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bookishpriest's reviews
217 reviews
The Alchemy Of Moonlight by David Ferraro
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The Alchemy of Moonlight by David Ferraro is a great homage to the gothic horror genre that includes some m/m romance in a love triangle and a genuinely creepy atmosphere.
Emile is a young man about to come of age and receive his substantial inheritance when his aunt discovers that he is gay. She threatens to institutionalize him if he does not marry a woman and produce an heir, something Emile cannot reconcile himself or the potential bride to.
Emile flees his home and seeks to remain hidden from society until he comes of age and can claim his inheritance on his own terms. He is quickly embroiled in a love triangle with two older, dashing men. As he tries to sort out his heart, Emile stumbles across hints of some truly creepy goings-on around his new home. The plot gets thicker and thicker as he investigates.
The Alchemy of Moonlight creates a great atmosphere with plenty of creepy moments. There is a genuine feeling of dread and, though many of the tropes are familiar and predictable, they are enjoyable just the same. The writing and pacing are good and I found myself looking forward to coming back for the next instalment. I was also impressed with how Ferraro manages to convey the depth of tension and feeling in the love triangle in ways that keep the book firmly in YA-acceptable territory.
The audiobook narration is well done and makes for a pleasant listen.
The book isn't perfect, however. The characters felt a bit flat. Emile exercised very little agency until the last pages of the book, disappointing for a main character with a good setup. There were a few plot points that felt too convenient and the ending of the book was more seamless than I thought realistic, given everything else going on.
Overall, this was a good read and a nice nod to the gothic horror genre.
Emile is a young man about to come of age and receive his substantial inheritance when his aunt discovers that he is gay. She threatens to institutionalize him if he does not marry a woman and produce an heir, something Emile cannot reconcile himself or the potential bride to.
Emile flees his home and seeks to remain hidden from society until he comes of age and can claim his inheritance on his own terms. He is quickly embroiled in a love triangle with two older, dashing men. As he tries to sort out his heart, Emile stumbles across hints of some truly creepy goings-on around his new home. The plot gets thicker and thicker as he investigates.
The Alchemy of Moonlight creates a great atmosphere with plenty of creepy moments. There is a genuine feeling of dread and, though many of the tropes are familiar and predictable, they are enjoyable just the same. The writing and pacing are good and I found myself looking forward to coming back for the next instalment. I was also impressed with how Ferraro manages to convey the depth of tension and feeling in the love triangle in ways that keep the book firmly in YA-acceptable territory.
The audiobook narration is well done and makes for a pleasant listen.
The book isn't perfect, however. The characters felt a bit flat. Emile exercised very little agency until the last pages of the book, disappointing for a main character with a good setup. There were a few plot points that felt too convenient and the ending of the book was more seamless than I thought realistic, given everything else going on.
Overall, this was a good read and a nice nod to the gothic horror genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Gore
Moderate: Homophobia and Violence
Minor: Vomit
Penpal by Dathan Auerbach
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
The premise of the book is great. Other than one chapter - Boxes - it completely fails to deliver. The writing is often clumsy and most of the book is an exercise in telling over showing.
The narrator is reflecting on his past, so there may be an element of intentional unreliability, but so much of what is described seems wildly implausible. Children behaving as though they're significantly older than they are; adults completely and collectively missing what's going on even when the kids tell them; plot holes you could drive a truck through.
Disappointing. Give this one a miss.
The narrator is reflecting on his past, so there may be an element of intentional unreliability, but so much of what is described seems wildly implausible. Children behaving as though they're significantly older than they are; adults completely and collectively missing what's going on even when the kids tell them; plot holes you could drive a truck through.
Disappointing. Give this one a miss.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Car accident
Moderate: Animal death
Deserter by Junji Ito
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
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
3.0
Fourth Wing doesn't do anything innovative or new with the themes and ideas in its story, but what a fun telling of a familiar story. Like an excellent preparation of a favourite recipe, this book is great fun and very enjoyable.
There was an awful lot of what felt like contrived convenience for the sake of the plot around the protagonist, which at times was hard to digest. I also had trouble believing the romance - or love triangle - even for a moment.
I was pleased that the sex scenes actually served to advance the plot a bit, but they were unnecessarily graphic and lengthy.
The audiobook, narrrated by Rebecca Soler with Teddy Hamilton is a good production and a very pleasant way to read Fourth Wing.
There was an awful lot of what felt like contrived convenience for the sake of the plot around the protagonist, which at times was hard to digest. I also had trouble believing the romance - or love triangle - even for a moment.
I was pleased that the sex scenes actually served to advance the plot a bit, but they were unnecessarily graphic and lengthy.
The audiobook, narrrated by Rebecca Soler with Teddy Hamilton is a good production and a very pleasant way to read Fourth Wing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Deliverance: As seen on THIS MORNING - Everyday investigations into poltergeists, ghosts and other supernatural phenomena by an Anglican priest by Jason Bray
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Hoarfrost by Jordan L. Hawk
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence and Blood
Minor: Racism, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, and Abandonment
All Hallows by Christopher Golden
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 8%.
The characters are flat, the setting is very weirdly ambiguous, the hints at what's to come are obvious and trite.
Just no good hooks to grab me or breadcrumbs to keep me on the trail. I hope it better suits other readers!
Just no good hooks to grab me or breadcrumbs to keep me on the trail. I hope it better suits other readers!
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
The premise of this book was an interesting one, but it did not live up to the hype which preceded it. I found the storytelling to be unnecessarily slow, with the setup and execution ponderous at times. Perhaps I am not the intended audience, though I usually get along well with a bit of magical realism. It seems like a matter of a good idea that was perhaps too heavy for the execution.
The audiobook narration was very good. No complaints about the production values of the audiobook edition.
The audiobook narration was very good. No complaints about the production values of the audiobook edition.