cassiecollins's reviews
266 reviews

A Time of Dread by John Gwynne

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

A very fun and intriguing start to this follow-up series. Getting introduced to this new large cast of characters felt far more manageable and less overwhelming than it was in Malice, which I appreciated. The exposition got a bit clunky, but that was minor. I think Gwynne's done a great job of raising the stakes and building on the foundation he laid in the previous series. And, as always, the combat sequences are high-octane and pure excellence. I'm excited to see where things go! (Also, I really need someone to get Drem a damn helmet. That boy is gonna have so many concussions by the end of this if he keeps getting whacked in the noggin' like that!)

Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington

dark emotional 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

5.0

Oh my god, I absolutely fucking loved this! This concept is something that could've been fumbled so easily, but damn if the author didn't do a fantastic job. She expertly balanced the wonderful cheese and melodrama of a YA with the high-stakes action of a thriller—all while never taking itself too seriously. Adina was a great outsider/audience stand-in for delving into the murderous machinations of the rich and powerful (and white). So many fascinating, dynamic characters, so many fun set-pieces. This was really, really great, and I cannot wait to see what this author brings in the future!

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I'd say this is a pretty by-the-books modern gothic. Definitely enjoyable, but not anything we haven't seen before. The prose could have used a bit more fluff for the gothic tone, too. I did really enjoy the imagery we got, though, and the body horror was grotesque in the best kind of way. It delivers on its premise and is a very solid read, overall.

Ascension of the Orc King by Lionel Hart

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.0

This was definitely an improvement over the second book. The balance of story and action was a lot better and helped the pacing be more consistent. There were still moments where the characters felt like they were doing things more for the sake of the plot rather than their own agency (such as

Taegan being forced into a damsel role for the first half

). And then, of course, we close out on a

sickly-sweet ending

, which is not entirely unexpected for this kind of book. I do wish we got more action/fight scenes in this series, as I really enjoyed the way the author wrote those. Overall, it's an okay read. If you're really into orc romance, this would scratch the itch, so to speak, but that's about it.

Blood of the Orc Prince by Lionel Hart

emotional slow-paced

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

2.5

I think my main concern with this series so far is that I'm just not sure what it's meant to be. The plot seems to lean more toward epic fantasy—war, magic, all that good stuff. But, then there's so much focus on minutiae and tedium that the pacing absolutely drags. I feel like this could still work okay—I've seen plenty of cozy fantasy books pull it off just fine—but there's nothing of real interest going on in the day-to-day events to maintain momentum in the actual narrative. The romance is by far the big selling point for this, but this middle book didn't really focus on it enough to carry it. The ending was pretty dramatic, so I guess we'll see if that kicks up the pacing at all.

The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty by Valerie Bauerlein

challenging dark informative medium-paced

5.0

This was an incredible read. The case on its own is fascinating, but Bauerlein did an excellent job of unraveling this complex and twisted tale from start to finish. She is able to drop you right into these scenes like a fly on the wall and builds up the tension and mystery like a thriller. I also really enjoyed how she captured the absolute movie-feel of

Creighton Waters's epic takedown of Alex Murdaugh on cross-examination

. Really, really great read!

Claimed by the Orc Prince by Lionel Hart

emotional lighthearted slow-paced

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

3.0

This was pretty cute. I had a bit of a hard time emotionally connecting to the characters at first. I think that has more to do with the style of the prose—it's very, like, "this happened, then this happened, then this happened," and so on. When Taegan and Korvut finally sat down and opened up to each other, I finally felt engaged with them and enjoyed the subsequent emotional moments a lot more. There were several moments where it seemed like characters were doing things for the sake of drama/plot rather than as actual people (such as

Taegan severing the bond

). The book ended on a strong note, though, so I'm hopeful that future books improve on things.

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.5

This was a smidge disappointing for me. The romance here, much like in the author's debut, is excellent. Néstor and Nena's relationship as they deal with their grief and rebuild their connection is very well done and emotionally gratifying. However, I was sad to see the titular vampires were a more tertiary focus in light of the romance and the historical narrative. The author mentions in her author's note that she wanted to use them as a metaphor of sorts, which is fine. But, it didn't feel like she really committed to utilizing them in either a literal or metaphorical sense. They were just kind of...there. Same with the American settlers representative of said metaphor. Everything outside of the romance just felt flat and underused. I still think the prose is strong, but I really wanted more out of this than I got.

Weyward by Emilia Hart

dark emotional sad 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? No

3.5

This is one of those books where, despite being well-written, it didn't do as much for me as I would've liked. It portrays a rather one-dimensional experience of womanhood, focusing entirely on pregnancy and progeny. I also find that when books aim to be "feminist," they also tend to fall into the trap of making nearly all of the male characters the same shade of awful—it makes for a simplistic, predictable narrative. I did find the prose itself to be lyrical and lush, and I mostly enjoyed the interweaving of the three chronologies. I definitely would like to check out more from this author, as any complaints I have for this debut are more stylistic. So, I'd like to see if she changes it up in future endeavors.

Prophet's Prey: My Seven-Year Investigation Into Warren Jeffs and the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints by Sam Brower

dark informative sad medium-paced

3.5

It's fairly obvious that Brower is not an author by trade (though he is a PI and a bounty hunter, which is arguably much more impressive). The prose is simple and tends to ramble and digress, throwing chronology out the window more often than not. That being said, Brower's perspective on the ongoing cases against the FLDS is an important one. He did a great job of breaking down the complexities of the judicial system in handling this multi-faceted dilemma. He explains exactly what led to both the failures and the successes of the raids and subsequent prosecutions. And, I really appreciated the moments Brower took to reckon his own LDS faith with that of Warren Jeffs and his followers. It's not the best written thing in the world, but this book is certainly worth a read for the author's fascinating perspective.