coca_reads's reviews
452 reviews

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This was am excellent read. 

A fantasy set in the middle East, its filled with magic, mysterious creatures, political power plays, and a fair amount of violence. 

Following Nahri, a young woman living in Cairo, as she's trying to scrape enough to do more than just get by, she wants to train to be a physician in Constantinople. 

Then she accidentally summons a djinn and things go sideways. 

At times the world building feels slow and the pacing can't seem to find a footing throughout the story, but it's still an excellent story and I will be continuing the series. 

Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi

adventurous funny 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

Following the Last Colony, Zoe's Tale revisits that same plot, but from the point of view of John's and Jane's adopted, teenage, daughter,  Zoe. 

True to Scalzi's writing style, this was  fun, fast, full of wit, and absolutely binge-able. 

Definitely looking forward to book 5 soon. 

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Expertly woven story. 

Following the story of a true crime author as she's researching a series of brutal occult killings that happened decades in the past, the entire book is literally the author's notes on her research. Emails and text conversations and transcripts of phone calls. It's all laid out in a very "train of thought" method, and it slowly fills in the details of the story. 

This was an interesting and fun way to tell the story. The characters were enjoyable, and surprisingly, I did not guess where the plot was headed. 

The Black Box by Michael Connelly

mysterious tense 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? No

3.0

This wasn't for me. 

It wasn't badly written or anything, I just didn't like the characters much, and I didn't enjoy the plot. 

The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin

adventurous dark emotional funny 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? Yes

4.75

Amazing ending to this series.

The fight for survival as the season continues to worsen and ash covers the world. 

Essun is trying to help get her small comm of 1,000 people across the barren and ash covered landscape to an empty city where they talk now they will have stockpiles of supplies to last them for a few years while fighting the urge to go and find her daughter. There's the whole task of saving the world by catching the moon too. 

So, no pressure. 

Jemisin's characters all feel a little hard headed and cold, but I'm haven't had to learn to cope with life in that world.

Even so, the characters definitely grow on you, and the banter is excellent. The straight forward attitude of so many of them can be refreshing. 

I am so glad I decided to finally get into this series. Yes Jemisin is brilliant and I was correct to feel a little intimidated, but she didn't make me feel dumb with the way she told the story. Absolutely excellent.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

emotional hopeful inspiring sad

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

3.75

A sad book about grief and life. 

It talks about expectations we have for ourselves, and that others have for us. About ideals and plans and how those can fail and still be ok. 

It also gives the message that everyone's story is connected, and just a smaller part of the larger picture. 

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark

adventurous dark funny 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

4.5

Clark is a seriously underrated author. 

Eveen is an assassin, an undead one, who's services are procured through contracts to kill people. These contracts must fall within the guidelines set by her Goddess to be binding, but once accepted they must be fulfilled. 

Once she sees her newest target's face, she can't bring herself to do it. 

I love Clark's characters. They're all so nuanced, and usually fun. The banter is quick and full of wit. The action and plot was intense and so engaging.  

Needled to Death by Maggie Sefton

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

This was cute but not overly memorable. 

Murder On an alpaca ranch. 

Enthusiastic group of knitters.

Horseman: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow by Christina Henry

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.25

This is kind of a sequel to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. 

It takes place a few decades after the adventures of Ichabod Crane, and focuses on the Van Brunt family. Some of the local boys have been killed in a very gruesome way. Their hands and heads have been removed and the mystery seems to revolve around the youngest Van Brunt, Ben. 

I don't know what I was expecting, going in to this, but it was such an intense story. Henry is excellent with the pacing, lulling you into a sense of security and calm before dropping a burlap sack over your head. 

I really enjoyed Henry's Peter Pan retelling, Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook, and this one didn't disappoint. I'll have to dive in to her Alice in Wonderland retelling too. 

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

A fairy tale in the pattern of a beautiful princess in a magical sleep, trapped in a tower, surrounded by thorns.

This isn't her story though, this is the story of the fairy who put her there and why. 

As usual, Kingfisher's characters were engaging and lovely. They were humble and lovable. 

I think I've moved Kingfisher to "auto-buy" status as an author, for me now. She's got a sizable back catalog for me to catch up on though.