jkpiowa's reviews
730 reviews

Grand Slam Romance by Ollie Hicks

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted tense 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

This is an adult graphic novel about magical lesbians. It's silly and doesn't take itself seriously, and is a fast, fun read. 

Exadelic by Jon Evans
Did not finish book. Stopped at 35%.

Super interesting premise, but really not a fan of the writing. Overly technical, slow plot, random sexualization. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Torture

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

funny mysterious tense fast-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

3.75

Nestlings by Nat Cassidy

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A retelling of Rosemary's Baby that was... fine. If you've read Rosemary's Baby, or seen the movie, you don't really need to read this. It was written well and took a slightly different path at the end, but the overall themes and ideas are the same. I did appreciate the perspective of the female MC at the end, it was different and unexpected. 

The landlord character seemed somewhat superfluous to me. The author needed a nefarious villain and threw him in, but he was more a convenient bad-guy plot device than a well rounded character. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

And Shall Machines Surrender by Benjanun Sriduangkaew

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

This was a weird one. The story was interesting, but the authors uses SAT words constantly, to the point of distraction. The book didn't know if it was a romantic suspense, science fiction, murder mystery, or all of the above. Towards the end I looked up the author and found some troubling accusations, not sure what to make of those. 

Nemesis Games by James S.A. Corey

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

The Darkness That Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

The authors relies on old tropes that are done better elsewhere. His writing is verbose, with nonstop metaphors and analogies. The plot is interesting, moves SO slowly. 

There are 3 women in this story: a mother, a sex worker, and a slave. All are sexually and physically assaulted constantly. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Pregnancy, War

Minor: Homophobia

Daddy Issues: Love and Hate in the Time of Patriarchy by Katherine Angel

challenging informative reflective

1.5

There were no really new ideas here, just a discussion of ideas that have already been put forward by other people. There were some interesting and thought provoking lines, but overall I thought the author's obsession with thinking all fathers want to screw their daughters a little weird. 

Cibola Burn by James S.A. Corey

adventurous emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail