lorisparkles's reviews
8 reviews

Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious sad 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

5.0

The Actual Star by Monica Byrne

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

dark medium-paced

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

3.0

This book isn't terrible but I just didn't love it. The writing is good (there are some really nice passages) and the premise is interesting. I also like the different species and clans of vampires. Such a wide variety of vampires wasn't something I'd seen before.  But most importantly for me, the characters didn't work. They felt very flat. I found I was not very concerned about anyone's well-being, (except for the dog). The whole detective arc didn't really seem to fit or add much, either. I didn't see her often enough or get to know her well enough to be very interested or care about what would happen her, and she and the group she works with felt like a plot device that could have been simpler. 

I'm also not big on a romance developing over a couple of days. And the whole vampire/human "I'm likely to kill you"/"You would never, I trust you!" - not for me. 

It's not a bad book but just not for me. The climax is suspenseful, intense, and well written, which is exactly how I felt about the other book I've read by the author (Mexican Gothic). It ends with a bang, but I didn't enjoy the time spent getting there. 

When the Sparrow Falls by Neil Sharpson

dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

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

5.0

This book was wonderful. I read it in two days. Imagine if The City and the City had made more sense and had a good detective, but was still set in a very strange society outmoded by the rest of the world. The writing is at once beautiful and efficient. Sharpson paints vivid pictures and conveys deep love and hurt and friendship, but the story stays on track. Read this book ASAP!

Ghost Story by Peter Straub

dark mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

This is a GREAT ghost story. I really liked the two major characters Ricky and Sears. They are so well-drawn and you feel like you really know them by the end of the book. 

That being said, this book would be like 50 pages shorter if you subtracted all the rumination on women's breasts. There is one genuinely complicated and interesting female character (although we hear A LOT about her appearance, a looooot), and the book at least seems to realize that its heroes are foolish w/r/t women. And yet, I tire of the constant "lemme tell you about these boobs I saw." Not as bad a Stephen King, though. 

Also - there are two Black characters in this book: one is imaginary; the other is dead. Zero points for diversity. 

If you can stomach the above and enjoy a good ghost story/mystery, I highly recommend this book. It reminds me of Salem's Lot, but better written. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs

One racial slur, insensitive racial stereotyping applied to an imaginary character.

Noor by Nnedi Okorafor

adventurous challenging hopeful tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This was a wonderful book that I couldn't put down. I finished it in a day. I love how it is focused on an ordinary woman who is dealing with extraordinary circumstances. She rises to meet the circumstances head-on, despite having her sense of reality and what she believed were her life experiences completely pulled out from under her.

I've certainly read and enjoyed my fair share of books about magical teens. It was refreshing to read a book about an adult woman with regular problems - a shitty ex, less than supportive parents. Of course if things didn't turn extraordinary, it wouldn't be science fiction, but I still really loved feeling like AO was someone I could know in real life.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

dark mysterious medium-paced

2.5

Sigh. I wanted to like it, but I just didn't. I think there's a lot that's good about it (the end is suspenseful and fast-paced and the right kind of gross) but there's also too much filler for me. This felt like a really good novella that was padded into a novel. 

How many times can a character smooth the folds of her taffeta skirt? How many times does she need to remind me that the skirt is too dressy for the occasion and that its color is so vibrant against the surrounding gloom? How many potentially suspenseful scenes do I have to read that turn out to be dreams? The last 75 pages or so were great, but if not for all the award buzz, I probably would have abandoned the book before I ever got there. 

I also thought the premise was confusing - the dad doesn't approve of his daughter going to college, but he'll send her alone on a cross-county trip to investigate a potential abuse situation? I don't buy it. 

There's a good story in here, but you really have to wait for it. I think trimmed down to 100ish pages, this would be a great novella or novelette. 

Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski

adventurous dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This was an easy and entertaining read. I got it from the library after bingeing Season 1 of the show. You don't get to know Geralt much at all in this book. The book is mostly focused on Ciri. One thing that was weird to me is that the book is probably 2/3 dialogue. I don't think I've ever read another book that was so light on narration. It was easy to read and fun to get a little more Witcher after finishing the show, but I doubt I'll continue the series. 

I like that this book acknowledges the existence of menstruation. It was a pleasant surprise. I'm not going to heap feminist accolades on the author because 1) he has expressly stated that he's not a feminist and 2) there are other depictions of women and gender that are goofy and reductive. But it was refreshing to read a realistic acknowledgement that periods exist and  deserve accommodation when needed. The embarrassment of the Witchers when they realize they never even considered Ciri's period was a nice touch. Imagine being a centuries-old expert in basically every living creature but completely forgetting a basic human biological function. 

If not for the show, I'd probably be complaining about a lack of character development, but since I knew the characters already, it wasn't so bad. Dandelion is a funny character, and the book definitely has quippy moments that gave me a laugh.