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990 reviews
Viimane kustutab tule by Bethany Clift
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
An entertaining read that flows by fast. Depending how your own experience was during covid, you may like this book with a bit of a twist, or you may despise it. The author does not hold back on all sort of bodily fluids spewing and some folk are not too keen on that, so beware.
The MC is missing tons of common sense and "know how" for simple, elementary things everyone should know. Was she privileged? No. From the story we are given clear, straight indications that posh places were not something she would have frequented in her life and even though both of her parents were a loving pair of teachers, the softness of character did not seem to be something the MC herself took up on. She felt abrasive, towards others and herself, in a way that only the end of the world can round those edges and hit the factory reset button on someone. Anyway, my point is, if she wasn't a pampered posh Brit, then the complete absence of street-smart was a tad disappointing. Alas, this story was meant to be about someone, alone in the world, alive amongst everyone else dead, who just didn't have an effing clue, and that's fair enough. I will leave all the many tidbits that made me roll my eyes unmentioned.
The writing itself is no great work of art when it comes to prose. It's simple and it suits the story. The simple writing is what probably helped me in reading this book within a day, and this is not something I would necessarily score lower on. What I would score lower on is when the story structure patterns become visible, thus adding a sort of predictability. It was sort of like: I did this, I feel like so and this is my man. My man is like this, this is his past, this is how we live now. Next chapter: I did this, I am feeling like this and this is my best friend. My best friend is this, she does this and [enter another emotional observation]. It felt like each chapter with the introduction of a new plot device, a character (husband, mom-dad, Xavi, Ginny, place, etc.) followed the very same pattern. First intro! Then we have to have something that makes a connection to a person or a place, then we do a flashback, then we come back and conclude. That said... It seemed to work and sort of fit, because the MCs personal development was dependent on analyzing the past, revealing this information to the reader and making her own connections to seeing things differently and moving on to become a better, more aware person.
I mean, this is just an entertaining book. Don't go into this looking for something entirely unique. Lord knows since Covid we have virus books pushing in from windows and doors. Maybe this one stands out for 2 reasons:
1. you keep expecting zombies. But there won't be any.
2. the MC is just a human and her behaviour to certain situations was actually quite natural. We think, in the same situation, we ourselves would do better, be better. But I doubt it, not en masse anyway. Most of us would be the exact kind of fumbling mess :)
*I read this book as part of an online book club. Normally, I would not have picked this up as it's not my kind of jam, but I have to give credit where it's due: it was entertaining and I couldn't look away.
The MC is missing tons of common sense and "know how" for simple, elementary things everyone should know. Was she privileged? No. From the story we are given clear, straight indications that posh places were not something she would have frequented in her life and even though both of her parents were a loving pair of teachers, the softness of character did not seem to be something the MC herself took up on. She felt abrasive, towards others and herself, in a way that only the end of the world can round those edges and hit the factory reset button on someone. Anyway, my point is, if she wasn't a pampered posh Brit, then the complete absence of street-smart was a tad disappointing. Alas, this story was meant to be about someone, alone in the world, alive amongst everyone else dead, who just didn't have an effing clue, and that's fair enough. I will leave all the many tidbits that made me roll my eyes unmentioned.
The writing itself is no great work of art when it comes to prose. It's simple and it suits the story. The simple writing is what probably helped me in reading this book within a day, and this is not something I would necessarily score lower on. What I would score lower on is when the story structure patterns become visible, thus adding a sort of predictability. It was sort of like: I did this, I feel like so and this is my man. My man is like this, this is his past, this is how we live now. Next chapter: I did this, I am feeling like this and this is my best friend. My best friend is this, she does this and [enter another emotional observation]. It felt like each chapter with the introduction of a new plot device, a character (husband, mom-dad, Xavi, Ginny, place, etc.) followed the very same pattern. First intro! Then we have to have something that makes a connection to a person or a place, then we do a flashback, then we come back and conclude. That said... It seemed to work and sort of fit, because the MCs personal development was dependent on analyzing the past, revealing this information to the reader and making her own connections to seeing things differently and moving on to become a better, more aware person.
I mean, this is just an entertaining book. Don't go into this looking for something entirely unique. Lord knows since Covid we have virus books pushing in from windows and doors. Maybe this one stands out for 2 reasons:
1. you keep expecting zombies. But there won't be any.
2. the MC is just a human and her behaviour to certain situations was actually quite natural. We think, in the same situation, we ourselves would do better, be better. But I doubt it, not en masse anyway. Most of us would be the exact kind of fumbling mess :)
*I read this book as part of an online book club. Normally, I would not have picked this up as it's not my kind of jam, but I have to give credit where it's due: it was entertaining and I couldn't look away.
Mushroom Blues by Adrian M. Gibson
dark
mysterious
fast-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? Yes
2.5
Mushroom Blues has had a decent amount of hype, so frankly, everyone in the SFF circles has at the very least heard about this book by now. The audience seems to fall firmly into two, from what I have seen and felt myself with this book. One side, where they love it, truly love it. The other half just can’t get past the certain details which in one way or another have interfered with their reading enjoyment.
I fall into the latter. The first 20% of the book, I am sorry to say, felt quite superficial as everything felt like it was delivered by skimming the surface only, by delivering a series of hard facts to get the introductions out of the way, and personally, due to missing the depth, I found myself rather disengaged. Maybe it’s also down to the story being plot driven rather than character driven, or the balance being tipped more towards plot than characters anyway. The second half of the book, however, picked up exponentially. I started seeing the characters more, I felt their purposes more. In fact, I can pinpoint the exact moment where I went – Finally! I now feel the emotion that the story wants the reader to feel! – and it was the scene in the police station where a bullying incident happened and the chief let loose. And, it’s worth noting that some would enjoy the slower pace of the first half to the fast/paced second half.
Then again, where most would point out the very unlikable main character, I didn’t mind her grittiness as much. Clichéd as she was with her alcohol problem and personal drama. Personally, I didn’t think that she overcame her racism too quickly. She overcame her dislike towards the fungals because she was finally pushed into a corner by having a fungal partner and shit hit the fan. So, that change of tune in her made sense to me.
I understand that a lot of folks enjoy the fungal aspect, the police procedural, the politics and crime aspect. Yes, solidly written, Mushroom Blues follows noir fiction down to a T with the bleak world, corruption and blurred lines in between right and wrong, and yet it somehow didn’t feel noir. I can’t put my finger on it when I try to explain why. The story certainly had these dingy locations and scenes galore, so maybe it is because of the fungal layer? It took most of the focus to this rather unique angle? I don’t know.
Anyway, the fungal approach was a clever move to freshen up a story which without the fungal aspect would have simply and comfortably fit alongside others in the genre without rocking the genre boat. Whilst it sadly wasn’t a book that blew me away, it has most certainly blown away many others, and for potential readers that means, you won’t know it until you try it yourself. Mushroom Blues has, with the backing of its fans, managed to sprout the feeling of FOMO in the reader community, so yield to the FOMO and give it a go!
Anyway, the fungal approach was a clever move to freshen up a story which without the fungal aspect would have simply and comfortably fit alongside others in the genre without rocking the genre boat. Whilst it sadly wasn’t a book that blew me away, it has most certainly blown away many others, and for potential readers that means, you won’t know it until you try it yourself. Mushroom Blues has, with the backing of its fans, managed to sprout the feeling of FOMO in the reader community, so yield to the FOMO and give it a go!
Temper the Dark by L. Ryan Storms
adventurous
fast-paced
4.0
Read as part of SPFBO10
I think the ‘book I didn’t expect to like as much but ended up really enjoying‘ is a thing when it comes to SPFBO. As time goes on and free time to simply read and enjoy book decreases, the enjoyment factor becomes more and more important to me. Temper the Dark was truly enjoyable for me and a total surprise.
The only ‘negative’ I would mention is the age old cliché of a romance in between 2 people who should not be together. The cliché that even though they are both nice, they see one another as an ‘impossible to like’ and there is a misunderstanding in between them. Cliché, but in Temper the Dark – well done because the cringe dials were nicely balanced. Kudos for zero cringe moments!
I enjoyed both of the POVs – neither of them had any easy decisions to make and the romancy bit was just enough. It tantalized the imagination enough to come across cute and exciting.
There is a cool twist in the book that my other team mates saw coming a mile away – and I didn’t – so, this ‘holy shit’ moment worked for me beautifully!
Finally, bonus points for the depiction of the ‘power’ that Alaris holds within her – that it’s not without consequences, and of course Kagan has his own darkness to deal with (pun intended!). Bonus-bonus points for the dragon! What a cool way to weave a dragon into the story!
Temper the Dark was a really, truly enjoyable book for me which I finished reading in record time and had fun while doing it! Just what a book is supposed to be and do!
Bringer of the Scourge by
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
3.75
Read as part of SPFBO10
I have to admit, I quite enjoy the ‘as prophesized’ trope. Someone says prophecy and I immediately feel a sense of dread. “God damn it, why me?!”… “I am in this predicament because of a prophecy whispered by wizards and mad men! Pick someone else!”… Prophecy is an immediate trap for the characters and it sets the stone for the story, stat.
Now, Bringer of the Scourge, I mean… Can you get any more ‘impending doom’ than this title? Exactly! And straight off the bat with this story (it’s brilliant, we don’t waste time) we’re in the pits of a kingdom falling, we have a one-eyed wizard who can travel through the veil and see more than regular folk with two eyes, and we have a villain. And, make no mistake, the princess in this story is no doe-eyed weakling. This princess, Vi, she’s going to grasp her opportunity!
It’s a pretty cool story. It reads quick, and it definitely took me for an adventure. What I most enjoyed about this book? The prose. Loved the prose. It’s just a touch above the simple with a few words thrown in that made me use the dictionary, but hey ho, new words to me are like money found on the ground – something to celebrate! Yes, the prose is going to be something that will divide the camp, but.. well, when isn’t it? And, at the start of the story, there was some repetition to the chain of events as it was told through different POVs, so that could also throw some readers, but personally, it didn’t feel like something that took away from the reading enjoyment. Not this time.
As far as dark fantasy foes? I am pleased I got to read this. It deserves the acknowledgement. And hello, this cover so totally rocks my boat for some weird reason! All in all, nice job, McDowell!
Wolf of Withervale by Joaquín Baldwin
3.5
Read as part of SPFBO10
So, here’s the thing. I daresay a lot of reviews for this book will include a sentence that goes something like: it could have been shorter. And, yes, there would certainly have been ways to condense the story without it losing direction in plot… BUT… I also daresay that Baldwin would absolutely not have it any other way. The world he has created for this saga is vast. Most importantly, a lot of the elements he has created for this story are amazing – the new money, the new language, measurements, time, all possible metric conversions have been converted into something new. The illustrations are sublime. There are pages upon pages of exploration of locations, characters, the legends.
All that and yet the direction of the plot was the steady, stable focus point in the centre. I would like to say that Baldwin has every right to be uber proud of the work he has done. It’s no small feat. Plus, if you didn’t know this, all of the books in the saga are written, waiting for their turn to be published. The fans of this saga can be happy – they won’t be left hanging.
Personally, whilst I mostly enjoyed this book for its uniqueness and it’s ambitious size and for the sheer amount of work that has gone into it, I did get a little impatient at times and found myself skimming. There was one more thing that was just too much based on personal taste, or distaste, that stopped me from becoming a diehard fan. I will refrain from revealing it because 1. it would be a spoiler, and 2. each to their own. I can reveal that it had to do with some sexual choices.
Whilst at the start of the book I found it a bit hard to get used to the fact that very young characters spoke in such crude terms (yeah, I am naive like that), then the end of the book introduced a character that quickly became a favourite. So, in essence Wolf of Withervale was a book of opposites for me. Give it a try, you never know, it might be your favourite read this year!
A Circle of Stars by Craig Montgomery
3.0
Read as part of SPFBO10
A Circle of Stars is a Young Adult title that plays with different powers depending on one’s star sign, it has social commentary and a political power struggle – all of that far away from Earth, way beyond the other side of stars. It’s tackling a lot of big problems and current pain points in society. This is not a bad thing, after all, literature, music and other arts have always given voice to the various struggles we face at any point in time.
At the 20% mark of this book I didn’t think I was going to finish the book. But, at the same time, I was curious how this all was going to play out, and the last 40% of the story simply flew by.
Why the struggle at the start? I found that perhaps there were just a few too many big conflicts flung at us at once, but credit to the author, once they all came to a merging point, it was smooth sailing. Montgomery balances the cruel and harsh aspects of society with idealistic views. Views, which we all wish were real, yet know to be impossible, because… well, people. I also found the main character Casper rather sheltered and naive, and that makes sense considering his upbringing, I guess, but personally, I am at a point in my life where I do not have a lot of patience for the juvenile character exploring the world all doe-eyed in its uncomfortable awkwardness. It’s wonderful, sure, but I’m past that phase, instead preferring the mature cynic. That said, I must commend Montgomery on the sci-fi bits in the story (yes, I call them bits!) – to make all the aether and astrology magic flow and make sense in such an accessible manner, to make it such an interesting part of the story – that was top notch!
A Circle of Stars is well written, fast paced, despite the fact that at times you feel like you’re not getting anywhere as yet another conflict is added, and managed to surprise me at the 60% mark with a shocking moment. Did NOT see that coming! If you like your cast young, able and heroic, as their abilities and loyalties are put to the test to change the world order, then this is the duology for you!