evelynkonrad's reviews
381 reviews

Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

challenging dark sad fast-paced

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

3.0

There's a lot of interesting stuff to be explored in this world, and the book touches on a lot of it but fails to quite connect the dots into a larger picture. Holes in the premise are left unpatched and while a lot of the details are left vague it may be better that way as when they're explained more fully they don't make sense. I was on board for the first half, but then it fell into the surprisingly common trap of

having the middle aged man protagonist fuck the young and fantastically naïve woman who literally has no voice and is legally his property

though in this case it at least has a narrative and thematic function (

even if the scene is written as some tender moment for him, in contradiction to the moral framework the book has tried to reconcile where it is okay to eat a certain class of people but it is still wrong to rape them

), and the latter half deals with the consequences of that. It feels like there are two directions that the author could have gone with the aftermath (

he comes to see her as fully human and faces the dilemma of how to reconcile that with his work and the prevailing morals, ultimately railing against the evil new world, or he forsakes his previous misgivings about treating humans as products and denies any humanity for her, keeping her as sex slave/incubator

) but they didn't commit to either of them so that plotline ends up weak, meaningless, and disappointing.

Content Warnings

Kitten by Olive Nuttall

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lighthearted tense fast-paced

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

3.0

The style really grated on me and the protagonist is annoyingly vapid, but it was a quick read and there were a few relatable moments.

The Chrysalids by John Wyndham

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective 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

5.0

Top notch. A little heavy on the explicit messaging but also rewards thought with less certain themes and questions.

Ratman's Notebooks by Stephen Gilbert

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adventurous dark lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

Reads more as a farce than a horror. Good and entertaining

Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin

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adventurous dark lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

It's utterly ridiculous but mostly enjoyable (if gruesome). Dragged a bit by the end.

Hyperion by Dan Simmons

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

The first few pages made me hate it but once it settled down and actually told a story it was good. The stories vary wildly and a reader's favourite will likely come down to what sort of story they like. The priest's story was mine.

Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

A utopia in the tradition of William Morris' News from Nowhere, but incorporating a stronger criticism of the present as well as a less doe-eyed view of the utopian future. Piercy's characters are fully drawn and exist beyond their functions in pitching a possible future, which in turn makes the possibility of that future feel more real, as it is a world that actual people live in and not just a fantasy that requires flat souled inhabitants to work. Similarly the future language is crafted just right to feel strange but not fake.

Content Warnings