cloudedreads's reviews
319 reviews

The Pecan Children by Quinn Connor

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious medium-paced

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

4.75

After reading “Cicadas Sing of Summer Graves” last summer, I immediately jumped at the chance to read and review a new book by the talented author duo. And let me tell you, this book was everything I wanted it to be.

 

The story follows twin sisters lives, as they try their best to keep themselves - and the isolated, dying town - afloat. Lil takes care of the pecan orchard, as she always has, now more carefully than ever, as all the surrounding orchards keep falling to ruins. Sasha has returned from New York, and now does odd jobs around town, helping out everyone but her sister. The two have a rhythm that gets shaken by old friends and lovers turning up unexpectedly, truly testing the fragility of the life they’ve been living...

 

There is just something so cozy and comforting, and yet at times suffocating, about a small town setting, and the authors have once again managed to pull it off really well. It was essential in the story being told, the way characters fit together, the subtle - and then not so subtle - darker parts of the book. Speaking of which, the magical realism was a perfect and balanced blend, even more so than the previous book by Quinn Connor, at least in my subjective opinion (a good thing got better? it’s more likely than you think).

 

This was a short and well crafted story I would recommend to anyone looking for quality read during long evenings - while the book is set to come out in summer, I can only imagine the experience of reading this in autumn.. both dark and sweet, just like a pecan pie.

Lokių miestas by Fredrik Backman

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.0

The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence

adventurous emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

Moon Soul by Nathaniel Luscombe

inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.5

Moon Soul was exactly what it promised to be - a cozy sci-fi story - and it was, incidentally, what I needed right now, with it being the end of the year and generally a time of reflection.

 

The story follows a young woman named August, who has a special ability inherited from her mother - she reads memories in the sand for a living. Feeling like she’s losing herself just to make life easier to other people, Augusts decides to change her lifestyle and her job - looking for purpose and hoping to make new bonds with those around. We follow her on this journey of figuring out both future and untangling her past.

 

The book itself, while short, had quite surprisingly well done world-building, with a really interesting species-dependent ability (which I found quite different from everything else I’ve seen before - an inspired twist to the familiar “object reading”). The main character faces significant ups and downs, but at it’s core it was a low stakes story focusing on reflection. 

 

I flew through this book and had an absolutely lovely time doing so. I would highly recommend this to those who liked A Psalm For The Wild Built by Becky Chambers, as I feel like the books share this quiet examination of what it means to find and to have a purpose in life.

 

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James

adventurous informative slow-paced

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

2.5

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I have to start by saying that while I enjoyed it immensely, this book will not be for everyone - it's not character or plot focused, but instead, more of a running commentary about life and time and, above all, perspective.

 

The story follows six astronauts one a single (to them) day as they orbit the Earth and its rapid sunrises and sunsets. The characters go through the motions of a work day, deal with grief, think about the people they left back home and the people they have no choice but to live with. 

 

"Orbital", to me, felt like a breath of fresh air, a short book written in such an interesting way, made up from multiple snippets of past and present of the six main characters, interspersed with almost philosophical rummaging about the way things change depending on our perspective, both in everyday life, and on a cosmic level. I especially enjoyed the parts about a painting "Las Meninas", and the photo of the first moon landing. 

 

The shortness of scenes mixed with beautiful writing style and great narration made this book easy to follow (especially for someone with a short attention span) and allowed me to listen to the whole of it in just two sittings. 

Would recommend for anyone who needs an escape from their daily life without having to leave it too far behind - staying right in the orbit.

 

I have received a copy of this book via NetGalley for an honest review.

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

adventurous funny 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

4.0

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

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

3.5

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

adventurous dark funny fast-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

3.5

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious slow-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

It will probably come as no surprise (or at least will be a common enough story) that I picked up this book after having read - and quite enjoyed - “The Ghost Bride”, another well know book by Yangsze Choo. While the latter was an introduction to both the author an the cultural concept the book was about, “The Fox Wife” felt more like a return to a familiar voice and mythology that I have already read some about. Having said all that, this story surpassed all of my expectations and has easily become the best read of the year. 

 

The story is told in two distinct perspectives - 1st person POV of Snow, a fox lady, who has set out on the road of revenge after losing her daughter, and 3rd person POV of Bao, an old man, who works as an investigator while using an indispensable skill - being able to tell apart lies. As these two make their own distinct journeys, we get to see their paths intertwine, past and present, wowing an immersive story that keeps the reader turning page after page.

 

There was so much to like in this book, it’s hard to pick only a few things. For someone with a short attention span and a busy schedule outside of reading, the short chapters made it easy to follow the story and with the ending of each chapter leaving me wanting for more, it quickly became a book I always had with me (easily done with and e-book) for filling in breaks at work. The characters felt so human (even if not all of them actually were, haha) and it made me root for them the whole way. And the story behind the story - the foxes and their mythology, their appeal, their (un)balanced realities - this is definitely a book worth reading if this topic interests you, even a little.

 

This year was filled with plenty of okay reads, but “The Fox Wife” was a breath of fresh air, and I cannot recommend it enough. 

 

I received an advance review copy from Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.