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charlesalexander's reviews
76 reviews
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
Did not finish book. Stopped at 46%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 46%.
I can't do it, I cannot do it, I'm throwing in the towel. At almost 200 pages in, it's not going to get better.
I can't dickride for YA fantasy, it's so sickening. How it was possible for this book to fall so flat, I can't tell you. It's salt and pepper and no other seasonings.
Luzia is stupid, Valentina is horrid. Overpowered protagonist from the beginning--first she's a homely nothing and then she lets her hair down and everyone is drooling. Should I do a backflip for magic Cinderella?
The romance...why? Some shit I truly hate, yeah, why not pair the ancient vampire with the 20-something he has a teacher-student relationship with? Like don't piss me off.
No one memorable, don't know how Bardugo fumbled this one.
I can't dickride for YA fantasy, it's so sickening. How it was possible for this book to fall so flat, I can't tell you. It's salt and pepper and no other seasonings.
Luzia is stupid, Valentina is horrid. Overpowered protagonist from the beginning--first she's a homely nothing and then she lets her hair down and everyone is drooling. Should I do a backflip for magic Cinderella?
The romance...why? Some shit I truly hate, yeah, why not pair the ancient vampire with the 20-something he has a teacher-student relationship with? Like don't piss me off.
No one memorable, don't know how Bardugo fumbled this one.
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
I was taken in the most insane, wonderful, horrific trip. this book is incredible. it was like sitting down for a perfect 5 course meal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo
challenging
medium-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
3.75
A stuttering storyline. (also lowkey was this whole book an allegory for STDs? )
Mandelo sets the scene so nicely, with lively, interesting characters and then somehow manages to fumble again and again.
He creates intrigue and then doesn't know what to do with it, reduced to indecipherable rambling. And when I say indecipherable, I mean it. Summer Sons' prose is...tortutous.
There are glimmers of inspiration in the wordplay, but mainly consists of unweildy run-on sentences. It's genuinely impossible to follow along as you sort through an incomprehensible jumble of word vomit.
I see the vision, and I wish I could fully savored Mandelo's creativity, but the execution was poor. A solid 100 pages could have safely been cut.
Halfway through the book the plot goes nowhere, no new revelations--there's no need for a carrot and stick at this point, I'm already clearly invested.
The ending left me wanting more, mainly because I liked what Mandelo was trying to do...again, execution fell flat.
What Mandelo excells at it is the rich interpersonal relationships he builds into his world. There is no lack of steamy tension between any given characters. I am admittedly a big fan of men fighting instead of admitting they want each other. (Thank you Dorian Electra 🙏)
Hopefully didn't rake this book through the mud too much, contrary to all I've said I enjoyed it and that was why I was so riled up. Also love Riley, wish we got a full book about him 😋
I'm not opposed to gingerly exploring more of Lee's work, I do need a break after this headache of a book ☝️
Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
good PSA for birth control. more a slice of life book rather than an incisive dissection on life after abuse.
it drags in some places and every character besides Bev is insufferable, but worth a read.
It was interesting flitting between perspectives, creating a well-rounded portrait of how small the community actually is.
I appreciated Strout not tying everything in a neat bow at the end. 👍
it drags in some places and every character besides Bev is insufferable, but worth a read.
It was interesting flitting between perspectives, creating a well-rounded portrait of how small the community actually is.
I appreciated Strout not tying everything in a neat bow at the end. 👍
Radicalized by Cory Doctorow
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
definitely a brutally honest book. interesting. makes you think. 🤔
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Terminal illness, Police brutality, and Classism
Moderate: Gun violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Murder
Minor: Child death and Suicide
A Collapse of Horses by Brian Evenson
challenging
mysterious
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
5.0
this book chilled me to the bone. I haven't been so affected by writing in this way in years. this book was genuinely a masterpiece.
Grey Dog by Elliott Gish
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
what an incredible masterpiece.
I was hooked from beginning to end. pacing was perfect.
this book is a war cry. sharp and clear, brutal perfection.
every line cuts with focused precision.
highly, highly recommend the audiobook--the narrator's intensity is brilliant. listening on cold fall walks through the woods was phenomenally immersive 🍂
I was hooked from beginning to end. pacing was perfect.
this book is a war cry. sharp and clear, brutal perfection.
every line cuts with focused precision.
highly, highly recommend the audiobook--the narrator's intensity is brilliant. listening on cold fall walks through the woods was phenomenally immersive 🍂
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Physical abuse
Pretend I'm Dead by Jen Beagin
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-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
4.5
Jen Beagin does it again. (or for the first time, since this is her first book. also really wish she would release her birthday so I can know if we have the same zodiac).
I love this author's brain. what a beautiful year to be a neurodivergent freak.
something about Beagin's writing is so potent, so striking, never earthbound and yet always maintaining a laser-like focus.
truly masterful, almost holy.
if her and Melissa Broder ever were to collaborate that would be like the SWEAT tour for me.
I will never be able to properly describe the awe I feel getting to explore Beagin's writing but I do recommend it to as many other people as I can. there's nothing like it.
I love this author's brain. what a beautiful year to be a neurodivergent freak.
something about Beagin's writing is so potent, so striking, never earthbound and yet always maintaining a laser-like focus.
truly masterful, almost holy.
if her and Melissa Broder ever were to collaborate that would be like the SWEAT tour for me.
I will never be able to properly describe the awe I feel getting to explore Beagin's writing but I do recommend it to as many other people as I can. there's nothing like it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual assault
Moderate: Self harm
The Lost Village by Camilla Sten
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
this book was so okay. found it on a Midnight Mass thread.
flat characters. flat plot. whelming. did not care about a single person, there's no reason to read this whole book.
also don't know wtf was going on withtorturing an autistic woman . like ok 😐
did I think it was terrible? no.
will I ever think about it again? also no.
flat characters. flat plot. whelming. did not care about a single person, there's no reason to read this whole book.
also don't know wtf was going on with
did I think it was terrible? no.
will I ever think about it again? also no.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Blood and Murder
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
oh wow. I liked it! ya. it had me going. took me a while to plough through. now I'll watch the 3 hour movie and compare. 😛
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder