leciurro's reviews
20 reviews

A Drop of Venom by Sajni Patel

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This has to be one of the best YA fantasy books I've read, and definitely one of the best RR presents. Major CW for rape, PTSD, war, and gore. But none were gratuitous, and all were handled and resolved very well. 

Beholder by Ryan La Sala

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This queer, eldritch horror is right up there with my fave authors of the subgenre; Sylvia Moreno-Garcia and the VanderMeers. The twists are twisted, the monster is grotesque, and the book feeds on our most base fears. Not knowing where we want to go in life, not wanting to grapple with our past traumas, and, yes, freaky mirrors. A great read for young and adulty adults!

Semi-spoilers here, <spolier>but the epilogue was one of the emotionally devastating chapters I've read in nearly any book.

Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective slow-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

3.5

The Splinter in the Sky by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty

adventurous hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Night Fever by Ed Brubaker

challenging dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.25

Bad Cree by Jessica Johns

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Arca by Van Jensen

dark reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Arca is a reflection on human greed, control, and power. And they make sure you know it - the moral of the story is so apparent it's like the author is hitting you over the head with it. This may be from the mashup of tropes used to make the point, which I won't go into to avoid spoiling the story.

That being said, I only wish it was longer! I love this format, and how much story is jammed into a short novel, but I wanted to spend more time with Effie and the crew. 

Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25