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couldbestephen's reviews
204 reviews
The Hunger Games: Special Edition by Suzanne Collins
4.5
Still holds up as a solid novel, setting up the coming rebellion Katniss will find herself in
The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
4.0
A portal to another world opens up in a museum of curiosities, unleashing a leafy hell on the people who live there.
This was such a satisfyingly paced read. Grabbed my attention quick and didn’t let go! Kara and Simon were satisfying protagonists to follow, even though there was one or two things Kara did gloss over, even though we the readers were constantly reminded of them. Speaking of constantly reminded… definitely thought there were a few things that kept getting repeated a few paragraphs after another, as if the author was really trying to drive them home or totally forgot she mentioned them earlier and then needed to mention again. Didn’t detract from the reading experience, but did stand out.
This was such a satisfyingly paced read. Grabbed my attention quick and didn’t let go! Kara and Simon were satisfying protagonists to follow, even though there was one or two things Kara did gloss over, even though we the readers were constantly reminded of them. Speaking of constantly reminded… definitely thought there were a few things that kept getting repeated a few paragraphs after another, as if the author was really trying to drive them home or totally forgot she mentioned them earlier and then needed to mention again. Didn’t detract from the reading experience, but did stand out.
The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake
2.5
The Atlas Five are back. The Sixth… is lost. The crew must find a way to work together to unravel more mysteries The Society hides.
This book is a little more exciting than the last one, and has some fun, timey-wimey elements. The magic system is still incredibly soft, with no explanation behind… well, anything. While there were some fun character elements and bits in here, I still don’t care about anyone particularly. It’s clear the author is trying to make them more three dimensional, but it’s not working that well. They’re all still horrible people mostly working towards selfish ends. Trying to keep track of who was working with who to accomplish what lead to an occasional headache.
If you’re a fan of “dark academia” (this books does try and tackle the morality of a magical, knowledge based society that doesn’t want to help the world), brooding adults, and vague, yet powerful magic, this will be for you.
This book is a little more exciting than the last one, and has some fun, timey-wimey elements. The magic system is still incredibly soft, with no explanation behind… well, anything. While there were some fun character elements and bits in here, I still don’t care about anyone particularly. It’s clear the author is trying to make them more three dimensional, but it’s not working that well. They’re all still horrible people mostly working towards selfish ends. Trying to keep track of who was working with who to accomplish what lead to an occasional headache.
If you’re a fan of “dark academia” (this books does try and tackle the morality of a magical, knowledge based society that doesn’t want to help the world), brooding adults, and vague, yet powerful magic, this will be for you.
Leech by Hiron Ennes
4.5
Trapped in an icy chateau, a doctor from the Institute is caught up in a mystery that threatens their life. The dark academia, claustrophobic vibes of the book are fantastic. The world building felt… nonexistent. I wasn’t sure if this was set in a far future Earth, a future universe where humans have expanded into different planets, or this was an alternate universe with no connection to our world. It was also unclear at what stage technology of this universe was at. The ending was also a little ambiguous. All in all, still a great, engaging read.
The Institute being a single mind spread across hundreds of bodies was fascinating. The writing for when our initially unnamed main character is fully integrated with The Institute is incredible, occasionally dizzying, but always fascinating. When the new parasite is introduced and our main character starts to become separated from The Institute and become her own person again, we’re treated to a fantastic deep dive into what it means to be human and an individual. There’s still a lot of mystery behind Emile and what really makes him so special. Learning how he was essentially sexually abused and assaulted by Didier was heartbreaking. I wish we had gotten a little more info on our silent hero.
Book of Night by Holly Black
2.0
This book was a hard one to get through. The concept of shadow magic was a fun one, with a decent magic system behind it. The plot and characters just weren’t enough to save the story. Interesting twist at the climax, and an intriguing twist at the end that leads well to the upcoming sequel. I’m just not sure I’ll be reading it myself.
The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker
2.5
I’m torn in my rating for this book. It is a well written novel with a strong premise that opens the doors to more stories in this universe. But it wasn’t quite my cup of tea.
“Be careful what you wish for,” is the moral of this novella. Pleasure to mortal humans may mean one thing, but to creatures from beyond, it could mean something very different. Frank, his brother Roy, Julia and Kirtsy find this out the hard way.
If your a fan of the Hellraiser movies and want to read the source material, I would give it a try. This book caters towards a specific horror audience and I can see why it has become the cult classic that it has.
“Be careful what you wish for,” is the moral of this novella. Pleasure to mortal humans may mean one thing, but to creatures from beyond, it could mean something very different. Frank, his brother Roy, Julia and Kirtsy find this out the hard way.
If your a fan of the Hellraiser movies and want to read the source material, I would give it a try. This book caters towards a specific horror audience and I can see why it has become the cult classic that it has.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
4.0
Read for a British Authors class, always fun to revisit a classic like Alice! Surrealist comedy, crazy characters, and a protagonist who’s just as lost as the reader, navigating both Wonderland and Looking Glass world.
The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik
3.5
The Scholomance Trilogy comes to a dazzling conclusion in The Golden Enclaves. This isn’t my favorite book in the series, but it still provided a (abet messy) end to the series.
In some ways, some parts of the book felt a little rushed, El’s powers just seemed to grow out of no where, or information was just dumped on us and you’d run with it. I’m torn between loving an OP character but also feeling a little annoyed by them because I can never feel like they’re in danger. Part of the draw of this series was danger and death lurked around every corner for the characters. You don’t really feel that way anymore, especially at the end.
There were some wonderful, really intriguing reveals that illuminate so much more of the story and character choices from the previous books.
All in all, while I may not enjoy all of the choices made in this final story, I’m still happy with how this trilogy turned out.
In some ways, some parts of the book felt a little rushed, El’s powers just seemed to grow out of no where, or information was just dumped on us and you’d run with it. I’m torn between loving an OP character but also feeling a little annoyed by them because I can never feel like they’re in danger. Part of the draw of this series was danger and death lurked around every corner for the characters. You don’t really feel that way anymore, especially at the end.
There were some wonderful, really intriguing reveals that illuminate so much more of the story and character choices from the previous books.
All in all, while I may not enjoy all of the choices made in this final story, I’m still happy with how this trilogy turned out.
Golden Son by Pierce Brown
3.0
The Red Uprising continues in book two of the Red Rising trilogy.
I feel like the author has improved character building in this book. The women characters are more fleshed out and have more autonomy than in the first book. But for some reason, it feels as those Brown still can’t decide how certain characters should behave. Sometimes characters are just sidelined randomly and then brought back because of plot reason, sometimes we linger way to long with other characters, and Darrow doesn’t seem to deepen as a character much. Actually, many of the Gold characters don’t change much. Even the ones who are “the smart ones,” seem to lack any sense of nuance, which can drive you crazy. All in all, still an engaging read, Brown knows how to build suspense and write some good action. But the character development still lacks. Fun scifi vibe read.
I feel like the author has improved character building in this book. The women characters are more fleshed out and have more autonomy than in the first book. But for some reason, it feels as those Brown still can’t decide how certain characters should behave. Sometimes characters are just sidelined randomly and then brought back because of plot reason, sometimes we linger way to long with other characters, and Darrow doesn’t seem to deepen as a character much. Actually, many of the Gold characters don’t change much. Even the ones who are “the smart ones,” seem to lack any sense of nuance, which can drive you crazy. All in all, still an engaging read, Brown knows how to build suspense and write some good action. But the character development still lacks. Fun scifi vibe read.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
3.0
Hunger Games meets Capture the Flag in this intense first novel for the Red Rising Saga.
When I first started reading, I wasn’t really hooked. I felt like there were some plot/pacing issues, rushed or inconsistent character development, and world building issues. Things picked up and got more exciting when the main character makes it to The Game portion of the novel. Plot issues and character problems continued, but at least there was action and intrigue. The world needs more explaining (in particular the “caste” system within), so I’m hoping the following books help flesh the world out more.
When I first started reading, I wasn’t really hooked. I felt like there were some plot/pacing issues, rushed or inconsistent character development, and world building issues. Things picked up and got more exciting when the main character makes it to The Game portion of the novel. Plot issues and character problems continued, but at least there was action and intrigue. The world needs more explaining (in particular the “caste” system within), so I’m hoping the following books help flesh the world out more.