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holdenwunders_'s reviews
329 reviews
The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Nikki Erlick is officially 2 for 2! It’s impossible to mention Erlick without bringing up the brilliance of The Measure and I am delighted to discover that The Poppy Fields holds the same amount of substance and dare I say, an even better addition to her works. Erlick is a master of coming up with unique, well rounded, and substantial stories while executing the idea with precision.
We follow multiple characters who all have some sort of relation to a new treatment at The Poppy Fields and we get the pleasure of fleshing out their individual responses, behaviours, and points of view. But don’t worry, this isn’t philosophizing the moral ambiguity of a treatment as radical as The Poppy Fields, but it does hit on the reasons as to why people would want to risk something so monumental. We see the calamities of human failure and our society as a whole and how it could push one already teetering on the edge.
I was so pleasantly surprised by so many aspects of this book from the little Wizard of Oz nods to the interweaving of multifaceted characters of all ages and genders. So many characters were linked in ways I had never expected and the poignant nature of Erlick’s honed talent and skill really pushed a brilliant idea to a genius piece of work. It’s safe to say that I was interested in Erlick before, but I also think she outdid herself from The Measure and I am now truly enamored.
We follow multiple characters who all have some sort of relation to a new treatment at The Poppy Fields and we get the pleasure of fleshing out their individual responses, behaviours, and points of view. But don’t worry, this isn’t philosophizing the moral ambiguity of a treatment as radical as The Poppy Fields, but it does hit on the reasons as to why people would want to risk something so monumental. We see the calamities of human failure and our society as a whole and how it could push one already teetering on the edge.
I was so pleasantly surprised by so many aspects of this book from the little Wizard of Oz nods to the interweaving of multifaceted characters of all ages and genders. So many characters were linked in ways I had never expected and the poignant nature of Erlick’s honed talent and skill really pushed a brilliant idea to a genius piece of work. It’s safe to say that I was interested in Erlick before, but I also think she outdid herself from The Measure and I am now truly enamored.
Useless Etymology: Offbeat Word Origins for Curious Minds by Jess Zafarris
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Perhaps it’s being touted as “useless” but it’s anything but, especially for an etymology lover!!
I learned a lot of cool’ things about favourite words and gained a deeper understanding of words I hated and didn’t necessarily realize why. Hint- they’re often rooted in bigotry.
My only critique was that it was dense and often felt like having a conversation with someone who is excited about something and goes on a tangent and hops through 5 different topics. I think it could’ve been shortened a bit or even lessened with the amount of words used so that it would be easier to retain the knowledge. But that was my only nitpicky critique and this was just a fun time.
I learned a lot of cool’ things about favourite words and gained a deeper understanding of words I hated and didn’t necessarily realize why. Hint- they’re often rooted in bigotry.
My only critique was that it was dense and often felt like having a conversation with someone who is excited about something and goes on a tangent and hops through 5 different topics. I think it could’ve been shortened a bit or even lessened with the amount of words used so that it would be easier to retain the knowledge. But that was my only nitpicky critique and this was just a fun time.
Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
5.0
We finally got Haymitchs story and it hurts even more than expected. A beautiful blending of old and new and a perfect addition to the original series. Also ow.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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? No
5.0
Count My Lies by Sophie Stava
3.5
A solid 3.5 ⭐️
The quality of writing wasn’t my favourite at first and took me a little bit to get on board especially given the main character is quite literally my worst nightmare in human form. But the story, plot, and thrilling aspect made up for this and if you just let yourself be taken for a ride, it will be worth it.
A POV change halfway through was a pleasant surprise and switched to my favourite character. Especially upon hitting this part, I was fully invested and was excited for the rest of the book.
I had fun with this book and that alone makes it worth the read. I feel so often we forget to rate books on what they are instead of comparing to classics or incredibly moving books. This thriller did all the things I wanted from the genre. I was interested in the plot, looking for ways out of their situations, invested in characters (whether invested in their success or downfall), and the ending was satisfying.
The quality of writing wasn’t my favourite at first and took me a little bit to get on board especially given the main character is quite literally my worst nightmare in human form. But the story, plot, and thrilling aspect made up for this and if you just let yourself be taken for a ride, it will be worth it.
A POV change halfway through was a pleasant surprise and switched to my favourite character. Especially upon hitting this part, I was fully invested and was excited for the rest of the book.
I had fun with this book and that alone makes it worth the read. I feel so often we forget to rate books on what they are instead of comparing to classics or incredibly moving books. This thriller did all the things I wanted from the genre. I was interested in the plot, looking for ways out of their situations, invested in characters (whether invested in their success or downfall), and the ending was satisfying.
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
She's a Lamb! by Meredith Hambrock
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There were some things I loved about this campy novel and then some that fell a bit flat, but overall I’m not mad at the experience of reading She’s A Lamb!
The cover truly says it all about this book and camp is truly the best way to describe it. Campy, theatrical violence from a truly despicable and unhinged main character. I absolutely love a messy protagonist and our musical loving weirdo is just that. My biggest miss from her though was that I wanted MORE.
I bet the authour would think, what more could I give you?! She’s unhinged, dark, twisted, despicable but I wanted a bit more when it came to the internal processing. I wanted more depth to her thoughts and we got more of that nearing the 70% mark when she starts losing her grip on reality but I desired it much sooner than it came. I wanted more of a push and pull of her sanity instead of the straight and narrow psychopathy she exuded. She’s demented but not a true blood psycho, so I wanted that unhinged mentality she gave us outwardly, internally.
I’m definitely not mad at this and if you love a good violent protagonist that loses her ever living mind, this is it.
The cover truly says it all about this book and camp is truly the best way to describe it. Campy, theatrical violence from a truly despicable and unhinged main character. I absolutely love a messy protagonist and our musical loving weirdo is just that. My biggest miss from her though was that I wanted MORE.
I bet the authour would think, what more could I give you?! She’s unhinged, dark, twisted, despicable but I wanted a bit more when it came to the internal processing. I wanted more depth to her thoughts and we got more of that nearing the 70% mark when she starts losing her grip on reality but I desired it much sooner than it came. I wanted more of a push and pull of her sanity instead of the straight and narrow psychopathy she exuded. She’s demented but not a true blood psycho, so I wanted that unhinged mentality she gave us outwardly, internally.
I’m definitely not mad at this and if you love a good violent protagonist that loses her ever living mind, this is it.
Blood on Her Tongue: A Novel by Johanna van Veen
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Blood on her Tongue is the second novel from up and coming gothic horror enthusiast Johanna van Veen and to say that I’m enamored with her would be an understatement. With the rise of gothic horror in popular media we will be seeing more authours delving into the pits of horror, but not everyone truly understands the assignment. I’m glad to report that Veen does indeed.
There is so much that goes into writing a lyrically stunning gothic horror book, from intention to pacing and not everyone succeeds at that. There were a couple issues that I did have with the pacing in the front half of the book but my few problems were quickly rectified in the latter half. The push and pull was well done but there were many times in the first half that I wanted to get closer to the horror and drama. If you stick with it, the give is worth it but the drag earlier on did have me questioning a couple of times.
A longing and yearning tale between two twins was the heart of this horror ridden story and I will root for them beyond the grave. The gothic aspects were incredibly well done and as an immense gothic lover, I’m incredibly hard to please. While the balance eventually works itself out, all the other pieces were there. From a unique plot, to the imagery and lyrical writing, and tropes that I expect to partake in when reading a book like this. Blood on Her Tongue is a sickly feminist tale that will have you quavering until the last bloody page.
There is so much that goes into writing a lyrically stunning gothic horror book, from intention to pacing and not everyone succeeds at that. There were a couple issues that I did have with the pacing in the front half of the book but my few problems were quickly rectified in the latter half. The push and pull was well done but there were many times in the first half that I wanted to get closer to the horror and drama. If you stick with it, the give is worth it but the drag earlier on did have me questioning a couple of times.
A longing and yearning tale between two twins was the heart of this horror ridden story and I will root for them beyond the grave. The gothic aspects were incredibly well done and as an immense gothic lover, I’m incredibly hard to please. While the balance eventually works itself out, all the other pieces were there. From a unique plot, to the imagery and lyrical writing, and tropes that I expect to partake in when reading a book like this. Blood on Her Tongue is a sickly feminist tale that will have you quavering until the last bloody page.