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molls's reviews
149 reviews
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
The Subjugate by Amanda Bridgeman
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
1.75
The writing is stiff and repetitive, the romantic subplot is dry and unconvincing, the answer to the mystery is fine.
But the last line?? "She'd simply left Christianity behind, and she'd replaced it with a new religion.
Law enforcement."
Be so fucking for real. I know I'm reading copaganda but at least make it GOOD. I almost threw the book across the room.
Law enforcement."
Be so fucking for real. I know I'm reading copaganda but at least make it GOOD. I almost threw the book across the room.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, and Xenophobia
All The Hidden Paths by Foz Meadows
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
TL;DR I almost DNF'd this a few times because the miscommunication was dragging on, but I stayed for the political goings-on and the hope that the conclusion would be satisfying, and it was for the most part.
I devoured the first book but had a hard time with this one. Miscommunication and infidelity are, in my observation, two of the most hated tropes by romance readers (including myself) and the setup here seemed like it would rely on both. The latter gets cleared up around halfway through, but not before our third POV character basically sexually assaults someone. There's a lot of seemingly complicated political intrigue to be had here but all of the names are confusing and unfortunately most of the action, even moreso than the last book, is attempted murders and unwanted advances. There isn't really any further exploration of the magic, which is a bummer. We don't get to see either main character be very competent for most of the book, and there is so, so, SO much internal anxiety that could be solved with a conversation. Is that realistic, sure. Is it fun to read, no, and I say that as someone who has put in plenty of hours with the angst tag on ao3. By 70% of the way through it felt like they had barely talked or touched and the relationship hadn't developed from the first book, and had in fact become less believable.
The book is long but doesn't reacquaint the reader much; I've forgotten what they look like and don't have much to go on for the first 100 pages at least. There's a whole new POV character and he can't remind me what color Velasian's hair is? Descriptions of food, clothing, and surroundings are indulgent, but the in-universe words for the clothing had me scrambling mentally a little every time I tried to picture someone. The first sex scene in the book, after ~200 pages of anemic longing between the main couple, happens between the new POV character and an antagonist, and given everything else going on it was more unsettling than exciting and I'm not really sure how the author wanted the reader to feel about it. Is this supposed to be hot or is it another consent issue given that sexual assault is a recurring theme in this series? Apparently it's the former, which seemed like an odd choice. Can we maybe just have the main characters finally make out again, how about that. I'd settle for some hair braiding and a hug!
Also, for the love of god, why are the Ralian POVs in first person but Cae's is in third person??? What is the reason??? Just seems like a weird choice that threw me a little every time POV switched.
I devoured the first book but had a hard time with this one. Miscommunication and infidelity are, in my observation, two of the most hated tropes by romance readers (including myself) and the setup here seemed like it would rely on both. The latter gets cleared up around halfway through, but not before our third POV character basically sexually assaults someone. There's a lot of seemingly complicated political intrigue to be had here but all of the names are confusing and unfortunately most of the action, even moreso than the last book, is attempted murders and unwanted advances. There isn't really any further exploration of the magic, which is a bummer. We don't get to see either main character be very competent for most of the book, and there is so, so, SO much internal anxiety that could be solved with a conversation. Is that realistic, sure. Is it fun to read, no, and I say that as someone who has put in plenty of hours with the angst tag on ao3. By 70% of the way through it felt like they had barely talked or touched and the relationship hadn't developed from the first book, and had in fact become less believable.
The book is long but doesn't reacquaint the reader much; I've forgotten what they look like and don't have much to go on for the first 100 pages at least. There's a whole new POV character and he can't remind me what color Velasian's hair is? Descriptions of food, clothing, and surroundings are indulgent, but the in-universe words for the clothing had me scrambling mentally a little every time I tried to picture someone. The first sex scene in the book, after ~200 pages of anemic longing between the main couple, happens between
Also, for the love of god, why are the Ralian POVs in first person but Cae's is in third person??? What is the reason??? Just seems like a weird choice that threw me a little every time POV switched.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal death, Homophobia, Xenophobia, and Vomit
Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter
Did not finish book. Stopped at 92%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 92%.
The banter was cute but everything else was just boring or annoying. The friendship between Colin and Jack is wildly underdeveloped which really hinders the "older brother's best friend" trope. Olivia is a mess in a mostly not endearing way. Every character is flat.
To Poison a King by S.G. Prince
Did not finish book. Stopped at 44%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 44%.
Couldn't get past the age gap and didn't particularly like the narration
The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
For the Throne by Hannah Whitten
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
emotional
funny
hopeful
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This is a fun-level 4 but an actual 3. I read it in like 4 hours. I laughed and kicked my feet. I also had to suspend some disbelief.
Unfortunately this book makes one of my least favorite mistakes in media: telling me a woman is badass at her career and then only showing her being a neurotic screwup. MacKenzie in The Newsroom: allegedly a big deal reporter who has interviewed Osama bin Laden, but has a meltdown in episode 1 over a reply-all email. Kate in The Diplomat, whining constantly about trivial stuff like having to wear diplomat-appropriate outfits to diplomacy-adjacent social functions. Hannah has good reason to be a little weepy in this book so I tried to forgive it, but we barely got to see her do cool bodyguard stuff at all, and that was a real bummer for me. No one on the team demonstrated much skill for executive protection, honestly, so it was a little hard to take them seriously.
Also, I admit I am biased as a corgi owner, but Corgi Lady wouldn't have had time for all that nonsense.
Unfortunately this book makes one of my least favorite mistakes in media: telling me a woman is badass at her career and then only showing her being a neurotic screwup. MacKenzie in The Newsroom: allegedly a big deal reporter who has interviewed Osama bin Laden, but has a meltdown in episode 1 over a reply-all email. Kate in The Diplomat, whining constantly about trivial stuff like having to wear diplomat-appropriate outfits to diplomacy-adjacent social functions. Hannah has good reason to be a little weepy in this book so I tried to forgive it, but we barely got to see her do cool bodyguard stuff at all, and that was a real bummer for me. No one on the team demonstrated much skill for executive protection, honestly, so it was a little hard to take them seriously.
Also, I admit I am biased as a corgi owner, but Corgi Lady wouldn't have had time for all that nonsense.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Car accident
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Terminal illness
Minor: Addiction, Blood, and Vomit
A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 5%.
Bog standard tiktok fantasy. Not written in a way that kept me wanting to get through it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Xenophobia, Blood, and Murder