jshawreads's reviews
578 reviews

Small Gods of Calamity by Sam Kyung Yoo

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

Small Gods of Calamity is a supernatural, crime, horror novella, with queer rep and a truly engaging story that I devoured in a single day.

Our main character, Kim Han-gil, is a queer man with the ability to see and sense the world of spirits that runs parallel to our own, and we follow him as he investigates deaths that all seem to be linked to a particularly vicious and mysterious spirit with links to his past.

I dont want to give too much away about the story, but learning about Kim Han-gil's past and that of the supporting characters (particularly Shin Yoonhae) really deepened my love for the characters. Telling a great story, with twists, sadness, excitement, and doing so with queer rep and a deep dive into spiritualism and mysticism, fantastic!

I really hope I get to see more in this world and from this writer!

The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

Griz Grobus and the Tale of Azkon's Heart by Simon Roy

fast-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

So this was a strange one. This graphic novel has a fun and different art style, a setting that could have been amazing to explore... but an overall pretty lacklustre reading experience.

The first thing that hit me was how difficult much of the text was to actually read. I'm all for a graphic novel having a distinct and unique style, which also flows into the lettering, but not when it makes me have to zoom in to make sure I can read speech.

The story also felt disjointed. The secondary narrative didn't really factor into the main narrative in any meaningful way and didn't add anything to the story. There was so much of this world's potentially exciting back story that we didn't get to see.

Overall, it was quite disappointing.

The Only Light Left Burning by Erik J. Brown

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful 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

Wow... I really don't know where to start with this one without gushing like a fool. I adore this book. Let's get into it...

Picking up a little while after the end of All That's Left in the World, with Jamison and Andrew living in the relative safety of the Keys, hiding from the dangerous Fort Caroline community. Their relationship strained as they adapt to their new arrangement, no longer constantly on the move, no longer on the run, and throwing themselves into danger to defend one another. Events push them to be back on the move, once more hunted, and once more facing the dangers of the decimated USA, populated now by the few humans immune to the superflu that almost wiped out humanity. Their latest journey, one of survival, heartbreak, loss, and growth, will be as difficult, if not more so than the first, but at the end of it, will they find what they need, and oh so deserve... Home.

This book. Fuck. I loved the first book and the two MCs and their relationship, and the worldbuilding, and this one just took it further. The Stand-like post-apocalypse, the found family, the queer joy, and the struggle of people trying to cope with something wholly uncope-able. Jamison and Andrew remain incredible characters, but The Kid, Rocky Horror, Cara, Niki, Daphne, and so many more really rounded out a fantastic and believable cast. I cried reading this, and I was desperate to keep reading. I finished it in a single day. 

And... without spoilers, the ending was perfection.

If you haven't read this series, you have to. If you have, I award you many, many points.

Cursed Under London by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch

adventurous dark funny mysterious 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

4.0

In an alternate timeline filled with magical species and undead humans, where "Deepsiders" live in a subterranean London populated by dragons, vampires, zombies, and all manner of dangerous creature, two "Uppersiders", Fang and Lazare, wake from ther violent deaths to find something has changed, and they are now somewhere between human and undead. Their adventure to learn more about and eventually lift this curse will take them through danger and mystery to the heart of Deepside and bring them closer to each other...

Delightfully funny, yet gruesome and horrifying, Cursed Under London succeeds with great world building and character development. Amber and Fang were real standouts for me, and this book also gets bonus points for a character name... Captain Dame Isobel Honkensby... I mean, that's just incredible...

Cursed Under London is a great story, with a fantastical world, lovable protagonists, a horrific and unsettling enemy, and so much humour! I really look forward to more in this series!

Tristan and Lancelot: A Tale of Two Knights by James Persichetti

adventurous hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

The Boyfriend Subscription by Steven Salvatore

emotional funny 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

4.0

After seeing this kind of explode all over Bookstagram, I was excited to see it come up on Netgalley and had to get it.

A queer, sex work positive, body positive, reworking of the Pretty Woman story, fake boyfriends with a hell of a lot spice. A fast paced, punchy read. It hit the mark with the romance/spice aspects but had legitimately powerful positive messages about trust, sex positivity, pride, and shame. 

Teddy and Cole are fun, lovable characters. Nuanced and real. And, their support systems are a shining light in their lives. 

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Nights Vol. 1 by Luigi Formisano, Wyatt Kennedy

adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Nights is set in an alternate history late noughties, where supernatural creatures exist alongside humans, ghosts remain on earth to find their unfinished business, and shadowy government organisations operate in secret. Following our main cast of characters, including a regular teenage guy, a vampire girl, a ghost, and an assassin as they navigate this world, and maybe navigate the even stranger world of love, Nights fuses humour, body horror, and surrealist environments to create a fun and intriguing world.

Volume 1 ended right as some big stuff started to go down, and it felt like a great cliff hanger, I'll be keeping my eye out for Volume 2! Also, bonus points are awarded for a talking Star-Nosed mole!

The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

5.0

Eat Your Heart Out Vol. 1 by Terry Blas, Matty Newton

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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? Yes

5.0

What do you get if you have beautiful art with colours and movement that pop vividly, a charming and heartfelt story of love, the pursuit of happiness, and found family? Well, this!

Following a girl running from home to New York to pursue her creative passions and escape from under the thumb of her domineering mother and meeting the fun and complex people who become her housemates, a network of support that is truly heartwarming.

I really loved this, and I can't wait for more. Highest of high recommendations!

Thankyou to Netgalley for my free electronic copy in exchange for an honest review!