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immakingt0ast's reviews
853 reviews
A Language of Dragons by S.F. Williamson
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4 confused stars.
Don't get me wrong, this book was good and I enjoyed reading it, but I feel like the description is a bit... misleading?
(mild spoilers)
This book is fast paced and the plot has some really interesting twists and turns. The world building is good, and the alt-history setting of wartime Bletchley Park is super interesting! I also love the lore we get about the dragons (which talk and are sentient) and how they were historically integrated into Brittania's society.
That said, since I have a habit of barely glancing at book descriptions and picking them based on ~vibes~ I didn't have any complaints til I went to write up my review, and realized that if you are someone who reads the descriptions, you might not agree at all.
Some issues I have with it based on the description:
Slow-burn, enemies to lovers romance: The romance is bland and underdeveloped, and describing this book as a romantasy is comical. It felt like the author copy-pasted a pretty generic romance because it was a required checkbox, however, this didn't really bother me while reading because the romance took up very little page time. (but again, it seems disingenuous to call this romantasy because it just is not) Also, they weren't enemies at any point.
Dark Academia setting: The setting is not a school? girl quit lyin. Yes, they talk about school a lot because the MC wants to study languages, but this takes place at Bletchley Park, which is not academia?
My biggest issue: This book isn't explicitly described as a standalone, but the story does NOT conclude at the end. The main conflict, aka the civil war, is not resolved at the end, not even close! But there is no mention of a sequel. I don't know if there will be another. I do not know if the author left it open ended on purpose because they were hoping to get a book deal for a second and it didn't happen? Idk, but when I hit the 80% mark and realized there was no way it was going to wrap up I was irritated. I would read the sequal if there was one, but I would have preferred to know that beforehad.
Don't get me wrong, this book was good and I enjoyed reading it, but I feel like the description is a bit... misleading?
(mild spoilers)
This book is fast paced and the plot has some really interesting twists and turns. The world building is good, and the alt-history setting of wartime Bletchley Park is super interesting! I also love the lore we get about the dragons (which talk and are sentient) and how they were historically integrated into Brittania's society.
That said, since I have a habit of barely glancing at book descriptions and picking them based on ~vibes~ I didn't have any complaints til I went to write up my review, and realized that if you are someone who reads the descriptions, you might not agree at all.
Some issues I have with it based on the description:
Slow-burn, enemies to lovers romance: The romance is bland and underdeveloped, and describing this book as a romantasy is comical. It felt like the author copy-pasted a pretty generic romance because it was a required checkbox, however, this didn't really bother me while reading because the romance took up very little page time. (but again, it seems disingenuous to call this romantasy because it just is not) Also, they weren't enemies at any point.
Dark Academia setting: The setting is not a school? girl quit lyin. Yes, they talk about school a lot because the MC wants to study languages, but this takes place at Bletchley Park, which is not academia?
My biggest issue: This book isn't explicitly described as a standalone, but the story does NOT conclude at the end. The main conflict, aka the civil war, is not resolved at the end, not even close! But there is no mention of a sequel. I don't know if there will be another. I do not know if the author left it open ended on purpose because they were hoping to get a book deal for a second and it didn't happen? Idk, but when I hit the 80% mark and realized there was no way it was going to wrap up I was irritated. I would read the sequal if there was one, but I would have preferred to know that beforehad.
Strange Bedfellows by Ariel Slamet Ries
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This is super cute! The art is an absolutely gorgeous watercolory style and each page is bursting with color. A real feast for the eyes. The story takes place the future on a planet (or maybe moon?) called Meridian, which is 2 generations removed from humans living on earth. We follow Oberon, a trans teen who has recently dropped out of university, as he is learning how to harness his latent superpower, which is the ability to manifest in reality things he has seen in his dreams. The other MC is Kon, the one who got away, who Oberon hasn't seen since he moved schools several years ago.
The story has slice of life, coming of age vibes but also discusses a number of serious issues including blended families, generational trauma, mental health, coming out, and a number of -isms, all thoughtfully discussed and presented in relevant situations. The story evolves in a way I wasn't expecting and I loved the ending.
The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because a number of the comic panels were designed in a way that was somewhat unclear, and I wasn't sure what the author / artist was trying to convey. It didn't take away from the overall understanding of the story, but it did happen a number of times. Still though, a very heartwarming and enjoyable read. If you like Heartstopper and superhero stories, you will probably like this too.
The story has slice of life, coming of age vibes but also discusses a number of serious issues including blended families, generational trauma, mental health, coming out, and a number of -isms, all thoughtfully discussed and presented in relevant situations. The story evolves in a way I wasn't expecting and I loved the ending.
The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because a number of the comic panels were designed in a way that was somewhat unclear, and I wasn't sure what the author / artist was trying to convey. It didn't take away from the overall understanding of the story, but it did happen a number of times. Still though, a very heartwarming and enjoyable read. If you like Heartstopper and superhero stories, you will probably like this too.
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.
I'm taking a break from this... Might come back if my loan is still active when I finish my next book. But literally nothing has happened after the original setup. The premise is interesting, but we are 4 hours in and we've still onky got an interesting premise and no plot or even a suggestion of where it might go
The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne by Ron Currie
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
Thank you to Ron Currie and Netgalley for the advance copy, provided in exchange for an honest review.
This book was such a journey. I had no idea what to expect, because I clicked that "request" button on Netgalley the second I saw Ron Currie had a new book out. I had a moment with one of Currie's early books, Everything Matters! when I was in my early 20's, and thought this book was one of the most deeply profound things I had ever read, and obsessively recommended it to everyone, including one of my best friends, and have been following him as an author ever since. (side note, the author is a very cool dude, i once contacted him about a signed copy about one of his books i was wanting to purchase as a gift, and he was not selling them at the time. instead, i bought a book, mailed it to him, and he signed it and mailed it back. we might even still be facebook friends. he also went to the same college as I did - very cool dude indeed.)
anyway, that has no bearing on my review. which is primarily that the description of this book absolutely does not do it justice. This book is listed as a mystery - thriller, and it does have a mystery, and there are definitely thrilling parts. But truly, this book is more than that. It's a deep and often dark look at a French-Canadian family living in small-town Waterville, Maine - where the author is actually from. But this book is at its heart, a character driven story about a group of people who are doing the best they can while dealing with a fascinating and tragic blend of racism, classism, xenophobia, mental health issues and addiction.
The plot revolves around the titular character Babs Dionne, but her story, from start to finish, is mostly told through the eyes of her family, particularly her daughter Lori, as well as her grandson and a few others. All of the characters are, quite frankly, fucked up, and many of them are well developed to the point that any of them could carry their own books.
The history of the area is quite frankly, horrifying, and well researched, and even though I spent 6 years of my childhood in a city not too far from Waterville, I was completely ignorant of the historical treatment of the French Canadians in New England. Babs is from Little Canada, a presumably real area of Waterville that was home to French-Canadian immigrants who primarily worked in the Hathaway Shirt factory. Though I haven't been back to the Northeast in years, I have driven through enough of these run down backwater, half-abandoned mill towns that although there are some mild supernatural elements, the rest of the story requires almost no suspension of belief. It's almost like there are people like this in every Smalltown USA. Which is... sad, and thought provoking.
"So, Abigail - if I may call you Abigail- I am here to tell you that life, as it's actually lived, does not fit into your neat little black-and-white categories. And I ask you, please, to stop being so certain of what I am and am not, what I have and have not endured. If you look at me and see a white woman, that's your mistake. Whatever sins go along with being white, don't pin them on me- I've been running from white people my whole life, like most everyone else on the planet."
This book was such a journey. I had no idea what to expect, because I clicked that "request" button on Netgalley the second I saw Ron Currie had a new book out. I had a moment with one of Currie's early books, Everything Matters! when I was in my early 20's, and thought this book was one of the most deeply profound things I had ever read, and obsessively recommended it to everyone, including one of my best friends, and have been following him as an author ever since. (side note, the author is a very cool dude, i once contacted him about a signed copy about one of his books i was wanting to purchase as a gift, and he was not selling them at the time. instead, i bought a book, mailed it to him, and he signed it and mailed it back. we might even still be facebook friends. he also went to the same college as I did - very cool dude indeed.)
anyway, that has no bearing on my review. which is primarily that the description of this book absolutely does not do it justice. This book is listed as a mystery - thriller, and it does have a mystery, and there are definitely thrilling parts. But truly, this book is more than that. It's a deep and often dark look at a French-Canadian family living in small-town Waterville, Maine - where the author is actually from. But this book is at its heart, a character driven story about a group of people who are doing the best they can while dealing with a fascinating and tragic blend of racism, classism, xenophobia, mental health issues and addiction.
The plot revolves around the titular character Babs Dionne, but her story, from start to finish, is mostly told through the eyes of her family, particularly her daughter Lori, as well as her grandson and a few others. All of the characters are, quite frankly, fucked up, and many of them are well developed to the point that any of them could carry their own books.
The history of the area is quite frankly, horrifying, and well researched, and even though I spent 6 years of my childhood in a city not too far from Waterville, I was completely ignorant of the historical treatment of the French Canadians in New England. Babs is from Little Canada, a presumably real area of Waterville that was home to French-Canadian immigrants who primarily worked in the Hathaway Shirt factory. Though I haven't been back to the Northeast in years, I have driven through enough of these run down backwater, half-abandoned mill towns that although there are some mild supernatural elements, the rest of the story requires almost no suspension of belief. It's almost like there are people like this in every Smalltown USA. Which is... sad, and thought provoking.
"So, Abigail - if I may call you Abigail- I am here to tell you that life, as it's actually lived, does not fit into your neat little black-and-white categories. And I ask you, please, to stop being so certain of what I am and am not, what I have and have not endured. If you look at me and see a white woman, that's your mistake. Whatever sins go along with being white, don't pin them on me- I've been running from white people my whole life, like most everyone else on the planet."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use
Moderate: Rape
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
adventurous
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
2.0
the best word i can use to describe this book is WEAKSAUCE
honestly this book had so much potential and delivered on none of it. it was, quite frankly, a waste of my time and a disappointment. i didn't hate it, hence, two stars, but i absolutely did not care about one single character past the halfway mark and by about 75%at the culmination of the romance hehe i was rolling my eyes and cringing so hard. blegh.
honestly the biggest missed opportunity here was the setting. it has an identity crisis, which is a bummer because it could have been great? we gave a vague idea of sorta bland wwii europe, but if wwii was fought because of like, gods and stuff. things were not clearly explained, but that wasn't even the main issue i had with this.
I really feel like this book would have been better as an adult book. NOT because of the romance / sex, but because if you're going to write a book that takes place in a country at war, where war is a central theme, where the characters are literally on the battlefield dodging grenades, it seems disingenuous to gloss over the horrors of said war. its, like, soooo sanitized and cutified, and call me jaded but considering there is literally a war going on in Gaza right now, i just don't love the fact that the war is watered down just to create the backdrop of a romance that's as generic and bland as store brand white bread. perhaps you don't have to show every gritty detail, but this just feels like an edited down version of what the story could have been to appease the current publishing landscape that greatly favors YA titles in the fantasy genre.
2 stars, will not read the second, not sure why everyone likes this so much
honestly this book had so much potential and delivered on none of it. it was, quite frankly, a waste of my time and a disappointment. i didn't hate it, hence, two stars, but i absolutely did not care about one single character past the halfway mark and by about 75%
honestly the biggest missed opportunity here was the setting. it has an identity crisis, which is a bummer because it could have been great? we gave a vague idea of sorta bland wwii europe, but if wwii was fought because of like, gods and stuff. things were not clearly explained, but that wasn't even the main issue i had with this.
I really feel like this book would have been better as an adult book. NOT because of the romance / sex, but because if you're going to write a book that takes place in a country at war, where war is a central theme, where the characters are literally on the battlefield dodging grenades, it seems disingenuous to gloss over the horrors of said war. its, like, soooo sanitized and cutified, and call me jaded but considering there is literally a war going on in Gaza right now, i just don't love the fact that the war is watered down just to create the backdrop of a romance that's as generic and bland as store brand white bread. perhaps you don't have to show every gritty detail, but this just feels like an edited down version of what the story could have been to appease the current publishing landscape that greatly favors YA titles in the fantasy genre.
2 stars, will not read the second, not sure why everyone likes this so much
Snapdragon by Kat Leyh
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
4.0
Overgrowth by Mira Grant
dark
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
what a glorious day to have visited Netgalley! I didn't know this existed, and no i didn't read the description but i am SO glad the benevolent Netgalley gods have me auto-approved for TOR titles.
and LOOK at the cover look at it omg.
--------------------
Actual review.
5 stars, is anyone surprised? truthfully, this is more like a 4.5 but i am definitely rounding up because everyone knows i am a seanan / mira stan and this book is no exception.
Overgrowth is told from the point of view of Anastasia, who is an alien that has been raised as a human since age three. She has been telling everyone that she is an alien and the invasion is coming, and people react as you would expect - by ignoring her, at best. Turns out, she was right, oopsies, and now the armada is here, and everyone is fucked.
At it's core, this is a Body Snatchers type story that draws a lot of inspiration from War of the Worlds. It's also a cautionary tale about climate change, and like a lot of scifi it contains a certain amount of proselytizing and commentary on the subject. Neither is undeserved nor innacurate, and I appreciate the clear amount of research that Grant put into her scifi novels. i always feel like learn something whilst in the grips of ajbect horror; it's nice.
Without spoiling anything, this was such a ride, and one of the least predictable books i have had the pleasure of reading. I wasn't sure if I was rooting for humanity or the aliens until very close to the end. We also have some really excellent diversity in the supporting characters which is a breath of fresh air in a publishing landscape where generic LGBT / POC archetypes are shoehorned into every novel ever.
Warning: This book has some intense and graphic body horror. There's also a pretty rough scene, right in the beginning, involving the death of a child that was really hard to read, and i'm typically a person who pointedly ignores trigger warnings.
and LOOK at the cover look at it omg.
--------------------
Actual review.
5 stars, is anyone surprised? truthfully, this is more like a 4.5 but i am definitely rounding up because everyone knows i am a seanan / mira stan and this book is no exception.
Overgrowth is told from the point of view of Anastasia, who is an alien that has been raised as a human since age three. She has been telling everyone that she is an alien and the invasion is coming, and people react as you would expect - by ignoring her, at best. Turns out, she was right, oopsies, and now the armada is here, and everyone is fucked.
At it's core, this is a Body Snatchers type story that draws a lot of inspiration from War of the Worlds. It's also a cautionary tale about climate change, and like a lot of scifi it contains a certain amount of proselytizing and commentary on the subject. Neither is undeserved nor innacurate, and I appreciate the clear amount of research that Grant put into her scifi novels. i always feel like learn something whilst in the grips of ajbect horror; it's nice.
Without spoiling anything, this was such a ride, and one of the least predictable books i have had the pleasure of reading. I wasn't sure if I was rooting for humanity or the aliens until very close to the end. We also have some really excellent diversity in the supporting characters which is a breath of fresh air in a publishing landscape where generic LGBT / POC archetypes are shoehorned into every novel ever.
Warning: This book has some intense and graphic body horror. There's also a pretty rough scene, right in the beginning, involving the death of a child that was really hard to read, and i'm typically a person who pointedly ignores trigger warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Homophobia, Transphobia, Xenophobia, War
Weyward by Emilia Hart
dark
mysterious
reflective
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? No
4.75
4.5 stars rounded up. This was pretty close to flawless, however I was kinda disappointed with what happened to Simon, he deserved WAY worse than what he got. My favorite part of witch books featuring men as the villains is when they get what they had coming and he didn't get it nearly as bad at the other two did
Regardless, this was a slow burn character driven tale of three women in three different time periods. The pacing was excellent, and the progress through each separate tale cut away at juuuuust the right time to make this story very difficult to put down. Each perspective was given equal care and attention, though my favorite story was Kate's.
On audio, each woman's story is voiced by a different narrator, and they all do a fantastic job. This is uncommon and it absolutely enhances the listening experience, as the different voices and accents really make a difference in making each story and character unique. Highly recommend the audio.
Regardless, this was a slow burn character driven tale of three women in three different time periods. The pacing was excellent, and the progress through each separate tale cut away at juuuuust the right time to make this story very difficult to put down. Each perspective was given equal care and attention, though my favorite story was Kate's.
On audio, each woman's story is voiced by a different narrator, and they all do a fantastic job. This is uncommon and it absolutely enhances the listening experience, as the different voices and accents really make a difference in making each story and character unique. Highly recommend the audio.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Exquisite.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content
Moderate: Blood