mrtvavrana's reviews
832 reviews

Svätec by Adrienne Young

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

 

I have read this book in Slovak. 

 

I think this was my favourite in the series, and I have to say I have devoured this book really fast. 

 

I enjoyed Fable and Namesake, but the whole time I kept wondering about Isolde and Saint and their lives prior to the duology. I am glad we got a glimpse into how they met and worked together, and I wish there were more books about them. 

 

While I liked the story and characters, it all felt so rushed and incomplete. 

 

My least favourite thing was how fast Saint and Isolde fell in love and got together. I also disliked how Saint just threw everything he worked so hard for over a girl he met a few weeks ago. 

 

Overall, I would say this book does not bring us anything new. We are basically meeting “old” characters and getting more information on events we have read about in the other two books. 

 

I feel like this entire series is more about vibes than anything else at times. There is definitely nothing wrong with it, but the plot is very simple, and the stories of the duology and Saint are very similar. The characters don´t offer that much either; we only see superficial growth. 

 

Despite that I really enjoyed all three of the books. They definitely made me miss the sea.

End of Watch by Stephen King

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

 

The last book of the Bill Hodges Trilogy and by far the weirdest one. 

 

I have accidentally read this right after Mr. Mercedes, but thankfully it did not make a difference. But boy, was I confused when

Bill randomly died at the end of the book!

 

 

I genuinely feel like this book did not have to be written. I love Stephen King, and while this book was entertaining and fun at times, it was over the top and not necessary. 

 

While the first two books were classic thrillers, End of Watch introduced supernatural elements. I usually really enjoy supernatural books. In this case, it really made me dislike the book. 

 

I have to say, though, I came to really like Holly, and I can´t wait to read her trilogy!

Finders Keepers by Stephen King

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

 

This book is the second in the Bill Hodges trilogy, but the story is, thankfully, a stand-alone. I say “thankfully” because somehow I managed to read The End of Watch first and then came back to Finders Keepers. 

 

This novel featured much less of Hodges and more of other, new characters. I did not mind that particularly. 

 

For me, this story was more entertaining than that of the Mercedes Killer. Again, I did not particularly like the characters, but I really enjoyed how the story flowed and moved forward. I liked the different POVs and time skips. 

 

Unfortunately, as it seems to be a constant issue with King´s writing, the book was too long, and there were many unnecessary parts and bits.

Mr Mercedes by Stephen King

dark mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

 

I have said that I would not be reviewing more Stephen King novels, but I somehow cannot help myself. 

 

I definitely have mixed feelings about this entire trilogy. 

 

Mr. Mercedes was quite disturbing and also very, very boring. I feel like nothing was happening for most of the book. Apart from the Mercedes murders, of course. Not to mention the massively underwhelming and dry ending. The characters were also quite dry and underdeveloped. I don´t think I liked a single one of them. They were all too predictable and stereotypical. 

 

I also did not like the constant comments about Hodges´s weight, the misogynistic remarks, and Jerome´s random switches of speech and personality. 

 

Overall, Mr. Mercedes is readable, and it was somewhat entertaining, but it is not even close to the best of King´s works.

Meč osudu by Andrzej Sapkowski

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

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

5.0

 

I have read this book in Slovak. 

 

It has been a while since I read The Last Wish, and I was definitely not impressed. I feel like The Sword of Destiny picked up the pace, the book was much more entertaining, and it introduced the characters crucial in the rest of the series pretty well. 

 

I think that my favourite thing about the first two books in general is that we are getting bits and pieces from Geralt´s life and need to put them together to get a picture of what he´s like. I think he´s incredibly kind and stubborn, which I think only makes him more likeable. 

 

I adored the short story Sword of Destiny. It was the story that felt the most like a fairy tale, and I really enjoyed seeing Geralt being so protective and tender. 

 

I loved the world-building and writing, and I also really loved the translation. 

 

What I enjoy the most about Sapkowski´s writing is the lack of brutal action. It´s lovely to see the focus elsewhere. It´s nice to see a monster hunter who is kind of a monster himself. 

 

I was happy to see more of Yennefer, even though I´m still not entirely sure how I feel about her. 

 

I honestly can´t wait to read the rest of the series, but I will probably wait until the next year to do so.

Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious 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

3.0

Spell Bound is my 2nd book by F T Lukens. I suppose I knew what to expect, but I was still pleasantly surprised. I loved this book more than So This Is Ever After, but I still have things to say.

 

I felt like nothing was happening for the majority of the book, and then everything went down incredibly fast. The ending was unsatisfactory, very messy and confusing, and very far from what I had expected. The plot was nice and very sweet, and I found myself hoping for more. I wish, though, there was more world-building, as it would make the main conflict seem more serious.

 

While I really like both Rook and Sun, I do not like the immediate attraction between them. I think it is my second most hated trope in romance, just after miscommunication. I did like the enemies to friends to lovers story line, and I am also a fan of the “grumpy and sunshine” dynamic. What I am not a fan of is the grumpy character immediately doing a switch of their personality and becoming the human equivalent of Sun just because they are now in love. I hate these very unnecessary personality switches. On top of that, none of the other characters changed.

 

Spell Bound was a quick read; it was very relaxing. I kind of kept wishing for more and thinking that this book would be incredible if it was a book series instead. The characters and the direction the story went in definitely have potential.

 

I have already talked about the characters, but what I haven't mentioned is how much I appreciate having not one but two well-written non-binary characters. We did not get any gender reveals; we did not see any bullying or any of the other usual stuff.

 

I also loved seeing Sun set boundaries and people respecting them. Rook also always asked for consent, and it made me like the book even more.

Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

This book was recommended to me by a friend. They said this book is about a woman deciding whether or not to eat her boyfriend. Unfortunately, that is not entirely true. I think this book offers us so much more. If I were to similarly describe it, I´d say it´s about a vampire on a journey to self-acceptance.

 

Woman, Eating is a book about food, sex, intimacy, relationships, mental illness, self-isolation, parents, vampires, and monsters, and being a woman in patriarchal society. The food plays a crucial role in, well, absolutely everything. I think it is, along with depression and self-isolation, the heart of this book. I feel like Lydia´s story is a great way to portray what modern vampires could be like.

 

My favorite aspect of Woman, Eating was the introspection. I loved seeing Lydia for who she truly is. Her journey from self-loathing to absolute self-acceptance and her growth are incredible to follow. Unfortunately, this did make the book slower and, at times, very boring. There is also very little plot, and the other characters, who are not really crucial to the story, were not explored on any larger scale.

 

The main interest, Ben, is described as funny, goofy, and kind-hearted. Lydia also sees him as stupid, but she thinks his art is smart. It really made me question why she was so drawn to him; it made no sense. Ben is also a cheater and not very likeable.

 

As much as I hoped to love this book, I am leaving disappointed. This is not really a traditional vampire novel; this is mostly a look into a woman´s head. There is a lot of longing, hunger, food, and lust, and then there are the few last pages that serve as a gory and violent finish.

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

adventurous dark funny mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

 

As this is only my second Grady novel, I was not entirely sure what to expect. Somehow I was both impressed and disappointed. 

 

As an avid horror movie fan, this book really contained everything I love about slashers and the final girls. I would love to see this book turned into a movie. 

 

I found the premise intriguing, and after being pleasantly surprised by My Best Friend´s Exorcism, I have to say I did expect a little more. The story drags out for longer than necessary; it gets boring at times, and then things suddenly speed up—only to return to that boringness. There are so many twits and turns, some of which are definitely not necessary. 

 

When it comes to characters, they are all a bit flat and dull. And we don’t necessarily see a lot of growth, which I feel was crucial to the story. 

 

What I´m excited about, though, is that the killers get very little space. The majority of the book is about the survivors and their journey to healing. 

 

There is one thing I found extremely weird, and it was not important to the story—

the entire part where Lynette, Heather, and Marilyn kidnap Michelle from the hospice and let her die on a random bench. What the hell?

 

Also, I found it easy to figure out who the real villains were. I did not like how Stephanie was involved in it all. And I despised the Garrett dude. Why does everyone have to be evil? 

 

Overall, I think this was a great book, definitely fit for everyone who loves slashers. It pays homage to some of the most popular titles of the genre, which I found very sweet.

Human Sacrifices by María Fernanda Ampuero

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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

 

As the title already suggests, this short story collection deals with pretty heavy and horrendous topics. A lot of them have something in common: they contain the horrors women deal with in their daily lives. 

 

Human Sacrifices is a brutal and raw short story collection; it takes your breath away; it destroys you. 

While there are many supernatural elements, the true horrors are hidden in plain sight:

A child ran over by a bulldozer. A mother sacrificing her disabled son. Religious missionaries sexually assault children. War. Murder. Rape, abuse, poverty. Capitalism. Immigration. Racism.

This book is a mirror of our societies. It talks about everything evil we are witnessing, of everything that happens behind closed doors. 

 

Maria Fernanda Ampuero gives voice to those we usually don’t hear.

Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter

challenging informative mysterious fast-paced

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

2.0

I am not sure where to begin with this book review. I have so many mixed feelings and so much to say, but I am going to keep it short. 

 

Murder in the Family is a murder mystery, a book promising you an adventure: your own killer hunt! The book is written as a TV show transcript, accompanied by some extras—screenshots of conversations, emails, news clippings, maps, etc. I loved this concept SO much! It was fun and entertaining, and it kept going. Basically, the whole book is dialogue with some descriptions. 

 

The story itself is quite entertaining; it will absolutely seduce you. The characters are quite diverse, and I think we learn a lot about them in the process. But unfortunately, there is zero character development. I did not particularly connect with anyone; all the characters were horrible people, but I think it worked well with the story. 

 

My biggest issue, though, were the plot twists. The first two or three were great, but after that, the story just kept getting more and more ridiculous and improbably. And the final revelation of who the killer really was was terrible, horrible, awful, no good. It made no sense whatsoever. It felt like 90% of the book was pointless, just because of that one little detail. 

 

Another thing I did not enjoy much was how chaotic and hard to follow things were because of the amount of characters. But I think it would have been easier if I listened to the audiobook as I was reading. 

 

The book was advertised as interactive, but I don’t think there is enough material for the readers to feel like they're solving anything. It was not difficult to guess who the killer was very early on, but the constant twists make you question it up until the “big” reveal.