clacksee's reviews
1176 reviews

Thou Savage Woman: A History of Female Killers in Early Modern Britain by Blessin Adams

dark informative slow-paced

4.0

What I expected: Salacious tales of women finally fighting back after they’ve been pushed to the breaking point.

What I got: A bit of that but also a whole lot of women punished for what amounted to coincidences. And all of it told in dddeeeennnsssseee archaic language. 

Seriously, writing *about* things  that happened in the seventeenth century doesn’t mean you have to write using seventeenth-century language. You know that, right? Right?

Anyways, I’m not saying don’t read it. But if you’re going to read it, know what you’re getting into. 

Once Upon a Time I Lived on Mars: Space, Exploration, and Life on Earth by

informative slow-paced

4.5

Kate Greene was one of 6 people who locked themselves into a dome for 4 months as part of a Mars simulation. These are her stories. 

Credo's Hope by Alison Naomi Holt

adventurous funny mysterious medium-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

You know buddy cop films, yeah? The cop with a good heart , a bad attitude, and a mountain of bad. The mouthy partner cop. The hard-nosed, hard-arse boss cop. The fun best friend who brings an irresistible case. The mob boss who’s either trying to kill or our central character or to save them. 

Have you got the story in your head? Good. Now imagine every last one of them are women. 

My only complaint? Needs more queerness.

And the (very good) dog lives.

Paradise by Patricia Wolf

dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.5

After the injuries he sustained in the previous book, Lucas is on extended leave. Then he finds himself drawn into another complex murder case. 

Body Language by A.K. Turner

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Cassie’s a mortuary tech driven to make things right for her charges. 

Engaging characters, a compelling mystery, a tight storyline … and little hints of the paranormal. And the cat lives. 

Gender Euphoria by Laura Kate Dale

hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

29 (I think) stories of finding joy in transition. The nonbinary ones resonated most with me. Funny that. 

I would encourage anyone who wonders why anyone  would transition to read this. 

Bring Back Beepy by Maria Quick
Did not finish book. Stopped at 34%.

This is one for the ‘don’t make books political’ and ‘both sides are equally bad’ crowd. Also, it’s a weird mix of British and American spelling and grammar with seemingly no editing done at all. 

How To Get Away With Murder by Tam Barnett

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Much like Sweetpea, this one features a deeply damaged young woman obsessed with murder. But when a serial killer is targeting her local community, Kell doesn’t know whether she’s killer or not. 

I adore stories about women who kill for vengeance or to protect their people. I’m not so fond of ones about women who are just dark  and twisted and angry at everything and everyone, including people who try to help them. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

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

4.75

This is a difficult book to review because it’s two very different books in one. 

The first third of the book follows a family through multiple generations over about a century. The rest follows a bunch of contemporary characters going through a trauma.

Both parts were exceptional – just not very well matched. 

The Languid Belly of the Beast by J.S. Carter Gilson

adventurous tense 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

4.75

I’m loving this little series. Fast-paced sci-fi series full of hope and acceptance in a dark, oppressive world.