clacksee's reviews
1176 reviews

System Collapse by Martha Wells

I love  Murderbot but I think somewhere along the way, I got out of order in this series … and now I’m completely lost. I think I read most of this one at least twice and I’m still not sure what happened. I need to reverse course by a few books. 

The Sapling Cage by Margaret Killjoy

adventurous emotional hopeful 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

First off, let’s talk covers. They say not to judge a book by its cover … but we all do. This one has a distinctly lit-fic cover. But this is not a lit-fic book. It’s a nice cover – but it doesn’t fit the book. The cover would absolutely not make me click. 

But I adored this book that I picked up as part of the trans rights readathon. Lorel is a delight. I love her mother and her friends and most of the witches. I love that even the unfriendly witches are sympathetic. 

Paw and Order by Chris Abernathy

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

I bought  this one after I saw that the author had donated to the 2025 crime writers auction for trans rights.

A nice little book snack. 

The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei

adventurous mysterious fast-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

A sci-fi murder mystery thriller with nary a cis-het man in sight. If you enjoyed my Devon Island Mars Colony series, you’re going to love this one. 

Emotional Ignorance by Dean Burnett

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.75

Alexithymia is difficulty experiencing, identifying, understanding, and/or expressing emotions. It’s also a pretty good way to describe me. 

Having read this book, I can now firmly say that I can’t identify or describe emotions … and neither can anyone else. But maybe I know a bit more about why that is. Fascinating. 

'Til Death by Busayo Matuluko

adventurous mysterious fast-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

The cover and description grabbed me before I realised this one was YA. I don’t love YA. But this doesn’t read like YA – and (for me) that’s a good thing. 

Lara and her family travel from London to Lagos for her cousin’s wedding. Cue all the drama: threatening notes, unexpected exes,  family being difficult. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. A must-read for anyone who enjoys diverse crime fiction stories. 

A Pale Light in the Black by K.B. Wagers

adventurous hopeful 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

This has been on my TBR since forever and I’m so glad I finally got around to it. 

The cover describes it as Long Way to a Small Angry Planet but with more kickboxing … and that’s totally fair. 

My only complaint was that I really struggled to tell who was speaking at any given moment. Not sure if that’s because the narrator didn’t do individual voices or if the author really didn’t give sufficient indicators. Still, highly enjoyable. 

Trouble Wore Red by Chris Lewis

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.75

Fun sci-fi mystery. 

Rocky’s a private investigator and security guard. Following an easy job for some old friends, his ex walks in the door, needing his help. 

Q-in-Law by Peter David

adventurous lighthearted fast-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

4.0

I remember loving this one when I read it many years ago. 

Romeo and Juliet in space but with a happy ending. And misogyny. 

Hotel Lucky Seven by Kōtarō Isaka

lighthearted fast-paced

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

A whole bunch of assassins in a hotel. I had absolutely no idea who, what, when, where … why? Just completely lost. I think this is one that would improve with successive readings. But will I read it again? Probably not.