lyonsdenprojects's reviews
102 reviews

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous dark funny mysterious sad 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

5.0

Absolutely delightful! I love the richness of the setting, it truly transports back to Renaissance Spain from beginning to end and the reams of research Leigh did is so wonderfully apparent and respectful. I love the characters, that true to Leigh's style they are just as sassy with witty repartee as always. I simply could not put this down!

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace

adventurous dark emotional funny medium-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? No

5.0

Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I've started developing a deep love of the speculative novella and this is a wonderful example. A reinterpretation of the 'tragic mulatto' trope (as described in the author's acknowledgements), it was an engaging and captivating story from the very beginning to the very end, every character fascinating and interesting. Highly recommend. 

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner
Did not finish book.

The author is not very good at "show, don't tell". I'm several chapters in and it's all just telling me about what happened a month ago still, I'm not learning as much about the actual protagonists. There's also this jumping back and forth is time mechanic which may have worked well for her last book but seems superfluous here. It's just very boring which is a shame because the era of spiritualism its set in is so very interesting.

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

This book is perfect for fans of The Haunting of Hill House and Bly Manor.

Starling House is such a delight to read and has a very unique storytelling style. At first I was not sure if I was going to enjoy it but it soon sucked me with it's themes of stories within stories, and the idea that all stories hold truth for different people, but it may not always be the whole truth. But what is 'truth' in the eye of the beholder? The characters are delightful and lovable in their curmudgeon-ness. And I am especially appreciative of the way the author crafted some diversity in her cast in respectful ways. She does not tell stories that are not necessarily her own, but shows the existence of different people within her worldbuilding in a wonderfully relatable way.

Highly recommend! 

I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast Is Me by Jamison Shea

dark emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

Read this book. Don't think, just READ IT! It's so delightful. Black Swan meets Phantom of the Opera, if you were ever a band/choir/theatre/dance kid there is so much in this book about the competition of the performing arts that you will feel deep in your soul. Especially if you were ever passed over for a part you wanted.

The emotions are guttural and the main character and antagonist are relatable and that's what makes the best horror stories. A single choice can send us over the edge to be someone else's monster and it comes down to how badly we may want something. I enjoyed this book from first page to last and look forward to it's sequel! 

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense 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? No

5.0

This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.0

A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

This book is absolutely magnificent, I was hooked from the first page and drawn in until the very last! I love the tone, the pace, the worldbuilding! The worldbuilding is so rich and enthralling! And I adore every character in the book. They are all so unique and full bodied. I love most, I think, Fatma and Siti's relationship. It's realistic and respectful and such a beautiful piece of the overall narrative. I can't wait for book 2!