bookswithlydscl's reviews
540 reviews

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Spoilt this month (feb 2025) - a second 5* book. A tough read but loved it - incredible writing & story but was so angry & sad at the same time. Between this & There Are Rivers In The Sky I've been so lucky experiencing such powerful, beautiful & difficult stories in such quick succession

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Violence

Famous by Blake Crouch

challenging dark funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

Enjoyed this overall, very reminiscent of Bret Easton Ellis. 

Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show by Bethany Joy Lenz

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

Having never watched One Tree Hill I picked this up because of the cult aspect and I'm really glad I did. It's so frustrating as an outsider to see her falling for the lies and manipulation and seeing how they targeted vulnerable.ypung women very deliberately. Really well narrated by the author this was thoughtful, reflective and will make you angry but because of the prologue letting us know she gets out you continue to read on to see how she survives.

The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

3.0

As a huge fan of TJ Klune's audiobooks I was very excited to see this reissue of one of his older novels with a new audiobook narrated by one of the best Klune narrators - Kirt Graves.

Everything that I love about Klune's work is present in some form here - phenomenal narration, found family, quirky humour, queer romance and loveable characters. But what was missing for me was a sense of heart at the core of the story. Despite Kirt Graves narration I just couldn't get invested in the story or the characters and felt the romance was a little lacking especially in comparison to what we saw in Under the Whispering Door. I was also spoilt with In The Lives of Puppets which was a standout five star and I feel that the sci-fi elements were more effective in that story.

One that I think will grow on me in future but in comparison to his most recent new releases it is definitely lacking.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan UK Audio for the audio review copy of "The Bones Beneath My Skin" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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? No

5.0

Easiest 5 stars I'll ever give. This was just wonderful. Seamlessly weaving three timelines through the theme of water it is a powerful, emotional and tragic story that is filled with hope as well. Loved it.

Nephthys by Rachel Louise Driscoll

adventurous dark informative mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

In this story we follow quiet and reserved, Clemmie whose talent for reading Hieroglyphs isn't appreciated in staid Victorian society but is invaluable for her father at his Egyptian relic parties. At one such party she translates words from a strange amulet that will change the course of her life forever.
Five years later she travels to Egypt to journey up the Nile and by following Nephthys' story hopes that she can undo the mistakes of the past. Along the way she meets unexpected allies and enemies and uncovers long-buried secrets and betrayals.

I love the history of Ancient Egpyt and adding in female scholars, commentary on society and a journey of discovery meant that I was excited to read this. Unfortunately the story and writing didn't quite click for me and it took a long while to get going which left me feeling frustrated that the promise of the premise wasn't being delivered sooner. 

This story had huge potential and for a debut especially was generally well crafted with beautiful and vivid descriptors of the landscape, journey and society of the time. It just sadly didn't quite hit in the right spots for me at this time.

Thank you to Netgalley and Vintage | Harvill Secker for this digital review copy of "Nephthys" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

A genuin  surprise that I liked this one as the Brontes tend to be more miss than hit.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.5

Powerful and horrific, this is historical fiction that is very timely for how society is developing today. This is horror from Grady Hendrix but not as you know it. It's not fun and campy like you would expect. The horror in this story comes from the stories and experiences of the girls so don't go into it expecting the normal GH reading experience.
I loved this one, it's very different and incredibly well handled. So surprising how a male writer has told the story of female experience. It's written with care and sensitivity and feels truly empathetic of what these girls are going through. The characters feel fully realised and human and without any kind of trite clichés that can normally be found.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

4.5* Really enjoyed this and Russell Tovey's narration brought it to life. A classic that I'll come back to!

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

challenging dark reflective sad 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

4.5

Glad I've finally read this. Mccarthy's writing style is definitely acquired taste but works well for me especially in audiobook format and I feel like I flew through this one in 3 reading sessions over a week or so.