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kitvaria_sarene's reviews
2199 reviews
Atoned by Steve J McHugh
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Atoned by Steve McHugh was one fantastic read!
It's SciFi, but it felt as close up and fast as an urban fantasy. I loved the banter and bickering, and as always the amazing friendships and loyalties. This, and the very organic, diverse cast is one of the major draws of McHugh's books, and they only get better! I especially loved the android Brokk, as I was always drawn to the non human characters.
I enjoyed how there was a bit of an overlap with his previous book Blackcoat, without having to read the other one to get the full experience. Just a nice little easter egg sort of thing.
The plot is action heavy and the pace is quick. Once you start to read, you really can't stop, so I more or less inhaled this whole book in one go!
It's SciFi, but it felt as close up and fast as an urban fantasy. I loved the banter and bickering, and as always the amazing friendships and loyalties. This, and the very organic, diverse cast is one of the major draws of McHugh's books, and they only get better! I especially loved the android Brokk, as I was always drawn to the non human characters.
I enjoyed how there was a bit of an overlap with his previous book Blackcoat, without having to read the other one to get the full experience. Just a nice little easter egg sort of thing.
The plot is action heavy and the pace is quick. Once you start to read, you really can't stop, so I more or less inhaled this whole book in one go!
The Hallows by H.L.Tinsley
4.75
The Hallows by H.L. Tinsley is a 1920 urban fantasy, which was a very nice change in pace!
It's not as dark as her previous series, but it still is just as unique and wonderfully weird.
I mean, floating nuns who somehow turned into fighters as well? How could I not ask for an early copy to read??
What makes this book so much fun?
The characters. I loved how the camaraderie and banter made for a great contrast and counterbalance to a rather bleak at times world.
There is humour to be found between the grit, and it worked very well for me!
I mean, these teams who are used to gruesome scenes and fighting, are grouped into themes. Our main team - garden - has not just our male MC Camellia, but also others like Forget Me Not. It should be strange, but it just worked so well in this world for some reason.
I also really appreciated how Tinsley didn't just describe how these people look, but rather focused on how a scene is set, and feels. As someone with aphantasia, I was utterly engrossed in the world, while descriptions that are just on the surface level of how things look often leave me a bit cold.
The world building is slowly trickled in, but deepens out quite a bit. I love how corporate greed, religious themes and also some social responsibilities are all weaved throughout the story, so it feels rather realistic, instead of a very black and white world.
The friction and also a willingness to grow regular humans, and auld blood together, while other groups try to separate and spread hate felt is as relevant to today's society as it ever was.
But this book can't just make you think, it also has fast paced and addictive action scenes that had me glued to the pages! Be it monsters, previously mentioned floating nun, or just a race against time, I was hooked.
So a good deal of depth in the issues covered, balanced out by a good dose of humour, flavoured with a nice pinch of weirdness, all stirred with good action. What's not to love?
It's not as dark as her previous series, but it still is just as unique and wonderfully weird.
I mean, floating nuns who somehow turned into fighters as well? How could I not ask for an early copy to read??
What makes this book so much fun?
The characters. I loved how the camaraderie and banter made for a great contrast and counterbalance to a rather bleak at times world.
There is humour to be found between the grit, and it worked very well for me!
I mean, these teams who are used to gruesome scenes and fighting, are grouped into themes. Our main team - garden - has not just our male MC Camellia, but also others like Forget Me Not. It should be strange, but it just worked so well in this world for some reason.
I also really appreciated how Tinsley didn't just describe how these people look, but rather focused on how a scene is set, and feels. As someone with aphantasia, I was utterly engrossed in the world, while descriptions that are just on the surface level of how things look often leave me a bit cold.
The world building is slowly trickled in, but deepens out quite a bit. I love how corporate greed, religious themes and also some social responsibilities are all weaved throughout the story, so it feels rather realistic, instead of a very black and white world.
The friction and also a willingness to grow regular humans, and auld blood together, while other groups try to separate and spread hate felt is as relevant to today's society as it ever was.
But this book can't just make you think, it also has fast paced and addictive action scenes that had me glued to the pages! Be it monsters, previously mentioned floating nun, or just a race against time, I was hooked.
So a good deal of depth in the issues covered, balanced out by a good dose of humour, flavoured with a nice pinch of weirdness, all stirred with good action. What's not to love?
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
3.25
I loved Legends and Lattes so much, but Bookshops & Bondedust by Travis Baldree sadly didn't manage to hook me as much.
This story is less cosy, and instead has more of a typical fantasy plot. I would have loved to read more about the bookshop, the daily running of it, and just the slice of life kind of story.
The fantasy aspect was too low key to satisfy me as an action sort of story, but too much to give me the comfortable and warm feeling.
The side characters mostly stayed a bit blank, especially the love interest, but there are two I really loved. So that's also not bad, but not a favourite bit either.
It's still an easy and quick read, and I don't regret the time or money spent, however it didn't leave a lasting impression like Legends did.
This story is less cosy, and instead has more of a typical fantasy plot. I would have loved to read more about the bookshop, the daily running of it, and just the slice of life kind of story.
The fantasy aspect was too low key to satisfy me as an action sort of story, but too much to give me the comfortable and warm feeling.
The side characters mostly stayed a bit blank, especially the love interest, but there are two I really loved. So that's also not bad, but not a favourite bit either.
It's still an easy and quick read, and I don't regret the time or money spent, however it didn't leave a lasting impression like Legends did.
The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon
3.0
The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon is definitely a romance. I expected some romance, but not this much of it, which is not the books fault, I think romance readers might just love it, I sadly had a lot of eye rolling going on.
The book is just *incredibly pretty*, I shall link to my Instagram post later on, as the hardcover is just drop down gorgeous! 9/10 stars for that aspect!
So, what did I like? The strong start, and a world where women can be just as powerful as men, depending on culture maybe even more! The tone and voice were engaging and I easily fell into the story.
I couldn't stand the romance though, which was full of tropes. 💥 Spoilers for romance from here on, so read on with caution! 💥
All the "secretly they are in love with their enemy, but they are pretending to hate each other, so the other side feels hurt and pretends to hate the other even more, rinse and repeat."
We even get a graphic intimate scene, for them to just hate each other again right after, so it seems we need more books to get these to admit their mutual attraction.
Also the many "He only likes me when I'm all made up" or "She wouldn't like my too long nose" - paraphrasing not quoting, but these things have been repeated so many times.
The instant attraction while fighting someone for your life is also just very weird to me, but then I've never seen a man and went weak in the knees, so that might be me... 😅
All in all I made it to the end, so it's not an horrible book, however it's decidedly not for me...
The book is just *incredibly pretty*, I shall link to my Instagram post later on, as the hardcover is just drop down gorgeous! 9/10 stars for that aspect!
So, what did I like? The strong start, and a world where women can be just as powerful as men, depending on culture maybe even more! The tone and voice were engaging and I easily fell into the story.
I couldn't stand the romance though, which was full of tropes. 💥 Spoilers for romance from here on, so read on with caution! 💥
All the "secretly they are in love with their enemy, but they are pretending to hate each other, so the other side feels hurt and pretends to hate the other even more, rinse and repeat."
We even get a graphic intimate scene, for them to just hate each other again right after, so it seems we need more books to get these to admit their mutual attraction.
Also the many "He only likes me when I'm all made up" or "She wouldn't like my too long nose" - paraphrasing not quoting, but these things have been repeated so many times.
The instant attraction while fighting someone for your life is also just very weird to me, but then I've never seen a man and went weak in the knees, so that might be me... 😅
All in all I made it to the end, so it's not an horrible book, however it's decidedly not for me...
Welcome to Ludus by Blaise Corvin
3.0
Delvers LLC - Welcome to Ludus by Blaise Corvin is definitely for fans of the LitRPG genre.
There's not many stats, but it's very much the typical "humans have been placed into a world that works like a game" story with most of the tropes that come along with it.
It is as fast and entertaining enough for me to finish, but it's decidedly not one of my favourites in the genre.
The two main characters are supposedly almost 30, a retired military man and one working in IT. They feel like horny, full of themselves, teenagers though. Obviously there's a hot woman for each of them! The way they talked / thought about them had me roll my eyes a *lot*.
Then they are obviously THE BESTâ„¢ at everything. I mean the mains in this sort of story are often a bit overpowered, but here it was a bit annoying.
The banter between them also was not nearly as organic and well written as I'd have liked. I really found the sheer arrogance and "I don't care" attitude tiring at times.
I did like the world and the action, so I don't really regret having read it, but I'll definitely not pick up any more books in the series.
There's not many stats, but it's very much the typical "humans have been placed into a world that works like a game" story with most of the tropes that come along with it.
It is as fast and entertaining enough for me to finish, but it's decidedly not one of my favourites in the genre.
The two main characters are supposedly almost 30, a retired military man and one working in IT. They feel like horny, full of themselves, teenagers though. Obviously there's a hot woman for each of them! The way they talked / thought about them had me roll my eyes a *lot*.
Then they are obviously THE BESTâ„¢ at everything. I mean the mains in this sort of story are often a bit overpowered, but here it was a bit annoying.
The banter between them also was not nearly as organic and well written as I'd have liked. I really found the sheer arrogance and "I don't care" attitude tiring at times.
I did like the world and the action, so I don't really regret having read it, but I'll definitely not pick up any more books in the series.
Unintended Cultivator: Volume One by Eric Dontigney
adventurous
hopeful
slow-paced
4.0
Unintended Cultivator by Eric Dontigney is, as the name promises, very much a book that will appeal mostly to fans of this genre.
It's not especially original, as I found plenty of expected bits and characters, and I have only read a small handful of books like this.
However, tropes are used so much because they are beloved by many, and they can be just fine if done well!
I really liked the pace and tone of this book, which was mostly slow and measured, with the fight scenes being snappy and quick to balance it out.
The strong suit for me were definitely the characters, who are very well fleshed out, even though they are stereotypes. They all had a clear personality and their own goals, even if they were mysterious. The friendships and camaraderie was a nice chance to the often just brutal cultivators killing whatever and whoever.
The main character is taken off the streets to be trained, and grows nicely throughout the story. It's not just coming of age, but also about choosing who and how you want to be. I liked how there were some philosophical questions added, and you could see how easy it is to stray from the "good" path.
Oh, and I am a sucker for animal companions, so a spirit beast and me was a definite plus as well!
This is decidedly a start to a series, and seems to be the origin story for a "hero" who will get into all sorts of trouble and life through many adventures!
It's not especially original, as I found plenty of expected bits and characters, and I have only read a small handful of books like this.
However, tropes are used so much because they are beloved by many, and they can be just fine if done well!
I really liked the pace and tone of this book, which was mostly slow and measured, with the fight scenes being snappy and quick to balance it out.
The strong suit for me were definitely the characters, who are very well fleshed out, even though they are stereotypes. They all had a clear personality and their own goals, even if they were mysterious. The friendships and camaraderie was a nice chance to the often just brutal cultivators killing whatever and whoever.
The main character is taken off the streets to be trained, and grows nicely throughout the story. It's not just coming of age, but also about choosing who and how you want to be. I liked how there were some philosophical questions added, and you could see how easy it is to stray from the "good" path.
Oh, and I am a sucker for animal companions, so a spirit beast and me was a definite plus as well!
This is decidedly a start to a series, and seems to be the origin story for a "hero" who will get into all sorts of trouble and life through many adventures!
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
4.0
As expected, I am not the target audience for Belladonna by Adaly Grace.
In Germany it's listed as 14+, it's quite sexy for that age group if you ask me. The main character is almost 20 as well, so I'd probably recommend it for 16+ as a bookseller of the kids and YA section for 20 years. The deaths and violence aren't over the top, so those do fit a YA story.
I still enjoyed this a lot, mostly because I have always had a big fascination with death as a character, and I got plenty of that here!
The romance was not my cup of tea. Especially how the main character is drawn to one and then the next, and oh, why not this one? Again, this is not necessarily a flaw in the book, I just personally can't stand that sort of thing.
I liked the setting a whole lot, so that made up for it easily, and I was still breezing through the story, wanting to find out more about her special abilities and see more of Death.
The mystery part was ok, but didn't really blow me away. There is a nice twist or two though, which kept it interesting, and made you take a double take every so often.
I like how it's resolved enough to work well as stand alone, but the world leaves enough open for sequels as well. I love this so much more than a cliffhanger!
All in all, while it definitely won't be a favourite of mine, I can see why it's so popular!
In Germany it's listed as 14+, it's quite sexy for that age group if you ask me. The main character is almost 20 as well, so I'd probably recommend it for 16+ as a bookseller of the kids and YA section for 20 years. The deaths and violence aren't over the top, so those do fit a YA story.
I still enjoyed this a lot, mostly because I have always had a big fascination with death as a character, and I got plenty of that here!
The romance was not my cup of tea. Especially how the main character is drawn to one and then the next, and oh, why not this one? Again, this is not necessarily a flaw in the book, I just personally can't stand that sort of thing.
I liked the setting a whole lot, so that made up for it easily, and I was still breezing through the story, wanting to find out more about her special abilities and see more of Death.
The mystery part was ok, but didn't really blow me away. There is a nice twist or two though, which kept it interesting, and made you take a double take every so often.
I like how it's resolved enough to work well as stand alone, but the world leaves enough open for sequels as well. I love this so much more than a cliffhanger!
All in all, while it definitely won't be a favourite of mine, I can see why it's so popular!
In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune
4.0
I enjoyed In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune less than Cerulean Sea.
I went in super excited, as I love stories that have AI or android characters, ever since I met Mr Data!
And in theory, this book was quite perfect. Quirky, weird and fun machines, who bond with a human boy into a strong found family! Banter and strange dialogues and things happening!
However, for some reason it just didn't emotionally click with me as much as Cerulean did.
Don't get me wrong, it was a fun and entertaining read, and I don't regret the time spent on it! It's still a 4* read, just not the full on favourite I was expecting from the blurb and the last book of his I read.
I went in super excited, as I love stories that have AI or android characters, ever since I met Mr Data!
And in theory, this book was quite perfect. Quirky, weird and fun machines, who bond with a human boy into a strong found family! Banter and strange dialogues and things happening!
However, for some reason it just didn't emotionally click with me as much as Cerulean did.
Don't get me wrong, it was a fun and entertaining read, and I don't regret the time spent on it! It's still a 4* read, just not the full on favourite I was expecting from the blurb and the last book of his I read.
A Rival Most Vial by R.K. Ashwick
4.25
Read for SPFBO, this is only my personal opinion, group verdict might differ widely!
I really enjoyed A Rival Most Vial by R.K. Ashwick a lot!
Especially the first half was my cup of tea, or rather my cauldron full of potions!
This is a cosy fantasy, with found family, banter, charming small street shops and a slice of life feel to it.
I really adored the slow and harmonic feel to this! Exploring the life of our main character and his friends, and getting a glimpse of this new world that feels familiar and fresh at the same time. I love the heroes coming through, shopping for their next quest, and also the magic and alchemy at hand.
There's some adventures and suspenseful scenes, but overall it's more of a calm and quiet read. The few quicker scenes definitely struck a good balance for me!
The romance was a bit heavy for me in the second half. It was cute, but I could have done with less "I'd wanted to take him into the supply closet" thoughts - I understood it after the first few times... Overall it was nice to see these two slowly getting closer, and if even I, who usually detest romance in my fantasy, doesn't mind, that speaks for the book surely!
I really enjoyed A Rival Most Vial by R.K. Ashwick a lot!
Especially the first half was my cup of tea, or rather my cauldron full of potions!
This is a cosy fantasy, with found family, banter, charming small street shops and a slice of life feel to it.
I really adored the slow and harmonic feel to this! Exploring the life of our main character and his friends, and getting a glimpse of this new world that feels familiar and fresh at the same time. I love the heroes coming through, shopping for their next quest, and also the magic and alchemy at hand.
There's some adventures and suspenseful scenes, but overall it's more of a calm and quiet read. The few quicker scenes definitely struck a good balance for me!
The romance was a bit heavy for me in the second half. It was cute, but I could have done with less "I'd wanted to take him into the supply closet" thoughts - I understood it after the first few times... Overall it was nice to see these two slowly getting closer, and if even I, who usually detest romance in my fantasy, doesn't mind, that speaks for the book surely!
Die Burg by Ursula Poznanski
Ich bin ja ein riesen Poznanski Fan, somit habe ich mich tierisch gefreut ihr neuestes Werk Die Burg auf Netgalley zu entdecken!
Zwar war die Geschichte spannend und hat mich für unterhalten, aber gerade im zweiten Teil des Buches war es mir dann doch stellenweise etwas zu abgehoben und die "Technik" schon eher Fantasy als Realität. Der Grusel Teil mag zwar durchaus machbar sein mit KI, aber auch hier war es mit stellenweise zu sehr auf Schockmomente aus. Wirklich schockiert haben sie mich allerdings trotzdem nicht. Im Jugendbuch fand ich diesen Mix aus jeder Menge Action, einer guten Idee und durchaus auch mal etwas arg überspitzt immer super. Bei den Erwachsenen Krimis passt es für mich nicht so ganz zusammen.
Die Charaktere waren stellenweise etwas zu Stereotyp, aber im großen und ganzen gut genug geschrieben dass ich keine Probleme hatte alle auseinander zu halten, obwohl es eine ganze Liste an Figuren gibt.
Im großen und ganzen fand ich die Idee aber durchaus it und spannend, und habe die Geschichte in einem Rutsch komplett durchgehört. Somit gute 4 Sterne, auch wenn es nicht mein Lieblingsbuch der Autorin sein wird.
Zwar war die Geschichte spannend und hat mich für unterhalten, aber gerade im zweiten Teil des Buches war es mir dann doch stellenweise etwas zu abgehoben und die "Technik" schon eher Fantasy als Realität. Der Grusel Teil mag zwar durchaus machbar sein mit KI, aber auch hier war es mit stellenweise zu sehr auf Schockmomente aus. Wirklich schockiert haben sie mich allerdings trotzdem nicht. Im Jugendbuch fand ich diesen Mix aus jeder Menge Action, einer guten Idee und durchaus auch mal etwas arg überspitzt immer super. Bei den Erwachsenen Krimis passt es für mich nicht so ganz zusammen.
Die Charaktere waren stellenweise etwas zu Stereotyp, aber im großen und ganzen gut genug geschrieben dass ich keine Probleme hatte alle auseinander zu halten, obwohl es eine ganze Liste an Figuren gibt.
Im großen und ganzen fand ich die Idee aber durchaus it und spannend, und habe die Geschichte in einem Rutsch komplett durchgehört. Somit gute 4 Sterne, auch wenn es nicht mein Lieblingsbuch der Autorin sein wird.