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imaginary_space's reviews
222 reviews
Black Ambrosia by Elizabeth Engstrom
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
The Tale of the Body Thief by Anne Rice
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Okay, yes, Lestat is super whiny and it's annoying as hell. But I can live with that, since it's also kind of a core point of his character that he always wants what he can't have, especially if it's dangerous.
What I could not deal with was him being constantly distracted by the stupidest things. I mean, David (whom Lestat allegedly loves deeply) is here coming up with plans and doing all the work and Lestat goes from "I want my body back and will do everything in my power, this is my only goal" to "So... can we have sex now?" several times in five minutes.
I blame lack of editing.
I blame lack of editing for a lot of things in this book.
Because it is an intriguing story, the characters are great, it's something fresh and new and a great book to write after the first three in the Vampire Chronicles. The story is very urban fantasy, in a good way, I like the antagonist and I love everything with David in it. Lestat is not only whiny, but an immense a**hole at times, but since he never was a likeable protagonist, so that's fine with me. I love the fact that he wants to be human at all costs and then absolutely hates it, not out of glee, but because I find it a believable reaction from a being that is so absolutely removed from being human and enjoys it.
There are a lot of meaningful conversations in this book, as always with Anne Rice, but also a lot of back and forth and repetitions of the same thing over and over, so it could definitely have benefited from some editing. And it could have been a lot shorter.
All in all, in my "great and possible several years-long re-read of the Vampire Chronicles and maybe the Mayfair Witches completely out of order", this book ranks below "Pandora" (the first book I re-read, this being the second) because of lack of editing and focus.
Next up: Memnoch the Devil
What I could not deal with was him being constantly distracted by the stupidest things. I mean, David (whom Lestat allegedly loves deeply) is here coming up with plans and doing all the work and Lestat goes from "I want my body back and will do everything in my power, this is my only goal" to "So... can we have sex now?" several times in five minutes.
I blame lack of editing.
I blame lack of editing for a lot of things in this book.
Because it is an intriguing story, the characters are great, it's something fresh and new and a great book to write after the first three in the Vampire Chronicles. The story is very urban fantasy, in a good way, I like the antagonist and I love everything with David in it. Lestat is not only whiny, but an immense a**hole at times, but since he never was a likeable protagonist, so that's fine with me. I love the fact that he wants to be human at all costs and then absolutely hates it, not out of glee, but because I find it a believable reaction from a being that is so absolutely removed from being human and enjoys it.
There are a lot of meaningful conversations in this book, as always with Anne Rice, but also a lot of back and forth and repetitions of the same thing over and over, so it could definitely have benefited from some editing. And it could have been a lot shorter.
All in all, in my "great and possible several years-long re-read of the Vampire Chronicles and maybe the Mayfair Witches completely out of order", this book ranks below "Pandora" (the first book I re-read, this being the second) because of lack of editing and focus.
Next up: Memnoch the Devil
Pandora by Anne Rice
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love my girl Pandora but after two thousand years she should really have learned something about toxic relationships. Accidentally, this makes her one of the most relatable of the Vampires, which in itself is very sad.
Given all her desire to be independent in her mortal years, her immortal life is defined by her relationships and the men she meets. Which is also sad. And in the endshe does it all over again ...
All of this makes this book and this character just so very believable and I did get the feeling none of it was romanticized, so I still love it as a tragic story about how we sometimes make the same mistakes over and over again. And a basic rule of Rice's Vampires is: we never really change, we just become more and more who we really are. But I still wanted something more substantial.
Given all her desire to be independent in her mortal years, her immortal life is defined by her relationships and the men she meets. Which is also sad. And in the end
All of this makes this book and this character just so very believable and I did get the feeling none of it was romanticized, so I still love it as a tragic story about how we sometimes make the same mistakes over and over again. And a basic rule of Rice's Vampires is: we never really change, we just become more and more who we really are. But I still wanted something more substantial.
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It's been a few years and I was afraid this book wouldn't hold up. Fortunately, I was wrong.
I love the focus on the details, the simplicity, the old man as a character and the way this book makes me feel hopeful and sad at the same time.
There is so much to take away from this story.
Life can be hard and also good.
"He took all his pain and what was left of his strength and his long-gone pride and he put it against the fish's agony."
I love the focus on the details, the simplicity, the old man as a character and the way this book makes me feel hopeful and sad at the same time.
There is so much to take away from this story.
Life can be hard and also good.
"He took all his pain and what was left of his strength and his long-gone pride and he put it against the fish's agony."
Bunny by Mona Awad
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? No
2.0
So... yeah, no. I still don't know what this book was trying to tell me.
It started super interesting, even hilarious, then disappointed me at every turn and left me with a lot of regrets.
Was it a horror story? A comment on higher education? I have the feeling it was trying to be, but it never made its point. And it was just so in love with itself.
I mean, the prose is really good. Mona Awad can do wonderful things with words. This story was definitely not the best way to show it.
Every character in this book is an asshole. Which would have been totally fine, if
a) I wouldn't have gotten the impression the author wanted me to actually like the main character, and
b) all that assholery would have culminated in some greater point.
The protagonist is sour, hates everyone and is very in love with her own self-pity, because things are never her fault, of course. She whines and lies to basically everybody in her life. And when you look past her inner monologue, she rarely ever actually does something and takes action. Oh, and she also hates women, because she's not like the other girls.
Maybe it was making a point about the characters and how everyone is flawed. But in order to do that, the characters were just too flat, too one-dimensional. Everyone is judgemental, juvenile and the story is women hating on women.
How about the magic? Well, that was a really cool concept, but we nerver learned enough about it for this book to be about that. We never even learned enough about the potential of this magic beyond creating boys. Seriously - those women are aspiring writers studying at an elite school and all they think about in their free time is... men?
Also, the protagonist literally creates a man to do everything for her that she is too passive to do. That is some serious lesson there.
So... in the end, this book left me with a very bad feeling about what the author thinks about herself, her work and other women.
It started super interesting, even hilarious, then disappointed me at every turn and left me with a lot of regrets.
Was it a horror story? A comment on higher education? I have the feeling it was trying to be, but it never made its point. And it was just so in love with itself.
I mean, the prose is really good. Mona Awad can do wonderful things with words. This story was definitely not the best way to show it.
Every character in this book is an asshole. Which would have been totally fine, if
a) I wouldn't have gotten the impression the author wanted me to actually like the main character, and
b) all that assholery would have culminated in some greater point.
The protagonist is sour, hates everyone and is very in love with her own self-pity, because things are never her fault, of course. She whines and lies to basically everybody in her life. And when you look past her inner monologue, she rarely ever actually does something and takes action. Oh, and she also hates women, because she's not like the other girls.
Maybe it was making a point about the characters and how everyone is flawed. But in order to do that, the characters were just too flat, too one-dimensional. Everyone is judgemental, juvenile and the story is women hating on women.
How about the magic? Well, that was a really cool concept, but we nerver learned enough about it for this book to be about that. We never even learned enough about the potential of this magic beyond creating boys. Seriously - those women are aspiring writers studying at an elite school and all they think about in their free time is... men?
Also, the protagonist literally creates a man to do everything for her that she is too passive to do. That is some serious lesson there.
So... in the end, this book left me with a very bad feeling about what the author thinks about herself, her work and other women.
Gehenna: the Final Night by Ari Marmell
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This is quite entertaining, but not better than I would expect from an rpg tie-in novel. I'm not the biggest fan of Beckett as a character and there weren't many surprises in the plot, but it was a fun ride.
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Stephen Graham Jones touches a lot of serious topics Indigenous people face, all while crafting a truly suspenseful horror story that felt classic and fresh in all the good ways. I was entertained by this book, and I also feel I have learned so much from it, and for me, these are the best kinds of books.
Altough I love the folk horror elements, I think the true heart of this story are the characters. They are layered and conflicted and we get to see them through their own eyes as well as through the eyes of others, we get to see their expectations of themselves, the expectations that are placed on them and how that effects every single life - theirs and the ones they touch. We see different faces of intergenerational trauma, what it does to people and how it might be overcome.
It took me a minute to get used to the writing style, but it does fit the brutality and honesty of the book perfectly. And yes, this book is brutal in many ways. And honest. And I loved the ending
I wholeheartedly recommend it.
Altough I love the folk horror elements, I think the true heart of this story are the characters. They are layered and conflicted and we get to see them through their own eyes as well as through the eyes of others, we get to see their expectations of themselves, the expectations that are placed on them and how that effects every single life - theirs and the ones they touch. We see different faces of intergenerational trauma, what it does to people and how it might be overcome.
It took me a minute to get used to the writing style, but it does fit the brutality and honesty of the book perfectly. And yes, this book is brutal in many ways. And honest. And I loved the ending
I wholeheartedly recommend it.
Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a timely read (which is in itself tragic, and I can't help but wonder for how long we will be saying this) with a very strong and personal voice.
I am very happy I read this. It isn't something I would usually chose, because it is marketed as a dystopian story and I don't lean towards this genre a lot. But there is a discussion to be had about how dystopian this story really is. I wouldn't categorize it as such, it is real, which the author has commented on himself.
The transitions are hard to follow, I didn't always know how old the protagonists were or how much time had passed between scenes. But although this was a bit confusing, I think it added to the style and voice of the narrative and put the focus on emotions. It was disjointed, very stream-of-consiousness, and it was intended to be. Nothing is polished here to make it "more pretty" or "more appealing", and I think that's a great thing.
I am very happy I read this. It isn't something I would usually chose, because it is marketed as a dystopian story and I don't lean towards this genre a lot. But there is a discussion to be had about how dystopian this story really is. I wouldn't categorize it as such, it is real, which the author has commented on himself.
The transitions are hard to follow, I didn't always know how old the protagonists were or how much time had passed between scenes. But although this was a bit confusing, I think it added to the style and voice of the narrative and put the focus on emotions. It was disjointed, very stream-of-consiousness, and it was intended to be. Nothing is polished here to make it "more pretty" or "more appealing", and I think that's a great thing.
Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook by Christina Henry
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
For years, my headcanon has been that Peter Pan is a fairy: Not necessarily evil, but indifferent and without understanding for humans. Which means this book is right up my alley. I like the idea and the execution, it was entertaining to read and it speaks to everyone who has ever been gaslighted by a narcissist.
Unfortunately, it ignored a lot of established backstory of Captain Hook and facts about Peter Pan, Neverland, etc. I would not mind ignoring a few things, but it felt too much to me, like the author did not really care about the source material. Maybe this story would have worked better on its own, not as a retelling. Plus, there is an unneccesary romance that just does not fit into the story at all.
Unfortunately, it ignored a lot of established backstory of Captain Hook and facts about Peter Pan, Neverland, etc. I would not mind ignoring a few things, but it felt too much to me, like the author did not really care about the source material. Maybe this story would have worked better on its own, not as a retelling. Plus, there is an unneccesary romance that just does not fit into the story at all.