maxgardner's reviews
366 reviews

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-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 is a strong debut from Rachel Gillig that has so much that's working. I really like that it's a darker, gothic fantasy with a unique magic system. The world of Blunder is fairly simple, but the ever-present mist, the infection it causes, and the looming presence of the Spirit of the Woods adds a layer of mystery and creepiness that works well for creating tension and elements of horror. The language and characters felt a bit strange to get used to at first - not only is the book in third person, but Gillig's writing style feels very observational rather than personal, especially at the beginning, so it takes a little while to form attachments with the characters. But as the story progresses, she does a great job of developing them and making them interesting and likeable. She also does a good job of foreshadowing what's to come. Though several of the plot points were predictable, I found the clues leading up to their reveals fun - the poems especially are a nice touch - and the payoff at the end feels satisfying. Also, I found the romance elements of this to be pretty natural, and the main romance is developed without sacrificing the individual characters' development, which I appreciated as that's a pet peeve of mine with romantasy.

My only criticisms are really to do with the predictability of several of the plot elements as well as Gillig's specific word and stylistic choices at times. An example I can remember off the top of my head is something along the lines of, "She looked down and saw she had blood on her hands. It wasn't her blood." This happened a couple of times of stating obvious things; it shows a lack of trust of the reader and cheapens the impact of the statement. But as a whole, I really enjoyed this book and had to immediately jump into the sequel once I finished.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-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

3.5

What a fun read! This is a super cute book with a classic rom com setup, and Emily Henry delivers the vibes of that from the first page and maintains it all the way through to the end. I liked Nora and Libby both as characters, and I really enjoyed their dynamic; and though we're supposed to see him as sort of the workaholic snob, I think Charlie is very quickly softened and easy to like as well. I appreciate that Henry doesn't dance around their obvious romance, either There's some initial apprehension, but they get into it pretty quickly and it becomes a story more about how/whether it's maintainable than will they/won't they, which is also more interesting for character development. The only thing I think I didn't love were the few sex/intimate scenes; they feel clumsy and repetitive and a bit awkward, like maybe Henry wasn't sure how to write them either. But there aren't many, so it wasn't enough to bother me. All in all, a delightful read, and I will definitely pick up some others by her.

My Song for Him Who Never Sang to Me by Merrit Malloy

emotional funny inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

A beautiful collection of poems that meditate on love, relationships, and change. I picked this up because a poem from it, Epitaph, was featured in an episode of The Midnight Club, and I really enjoyed it. Though many of the poems contain simple observations, Malloy has a calmness and evenness to the pace of her exploration of these topics that encourages you to take your time and still feel an impact.

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

4.0

SARAH J MAAS, YOU LITTLE FREAK. This is PORNOGRAPHY. I've heard plenty of people refer to the ACOTAR series as "fairy porn" or "fairy smut", and though the first three entries have some scenes and the little novella has one, it honestly didn't seem...that spicy? Well...now I get it. This book is filthy lol (honestly, too much so; though it's fun for the jaw-dropping, faux-pearl-clutching, I didn't really need all of those scenes). I found Nesta's journey interesting, though, and I really enjoyed all the new characters we get in this—Gwyn and Emerie especially—as well as the love story between Nesta and Cassian. Nesta is a truly unbearable character to start out, but I do think Maas does a solid job of leading her arc back toward redemption and not making it too easy. That being said, the whole "not being too easy" part does drag a bit at times, and there were moments where I was so over her character. I understand that Maas is trying to convey that the path of recovery is not a straight line, but there was enough wavering and ebbs and flows throughout that she could have left out some of Nesta's later regressions (especially toward the end when she gets mad at Cassian for

calling her mate. Like spare me, I'm so over you Nesta, shut up

. But the final section of the book is great—action-packed and satisfying, so long as you don't get too tripped up at Maas's continued reliance upon the deus ex machina trope that essentially undermines all of the huge stakes she's set up. Ultimately, there's a decent exploration of mental health struggles and the challenges of processing trauma here that I ultimately enjoyed and felt moved by. Again, though, I could have done without quite so much of the porn.

Blackouts by Justin Torres

challenging dark emotional funny informative sad slow-paced

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

4.0

This was my second read of Blackouts this year, this time for a book club, and damn, I cannot stop THINKING about this book. Justin Torres is doing some really intriguing, daring stuff playing with autofiction and metafiction and blending it all together into this honestly polarizing story that doesn't give a shit about being accessible or even enjoyable to read. I left my last read convinced that Juan and Nene are the same person, but after finishing this second readthrough, I am certain that is not the case. And yet, it also is—Juan and Nene share an intrinsic understanding of the queer experience and perspective, and Juan is a glimpse into Nene's future while Nene is a ghost of Juan's younger self. Is the Palace, where Nene has tracked Juan down, the place Juan has gone to die of some unnamed disease, even a real place? Yes, but also maybe no. Is the entire story just a metaphor? Possibly.

There are so many moments in this book that I love—the allegory of the animals at the watering hole as men at an underground gay bar, the story of Jan Gay, the films that Nene and Juan create for each other. But as a whole, I wouldn't say I enjoyed this book; the pacing is all over the place, the central story meandering and barely threaded together in the vignettes and glimpses we get into it. I don't even think Torres has fully pulled off what he's going for, but I don't care because the fact that he even attempted it is really cool and I think a lot of it does work. As I finished the book for a second time, I found myself no closer to any answers—honestly, I just had more questions. But that's what makes this book so compelling to reflect on and discuss with people. If you're the type of person that enjoys analyzing a work and writing an essay on it, this may awaken that itch in you.

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara

challenging dark informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

3.5

Although this did remind me why I don't read true crime a lot (I don't like the grisly details of the crimes), I think this book is really well done for the most part. Michelle McNamara is great at telling these stories in a way to humanize the people who fell victim to the Golden State Killer as well as the investigators who tried so hard to find him sooner. It can be easy to look back at events like these and wonder why people weren't more careful or why the police didn't do more, but McNamara takes her time in breathing life into these victims who otherwise might feel like characters as well as empathizing with the investigators, acknowledging mistakes and bureaucratic incompetence while also extending understanding and acknowledgement of the ones who tried so hard and dedicated so much of their life and time to the case. Alongside this, we get a raw, vulnerable glimpse into the toll this kind of obsessive investigation has on people, from McNamara herself to the investigators still haunted by the case. This is hands down the most interesting and impactful component of this story as we see this inner conflict in McNamara where she cannot help her compulsion to research the case but also acknowledges its detrimental nature, wondering about it all without necessarily condemning herself for it. I think my only real criticism of the book is that you can tell it was unfinished when McNamara suddenly passed away. Though Paul Haynes, Bill Jensen, and Patton Oswald do a great job of bringing the remaining pieces of the draft into the final product, you can tell at a certain point that that's what's happening—certain cases are revisited again, certain details we've already covered or topics explored retread. It's not enough to detract from finish the book, but it was noticeable. Ultimately, though, I really enjoyed (if that's the right word?) this book and would recommend it.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad slow-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

A friend of mine told me this was her favorite book, and all I could remember was I'd read it in high school and didn't think much of it. However, now taking the time to dive back in, how can you not love what Sandra Cisneros has created here? Her writing is gorgeous, full of vivid details of the people in this neighborhood, the places and houses they inhabit, and the things they do and that are done to them. In this way, she gives us a rich, full portrait of the neighborhood and its people by delivering most of the pieces, though also still leaving room for us to color in the gaps. I love that the stories are told in different ways as well—some feel like first-hand coming-of-age accounts, others like lore that's been passed between neighbors and down generations like the game of telephone. It gives you this feeling that you're inhabiting the space, living these experiences with the characters. There are moments of joy and moments of aching heartbreak, and though this book is short, Cisneros is able to accomplish so much in that space.

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-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

3.5

This is a cute addition to the series—Maas's writing continues to be accessible, her characters well drawn out, and the world she's created is fun to be in (albeit continually light on the fantasy and lore and heavy on the deus ex machina). In this one, we follow Feyre, Rhys, and co as they prepare for and experience Winter Solstice, which is definitely not just Christmas lazily repackaged to be a unique Prythian holiday. I enjoyed the slower pace coming off the action-packed ride that ACOWAR was, and I liked seeing everyone have a moment to settle into Velaris again and begin to dream of and build their lives world post-war. I also like that, while not a ton happens plot-wise, it intrigues by setting up several side plots that Maas surely will cash in on later (as I already knew with Nesta and Silver Flames, but specifically, I'm looking at you Mor). The only thing I actively hated about this and still think was too far was

Feyre flashing an image of her and Rhysand's future offspring to bring Rhys to an earth-shaking climax in the only sex scene of the book

.  I have no idea how that slipped past editing, and though I can speculate at what Maas was trying to accomplish, I do believe this was a colossal error. It's ok, I'll just pretend that moment doesn't exist.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-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

4.5

Wow, this book punched me in the face...but I really enjoyed it. It's compulsively readable with good pacing overall and complex characters. I absolutely love Sadie, Sam, and Marx and the journey we get to follow through their lives in these formative years and into the beginning of their mid-life. I have not cried that much reading a book in a few months, and I think Zevin does such an excellent job of exploring the interiors of these characters and giving them room to be human—awful at times, confusing and unpredictable others, but ultimately redeemable. I personally did find the characters lovable, though I can understand why some would dislike Sam and Sadie. Give me characters that I should hate but then find a way to make me like them; I eat that shit up. There's such a great exploration of the different forms of love in this story and how one's understanding of the concept can change over time; it's not often black-and-white in how it looks, and it doesn't always make sense to others (the readers included here, I think). I had my qualms with the book (hence it not being quite 5 stars for me), mainly the needless thesaurus moments—she had an ersatz smile? get over yourself, just say 'fake'—as well as some of the plot points being left unexplored, but none of these were strong enough to detract from the overwhelming amount of things that worked for me. I will 100% read this again.

Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by Z.Z. Packer

dark emotional funny sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

This collection has some standout stories for sure—Brownies, The Ant of the Self, Geese, Doris is Coming—but as a whole, I wasn't moved by most of them. I know the short story form is unique and not always meant to be satisfying the way a novel is, but with quite a few of Packer's stories, I was left wondering, "What was the point?" Unlikeable characters, awkward pacing, strange narrative choices that don't really amount to anything meaningful. I don't think I'd revisit most of these again.