too? Not to be remembered for the man who chose her and the children she bore but for the deeds she did.
I appreciated the fact that Aspasia's story was told through the eyes of her slave, Limander, who is an educated bard taken captive when the Athenian army attacked his hometown. Limander is a keen observer with access to rooms others wouldn't normally be allowed in, who reports back on the conversations that are had behind closed doors. He is favoured by his mistress, yet he is keenly aware of the living conditions of his fellow slaves and the inhumanity of it all, highlighting the contrast between the way Athenians think of themselves and how they behave towards all those groups they consider to be inferior. The relationships he builds with the other slaves in Aspasia's household are deep and meaningful, their solidarity built out of necessity and the desire to keep hold of their humanity.
In Limander's outings in the city on errands for Aspasia or secretly meeting his noble-born lover, we readers are offered a snapshot of what life in Athens must have looked like, amid great cultural ferment in theatres, politics and philosophy, and devastating social inequalities and iniquities. It is clear the author did an amazing amount of research to fully recreate the atmosphere and make ancient Athens come alive (despite a couple of anachronisms in dialogue, which I hope will be fixed in the final version of the text - such as a character saying "OK"), and it really shines through.
What I was perhaps less taken with was the character of Aspasia herself. As the story is told from Limander's POV, we are never privy to her innermost thoughts and feelings, only to what she chooses to share with those around her. Despite some powerful quotes on the role of women in society, Aspasia is still predominantly portrayed in connection with Pericles and her relationship with him. For instance, there is only one scene by my count in which she converses with Socrates by herself, sharing with him passages of the dialogue she is writing on outlanders and citizens. This honestly disappointed me and felt like a missed opportunity to tell a woman's story without having her portrayed only in relation to the famous man in her life. I did appreciate the scenes in which Pericles counsels with Aspasia on his political strategy, and that was precisely what I would have liked to see more of.
They remember so many great men - Aegeus, Theseus, Solon, Draco, Cleisthenes, Themistocles, Aeschylus, Miltiades and all the others. Why should they not one day remember a woman?
Overall though this was an engaging read, and I was interested in seeing the parallelisms that could be drawn between populist rhetoric in the past and nowadays - perhaps with a bit of sadness that not much seems to have changed at all.
I received an e-arc of this book as part of the blog tour organised by Random Things Tours. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Slavery, Violence, War, Pandemic/Epidemic
Kavithri by Aman J. Bedi
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Recently I've been finding it hard to be completely drawn in by a book, fully losing myself in the world and deeply caring about its characters. I'm not sure whether that's due to this particular period of time in which life feels too full or if I've been unlucky in mostly picking up books that left me lukewarm, but I was almost resigned to it happening again. And then I met Kavithri.
Let me start by saying this is absolutely not a book to pick up if you have a hard time with explicit violence as there is a lot of it here. Although it is essential to the story and none of it feels gratuitous, it was hard for me to stomach a few scenes and I definitely had a difficult time with certain passages in the final third. I'll leave some more detailed content warnings under the spoiler tag below if you wish to check them out.
With that out of the way, I was truly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I went into it knowing very little - having mostly only read the blurb when I applied for the blog tour and, as often happens, promptly forgotten about it. I was really glad for that though because it allowed me to be surprised multiple times as I was reading and slowly getting to know the characters and the world they inhabit.
The world of Kavithri is a brutal, South-Asian inspired fantasy with a dash of dystopia, which I would personally class somewhere between grimdark and epic. The world is complex yet clearly drawn, with information being slowly conveyed in different ways without ever descending into long infodumps. The magic system is particularly intriguingeven though it took me a while to wrap my head around it, but I won't go into any more detail as this slow discovery was an essential part of my enjoyment of this book.
I loved how the author managed to build up towards the explosive ending, carefully balancing worldbuilding, character growth and plot with very satisfying results. I was completely glued to the pages, finding it really hard to put this down. Honestly, I was quite surprised that this was a debut as it shows some really impressive writing skills and maturity - if this is the first, I can't wait to see what this author does next!
Kavithri is an amazing main character: her resilience and resistance in the face of adversity is truly admirable, determined as she is to achieve her goals through sweat, tears and blood if needed (quite literally) in spite of everything life keeps throwing at her. For Kavithri is not only poor, she is a Taemu - the lowest of the low in this world's caste system - and for that she is reviled and abused at every turn. The treatment of the Taemu in general is brutal, as they have been consistently dehumanised and used as scapegoats in a very deliberate way by those in power who seek to maintain systems of oppression in place.
This is where the book shines particularly for me, as it addresses some very timely themes revolving around inequality, oppression and the legacy of colonialism. Despite everything, Kavi keeps going and she tries desperately to hold onto her values as she does so, to keep the flame of kindness and empathy alive. Yet, there is also space for rightful rage, challenging these systems that annihilate people with no real reason if not the accumulation of power. Even in the most desperate of times, there is hope to be found in community and solidarity and - at the very least - in freely choosing to live and die on one's own terms for what one believes in. The road to breaking free of social conditioning is long and arduous, and cannot be travelled alone.
Aside from the sometimes excessively explicit violence (which is entirely personal sensitivity), the only other thing I would say is that I would have appreciated having a glossary as there were a lot of unfamiliar terms which I sometimes struggled to keep straight in my mind - not a huge deal, but it would have been helpful!
This is a truly powerful read and one of the best fantasy novels I have read in quite a while. I suspect that Kavithri and the rest of these colourful, complicated, contradictory characters will stay with me for a while yet, and I look forward to seeing how their stories will progress in the next book in the series.
I received a review copy of this book for free from the publisher via as part of the blog tour organised by TheWriteReads. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
I received a review copy of this book for free from the publisher via as part of the blog tour organised by TheWriteReads. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Gore, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide, Vomit, Police brutality, Trafficking, Classism
Minor: Suicide
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I hadn't planned on reading this when it first came out, as I'm generally skeptical about prequels. Then, after a Hunger Games re-read this year as part of a reading challenge, I got curious and thought to check this out - thanks in no small part to the fact that Santino Fontana narrated the audiobook. I was pleasantly surprised.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes isn't a fantastic book, but it is entertaining and introspective, and just generally much better than I expected it to be. It was really interesting to follow Snow's point of view in his youth, to see how he might grow up to become the ruthless president we all love to hate. One thing that actually had surprised me on my HG re-read was how I remembered him being so much more present than he truly was, a sure sign of a memorable villain who permeated the trilogy without actually appearing for very long at all. So, it was fascinating for me to spend more time with him.
Coriolanus Snow isn't likeable - at all - and as a character isn't terribly complex either, driven as he is solely by a desire to succeed and restore his family's former glory, power and - above all - money. He is extremely self-centred makes some terrible choices; following his reasonings is truly unpleasant but I liked that this isn't an attempt at rehabilitation. At no point in the book is it suggested that we should somehow excuse his behaviour: the best we readers can hope to do is to understand it, but there is no salvation in sight.
I was particularly worried about the romance, but again I was pleasantly surprised to see that there is little space for doubt in the relationship between Snow and Lucy Gray: what he claims to be love is only further desire for power, a wish to control and possess a free spirit.
As with the original trilogy, none of the themes touched upon here are particularly subtle - and this extremely toxic behaviour is no exception - but as this is essentially aimed at a younger audience I won't count it against the book. It was also much more introspective than I anticipated, with several reflections veering more towards philosophical musings on human nature and social contracts. Again, not particularly deep and sometimes slightly too on-the-nose (I fully expected certain characters to start quoting The Leviathan at some point) but still a pleasant addition to the universe. I can fully see why some readers who loved the original trilogy might have been disappointed by this one, as the action is very limited and the time spent in the arena was - for me at least - probably the most boring part.
The secondary characters are fairly weak here. As far as Capitol inhabitants go, there are just too many characters who seem to have no distinctive traits whatsoever. By the halfway mark I still couldn't tell the difference between the different mentors - nor the tributes to be honest. The ones who do get some more space for development are fairly stereotypical and one-dimensional, archetypes more than fully fledged characters in their own right. Lucy Gray and Sejanus particularly could have benefited from further development, and I was sorry not to see them gain some of the complexity their characters could have had.
There are multiple elements connecting back to the original trilogy which serve to further understanding (I particularly enjoyed unveiling hints to the origins of Snow's instant hatred of Katniss) or add context to the world, although at times they seemed just a tad too many - fan-service more than real development. The world also isn't particularly built upon in this book, so I expect that if anyone were to approach this universe starting here they would probably have trouble orienting themselves.
Where the book really had issues for me though was in the pacing, which feels all over the place. It started strong, then slowed down considerably, then rushed back at the end... I basically had whiplash. There were also too many repetitions, which really didn't help and made the narrative drag a lot. As far as the audio narration goes, I enjoyed Santino Fontana's interpretation, but really can't understand why they had him recite the song lyrics instead of actually singing them. Having the lyrics just there interrupted the flow and was - again - deeply repetitive most of the time, while having the actual music would have really helped to lend them more emotion, as it had in the HG audios narrated by Tatiana Maslany. I'm truly baffled as to why one would hire a singer to narrate a book featuring multiple songs and not make him sing... Anyway, that's just my opinion!
Overall, this was better than I expected it to be but still had a lot of issues. I am still glad I read it though, and I will look forward to reading the next book when it releases!
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes isn't a fantastic book, but it is entertaining and introspective, and just generally much better than I expected it to be. It was really interesting to follow Snow's point of view in his youth, to see how he might grow up to become the ruthless president we all love to hate. One thing that actually had surprised me on my HG re-read was how I remembered him being so much more present than he truly was, a sure sign of a memorable villain who permeated the trilogy without actually appearing for very long at all. So, it was fascinating for me to spend more time with him.
Coriolanus Snow isn't likeable - at all - and as a character isn't terribly complex either, driven as he is solely by a desire to succeed and restore his family's former glory, power and - above all - money. He is extremely self-centred makes some terrible choices; following his reasonings is truly unpleasant but I liked that this isn't an attempt at rehabilitation. At no point in the book is it suggested that we should somehow excuse his behaviour: the best we readers can hope to do is to understand it, but there is no salvation in sight.
I was particularly worried about the romance, but again I was pleasantly surprised to see that there is little space for doubt in the relationship between Snow and Lucy Gray: what he claims to be love is only further desire for power, a wish to control and possess a free spirit.
As with the original trilogy, none of the themes touched upon here are particularly subtle - and this extremely toxic behaviour is no exception - but as this is essentially aimed at a younger audience I won't count it against the book. It was also much more introspective than I anticipated, with several reflections veering more towards philosophical musings on human nature and social contracts. Again, not particularly deep and sometimes slightly too on-the-nose (I fully expected certain characters to start quoting The Leviathan at some point) but still a pleasant addition to the universe. I can fully see why some readers who loved the original trilogy might have been disappointed by this one, as the action is very limited and the time spent in the arena was - for me at least - probably the most boring part.
The secondary characters are fairly weak here. As far as Capitol inhabitants go, there are just too many characters who seem to have no distinctive traits whatsoever. By the halfway mark I still couldn't tell the difference between the different mentors - nor the tributes to be honest. The ones who do get some more space for development are fairly stereotypical and one-dimensional, archetypes more than fully fledged characters in their own right. Lucy Gray and Sejanus particularly could have benefited from further development, and I was sorry not to see them gain some of the complexity their characters could have had.
There are multiple elements connecting back to the original trilogy which serve to further understanding (I particularly enjoyed unveiling hints to the origins of Snow's instant hatred of Katniss) or add context to the world, although at times they seemed just a tad too many - fan-service more than real development. The world also isn't particularly built upon in this book, so I expect that if anyone were to approach this universe starting here they would probably have trouble orienting themselves.
Where the book really had issues for me though was in the pacing, which feels all over the place. It started strong, then slowed down considerably, then rushed back at the end... I basically had whiplash. There were also too many repetitions, which really didn't help and made the narrative drag a lot. As far as the audio narration goes, I enjoyed Santino Fontana's interpretation, but really can't understand why they had him recite the song lyrics instead of actually singing them. Having the lyrics just there interrupted the flow and was - again - deeply repetitive most of the time, while having the actual music would have really helped to lend them more emotion, as it had in the HG audios narrated by Tatiana Maslany. I'm truly baffled as to why one would hire a singer to narrate a book featuring multiple songs and not make him sing... Anyway, that's just my opinion!
Overall, this was better than I expected it to be but still had a lot of issues. I am still glad I read it though, and I will look forward to reading the next book when it releases!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence
Moderate: War
Minor: Sexual assault
A Curse for Samhain by Dahlia Donovan
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Despite my best intentions, I haven't been very good at following through on my goal to read more books in theme with spooky season this year. Of course, I'll still try to do so after tonight but I really wanted to share at least one Halloween-themed read this year, so enter A Curse for Samhain!
This queer fantasy cozy mystery is a delightful quick and easy read, which was perfect to get that light spooky, witchy feeling while also being really fun. The story is told in alternating POVs, following Hyde - a genderfluid autistic vampire who runs the village bookstore - and his neighbour Teresa - a witch with a taco bus (not truck!). I really enjoyed the characters and their relationship and budding romance. There is so much diversity in this book and it refreshing for once to read about an accepting community, where every resident does their bit to make others feel welcome and boundaries are clearly communicated and respected.
Of course it isn't all blissful as there is still a murder mystery to deal with. This is the part that worked slightly less well for me, as it seemed to remain very surface-level and was resolved far too quickly. Granted, this is a cozy mystery set in a very small village so it's not as if there could be many suspects and a really intricate mystery, but I was still left wanting a little more depth and structure to it than there actually was. That being said, I really liked the depiction of grief and the way the deceased's life is celebrated by the village community.
Overall, this was a pleasant read with a lot more potential than was realised here. It would work well for readers looking for a quick and easy read featuring diverse characters and a quirky, accepting small community, or as a palate-cleanser between tough reads, but might leave anyone looking for a more compelling mystery unsatisfied. I'll look forward to returning to this world with the next book though, to see where the author will take their characters next.
I received an advanced review copy of this book for free from the publisher via the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
I received an advanced review copy of this book for free from the publisher via the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief
Il cognome delle donne by Aurora Tamigio
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Death of parent
Minor: War
The Devil Herself by D.A. Willows
Did not finish book. Stopped at 74%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 74%.
DNF @ 74%
While the idea behind the story is intriguing, there are significant issues with the execution that make it hard to rate this book favourably.
The number of repetitions within the text is excessive, resulting in a stilted narrative and significant frustration on the reader's part as the same concepts (and often the exact same words) are repeated multiple times in a very short space, and there are numerous inconsistencies and contradictions within the text . This also contributes to the sense that the story is barely progressing, with very few new elements being added, giving rise to serious pacing issues. It also felt as though context was lacking, and the settings were described too vaguely to provide a sense of how characters move in the space, often resulting in confusing scenes. Dialogues also suffer from repetitiveness and feel very unnatural. Character development is too generic and surface-level, with vague references to past events and over-reliance on self-talk to describe characters' personalities.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free via Reedsy Discovery. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
While the idea behind the story is intriguing, there are significant issues with the execution that make it hard to rate this book favourably.
The number of repetitions within the text is excessive, resulting in a stilted narrative and significant frustration on the reader's part as the same concepts (and often the exact same words) are repeated multiple times in a very short space, and there are numerous inconsistencies and contradictions within the text . This also contributes to the sense that the story is barely progressing, with very few new elements being added, giving rise to serious pacing issues. It also felt as though context was lacking, and the settings were described too vaguely to provide a sense of how characters move in the space, often resulting in confusing scenes. Dialogues also suffer from repetitiveness and feel very unnatural. Character development is too generic and surface-level, with vague references to past events and over-reliance on self-talk to describe characters' personalities.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free via Reedsy Discovery. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.