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icantwritegood's reviews
113 reviews
The Thing About December by Donal Ryan
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Classism, Cancer, Bullying, and Death of parent
Lamb by Matt Hill
Did not finish book. Stopped at 84%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 84%.
While the opening section was engaging, drawing heavily from the Marvin Heemeyer case in 2004 (the documentary and story about which I adored) and introducing a complex relationship between mother and son before slowly revealing the eerie supernatural undertones, the book quickly lost itself before the halfway mark was reached.
The main character, Boyd, was a bland one, with nothing particularly interesting about him beyond the situation he was in. I battled through the confusing and meandering middle section (though I enjoyed Maureen's origin chapters) before quite simply giving up when the wish-washy prose about Boyd driving around in a van stretched on for chapters at a time. Even still, I had an inkling of curiosity about the connection between Boyd, his mother Maureen, her mother, and the child, Lamb, so I skipped on paragraphs at a time in an attempt to satisfy my curiosity. They were endless.
However, even when I knew the end and the explanation was in sight, the story had simply gone on for far longer than it needed to and I couldn't bring myself to finish it. My curiosity and energy had waned, and the compelling supernatural/sci-fi? element was not enough for me to carry on. Sad!
The main character, Boyd, was a bland one, with nothing particularly interesting about him beyond the situation he was in. I battled through the confusing and meandering middle section (though I enjoyed Maureen's origin chapters) before quite simply giving up when the wish-washy prose about Boyd driving around in a van stretched on for chapters at a time. Even still, I had an inkling of curiosity about the connection between Boyd, his mother Maureen, her mother, and the child, Lamb, so I skipped on paragraphs at a time in an attempt to satisfy my curiosity. They were endless.
However, even when I knew the end and the explanation was in sight, the story had simply gone on for far longer than it needed to and I couldn't bring myself to finish it. My curiosity and energy had waned, and the compelling supernatural/sci-fi? element was not enough for me to carry on. Sad!
The River by Peter Heller
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
While I took a few chapters to really get into the story, I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. I didn't expect the tone to shift so drastically, from something adventurous and riveting to something altogether quite tragic. It did take me a while to differentiate between the two main characters, Wynn and Jack, but eventually they revealed more of their differences as the book went on, and this was a relief!
The atmosphere was great throughout the story, and as I'm currently going through a phase of wilderness books and crime, it was exactly what I was looking for.
The atmosphere was great throughout the story, and as I'm currently going through a phase of wilderness books and crime, it was exactly what I was looking for.
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Notes from the Burning Age by Claire North
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Overall, a good story that ends well, but takes itself a bit too seriously at times and thinks it's deeper than it is. A lot of repetition about being one with the sun and sky etc. Only enthralling because of one or two characters among a cast of many forgettable ones; for example, the character of Georg Mestri was the only reason I kept reading while I didn't care too much for the main character Ven, or the other main-ish character Yue. Worth a read, and I might read it again some time in the future, but for now I'm glad I'm done with it and can move onto my next read.
Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
A great premise but I found myself bored multiple times throughout. A very dragging pace.
Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Beautiful story. Heart-wrenching and gut-wrenching in equal parts. Fuller's writing style flows easily and I'm very interested in reading more of her work. It's rare to come across an author who can write convincing characters, an entertaining but realistic plot, and the right balance of grief and wit.