bookswithlydscl's reviews
538 reviews

Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring 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

3.75

3.75* 

I was so intrigued by the premise of this book and loved the idea of a book within a book with sci-fi elements and for the most part I was really satisfied with what I found.

This is definitely sci-fi lite and felt much more literary and family drama focused (which if you've read any other books with Nigerian families will feel very familiar). I thought the writing was fantastic and I loved the slower character focused build up in the first half. We have events happen but they feel natural and well paced and I loved the quasi future elements (the self-driving cars, the exoskeleton) mixed in with the 'Rusted Robots' book excerpts.

It really was building up to be a high 4* read for me but I felt that the story took an abrupt turn with the introduction of the space launch prospect and it just didn't feel as grounded in reality as the rest of the book had been to that point. The pace then ramped up so that the careful story telling of the first half turned about face as we raced to the end which felt a little too abrupt for me. 

Don't go into this expecting a true science fiction novel and you will be more likely to enjoy it. Thankfully I'd seen some reviews highlighting that so went into it with the right level of expectation and I really did like it, I just ended up not loving it overall as much as I hoped to.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group | Gollancz for this digital review copy of "Death of the Author" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Solid but won't be particularly memorable for me

Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

on the nose, nothing subtle about this whatsoever but that helps make it a co pletely wild ride. Extremely timely and truly horrific at points. Enjoyed this one

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-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

3.5

3.5 but rounded up for the final chapter of book 7.

Not a fan of stories that have a predominant focus on infidelity- makes it very difficult to feel any kind of connection or empathy for those involved.

Much like Middlemarch I did spend a decent amount of this wondering what the heck the point of most of it was. Far too long but Maggie Gyllenhaal and 2+ speed on the audiobook didn't make it feel as daunting.

The Case of the Christie Conspiracy by Kelly Oliver

informative lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

4.0

A talking cat, a book about books, cosy translated fiction - checks all the way.

You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-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

3.5

3.5* rounded up

The premise for this book had me hooked instantly - a group of crime writers being picked off one by one at an isolated retreat hosted by a mysterious and reclusive author. It had vibes of Christie, and Cluedo and and I had high hopes going in. Overall I wasn't disappointed but I didn't quite love this as much as hoped. The game elements, the books within books and the slow burn unfolding of what a disastrous situation the writers found themselves in worked really well for me but the group of characters themselves didn't click and I found the number of perspectives at the start to be a little confusing. Once the group reduced down I definitely found myself swept up on the ride especially as the pace picked up around the same time (around the 50% mark).

An ambitious debut with some classic crime hallmarks this wasn't quite the full blown hit I'd hoped for but I enjoyed it, I loved the style and the writing worked really well overall for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Bantam for this digital review copy of "You Are Fatally Invited" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

3.5*

Overall really enjoyed - inhaled the audiobook and will continue the series when book 2 comes out but didn't quite get up to loved it.

Hungerstone by Kat Dunn

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.0

Devouring Tomorrow: Fiction from the Future of Food by A.G. Pasquella, J.J. Dupuis

adventurous challenging dark funny informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Really strong collection but with a lot of stories that felt a little too short - I wanted more
Love the speculative / scifi / dystopian nature of the collection a collection i really enjoyed