cassiecollins's reviews
266 reviews

Pack Claimed by Laurel Night

adventurous dark emotional slow-paced

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

2.0

You know, for all this book's talk of how archaic the rules regarding mates are and how it should be Kali's choice and how much the guys know they shouldn't force her, the fact that the resolution for the problem of Kali's dominance is

to forcibly mate her

leaves a horrible taste in my mouth. And without anything fun to distract from it, I was also stuck noticing the plodding and predictable narrative and the overabundance of the mis-/non-communication trope. I'm hoping that as the wraith conflict comes more to the forefront things will improve in the next entry... 

Wolf Shunned by Laurel Night

adventurous dark 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

3.0

As far as RHs go, I'd say this is definitely one of the better ones. If you're familiar with RH at all, you know how this goes: overpowered yet ostracized female lead, gaggle of hot sexy guys who fall in insta-lust/love with her, all on an adventure to save the world. Here, at least, Kali's strength and badassness is believable. And, I appreciate that the author seems to be actually taking time to build up the relationships (e.g. there's a clear difference between Kali's relationship with Emory, whom she's known for a long time, and the other guys, whom she's only just met, even though we can get the idea she'll end up with all of them). That's not something you see a lot of in this genre! I'm interested to see where we go in the next book.

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Another fun read from this author! I definitely agree that the big twist kind of comes out of left field, though. It's like Sager used that aspect more for going against expectations than really committing to the bit, so to speak. Still, I had a great time reading this! Fun and twisty, as I've come to expect from him.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown

challenging informative sad slow-paced

4.5

A difficult read, but an important one. I appreciated that the author kept his prose simple and concise throughout the piece. The events depicted here are worth letting speak for themselves without any unnecessary commentary. Straightforward, precise. Not much else to say beyond I had to sit in silence for a little while after the audiobook ended.

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers

adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

I enjoyed this! How the book felt to me is a bit hard to describe...soft, maybe? Definitely heartfelt. It really captured the pure wonder and joy of scientific discovery, while still attempting to grapple with the reality and potential consequences of interacting with an entirely alien ecosystem. The ending felt a tad abrupt to me, but that was my only real complaint.

The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones

dark emotional 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

4.0

This was a doozy! My suspension of disbelief was tested, for sure. There were several points that I felt the narrative teetered a bit into a nonsensical place, but it always came back. And, I can't say I wasn't thoroughly entertained throughout. I absolutely adored the ending and how it finishes out Jade's character arc (plus I just love Jade in general). An over-the-top conclusion to an over-the-top trilogy.

Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones

dark mysterious tense fast-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? No

4.0

Making the swap to multiple perspectives was a great choice for this sequel. It kept the pacing fast, since we're almost always where the action is, and it showed off an awesome ensemble cast. I do think it got a little convoluted toward the end—

mostly the Cinnamon/Ginger stuff, but also between Dark Mill South himself as well as the spirit elk

. Very very excited to read the last book though!

My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.0

This is another book where the pacing is kind of a drag. I loved Jade as a narrator, and the other characters added plenty of flavor to round both themselves and Jade out. It just took so long for things to get going, and then when they did—three-quarters of the way through the book, mind you—everything happens so quickly it's enough to give you whiplash. As I said, though, Jade's narration was just entertaining enough to keep me going through the slower parts. There's a lot left unsaid by the end, so it leaves plenty of wiggle room for the rest of the trilogy to play with. Looking forward to the next entry!

Reprieve by James Han Mattson

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.5

I think it's much better to approach this as pure literary fiction rather than genre/horror, as marketed. The pacing dragged at points for me, mostly because I wasn't a huge fan of the characters (outside of maybe Kendra). The frame narrative of the court case did help in keeping the tension building even during the slower first half, though. There are several points about race that are interwoven throughout the story, although I found them to lean a bit too far into soap-box territory more often than not over being well-incorporated into the narrative. In the end, I think this is an interesting if potentially controversial piece.

River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile by Candice Millard

adventurous informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

This was a fascinating read. At times, it was as adventurous as an Indiana Jones movie, at others, like a political drama, full of cutting words and personal machinations. From the blurb, I was hoping for a lot more information and inclusion of Sidi Mubarak Bombay, though I understand there's not nearly as much, if anything, written about him compared to Burton or Speke. This was both entertaining and informative—a wonderful combination for any non-fiction piece.