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its_kievan's reviews
153 reviews
The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A lot of people will call this “timeless”, and in some ways that’s true - Joanna’s betrayal by her supposedly “feminist” husband still hits just as hard now as it did 50 years ago. On the other hand, it feels distractingly 70s, and knowing the big twist beforehand undercuts a lot of the suspense. Neither of those is Levin’s fault, obviously, but it means the book ultimately feels a bit lacking.
Palahniuk’s introduction is… more complicated. He’s a lot more coherent than in his recent works (looking at you, Adjustment Day), and he does cite My Personal Queen Susan Faludi, but for the intro to a feminist masterpiece (TM) it would have been more interesting to hear from a woman.
Palahniuk’s introduction is… more complicated. He’s a lot more coherent than in his recent works (looking at you, Adjustment Day), and he does cite My Personal Queen Susan Faludi, but for the intro to a feminist masterpiece (TM) it would have been more interesting to hear from a woman.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Sexism
Minor: Blood and Racism
Jingo by Terry Pratchett
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Honestly this one might the platonic ideal of Discworld books.
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I wanted to like this book so badly, because “ex-pirate captain comes out retirement to fight a sorcerer in the medieval Indian Ocean” is probably the best pitch I’ve ever heard, but god I just did not care at all about anyone in this story. I honestly don’t know what it was - the characters should have been interesting, the prose was solid if a bit clunky, and again the setting is so cool - but it all just left me a bit bored.
I’m clearly in the minority here, which is good because I love seeing fantasy that isn’t just yet another Tolkien re-tread, but yeah this specific book just didn’t do it for me.
I’m clearly in the minority here, which is good because I love seeing fantasy that isn’t just yet another Tolkien re-tread, but yeah this specific book just didn’t do it for me.
Washington's Circle: The Creation of the President by David Stephen Heidler
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
A bit slow and repetitive, but combines a fairly concise summary of early US history with a very thoughtful look at the personalities of the people who shaped it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism and Slavery
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I mean obviously it’s not very good - the setting is bland, the writing is weak, and the characters are the exact same as every other romantasy novel - but it was an easy read and hey props to Yarros for using “clit” so many times that really was a surprise.
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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
4.5
Insane read. Baffled by criticism about it being “on-the-nose” or simplistic when this is such an amazingly nuanced and even sympathetic portrait of a pretty openly awful person. I think one of the hardest things anyone can do is portray a very complex personal situation without devolving into either polemics or both-sides-isms, and the fact that Kuang threaded that needle is all the proof you need of insane writing skill. Ending twist was kinda eh though.
Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I say with complete sincerity, Between Two Fires is probably one of the most compelling and profound explorations of faith that I have ever read. And definitely the only one where a knight fights a river monster and gets groped by a corpse.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Body horror, Gore, and Vomit
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, and Child abuse
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Underwhelming. I don’t really care about Poirot, either as a person or as a detective. The only time he was at all interesting was his brief debate with Ferguson about art, otherwise he was just there to deliver plot points. In fact, all of the characters were fairly weak - a far cry from the far superior And Then There Were None. Appropriately enough, given the setting, this feels like a 1930s holiday read and nothing more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence and Infidelity
Minor: Racism
All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren
challenging
reflective
slow-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? Yes
3.0
About 150 pages of the best political writing that I've ever read. Unfortunately, it's buried beneath another 350 pages of mind-numbing nonsense about What It All Means and an insanely tedious romance between a rambling sociopath and a woman who's hit so hard by the Madonna-whore complex that it feels like satire. So, y'know, mixed feelings.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs
Minor: Gun violence
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
3.5
A fantastically interesting first 2/3rds let down by an overdeveloped ending. Muir’s choice to split the narrative between a present-day second-person(!) POV and a warped retelling of the previous book is a bonkers one, and I am insanely impressed that she pulled it off so well. All that goes to shit, however, when she explains too much and not enough, filling up far too many pages with monologues that never quite make sense. Particularly annoying are the wildly underdeveloped Blood of Eden and the godawful already-outdated meme speak. I really wanted to love this book, and for a while I thought I did, but sadly this might be my last Locked Tomb experience.