catlion27's reviews
267 reviews

What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.75

Not quite as good as the first but still loved it. The descriptions are atmospheric and perfect, and communicate so much detail in a short amount of time. I love that, in the same way as the first, explanations about the world or the character that are incredibly interesting in their own right

(in this case, describing PTSD)

end up being relevant in the climax, which gives a really satisfying sense of fulfillment. 

Loved all the character moments, even the painful ones

like the widow begging for Alex to be killed instead of her son

. I was a little uncertain I was understanding parts of the end, but still liked it. I also liked getting to explore a unique take on

a new-to-me monster

.

The Gulf: A Novel by Rachel Cochran

challenging emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

How to Steal a Galaxy by Beth Revis

adventurous fast-paced

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

5.0

Just so much fun. Revis is excellent at keeping some information hidden so that you soon realize you are being played just like Rian (and enjoying it even more).

Character voice is super strong and the narrator is killing it again 👏 

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

emotional relaxing 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

4.5

Absolutely delightful. The prose is beautiful, the magic world/plot is interesting, the spice is 🔥, and the characters are both layered and fun to watch. Excited to continue the series

except that I saw THAT DICK JACK HAWTHORNE is an MC in the final book and I'm mad! I don't wanna have warm fuzzy feelings for him! But i shall persevere.

The City in Glass by Nghi Vo

slow-paced

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

3.0

I've really enjoyed Nghi Vo's work in the past, but I just didn't click with the one. The main redeeming quality is the prose, which has the beauty you'd expect from Nghi Vo. Otherwise, I had a hard time getting into the book. I didn’t feel super connected to the characters or the world (though this had improved slightly by the end), and the central relationship bothered me.

Vitrin just uses the angel and is cruel the whole time. By the end she says she loves him, but it's possessive and the relationship never becomes one of equals. The angel (who never gets named, by the way) has no agency. He is always asking her for permission to do things, even at the climax where he saves Azrael. Her taking his wings felt particularly cruel, especially without any evolution to that plot. If she'd given him back his wings so that he could save the city and then he chose to stay even though he could then physically leave, that would have felt more satisfying. In the end, the angel is just another object of Vitrin's affection. The whole treatment of the angel was dehumanizing, and as someone else pointed out to me, if the characters were genderswapped there would be rioting about how the angel is treated. Dehumanization of men by women isn't somehow better because it doesn't happen as often as the reverse. On the whole, I was disappointed at the lack of expansion or deeper understanding of their relationship throughout the book.

Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Just so much fun. T. Kingfisher's paladins have my heart.

Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell

dark hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.75

There is something magical about the alchemy of this book. 

It is horror. It is not for those who get dizzy at the mention of viscera. People get eaten. There's a lot of talk of bodily fluids. (I was completely fine with this. Make of that what you will.)

It is romance. It is not spicy. It deals genuinely with learning to love someone, and also grappling with the knowledge that the things you love about someone are the result of their trauma, and what to make of that. 

It is about family trauma, and how that shapes us, and how we are more than our families despite that. It is about parenthood, and what it means to be a good parent and what it means (and doesn't mean) to nurture someone. 

It is a book about healing, and how that happens slowly over time, not all at once. 

If you're intrigued by the premise at all and are not squeamish, read this book.

Digger Unearthed: The Complete Tenth Anniversary Collection by Ursula Vernon

4.5

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Really good character work and details that make the story feel lived in and real.

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

5.0